JOVITA
Humanity lies on your shoulders now...
The man standing by my door was so pale to be human. His sullen dark eyes refused to leave my form on the bed. Goosebumps blanketed my skin, and it was as if I was frozen on the spot. I could not move or speak. I only stared at the nightmare standing by my door.
Who are you? I wanted to ask, but my lips were sealed with fear.
But this man seemed to hear my thoughts. He left the door and took a step toward me. I forced my vocal cord to produce a sound, but nothing came out until the man leaned and loomed over me on the bed. His touch was cold. I stared into his eyes and realized there were no eyeballs, only hollows. A red substance was smeared around his mouth, and it did not take me long to realize it was blood. He grinned at me, exposing his long, sharp canines.
Vampire!
"I am your worst nightmare," he said, but his lips were not moving.
My heart pounded, my body shuddered in fear, and I could only hyperventilate. The vampires were here, and they were here to take me. But this man, instead of dragging me away from the bed and across the room, leaned down, flashing me his ferocious fangs again, bringing his face down to my neck. I needed to stop him from biting me. I tried to fight, but my body was still stiff.
I struggled within myself as his breath fanned my neck. I needed to escape; I would not let him bite me. The hex holding me broke when I felt his cold, sharp fang on my skin. I screamed and bolted from the bed.
My room was dark, and I quickly turned to the bedside table and turned on my lantern, still over breathing. I placed a hand on my racing chest and gummed my eyes to the door as if waiting for a figure to form out of it.
"It was just a dream," I whispered, wiping the beads of perspiration that had formed on my forehead. "It was just a dream," I assured myself again, throwing the blanket off me.
Coldness gnawed at my feet as they hit the floor. I grabbed my rose-red robe draped on the armchair in my room and wore it. After only a few steps toward the door, I was stopped by a heavy crash downstairs and shrieks. My first instinct was to run through that door and find out what was going on. But I halted when the face of the man in my dreams flashed in my eyes.
"Vampires," I muttered and turned the locks on my door, taking a few steps back.
But I knew locking myself up in the room would not save me from them. Harrison really sold me out. I fought the tears that had pooled up in my eyes. This was not the time to cry like a baby; this was the time to think.
Humanity lies on your shoulders...
I looked behind me at the only window in the room. It faced the backyard and led into the woods. It was an escape route but might be infested with those night creatures. And jumping from it was not really a clever idea because I might break my legs and still get caught by them.
A heavy knock came at my door, and I froze in the middle of my room, my eyes glued to the door. This was my nightmare come to pass.
"Jo, it's me, Uncle Kala. Open the door."
I took a few steps toward the door but stopped again. I have read a few things about vampires and know they can assume people's forms. They were also shapeshifters, although they could not hold it for long. I was torn. Will I wait until the man at the other side of the door proves he is not a vampire? What if it was really Uncle Kala? I resolved to use a means I knew might be effective in finding out.
"Uncle Kala, you remember when you sang me lullabies in bed because I was so scared? You were the only one that could make me sleep."
There was a deep sigh from the other side of the door. "Jo, you and I know I have never sung you a lullaby before because my voice is so terrible at singing. It is your father who did that. You are smart, but we need to be quick. It is really me, Uncle Kala."
It was him. Uncle Kala has a horrible voice at singing, and my father would always tease him that if he sang for me, I would have nightmares instead of sweet dreams. I opened the door, and he barged in, grabbing my arm.
"We need to leave now. Your father would not be able to hold them much longer."
"Uncle Kala, will they be safe?" I asked, dreading his reply.
"I can't tell, but whatever happens, bear in mind that they did it for you and humanity's sake."
I knew what he meant by that, and I would have broken down if I was not overcome by the sudden zeal of fulfilling my destiny. I made a vow to myself to vanquish those creatures of the night. I will do everything I have to do. To my surprise, Uncle Kala opened my closet; there was a large rose flower drawing there. It has been there since I was a kid, and I did nothing to it order than admire it. Uncle Kala surprised me when he wiped the top petal drawing and pushed the wall in. He shoved me into the basement.
"This house would blow up in a few minutes. We need to get out of here," he said, walking faster. "There is no time to explain anything to you until we are safe."
I nodded and followed him across the room but still could not get the thought of my parents out of my head. We climbed a wooden stair and entered a street I did not recognize. Uncle Kala led me to a car parked in a corner.
Once I was seated and wearing my seat belt, he ignited the car at the same time, he pressed a device.
RALPH
I stood in the yard, waiting for my men to bring out the girl, but it was taking them too long. The human boy stood beside me, fidgeting and praying to whichever deity he believed would save him. The ignition of a car in the distance hit my ears, and my head snapped toward the sound, but I was drawn back to the house when it blew up in flames.
Fire!
Fire was another vampire weakness. They burned my men. They were prepared for us. The bitch was really the one in the prophecy, and the humans would do anything to protect her until she became a viable weapon. I knew the sound of that car meant she had escaped. I smirked and turned to look at the lad beside me. He was looking as white as a sheet.
"She escaped."
"Holy Mary, the mother of God, accept my soul," he said and made the sign of a cross before he stabbed himself twice with a sharp object I did not even know he possessed.
He dropped at my feet with a thud, and I rolled my eyes. I did not even plan to kill him. He would have been helpful in getting information about my target—stupid humans.
"What a waste," I scoffed and stalked back toward my car.
RALPH Six years later... I looked back again at the streets to make sure no one was following me. I felt strange as if someone were following me behind. When I saw nothing suspicious, I walked into the club, asking the bouncers to keep an eye on the streets. The club was buzzing with life. It was dimly lit with colorful flashing lights. The walls were adorned with neon lights and vibrant artwork, and the floors were lined with dark-colored tiles. Loud sensual music pumped from the speakers, and the center was filled with energetic people, ranging from pole dancers to patrons spending their money. I pushed through the crowd of party- lovers, searching for Colbert, my eyes scanning the seating areas and booths where higher rank vampires usually sat. But I found him at the bar gulping down a martini glass, and he waved when he saw me. The people that were sensitive enough to notice me made way for me to pass. The room was filled with vampires and humans. We ha
JOVITA It has been a week now since I moved to the capital. I was surprised to see that humans and vampires co-existed. There was technology at its peak. Humans were even allowed some amount of freedom but were still ruled by those night creatures. Uncle Kala had moved before me and was gathering information for me. I was pretty conversant with vampires' weaknesses and strengths, but Uncle Kala brought something to my notice. It seems vampires do not like getting into sexual relationships with female humans. He did not know why and could not ask any vampire not to arouse suspicion. He was working as the infamous Lord Ralph's driver and had gathered everything I needed to know. However, he wanted me to operate from a distance while he did the inside job. We agreed on it, and it was perfect. I wanted to know who this Lord Ralph was. Tonight was the perfect night. He had just opened a new club in the city, which was already buzzing. Uncle Kala knew about most of the in
JOVITA I have never felt more disgusted in my life. His question irritated me, and I hated that Lord Ralph was so close to my neck. If he tastes my blood, he will find out who I am. I needed to distract him. "Please, do not harm me," I implored, hating that I had to beg from someone I hated so much. "What were you doing on my roof?" I had no answer to that, so I opened and closed my mouth like I was afraid to speak. "I will tell you exactly what she came to do," someone replied from behind. "She is a thief. I encounter many of them in my castle occasionally," the man in a high-collar robe said. Lord Ralph let go of my hair, and I looked down. In whatever I was doing, I was careful enough to avoid eye contact so that they wouldn't compel me. "A thief," echoed Lord Ralph. I was not looking at him, but I knew his eyes ran over me. "A beautiful thief." I did not deny the accusation. It was better than thinking I was a spy, and it would have been worse i
RALPH The telephone jarred the second time annoyingly, drawing me out of my terrible dream. I sighed, reached for the phone by the bed stand, and put it to my ear. "Why the fuck did you call me this early?" I asked whoever was on the line. "The prisoner." "What prisoner?" I asked, becoming irritated. "The girl that fell from the roof three nights ago. She is raising hell in the basement." I sat up in bed and removed the hand of one of the females wrapped around my chest. I could not believe I had forgotten about the girl since that night. "The thief? Why did you all not remind me about her?" I threw another woman's leg around my waist, and when I got off the bed, the third woman on the bed crashed to the floor. I grabbed my dark robe and donned it. The women still slept when I left the room, but they knew better than lying there when I returned. I went into my library and ordered a cup of coffee, then called for the woman to be brought. H
JOVITA The clothes were rags. They were ugly, oversized, and drapey. After looking at the clothes, I only realized Ana was dressed the same way too. I thought she became skinnier, but the dress made her look that way. "Uhm... female humans are not allowed to wear anything fitting,” Ana said as if she read my mind. "Why?" "We are not just supposed to look attractive. I feel the vampires are insecure about their pale skin— the female vampires. They do not want the men getting carried away by us— I don't really know why, but it has been like this since we came." "Hmm, well, they should brace themselves for me because I love breaking the rules." "Jo, please. I do not want to lose you. You cannot play the hero here. You must wear the dress immediately so I can take you to him." The knock came at the door again, and I saw a flash of fear in Ana's eyes. I furrowed my brows at her because her level of anxiety irritated me. Ana was never a fearful
RALPH How dare she? How dare she disrespect me like that? First, she crashed into my club from the roof and fought my men. Now she talked to me like she had never heard of me? I wanted to get out of Colbert's hands and strangle the female, collapsed in a fit of cough with my hands. Who does she think she is? "Insolent humans," I gritted. By now, I had forgotten all about the prophecy and wanted to drive the bitch beyond. "I can take her away if she is proving too difficult to answer," Colbert offered. I had encountered many beautiful women, but none affected me as she did. I was intrigued by her at first. She was fearless and irrationally bold for a human, especially a female. Female humans were fearful and obedient and do not meet my eyes or try to fight with my men. I knew she must be something special, but I did not want to focus on the wrong person while the right person fulfilled her destiny. Viktor said there would be distractions, and it was true.
JOVITA A few hours passed after Uncle Kala left me in the living room, but nothing happened. I sat there waiting for anyone to come and pick me up. I knew the outside was filled with thirsty vampires, and they easily hurt humans. I did not want anything that would trigger me to retaliate again. I heard pounding footsteps and muffled voices a few minutes later and hid behind one sofa in the living room. The footsteps became louder, and the voices became more apparent. It was Lord Ralph and the other man. I stayed there, holding my breath, hoping they would not smell me. In no time, he came into my view. His demeanor was relaxed now, and he spoke with his brother, telling him he would get back to him. I did not know what they discussed or what his brother did to make him calm. He suddenly turned toward the direction I was in. I ducked behind the chair immediately, hoping he did not see me. I did not want him to see me, but I knew I would be discovered sooner. He left the
JOVITA Approaching footsteps reached my ears, and when I opened my eyes, I saw different faces peering down at me— human faces. "Jo?" I heard Ana's voice call slowly. I tried to sit up and was helped by many other hands. When I sat up, I saw girls of all ages staring at me in awe. My ribs pricked, and my mouth hurt, but I was more than glad to be with my fellow humans. Something tickled down my nose, and I saw blood when I touched it. "Oh, my God," one of the girls exclaimed, wiping my nose as quickly as possible. "If they see your blood, it will get worse. These vampires can never get enough of our blood. That is why they are not allowed in here." Ana came and shoved some of the girls away and hugged me. "You made it," she said, relief flooding her voice. I was surprised at first and confused about why she was overwhelmed seeing me, but then I remembered What the jealous vampire had said to me. Ana pulled away from me. "You must be the luck