The Vampire Academy

Half Vampires

I slowly blinked my eyes open to find that I was in a single bed with black sheets and a cozy quilt.

My whole body throbbed with pain and my muscles were so sore, that I could hardly move them. I felt sick and even though I had a long rest, it wasn't good enough to get rid of my pain.

My neck was the worse though. It stung like a thousand needles in my neck.

I hesitantly pulled the sheets of my body and walked to a nearby mirror and looked at my neck and sure enough, my nightmare came true.

On my neck was two small dots with a small dried-up blood stain. And my face was a pale white in colour.

I knew that everything was about to change and there was no way to stop it.

I took a deep breath and tried to believe it, but it wouldn't get rid of my fast-thumping heart.

The door opened and I turned to see who it was.

It was the figure who saved me just before I fainted.

He was undoubtedly handsome and muscular with ash colored hair that was short on the sides and long on the top of his head. He looked a little bit like Charles in a way.

He observed me quickly before speaking to me.

"Hi, I'm Joshua, but everyone just calls me Josh", he said with a polite smile.

"I'm glad that you saved me and all that but I really need answers", I replied sternly but polite.

"I understand. If you will take a seat please", Josh gestured to the bed as he sat on the desk chair.

"Tell me the questions you want to know", said Josh.

"Firstly, what did they want with me? They said something about powers, special abilities or something like that"

"Well as you've probably witnessed, vampires are real. Humans tend to guess what vampires and other creatures are like but they never see them unless they turn into one so they make theories about what we are like so not everything they say about us is true. Most of them are right though. So basically, a human becomes a vampire when you bite them like you just have", he looked at my neck before continuing. "The venom goes into your blood and you turn into a vampire. However, in your case, you were already half vampire".

"No way. That isn't possible. I never drank blood or bite people".

He sighed, "I said you were half vampire, which means the other half of you is human. This is a rare case as vampires can't have babies. The only way a half vampire - or as some people call them, dhampirs - can be born is if the child's mum is a human and the child's dad is a vampire. This hardly happens though because both parents usually end up getting bitten. The other way for a half vampire to be born is if the parents have a long familyline of vampires or dhampirs. If one or more of your parents or grandparents, etc are dhampirs, there is a possibility that you can become a dhampir as well. Dhampirs usually end up having powers and special abilities that normal vampires don't have. Vampires have super speed and strength but dhampirs have other abilities depending on the person. Some dhampirs develop more powers than other while some only have one. The powers usually end up being things like telekinesis, telepathy and elemental powers. And occasionally you would find a rare ability like teleportation. Most of the powers are triggered though. They only happen when something triggers them or you reach a certain age. However, greedy and powerful vampires hunt down dhampirs as they are very rare and if a vampire gets a dhampir, if they have the right equipment, or spell, they can steal your powers. Most of them will just steal your powers and leave you as a normal human even though you would still be a dhampir, just without powers while others would have to drain the very life escense out of you to get the power. Every one of them does it in a different way. Dhampirs can have babies so that is why you are one and I'm sorry to say, but your parents died because they were both dhampirs and got hunted down", he looked at me apologetically.

I felt sick. I couldn't handle all this information but I needed it. It is the only way I will probably ever get information. I took a deep breath and decided to continue listening and asking. I wanted to change the subject off my parents so I thought up a different question.

"I've never actually drank blood before and I'm half vampire. Wouldn't have I bitten someone accidentally by now?"

"Well since you're half human, you are allowed to have both human food and blood. If you were a vampire, you would only be allowed to have blood. You would've bitten someone by now if you were a vampire but since you are part human, the human side of you would block the temptation of biting someone. But if you want to bite someone, you can, just as much as a vampire can".

I nodded. I didn't entirely like the fact that I could bite someone against their will. They would become a vampire without even wanting to be one. I shuddered and remembered the bite mark on my neck.

"I got bitten by that guy you saved me from. Doesn't that mean I'm a full vampire now?"

Joshua looked away and out the window with an irritated face. I wasn't sure if it was directed at me or the guy I mentioned. Probably the guy, I thought.

"No. You already are a vampire but not fully. The venom won't be able to do anything. It will just become part of your vampire side and make you a little bit more like a vampire but you will always be a half human. The bite will make you look more vampire-ish and possibly a little faster and stronger. And if you're lucky, it might trigger one of your powers. Most abilities are triggered after an accident or big event after all".

"One last thing", I said through a sigh. "Why did you save me, who were the other guys that helped you and where am I? Oh and what are vampires supposed to look like?"

"That's a lot of 'last' questions".

"Sorry?" I added.

"Well me and the other guys work in a group dedicated to saving dhampirs so they don't get extinct. We also try to stop those who hunt them down. That is why we saved you. I will show you the others when we go to the living room in a few-moments time. As for where you are - you are in my house and this is a spare room of mine".

I nodded slowly.

"As for what are vampires suppose to look like - they look exactly like humans except for a few facts. Vampires tend to have rich, silky, smooth and untangled hair and colours. If you've heard of 'midnight black hair' or 'chocolate brown hair', that's how pure the colour is. They don't even have to brush their hair to make look amazing, it just appears naturally like that. Vampires also appear more good-looking then humans and have smooth, unblemished skin. Vampires tend to 'be glamorous', which is a saying that means to be beautiful or handsome and attractive. Once they get turned into a vampire, scars will still remain but anything that happens after that will heal and they become good-looking. Oh and since vampires are immortal - can't age but can be killed - they won't become old or different over time. They would stay exactly the same in appearance because vampires are frozen in time. Vampires also sparkle when they are in the sun".

Joshua stood up and gestured towards the door. "There is a lot to learn about vampires, dhampirs and what I have said is only a fraction of how much information there really is about our kind but that pretty much covers the basics. And if you get some other questions, feel free to ask me. I studied vampires after I got bitten because I didn't fully know what they were about - and theories that humans made up with the whole garlic and can't go in the sun thing - didn't really help".

He opened the door for me and we both walked into the living room.

...