Katharine Wheel

Chapter 3

Not long after I've eaten almost an entire loaf of bread, and told Rose and Jaden a descriptive and explicit tale of today's hunt without its gory details, I feel my eyes getting droopy and sleep fighting its way into my system. Realizing how tired I am, Anna promptly tries to drag me to bed.

"I'll see you off, then I promise I'll sleep," I tell her, holding back a huge yawn.

She glares at me, eyes sparking with annoyance, and folds her arms against her chest. She isn't wearing her usual long dark cloaks which cover her from head-to-toe anymore, but is garbed in a bright golden dress with silver lacing and a deep neck. Delicate chains with intricately carved lockets hang about her long neck, her bright hair is styled in what vampires call an 'elegant' way, with thin strands of hair floating out of her carefully styled bun and onto her face. She is wearing a bright red cape that signifies that she's a royal vampire on her shoulders, and letting it flow gracefully behind her. In her hand is a tiny golden purse which matches her dress and makes her seem all the more powerful. Her skin is paler than ever, maybe even paler than mine. And her canines stick out unnaturally for a human.

All in all, she looks like a royal vampire. And everything she's wearing has either been stolen by my father or me. "If I find out that you haven't kept your promise, I will me very unhappy." She threatens me.

I smile at her. "I promise. I'll just see you off, and go right to bed. Isn't that right, Rosie?" Rose, who has been sitting beside me, admiring the work Anna has done on herself for the thousandth time, nods enthusiastically.

Anna shakes her head disbelievingly, then sighs, picking up the small wicker basket from the floor. "Take care. Please, Kat."

She hugs me before walking out of the room and into the tunnel which will lead her back into the forest. Once she's gone, Rose tugs at my shirt excitedly, her face bright with eagerness. "Kat! Will you teach me to throw knives today?"

I glance at her, and her usually clean face looks all dirty with dark spots dancing on her forehead - a side effect of not sleeping. In this state, forget teaching how to throw a dagger, I don't think I can even hold it in the right end. I shake my head at her regretfully. Unknown to Anna, Rose and I have been spending a few hours after she leaves to do some knife-throwing. Anna will definitely not approve of this because she's against letting either of the twins out into the danger, and although I agree with her, I don't see why they shouldn't learn some fighting. It's not like vampires - if they ever find our hiding place - are going to spare them just because they're children; in fact, vampires prefer a child's blood to an adult's. So what's the harm in teaching the twins - how ever young they are - some self-defense?

It hasn't been more than a few week since I started the lessons, but it's already obvious that Rose enjoys tossing around knives a lot more than she should, while Jaden prefers going underground and learning about the tunnels. And both of them have done an admirable job of keeping this a secret from Anna. Sometimes, I feel guilty, but mostly I'm glad that I'm giving them a way to survival if one day they lose me and Anna.

I stop a yawn with my hand. "Sorry Rosie. Anna was right. I'm tired. Why don't you both spend some time in the Book-Tunnel?"

Rose looks disappointed, while Jaden says, "For the last time, it's called a library. Why do you keep calling it a Book-Tunnel?"

I shrug and smile at him. "Because it sounds better." That's a lie. I only like calling it a Book-Tunnel because both mother and father called it the same thing. Jaden shakes his head at me disappointedly and goes back to his book. Jaden and I are the only ones in the house who read books or even visit our library. The library stands in the farthest corner of our home, and contains hundreds and hundreds of books. Some books have been collected over the years by people who lived here, and some of them have been preserved from when vampires didn't exist. There are true stories and fairy-tales and books which help us out with survival and a huge tome that describes the human history and its wars, poems and big novels with sad endings. Everything. But Jaden and I are the only ones who frequent the library. The term 'vampire' is something I learnt from the books. While most people call them the 'Higher Race' or 'The Night's Children', I read in the books that the people in my past would have preferred calling them 'vampires'. And that's the name I stick by.