Chapter 1

It's the first day of warm weather, and the eve of my sixteenth birthday. I woke up earlier than usual and decided to watch the new morning's clouds in the field. I lay down on the ground, it's a little wet from the morning dew, but also very warm.

Watching the clouds go by I think I may fall asleep out here like I do sometimes. Everything is so quiet usually you would hear a bird or one of the women up to start the morning breakfast, but I don't hear anyone, not even a cricket. Odd, isn't any of the tribe even up yet?

I was about to fall asleep from just watching the clouds go by, when I hear the noise of leaves being crunched; it scares me a little. Shifting myself up into a sitting position, I turn around and see my little sister Nala running toward me. She stops just where my head was just at. I let her catch her breath before I start to talk.

"Jaya, Jaya dad wants you!" Nala blurts out once she caught her breath.

"Where is he?" I ask a little annoyed.

"Uhh, I think either in the main teepee or at the cooking fire."

"I'll find him in a couple minutes." I said as I began to lie back down.

"No, no he needs you now, he said it is urgent."

"Fine I'm going, I'm going."

"I'll help you find him," she said as she began to grab my hand.

"No, go help mom with Deven," – my little brother -- I said shoving her in the general direction of our teepee.

"She already got him ready."

"Well go anyway; I still want to be alone some more."

"Okay," she grumbled as she set off the way she came.

"Thank you!" I yell after her.

I watch her turn the corner feeling a little sorry about yelling at her. I should probably start to look for him. I wonder what he wants that can't wait till breakfast. I guess I'll figure it out; time to go find him.

I walk back to the teepees. Everyone is up, but they are doing it quietly and they keep looking around. What does it mean? Did mother tell me about it? She did; it's almost time for them to pick new brides; this isn't good at all.

I don't see any women my own age or close to it. All I see is young children, men, and older women. That means I'm right; the families are keeping their older daughters inside and out of sight. I've been outside all morning, in plain sight; great, dad's going to kill me.

I walk into the main teepee to check if he's there. He isn't. Therefore, I make my way to the cooking fire lodge. The village is too quiet; it's starting to creep me out. I only felt this way one other time and that was ten years ago. When they came to collect their new brides, for three days the village felt like it does today. By the end of the third day, ten of our tribe's women were gone.

I ran through the flap of the cooking fire lodge. Feeling a little safer now that I'm surrounded by men, I see my father stirring something in a pot on the fire. Only once every ten years do our men cook; it's sort of funny. The flap closes behind me; his head snaps up. A face of relief stares up at me.

He hands the stirring stick to one of the other men in the circle. He takes a couple of steps toward me, stops, and begins to stare at me. I bow to him to show respect, he bows back. I don't know what to say I do know that he will get to say whatever he wants to say to me in his own time, I just have to wait.

I watch his face. His thankful expression slowly comes off his face and is replaced with one of thinking. I keep watching him waiting for him to speak. My legs start to get tired. There are benches by the fire. He still hasn't said anything so I make my way to the benches and take a seat.

Once I get comfortable, I turn to where he sat next to me. His thinking look is gone and now has one I don't know very well. Normally I can read his face well enough, but right now, his expression is one I haven't seen enough to know what it is.

"Where were you?" he interrupted my thought process.

"I woke up early and went to the field to watch the clouds," I confessed.

"Didn't you notice the signs that they are coming?"

"Only as I came to find you, before I was thinking too much. Is that the only thing you want to talk to me about?"

"You are entering woman hood tomorrow at dawn, correct?"

"Yes that is correct. What is on your mind?"

"You also know about the trouble we are having with the Sioux tribe."

"Yes I do."

"They heard the chief's daughter is entering womanhood. Which means now you can be married. They agreed to have the treaty on one condition."

"Which is what?"

"I know you probably know you have duties as my daughter."

"Dad please tell me. You are making me confused. What are you saying?"

"They will only do the treaty if you marry their chief's son."

"Okay, when do they get here?"

"Later today, you're fine with this?"

"Yes, I know it will do the tribe good and I want to do anything I can for the tribe."

"Thank you daughter I'm very proud of you. Now I need you to go back to the teepee and stay hidden."

"I will father. One question."

"Yes?"

"What is his name?"

"Makya, now go, I have to get back to preparing breakfast."

Without another word, he turns and goes back to the pot accepting the stirring stick back. I watch him for a second before turning around and heading out of the teepee. Once outside I begin to feel watched and I don't like it. I set off at a run to my family's teepee.

I run straight through the flap not stopping to open it politely. I turned to make sure it closed before I let out a sigh of relief. Nala looks up at me with a smile; she has her buckskin doll in her lap. Mom is in the corner with Deven on her lap. She looks up but doesn't say anything. With the look in her eyes, I am definitely in trouble. She knows I can read her eyes; it's odd how most of the time just by looking at her, I know what she is thinking.

She starts to shift around and moving the now sleeping Deven to her hip. Finally, standing up she beckons Nala, who isn't paying attention, over to her. I step closer to Nala and her with my hand. She moves her head up I motion with my chin telling her mom wants her. Nala understands and sets the buckskin doll at my feet and goes to see what mom wants.

Nala comes back with the sleeping Deven in her arms. I watch as she puts him under the cover. I get lost in thought when someone lays a hand on my shoulder. I look up to see my mother's face looking down at me. I turn around to face her.

She places her other hand on my other shoulder. Guiding me to where she sat before with Deven. I sat down while she sat beside me. I started to feel lonely I wanted to crawl into her arms like I used to do. It was like she read my mind, instantly her arms opened up. I smiled up at her as I crawled into her arms.

Once in her lap, she started to enclose me in her arms. I snuggled closer, wanting her warmth, but I can't shake the feeling of being watched. Does this feeling mean I'm going to be chosen? What will happen if I do get chosen? The tribe won't have a treaty and mom would lose me. I don't think I can leave her after all she has always been here for me.

Like when a couple of years ago, I accidentally let the horses out of the corral. Dad yelled at me and told me that I would have to earn his trust back. After he yelled at me, I ran.

I ran as hard and as fast as I could. That's when mom found me; I had to stop to catch my breath by the lake. She was there, washing clothes; imminently she stopped what she was doing and came to me. I jumped into her open arms. We sat there for hours till my tears ran dry.

When I finally stopped crying, she turned me around to face her. I didn't want to look up at her face, fearing what I might see. When I finally did, there was no anger only love and caring. She told me everything was all right and she got the story out of me slowly, but she probably already heard it before she came out here. It still felt good telling her what happened myself.

When I finally felt better, it was almost dark. We had been sitting there all morning and didn't even realize it. We walked back to the village hand in hand. She led the way through the village. I didn't pay attention, just wondering what was to come. We reached the biggest teepee – the chief's, which just happened to be dad's- I took my hand out of hers and shifted behind her buckskin dress to hide.

She looked down at the sudden release of her hand, smiled, and began to walk through the door. With me still attached to her buckskin dress, we entered the dark teepee. Dad was sitting on the throne, looking sternly at me. Mom pulled me out from behind her. I struggled against her strong grip. She pulled me out easily; I bet she didn't even realize I was using all my strength.

She set me in front of her and put her hands on both of my shoulders to keep me there. She already knew how he handled, it losing his temper as he does – a lot. I hate disappointing him. Fighting in my mind trying to figure out if I should keep looking down or chance it and look up, I finally decided to look up. His stern expression was gone, exchanged with one of remorse. It took me a second, but I figured out what was happening. Mom was scolding dad with her eyes like she does with me when I do something wrong. She never wastes her words; you get enough of a bad feeling rushing through your body when she scolds you with her eyes.

I've never seen mom do this to dad before, it gave me the creeps. What else can she do? She continued to stare at him; he began to shift uneasily in his chair. He got up and walked to me. He had never done this before; he knelt down and apologized to me. I hugged him happily and stood there.

Mom had always been there for me when I needed her or even when I didn't. What if, once I get married, I have a problem and need comforting? Who will be there to help me? A hand swept across my face stopping my fretting. I must be crying at the thought of losing her.

"What is the matter Ijaya?" She asked, using my full name.

"I'm due to marry soon," I said confessing my problem.

"Yes, I already know your father brought it up yesterday. What did you say?"

"I said yes."

"Why? Ijaya, The whole tribe knows that you would do anything for them and that you'll do it even if you don't like it a single, solitary bit."

"For the good of the tribe; I want to make Dad proud of me. Also, it's the only way."

"It's not the only way, you know that. They tried it once already with me and your father. They thought it would last, but it didn't. I don't want you to give up everything for a treaty that may only last a little bit."

"Mom, I have to do this."

"Do you really want to do this? I won't let if you are not sure."

"I am pos--"

"Don't say anything until you have had time to think it over, okay?"

I nodded.

"Now what's bothering you?"

"Nothing," I said too quickly.

"I know you better than that, Ijaya," she said sternly.

I looked at my feet and sigh. "I think I may be getting chosen." I confessed quietly.

"Why do you think that?" She asked, suddenly perplexed.

"I feel this presence watching me, even in here it is strong--"

"Oh." She held up one hand, stopping me mid sentence.

"Mom? Mom what is it?" I asked watching her face become deeply worried.

She turns and talks to my sister. "Nala can you go and get water? Take Deven to help you, we will need it very soon." She requested. It was more like an order, though.

"Yes mama." She turned to the sleeping Deven, picked him up, and ran out the door. I watch them go, still feeling the presence. I look up; mom is looking at me again.

"When did you start to feel this?"

"In the field this morning, while I watching the clouds. Why?"

"I think you're right about being chosen. Are you still feeling the presence right now?"

"Yes, I have been feeling it all day except when I entered the cooking teepee with the men around; I didn't have the feeling anymore."

"We can't tell your father about this. He does not even know I know what this means. Did you tell him about this?"

"No I didn't, only that I could feel that they are coming. Then I changed the subject quickly. What are you saying? I mean, other than that I might be marked."

"I think I may know which one has chosen you. You won't like it at all."

"Oh. I need to know so if it is true that I'm chosen, I can be ready."

"Xavier, he is the leader of the clan."

"Can I ask what they are? Dad always just told me not to worry about their names. He never actually told me what they really are. Why do we just let them choose brides from our women?"

"I shouldn't be telling you this, but you asked. They are bloodsuckers the new people call them vampires. Once every ten years they come to pick new brides. No one knows what happened to the old ones. Some say that they start new lives. Others claim that they are killed. Why we just give up the chosen ones is because if we don't, they won't attack us."

"Oh. So how do you know so much about them and this Xavier? Do you guys have a history or something?"

"Yes we do. The way I know so much about them is that Xavier took my older sister twenty years ago. You are saying the same things that I said."

"What do you mean—the same things that you said?"

"He first picked me; I was the same age as you. We were twins; she didn't want me to leave my family so when they were collecting, she went in my place. I fought her with all my might, but she knocked me across the head. When I woke up she, all the other Chosen ones, and the bloodsuckers were gone. I pretended to be her for another month until I married your father. I told him the day after my family was gone."

"You mean being chosen runs in my blood?"

"In away yes, you know if you are chosen you will have to go with him. You won't be able to run anywhere. They will catch you without any trouble."

"Yes I know that I know dad hopes I haven't been chosen; he wishes to marry me off for the treaty. That's the dad I have learned to live with. It-- it looks like either way, I'll be leaving the tribe. Just -- which way?"

"Don't say that until you really know. The only way that you'll know, you have been chosen Is that either, later today or tomorrow you see someone strange. A person in weird clothing like you have never seen before that's how I remember it."

"If it is one of them how will I know if it's Xavier?"

"You will feel his authority and he has soul piercing, silver eyes."

"Okay if I do see someone, I will look into its eyes," I said sarcastically.

"If you don't feel safe enough to look into his eyes, He has an ancient looking ring on his left hand. One last thing, you should know is that he will speak to you; none of the others will. He will talk like a young man, but also like a father, so be cautious. You said you felt safer when the men were around; he doesn't like men besides the ones in his clan. Would you like me to summon one of the men here?"

"No then they might figure it out. Besides, I'm feeling fine right now. Even now I still feel someone watching me."

"Fine, that's enough of this sort of talk. Your little siblings will be here soon. Stay here while I go check on breakfast. Don't go anywhere stay right here go to sleep or whatever. And, you see Xavier or any of the other ones when he is gone run straight to me."

"Okay, I will. But, please hurry I still don't like the feeling of being watched."

"I'll be back soon." She untangles her arms from me; allowing me to get up. She leaves without even meeting my eyes. Maybe because, she doesn't want to see that the only thing there is worry.