With skin like white marble, eyes seductively red and a constant longing for blood we are the beautiful and the dangerous. The most feared creature ever lived.
We live overshadowed, as a myth. But we do exist.
~*~
Prologue
June; 1840
Nagini held her breath as her mother helped get her corset on. She absolutely hated wearing it. It practically crushed her ribs.
"There we are," said her mother as she tied the last string of the death trap with her wand.
Hardly able to breathe, Nagini turned to face her. "Thank you, mother," she mumbled.
The old woman corrected Nagini's blonde, shoulder length, straight hair and helped her put on the blue dress. Then, stepping backwards she eyed her daughter in displease.
"Haven't I told you to clean those dirty nails?" she said in a harsh tone, grabbing Nagini's thin wrist. "How many times do I have to tell you that young women like you shouldn't be outdoors tree-climbing or swimming in dirty rivers. Where have I gone wrong raising you?"
Nagini frowned slightly.
"I wan't you downstairs as soon as you're clean; Charles will be here any minute now." her mother commanded and walked out with her head held high.
Nagini stared after her for a moment before collapsing on the bed, burying her face in her hands. She felt like throwing up.
From downstairs she could hear the doorbell ring and the courteous greetings, empty laughters and gossip being exchanged. Nothing more than the usual, that is.
"Nagini!" her mother cried.
Nagini sighed, picked up her dress and walked out her room.
"There you are," her mother said, giving her a murderous glance.
If only looks could kill ...
"Good evening, miss Kerrich." Charles Dewdney, the pure-blood manic, rich man and her soon-to-be fiance, said as he strutted toward her. With his thin black hair, his tiny eyes that were a murky, unpleasant mix of brown and green and his large nose he was downright repulsive.
Nagini smiled, though she really wanted to scream or throw something heavy at his enervating smirk. "Good evening."
"Shall we?" he said, offering her an arm.
Nagini reluctantly grabbed him by the arm and he led her out the garden. "It's such a beautiful evening, don't you think?"
"Very," she answered honestly. Because, even though she had to spend it with the person she disliked the most in the whole wide world, it was beautiful.
They walked in silence to the big fountain she once had loved because of it's soothing rainfall sound. Now it only symbolized her arranged marriage.
Nagini sat down on the edge and suddenly her life flashed before her eyes.
However, Charles sweaty hands grabbing her right one shook her out of her flashbacks.
"Nagini Kerrich," he mumbled as he went down on his knees in front of her. "Will you marry me?"
In his palm there was a ring with a big, green stone.
Nagini picked it up and reluctantly placed it on her finger. Watching it she imagined herself in ten years, being married to Charles. Now she was certain she was going to throw up. She jumped to her feet and started running. And didn't stop until she was out of breath.
There was no one else but her in the street. Buildings surrounded her, keeping her caged in that dreadful city, trying to stop her attempts at freedom. She would have ran into the forest if it wasn't beginning to darken. The forest was dangerous at night, she'd heard.
The sound of people talking and laughing drifted from the street she had previously come from and she accelerated.
There was an alleyway to her left, leading to the other street on the opposite side of the buildings that trapped her. A group of drunken men passed by the opening and noticed her. They started to murmur amongst themselves. Nagini didn't want to stay and find out what it was they were talking about, so she turned on her heel and started walking the other way. Only, she could still hear their murmurs, so she knew that they must be following her.
Nagini looked over her shoulder. They were closer than she'd thought. Turning back she started running. She heard them approaching. She didn't even wanna think of what would happen if they got to her. She'd heard many story's about alone, young women at night. Each more horrifying then the other.
Just as she pulled out her wand a rough hand grabbed her shoulder and the wand fell out of her hand and landed a few metres away.
"Let go!" she screamed and turned to face the one who'd grabbed her. The man had short black hair, a straight nose, small eyes, very straight white teeth and a stupid goatee.
"Well aren't we feisty?" He teased with a smirk.
Nagini ignored his comment and asked, "What do you want?"'
He smiled a toothy grin.
She rolled her eyes. "Whatever." She said and tried to carry on walking. He grabbed her arm.
"Sir, if you don't let go of me this instant, I'm going to ..."
He leaned forward so that their noses almost touched. She could smell the alcohol on his breath. "What? Scream?" He laughed cruelly. "Be my guest. No one will hear you."
Nagini reacted without thought. Staring into his empty brown eyes, she slapped him in the face.
The man responded quicker than she had anticipated. He threw her forcefully against the fence, making Nagini gasp in pain and shock.
"Now, don't be like that, princess. I and my guys just want to get to know you." Nagini knew exactly what he meant by that.
She started struggling against his hold. "LET GO!" she screamed at the top of her lungs.
He pulled her closer to him and grabbed both her arms. "Now we can't have that."
Nagini glared at him, watching the smirk once again spread across his lips. Not being able to do any damage to him seeing as he had her arms secured and she couldn't kick him because of her dress, she spat a wad of saliva onto his face.
She stared at him with both fear and amusement as his smirk vanished. Anger burned in his eyes. For a moment or two she was certain he was going to kill her, then he shoved her to the group of men behind him. "Do whatever you want with her. I really don't care." He said and wiped away the saliva with the back of his hand as he continued down the path Nagini so desperately wanted to continue on as well.
The men started to laugh among themselves, as they tossed her from one to the other, like a rag doll. One of them grabbed the bottom of her torn dress and ripped it further. When she screamed one of them hit her in the face and she stopped short, which made them laugh even harder.
A slim man, with short ginger hair and light gold eyes grabbed her shoulders and threw her forcefully to the ground. Ginger bent down and reached for the top of her dress. She lashed out and punched him in the face. "DON'T TOUCH ME!" she shrieked at him hoping that someone would hear and come to her rescue.
His hand clutched her throat and squeezed as he hauled her up to a sitting position. "For your own good, Missy, you better shut up." He snarled at her.
"Fuck off, you prat!" Nagini spat back at him and snuck a peek at her wand. If only she could reach it ...
Ginger raised his hand to hit her again, when one of the drunks surrounding them shrieked.
Then a second, and a third. The blood drained from Ginger's face. "What the bloody hell is going on?" he cried and stood up, letting go of Nagini.
"Ackley? Clive? Grover? Where are they?"
"They just disappeared." The one who'd ripped her dress said.
Another scream.
Ginger spun around. "Where's Loxley? What the hell is going on?" He cried.
Then a deep growl broke through the tense summer air.
"What the bloody hell was that?" a blond, short man said. Slowly, Nagini started to drag herself toward her wand. Most didn't seem to notice she was escaping, but one bent down and tried to grab her ankle.
That's when he appeared.
Moving faster than her human eyes could follow he stood in front of them. He was magnificent. With thick, wavy blonde hair, high cheek bones, a straight nose and icy blue eyes.
Nagini had stopped moving and now stared at the creature as spellbound. All the others had backed away from him subconsciously. No, correction, all but Ginger.
He stood still, staring at the blonde.
The blonde grabbed him by the throat, lifting him into the air.
Ginger wriggled in his grip trying to loosen it, but failing miserably. His body went limp and Blondie dropped him on the ground.
Turning, the blonde faced the now retreating men and a toothy smirk broke across his face.
That's when she saw his fangs.
The blood froze in Nagini's veins and she flung herself at the wand. Grabbing it she jumped to her feet, aiming it at the vampire.
"Ah. A witch," he remarked softly. The vampire disappeared and Nagini exhaled in relief. She'd just turned to leave when she felt a cold hand caress her neck and shoulders.
Nagini momently spun around.
"I will kill you if you don't go away, vampire," she hissed through compressed teeth.
The blonde laughed. "A sixth grader like you don't stand a chance against me." He disappeared again, moving at the speed of light. The next moment he appeared behind her again.
Nagini shivered as he stroke her neck with a long, pale finger. "Wanna live for an eternity?" He whispered in her ear, his voice low and alluring.
Nagini screamed on the top of her lungs as she felt the prick of his fangs as they pierced the flesh of her neck. The world began to blur and soon she was unconscious.
When she woke she first noticed that she was laying on the ground. Slowly she pushed herself into a sitting position and took in her surroundings. Everything was the same, but still it all felt new to her. Things looked ... brighter and clearer to her eyes, she could smell things that she could never smell before and she could hear people talking, although they were inside the buildings. Her senses was a hundred times better and the world a hundred times more beautiful. However the burning sensation in her throat stole her attention away from how everything looked, smelt and sounded. She jumped to her feet, her hand clutching her throat.
Then she heard the sound of someone approaching from behind, heard its heart pound and smelled its blood.
The hunger overpowered her body and she started running toward the fatal. In a matter of seconds she'd blocked its way. It was a old man. He stared at her with fear in his eyes.
What the hell am I doing? I can't kill him ... she thought, beginning to back off.
"Don't be so damn chicken-hearted. You know you want to drink his blood," the blonde urged from behind her. She'd heard him coming. "Do it!"
Nagini unconsciously licked her lips. He was right. She wanted the old mans blood. Wanted and needed it badly.
In two seconds she'd tackled him to the ground and pierced him with her fangs.
She felt the warm blood and felt the hunger disappear.
The old man laid dead in her arms.
What have I done? What if he had a family waiting for him at home? What if he had children? A wife?
Nagini felt tears stinging her eyes.
"Welcome to your new life as an immortal, miss Kerrich," the blond said as Nagini carefully put down the old mans head and stood up.
She slowly turned, her eyes darkening as she approached the other vampire. "You did this to me," she hissed.
"You should be thanking me," The blonde said, backing off a few steps.
Nagini felt the rage lit inside of her. He made her into this monster. She'd just killed an old, defenseless man because of what he did to her. And for that he was going to pay.
"It's your fault he's dead!" Nagini roared pointing at the remains of the man.
"He was nothing but a simple fatal ..."
Nagini roared grabbing his collar and throwed him at the fence with such force he flew straight through it and through the nearest building.
In a second she was standing over him with a furiously expression.
"Please ..."
Nagini ignored his pleading as she mercilessly grabbed his neck and twisted it around, breaking it.
Then she ran.