Human

Chapter 6

     Tiny feet, and even tinier hands.  Sandy brown hair, and a laugh as pure as a sunny weekend.  Eyes were dancing around, and the little girl runs toward me.  "LI-LI," she would scream.  Followed by little giggles that would bubble in the air.  Isla was precious, and was only 6 when I came to their home.  Isla thought I was her sister, her best friend, but she was wrong.  I was only her servant.  I loved her anyway, and her form slipped away, too soon.  I groan as I reached a shaky hand to her.

    Lilith woke up startled by the door to the  cabin bursting open.  In strode a little burst of fire.  His hair was  a deep red, and she could not remember his name. 
    "Why are you sleeping, it's only noon," he said, his thick eyebrows scrunching up.  He wore a confused line on his forehead, and his eyes were a brilliant emerald green. 
    She cursed under her breath and looked at an empty bunk.  Her excuse had disappeared, leaving a mess of blankets and sheets.  No sign of her eager savior, and no way to explain why she was holed up in their cabin, sleeping through the day.  She knew how this must appear, she wasn't dense.  He probably thought her weak willed, hiding like a scaredy cat after the life or death situation that morning.  She took in a long breath of air, and said,"I just didn't feel well for a moment, what's up?"
    He scrutinized her lie.  Pursing thin reddish-pink lips.  He was tall, but lanky.  Rounded, but thin at the same time.  It was like he himself didn't understand exactly who he was. 
    "I'm Max, I don't think we had the opportunity for introductions yesterday," he brushed off the previous conversation, and she was grateful.
    She was  warming up to him, and smiled.  "Lilith," She announced shortly and got up to shake his hand.  His grip was firm, and he looked amused at her.  "Want to grab some lunch," he asked, taking his hand out of hers. 
   "Yes, please, lunch sounds great," she agreed to his proposal.  She was pleased to see that not all guys were pent up jerks like Eli.  She remembered what had happened, and decided to ignore the gurgling panic in her stomach.  Her stomach had always been weak.
    "So, where are you from," Lilith asked the boy, eyeing him again out of the side of her lashes as they walked down the concrete road toward the dining hall. The street was empty, silent.  A shiver involuntarily creeped up her spine. 
   Max ignored her first question, sensing her unease.  "Everyone went on a picnic lunch about twenty minutes ago.  I wasn't feeling up to it," his face flashed with darkness. 
   "I see," she said softly, understanding the feeling.  It was so easy to feel like they didn't belong here.  The wide glass doors to the building greeted them.  She took note of a big sign with dates, and saw that tonight was marked with an activity called First Blood.  "What's that," she asked, pointing to the bolded words.  
    "Nothing good," Max told her, easing into the dining hall with her. 

---------

    Lilith was still amazed at the cleanliness of the dining hall, and still thoroughly surprised, and a little guilty, that they were waited on and served by other humans.  Did they live here? She decided to ignore the situation entirely, because she knew that not everyone was lucky.   This camp probably paid better than most places anyway.
    They had eaten in silence, scarfing down bowls of chicken ravioli, eating so quickly, anyone that would look on the scene would think they had never eaten in their lives.
    "I was homeless," Max interrupted her last bite of food, and Lilith was so surprised that he had said something so personal, so quickly.
   "Why," She asked dumbly, unable to think of anything else.
    "I have a disease that makes it dangerous for Vampires to feed on me, and I couldn't sell my blood at the Factories," he explained, obviously ashamed. Not daring to meet her eyes.
    "Are you glad you won the Scholarship then," Lilith asked, desperate to lighten up the conversation.
    "I'm not sure, yet," he explained.  She nodded at him, and felt her heart soften a little for him.  Her fellow humans have struggled just as much as she has.
-------
     Max and Lilith joined up with Layla at the campfire, watching the Sun make it's descent down toward the trees.  The camp fire made all the new camp goers uncomfortable, expecting it to light up the trees around them at any time.   They were joined by Aurabelle and man in a black suit, with a golden raven on his collar. 
     "Welcome, everyone, this is the Vampire camp chair; Tarak," she introduced the pale older man.  He looked like a vampire in his middle ages, his salt and pepper hair tied at the back of his head.  He eyed the crowd, not giving anything away.  Lilith felt the cold radiating from his stare, at least 50 people away. 
   He flashed the crowd his perfectly sharpened fangs, and announced the evenings activity.  

Nothing could be normal here.  

"First Blood is a tradition in our military.  It is a means to prove your worth and fortitude," he said, completely monotone.  "I will choose two people to fight  on the other side of this camp fire tonight, and the victor will not have to participate in the next Camp challenge."

    Lilith's stomach dropped, and she begged the higher powers that it wouldn't be a fight to the death.
"Remember to not kill your sparring partner.  It takes strength to know your abilities well enough to hold back," Tarak said as an afterthought.  His brown hair gleaned with the reds of the campfire. 
    She grit her teeth because she wasn't prepared to fight. She had never fought anyone before, and her fragile frame could hardly take a beating.  The vampire looked the group up and down, side to side.  Deciding who would give the best entertainment for this evening.  He went out into the crowd, and everyone moved away from him, like forcing two positive ends of a magnet together. 
    He chose a haughty werewolf, tall, tan, and ripped.  His tank top barely covering his chest, and he smiled.  The werewolves roared with cheers for their candidate.  Tarak looked over to the opposite side of the crowd and grabbed the arm of a very grumpy Jackson.