Lumen

Lumen.

Chapter 1

Dusk was always my favorite time of day, but it is also the worst time of day for people like me. It was like the calm before the storm. I could almost feel the energy from the sun escaping the sky and entering my skin. It was when I was most energized. Some would find that funny because I am not like the vampires. In fact, I am only a Tergum, or human as we were once known. But still I loved the dusk. I'll admit it's also the only time that I could get out of the house, at least alone, after hours of studying and without the overbearing supervision of my surrogate caretakers, Doris and Lydia.

I stared down into the thick history book that sat in front of me. If I didn't Lydia was sure to notice that I wasn't at all studying. She always noticed everything, unfortunately.

"You still have six minutes left before you can even think about stepping out, so I'd encourage you to spend those minutes reading. Your final examinations are in just weeks."  She said in her thick Irish accent.

"I know Lydia and I am well prepared. You know, I was at the top of my class when I was in academy."

"That I do Sage, and you probably would still be. However, seeing as how you are no longer in academy—."

"I know, I know, I have to work harder." This was something both her and Doris always reminded me of. I turned the page in my book. I was only slightly curious of the information about humans, a creature that was on the brink of extinction, one which we now called Tergum. The books all talk of how they ruled the world, and now they were nothing more than an object or food. I was nothing more than an object.

"Haven't you gone over that before?" Lydia stopped over my shoulder, then she sighed, "Are you worrying about your eighteenth birthday again child? Close the book and go. I'm sure Ecko is waiting for you." She said.

"It's in two weeks."

"And we'll think about it when it comes."

That was her answer every time I brought it up, ever since she and Doris took me out of academy. The mystery of what would happen to me when I turned eighteen, when the blood of the Tergum became detectable, when the Lumen could no longer protect me from being found. Acerbus began hunting Tergum at this age because getting their blood at the youngest age, can give Acerbus the most strength. It wasn't all so bad. Many Tergum made it out to the cities where there were barricades and lived normal lives in the daylight. But those cities were sparsely protected by Lumen, who were not too keen on risking their live es.  They also had to live their night lives in hiding. Many of them also became feeders for protection. I didn't want to become one of those people, beggars, they called them.

            The air outside was thick, and I could feel it swarm around me as I walked the trail in the woods behind the house. The entire city of Pinewood was surrounded by Lumen guardians protecting us from the outside war between the two types of vampires, but that didn't stop things from going array inside the guardian walls. A few steps later and the winds at the top of the trees stopped. Someone was here. That was usually the result of a vampires moving faster than the wind. I took another step then stopped when I heard the breaking of a branch. They must have had me surrounded. If there was anything I had learned from Ecko it was that the quickest way to catch a vampire was to be completely still. It only took a moment before I felt the smallest breeze to my left. I had just enough time to throw a fist full of silver dust in the air. A scream pierced the atmosphere around me. In front of me a slender and tall porcelain Lumen dropped to her knees, causing the rest of the group, four more Lumen, to surround her.

            Their familiar light haired leader walked towards me, his thin fangs seething.  Troy. The thought of reaching back into my pocket and poisoning him with the silver dust crossed my mind, but instead I decide that showing him no fear was a better way to piss him off. Quickly he reached out towards my throat and pushed me into a tree. The muscles in my throat clenched.