Blood Legacy

Ezel Young

The silence of the long night was broken by an alarm that rang at the bed side of a girl. The black haired girl opened her eyes and stretched out a hand to turn off the noisy alarm. The darkness seemed even louder without the interfering ringing but Ezel didn’t mind since she had always been an early bird.

Getting out of bed, Ezel glanced at the street that was going to soon be filled with people and carriages and wagons through the window that faced it. Savior street, as it was known, was an ever busy road that was filled with a cacophony of sounds and people. It was also the street where Ezel and her adoptive mother had an old cottage for a home. It seemed to be out of place on the ever busy street but for Ezel, it was home.

Today was no ordinary day. Ezel would be living the nest for school. To be precise, she would be moving in to a college hostel. Sighing to herself, Ezel marched to the bathroom and got her daily dose of cold water. She hated hot baths as she felt uncomfortable with the heat.

The water dripped down from her hair all the way to her back, highlighting her feminine physique enough to make many women jealous. Her hair stuck to her face like glue and she gathered the locks and pinned them above her head, revealing her smooth, slim neck and a birthmark that would leave most scared.

On such a lovely lady was a patch of black, like someone spilled black ink on her. She looked unbothered by it though and she exited the bathroom wrapped in a towel. As she looked in a mirror, Ezel’s eyes flash with a tinge of red but she fails to notice as she is startled by a knock on the door.

She knew it was her mother so she swiftly opened the door however she couldn't help but wonder why her mother woke up so early.

"Morning, mother?" Ezel began.

"Morning, Ezel. You still wake up so early?" She asked although she knew the answer.

'This child!' Mrs. Young, Ezel adoptive mother mumbled. Entering the almost empty room with only a bed and a small closet as the only furniture, Mrs. Young saw a Ezel's small suitcase fully packed at the corner.

Sadness caressed her heart but she knew she had to let her daughter go. She was so used to her that she couldn't bear to let her go. Ezel on the other hand knew her mother better for she realized the bitter feelings that she tried so hard to hide.

"Mother, I'll be fine, don't worry. I promise to keep in touch with you," Ezel hugged her mother.

Mrs. Young hugged her daughter tightly with her eyes closed in fear of letting her tears shown to her daughter.

Soon the sun began to rise and the hours of Mrs. Young spending with Ezel reduced. No matter how reluctant she was, she had to let her go. The academy being far away from her home, Ezel knew it'd be difficult to talk to her mother but she had to bear it.

"Don't worry mum, I'll try to call you whenever I get time," Ezel rubbed her mother's back in hopes of comforting her. Of course she knew she was crying but she didn't expose her.

After the heartwarming session, Mrs. Young left Ezel to finish dressing up for the day. It was going to be a long journey for Ezel, but she was ready for it. Walking to the wall where her small suitcase was packed and loaded, Ezel gave the room that she had called a safe haven for the last few years now over, trying to ingrain every little detail to her mind even if she knew them all by heart.

“Come, let’s have breakfast together one last time. My little girl is now all grown up.” Mrs. Young said as soon as she saw Ezel in the kitchen with her little suitcase behind her. Dressed in a simple black A-line dress. Ezel looked every bit the lovely young lady she was. Looking at her daughter, Mrs. Young knew that she would be dragging in a lot of young men once she made it to the academy.

“Here, I have a gift for you.” She said as Ezel settled into a chair as she got the two small boxes.

Ezel turned her attention to her mother as she felt that she had gone out of her way again and got her something that she didn’t need. Looking at the two boxes of different sizes, curiosity got the better of her and she wanted to know what was in them.

“Here, this is a new pair of gloves, as a beautiful young lady like yourself should have.” Said the older lady as she pulled out a pair of lacy gloves for Ezel. They had her name engraved on the name and Ezel had swallowed the big lump forming in her throat as emotions threatened to spill out. Not waiting for her to say anything, Mrs. Young continued as she pulled out more contents from the small box.

“Here are another two pairs of gloves. You can use the evening gloves with the pretty red dress for your welcoming dance and the other pair for when you get cold.” Said the older lady as her voice choked on emotions. Moving on, she opened the second box and a marvelous pair of black Oxford heels and finally Ezel couldn’t hold it in any longer and she let a stray tear flow down her lovely cheeks.

“Men are armed with knowledge and guns as they step out in the cruel world. As ladies, we can only arm ourselves with these small things to prepare ourselves for what is out there. These are our armor.” Mrs. Young said as she pushed the boxes into Ezel’s laps.

Ezel was beside herself with emotions as she ate in silence with the lovely lady who had raised her. She looked at the boxes that sat atop her bags and breathed in deeply. After the little speech and show from the older lady, Ezel ate her breakfast in silence as the older lady fussed over her. When she was finally done, Mrs. Young escorted her outside to where what seemed to be a car was waiting for her.

The night had given way to a beautiful morning and now, the once empty street was bustling with life. The car stood out completely as it was a time when cars were seen as a luxury for the rich.

“Who would have thought that they would send a car to pick you up. Just what kind of academy is this?” Mrs. Young grumbled as she held Ezel’s hand and they crossed the street towards the car.

A man with a protruding belly stepped out as soon as the pair approached the car and tipped his fedora at them. He reminded Ezel of the whipping boys of most mafias around them but she didn’t dare to comment as it would be considered rude. The man took hold of Ezel’s bags and went to the front to put them in the trunk as Mrs. Young hugged her and said her last good byes.

“Milady.” The man said as he opened the door to the car.

Ezel peered into the car and was greeted by white leather with brown linings here and there. It looked more comfortable than the wagon she had planned to use and she was much welcome to the comfort. The street was now crowded as cars rarely ever came to their side of town.

Noticing the crowdedness, Mrs. Young urged Ezel into the car and with one more hug, she was off.

The drive seemed to go on for forever as hills and people zipped by oh so fast for Ezel to comprehend. Soon, she was dozing off and welcomed to the world of dreams.

*

“My dear, get ready. The party won’t start without you.” Said an older woman decked in frills and a corset.

Ezel in the dream looked around and felt that it was all familiar and yet vastly strange to her all at once. She looked in a mirror and the person staring back shocked her. Plump red lips, curls upon curls on her head and on offensive fan in hand, Ezel felt like she looked like a courtesan.

The scene shifted and she was soon in a pool of people. No, not people. Creatures.

Ezel saw a man walk around with sheep feet and another with goat feet while another man had horns protruding out of his head!

‘What madness!’ she thought as shuffled in the crowd trying to get away. Magically, a way was opened up as the crowd parted for her. Looking at the end of the lie, Ezel saw three dazzling men. When one smirked knowing her gaze was on him, a fang poked out and Ezel had never felt more scared. The tip of the ice berg was a minotaur walking towards her while holding a tray of weird red substance.

Ezel awoke with a start and a little screech as the man behind the wheel glanced at her through a small mirror at the front.

“Are you alright, milady?” he asked as he maneuvered the contraption around a bend.

Ezel looked around and realized that they had left the town behind and were now on a dirt road.

“How far is the academy, my good sir?” She asked as she held on to her fascinator like it were a weapon.

“We are still ways away, milady. About three towns away from it. ‘Tis going to be a while before we get there.” He answered in what seemed to be a foreign accent. If he was foreign, Ezel couldn’t tell except for that.

‘What if he isn’t from the academy and I have been kidn*pped?’ she thought to herself as she stared out the window at the passing scenery though she was focusing on anything in particular. A group of little children caught her attention as they approached a forest which she found strange.

‘Children out this far? Where is a grown up?’ she thought.

Trying to see if there was anything wrong with them, Ezel squinted her eyes harder as she stared at them and almost jumped when she got a closer look. The little children had furry legs and horns! Horns!

“Sir, do you see that?” she asked the driver and he smiled.

“Whatever do you mean?”

Ezel felt like she was losing it. There was no way she just seen children who weren’t human.

“Do not mind. Must be the nerves of attending a new school.” She told the driver and he turned his focus back to the road that seemed to roll for miles ahead.

As they approached a new town, Ezel would swear on her mother’s life that she had seen creatures that were mentioned only in legends.

‘Fawns, bards, a minotaur! What is going on? Is the nightmare? Must be!’ she thought to herself as they took a rest.

The driver had gone to a shop as she stood beside the contraption that was known as the greatest of man’s inventions yet. Ezel was running everything that had happened in her mind and felt that it was more than a bunch of unsettled nerves. There was more to the sightings than she was seeing. Only question was, what?