Ascension (Nanowrimo13)

Ascension (Nanowrimo2013)

Chapter one

“Are you even listening to me Colbie?”

The world was whizzing by in a blur of colour. The dazzling effect of the seasonal changes occurring outside the vehicle was dampened by the tinted windows of the limo. Not that any of the passengers were paying the slightest bit of attention to the landscape outside. The vehicle continued cut a steady path through the Sunday afternoon traffic despite all of the tension lingering between its occupants.

Colbie sighed and pulled her eyes away from the glass.

“Yes mother, I heard you. Don’t talk to strangers. Don’t drink anything that I haven’t bought myself. Don’t tell anyone about who my family truly is – or who I truly am. And don’t forget to brush my teeth before bed.” The young woman folded her arms across her chest as she met her mother’s startling green eyes. “Oh and make sure I eat all of my vegetables. I’m twenty years old now - not four. I’m much older than any of the others we know that are starting university so please just let me do this.”

If she had been standing up, Colbie was sure she would have been stamping her foot. She had had the same talk over and over again with her parents but neither was willing to accept that she was a young responsible woman. Well, Colbie added as an afterthought, mostly responsible.

Eleanor Carrington sniffled delicately as she snuggled into her husband’s side. The picture of elegance and poise, the matriarch of the Carrington family was rarely seen without her calm composure. As the family got closer and closer to their destination however, the façade of the Carrington Matriarch was cracking. Eleanor’s hair, which was normally pulled into an elegant chignon, was hanging limply over her shoulders in drooped raven coloured waves. Even her outfit was less put together than her usual standard.

Colbie tilted her head to the side and considered her mother. She had a line free face and to most mortals she appeared barely thirty five. Many would have been shocked to learn that the Carrington’s were not what they seemed and even the Lady Carrington herself was far older than the forty years her falsified birth certificate displayed. There were no grey hairs in sight nor an unsightly wrinkle or skin imperfection anywhere on her person. It was only the eyes that truly told the age of the soul that existed within the body.

“You forgot one thing sweetheart. You must never forget how much your father and I love you.”

Colbie laughed as her own eyes grew misty. Stretching out her fingers, Colbie took her mother’s warm dry hand in her own and squeezed it tightly.

“How could I forget? You’ve told me every day of my life.” Colbie paused and swept a lock of dark hair out of her eyes. “But just so you know. I love you too - both of you.”

The family shared a moment where they all smiled and felt a little warmer on the inside before reality seeped in once more. Glancing out of the window, Colbie’s heart leapt as the first road sign for their destination flashed past.

Canterbury was a city that hosted much history. Remnants of the old days still stood with sections of the old city walls becoming an integral part of the construction of the modern city.  Most of that history was related to the Carrington family lineage. Most significantly, it was also one of just three cities in the UK which held universities funded by the pockets of the Carrington bloodline. Everyone knew that this little titbit ensured that there was a free entry card to any of offspring of the Carrington line.

To Colbie, more so than anyone else of her race, it was a chance to escape the pressures of being the daughter of an important political figure. William Carrington, who resembled a well-kept forty year old man with his dark hair and face that was beginning to obtain lines, was not only the holder of a seat in the British House of Lords but he also happened to be a King. A king of a race which according to humankind belonged in books and films – he was the king of Vampires.