The moonlight shimmers through her dusty, spider filled window. She turns over on her lumpy mattress pulling her over used pillow over her head.
She hears Regatta, the head of the household calling arrogantly at them in her rusty, broken, Italian voice. 'GET UP! ALL OF YOU, NOW!' She hears the boys and girls are moving, including her twin brother. They all get up tiredly out of their shared beds. She knew if she didn't follow she would get a beating. She considered the options and weighed the pros and cons. She lazily, stands up and shakes her brown, short hair.
She stretches her muscles slowly, not caring about being later than anyone else to help start the day this early in the morning. She slumps down the creaky, wooden staircase. She breathes in the smell of baking bread and cooking tomato. She immediately regrets doing so. She hurries faster down the stairs hoping to digest the smallest amount she can take in her small hands.
The other orphans have already started working around the clock. The young women have already started mopping the floor and washing the dishes from the last nights feast. Her brother, Alec is quickly stacking the already clean as can be dishes. She walks past them hazily, she gains quick stares from the other young women who already seem tired.
She finds the warm bread that has just came out of the oven. She grabs the smallest loaf she can find, she whips her head from side to side, looking around her, and quickly pops it in her mouth. She hears the grumble when the bread hits the bottom of her empty stomach. She chews quickly and discreetly, but does not finish in time.
In a quick second she is down on the floor.
The Regatta was old but she was strong. 'Spit it out.' She says calmly at her in her thick Italian voice. She keeps her mouth tightly closed. 'NOW.' Regatta screams. She looks out of the corner of her eye and sees that the other orphans have stopped working to see the scene in front of them unfold.
'There are no options for those who break the rules.' Regatta repeats the same line as she has for the past year. She slaps the side of the young woman's mouth repeatedly, but the young woman is stronger than that. She pinches the old woman's arm fat and Regatta lets out a squeal. The young woman bucks her legs from underneath her.
The old woman cannot take it. She rolls Regatta over and is now, the tables are turned. The young woman slaps the side Regatta's, grinning and laughing at the pain Regatta was now going through.
'You can sure give it out, but you cannot take it.' Jane says menacingly. Her usual unemotional eyes are filled with evil happiness.
'Stop it!' Alec says as he quickly runs over to help control Jane. Regatta's face cooled at Alec's calm voice.
Jane stands up when Alec reaches her. She quickly runs out of the dust filled room. She runs out to the impeccably clean corridor that is filled with extravagant paintings and vases. She doesn't stop until she reaches the green olive garden. She can consciously feel Alec following her, but she knows he will never be able to catch up to her. She runs past the deemed worthless orphans who are deaf, but out early, picking and cleaning the ripe olives.
She turns into an unknown trail, she thinks her brother will not follow. She runs for a time, just seeing the blur of green and brown. She abruptly has to stop. She finds herself in a dead end. She looks around, the olives on the branches are over ripened. There are rotten olives on the branches as well as the trees.
Nobody has been here for a long time.
She suddenly feels a wash of cold run through her body.
She looks over to the path she came from.
She sees her brother limping tiredly towards her.
Then, out of the blue. He collapses to the floor, and he lets out a curdle scream. She wonders what he is doing to himself.
Then she sees a pale man.
He is hunched over him, biting her brother's shoulder. He reluctantly pulls his teeth out. His white teeth and skin glisten with the sunlight.
She wants to help her brother, but she watches him shake violently. He was her only family. She swallows guilt, there is nothing for her now. She looks for an escape, but she remembers that she is in a dead end. She walks over slowly to her brother, looking from side to side, trying to fight off whatever had happened to him.
She watches her brother, he looks in incredible pain. Her breathing suddenly becomes uneven. She knows what this is. The word 'vampire' escapes her lips, so quietly, she doesn't even here it. She feels a cold wind behind, she doesn't want to turn.
She feels two freezing hands wrap around her face. She doesn't move. Out of the corner of her eye, she sees two, blood red eyes. She takes a gasp to scream, but it is over.
Before it even began.