Chapter 03

"Know your place Young lady!" His thick voice barked, chasing every ounce of courage that dared to exist in me.

"A slave is what you are and that is what you shall remain!

Don't even dare to aspire to be someone,

Let alone dream or even dare to entertain such thought ever again because the day you do," he pursed his lips, his eyes glowering like brimstone fire ready to raze me to ashes.

"I will forget the bond that exists between us and rip your miserable heart out!"

My eyes jolted awake from my nightmare but my body still retained its calm status. I was already used to it. For six hundred years now, I've been having the nightmare, I've been denied sleep. But this wasn't a nightmare though, it was a memory. A memory of my Father and I. One that has rooted deep in my head never to be forgotten.

My eyes twitched, only then was I fully observant of my surroundings. The darkness and the solemnity but thanks to my night vision, I could clearly see the beautiful painting of my mother and sister encrusted on my ceilings. There they were, their smile so endearing yet it never put me to sleep for once.

I was going to repeat my routine again tonight. The same routine I had inculcated for the past six hundred years.

Walking to my personal library and reading ancient histories till Martha comes to join me. And so without further thoughts, I strolled to my personal library huge enough to accommodate a clan of hundreds. Thousands of books were laced into the tall mahogany shelves without a speckle of dust. The shelves were arranged in a circular path with a desk at its center.

As my feet gently walked against the cold floor, my fingers trailed across this book till it fell on a journal. My Mother's Journal.

I paused, wondering when last I read it. Although it was just a tiny old book, I was never able to complete reading it. It was like the pages were changing with new stories day by day. I carefully slid it out before trailing to my desk holding a lit candle. Making it the only illumination in the room. The way I liked it.

I ran my fingers slowly around the brown book cover for minutes before finally opening its contents.

"Rose," I read in my mind. I heaved a sigh, already certain I was going to have another emotional ride.

"They say mates are like a seed," I continued. "The moment we're born, that seed is born with us too. And when the day comes, when we finally meet our mate, the seed grows.

They say it grows into everlasting love, joy and peace but mine grew into a fluttering Rose.

He came into my life, and brought the smile a Rose gives. His scent basked over me endearingly like a Rose gives. My life flourished and shone beautifully like the redness of the petals itself. But our love was different. It had a lifespan. He was a Rose after all.

They say Roses generally have no thorns but my Rose was different. Piercing deep into my fragile heart, gradually draining the beauty of life out of me.

Just like the petals fell off, he took every beautiful piece of me. Just like it withers, our lives turned from beautiful memories to bitterness. And as its beauty fades off, he faded off too. Faded into the shadow of monstrosity.

Roses are beautiful but mine was otherwise. Perhaps my life had been cursed from the very beginning or perhaps, I had a defective seed. One that was destined to scar me for eternity. But I shall continue to the very end, inspired by the very words that live in our hearts. Everyone has their burden to bear, and this was mine.

A Rose."

I slowly swallowed my saliva as I closed her book. And once again, her book made me heartbroken and filled with regrets. It made me wonder, what if she had led a life with another mate. One that wouldn't kill her without any iota of feelings, one that wouldn't hate his family all for a pathetic reason. One that would truly give her the beautiful life she deserved. Perhaps, my mother was cursed or perhaps, the very definition of mates was more of a burden than a bundle of joy.

"You're at it again," Martha's soft voice jolted me back to reality. There she was seated close to me by the edge of my desk. Wearing a tiny warm smile. I laid back on my swivel with my eyes closed as I rotated slowly.

"Rose,” she voiced in a whisper and then minutes of silence reigned between us.

"Green," she called again, this time on a concerned note.

"What will you do when you find him your mate?"

"As long as she's a woman. Then I have no problem." I answered.

"What if he's a man?" Her voice almost trailed off.

I stopped my swivel so that my back was facing her. My eyes opened and I instantly thought about my parents' life.

"I will accept him. Make him fall in love with me blindly and then I'll kill him in the most insulting and shameful way ever." She heaved a sigh.

"For centuries, I've been asking this question,” She paused. "But I feel like you've not given me your honest answer."

I turned sharply to her. My eyes held her gaze.

"I'm the killer of mates so what's going to stop me from killing mine?" I chuckled but she went mute only retaining her smile. A smile that meant something deep. Something I couldn't decipher yet.

"Why don't we go outside?" I muttered after several minutes of silence. She simply nodded before joining me by my side. Immediately we stepped outside, we were welcomed by the graceful light from the moon and chill air that carried nothing but solemnity. We strolled across the gardens enjoying the scent the flowers gave.

"The meeting is in three days' time," Martha mumbled as I lowered to a daisy flower. Gently fiddling my fingers with its petals.

I wondered why she brought it up, perhaps she was worried about the aftermath. But I wasn't in the slightest. For six hundred years, I've been waiting. Waiting for this dream to be achieved and I didn't care what it was going to take.

"I already have the Vampire gem, all that remains is the Dragon Stone, The Witches Gem and The Werewolf Hide. I'm hoping I would retrieve them at the meeting."

She chuckled slightly before sitting beside me.

"You know the community leaders won't give you these things right?"

"I know," I smiled while a sigh followed suit. I sat beside her too, still nurturing the daisy.

"The community leaders fear me but they are not so stupid to hand me these things on a platter of gold."

I pursed my lips as I looked closely at my daisy.

"War is inevitable." I acclaimed softly.

She smiled.

"So in three days, one of the greatest wars in history is going to happen." I smiled too, enjoying the excitement in her voice.

"It's going to be tough and exciting." I added.

"Not for our enemies though."

My eyes fell on her immediately. "That's what makes it exciting. Their cries, their anguish, their hopelessness, their blood and their loss." My tone expressed as sinister as possible.

"Many will fall but only I shall rise with all the precious artifacts of each community." I pursed my lips as my smile gradually faded. A flash image of my mother struck followed by my father's. Rage ignited within me and without thoughts, my hand had writhed the daisy to death.

"For six centuries I have waited," I declared icily. "Until I achieve this dream, I shall not rest!"