THE FRIZZLED-HAIRED GIRL#1

PROLOGUE

WINEKOVE, 1020 AD. 

I could hear the sounds of my breath bounce off the walls of the cold and quiet cave. Mother had given me instructions not to leave until she had returned. She was gone for a long while, and all I could do to kill time was to listen to the sound of my breath on my knees.

I looked around the cave to gather knowledge from my surroundings. It was so dark, and all I could see was a tree at the far end on my left and a large puddle of water a few feet before me; it looked more like an oasis.

After what seemed like forever, I heard footsteps coming through the entrance. It was my mother with my twin brother, Solomon. She let him kneel beside me, and he gave a smug look. Only the spirits knew how I would love to slap that smile out of his face.

"Susana! I have brought them", I heard Mother shout. “Let us keep the end of our bargain."

Susana was the chief priestess of our village and also a very powerful witch; I did not know why Mother would strike a bargain with her.

Suddenly, everywhere became bright through the fire that caught the torches on the stands on the cave walls. Susana appeared in front of us in her usual attire; a red robe with a long stick on her right hand decorated with pomegranates and white beads.

"We shall, Philomena," she said calmly.

She looked down at me and then at my brother, smiling. She dropped her stick on a rock as she walked past us and returned to where she came from. After a few moments, she returned with a wooden bowl and a dagger. The dagger was somewhat covered with blood already.

She walked over to us, chanting some words. I still could not understand what was going on. The torches flickered, and a great wind blew into the cave. Fear gripped me, and I trembled while my brother laughed at me.

Susana stopped chanting, and the wind and the torches stopped dancing. She spread her hands, which held the bowl towards me. I collected it with trembling hands and looked into it.

It was blood!

I was terrified.

"Behold," I heard her say," The blood of the Quetet."

I looked at her, confused.

"Drink, boy, and be filled with the power of the impossible; speed, agility, strength, immortality, and hunger," she said.

"Drink it, Desmond," Mother, who knelt beside Solomon, ordered.

I grimaced and gulped the blood down my throat. I gave the bowl to Solomon, and he drank it too, same as Mother.

Susana picked up the dagger and raised it in the air, chanting once more. The wind returned, and torches began dancing again.

When she was done, she approached me and slammed the dagger into my chest. I felt the cold metal of the dagger pierce through my heart, and then she dragged the dagger out forcefully. I fell to the cold, stony floor, and everything went dark.

#1

WINEKOVE, 1000 YEARS LATER. 

I shouldn't be back here, but I can't help it. This year marked a thousand years since I became immortal, and I had to spend it in the place I was reborn. 

It was almost a millennia ago, but I could still remember that night vividly. Mother had asked Susana to make us immortal after our father had died so we could be together forever, but it came with a price, a considerable price. We had to become bloodsuckers to survive, and we became the first vampires in history, the pure vampires, The Genesis.

I stood on the lawn at the famous "Hawthorne Mansion" built about two hundred years ago by Solomon and I. The memories came flooding back like it was yesterday. I returned to Winekove to live an everyday vampire life without my brother coaching me to live a blood-free life. 

With my hands in my pockets, I looked at the house satisfactorily. I walked to the porch and knocked on the door. The door opened, and a man in his early thirties was revealed. It was Alfred, the man Solomon had left to care for the house.

As he saw me, his smile dropped, and 

his face quickly squeezed, revealing the horror he felt. I gave him a smirk, and he stuttered.

"Ma...Master Desmond", he said. "You are home."

"Yes, I am, Alfred," I said.

"Please come in," he offered, opening the door wide.

"Of course, it is my house," I replied with a smirk and stepped in.

I walked to the sitting room and had forgotten how huge it was. A chandelier hung above, lighting the room. Flashes of balls I held here came back.

"Are you here to kill me, Master?" he asked softly.

I was known for being wicked and selfish, and I loved every minute. It was ironic that I was once the meek, obedient, and silent one between me and my brother. But the transformation brought out our darkest side and heightened it.

I became the ruthless one, while Solomon became the moral, kind, and peaceful brother. Thinking about how he was before we became vampires made me scoff.

"And why will I do that?" I asked in return.

"Because I stay at your residence," he replied, looking at the floor.

Alfred was turned into a vampire by Solomon to watch over the mansion when we separated a long time ago. He had gladly done that, and I couldn't kill him, at least not yet.

I walked to him and placed my hands on his shoulders. He shivered in fear, and I smiled in satisfaction.

"No, I will not kill you, Alfred," I assured him.

I left him and walked towards the stairs. I stopped and looked back at him over my shoulder.

"Not yet," I promised, and with that, I zoomed upstairs.

I stood in my room, which I hadn't entered in almost two centuries. Alfred had done an excellent job by keeping it dustless, and I couldn't help but smile in appreciation, unlike me.

I sighed and sat on the enormous four-poster bed touching the bedsheets and feeling the smoothness of the fabric. I looked out the window and stared at star coated sky. The raging hunger was burning in my throat, and I had to heed it.

I zoomed out of the mansion and into the forest. I began walking, searching for the unlucky human that would quench my thirst. My brother has always hated me for feeding on humans, saying it was uncivilized considering we were once like them; a thousand years ago.

He engaged in vegetarian nutrition and feeding on animals. Sometimes he would feed on blood bags which was very rare. He only did that on special occasions, and he wanted me to practice the same. I hated such with passion, and so I avoided his company immensely.

I approached the end of the forest, meaning I was close to the main road. I leaned on a tree and waited patiently. Five minutes later, I heard a vehicle approaching. As the headlights bath the tree I leaned on, I zoomed in and stood in front of the car.

The driver, a teenager, saw me and stepped on the brakes, making the tires screech before the vehicle halted a few inches from my knees. Confused, the boy got out of the car and approached me.

"Are you okay, man?" he asked." I didn't see you there. It's like you came out of nowhere".

I didn't answer him.

"Did you hear me?" he said, touching my left shoulder.

I grabbed his throat in anger and felt my canines extend into fangs. I drove the fangs into his neck and felt his blood flush down my throat, quenching the dark thirst that wrecked my body.

When I  had drained the last drop from his arteries, I dislocated his skull from his throat, and his immobile body dropped to the ground, dead.

••

I got home and went straight to the bathroom. I looked at myself in the mirror and at my blood stained jaw. My scarlet hair, which always covered the edge of my left eye, was disarranged. My silver eyes were bright, signaling the satisfaction my inner demon felt. 

Not only was I evil, but I was also the handsome one. Ladies flooded my attention for centuries, and half ended up in their graves. I smiled at those memories.

After washing my bloody jaw, I went downstairs and straight to the wine cellar.  I got a 7.62 bottle and went to the living room. I sat by the fireplace and half-filled my glass.

"Master," Alfred called.

"Call me Desmond, Alfred," I demanded.

"Sorry, Desmond, I just came to remind you of school tomorrow," he said.

Going back to high school was one of the biggest ironies I had made up. This would be my 175th time returning, and I planned on making it my last. I hadn't forgotten about school at all.

"I know, Alfred," I assured.

He nodded and left. I sighed and stared at the fire, thinking of the torture I would endure tomorrow. At least I would have enough teenagers to feed on. I smiled at this thought and emptied my glass.

••

I slung a black denim jacket across my body and slid my arms into it. I looked at myself in the mirror; I wasn't satisfied. I used my hand to arrange my hair to my left eye, which looked like my right eye in the mirror. The black shirt I wore matched my denim and my black jeans. 

I put on my white sneakers and walked down the stairs slowly.  The smell of breakfast filled my nose, and my stomach was burnt with hunger. I would be around enough humans to know, and I needed food to relieve my cravings.

One of the lucky things about being a Genesis vampire was I could also eat humans' meals while others' stomachs could hold down blood only. 

The other lucky thing was that I could walk under the sun freely without my skin shining like diamonds.

"What's for breakfast, Alfred?" I asked as I entered the kitchen. 

"Fried eggs and bacon," he replied, passing me a stacked plate.

I grabbed a fork and dug into it. Alfred stood there, grimacing. I looked up at him, confused.

"I wonder how food tastes good to you, Genesis," he asked rhetorically.

I chuckled with a full mouth.

"Go ask Susana," I said." She cast the spell."

Alfred smiled at me, and I pushed an empty plate to him. He replied by sending me a glass of alcohol which also helped the cravings. I gulped it down.

"Thank you, Alfred," I appreciated and sped off with that.

After five minutes of running around town, I finally found my school, Winekove High. I stood facing the school with the signboard to my left and my hands in my jacket pockets.

My life back in Winekove officially began here and now. I sighed and walked into the hallway. People were staring at me, and I hated it so much. I knocked and walked into the principal's office.

The principal, a bald black man in his early forties, sat behind his desk. He wore a black-sleeved shirt with a striped tie and had bags under his eyes; he looked tired of his job.

"You must be Desmond Hawthorne?" the man asked.

"Yes," I answered softly." Yes, I am."

"Welcome to Winekove High," he said, stretching his hand for a shake.

"Thank you," I said and shook his hand.

As soon as he realized how cold my hands were, he retreated. 

"Enjoy your day," he said. " Meet me after school to sort out some things in your files."

"Ok, sir," I said and opened the door.

I walked out of the office and closed the door behind me. As I stepped forward, someone crashed into my chest, and fell to the ground. I, as supernatural, didn't feel a thing. I got infuriated quickly.

"Ouch!" I heard a light voice groan.

"Who on earth..." As I began spitting my words, I quickly drew them back.

It was a girl. She had bronze skin with big chocolate frizzled hair which were puffed and stopped at her shoulders. Her chocolate eyes were revealed when she looked up at me in pain.

"I'm so sorry I didn't see you there," she said, rubbing her forehead with her palm.

I looked at her once more and walked off in anger. How dare she touch me? I scoffed as I remembered the scene once more.

The bell rang, and I walked to my first class, Literature. As I stepped into the course, the teacher was already there, and he gave me a stern look. 

"Late for your first class, Mr. Hawthorne," the blonde man pointed out.

I just faked a smile to ease the anger in my throat.

"Come in and take a seat, Desmond," he demanded.

As I entered the class, I put the man on my "To- kill" list. Everybody stared at me as I walked to my seat. I even heard some gasp.

"Now, where were we?" the man asked but continued anyways.

I looked around the class, uninterested, until my eyes caught someone. It was the girl I collided within the hallway. She was seated two desks in front of me to my left. The rage I felt then came running back.

She was giggling and chatting with a blonde girl beside her. I reached into her mind and found out they were best friends.

Only Genesis vampires could read minds, and it helped us get an advantage over others in so many ways. I tried to get into the other girl's mind, but I was immediately blocked out.

What? I gasped.

I tried entering again, and I was still pushed out. This got me surprised. Never had I been rejected from reading someone's thoughts. Who was she? I had to find out quickly. I focused my hearing on their conversation to eavesdrop.

"So you just landed on his chest?" the blonde girl asked after giggling.

"Yeah, and it felt so hard," the frizzled-haired girl explained." Like my body crashed into a wall or something."

They were talking about me, about the incident that happened in the hallway. This intrigued me very little.

"That means he works out?" the blonde one joked.

"It's not fun, Kate," she said, chuckling.

"Ms. Wallace and Ms. McCullough, "the Teacher called." May we know what's so amusing?".

"Sorry, Mr. Johnson," the frizzled girl apologized.

The man looked at her briefly before returning to the board. I heard her heave a sigh of relief.

"We should continue this after class," she suggested, and the blonde nodded in agreement.

I exhaled deeply and relaxed back on my desk. Mr Johnson was speaking, but my mind wasn't there. I looked around the class, and nobody caught my attention the way the frizzled hair girl did.

The bell rang, and I zoomed out of the class before anybody moved. I placed my hands in my pockets as I strolled in the hallway. I was heading for my next French class but didn't know where that was.

As I thought of a way to get to class, a blonde girl stood before me, blocking me. She had blue eyes, and her hair fell down her shoulders. There was only one thing I knew; she wasn't Kate McCullough, the frizzled hair girl's best friend.

"You are blocking my way," I spat.

She just smiled and giggled. I rolled my eyes with no interest.

"You must be the new boy, Desmond, right?" she said with a big smile.

"Wait? How did you know that?" I asked, surprised.

" I am Melissa Whitmore, but my friends call me Liz," she said.

"So, can I help you with something?" I asked, uninterested.

"Do you need assistance in anything?".

I was about to say no and walk off, but I remembered I didn't know my way to French class. I gritted my teeth in disappointment that she won.

"Do you know where the French class is located?" I asked.

"Yeah, I'm headed that way. Let me escort you", she offered.

I wanted to say no but realized I would be too rude. However, a little piece of me didn't care.

"Of course," I accepted.

We walked gently, passing some looking eyes.

We approached the class as the bell went. I got into the class, and everybody began whispering about us. I took a seat at the back, and she sat beside me.

A woman in black and a Bob haircut came in and began lessons. I looked around and spotted the frizzled hair girl again. I was surprised to find myself smiling.

French class went by quickly, and so did my other two. It was time for lunch, and I sat at an empty table. I was hungry but craved blood. Melissa walked towards my table, smiling with her tray of food. My lunch just served me by itself unknowingly. She took a seat facing me.

"Aren't you hungry?" she asked.

"I do not believe my stomach needs food," I replied.

"Where are you from?" she asked as she bit her sandwich.

"This is my hometown," I replied again.

"Are you sure? Because your accent says otherwise."

I chuckled.

"What do you mean?"

"You sound British."

“I never noticed,” I said. 

She looked at me confused and then drank from her juice carton. I looked at the carotid artery on her neck and could feel every pulse. The hunger in my throat came back and burnt fiercely. I cleared my throat, controlling my inner demon.

“Okay,” she managed to say still confused.

I smiled back at her. I needed to lure her away from this crowd to somewhere safe. Somewhere where nobody would disturb us. I looked around the cafeteria, and I spotted the frizzled hair girl.

"Who is that?" I asked, pointing at her.

She turned and looked in the direction in which my finger pointed.

"That's Hope Wallace," she said, " Her mum is the town's Sheriff."

I nodded in understanding.

"Let's go have fun," I offered.

She looked at me with widened eyes.

"But school isn't over yet," she pointed out.

"Does it need to be?" I dragged." Come on."

I stood up and offered her my hand. She took it shyly, and we walked out of the cafeteria with half of it looking at us. She drove us to my house and was mesmerized by the beauty of it.

"You live here?" she asked, amazed.

"Of course," I said.

We got in and sat by the fireplace. Alfred wasn't around, and I was happy not to get any distractions.

"I would pour you a drink, but you are underage," I teased.

"Forget about the drink," she said as she stood up and smashed her lips on mine.

I welcomed it and kissed her back. I held her up and sped to my bedroom. She tore her lips from mine and looked scared.

"How did we get here so quickly?" she asked.

"Don't be scared," I commanded, looking into her eyes.

She nodded, and we got back to kissing. She got rid of my shirt, and I removed her dress. She kissed my chin to my chest, and I gasped in ecstasy. She was good at this.

I looked into her eyes and commanded her not to scream. My fangs came out, and I dug into her carotid artery. I drank from her bloodstream, feeding my inner demon's hunger that bathed my body. She gasped in pain softly. 

When I was done, I let the venom from my fangs invade her bloodstream. When I was done, the bite on her neck healed quickly.

I unhooked her bra and kissed her on her bosom. She kissed me on my left ear, and I grew mad. After a few minutes, everything became oblivion.

••

I woke up and saw everywhere was dark. I turned and saw Melissa beside me. I tapped her, and she woke up slowly.

"Ok, Blondie, it's time to go home," I said.

I compelled her to forget about me feeding on her. She wore her clothes and went downstairs. I stood up and wore mine, heading downstairs too.

I poured myself a glass of alcohol and sipped on it slowly. A knock came on the door, and I called Alfred. He didn't answer, meaning he wasn't back yet.

I sighed and opened the door. A familiar face in a black leather jacket smiled at me. My body grew rigid as I recognized the black hair and silver eyes. My mouth grew angry as I called the name.

"Solomon."

"Hello, brother," he said, "You wouldn't believe how much I have missed here."