C H A P T E R O N E (Part One- The Beginning)

PART I - THE BEGINNING

Krulisa

1990 Jan 1st

It’s cold and the breeze is freezing, the soil beneath my skin is as cold as ice.

What day is it? I wonder. I can hear my people cry.

‘’You are back our queen’’

'’ALL HAIL KRULISA!‘’ Says Borham ‘’ALL HAIL KRULISA!’’ The rest of them follow him.

I remember Borham . My only trusted ally who I could rely on. I met him when my own family abandoned me and left me alone in an isolated dungeon. I can’t really remember where it was but Borham was the one who found me, saved me and gave me a new family. Borham is just like me. An immortal. A Vampire.

‘’Borham, once again ….it’s you’’.

‘’Yes my queen, it’s finally the time we get back to what we waited for’’. Says Borham .

‘’Twenty years it’s been, Twenty years since I saw the stars shine this bright..” I say, walking back and forth briskly on the chilly stone floor. “We have all suffered a lot, it’s time we get back what is ours .This world, the humans, they have done nothing for us. It’s time we show them what we are capable of’’.

I can see my people listening with hopes to what I was saying. Some were even nodding with satisfaction, while some stood there and gave me there brave look.

‘’What do we do now my Queen?’’ Borham questions, his head bowed down.

‘’Let’s think about that later. First I need something better to wear and a warm bath.’’ Borham looks at me from head to toe and then nods.

‘’Yes my Queen.’’ He says. ‘’Let’s get you something better to wear’’.

It’s feels good to be back again after twenty years. My people, Borham, my cloths, I don’t know how much I missed them. After I am done bathing, I get dressed in my Red Silk gown that Borham gifted me .

It still fits. I think, as I look at myself in the mirror. Crooked nose. Wrinkled skin. Pitch black balls for eyes, an abyss of dark magic swirling inside. Pale white skin with a pointy chin. Lips the colour of blood.

Beautiful.

It was a nightmare down there under the grave. How does it feel to be under the soil for more than twenty years with snakes coiled around your body, suffocating you and making you feel ill? I wonder. It felt excruciating. I say.

Once I am done getting dressed, I walk out and find Borham right in front of my door step.

‘’My queen, You look……BE-B-BEAUTI-FUL”. He stutters.

‘’Don’t expect a thank you note’’. I say. ‘’We have got work to do.’’

‘’Yes my queen….what do we start with?’’

‘’What else, we start with the institutes’’. I say. ‘’Let’s start with the immortal hearts.’’

………………………………………………………………………………………

Victoria

‘’Victoria! Victoria! We are in trouble!’’

I turn around to see Hector running to me. He stands right in front of me, gasping hard and continues.

‘’Krulisa-Kru-Krulisa!’’

‘’What about her? ‘’I ask. He breaths and then looks at me terrified.

‘’She is awake! They brought her back. Her followers, they brought her back to life again.’’

The hairs behind my neck stand on edge.

’’Not again.’’ I say.

Hector gives me his hands.

‘’Read me!’’. He says. ‘’Read me you will know everything’’.

The moment I touch his hands, a sudden force pulls me inside Hector’s head. Darkness. And then a little light makes a clear way for me to see. And that’s when I see her.

Krulisa in a red dress. Talking to someone. I have no idea who she is talking to.

‘’It’s a man’’. I say, My eyes shut tight.

She is talking to a man. What is she saying? I wonder. I give a little bit more force to my powers. And I get to hear her.

‘’We start with the institutes’’. She says. ‘’Let’s start with the immortal hearts.’’

I pull myself out of Hectors head. Frightened and out of breath. I fall to the ground and start gasping.

‘’Victoria.’’ Hector says in a concerned voice

‘’I’m okay! I saw it.’’

‘’Saw what?’’

‘’Krulisa, I saw her, and I know what she wants. Hector, she is trying to do it again, she wants to destroy the world and bring an end to the human kind. She is going for the institutes.’’

‘’You mean she is going for the immortal hearts?’’ I nod.

‘’Victoria, you know what happens if she gets the immortal hearts. We can’t let her have them.’’ Hector says with gritted teeth.

‘’I KNOW! I KNOW! We have to stop her. No matter what it costs! But I don’t know how. Hector what do we do? I can’t let her destroy this world. Hector, she-sh-she won’t be able to rule the world any way. She is just not the type to rule! He-Hector what do we do??We need--’’

‘’Victoria! VICTORIA! You need to calm down. We will stop her. We are not alone The Vampire academy can help us, we can fight Krulisa. We can do it.’’

The thought of Krulisa gives Goosebumps all over my body. I’ve known Krulisa better than anyone. Both I and Hector were the one who casted the curse spell on her and locked her up in a coffin and buried her twenty years ago, when she wokeup from her first curse. It was all for good measure.

I knew that one day she would be back again, the spell was strong enough to lock her for years but not forever. I promised Hector we would fight her if she came back again. But little did I know she would go after the immortal hearts before she came to us.

‘’How? Krulisa has an army of Undead with her. We can’t risk the whole academy to fight Krulisa . And besides, it’s the institutes Hector THE INSTITUTES! If the mortals get aware of us, they won’t let us live either. We fought her before, but this time it’s different she isn’t coming for us but the humans. There’s no way to stop her.’’

‘’ No we do. We actually do have a way Victoria. If Krulisa was summoned by her people it means she doesn’t have much time! It’s only a month or two. Victoria, if we can stop her for a month and make her weak, she will disappear by time.’’

Hector was trying his best to calm me down, but for all I know it wasn’t the right time to calm down.

‘’But if she gets the first heart, she will get strong enough to fight us. She will get the rest of them too.’’ I was thinking one step ahead this time.

‘’So we don’t need to stop her!’’

‘’What do you mean?’’

‘’What I mean is that, we don’t need to stop her. All we need to do is protect the Institutes, that’s the only way she won’t be able to get them. Only for a month Victoria, and then she will disappear on her own. The weaker she gets, the better for us’’.

Hector did have a point. That’s the only way we can protect the world and the mortals.

‘’ So what do we do?’’ I ask.

‘’ The institutes are a place for kids it will be hard for us to get inside so you and me, we can do nothing. Our powers are stronger than anyone; if we go to the institutes it will be hard for us to fight Krulisa in front of the humans. Besides you can’t even control yourself every time you see mortals.’’

‘’I know. It’s harder than you think, I tried a lot of times, but I can smell there blood from miles away. I am glad my daughters didn’t inherit that part of me.’’

Hector was smiling proudly for one second, and then suddenly the smile in his face disappeared. He looked up at me, and said-

‘’Daughters.’’ He whispered.

‘’Huh?’’

‘’Victoria, our daughters! They can do it.’’ He says it out of joy holding my shoulders.

‘’Hector no! NO, we can’t--’’

‘’They can do it Victoria. They are powerful and stronger, and they do know when to use their powers. And like I said the institutes are for kids. It’ll be hard for us but not them’’.

‘’It’s not what you think. Hector, they don’t know what Krulisa is capable of. And they are just too young…’’

‘’They are young but powerful Victoria! We have no other way, they are the only ones who can get inside the institutes and stop Krulisa. Trust me Victoria, this is the only way we have.’’

I start to think for a while. There’s no one I can trust right now other my own children. They are powerful. They can do it. We can’t wait any longer. I keep speaking to myself, and then come to a conclusion.

‘’Fine. Let’s do it. Let’s send them.’’

Hector nods at me and then turns around and calls the guards inside.

‘’ Tell my daughters that we are looking for them.’’

‘’ Yes my lord’’ the guards say and marches out of the room.