♤ ı [0] Awaiting the Everlasting

ı 02 ı 1022 B.C

PART TWO: THE REUNION

IT'S BEEN one year since us Bransons were turned. We were forced to figure out all the mechanics and rules of being the vile creatures that we are. We quickly realized it was impossible to boycott blood, as it was a necessary component of a vampire's diet. We spent weeks upon weeks starving ourselves, refusing to enter any village we passed. None of us wanted to feed on another human again; we refused to be the monsters we had become.

Soon we realized a few of our tricks, such as compulsion and healing with our vampire blood. We used the compulsion to manipulate humans and drink from their veins all while healing them after and making them forget. From this we learned control, and felt more confident in the way we handled ourselves around humans. It helped us survive, but it did not erase the guilt that we felt so deeply in our hearts.

Each day for the past year, we've woken up thinking all of this is just a dream, only to be disappointed when our tongue is dry from the lack of blood. We hate ourselves, hate what we've done and what we know we're going to do. I can see the light drained from Lexi's eyes each day she wakes, her smile forced to reassure me she's fine. I can see how Joel's personality has shifted, all the joy and humour fading from his mind. He's become a different person, and frankly we all have. Each day I wake up with a particular face in mind, the face of the man who did this do my family, and each day I think of new ways to kill him if I ever cross his path again.

However, within the past year, the three of us have relocated in a decent sized town just by the coast. It's big enough to blend in, but small enough to not overwhelm our vampire desires. Here we've started to build a life for ourselves, but deep in my heart I still miss our home of Mystic Falls. I can only hope they have started rebuilding, cleaning up our mess.

"Excuse me!" A female voice calls outside our small wooden shack. It's rare that people come this far from the edge of town. That's the main reason Joel, Lexi and I decided to set up a shelter here, so we'd be far from people as we slept.

"Is anybody home?" she repeats again, forcing me to get up.

Joel and Lexi have gone into town, presumably doing their part. We've decided that if we're going to stay here, we need to fit in, and that starts with acting like we're humans again. Joel has picked up a job helping build houses while Lexi has been working with the injured, healing them with her blood. I on the other hand have been just listening, using my vampire hearing to listen in to any gossip about any attacks on other villages nearby, anything that could lead me to Klaus. So far there's nothing, but I know something's bound to pop up.

I put my long hair in a knot before opening the door, squinting at the bright afternoon sunlight. Outside our door stands a young woman, blonde hair and icy blue eyes with a broken woven basket beside her, apples rolling everywhere.

"Oh hi!" she sighs in relief, looking me up and down as if she's studying me. "I um," she stutters as if she's nervous. "I was just out here picking apples for my mother when my basket broke. Do you have a basket I could borrow?"