My Clan My Rules

The scream of my mother that night, after the wooden stick was driven straight through her heart, still echoed in my head. The face of that man remained clear in my memory, but he no longer frightened me. I wasn't afraid of him anymore. But something had changed.

The moment he looked at me after my brother was thrown over me and I fell... “Kill her!” the scarred man commanded his men.

Then I woke up, drenched in sweat and trembling in horror. I pushed the coffin open. It hadn't happened that way before. In my previous memory, the scarred man had never ordered them to kill me.

What is going on? I thought, my eyes darting from side to side as I desperately searched for an explanation.

After several minutes, I finally pulled myself together. The night was still young, but there was no way I could fall asleep again. I went outside to look for Samantha, only to be told that she had gone hunting.

“Where?” I asked one of the people outside.

“She didn't say. She only mentioned that she was hungry.”

“How long ago did she leave?” I asked.

“A little while ago. She should be back any moment now,” someone else replied.

“I'll go find her. The rest of you should go inside and get some rest. We have school tomorrow,” I commanded.

I turned toward the woods and was about to leave when I heard my name from behind me.

“Empress Aliya?”

I stopped, took a deep breath, and turned around. It was one of the people who had been pretending to be our parents at school.

“What is it?” I asked curtly.

The woman hesitated. Fear flickered in her eyes. I wasn't going to hurt her. “I'm listening.”

“You told us that you would do anything we wanted if we agreed to attend school with you... if we agreed to pretend to be your parents.”

“Really?” I replied nonchalantly. “Now? You're bringing this up now? One of our own is out there, and we don't even know whether she's alive or dead, and you're asking about this now?”

“I'm sorry,” the woman murmured.

I let out a small breath and looked at the faces of everyone waiting for me to keep my promise. I was a leader of my word. If I gave my word, I kept it. Besides, I couldn't afford to have any of them sabotaging my plans of having Eric all to myself, and I intended to keep it that way.

“You should all go to the hall and wait for me,” I ordered. “I'll go search for Samantha. When I return, I'll grant your wishes.”

Without waiting for another word, I headed into the woods. I followed Samantha's scent, sniffing the air repeatedly as I moved deeper into the darkness. I needed to find her as quickly as possible.

Then I heard something. A voice. It came from deep within the woods, and it sounded like Samantha. She was fighting with someone.

My heart tightened. I followed the sound deeper into the woods until the trees suddenly opened into a small clearing. My feet stopped; Samantha was there.

But she wasn't alone. A figure stood opposite her, moving so quickly that my eyes struggled to follow. The sound of claws scraping against claws echoed through the darkness as Samantha was thrown backward. She crashed into a tree.

“Gah!”

“Samantha!” I screamed out.

She immediately pushed herself back onto her feet. “Stay out of this!” she shouted.

I ignored her. My gaze locked onto the woman standing across from her.

"Lilith?" I was shocked.

I stood in front of Samantha, my fangs sliding out just as hers had. I scoffed. “I should have known,” I said, staring at her.

“Oh…” Lilith tilted her head, her eyes slowly turning crimson. The moonlight shone brightly through the trees, illuminating her face. “You’re like me too.”

“Don’t come any closer, Lilith,” I warned. “You’ve already hurt one of my own. Make one wrong move again, and I’ll kill you.”

“You can’t do anything. Samantha and I made a deal. If I win, both of you leave Central City High—and you’ll leave Eric for me.”

“Samantha has nothing to do with Eric, Lilith. You shouldn’t have made that deal with her. You should’ve made it with me.”

“Then you can take her place,” Samantha said confidently.

“I have better things to do with my time than stand here and fight you over a man who doesn’t even want you.”

Lilith’s fangs emerged, her expression twisting with anger. “You don’t know that. I’ve known Eric for a long time.”

“But I know him better,” I replied. “You’re throwing yourself at a man who doesn’t care about you. I’m not going to fight you, Samantha. And I would rather die than let you hurt her—or take Eric away from me.”

“You’re defying the rules!” Samantha thundered.

“I make the rules!” I screamed back. "You are defying my rules. Samantha is part of my clan!” I roared, my entire body trembling with rage. My voice echoed through the woods. “My clan… my rules.”

I stepped forward, my eyes locked onto Lilith. “I’m the only one who has the right to lay hands on Samantha. If you break my rules, I’ll make sure I come for you—and everyone you care about.”

Lilith stared at me with undisguised disdain. “You’ve crossed the line, Aliya, and I’ll make sure I match your energy,” she threatened before turning and swiftly leaping from tree to tree.

I let out a heavy sigh of relief. The last thing I wanted was a fight. I turned to Samantha, who was trembling with fear. I had so much to say to her, but I chose to remain silent, focusing instead on keeping my emotions under control.

“Let’s go,” I said as I headed deeper into the woods.

I moved as quickly as I could, my senses alerted to every sound and movement around us. I was determined to put as much distance between us and Lilith as possible, constantly checking our surroundings to make sure no one was following.

“You’re moving too fast. Wait up,” Samantha called from behind me, hurrying to catch my pace.

I didn’t say another word. I was so furious that I could barely bring myself to look at her.

“I know you’re angry, Aliya, but I only came out to hunt. Lilith was the one who attacked first—”

“Tell me why I shouldn’t sink my fangs into you right now and make you my dinner?” I cut her off. I turned around and stalked toward her. Samantha immediately began backing away, her steps slow and cautious.

“You made a deal with her so I could leave Eric? Did I ask you to do that?”

“I thought I could defeat her. I had no idea she was a vampire either.”

“And when you found out, you should have left.”

“We don’t run from fights, Aliya. You made that rule. I had already made a deal with her, so I had to stay.”

“What you did was reckless, Samantha. It could have cost everyone in my clan their lives. Who knows what would have happened to you if she had killed you?”

“Well, she didn’t…” Samantha breathed heavily, forcing a faint smile that quickly disappeared. “Thanks to you.”

I didn’t find it funny. My anger was consuming me, and my instincts were taking control. I grabbed Samantha by the throat, tightening my grip as I held her face in place. Slowly, I brought my claws dangerously close to her eyes.

“Please, Empress Aliya. I’m sorry,” Samantha pleaded. “It won’t happen again.”

“The next time you try something like this, I will kill you the same way I killed your parents. Is that clear?”

Samantha nodded frantically, trembling and covered in sweat. “Crystal,” she whispered.

I released her and casually wiped my hands on her clothes before turning away. We continued walking toward the clan.

“Everyone is waiting for me,” I said. “They already have their wishes prepared for me to grant. I made them a promise, after all. And I’m certain you know what they’re about to ask me for.”

“I have no idea,” Samantha replied softly.

I stopped and turned toward her, my expression hardening. “Are you lying to me?”

“No, Empress,” Samantha quickly answered. “I can’t lie to you. I genuinely had no idea what they decided on.”

When we finally arrived home, I walked straight into the hall. The moment I entered, the murmuring died down. Whispers immediately replaced it.

I walked majestically toward the long throne I had built years ago and took my seat.

“Samantha!” I called, my voice echoing throughout the hall. “Come stand beside me.”

It wasn’t unusual for the clan to see Samantha and me together. She had been at my side since the day before yesterday, and if I was going to have someone I could truly rely on, it would be her. Samantha slowly made her way through the crowd as everyone parted for her, just as they did for me.

I cleared my throat and sat upright, placing both hands firmly on the arms of my throne.

“State what you want me to grant you,” I commanded.

The woman who had acted as my mother stepped forward. She bowed respectfully, her hands clasped tightly in front of her. Then she spoke.

“My Empress, I and everyone here would like you to get us houses in town, among the humans—”

My hands slammed against the arms of the throne as I shot to my feet. “What?!” My voice thundered across the hall. My heart pounded violently in my chest. “What is this nonsense you have just said?” I demanded, staring at them in disbelief. “Do you even understand the gravity of what you’re asking me to do? You want to live amongst humans?”

“Well, since most of us are going to school with the humans, it would be wise for us to stay in town, close to the school. That way, we can avoid raising suspicion,” the woman explained.

I paused. My eyes swept across the crowd before settling on her again.

“What is your name?”

“Aretha,” she replied boldly, without even flinching. She wasn’t afraid of me.

I scoffed. “Why?” I asked, my voice cold. “Is it because you once acted as my parent that you think you can disrespect me whenever you please?” My voice grew sharper. “Just because I gave all of you the privilege of asking for one thing, you think you can wish for whatever you want?”

“I’m sorry, ma’am,” Aretha said quickly, lowering herself onto her knees.

My claws emerged without warning, followed by the sharp extension of my fangs. I stepped toward her and crouched slightly, using one finger to lift her chin until her eyes met mine.

“Do you really think you can get whatever you want—or disrespect me—I could kill you here and get someone else to play the role of a mother.” My eyes narrowed. I turned, facing the people. “None of you should ever forget who I am. From my records I am still older than every single person standing in this hall. So be careful with what you ask for.”

I straightened, my gaze moving across the entire crowd.

“If I were to let all of you go, you would be left without a leader. You would have no one to guide or protect you, and eventually, you would become easy prey. I cannot allow any of my people to be hunted down.”

I fell silent for a moment. The hall remained completely still. I looked at each of them, one after another, before slowly shaking my head.

“No.” My voice was firm, leaving no room for argument. “I will not grant such a wish.”

I returned to my throne and stared down at them. “And that is my final decision.”