The Rites of Midnight

Chapter 1 - The Stranger

Madeline Warren never went out much. It was because she never had a reason to. Years had passed since Adelaide Winchester grew up in Ravenseye, and vampires had become well-known to the general public, but that wretched small town was still in poverty. Granted, it was a little silly to expect things to suddenly change for the better, but what kind of misfortune had to strike the denizens for vampires to reside among them and prosperity to avoid them like the plague?

No one knew what the answer could possibly be, but no one was willing to moan either, not even Madeline, who longed to truly understand the beauty of the outside world. She loved going outside, but withered trees with black, thin branches, wilted flowers, crows and rain didn't please her much. She knew that there had to be some place nearby where things were infinitely better, but as someone living in poverty, she didn't have the ability to seriously entertain such a thing. 

Every day, she worked at the family farm with her parents from an early age, which taught her to appreciate the value of hard work pretty quickly. She got used to all the chores, but there were often times when she still couldn't be bothered to do them. Still, there wasn't much to do around there, and work helped to distract her from thoughts of sadness and ennui, so she assisted her parents a lot. There were far fewer crops than there ought to be, and the barn animals knew to be a bit annoying at times, but she didn't want to seem ungrateful by complaining.

She was alone very often because not only were there few young people in Ravenseye, but also because her parents didn't allow her to leave the property on a regular day. It wasn't only the constant chores and the fear of teenage disobedience, but also the vampires. Those blasted vampires. The night was never safe - not that it would have been safe enough anyway - but when her cripplingly religious parents had learned that they could also mingle with humans during the day, albeit with more consequences, her social life was pretty much over. 

She could stay for a little while longer after school or go to someone else's home sometimes for a little while or take a walk somewhere near the house, but even that was hard to achieve. Thus, all her life had been for as long as she could remember were prayers, worries and bleak surroundings. Her active and passionate mind, which was a fertile ground for creating something wonderful if put into the right environment, could only be occupied by the stifled traditions of Ravenseye for so long. Her soul yearned for more, especially when she went to the moors, filled with weeds, ponds and clearer skies, imagining what life could look like if she weren't trapped in her cage.

Whenever there was something in life to be cherished, her mind took notice of it. She read, she painted, she sang, she danced, she did her hair in various styles, she cooked, and she also did many other things, even if she didn't have as many resources as she ought to. When it came to social interactions, she had small talk with her parents' friends whenever they came over to visit, even though there weren't that many of them and her parents didn't much care for visits, and also with some of her classmates. She appreciated the presence of these people in her life, even though they were all mere acquaintances. 

One boy stood out, though, and that was for a reason. His name was Nathaniel Atwood, and whenever she remembered it, she also remembered his short height, ruffled brown hair, golden freckles that went perfectly with his innocent hazel eyes and wide smile, passionate about all the wonders that the world held at almost every opportunity, which surprised even her, given that she was more eager to admire the beauty of life than most people, and even she often had trouble doing so in such a place. 

It meant that he was a special person to her, although she wasn't sure in what way. He and his family lived right next to them, which meant that she couldn't help but think of him often, and their parents were really close with each other and sometimes knew to make insignificant remarks about how good their children would look together, so her perception of him was skewed from the start.