Scarlet Eyes

I winced as the woman missed the vein for what felt like the hundredth time. She once again felt for the vein, tapping her fingers on the inside of my elbow. She look exhausted, and from the white bandage on the side of her neck it was easy to see why. She had been fed on recently, and from the looks of it the vampire hadn’t been too gentle. Her breath was staggered and her hand trembled as she tried to reposition the needle. Despite the fact she looked a little, uh, drained she was extremely beautiful. I guessed she was probably in her early twenties. Fair complexion, auburn hair, pouty lips, and although there was no light in them, she had eyes the color of green sea glass. Overall, she looked healthy. Which is the best and worst thing to be. Being healthy meant you could give blood, but also made you a likely choice if you ever found yourself in the presence of a hungry vampire. She sighed a breath of relief, and I realized she had successfully gotten the needle in the vein. I had been so distracted by her features I hadn’t even felt the metal prick my skin. My stomach churned as I watched the red, vicious liquid move from my arm, through the tubing, and into the plastic pouch. Blood. It was one of the most popular forms of currency in this messed up world. Although I hated being used as a human blood bag, it was worth it to make a few extra coin. I had to look away before the contents of this mornings breakfast threatened to expose itself. “Once your pint is full, I’ll unhook you, and you can go to the front desk to collect your reward,” said the women. I nodded in acknowledgment and she moved to the other side of the room. She wasn’t much of a talker, and honestly that was okay with me. I preferred the silence, finding peace in the quiet. I was the complete opposite of my sister Abigail, or Abby as I called her. She was never a fan of her birth name claiming it sounded too formal. Abby hated silence, and constantly felt the need to fill the void with the hum of her own voice. I smiled as I remembered her explaining to me the origins of the different species in the Ethereal Realm this morning. She has been visiting the Scriptorium more frequently, spending much of the day there. Absorbing the knowledge with a brush of her fingers on the worn pages of every book she cracked open. I was always impressed by her ability to retain so much information. I never needed to visit the Scriptorium with Abby around, and frankly never wanted to. The Knowledge Keepers gave me the creeps. My smile faltered. Abby had been reading more about the vampires. At first I thought nothing of it, since they are a large percentage of our population, and make the laws of our realm, but lately it’s become an obsession. We were orphaned at a young age after rogue vampires attacked our town and killed our parents. With this attack, the town Aeonvale was completely wiped from the map. After it’s decimation the council put more laws in place to keeps the races from mindlessly slaughtering one another. The first law being no mindless and unnecessary slaughter. The council may be made up of a bunch of filthy old bloodsuckers but I have to admit they were fair and just for the most part. They never created laws that gave one race more power than the other. Abby faced no serious repercussions from the attack physically or mentally. For her, it’s like it never even happened. But for me the memory is like wet paint on a canvas that never dries. Screaming. Fire. Burning. People running. Red. I always see red. A hand on my shoulder jolted me back to reality. It was as if a pail of ice water had been dumped on me, and I shuddered. Looking at who the hand belonged to I was met with a blank stare. “I’m going to remove the IV now,” said the women. She removed the needle, immediately covering the wound with a fresh piece of gauze. “Hold pressure.” I did as I was told, pressing down on the gauze, while she tied off the bag careful to not let a drop go to waste.