Hello everyone! Here's another Community Fanfiction. This time, it's written by shadowell and chocolatebackground. It's written for a friend of ours, pokadota12.

As you guys can probably see, this story's about vampires.

At any rate, have fun reading!

Dawn to Dusk

Prologue

Year 1829 B.C.

Dreyon had no idea.

Yes, Alice had been bedridden for a very long time already- so long she had forgotten the ability to walk, but he didn't know the sickness was so bad.

Her sickness was not uncommon, but it had taken the lives as many people as the amount of people the doctors managed to save. Physicians try their best to help their patients fight this new flu, but in the end it all depended on luck.

Having grown up with Alice, Dreyon knew her to be a very lucky girl. Even though she had never been truly healthy, she had not yet lost the fight to any sickness. She had spent most of her childhood battling virus, but won every fight and continued to grow into a beautiful young woman that was doted on by many. Dreyon knew that if it wasn't for her health, she would've had a line of suitors outside her door, wanting her for her gentle and sweet personality and luring beauty.

Everybody loved her, and there was nobody who didn't pray for her to recover.

But maybe it was his sixth sense, maybe it was the monster inside him.

Because looking at her in her bed, frail and sickly, Dreyon knew. He knew, and he hated that he knew. He hated that while on his lips he comforted her and promised her a wonderful, lively future, his heart betrayed him and mourned for her instead.

But then that day as he looked into the coffin, looked down on her beautiful face and that perfect figure in the simple white dress, still and unmoving, he realized that it wasn't his heart that betrayed him.

It was his lips.

And from that day on, he was a monster.

Πρωί ως το σούρουπο

Year 1678 BC

Ellis didn't know why she started running. Maybe it was her sixth sense.

She was walking home after picking mushrooms in the forest. Her little basket was full of it, her hands stained with dirt, and her bare feet padding over the damp earth. She didn't mind the dirtiness. But she did mind the dark. She had taken much longer than expected, and was hurrying home.

As she walked and walked… something felt wrong. She sped up. Her leisure walk soon turned into a trot, and the trot soon turned into a sprint as she tore through the trees, her basket banging against the trunks. Her bare feet pounded on the ground, and the wind whipped her hair back.

Suddenly, she heard another set of footsteps which was not her own. Ellis turned back and screamed.

There was a man behind her, catching up so quickly. He grabbed her, and both of them tumbled down a slope. Ellis yelped in shock as she smashed against a tree, knocking the wind out of her.

The man grinned.

And that was when the pain began.

Πρωίωςτοσούρουπο

Year 1678 BC

When Ellis woke up again, she wasn't her.

Or at least, she knew that she wasn't the old her. She just suddenly knew that she would never be able to go back to her quiet little town, her happy little family, and her peaceful life. No one told her that. Deep inside of her, she just knew.

Ellis remembered something tearing into her, teeth slicing open skin and scratching onto bone. She remembered screaming as hot blood gushed out. She remembered trying to run, trying to fight, her fists flailing and feet thrashing, but in the end… she fell asleep. She didn't know how long she had slept for, but when she woke, she wasn't her.

When her eyes opened, she saw the sunlight shining down on her, filtering through the tender green leaves of the trees above her before landing on her skin…

Ellis covered her eyes, wincing. The sunlight seemed to be too hot. It didn't burn her. It was just uncomfortable. Groaning, she rolled off to a small patch of shade.

Carefully, she got up on her elbows. Everything was so clear. She had good eyesight, but… but this was amazing. She could see all the way up to the little caterpillars on a tree at least twenty meters away. And… she felt so… alive. Her small body was filled with energy, and when she reached up to rub her eyes, every movement was smooth and easy. It was amazing.

Then… she realized that she was thirsty.

Well, that was no big surprise. After all, she might have slept for days.

Ellis got to her feet, tripping over her baggy, blood-stained dress, and made her way down to a small stream. She cupped some water with her hands and drank, but the water did nothing to sooth her thirst. Frowning, she drank more. It didn't work.

Frowning, Ellis looked down into the water. Ellis had always been beautiful, and the same beautiful face looked back: soft golden curls, a pale face, full pink lips and bright green eyes... but there was something poking into her mouth. Ellis opened her mouth, and recoiled in shock.

Her incisors had become fangs.

Ellis ran a tongue over it. The sharp fangs nicked her tongue, and the coppery tang of blood filled her mouth.

Ellis swallowed.

And she felt… better. Her thirst was still there, but she definitely felt better than before.

Ellis swallowed again. And again. And again. Until she couldn't taste the blood in her mouth anymore.

Oh no.

Ellis suddenly remembered the big old book of nursery tales her mother would read to her every night: about ghosts, werewolves, vampires…

Before Ellis fell asleep, she remembered something tearing into her throat. She remembered hearing the creature suck her blood. She remembered the fangs, the fear…

Ellis clapped a hand over her mouth.

What if she became one of those… creatures?

Πρωίωςτοσούρουπο

Time passed.

And Ellis survived.

Well, she did do pretty well for the next two hundred years. She spent at least a decade away from civilization, trying to figure out what in the world had happened to her. After twenty years of hiding, she finally crept out of the shadows, towards her old home and family.

But they had screamed when they saw her: still young and pretty, and back from the dead. They grabbed pitchforks and torches, chasing her away. Ellis tried to protest. She searched for her family, her friends, but all of them were screaming. They called her a demon.
Her hand accidentally brushed against a torch, and Ellis shrieked. The fire seemed to be eating her alive. The villagers shouted in triumph, and threw blazing oil at her. Hurt and confused, Ellis ran. She had nearly died that day, nearly killed by the people who had loved her.

From that day on, Ellis knew that she must be careful. She couldn't stay in the same place for too long. She learned to survive.

For the next two hundred years, Ellis moved from country to country, city to city. She visited the different states of America. She traveled all over Europe. She saw the world.

Over time, she learned to forget about her family. She learned to accept herself for who she is.

Πρωί ως το σούρουπο

Year 1889 AD

Ellis sat at the café. France always had such lovely little restaurants, and such a delicate culture. Everything there seemed so elegant and dainty. But Ellis didn't complain. In a way, the peacefulness and elegance was a nice escape from the chaos of the world around her.

Ellis took a sip of her coffee, careful not to drip any on her plum-colored gown. A small party walked past her. She could feel the women glancing at her enviously, at her soft golden curls, at her perfect figure, at her bright green eyes. They were probably wondering how she managed to keep herself so healthy and young.

But let's not tell them that being a vampire can keep you from aging.

"Nice day, huh?"

Ellis looked up to see a well-dressed man standing before her. He wore an elegant suit and a neat hat which covered an awful lot of his face. A gold-topped cane tapped on the ground elegantly as he moved.

"Yes, I suppose it is." Ellis said easily, taking another sip.

The man sat down beside her. Of course, Ellis would be able to tear any threat to shreds, but strangely enough, that man made her feel a little too uneasy…

The man lifted his hat briefly and smiled.

Ellis's eyes widened.

The smile revealed teeth. And the teeth were sharp.

"You…" Ellis croaked. For the last two hundred years, she had tried so hard to find more of her kind. She had tracked down rumor after rumor, tale after tale, but she couldn't find anyone. In the end, she had given up. And now… one of her kind had found her…

"Yes," the man's smile widened. "I'm one of you too."

"There's more of us?" Ellis whispered.

"Plenty more," the man laughed. "In fact, I'm the leader of a clan."

"A clan!" Ellis covered her mouth with her hands. There were more of her! She wasn't alone!

"Yes," the man held out a hand. "I'm the leader of the Shadowlock Clan. Would you like to join us?"

Ellis didn't hesitate.

"Yes."