Tracing Lines of Red

Tracing Lines of Red (Chapter 3)

I was standing in the shower. I was in the bathroom of my new room, the room I had woken up in. There was a lot of empty rooms. Raven was waiting outside. I could hear his breathing, his heartbeat. That's vampire super senses for you.

Sighing, I turned off the shower and grabbed a towel. Using the back of my hand, I wiped the fogged up mirror. A lot of the stuff about vampires weren't true. We have a reflection in mirrors. We don't burn in sunlight. We just feel weaker. We don't die from garlic, our noses are just sensitive. Holy water can't kill us. A stake to the heart can, but it doesn't have to be wooden. I think anything piercing anyone's heart, vampire or not, would kill them.

I stared at my fangs in the mirror. I felt disgusted. I had drank from Raven until he was practically dizzy and about to pass out. He hadn't even tried to stop me.

I glanced at my blood stained clothes that lay on the floor. Shuddering, I looked away and turned to the clean, dry clothes Raven gave me. I don't know why he had clothes that fit me perfectly. Something about how he's been taking in servants for decades, turning them into vampires, and letting them go when they're adults. Then those people would be like him, taking in servants and turning them into vampires. Apparently he needs to prepare everything for whoever he's about to take in.

I put on the clothes, which were all black for some reason. I didn't want to find out how he even knew all the sizes. He just handed them to me without even asking and they fit perfectly. I left the bathroom, drying my hair with the towel.

"Come here, Marie." He patted the bed next to him. I sat down.

He turned to me, reaching out. His hand caressed my face. "You'll be okay."

I only nodded.

"There's someone I want you to meet. He lives here too. I told him to leave while I was turning you, because it was dangerous. He'll be here soon."

"What's his name?" I asked, not really caring. All I was worried about was that I would lose control in front of this guy.

"Shadow. He's the same age as you. I have some rules, Marie. You can't bite him, or drink his blood. He is my servant, after all. Only I can drink his blood. The same goes for you. Only I can drink your blood, because you are mine."

I blinked, feeling a light blush spread across my face. "It's not like I would let anyone else drink my blood anyway." I said quietly.

"I'm glad you think that way." He smiled at me, his fangs glinting in the darkness. "One more thing, Marie. I mean it. Do not drink his blood. No matter what. Under no circumstances."

"Okay." I said. "I just drank so much of yours. Do you really think I would lose control on this one person?"

"No. If you attack him, I won't stop you. I believe in you. You're the only one who doesn't believe in yourself."

I sat there, gaping at him while he stood up. I went after him quickly, not wanting to be left behind because I'm sure I'll end up lost. At the front door, we watched as someone walked up to us on the path. He stopped about ten feet away from us. The wind blew suddenly, blasting a scent in my face. A scent that smelled very good. Very intoxicating.

A scent that smelled like a human.

The scent of human blood.

"He's human?" I choked out, turning to Raven.

"Yes, he is. Remember our rules, Marie."

My eyes flashed red, but I ignored it. The boy, Shadow, walked up to us.

"Hello, vampire. My name is Shadow. What's your name?"

"Marie." I said, my fangs feeling big and awkward in my mouth. He held out his hand for me to shake.

I inwardly groaned. How would it feel to hold his hand? To feel the blood pulsing just underneath the skin? To feel that blood running down my throat?

I took his hand, shaking it. I wouldn't let this hunger get in the way of making a new friend. Raven nodded in approval.

"Nice to meet you." I said, letting go of his hand.

"Nice to meet you too, Marie. Well let's go inside, it's pretty cold out here."

We went inside, even though a vampire's definition of cold isn't the same as a human's. We were in a living room. There were three sofas that could fit one person each and a table in the middle. I sat on one and Shadow sat across from me.

"I'll go to the kitchen and get some food and drinks. You two just sit down and relax." Raven said, leaving me alone with him. Is he crazy? I'm going to die if he leaves me here.

Then I realized the thought of food repulsed me. I didn't want food. I just want blood.

"So how did you end up here?" I asked, glancing at Shadow.

"My family was killed by Raven's brother. Raven took me in as an apology, to make up for it."

"I'm sorry." I said. "I understand how it feels, to lose someone. But why didn't he turn you into a vampire?"

He stared at me. My heart skipped a beat, my eyes turning crimson again.

"I'm a vampire hunter. I was raised to kill your kind. It would be horribly ironic to turn me into a vampire."

"Would you kill me if I attacked you?" I asked.

"No. Because like me, you are also Raven's servant. I will not disrespect his wishes." He stood up and walked up to me. He leaned forward, his face inches from my own. "I make you hungry, don't I?"

How long does it take to prepare some food and drinks? "Even if you do, Shadow," I said, trying to drown out the sound of his heartbeat that I could hear so clearly. "I won't drink your blood. You're family was killed. You've become a vampire's servant. I don't want you to suffer any more than you already have. Now move back before I lose the ability to choose."

He smiled. "All right. You've got good self control. That's all I was testing. And you're a good person. Raven picked well this time."

He returned to his seat. "This time?" I asked, but he simply shook his head and Raven walked in with a tray of food. I sniffed the air. The food smelled completely unappetizing.

"Don't worry, I got something for us too, Marie." I looked up as he handed me a glass of blood. He sipped his own. I took a sip. And nearly spit it out.

"What kind of disgusting blood is this?" I spluttered.

"I'd say all kinds of blood is rather disgusting." Shadow said grinning.

I smiled but I couldn't quite agree with him, since I'm sure his would be delicious. Shaking those thoughts from my head, I glared at Raven.

"It's animal blood. From a rabbit." he replied calmly. "It takes a while to get used to but then it gets better."

I shuddered. "A rabbit?" I put the glass down. "I'd rather not get used to it."

Raven smirked. He took my glass and drained it himself. "Blood is blood. You'll need the energy. You'll regret not drinking it later."

I shrugged, not wanting to drink rabbit blood. When Shadow finished, we all went up to go to bed, since the sun was coming up soon. Yes, we're nocturnal now, even Shadow.

Everyone went off to their own rooms while I headed off in the direction I think my room is. I groaned. Why did this place have to be so huge when there's only three people living in here? Using my nose, I traced back Raven's and my scent and eventually found my room. Ha, being a vampire isn't all that bad.

I went to bed, falling asleep easily, just as the sun came up.