Thirst of the Insane

Chapter 6

Ameera stood off to the side as her classmates were announced. She was happy that it seemed none of them tripped over their own two feet, even though she could feel how nervous they all were. Once they were down, Trey was announced and once he was away from the stairs, she stood in front of the door and was announced herself.

The doors opened and the lights came to rest on her. She smiled brightly and stepped down the stairs, one by one. Her left hand held onto the railing lightly and her other hand made sure her dress didn't get caught in her feet. Her classmates just gaped at her as she did everything with ease. She had grown accustomed to her duties as princess but she knew that many never had to get used to doing this sort of thing. Everyone had gotten quiet as soon as her name and titled was called. When she stepped on the first step everyone except her father bowed or curtsied. Even her brothers were bowing.

"You may all rise," Ameera said, and everyone obeyed by rising and continuing their conversations. She finished her descent and made her way to the table her classmates were at. She looked at them watching their reactions.

"Ameera?" Diana asked in a whisper, "Are all these people really like you? Are they really a different species than we are?"

Ameera just grinned, "Yup! Every single one of them are an Upir." She turned to look around, "The one standing there with my brothers, is my father, King of the Upir. Once I become a full Upir, I'll be taking his place and he will be stepping down. There's no treason in speaking about it in that manner. It's just the way our breed is. Now, I must go make several rounds of meet and greet. If you need me get one of the Upir to come and find me. Do not go off on your own. There are still a few that have the Addiction like Trey has, even in this crowd."

Ameera waited until they nodded and she looked at Diana making sure the girl understood that it meant her as well. She didn't want anything happening to any of her classmates or her best friend just because they got curious about something. She turned gracefully and made her way to her brothers and father.

Her father gave her a sad smile, but a smile all the same. Ameera hadn't allowed him to see her in the two years that she had been gone from home.

"Ameera, I've missed you," her father, Amar Voshtel, told her.

"I know, but I had to get my own feet under me. I had to get used to living in a world where I wasn't locked up. You understand right, Daddy?" Ameera asked him with a tilt to her head.

His smile became more real as she spoke and he nodded, "Yes, I understand. I know it wasn't right of me to lock you up, but I had to make sure you were safe. Now, I see that you and your brothers can mostly stay safe on your own. You don't need to have guards watching you and not be allowed outside. Am I still banned from going to see you?"

Ameera sighed as it seemed he had finally understood her side of what happened for all those years, "If you can promise not to try to lock me up anymore, I think it would be fine for you to come see us from time to time." She reached up and gave her father a hug and the other Upir in the room started clapping. They all knew what had happened and they all knew the significance of the two making up would do for them all. They might finally get their princess back and she might come home to visit if she wasn't locked up anymore.

Ameera grinned and so did her father as they let go of each other and heard the noise the other Upir were making in the room. The ball had quite a few Upir show up, over fifty in one place and she was sure there were more arriving later that night. She moved on to other Upir that she knew, which was most of them there. She stopped to speak to a couple that had moved in near the castle. They had become Upir a few years before she was born. They were still young, but they were obedient to the laws of the Upir and had proven their worth on more than one occasion. The woman could see the future at will and her husband could freeze time. She had a pixie cut of blonde hair, with green eyes. She was much taller than most women and he was just as tall with short black hair and green eyes.