Chapter 1: The Sleepy Little Town

The train ride was quiet as it passed through the countryside. The only sounds were the clacking and clicking of the wheels on the rails. There weren't many passengers going out this far and she couldn't say she was surprised. Charlotte Barnes was a historian of sorts. It was the older, smaller and quiet little towns that picked up her interest the most.

In the last three years, she had found that it was little towns like that that held the most interesting history. Most of the residents of these places were often direct descendants of the founders and knew the stories you wouldn't find in a history book. It was her job to take those stories and make them into interesting books or short films.

The media usually depended on what the residents were comfortable with allowing her to do. There were many that didn't want to be bothered with the noise of the public since they had lived their lives so long in seclusion.

Those details would be settled on later, once she did all of her research. The excitement of being allowed to conduct her study of the little town of Willow Creek overrode any other worries she had. It was one of the oldest towns in the area and probably one of the most secluded. It got its name from the grove of Willow trees that encased the entire town and, of course, the small creek that ran through it.

Charlotte had already learned that the town was established sometime in the 17th century, beyond that she wasn't sure what kind of history Willow Creek was packed with. She brought all her things along with her, just in case. A place like this was bound to take more than just a few weeks of a visit to learn about. No, she intended to live in Willow Creek for however long it took to finish the project.

The train dropped her off at a small train station about an hour or two later. After stepping off the train onto the old, wooden boards of the station, she was left alone with her luggage. It only took about fifteen minutes before the train was clanking away again and disappearing down the countryside and out of sight. Once Charlotte was alone, she was able to take in just how quiet and old the little town was.

The station itself was set at the edge of town and left a clear view from its front doors down the main street. The town itself was shrouded in a cool mist and the autumn breeze brought the swaying of long, yellow and orange branches. Willows spotted each side of the road just as much as they seemed to blanket the entire outside of the little placeheir long regal curtains now painted in sunset since the cool weather had settled in for the season.

Starting out in towards town, her suitcase rolling noisily behind her on cobblestone pathways, she couldn't help but to take in the sights. Every building looked as old as the town itself, but appeared to be in good shape despite that. It meant that the residents here cared for their heritage and beginnings. Although older buildings often took more time to maintain, they were carefully preserved from their original establishment. It left the town feeling mysterious and magical in a way.

The one thing that caught her attention was the sight at the opposite end of the main street. Going up a winding pathway into the hillside, was a small castle nestled into the surrounding willow trees. Charlotte couldn't see too much of it, but just the glimpse was enough to have her stop in awe. There had not been any stories on the existence of a castle in Willow Creek. She wouldn't have dreamed that such a secluded place could be home to such an amazing structure. Charlotte was certain there was a story behind it and she was going to find out what that was.

The place she would be staying at was a little inn owned by one of the locals of Willow Creek. It was an older building near the center of town and appeared to have a second floor. The building seemed to be one of the original establishments of Willow Creek, given its design and the old, withering wooden sign hanging from a post just over the front door. Charlotte, however, found it charming and couldn't help but smile to herself as she entered the inn.

"You must be Miss Barnes." The Innkeeper greeted her with a smile.

"Yes, that's me. I think I arranged a monthly plan while I stay?" Charlotte answered and returned the smile.

She waited while the innkeeper went through her books to find notes on the reservation she had made. While Charlotte intended to live there for now, she hadn't actually rented a home or anything of that nature. It was just easier to find a hotel or inn that would allow her to stay on a month to month basis until she was done with her research. This way, she didn't necessarily have to stay in one place for too long. Charlotte was certain that it would take her a few months to gather the information she needed, but nothing long enough to stay there too long term.

"Oh yes, we did make those arrangements with you and received your payment in advance. I'll show you to your room then, if you're all set?" The innkeeper said and closed her book with a snap.

"Yes, please." Charlotte nodded.

Charlotte was led up a set of wooden stairs and down a wide corridor. Doors lined each side, giving her the idea that the inn must've once been a tavern at one point based on its design. One of the updates that the current owner had made was converting it over to a small inn exclusively and had gone to the trouble of adding wooden numbers to each of the doors. There were twelve rooms in total and the innkeeper led Charlotte down the hall to the door labeled '5.'

"Thank you so much." She thanked the innkeeper as the matching door key was handed over to her.

"Enjoy your stay, Miss Barnes. Let me know if you need anything," the innkeeper said.

"Oh wait, I did have a question. I was wondering if you know anything about that castle that sits just outside of town?" Charlotte inquired.

The innkeeper stopped just a few paces down the hall from her. She turned back to face Charlotte, a pleasant smile still pulled at the corners of her lips. The expression on her face said that she felt the information was common knowledge. Perhaps it was something of common knowledge to everyone that lived in Willow Creek. As an outsider and a new arrival to the little town, Charlotte had no knowledge of the castle. She hadn't even known it existed until spotting it after she left the train station.

"Oh yes, that's Lord Hunt's castle. If you're intending to stay the entire month, you'll be able to see more of it very soon," the Innkeeper replied, and then she turned on her heel, leaving Charlotte alone with her thoughts.

"Lord Hunt?" Charlotte repeated while she worked the lock to her room.

Her mind was reeling on what the innkeeper told her. It almost sounded as though there was something going on at the castle. Something that perhaps the entire town took a part in. That wasn't what troubled her the most though. It was the fact that she said the castle belonged to a Lord. Such a term was only used to address wealthy vampire masters that owned or dwelled in a specific area.

Vampire masters were common, so it wasn't a surprise to hear the term. They existed for as long as she could remember and some she had even done research on. There were many types of vampire masters or lords. Most of them just owned spacious homes and had a few followers, they weren't considered too wealthy nor did they seek out new followers very often. Vampire Lords were wealthy masters, often heirs to fortunes and hundreds of years old.

That was what she found puzzling. It wasn't common for a Vampire Lord to be located in such a small town. So why have a castle in a place like Willow Creek? Even more puzzling was the strange bit of information that the innkeeper left her with on the subject. If she stuck around long enough then she would get the chance to see the castle for herself. Who was this Lord Hunt and why would he open up his home to the entire town?