CHAPTER ONE: 'Through Bloodlust, We Survive.'

"LUTESSA, LOOK AT HER NECK. How could you reject such an indulgence?" Lex asked his younger sister deviously. He stood behind the limp, almost lifeless woman with his fingers gripping her hair, baring her bloodied neck to tempt his sister.

Lena cowered back from her brother's murderous stare, stumbling over her own feet in terror. "L-Lex. What's gotten into you?" She managed to choke out. "Wasn't this woman's love enough?" The woman's husband laid dead in the other room. Drained of blood from Lex's hunger. Lena forced herself to look at their dead son. The son she killed.

"What's gotten into me?" Her brother repeated his sister's words and only smirked. "Power."

"Miss?" Lena shook herself out of the memory, as she remembered where she was. Her coffee sat comfortably on her table at Noonan's, it's hot liquid being the only subtle source of warmth from the cold.

"Sorry, can I help you with something?" Lena asked. It was short and simple. She always went straight to the point to ask if she can be of assistance.

It was quite rare for someone to ask her for something other than a favour, seeing as though she kept to herself and barely had anyone she could call a friend that had remained by her side for the past three thousand years.

Other than Sam of course, who stuck around for the past three.

"Yeah, I was wondering if I could use this chair?" The woman asked, gesturing to the vacant chair sitting in front of Lena. She had two dimples adorning her cheeks, as she smiled in a friendly matter at the vampire.

Lena almost thought the smile was genuinely for her.

"Of course." Lena gave a short smile, because of course the chair in front of her would be of more value than herself.

"Thanks." The woman took the chair and brought it to the table nearby, where two other girls were waiting. A blonde, who was scoffing down a couple of sticky buns and a mildly disgusted redhead.

Lena sipped on her coffee slowly, savouring the bitter taste, the familiar aroma but most importantly, the warmth it gave her. She always ordered her coffee extra hot. To most mere mortals, it'd leave a scalding burn on their tongues. But for the three thousand year old vampire, it was warm enough for her to enjoy her coffee as any regular person. It was comforting and reassuring that she was sane. She had her humanity, and that she could feel something. Anything.

She'd come to National City for a new start. A way for her branch of the family tree to extend far away from the rest of the trunk. Not that there was much family left. More so her clan. The Luthor Clan, presently led by Lillian Luthor was one, if not, the most powerful vampire clan that rose to dominion over both the vampire and human world in the mid 1500s.

Their legacy; 'through bloodlust, we survive.'

All clans were responsible for the numerous counts of human deaths. Hell, Lena remembered the first human she killed. And more to count. Though her humanity kept her from killing more humans than necessary to survive, much to her mother's disapproval; her brother Lex, lost it in his quest for his mother's favouritism. It was simple. The more murderous your clan was, the more kills recognised by your clan, the more power they had.

"How many?"

Lillian sat at the other end of the dining table, with Lena facing her on the opposite end. She found it odd and quite ironic that a dining table existed in the Luthor estate, when no one used it at all.

"Two." Lena mumbled. She felt light headed at the thought of the number.

"Speak up, Lutessa. Do not mumble like a coward. You're a Luthor, speak like one." However Lena knew her mother's hearing was well enough for her to hear her answer.

"Two." She spoke louder this time, her face plastered neutrally, after many years of practice.

"Two? Only two humans you've killed? Honestly Lutessa, how pathetic can you be?" Lillian scoffed before she stood up from her seat and sauntered towards her daughter.

Lena kept her eyes on the table, she felt the fatigue from the lack of blood grow heavier. Her normally light forest green eyes were hooded and became a dark emerald colour. A trait where the eyes of hungry vampires turned darker. Wilder. Animalistic.

"Look at you." Lillian stated, her face turning into disgust. She grabbed Lena's hollowed cheeks and forced her to look up at her. "Two humans." She let out a short laugh. "Why do you sympathise for them? They're nothing."

And so Lena thought of them as nothing. From the mid 1500s, both Lena and Lex were bloodlust vampires. Both contributing to the most terrifying and mysterious period of unknown deaths in the history amongst humans. The lack of logical evidence kept them safe, but strong superstition in the belief of vampirism was a growing threat.

It was Lena's lifestyle. Lex and Lena grew closer than ever, and for the first time since she was a child, her mother saw her as more than the pathetic, cowardice vampire she was accustomed to being called.

But a true daughter of the Luthor clan. The proud heiress that will continue on their legacy with her brother, both reigning terror side by side. Her brother, guided her in her hunt of local villagers. Lena, harbouring more humanity than her brother, opted for those who didn't deserve to live.

Her meals consisted of men or women who were guilty of being abusive, drunks, rapists, thieves, murderers.

It was Lena's lifestyle until she was faced with the ultimatum: killing a child. Lex, one night, had recklessly fed off an innocent man in his own home, and was oblivious to the man's seven year old son who witnessed the death of his father.

"Kill him, Lutessa! He'll tell the villagers, he'll have me staked or burned. You can't let him!"

Lena looked at the boy's eyes, filled with fear and horror. She couldn't. She wouldn't. After years of gaining her mother's approval, Lex became more reckless, more bloodthirsty than necessary. She should have saw it coming. The way Lex's eyes no longer showed remorse. How he fed anyway when his eyes were still light blue. The way he begged for his life's sake…It was empty, cold, as though he only wanted to remain alive just to kill.

"Go." She whispered. The boy ran, but Lex was much much faster with his vampiristic speed. He caught the boy before he could reach the door.

"Look what you've done, Lutessa." Lex sing-songed, adding in an exaggerated sigh as though he had to contemplate on the hardest decision of his life.

The boy squirmed in Lex's hold, his arm growing tighter and tighter against the boy's throat to eventually cut off his oxygen supply.

"Stop hurting him!" Lena shouted. "We can compel him to forget, Lex. Just stop."

"You can stop it Lutessa. Make it quick for him. No compulsion. Or," the corners of Lex's bloodstained lips curved into the slightest of smiles. "I'll make it a long… slow… death." With each word he increased his hold on the boy's small throat, each gasp for air went shorter as his airway constricted.

Without thinking Lena sped to the boy, looked him in the eyes and whispered, "I'm sorry," just a second before she snapped his neck. A quick death, to save him from anymore pain.

Lex laughed as he dropped the boy's body like a rag doll. He cackled at the choice Lena made, as if to mock her. It was then, Lena knew, her brother was no longer standing next to her. It was but the body of a soulless, bloody thirsty vampire who'd yet to begin his killing spree.

"How sublime." Lex chuckled, before he cupped his sister's cheek, a once caring gesture, now one Lena flinches at."Your choice shows much of your character, dear sister. I envy that."

After Lex went rogue and years of detachment from her mother and her clan, Lena developed a diet that primarily consisted of animal blood. However, from time to time, Lena would feed upon humans to keep her health in check. She'd use compulsion to erase the memories of her victims, ensuring that she kept them alive and unaware of the true reason behind the bite mark left on their necks.

And that was how she met Samantha Arias. A human companion Lena gained through recent years. She was perhaps her only friend in her lonely world of black and white.

Samantha was initially one of Lena's victims. However, Lena decided to get to know the woman a few days after watching Sam after her compulsion. Just to ensure her memories wouldn't resurface.

Lena ended up telling her the truth of why a bite mark was on her neck (followed by numerous apologies), when she was under the influence of alcohol. She'd compel her not to move. Just to listen. It was sloppy of her. To reveal her whole life to a stranger. To reveal what she truly was, all because she drunk and emotional. Lonely. God, how Lillian would look at her with shame.

To her surprise, Sam wasn't afraid. In fact, she suspected herself that she couldn't possibly be attacked by a dog with bite marks that looked too similar to a human's. And she forgave Lena. A gesture Lena was foreign of. Throughout her life she'd apologise for almost anything and was never forgiven.

"I'm sorry I rose my voice, mother."

"My apologies, I'll arrive earlier next time mother."

"Do forgive me mother, I didn't mean to upset you."

It was then Lena found a friend in the human, and swore to never exploit her ability to compel on her.

A part of Lena wished those last three words her brother said were true. That deep down Lex was still searching of his humanity after all these years and envied to be like her. Hopefully he'll find his compassion. But it still remained a mystery to Lena to this day. His whereabouts was unknown to her and she rather kept it that way.

Lena's green eyes tore itself away from the window she was staring out of, as the memory escaped her. Three thousand years later, and that memory was most haunting. She scanned the cafe, until already staring blue eyes met green, as the blonde who was now indulging herself to some potstickers gave the vampire a shy smile.

This smile, Lena thought, was for once genuinely for her.