Snow

I learned very young that vampires did not need to touch you to hurt you. Sometimes all they had to do was walk past. People moved out of their way when they came down the street. Shopkeepers lowered their eyes. Children were pulled against their mothers' sides. Conversations died in the middle of sentences. And if you were human, you learned to make yourself small. My brother was never good at that. He had always been too stubborn. "Sia." I turned from the window. He was sitting on the edge of our mattress, one hand pressed against his chest. My stomach dropped. "Again?" He nodded. I hurried to him. Our room was barely large enough for the two of us. One mattress, one wooden chair, a little table with three legs because the fourth had broken months ago, and a window that refused to close properly. Cold air slipped through the gap at night, but we couldn't afford to fix it. Nothing in our lives got fixed. It only got used until it broke. I reached for the small tin beside his pillow. "Slowly," I whispered. "Don't panic." He gave me an irritated look between breaths. "I'm not panicking." "You look like you're dying." "I'm not dying." "You say that every time." "And I'm still alive." I almost smiled. Almost. Then he coughed. The sound tore through his chest, dry and painful, and my smile disappeared. I knelt in front of him, watching until his breathing began to settle. Our medicine was running low. Three doses. I had counted them twice that morning. Three. After that, I didn't know what we would do. The pharmacy had raised its prices again. Of course it had. Everything became more expensive whenever the vampires changed something. Food. Medicine. Rent. Water. They called it protection. I called it stealing. Humans weren't allowed to own much anymore. The best jobs belonged to vampires. The safest districts belonged to vampires. Even the hospitals had separate entrances for humans, and sometimes the doors were simply locked. My brother reached over and tapped my forehead. "Stop thinking." "I wasn't." "You were." I sighed. "You need medicine." "I know." "I'll get some." "With what?" I didn't answer. He knew. There was nothing in the cupboard except half a loaf of bread. He looked away first. That was when I knew things had become truly bad. Not because we were hungry. We had been hungry before. But because my brother had stopped pretending that everything would be okay. That evening, I went out. I wrapped my old brown coat around myself and pulled the hood over my hair. My brother told me not to go. I went anyway. The streets were darker than usual. Vampire territory began only three streets from our home, and you could always tell when you were getting close. The buildings became taller. The roads became cleaner. The lamps burned brighter. There were guards everywhere. I kept my head down. At the market, I stood outside a pharmacy for almost ten minutes before I finally walked in. The woman behind the counter looked at me once. Human. Her expression changed immediately. "Out." I swallowed. "My brother needs—" "I said out." "I have money." I placed the coins on the counter. She looked at them. Then laughed. "That won't buy you anything." My face burned. "I just need one bottle." "Human medicine isn't charity." "It's not charity. I'm paying." She leaned forward. "Do you know what happens to humans who cause trouble in vampire districts?" I knew. Everyone knew. I gathered my coins. "I'll leave." "Good." I stepped outside with my hands shaking. I hated them. I hated the vampires. I hated the guards. I hated the people who watched and did nothing. Most of all, I hated that hatred didn't feed us. When I returned home, the door was open. I stopped. My heart began beating hard. "Daniel?" No answer. I pushed the door open. Two men were standing inside. Neither was human. One turned toward me. "Sia?" I froze. Nobody called my name like that. Not with that kind of certainty. "Who are you?" The taller man smiled. "We're looking for humans." My eyes moved toward my brother. He was standing beside the mattress, pale and terrified. "Leave him alone." The shorter man laughed. "You're both coming." "No." The word left my mouth before I could stop it. The taller man crossed the room. I stepped backward. "No." He grabbed my wrist. I screamed. My brother lunged at him. "Don't touch her!" The vampire struck him. My brother fell against the table. Everything inside me stopped. "Daniel!" I tried to reach him, but the vampire tightened his grip around my arm. My brother coughed. Once. Twice. Then he couldn't breathe. "His inhaler!" I screamed. "He needs his inhaler!" Nobody moved. I fought so hard my nails tore against the man's hand. "Please!" That word tasted disgusting. I had never begged anyone before. The vampire only looked amused. "Take them." A pair of metal cuffs snapped around my wrists. My brother was dragged toward the door. I followed, stumbling. "Daniel!" He looked at me. His face was frightened. But he still tried to smile.That was what broke me. Because I knew he was trying to make me believe everything would be fine, We were taken outside. There were others. Dozens of humans. Some were crying. Some were silent. Some had blood on their clothes. A woman beside me whispered, "Don't fight them." I stared at her. "Where are they taking us?" She didn't answer. The wagon door slammed shut. Darkness swallowed us. The wheels began to move. I pressed myself against my brother. His breathing was uneven. i held his hand through the cuffs. "We'll get out," I whispered. He squeezed my fingers. "You promise?" I closed my eyes. "Promise." I didn't know if I was lying to him or to myself. Hours later, the wagon stopped. The doors opened. Bright lantern light flooded inside. A man stood outside with a ledger. He looked over us like we were livestock. "Names." One by one, people answered. When it reached me, I lifted my chin. "Sia." The man frowned. "That's your name?" "Yes." He scratched something into the ledger. Then shook his head. "Too soft." I stared at him. He looked at the next person. "No. You'll be Sarah." My mouth went dry. "My name is Sia." He didn't even look up. "Not anymore." Something inside me went very still. Sarah. A stranger's name. A name given to me by a man who didn't know anything about me. Didn't know how my brother laughed when he was happy. Didn't know how I used to sing while washing clothes. Didn't know that I hated bitter tea. Didn't know that my mother had once told me my name meant something beautiful. To him, I was nothing. Just another human. Another body to sell. The man closed his ledger. "Take Sarah to the eastern group." I looked at my brother. They were pulling him in another direction. "No!" I fought against the hands holding me. "Daniel!" He turned. "Sia!" Our eyes met. Then the doors closed between us. And for the first time in my life, I understood something worse than hunger. You could lose someone while they were still alive. And sometimes, that was the cruelest kind of loss.