Roses at Midnight

CHAPTER ONE: ROSALINE

I sat quietly in the cold, run down apartment my father liked to call a "home." Looking down I lightly brushed the fading purple and yellow bruises that ran up the length of my legs. It was a constant cycle of fading bruises to fresh, painful to the touch black and blue ones. My father's drinking had worsened ever since the takeover had happened two years ago. My father had never been the loving type but over the years he'd gone from a manageable grumpy to outright abusive. Thinking back to the beating I received a week prior for accidentally dropping his favorite scotch I shuddered. It was a simple mistake, a mishap of my footing and it came tumbling out of my hands and crashed into a million pieces onto the floor. Within a second he was up and screaming at me as I tried to quickly pick up the glass, cutting my hand in the process. The first kick had landed on my stomach knocking the air from my lungs. Several blows followed to my legs and back.
A chime from the clock on the wall brought me back to my senses. I hated living here. But where else could I go? I couldn't try running away. My father kept me locked in the house during the day so I couldn't leave. I couldn't slip out in the middle of the night either. Anyone in their right mind knew you didn't walk the streets under the dark cover of night. Untamed, and rogue vampires preyed on the ignorant enough to find themselves outside the safety of a house or building. I wouldn't last one night out with those deadly monsters anyways.
Ever since the takeover vampires have ruled the lands once claimed by humans. Although ruthless and deadly the vampire leaders had certain standards they liked to live up to. They preferred the streets not to become blood baths, with dead bodies strewn everywhere. The rogues and untamed on the other hand had little care for their leaders' standards, and even less care for human life. They were bloodthirsty beyond belief. With no way for a human's speed to outrun them, and you could forget about trying to fight them off. Human strength was no match for their monster like strength. It would be like a caterpillar up against a crocodile.  Running into them was a death wish, a very painful one at that. Roaming the streets they hoped a poor soul would be dumb enough to be out past the sunsetting. Attacking silently in the dead of night, leaving their victim stunned and in death's grasp before they can even realize what's going on.
     When their fangs sink into their victims skin, it causes their body to radiate heat, a heat so strong madness and delusions follow quickly after. A burning sensation soon floods their veins. A feeling that is said to feel worse than being covered in acid and burned alive.
If they were unlucky enough to not be drained completely of all the blood in their body, they spend the next hours in utter agony, withering in pain as their body undergoes the transition to become a vampire. Without the special care and training they are damned to becoming an untamed.
I sighed, turning my head to look at an old faded photo of my mother on the wall. The glass was old and dirty and the picture was ripped on the left corner, but her face was full of life. Her smile was as beautiful as ever, the happiness radiating all around.. I sometimes think her smile is the only light in this God forsaken house.
    My mother had died in childbirth and I'm sure my father has resented me for it since day one. It probably didn't help that I had her fiery red hair, ice blue eyes and small button nose. Except my mother had the most beautiful pin tight curls whereas I had just a slight curliness to mine. Her fair skin was clear of any imperfection while mine was splattered with freckles. Although there were slight differences there was no mistaking her as my mother. Looking at me was probably a constant reminder of what my dad had lost.
Hearing the sound of the front door open brought me out of my thoughts. Fear settled into the pit of my stomach like a heavy stone. My  father appeared in the room that I was sitting in, a sickening smile spreading across his face when his eyes met mine.
    "I have a special surprise for you girl." His breath reeked of cheap liquor. I tried to swallow the lump in my throat. Nothing that ever came from this man was a good thing.
    He walked closer to me. "Don't you want to know what the surprise is girl?" irritation creeping into his voice.
    "W-what is it Sir?"
I hated how I stuttered when I was nervous. It just proved how weak I was. My father chuckled to himself. He enjoyed seeing me tremble.
    "Oh my darling daughter," His voice was laced with hatred. "Some nice men will be coming by soon to pick you up and take you off of my hands."
My eyes widened in horror. What does he mean people are coming to pick me up? "P-pick me up? To go w-where? I d-don't want to go anywhere." That was a lie. I would love to go somewhere, to get out of this hell hole, but somewhere of my dads choosing was not a place I would want to find myself.
My father's eyes bore into me like daggers. All his years of resentment and hatred pooling at the surface of his pupils. "See here's the thing." My father spoke as he walked around me, one hand under his chin and the other draped across his chest holding his elbow. "I don't particularly care if you want to leave or not. All I care about is that I was given a fair amount of money for you, probably even more than what you're actually worth and with that I'll happily let these people take you off my hands."
I drew my hands into fists at my side. My eyes stung from trying to hold back my tears. How could he hate his child so much that he could sell me off? Wasn't I still part of him? Half of him at the very least. Didn't I mean anything to him even the slightest thing?
"How could you sell me?" I yelled at my pathetic excuse of a father. "I'm still your daughter. Don't you care? Doesn't that mean anything to you?"
He stopped right pacing right in front of me. Pulling a fist full of my hair into his hand so hard it caused my head to jerk back he spat into my face as he spoke. " You pathetic girl, I never wanted a girl, a son maybe, but not you. Especially after what you did to your mother. How could I ever have wanted you or even love you?"
He threw my hair out of his hand taking a few steps away from me. My lip trembled as tears made their way onto my cheeks.
Turning to face me again my father huffed. "Stop your crying girl, you need to look presentable for when they come to get you,"
    I bit my lip in hopes of stopping my tears, when a knock sounded from the door. "Finally they're here." my father said letting out a relieved breath as he went to the door to open it.
Standing in the doorway were two men. Both men had sickly pale complexions. The man who stood on the right hand side stood like a giant. With a bald head and brown beady eyes. He looked to have the intelligence of a rock. Next to him stood a rather short and frumpy man. With long brown greasy hair that was slicked back down his neck and a sunken in face he looked even worse than the giant.
"Gentleman." My father greeted the two while extending his hand towards them. They did nothing but look at it until my father slowly dropped it, bringing it up to rub the back of his neck nervously.
    'Is this the girl?" The bald one asked in a loud block like voice while pointing at me. He was dumb I thought to myself.
The man with the extremely greasy hair walked over to me. Stopping for a moment before he circled me. He stopped at the back of my head. Lifting a strand of my red hair in his hand. Bringing my hair to his face he took in a deep breath smelling my hair in a creepy manner. Dropping my hair he let out a delighted squeal.
    "Oh dearie me oh dearie my." He said while clapping his hands together. His voice was rather high pitched with an undertone that sent chills down my spine.
    "We're going to have so much fun with you. Boss will be so happy with you. Yes he will." He squealed once again. "You will be a great addition at the auction and will bring tons of money to the boss." As if he was on a repeat his squealed and clapped his hands yet again.
"The auction?" I heard myself blurt out. The look in my father's eyes threatened to shut my mouth.
"Oh yes, the auction." The short one replied, dragging out the word yes. "The royal vampires will love you. You will make the perfect slave, such a pretty little thing you are."
"Slave!" I screamed as my dad walked towards me, his hands balling into fists. The short man brushed by my dad heading back towards the giant bald man. "Yes, yes dearie the perfect slave."
    My stomach dropped, and I felt like puking. Had my father seriously sold me to be bought at some auction by some sick, twisted and cruel vampire, who will probably end up killing me or draining me of all my blood sooner or later? Being a slave was the worst thing second to being a blood bag. How could my own father be so heartless? I've heard all of the horror stories of how poorly slaves are treated. How they are caged and beat and fed from. Then when they become bored of the slave they kill them off as if they were nothing to begin with.
"Alrighty then." The short man said, clasping his hands together. "It's time for us to be going." Grabbing me by the arm the giant began to lead me towards the door. Quickly squirming my arm in his hand I was able to break free and run further into the house. Within seconds my father was in front of me, his eyes radiating anger. "I am so sick and tired of you being such a burden!" He yelled out while lifting his hand. I didn't have time to brace myself for the impact. Within seconds there was a sharp pain that shot up my cheek and temple. Licking my lip I tasted blood, indicating my lip was split. Glaring at my dad I didn't even get the chance to get a word out before another hit to my face came in the form of a fist. My head slamming against the floor. My head was throbbing and my vision filled with black spots. I tried to shake it off but the darkness took me and I knew then I was a goner.