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TEN YEARS LATER

EDITOR WARNING: THIS CHAPTER HAS NOT BEEN EDITED SINCE FIRST DRAFT (2017). MAJOR PLOTHOLES OR INCONSISTENCIES

"Adrienne DuBois! Sit up straight!" Diana lectured ten year old Adrienne as her older sisters Elizabeth and Marie snickered.

"Sorry Mother" Adrienne quietly mumbled. "What did I say about the mumbling Adrienne!" Her mother said condescendingly.

"Sorry" Adrienne repeated again."May I please go to the library today, Mother"?

"The Library Ha! Who'd want to be around all those stuffy books" Elizabeth retorted. "Mother, did you see her needlework, it's a mess!" Marie chimed in, laughing.

"Enough, you two. I'd expect that from Adrienne, not you."

"Sorry Mother" Marie and Elizabeth sang, before walking out of the room snickering.

Diana sighed.

"Adrienne, you may go to the library for two hours but you must be home at four. We have special guests joining us tonight and we need to look our best." Adrienne nodded, "Thank you Mother" she replied before dashing out of the room.

Heading into town, Adrienne noticed that many stared and whispered about her.

"That's the mayor's youngest daughter."

"I heard she's the ugliest one".

"Look at how dark her features are".

"Her elder sisters are much more beautiful."

"She's so improper."

Ignoring the gossip, Adrienne opened the door of the town's library. "My paradise" she thought happily, walking further into the library.

Even at the age of ten, Adrienne could tell she was different from her sisters. She loved reading and going on adventures to learn and see new things.

Her older sisters however, likes hearing about the royals and loved dresses, jewellery and luxury things. They were beautiful, much more than she and virtually flawless as her father and mother liked to say.

Adrienne didn't care about any of that. She was perfectly content in the library.

Wandering the shelves, Adrienne scanned for a new and interesting book. She had recently loved learning about Greek mythology. Walking near the deserted back of the library, Adrienne saw row after row of fascinating books.

But one in particular caught her eye. A brilliant, glossy red covered book, sitting high on the shelf. Adrienne stood on her tippy toes to barely reach the book. Yanking it down, she stumbled to the floor in a heap, still holding the book.

"OOF."

Wandering around, she found an old love seat near a window, sat down and began to read.

Creatures of the Night

Creatures of the night are highly dangerous and said to prey upon humans. They can also turn humans into monsters like themselves. Vampiric people can turn humans in two ways. One, by biting a human in the jugular and exchanging blood. The other by a bite in the heart. It was once said that these monsters have razor sharp teeth and are impossible to kill. There is only 1 known way to kill a vampire. Through their only weakness, Gafire. A rare stone that can be found deep in the emerness mountains and is almost impossible to find. Wooden stakes and torches may stun a vampiric person, but are virtually ineffective. These creatures are monsters who wish to wreak havoc on mankind and abolish humanity. If you encounter one, attempt to stun it and get away.

A shiver ran through Adrienne. "I hope I'll never encounter one of those creatures" she said softly to herself.

The clock on the wall chimed loudly, scaring Adrienne. She gazed up at the large clock, only to discover it was half past four o'clock!

"Oh No!" she thought, panicked. She was LATE and now her mother would NEVER let her hear the end of it. Running to the library doors, Adrienne hauled them open only to discover it was raining.

"How unlucky am I" she thought before hurrying into the rainy streets. She ran desperately, before slipping and falling in a pile of mud. Sighing, Adrienne stood up and continued running towards her house. Opening the grand door, Adrienne saw that the guests had already arrived, much to her dismay.

All eyes turned to look at her, muddy and dripping wet, standing in the doorway. "Good Heavens!" Remarked her mother Diana, ushering her upstairs to change. Adrienne silently followed her mother, ashamed. Reaching her bedchambers, her mother closed the door before turning to Adrienne, eyes filled with anger.

"You can't do anything right, can you? These are important guests and now you've made a fool of our family!" she angrily whispered.

"Sorry Mother." Adrienne said, gazing down at her feet. Her mother merely shot her an angry look, before promptly helping her daughter look "presentable".

After joining the guests downstairs, Adrienne felt her two older sisters smirking at her mockingly. "Say, Mrs. Enè, would you like to see our needlework?" Elizabeth asked politely, gesturing to her sisters. "Of course Elizabeth. I'd love to see your needlework, girls".

Diana motioned for her daughters to collect their needlework, as Elizabeth and Marie exchanged a knowing look. One by one, they showed their needlework to the Enè family. Elizabeth and Marie were praised for their beautiful embroidery. "You'll both make fine wives one day" Mr.Enè remarked pleasantly, as Marie and Elizabeth glowed with pride.

"Show us your needlework Adrienne" Diana spoke. Sighing softly, Adrienne presented her needlework before the families.

Seeing their disappointed reactions, Adrienne hung her head in shame. "Adrienne, please bring the teapot in here" Diana remarked.Adrienne quietly stepped from the room.

"Your youngest seems very different from her sisters. Such a shame" Mrs.Enè said softly, pity clear in her eyes. "Such a disappointment"Mr. Enè added.

Diana and Darius felt the knowing feeling rise in their chests.

"She's been a disappointment ever since she was born" Darius spoke bitterly, anger rising. Meanwhile, little Adrienne in the other room overheard everything. Ignoring the hurt feeling in her chest, she continued into the tea room, placing the teapot on the table.

Turning to her family, Adrienne felt their disapproving eyes on her.

"Father. May I please head to bed, I am feeling unwell" Adrienne asked politely. "Yes child" Darius answered, as Adrienne promptly left the room."Good riddance" Marie whispered to Elizabeth, as they both giggled under their breath.

Quietly reaching her room, Adrienne felt the tears begin to fall. Grabbing her cloak, she quietly tiptoed down the elegant staircase. Reaching the back door, she quickly snuck out into the night.

The rain had stopped and the stars lit the night sky. The moonlight bathed the streets of Asteaia in it's everlasting golden glow. Adrienne closed her eyes, tears softly falling down her face. She began walking among the cobblestone streets, as her tears fell to the ground. Wandering wherever her feet would take her, she kept her head down.

And before she knew it, she was heading into the forest.

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