Chapter 1: Gabrielle is missing

I stared down from the bridge and saw Gabriel wading in the lake.

"Hey Luna, come down the water is great!" Gabriel looked up at me squinting in the sunlight.

"I don't have a swimsuit on Gabri jeez." I stare at him wondering how he became my brother in the first place. Gabriel has dark black hair just like our dad, very blue serene eyes, muscular, and a very sharp jaw structure that makes him look "handsome" like the girls at our school say. I on the other hand, have chestnut hair down to the middle of my back, very sharp green eyes, and I have curves into a shape of an hour glass. I got my looks from my mom and Gabri got his looks from his dad. I mean we are nothing alike! He's outgoing and I-

"CRASH!"

I spin around at the noise looking back and forth through the thick forest. Seeing nothing, I turn back to Gabrielle who was no longer in the lake.

"Gabri, Where are you?" I called out. I listen and hear nothing.

"Gabri this isn't funny!" I look around the forest trying to find my older brother. It was starting to get dark; mom and dad are going to kill me. I tried to reassure myself. Maybe he went home, yes I'll go look around there maybe he went ahead of me trying to beat me home. I started walking at a fast pace glancing every now and then behind me seeing if gabri was trying to scare me. I stopped looking behind me when I felt an ease nobody was there. I went and looked behind the trees and bushes but I see nothing, nobody! In the distance I heard a twig snap. My breathing stopped short I perked my ears to listen. Only silence greeted me. I looked around the immense forest and only seen the birds flying from tree to tree, little bugs flitting back and forth, and squirrels eating nuts in the concave of the tree.

"SNAP!"

It sounded even closer; right behind me. I turned around and a figure with a red caped hood and black clothes stood there menacingly. I tried screaming but nothing came out I told myself to run but my legs wouldn't seem to move. I stood there frozen with fear. The red hood just stood there with his head down then he slowly raised his head and I saw piercing glowing red eyes. At that moment I screamed. I screamed so loud that I startled the red hood. He drew his sword that I didn't know he had and tried swiping near my head. I ducked thankful that I wasn't in shock anymore. I started running the rest of the way to my house. The red hood followed me close behind. I zigzagged through the forest trying to lose him and it seemed to be working because he started sounding farther and farther away.

I closed the rest of the distance to my house and seen every light was on. A sinking feeling injected through my whole being, something was wrong I could feel it. Something happened while Gabrielle and I were gone! And now our parents are gone. I went inside the house looking around and saw tables turned over, furniture ripped to shreds, chairs lying in pieces, and blood on the walls. Oh no! This is alarming. I hurried upstairs to my parents' bedroom. I got to the door and I felt my stomach drop. The door was ajar and I could see some splattered blood on the walls. My palms were sweaty and I closed my eyes, pushing the door open I already knew what I was going to witness.

Their walls were coated with blood, making it hard to see the ivory color. The dressers were in a heap in front of the closet door. Their mattress was ripped into a million pieces; the lamp was broken into shards of pointed glass. I felt a huge sadness overwhelm me. I will never see my family again whoever did this is a cold-hearted wretch. I heard a small gasp that came from the closet.

"Mom?", "Dad?"

I went and slid whatever was left of the dresser away from the closet, then opened the closet doors. There lying huddled together was my mom, dad…Gabrielle wasn't amongst them. They both looked up petrified and recognition crossed there face.

"Luna?" they both said at the same time.

"Mom!", "Dad!" I threw my arms around them weeping hysterically. They both engaged me in joy, happy that their daughter was safe. We pulled away and my mom asked in a hushed tone "Where's Gabrielle?" I stared at her and shook my head unable to talk.

"I don't think he's dead but… He disappeared from the lake." "That was the last time I saw him." I looked at my mom stoned faced.

My dad looked at both of us our expressions distant and unforgotten. He finally broke the silence by saying "The Blood Queen took him." Both of us startled by what he said shot our heads up.

"The Blood Queen. Who is that?" I looked at my dad waiting for his response.

My mom started weeping uncontrollably with her face in her hands. Apparently she knew very well who SHE was. "Will somebody please tell me what is going on?" I looked crazed because I just wanted to know who took my older brother.

My dad looked away from my mom then looked at me and started "She is the most powerful vampiress of them all."

"Vampires?", "I thought they were a myth?" I pursed my lips and let him continue.

"Apparently not, they go by 'The Dark Ones'.", "Very dark beings that-

"Drink blood." I finished for him. "I already know what they are.", "But what do they want with Gabrielle?" I stared at my dad and he had a guilty expression.

"Dad, what did you do?" I shrieked.

"I didn't do anything except-

"He killed one of their kind." My mom finally stopped crying and looked up.

"In the woods when he was hunting for deer."

I looked back at dad and said "What have you done?", "Now they might kill Gabri like you killed one of theirs."

"I don't think that's the case Luna, if they wanted to do that don't you think they would have been coming after us by now." My dad looked at me and I looked back at him and said "True, but what if it's a coincidence. What if the queen is planning something big?" I looked back at mom and grimaced.

"It's alright sweetheart we'll think of something."

We got out of the closet and started packing nourishment for our journey. I went and dressed in suitable clothing, I wore a pair of black khaki pants with a red tank top and my denim half jacket. We all piled out of our door and walked to the beginning of the forest.

"Luna, take this." My dad handed me a stake. "You know how to use one right remember what I taught you?"

It all came rushing back at once when I was ten. I was using the stake with my father. The moves I did when I practiced, the speed, the strength. I came back to reality looking at my dad I sneered and said "Of course."

"Alright let's get our family back." My dad led the way with me in the middle and my mother close behind. We stopped and rested a couple times but we made good timing. We were just outside the perimeter of the castle when we heard footsteps. We hurried up and hid in the bushes.

"So what do you think about this situation Grasby?" A black hooded figure said.

"I don't know I mean this family is something else…."

I couldn't make out what else he said after that because they were out of ear shot. We stayed there for a couple seconds longer and when my mom and I got an all clear from my dad we stood up from our hiding place.

"What was that about?" I looked at my father waiting for a response, his expression was unreadable.

"I don't know Luna." He looked defeated.

"Well at least let's get Gabri back." I got my stake ready along with my wooden shuriken. We all started walking towards the long stretch of the road to the castle gate. When we got there we saw no way around the gate unless we entered through it. We knew that was out of the question so we searched around the area for another way in without being spotted. I finally found another small door conjoining the castle's gate.

"Mom, Dad I found-

I got cut off by loud screams, my mom's screams. I rushed back around the bend of the curve and saw two red hooded vamps with my mom in the grasp of one, which I guess she got overpowered by, and my dad trying to fend off the other one. I saw my mom's bow and arrowed stakes on the ground so I picked them up and aimed for the heart of the one my dad was fighting. I made perfect impact and he started rushing toward me screaming. He was just two inches from my face and he disintegrated into dust. I felt a knife pressured on my throat.

"Drop your weapon?" The man stated. I complied with what he said and dropped the bow and arrowed stakes. He grabbed my arms and chained them and started pushing me forward towards the castle. There were three more red hoods, one grabbed my dad and chained him along with my mom. I pursed my lips and went along with their torturous plans. We went through the foyer and through another doubled door to a huge room at the end of the room was a throne with a woman sitting upon it. They made us sit on the marbled floors and still had their spears pointed at us. The woman was very dark indeed. She wore a dark red dress the color of blood, a black hooded cape, she had blood red lips, high structured face that looked like it was made by God himself, she was beyond from heaven's door, something evil; an evil incarnate of the Devil himself. She held her head high her lips forming a sneer and looked at each of us. She looked at me the longest like she was dissecting me to the bone in her mind, I shivered at that thought.

"Luna, you're finally here." Her voice sounded sweet like honey.

"Where's my brother?"

"Don't worry, he's safe." She looked at my parents and walked towards them.

"So your father thinks he can just kill my warrior and get away with it. I don't think so. You all will be punished!"

"Punished, what do you mean punished!"

"Hmmm your right punished sounds very small how about cursed." She was in my face in a flash.

"Vampire speed?" I stated as a question.

"Yes dearie" she grabbed my chin in her hand "It is"

"What are you going to do with us?" I looked at her, her face contorted in an evil smile. I looked away scared out of my mind.

The Queen looked at me and stated "You and your family will become vampires." I looked at her in shock no more normal life, no more going to school, no more anything!

"But how will we-

"SILENCE!" She gave me a sneer. "You should have thought of that before your father took out one of my best warriors." I glared at her and said "I refuse!"

"Well then, guards?", "Kill her parents." Before I could say I'll do it, the guards walked towards my mom and dad and took out their swords and sliced both their heads off in one swing.

"MOM, DAD!" I ran to their slumped bodies, gushing blood. My eyes were so blurry from the tears that I couldn't see straight. I looked up at the evil vampiress and said "why." She looked at me and gave me a quick scan of my full being and told the guards to take me to her chambers. The guards grabbed both my arms and half dragged and walked me to the room. I screamed and thrashed with my might. We got to the room and they sat me in a plush leather chair and before I knew it I felt a little prick of a needle and my body became serene. My head started swimming from the drug. My eyes finally came into focus and sitting on the desk in front of me was…GABRIELLE?

"Gabrielle?", "What's going on?" I stared at him; I knew something was different about him right away. His eyes weren't blue anymore they were red?! "Why are your eyes red?"

He got off the desk and moved closer to me. "Oh, sis I'm so happy to see you!", "You've decided to change?"

Huh? What is he talking about? I stared at him and I blurted "Mom and Dad are dead."

"I know, I told them to do it."

I felt something hit the back of my head hard and I blacked out….