Crimson

19

Cleo

The tooth necklace bumped lightly against my chest as I strode away from the small house. Glancing down, I took the remnant into my hand and held it still. No, these were not from supposed victims that I had hunted down. These were my own, a keepsake to remember my past self by. It was the only thing I had from my old life, when I was a better person, before this whole mess came to fruition. Before I turned into someone I never though I was capable of becoming. Someone so wretched and filled with death and malice and pure hatred for both herself and everyone who had ever wronged her. When we are just children, this is not who we dream we grow up to be.

As vampires, we go through two sets of smaller deciduous teeth before we get our permanent ones. Two small canines on the top and two on the bottom. As children, vampires can't drink blood directly, relying on our parents to provide blood from humans. Once we hit age thirteen, our permanent teeth come in and we go hunting on our own for the first time, a ritual for becoming an adult. I just so happened to keep my teeth from when I was still considered a child, when I was still innocent and not deemed a traitor.

I ground my teeth together. I remembered everything, even the bits that I had begged myself to forget. They were still here with me, buried deep within the confines of my wretched, poisonous soul. The near death of my brother, my sister's screams of terror, the disappointment in the voice of my father as he banished me, the despair of my mother, and the death of my mate. To choose him as my mate was the wrong choice. He carried me to my downfall, but there was no one but me to blame for my own actions. Even after all these years, guilt still took over me every time I looked back on the worst day of my life, the day of my condemning to the human world, never to return to my true home.

(Memory)
I stood by his bedside in the infirmary with a cloak covering me, hiding all of the sticky blood that was drying on my skin and clothes. No one here yet knew what I had done, or yet, they hadn't been told that I was the instigator of the rebellion. Now, the lives lost rested on my shoulders and today would be forever engraved into me. The heinous crimes that I had committed I would never forget, no matter how much I wanted to. I stared down upon the limp form of Kai, unconscious from the blow he had taken to the chest. So many tubes and wires connected to his little body, sprouting from his skin. The constant been of a monitor reminded me that he was still alive, that I hadn't sent him spiraling to hid premature death.

This was my fault that he was laying here, barely alive.

Military boots slammed against the ground just down the hallway, marching towards my position. It was time to go. Sighing, I leaned down to place one last loving kiss upon his forehead. A single tear slipped from my left eye to land on his cheek. My sadness and guilt were my only parting gifts. Hopefully he can find satisfaction in those; if not now, then later.

"I'm sorry little brother, stay strong," I whispered just before the door was ripped open.

"Cleo Petran!" Renier, one of my father's favorite Guards bellowed.

My arms were wrenched behind my back and I was detained willingly, my hood falling off in the process. I was quickly spun and marched out of the door. I glanced behind me one last time to look at Kai before being shoved forward and down the blinding white halls. My people stared at me in horror, looking upon the blood stains etched into my skin.

Shame washed over me and I lowered my head, unable to meet their gazes.

Their sorrows would be forever drown at the site of my execution. They will celebrate my death upon the platform and throw roses down to the crowds that would gather, all dipped in my blood. I will be remembered, not as a princess of our people, but as a murderer. My story will be written in the history books of my people, not to be remembered as a great ruler, but as someone to place their hatred on, someone to blame for their misfortunes.

I took in a sharp breath to contain the tears that threatened to surface, I wouldn't allow them the satisfaction of seeing me weep. But I knew where they were taking me, where they were taking my mate.

The execution platforms.

I died that day, spirituality, not physically. All the same, my mate took my soul with him to the grave. I never should have fallen for him, I was too young, too foolish, too blind to see his true intentions. It was a one sided love, and the sadness I carry with me from that realization still rests heavily upon my cold and stony heart.

Sighing, I shook off the memory and continued my walk down the nearly deserted street.

It seemed as if the three of us were doomed to live miserable lives; Kai and Nara with their human lovers and me without mine. They had no idea of the pain, of the suffering that came from the death of the only being that they could possibly love more than themselves. We are essentially selfish creatures and although family is very important, vampires tend to move towards narcissism and our pride is our greatest sin. Our mother, maybe Nara, are the only ones of our species that sees another vampire's life as more valuable than their own. Thus, the death of a mate is not only devastating, but enough to push one over the edge of insanity because we can only choose one mate over the course of our lifetime. I had chosen too early, too brashly. At the time I had been so sure but looking back, I had been nothing but a child, too young to make such a large life changing choice.

I could only hope that my siblings would choose wisely.

I looked up at the bright morning sun. The Guard would find out about their human lovers and come for then soon, they had always kept an eye on the Petran siblings. I could only hope that Nara and Kai could decipher my warning.

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