The Entanglement {Book 1}

Chapter 1: The Fruit Fiasco

I stood in my small window to get a bit of light in my even smaller mirror. My light green eyes stared back at me. I raised my dress to expose my black shoes. Perfect for running, I smile to myself.

 "Addeline!"

 "Coming mama!" I rush out of my bedroom to walk into our kitchen. Our cottage was so small that as soon as you step out a room, you were already in our kitchen, dining area, and front door. I hated how we had to salvage for nearly everything that we could. My mama had dirt all over her apron and hands. She gave me an amused look as I shake my head with a smile on my face. 

"Oh mama, in the garden again I see." My mama had short blonde hair that cupped her face. She had light green eyes much like mine. She was a petite woman who loved to garden. She loved it so much that she taught me, her only daughter, how to garden as well. We always had fresh fruits, veggies, and beautiful flowers. But the soil was not that great out here so we would be lucky if we had enough to last a full winter. It was at it's prime during the spring and summer. Lucky for us it was the summer, so we had some time to stockpile.

 "Well, you know how fickle the soil can be in autumn." I help dust her off with one of the kitchen towels, and she gives me a look.

 "Going out?" 

"Well..."

 "Addy, you know how I feel about you being out late."

 "It's not late mama. The sun hasn't even set yet. I promise I'll be home soon." Mama doesn't like me out late at night since the vampires tend to stay out during that time. My little brother Oliver came running in. His blonde hair was flapping against his face. He was covered in sweat as he ran right into my arms.

 "What's the matter?" 

"Don't leave Addy...John comes home today." The very name sent chills down my back. John. My new father. He was quite the charmer when he swept our mother off her feet. Once he put himself into our lives, he made it his job to assert his dominance. It started with a smack here and a grab there. Then escalated to nearly breaking me and my mother's ribs. The man makes me sick to my core. If only marriage was not final, my mother could leave that bastard. I held my little brothers face,

 "I promise to be home by then." John was a soldier. He was away on the Lord's order to negotiate peace with another village. He and the men usually returned by nightfall and there was no way I would be gone that long. I would protect my brother at all cost. Even if that meant taking his beatings. I gave Oliver and my mother a kiss and then headed out the door. I was around twenty summers which meant that I should be married off and have my own children but my mama needs me. Family starting could wait.

 I neared the gate that separates the human fraction from the vampire fraction. You could always tell the difference between the two. The Human faction contained mostly peasants except for the Lord. The Lord was still selected by the King, and he only picked Vampires. A vampire is leading the humans. How ironic. Aside from the political side, the very layout of the lands was vastly different. The vampire side had endless buildings, shops, paved roads, carriages, townsfolk and the grand castle. The human side had small dismal cottages, dirt paths, one grand hall and terrified crouching townsfolk. Our townsfolk rarely even left their homes nevertheless had festivals or markets. If you wanted something that another person made, you went to their home, bought it and then returned back home. They were cowards. No one wanted to die or piss off the vampires more than we already did by merely existing.

 It was against the law to cross into their land. The punishment was either death by the person that caught you or an eternity in their dungeons. I, however, never get caught. I raised my hands over my head and latched on to the iron gate. I pulled my weight up and began scaling the gate. I leaped over the top and landed on my feet. I dusted my hands and walked over to my hidden box. I kept my disguise in here. I could pass for a vampire peasant. Since vampires had social hierarchies too, and I know no one would mess with a simple peasant. I grabbed the dark brown cloak and draped it over my shoulders.