Prologue:
The little girl heard the wind outside the large house howl and shivered unconsciously under her warm blankets. Right across the hall, she heard soft snores from her parents as they slept. However, she was still awake, tossing and turning at nine, although she was supposed to be asleep hours ago at nine. She thought that being five―almost six― years old was old enough not to have a curfew but her parents were unwavering and out of defiance, she stayed up late. Impressed with herself, she took a picture of the time with her mother’s phone that she stole to show her parents in the morning.
Suddenly there was a loud crash and a screech outside of her window. Slowly, the little girl, wrapped tightly in her blanket, tiptoed to the window and saw a streak of black run across the front porch. Curious and too naive to know better, the little girl sneaked downstairs and peered through the curtains to see what had caused the disturbance. On her porch was a black cat.
“Here kitty-kitty,” the girl murmured, waving her hand coaxingly.
The cat meowed and moved along the side of the house. The little girl quickly ran to the living room and hopped onto the couch to look out of the window there. At the side of the house, the cat meowed once more and purred, as if daring the girl to touch him.
The girl frowned and unlatched the window, using all of her puny strength to heave the window open. Panting, she reached as far as she could towards the cat, gasping as she lost her balance and fell straight out of the window. With a loud thud, the girl landed and immediately covered her mouth to stop her yelp of pain. She didn’t want her parents to wake up and yell at her.
Just as she was about to climb back into the house, she heard grunts and hesitantly looked around. Leaning against a tree in her front yard was a little boy in bloodied clothes.
“Are you okay?” The girl asked, scared and nervous.
The boy looked up, and the girl gasped. The boy’s eyes were red, and glowed in the dark night. The boy’s eyes narrowed and he snarled, revealing sharp teeth and prominent fangs. The girl gasped and stumbled back, and the boy followed, only to hiss and slump back against the tree. He was hurt.
“You’re hurt,” the girl whispered.
The boy merely stared at her, his gaze unwavering and unblinking.
“I need blood,” he croaked.
“Why?” the girl asked, scrunching her forehead in confusion.
“Are you going to help me or not?” the boy snapped before immediately coughing.
The girl stared as the boy started to cough up blood. Turning around, she ran back to the window. With heavy breaths, the girl heaved herself back into the house and ran to the kitchen. There she quickly opened what her parents called the emergency cabinet, and pulled out a first aid kit. Remembering they boy’s bloodied shirt, she grabbed one of the shirts from the box they were going to donate to charity.
The girl then ran into her father’s study and opened all the drawers and cabinets. In small hidden cabinet, she found a thick, red liquid which she hoped was blood. Her father was a doctor and she hoped that somehow he had brought some home. Grabbing the blood, shirt, and the first aid kit, the girl jumped out the window, carelessly scratching her knees. She recovered quickly and ran to the strange, injured boy.
The boy was barely conscious, and the girl started to worry. She took the bloodied shirt off the boy and started to treat his wounds. Her father had taught her how to treat injuries in case of an emergency. The whole time the boy gazed at her through slitted eyes. Satisfied with her work, the girl gave the boy the new shirt, which she helped him put on, and handed him the blood.
The boy’s eyes glowed a brilliant red as he snatched the blood bag, tearing it open, and consuming everything. Frightened, the girl backed away, but the boy turned to face her and snarled.
“Stay,” he said, grabbing her wrist.
“I-” she starts but is interrupted when the boy bites down on her wrist.
“Ouch! Stop it! What are you doing? Stop it, y-you monster!” she yelled.
The boy stared up at her, showing his bloodied mouth. The girl started to cry.
“Sh, sh, I’m sorry,” the boy whispered starting to lick the bite. Soon the pain was gone and she looked down to see a scar in the shape of a moon intertwined with a star.
“See? Doesn’t hurt anymore,” the boy murmured.
“What are you?” the girl asked, mesmerized with the mark.
“A monster,” he replied, “but don’t worry, I would never hurt you.” Suddenly, the boy tensed and shot upwards with a jerk.
“What’s wrong?” the girl asked timidly.
“Monsters like me are coming this way.”
“But they won’t hurt me, right?” the girl whispered, frightened.
“No,” the boy answered, his eyes narrowing, “only I won’t hurt you, they will kill you. You need to go, now.”
The boy helped her back to the window where he heaved her up. The girl landed with a slight bounce on the couch and turned around to face the boy. His eyes slowly changed, changing into a deep turquoise.
“You have pretty eyes,” the girl giggled softly, while the boy merely frowned. “Will I ever see you again?”
The boy stared deep into her eyes, grinned and replied, “Maybe. I’ll come and find you.”
“What if you can’t find me? What if I don’t remember you?” the girl questioned. The boy laughed.
“See that mark on your wrist? It will help me find you, and if you don’t remember, I’ll just have to make you remember,” the boy replied.
After much debate, the girl slowly leaned down and kissed his cheek, watching the boy’s eyes change back red.
“What is your name?” the boy asked softly.
“Arianna,” she said. “What about you?”
“Eon.”
Snarls sounded in the distance. The boy looked torn. “I have to go.”
“Wait!” Arianna gasped out. She unhooked her heart shaped locket, one with only a picture of her and her address, in case she got lost. Arianna quickly hooked the locket around the boy’s neck.
“Okay, I really need to leave,” the boy said, staring at the locket. “But thank you.”
The girl nodded leaning back and the boy handed her the first aid kit. She helped the boy close the window and they gave each other one last glance. Then the boy ran off, faster than her eyes could follow. She was left staring into the moonless night, the clouds covering the stars and leaving everything in darkness.
Years passed and they grew older, both continuing their lives.
The boy never forgot.
YOU ARE READING
One Moonless Night
Про вампиров"Who are you?" His red eyes flashed and he pouted. "You don't remember me? I remember you." I shook my head as he frowned, his eyes changing into a deep turquoise. Those eyes... They were familiar. I looked down and the small light from my lamp shon...
