Once Upon A December

Once Upon a December

--Introduction--

Le Cirque du Vampire Les Trois Anneaux

December 1 – 12:00 AM

“Welcome to Le Cirque du Vampire Les Trois Anneaux! On this, the first of December, we have scheduled a full card’s worth of entertainment. There will be new faces. There will be retirements. But remember, it’s not over until the three count declares our new Contender au Titre des Femmes!”

Edward frowned, before he looked at the small square of paper in his hand. The directions scrawled across the sheet told him that this was, indeed, his destination. The woman that he had searched for for the better half of a century would be here, in the match to become the Contender au Titre des Femmes. He took a breath and searched the arena. All around, vampires were packed into the stands. It was impossible to decipher the distinct scent of one from another. He lifted the sheet to reveal an illustration of the woman – he would have to rely on his memory.

Many of the events that led him to Le Cirque du Vampire Les Trois Anneaux were a blur. Of course, his entire life had been a blur since she had left. As of that day, it would have been sixty years since ‘it’ occurred. He could still remember that fateful day, December 1, 1952, when he walked into the Sweetheart Café and came face-to-face with Cassandra White. Beautiful from the inside out, all it took was one smile for her to steal his heart. Even with the illnesses that she constantly faced, that smile never faltered. It was only after he turned her that she turned sour.

Some claimed that the moment she walked out of his life changed his life for the better. Edward scoffed at that idea. When he turned her, it was like she took a part of him with her. Edward loved her. Of course, he loved each of his fledglings. But… Cassandra was different. Between them, it was never a Sire-Childe relationship. Cassandra was outspoken, almost vicious in her beliefs. She was drunk on life, and she loved the world. And Edward wanted to see life like she did. But then, Johnson came. Johnson claimed to love her. And then he deserted her.

Edward turned his attention back to the match as the bell rung, signaling that a winner had been declared. The referee, a vampire with a stony white face and midnight black hair that fell to the middle of his back, raised the man’s hand in victory. At once, the crowd broke into applause. Edward felt obliged to do the same. Soon afterward, the contestants were escorted from the ring, and the next two were introduced. Loud exclamations burst from the crowd as they circled each other, before they made to attack.

“Sire.” Edward turned at the sound of his official title, and made eye contact with the pretty red-head with icy blue eyes. Her name was Anoyoria, but to him she had always been ‘Anya’. “Are you sure that Cassie will be here?”

Edward shook his head. “No, but it was worth it to come and know for sure.” Blindly, he motioned to the vacant seat beside him. “Come, and sit beside me. Find entertainment in the mindlessness of it all.”

Anya cast an uncertain look at the dirty wooden seat. “If that is what you desire, sire…”

“Here.” The older vampire shed his coat and set it on the seat, before he motioned for her to take a seat. “I wouldn’t want you to dirty your new dress.”

“I do love this dress. The pearls, of course, were a wonderful addition.”

“You look beautiful, Anya.” Edward watched as the vampires stumbled back and forth, both too low on blood to compete anymore. But still, they continued. “Where is Caius?”

Anya turned up her nose at the mention of Edward’s other childe’s name. “He smelled a human. You know how fascinated he is by their kind. I saw her as well, but her blood was so tainted by alcohol that I didn’t bother. The brute, however, hadn’t fed in a week and drained her in seconds.”

The match was called when both bodies fell to the floor, and the ten count was reached. Stretchers rolled across the hard, white concrete floor. Bodies were loaded on, the straps cutting into their skin until bruises formed on the now-frail flesh. One must understand that vampire wrestling was much different than human wrestling. Because vampires could not truly become injured, short of death, they were supplied with one quart of blood before the match and raced to see who could make the other burn it faster. Almost drained of all blood, bruises could mar a vampire’s skin.

Long ago, Edward had learned that the easiest way to track down Cassandra would be to follow Johnson. This, of course, led him to interrogate the locals of this long-forgotten French town. Edward couldn’t even remember the name of it. A kind man with searching eyes had offered him directions to Le Cirque du Vampire Les Trois Anneaux, and explained to him that this was the last week that they would be in France. Edward later discovered that Johnson owned the circus, and Cassie was his main attraction.

“You know, Anya… you never did answer my question. Where is Caius?” Edward asked, his mind numbed to the violence around him. Match after match was contested, but he didn’t care.

“I truly don’t know, sire. I lost track of him after the incident with the woman.” Anya said. “I’m sorry.”

Edward shook his head. “It was my own fault. In my search for Cassandra, I have neglected to my duties as your sire. Caius has known little more than to depend on me for blood… he would not know better than to attack a clearly intoxicated woman. We should leave and search for him.”

“No!” Anya tenderly forced Edward back in his seat, flinching when it creaked ominously. “We’ve come this far. Let’s stay until her match… and once we know that she’s safe, then we can find Caius.”

But Edward continued to shake his head. “I refuse to lose another childe because of my own stupidity -,”

“It wasn’t your fault that Cassandra left us!”

Edward’s clouded gray eyes slid closed. “You may believe what you must, dearest Anya. And if it is your will to stay here, who am I to force you to do otherwise? If I must, I will search for Caius alone, because that is what I believe.”

Just as Edward vanished around the corner, music started to play. The pyros went crazy as the ‘main attraction’ made her way down to the center of the arena. She was shoeless, dressed in white fishnets, lavender shorts, and a white lace half-shirt. Dancing to the top of the staircase, she did a backflip and spun around, earning a round of applause. But Anya would recognize that level of cocky-confidence anywhere. The white blond hair flipped to the side, revealing beautiful gray-blue eyes.

The two shared a look. And then Anya left.

A/N: Well, what did you think? I promise, this will be nothing like “Twilight”. Sorry for those who like that book, but I think it has really turned vampire stories into a cliché. The vampires you will meet in here are one-hundred percent bonified bloodsuckers, with an extra dose of arrogance!