Vampire Princess

Chapter 5

It took us two hours to get out of the city and the sun was slowly beginning to rise by the time Daniel decided we could stop for a rest.  "Remind me why we have to walk instead of taking a taxi like normal people," I pant .

Apparently being a vampire doesn't mean that I'm immune to tiredness and walking in a ball gown doesn’t make things much easier.

"Because we're going to a secret location," Daniel says settling down on the grass.  Trees surround us on all sides and shield us from the view of anyone passing on the road. "If we take a car there it will be easy to trace us." 

I flop down next to him and glance at Chloe who looks as energized as ever standing as still as a statue in front of the road. "What are you doing?" I call. "You have to rest before you die from exhaustion."

"I'm not tired, Princess," she says not turning around. "Besides, someone needs to keep watch"

"First, don't call me princess," I say. "Second, keep watch for what?"

"The things that killed your grandfather." I shut up immediately and glance over my shoulder  uneasily. If those people are still at large they might find us, we were vulnerable out here and the few combat classes I took won't help much against their guns.

"You said you would answer some of my questions," I say turning towards Daniel. We were lying in the grass under the cover of some trees far enough from the road that we couldn't be seen. "Are you still going to?"

"Shoot," he says. "But if you can't handle the answer don't blame me." I considered briefly staring up at the stars in the predawn sky. They seem so unreachable from here. Like tiny pinpricks of silver that you want but can't have.

"Is Uncle Harry dead?" I ask taking a deep breath mentally preparing myself for the worst. 

"He's fine," Chloe assures me. She decides to join us on the ground and makes herself comfortable next to me.  "It might take awhile for him to make a full recovery but he'll live." I let out a sigh of relief.

"What about Grandfather?" I ask, as a sense if dread washes over me. I think I know the answer but I want to hear it be confirmed.  He hesitates a brief moment and I observe him out of the corner of my eye while keeping my head facing straight ahead.

"Yes,"  he says nodding once.  I tilt my head skywards once again, not wanting either of them to see my tears and think me to be weak. Grandfather’s dead. I can’t believe that such a strong person who has always been a constant in my life is gone. He might have seemed frail to some people but those close to him knew that he was a fighter.

"What are you?" I have to fight to keep my voice steady and while blinking away the unshed tears. "Both of you." Chloe looks shocked that I included her in my question but Daniel takes it completely in stride.

"Vampires," he replies without missing a beat. "Chloe is just a different kind."

"There are different kinds?" I question thoroughly confused. No one ever mentioned that to me in any of my studies. Even when they were explaining what it means to be a vampire, never once did they mention that there were different types. 

"I'm a Guard. Specifically trained at the Academia to protect vampire nobles, like you and Daniel." She answers my next question before I even have the chance to ask. "The Academia is like a training facility for the supernatural. Think of a boarding school mixed with a military training camp and that’s basically the school."

"Why would I need a Guard?" I ask even though I'm pretty sure I know the answer.

  "Like she said, you're a noble," Daniel explained plucking blades of grass absent mindedly. "And we can't let you end up like your grandfather."

"She said that you're a noble too," I watch as he shreds the grass quickly and efficiently. It's a little scary seeing how well he can rip things apart. "Where's your Guard?"

"He's dead."

"I-I'm sorry," I stammer out. "I didn't know."

"You weren't supposed to," he gets up and starts walking away. "I'm going to get some sleep. I suggest you do as well." He lay lies down on the grass a few feet waay from me. "Good night Nicole." I look over to Chloe who’s sitting on my left and she just shrugs.

"He's right, you need some rest. Night, night girlie. We'll get a move on tomorrow morning." She gets up as well and scales the nearest tree I assume she's going to be on guard while we sleep. 

I lay awake in the still night thinking. Wondering about Grandfather, and how the rest of my family are. What happened to them after I ran? What happened to my friends and the other guests? How is Daniel involved in all of this? Who is he, really, and also how and why does he know so much?  I must have fallen asleep at some point because next thing I know I'm being shaken awake by Chloe. "Get up," she hisses in my ear. "We have to move. Now!"

"What's going on," I mumble sitting up and slowly stretching  and rubbing the sleep out of my eyes. 

"They found us," Daniel states grimly. "No time for me to explain we need to run and fast." Their urgent tones send an adrenaline spike through me and  within minutes we're running through the countryside towards the rising sun. I finger the moonstone I always keep on me. It's the only thing protecting me from burning to a crisp in the morning sun.  Grandfather had it made for me last year but it wasn't until I began manifesting that he told me why it's important. If a young vampire like me is caught in the sun without it I would become a pile of ash within seconds but as I get older I will become more tolerant and can go out in the day without it. 

"Where are we going?" I ask Chloe slowing to a jog so I can keep pace with her. Daniel is in front of us and Chloe is right behind me effectively boxing me in and also protecting me from any dangers that may come at us from in front or behind. I mask my annoyance at being treated like a defenseless little girl but I know it's irrational because I probably would be defenseless against the nameless enemy we're running from.   

"Daniel's leading us to Gran," she said glancing over her shoulder every few seconds.  There's that name again. Gran.

"Who is she anyway?" I ask. "Daniel mentioned her but didn't tell me anything about her."

"Sorry girlie," she said shrugging. "I don't actually know. I just heard that she's powerful and not the kind of person you want pissed at you."

I growl in frustration shocking myself. I can't believe I just growled. "There you go," Chloe says happily. "Learning to be fierce already. I'm so proud." She wipes a mock tear from the corner of her eye while grinning at me. I just roll my eyes but grin back anyway.

"We're on the run and your making jokes?" I ask sarcastically. 

"Well someone has to," she says shrugging. "You and Daniel are being all doom and gloom, so I guess that someone has to be me. Care to be my partner in crime?" I raise one eyebrow at her in a silent question. "Come on, it'll be fun. We can mess with Daniel all the time." She literally waggles her eyebrows at me and I laugh. Daniel glances back at us but turns away quickly when he sees me watching him.

"Sure," I say in a softer voice. "Our first plan has to involve getting him to lighten up."

“Of course!” Chloe half yells causing Daniel to turn and give us a strange look before continuing on. Chloe winces as she realizes how loud she was and glances around warily to see if we attracted any more attention before continuing in a lower tone. “Operation Get Mr. Doom and Gloom to Have Fun is now underway."

"Next time I get to pick the plan name," I say giggling softly.