Bullet Between My Eyes

6

I felt myself face plant onto the ground. I groaned as I gripped the loose dirt. I pushed myself up and wiped the dirt from my face. First off, how'd I trip. And second off- wait! Why am I in a forest? I looked around for a second before standing up. I rubbed my hands together to rid myself of the dirt.

As I was walking, I felt the wind flow through my loose shirt. Wait a second! I stopped walking to look down at my outfit. Why am I wearing an oversized shirt (that's ripped and dirty) along with loose pants. I had to draw the string tighter since my pants threatened to fall off. I know I was wearing jeans and a shirt that was size appropriate. Where'd my clothes go?

I didn't know where to go, but I caught a few scents muddled together. I decided that was my best option, so I walked in that direction. I wasn't expecting to find a rundown campsite. It looked like one of those camps in a dystopian movie. I got resistance camp vibes from the place.

I passed by the people who smiled at me. I forced a smile and waved back to them as well. I recognized a few faces as my pack mates, but had no clue what the hell was going on. I was stopped by Gianni and Mateo.

"Are you okay?!" Gianni asked.

"We went to get a medic, but you left when we returned!" I felt Mateo dab my head with a cloth.

I flinched at the contact. I realized I was bleeding when I saw the red on the cloth. I assessed their outfits to see they were similar to mine. Mateo and Gianni kept bickering about whose fault it was that I ran and tripped over a log.

"Where am I and what is this place?" I looked around in wonder.

"What are you talking about?" Gianni and Mateo exchanged confused looks.

"Why are we in... don't get offended, but a destitute type situation? Shouldn't we be in a villa?" They laughed at my confusion. Upon seeing I wasn't laughing, their expressions turned serious.

"Shit! She may have a concussion!" Mateo stated. I decided to play along and nodded.

"Let's take her to her dad." My dad?

Gianni and Mateo assisted me to a humble shack. They knocked on the wooden door. They then took me inside. I was shocked to see my mother, father, Dante, and aunt sitting. My mother stood up and ran to me. She was concerned why I was injured. Mateo and Gianni stuttered over how I fell when we were playing a game.

"Why are we here? Living in squalor?"

"Because of those fucking vamps." I turned to see Jade enter with Matt and Zayn.

"Jade!" I embraced her in a hug.

She was caught off guard, but hugged me back stiffly. I looked at Zayn and Matt who wore equally confused faces. I released my hold on her and turned to my parents. They were bewildered why I was excited to see Jade.

"Like I said... concussion." Mateo whispered, causing Gianni to elbow him.

"Hmm... this isn't good." My father stood up and held my face in his hands. "Well, we should remind her of some stuff." He sat down to speak. "We've been at war with the vampires for centuries. Your grandfather attempted a revolt against our slavery, but failed. He was slaughtered along with his mate. I was able to lead some of the wolves to freedom, but most of our kind is enslaved. The vampires rule this world, so all other species must go into hiding in order to survive. There has been a war raging between vampires and everyone else, but we're losing." His eyes softened.

"And the vampire Queen is evil. Worse than her father and his predecessor." Matt spat.

"Lara?" Everyone stiffened at the name. "What?"

"Don't ever say her name." My mother jumped up. "Her name elicits fear amongst everyone." She double checked that the door was closed.

"Understood." I eyed everyone wearily. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to cause trouble. I see that you're supposed to be in a meeting. Come on guys." I smiled and pulled Gianni and Mateo with me.

We walked for a bit before I stopped them. I looked into their eyes and demanded they catch me up with everything.

Gianni and Mateo explained that I was the princess (that much I figured out) and that my father was the alpha. I asked if I had other siblings, which caused them to become more worried about my "concussed" head. The answer was no. I was an only child and the sole heir to the throne. It saddened me to know that my brother and sister didn't exist in this reality.

Matt, Zayn, and Jade are the royal guards. Matt also arranges my security detail, but that's the extent of it. My friends... well, they aren't my friends here... don't interact with me more than needed. That explained why they were confused and awkward about my affection towards Jade.

Mateo and Gianni explained that they're my childhood friends. We supposedly do everything together. We often go hunting in the woods, whether it's in our wolf form or with a bow and arrow. They don't have access to any guns since those are incredibly rare (big shame if you ask me).

We're also prohibited from openly talking about the vampire queen. Her name strikes fear in even the strongest of us. She's successfully wiped out villages. There are many campsites littered throughout the world and the Queen has made it her personal mission to track down every one.

The two boys began detailing me the extent of her torture. You were apparently lucky if random vampires stumbled along and killed you. That would be a merciful death. If you were captured, you'd have to pass through her brother's judgment (Alec?). Her brother would then determine your fate: if you are to be enslaved, sent to a feeding farm, or given to an auction.

Enslavement meant chores and housework for the upper class of vampires. It could also mean being a blood slave. A blood slave had no rights and were subjected to their master's whims. The master could rape them, drain them dry, or whatever. They were at their master's mercy.

Even though being a blood slave sounded horrendous, it was the best option. Feeding farms were catastrophic. Your blood was drained constantly to the point the victims would pass out. You'd have a recovery time so that your blood volume increased. Then, the process repeated until you died. Women had it worse since they were forcibly impregnated so that their offsprings would endure the same fate.

Auctions resulted in vampires bidding for the victim. It was synonymous with enslavement, but you were given to other vampires. These vampires could be rich or upper middle class since the poor couldn't afford the price tag.

I asked what would happen if no one bought a victim. Mateo and Gianni shivered. They claimed that the vampires would either throw the victim to hungry poor vampires or keep them to further violate. I shuddered at the thought.

I thought finding out about my current reality would be the worst thing, but it was not, surprisingly. I found out that I'm engaged to the alpha of another pack. Come again! Mateo and Gianni withered under my angry gaze. They explained that it was an arranged marriage between another pack because it would help increase our numbers and offer us more safety.

I asked when the marriage was destined to be. The boys awkwardly looked away, so I grabbed their faces to look at me. They looked down and muttered that the marriage was scheduled for later today. I almost bashed their heads together out of frustration. You've got to be kidding me!