A Somber Fulfillment of the Countess's Wishes

The sky was littered with sparkling lights, indicating night had arrived. The neighbor’s windows were covered, no flashing of a television, no movement of shadows. The crickets chirped away as if laughing at the funniest of jokes.

Shania moved towards her home, noticing the toys thrown about the yard. Her younger brother and sister, Raya and Pryor, would be in very big trouble in the morning.

She adjusted her worn, dark khaki colored knapsack that continuously escaped her shoulder for the hundredth time, hoisting it with a quick huff as she darted across the lawn, careful not to trigger the sensors to the outside lights. The house was nothing special. A white, two-story, suburban home. They were a part of the average American household, blending in like every other cookie-cutter family that lined Draper Road.

She quickly tossed her yellowish strands into a chaotic ponytail, trying her best to hurry before a nosy neighbor caught sight of her. She looked like a spy and she knew it. Dark clothes donning her youthful figure. She put her arms and hands up against the outer walls of the house inching her way to the trellis that set just beneath her window.

Her night had been something to remember. She went to school that day, same as every day. Until, on her way home through the park she encountered a strange man. She touched her neck, remembering the stranger, as she arrived at the wooden piece, dark green vines weaving in and out of each open space.

Her first instinct had been to run from him. Like any other normal situation where a strange, older man approaches a young female. But, his eyes had pierced her soul. Froze her in her tracks. Her heart had beat wildly, something about the man sparking her curiosity. He looked average, which had confused her. His eyes however, reflected a range of emotional sharpness that made her hold her breath.

His first words he spoke to her were, “Do not run Shania, you are safe with me.”

Somehow she had known the words to be true. She approached him cautiously, while he perused her stance. He held his hands up, a tilt to his lips.

“You may not know this but I was sent here for you.”

Her brows knitted together. Sent for her? By who?

“Who sends you?”

“Your mother.”

In a blur he crossed the distance between them, hand at her throat. Before a scream could escape her, he opened his mouth wide, elongated canines lengthening in anticipation. He struck her neck like a viper would it’s prey. A white, hot, burning sensation settling throughout her being. His strike made her feel weak and drunk.

Her attempts to push him from her were useless. He did not drink for long, retracting a few moments later.

“What the hell?!”

Her body sagged against a nearby wall, from the attack. She looked around them but time had stilled. Pigeons that usually were full of life, picking at the leftover crumbs from the sidewalk were frozen in place. There were no sounds. No giggling of children or shouts of play. Everyone was stuck in this unnerving time-stilling vortex.

She had heard rumors of creatures such as him. Thinking as anyone would that it was a myth, a joke, a story. The rumors had grown throughout the city recently, more sightings and much to her wonder now, ones who had lived when encountering these beings to tell the tale. She did not want to anger him in case he decided to go for another attack, so she held back her fear as much as she possibly could.

She bit her lip as her thick liquid coated her shoulder.

“What have you done to me?”

He had watched her the entire time, eerily quiet. She should have ran, she had thought. What did he mean her mother?

“Your mother sends her deepest regards, but it is time for you to fulfill your duty as her daughter.”

A giggle escaped her as she threw her head against the wall, breathing in slow to fight the weakness that continued to make her legs feel the size of an elephant’s.

“You must have me mistaken. My mother and father is Jo-Anna and Frank Warren. As simple as they come, nothing like… you.”

He tilted his head, his eyes narrowing.

“That is what you have been lead to believe. You are adopted. Your mother is Nyasha, the Countess of Orendale.”

“Countess?”

She could not believe her ears. She shook her head wildly.

“I think I would know if I was adopted by now. What of my brother and sister? We look and act so much alike!”

“Coincidence!” He replied sharply.

“Our Kingdom is in trouble and you have been called to fulfill your duties by the Countess’s side. We do not have time. Your body is weakening as we speak. When I give you my blood, you will become like me. There were protections in place until you were ready to go through The Change. It will be quick, mostly painless and you will have to leave your old life behind.”

Give her his blood? You’re kidding. Leave her brother and sister who had followed her around since they learned to walk?

“You have lost your mind. I am not going anywhere with you, or drinking your blood.” She shivered in disgust on that last part.

“You will and you are. There is many more like me willing to retrieve you, but I did you a kindness the others would not have. So, please do not make this difficult or I will have to force my hand upon you to which it will not be pleasant.”

Seeing she had no choice, she reluctantly agreed to not fight.

“May I at least go tell my siblings good-bye after?”

She could not bear to leave them without at least saying bye. Raya’s innocent sea rimmed eyes and blonde curls that bounced when she tip-toed across the floor and Pryor’s crooked front teeth that tugged at her heart when he smiled - She would miss them both.

The man in front of her squinted, reading the grief in her expression. He must have not been entirely heartless and cruel because he finally nodded a curt response, clearly not a fan but willing to give her this last wish before she became whatever-the-hell he was.

She stepped forward, swaying to the side. He caught her arm, his breath warming her cheek.

“Can I at least have your name? We are swapping blood here.”

He looked as though he was amused.

“I am Felix, your mother’s lover.”

She thanked everything above that she had not been attracted to him because… awkward.

“Okay Felix, let’s get this over with.”

As soon as the words left her mouth, he pricked his finger with his fang. A bubble of deep red appeared and he gestured for her to bring up her hand.

“Wipe the blood with your finger and then taste it,” he ordered.

She did as he told her, bringing his blood to her lips. One drop? As soon as it touched her tongue, the inside of her mouth began to tingle, almost becoming numb. She looked up at him as her body began to tremble. She fell to her knees and he held her for what had felt like an eternity. She groaned as her head dipped down towards the Earth, her hands against the pavement. She felt like she would heave the contents of her stomach any moment.

But in seconds, the feeling had passed and the only thing she felt was the slowing of her heart. Eventually, it just… stopped.

“Told you, painless.”

Doesn’t mean it felt all that great.

“I have to make it home to my siblings. I have to see them before I leave.”

He let go of her shoulder, standing.

“Be careful. What you are now can be very dangerous to those that carry warm blood. You can meet me back here so that we may leave.”

With that, he vanished and the world bustled in the aftermath of it’s slumber. What shocked her was that the day faded into night. Not only could the being stop time, he could will it forward.

She glanced at her watch while still on her knees. Seven-thirty.

They would be getting ready for bed right now.

She had ran as hard as she could and that is how she ended up climbing her way up the side of the house to her window, pulling it open and falling in with a dull thud. The room was pitch-black and from a chair in the corner she heard, “Mommy and daddy are going to be mad at you.”

It startled her, which made a strange hissing noise come from her throat. She jerked her body around, instinct seeming to take over as she bared her teeth.

Raya’s sweet face paled as she opened her mouth to release, Shania was sure, a blood-curdling scream. She was quicker than Raya with her new gifts as she sprinted forward, covering her little sister’s mouth with her hand.

“Shh. Shh. It’s okay, I’m sorry.”

Raya’s body vibrated, terrified and when Shania looked up, catching herself in the mirror, she understood why. Blood caked her shoulder. Her eyes glowed an impossible shade of burnt orange. Her teeth seemed to not wish to retract back into her gums. If she was nine, she too would be scared out of her wits.

“It’s okay, Raya. I’m okay. But, I need you to do me a favor before I let you go okay? It’s very important.”

Raya nodded her head.

“Don’t tell anyone.”

Shania sucked in a shaky breath. “Sissy has to leave for a very long time. I wish I could explain this to you but it’s extremely complicated. Even I don’t understand it myself. I need you tell Pryor that I love him so, so much. I love you. I love mom and dad.” She almost faltered at mom and dad after learning her mother was a strange creature of power in a land she’d never heard of.

“Can I trust you not to tell anyone?” Raya nodded once more.

“Okay, I am going to take my hand away. No screaming.”

Shania lifted her hand slowly, Raya jumped up to hug her.

“I don’t want you to go.”

“Me neither.”

When her little sister let go, her chest pulled. She noticed something strange though as the moonlight hit the young girl’s neck. Shania’s eyes zeroed in on the beating pulse that shone in the moonlight bouncing from her skin. Her mouth watered. This must have been what Felix was referring to.

“Nia your eyes are glowing again…” Raya whimpered, fidgeting nervously.

“It’s okay, I’m okay.”

She didn’t know if she was trying to convince herself or the little girl in front of her. She turned quickly, emptying her items from her bag onto the bed so she could replace it with essentials needed for the unexpected trip.

When she was done she turned to Raya.

“Remember what I said, tell Pryor I love him, everyone,” she choked, “and I especially love you.”

She tugged at one of the stray curls, eliciting a small giggle from her sister.

Shania smiled sadly, “Now go get ready for bed.”

She watched as those blonde curls she adored disappeared through the doorway, a faint click leaving her behind with her thoughts for just a moment. She observed her childhood room once more. The pictures of her and her friends in middle school, a bunch of silly buffoons wrapping each other in embraces. Her medals from gymnastics she had won over the course of a few years. Her reading nook tucked away where she would waste her days, drowning out the busy world around her with stories of distant lands.

Now, she would become part of one.

With a longing that would never fully leave her, she jumped from the window, admiring her new strength. She dug her feet into the ground, speeding forward with a force she would have never knew existed before today.

When she reached the park, Felix was waiting for her in the same exact spot, this time his body leaned against the same wall, a booted foot resting against it.

“Are you ready?”

She nodded grimly.

“Hey, you will get to meet your mother.”

His eyes absolutely lit up when he spoke of her. However, she wasn’t the one sleeping with her mother and was thoroughly unimpressed at being pulled away from the life that she had become comfortable with.

“I don’t care about her. Apparently, I have a duty to fulfill.”

That pissed him off. Good. She was determined to piss them all off. They took everything she knew away from her in the blink of an eye.

“Let’s get on with it.” She barked.

With no reaction time she was thrown into blackness. A pit of silence.