Note: This story is based on the World of Darkness games, owned by White Wolf – I don't own them, blah blah blah, and all that good stuff.
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This prologue might be a little dull, but I promise it gets better. I've included it (from another story) because it explains a few things, but can probably be skipped.
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PROLOGUE
It was very late on a Saturday night, or more accurately, very early on a Sunday morning when I arrived home to the small, two bedroom apartment I shared with my sister, Verena. She wasn't home yet, which irritated me just a bit. For once, I had thought she'd have beaten me home. Not that it was a competition, but it might have been nice, if for once, I was the one who'd stayed out too late and been the 'irresponsible' one. Sometimes it got old being the 'good' sister.
The new group of friends I'd been spending so much time with lately had a habit of keeping strange hours, and my own hours had quickly been evolving towards the same. Fortunately I didn't work, or these late nights might have hindered me. I was a full-time college student, but classes were out for the summer. My parents were kind enough to foot the bills for me while I was in school. My sister, irresponsible as she was, did work. Once she'd been handed her high school diploma, she'd put her foot down and refused to further her education. If we weren't twins, and identical at that, I might have been unlikely to believe we were related at all.
I considered waiting up for my sister, but it was impossible to guess when she might be home. Besides, I hadn't told her about the people I'd been spending so much of my time with lately. It wasn't like either of us to keep things from each other. We might not have anything but our faces in common, but we were very close. Close enough that it hurt to keep secrets. But it was in her best interest for me to keep this one. These new friends were dangerous. They were fascinating, a little frightening, most certainly deadly, and they were mine. I probably should have found them just a bit more frightening than I did. I was too in love with them to consider the danger I was in. I was too in love with being in danger.
My new friends were vampires. I wasn't supposed to know that, and they were not at all pleased when I'd figured it out. I had been seeing them on and off for weeks, in the beginning it was usually at parties. I wasn't big on parties, being shy and socially awkward, but I went, trying to make an effort at having a social life. My sister's fault really, as she was the outgoing one. I usually felt left out. So I went to parties, though I hated them. But after meeting these people, I wanted to go. If going to a party meant I might see them again, I'd go. After a while, they started inviting me to more private affairs.
It was extremely flattering, having these people pay so much attention to me. I wasn't the only one, they seemed to recruiting people, and I did suffer some jealousy over that, but when they were speaking to me, I may as well have been the only one. They asked a lot of questions, as though I was as fascinating to them as they were to me. They weren't always easy questions; sometimes I couldn't understand why they would ask the things they asked, but I was eager to please them, and I always did my best to answer them the best I could.
Only a few nights had passed since it had all clicked in my head and I'd blurted out, "You're vampires!" I had been so pleased with myself. It may not have been through a rational thought process which led me to my conclusion, but it made sense to me. I didn't believe in vampires, but all the same, here they were, undeniable proof.
My epiphany did not please them. The looks on their faces only confirmed my accusation as true, and frankly, frightened me far more than the realization did that such things as vampires could exist. I had expected them to be more impressed with how clever I was, to have figured their secret out. Perhaps they were, but their anger was greater. In the end, they hadn't abandoned me – or murdered me, something they had considered and discussed openly in front of me. I had been warned, and I would keep my mouth shut. My fate was yet undecided.
So you see, I couldn't tell my sister. I wouldn't put her life in danger just for the sake of sharing a secret. Maybe things would have gone differently for me if I hadn't beaten her home that night. Perhaps it would be her telling this story instead. Did these glorious friends of mine even know about her? I had never spoke of her. I wouldn't have risked losing them to someone else, not even to her.
And so, though it wouldn't have mattered, I decided not to wait up for my sister that night. I shut off the lights and headed to bed. I was headed towards my bedroom when it happened. Suddenly a strong pair of arms were around me, pinning my arms to my side. The body pressing against me was definitely male, and when he chuckled darkly in my ear, the deep sound only helped to confirm this. Stunned momentarily, I finally thought to scream, but I'd barely begun to open my mouth when my attacker slapped a hand over my mouth, keeping me securely restrained with his other arm.
Something like an electric shock worked its way up my spine. I knew I was about to die, one way or the other. I'd known this was coming. I just hadn't known when. The normal thoughts one might have in this situation, of intruders, rape, robbery... were furthest from my mind. He was a vampire. I already knew I had forfeited my life.
I tried to turn my head, to get a look at the man holding me. But it was dark, and he clearly didn't want to be seen. But why? What did it matter? If he were going to kill me, really kill me, why did it matter if I saw him? And if not... I'd already seen their faces.
I thought of my sister, knowing I'd probably never see her again. I knew I'd gone a little mad, shaking in my killer's arms, not with fear, but laughter. Who was the irresponsible one now? Verena had never managed to get into this much trouble.
A sharp pain at my throat, and messy, loud slurping. It hurt. He wasn't being gentle. The man gnawed at my throat, working his teeth into my flesh. My screams were muffled, and I was screaming then, quietly, beneath his hand. I was having trouble breathing, as his fingers covered my nose, and there was little oxygen getting through. He pulled his teeth from me and licked my throat. The sudden absence of pain was wonderful, even if he was laughing again. I struggled and bucked against him, though I knew there was little point in doing so. My squirming only seemed to please him. He nibbled at my ear, as though we were lovers, and kissed my temple, then ran his tongue across my throat again. He licked me, running his tongue from beneath my chin to my ear. He clearly thought this was funny, and his laughter was turning crueler, and no longer resembled something human. He struck again, as viciously as before, but drinking much deeper this time, my blood being drawn from my body quickly and very, very painfully. I tried to give in to him, to not struggle against him, but my God it hurt. He was only adding to the pain, making it so much worse than it needed to be, gnawing and working his teeth.
It seemed to go on forever, though it probably wasn't more than a few minutes. The pain was easing, becoming merely a hot burning sensation. I was having trouble thinking clearly, my thoughts kept going off into nonsensical directions. As quickly as I could focus my thoughts into the right direction, they were off again. And I was getting weak. Or maybe I was already past that part, because I suddenly realized I wasn't standing anymore, but was kneeling on the floor, half in the man's lap. Then he was licking and nuzzling at my throat again. I hadn't even noticed him pull his teeth from my throat. He licked, and sucked at my skin, and dimly I wondered if this was what it would have been like with a boy. But Verena had always been the one with the boyfriends. I had never dated, always having been too shy and unapproachable – too awkward and introverted.
Then man finally took his hand away from my mouth, and I could breath again, though it seemed like so much effort to breathe. I was too far gone to scream anyway, all my energy drained away with my blood. I just rested my head against his chest and waited quietly. Then he was pressing his wrist against my mouth, and blood was flowing over my tongue, choking me. I swallowed automatically, and then willingly. I wanted this, didn't I? Maybe not like this... but I did want it. I was just so damned tired, and it was taking an effort to keep drinking from his wrist and swallowing the blood. But when I stopped making that effort, the blood flowed down my throat anyway, and when I coughed, choking, it was in my nose. I didn't care. He released me completely, and dumped me the rest of the way out of his lap. I wavered there, on the verge of collapsing. There was a loud sound in my ears, and a second later I felt a sting on my cheek. Had he slapped me? I had barely begun to feel the shock of it when my world went dark.