Fearless Blood (Completed)

Fearless Sixteen*

Fearless Sixteen

Chapter Two

Valerie's P.O.V.

Waking up each morning on this bed is awful. It feels like it’s made of hay, maybe because it is.

Pretty much it's just a bed sheet stuffed with hay, and then the ladies who work here throw a blanket on the top. Comfy!

I swing my long legs out of the blanket and stretch. Today is an awesome day; it's my last day of being sixteen. Tomorrow all of us will be seventeen!

"Val, you up yet?" My best friend, Nadia, in the orphanage yawns from the bed beside me.

"If I say no will you leave me alone?" I sigh, another day when we wake up before the sun.

"I'll just throw my pillow at you!" she jokingly threatens.

I get up and go sit on her bed, flicking her light brown hair out of her face. She laughs, but gets up with me. "You know, Val, today is the day BEFORE our birthday." I get up before she talks about tomorrow. I don't need to know.

"You’re too sensitive." Nadia mumbles heading to the bathroom.

I ignore her and start getting dressed. The girl’s mandatory everyday outfit is simple yet beautiful. It's a baby blue dress that flows down to my knees, the sleeves are just strips of fabric on the shoulders, and in the center is a thin red belt with a small red bow.

I neatly spin my light blonde hair into a bun high on my head.

Once dressed and ready, I go out to the dining area where the other children have already started eating.

Nadia and my other friend Marco have saved me a seat between them.

"Valerie!" he waves me over.

Nadia has styled her light brown hair in a neat braid down her back. Her navy blue eyes stand out with her simple dress. How I envy her beauty.

Marco hair is similar but more of a chestnut color. The boy’s outfits are quite nice; a light blue button up shirt and dark brown pants.  Simple yet elegant.

"Hello!" I chirp, sitting in-between them. I scoop some yogurt into a bowl and take a freshly baked roll.

"Tomrow è il giorno, diciassette!" Maria whispers from across the table. She's one of the care takers. All of them talk in Italian when not addressing us. I believe to not be overheard. The nine of us were only taught English, so we could not understand the town’s people. But I am a little bit cleverer than the others I believe, for I have picked up on some Italian.

"What are they saying?" Nadia whispers to me.

"How should I know?" I mutter, not taking my eyes off the two women.

"Quando saranno i succhiatori di sangue trovarli?" Maria asks Bella, another caretaker.

I shiver. So far I've heard Tomorrow’s the day, seventeen and When will the blood suckers get them?. What does that mean?

"Solo il tempo ce lo dirà!" Bella laughs, braking open a piece of roll.

I smack my tray down and leave the dining hall.

"Valerie!" Maria calls after me.

But I don't listen. We are not supposed to leave the building unless we are with a caretaker. Whatever. Or qualunque.

After running past gray painted halls, I open the oak door to a dark world. The sun is just coming up, reflecting off the puddles in the cobble stone streets. As I sprint out of the yard to the forest, I hear the click clack of the horses’ hooves.