Ember

Ember’s POV

The other villagers and I hadn’t really gotten along.

The others liked to stick to tradition and keep things the way they were. They didn’t really favor change unless necessary.

I was mostly fine with that, but sometimes my opinion was very different from the others. One example was the vampire problem.

Vampires roamed freely in the world, feeding on the blood of mortals anytime they so desired. They were shadows in the night, weak to only sunlight, holy water, a wooden stake through the heart and so on.

Vampires were superior to humans in many ways. Not only their strength, but speed and intelligence as well.

The biggest case was my own village.

The villagers just wanted to stick to putting small bottles of holy water near the outskirts of the village and calling it a day, but I knew that wasn’t enough.

Vampires weren’t just like animals that you could deal with by showing them away.

They needed a bigger solution that would last longer.

“We can’t just keep using small bottles of holy water! The vampires can easily find a way past them and into the village!” I said while talking to one of the villagers.

“Then why haven’t we experienced an attack yet?“ The villager retorted.

“They could be disguising themselves as one of our villagers to catch us off guard!“ I reasoned.

The villager narrowed their eyes in frustration. “I’m done arguing with you about this. You’re just a child, you don’t have a fully developed mind yet. Once you’re older, you’ll understand that this is the right thing to do.“

“I’m fucking twenty!” I fought back

The villager scoffed, saying nothing more as they walked away, leaving me there to stand and stare after them.

I then turned around and stormed out of the village towards my spot in the forest where I calmed down after fights like that.

The place was a clearing in the forest that had a calm aura.

The setting sun cast a beautiful Crimson and Orange glow over the forest.

I knew not to stay out here too long, I had to be back to the village before dark. After all, I just had an argument with the village elders about vampires attacking, I couldn’t just stay out in the open vulnerable for them.

I quietly stood in the center of the clearing for a minute. Taking deep breaths to calm myself down and think about other things.

“Maybe they are right after all.” I thought. “No vampires have shown themselves and from what I’ve heard, tho bottles of holy water worked in the past. Shit…what am I doing? Why is this tearing me apart?”

Just then, a familiar feeling came over me. It was the feeling of being watched.

Over the past month, I’d been feeling this. But when I looked, no one was there.

I asked the other villagers if they had seen anyone that didn’t belong to the village, but they hadn’t seen anyone. I also asked my parents about it several times, but they didn’t know what to do.

I looked around the clearing but once again, no one was there.

Suddenly, a rustle in the bushes caught my attention.

I slowly turned around and jumped.

Across the clearing, a figure that looked to be a young man stood silently, watching me, his arms crossed.

The man looked normal, except for the unnatural pale skin and blood red eyes.

He wore a fancy black and red suit, had straight black hair that barely reached the base of his shoulders, plus almost to his eyes in the front, and black platforms.

The man was also wearing a black and red crown but there were no kingdoms around. My eyes widened and I quickly took a step back.

The man chuckled quietly before locking eyes with me. His smile seemed friendly, but Ember didn’t trust him.

“Hello my dear.” The man said. His voice was rich and sounded like velvet. He also had a slight British accent.

He took a step towards me.

“Who are you?” I asked.

“My name is Isaac, it’s a pleasure to meet you.” The man replied. I furrowed my eyebrows.

“I swear I’ve heard that name before…” I thought. “But he doesn’t share a name with any of the villagers, and I don’t think I’ve heard any of them talk about that name-“

My eyes suddenly widened again.

I remember where I heard this name.

I had read it in a book.

A book about vampires.

I looked up at Isaac and took another step back.

“You’ve heard of me.” Isaac stated. It was more of a statement than a question. “How interesting.”

He chuckled again, then to my horror, he slowly started walking towards me.

his steps were calm, casual and quiet, I almost couldn’t hear them on the earth below us.

my leg moved back, but the other didn’t follow. I could hear my heartbeat in my ears now and my hands were shaking slightly.

“No need to fear. I have no ill intent towards you.” Isaac said,

He stopped just a few steps away from me. “How much do you know?” He asked.

I felt my heartbeat speed up.

“This isn’t good.” I thought. “How did I even get into this situation…? What does he want…?”

“Not much…” I lied.

“Oh come now my dear.” Isaac said, a slight smirk at the corner of his lips.

“There’s no use in lying. Just answer my question, it’s simple. How much do you know about me?” Isaac asked again.

I paused, contemplating whether to tell him or not. My eyes darted around, trying to locate any potential escape routes just in case anything went wrong.

Isaac saw what I was doing. I could tell he was a little annoyed that I still wasn’t answering him, but his patience was still there.

i think.

“Looking for something? I can assure you that you won’t find any exits while I’m right in front of you. I’d suggest you not waste your energy on something you can’t even do.” He said, a hint of irritation now in his voice.

I gritted my teeth.

He was right.

If what I’d read about vampires was true, I couldn’t get out of this that easily.

“I’ve read about you, or at least, your race.” I said finally.

“You’re a vampire. But I didn’t need to read a book to figure that out. The pale skin and red eyes gave it away. I bet you have fangs too.”

“Indeed I do. And I’m quite proud of them.” Isaac smiled, his fangs glinting in the moonlight.

“I also know that you aren’t an ordinary vampire.” I continued. “Normal vampires would kill me the second they saw me. But you…you’re just standing there. You also said that you have been watching me, so that means you passed the holy water but didn’t attack my village. Plus, the sun hasn’t set yet but you’re not dying..”

“Correct. You are clever my dear. I am no low ranking vampire. Remember when I said I have many titles?”

For a second, my heart stopped beating in my chest.

There was only one vampire he could be.

This was a vampire that lurked in nightmares.

This was a vampire that even other vampires feared.

My terror skyrocketed as my suspicions were confirmed. “Yes…wait, what are you…no…it can’t be-”

Isaac laughed again, taking yet another step towards me.

“But before I tell you, I have a question for you.”

“uh…yes?” I asked.

“What do you think of your village’s pathetic attempt to keep us out? And please, do tell me the truth.”

I hesitated again.

“Why does he want to know? What the hell is he planning? Is he going to kill me or not?”

“Please dear, I would like to hear the truth.” Isaac pushed again.

“I think it’s fucking stupid. You got past them, it’s only a matter of time before more of your kind comes. I try to warn them, but none of them listen to me. They tell me I’m just a child even though I’m twenty.”

“You’re twenty?” Isaac asked. I could see a slight look of shock on his face. “Dear, you look younger.”

“Is that a compliment?”

“I guess you could say it is.”

Isaac stepped closer again, now only two feet away from me.

“But now, I will stop stalling. You want to know who I really am, so I will tell you.”

“Please don’t be who I think you are…please don’t…” I thought. Although, I already knew who he was.

“I am Isaac Darwin. King of the Vampires. I am their highest lord, their leader. I am the strongest, fastest and most dangerous of my race.” Isaac bowed with a hand behind his back.

He straightened up. “And since I am the king, I do not burn in sunlight like they do. It’s very useful.”

But then his smile faded slightly, and his tone became more serious with his next words. “The reason I am here before you now, is that I have an offer for you my dear Ember.”