The Sleeping Girl

Chapter Five

She has something to do with the Girl.

She did something to the Girl.

Something horrible.

I get a sudden flashback of Ailie. And the werewolves. And the pain from that day hits me hard again. I remember how they ripped her to pieces. They killed her because of me. Because of the Sleeping Girl. And I am certain that this child vampire has done or contributed to something equally horrific for the next Sleeping Girl.

Suddenly, I feel fire burning in my eyes, my hatred for dark magic bubbling up. They have done so much wrong in the world. Caused so much horror, pain, grief, terror, darkness. Without dark magic there would be no need for society. Countless many more lives would have been spared. I would have lived out my life five centuries ago. So would Ailie.

My anger from earlier is still not gone, and seeing this girl just standing here, appearing as an innocent human child makes me even more mad. No, not just mad. Furious.

Still with rage, I trudge over to the girl, placing both hands on her shoulders, yanking her around to face me, shaking her. Hard.

The girl turns to me, looking startled. Her mouth opens a little, her expression unreadable. I can feel her pale skin through her shirt, icy cold. Dangerous. It seems to lower in temperature as I stand there. Unwittingly, I shiver.

I know that vampire skin changes temperature (cold, very cold, extremely cold, deathly cold, and so on) with their moods.Though I've never killed a vampire myself, Mother did, and she told me all about it back when I was a little girl. I have been told that the killing of vampires itself is fairly easy, but getting in for the kill is hard. Then again, there is only one of her, and I'm most likely stronger. Especially having just woken up. Especially in these woods where I spent the last who knows how many years of my slumber.

The vampire's eyes dart over my face. I cannot tell what she's thinking. Then, her ruby red eyes start to glint menacingly. I stare levelly back at her, not flinching. She doesn't frighten me. They don't frighten me. I've been through too much to flinch away at a child.

"Hello Sleeping Girl," she sneers, her voice high and childish. She makes the words Sleeping Girl sound like they are dirty, somehow."We've been expecting to see you here soon."

"Who are you?" I snap. "And what are you doing with the next Sleeping Girl?" I grit my teeth, not wanting to deal with snarky right now. Not ever, actually, but especially not right now.

"We thought you'd want to know that," she replies. "But, it's not going to happen." She smiles widely, revealing a row of white teeth slowly sharpening into deadly fangs. The inside of her mouth is bright red, probably from blood. Human blood.

Infuriated, I shake her, hard. Harder than I've ever gripped anything before. Hard enough that I can feel my fingernails making half moon shapes in her cold skin. I feel triumphant when she flinches.

I let my magic flow freely from my palms. The vampire's shirt has been burned away in an instant, and I can feel rough blisters forming on her skin underneath my fingers. Her skin is warming up, turning red. I was right. I am stronger than this girl. She is weak.

Vampires can cast spells that protect them from the sun. They don't have much magic, just supernatural speed and strength (and the whole drinking blood thing. But that's a given). The little that they do have is used by most to protect themselves against sunlight. They didn't used to have to, used to shut themselves away in coffins during the day, but with the way the world is now (or even three thousand years ago), they just can't do that anymore. However since they only possess a very small amount of magic, their protection spells are typically weak. I can tell the girl's spell is dissolving beneath my touch. She starts squirming and trying to get away, but I tighten my grip. She is not getting away. No. Way.