Chapter One
Rain slashed against the high windows of the Great Hall. A loud clap of thunder shook the frame of the old building causing me to pause from my reading. I placed my bookmark carefully between the pages and set the book in my lap. I gazed up at the windows in time to see a bright streak of lightening strike.
Of course it would storm, I thought bitterly.
Today marked the day of my 16th birthday. Normally this would be a cause of celebration: a young girl entering the world of young adulthood, only two years away from legal age. A lavish party would be thrown by the proud parents; guests would pour in bearing gifts and tidings of great joy. There may even be a car thrown into the mix. However, things tended to be a bit different if you had no home to call your own and no doting parents. The life of an orphan can be tough.
"DANA!" I heard someone shout.
I looked over at the source of the noise to see a mousy looking girl run towards me. Her pale brown hair hung limply to her shoulders, framing her round face. Her eyes met mine and I couldn't help but be slightly startled by their strange purple color. I had known this girl for as long as I can remember and still the amethyst irises shocked me to my core.
"What is it Alice?" I asked letting out a long sigh.
She ignored my bored expression and bounced from one foot to another.
"You'll never guess what I just heard," she said in a sing-songy fashion.
"You finally learned how to grow a couple inches so that you aren't legally classified as a midget?" I teased. Alice was shorter than me by four inches making her 4'10". She was the only person in the entire orphanage I was taller than.
"No," she pouted. "There is a man here to adopt. And he's looking for a teenage girl."
She spoke loud enough for the other orphans in the Great Hall to hear. I rolled my eyes as an excited murmur swept through the room. I picked my book back up and opened to my saved page. Alice pouted again and reached for my book. I held it protectively to my chest, glaring at her.
"How can you read at a time like this?" she questioned. "Didn't you hear me? Someone is here to adopt."
"Yes I heard you!" I snapped. "Why should I care if someone is looking for a teenage girl? He's probably some sort of perverted pedo who just wants to use her as a prostitute or something. Besides, why would he even pick me when he can have a normal kid?"
I spat out the last two words bitterly. I heard a few chuckles from the older children in the room, the ones who have known be longer. I felt heat rush up into my face as I stared down at my hands clenched tightly in my lap.
Stay calm, stay calm, staycalmstaycalmstaycalm, I chanted in my head willing away any and all negative thoughts.
Remember how I said I wasn't normal but "special"? Well you see the thing is that I have these strange telekinetic abilities. This means that I have a sense of what people are thinking or feeling. Sometimes I can change their thoughts and emotions, thus creating a little mayhem. Many of the other orphans discovered this through constant taunting and teasing. This could be fun sometimes. Alice and I have passed many days bending others subconsciously to our will.
However, there is a dark side to these abilities. At times of great anger or fear, I can materialize various weapons. In my 16 years of life it has never been anything too deadly. Normally it was just a dagger or a gun depending on what emotion set it off. I cannot begin to tell you how many times I was punished by Mr. Campbell—the dean of the orphanage—for possession of weapons.
Alice looked up at me, pity shining in her strange eyes. I shot her a quick glare before standing up and walking towards the door. I was looking down at the ground, trying to avoid the looks of the other orphans, failing to see two figures blocking the doorway. I ran into a tall, lean figure and was sent sprawling to the floor. Laughter burst throughout the room and I tried to will away the hot tears of shame stinging my eyes. When I looked up I was greeted by a pair of emerald green eyes.
I blinked a few times, looking into the orbs just a shade lighter than my own. The face they were set into belonged to a lean, middle-aged man. He was tall, taller than any man I had ever seen. He stood over a foot taller than me. His black hair was cropped short about his ears and was shot with white, giving it a salt-and-pepper look.
His face held traces of laugh lines at the corner of his lips and eyes. He was smiling warmly down at me as he held out a hand to help. I stared at it for a moment before grasping it with my own. His hands were broad and warm, so much larger than my own. I felt strangely like a child once again. I was lost in thought at this, missing the question he asked me.
"I'm sorry, what was that?" I asked sheepishly.
"I asked if you were alright," he repeated gently. His voice was slightly rough, but at the same time soft and comforting like a favorite old sweater.
Not trusting myself to speak, I nodded once and released his hand. His lingered for a moment before dropping to his side. I heard a small, puny cough interrupt my thoughts. My eyes darted to the short, squat man standing beside the stranger. With a pencil thin mustache and practically no hair, Mr. James Campbell was truly a funny looking man. He was once again wearing his favorite, ill-fitted olive green suit and hideous red bowtie.
"You'll have to excuse Dana, Mr. Savior," he said in his high pitched nasally tone, "she can be a bit clumsy at times."
"It's quite alright," Mr. Savior replied. "I am unhurt and so is she so all is well."
"Well I am glad to hear that," Mr. Campbell said sweetly. "Now, here are all the children. I believe you specified you wished to adopt a girl? Well, you can walk freely amongst the children. If you wish to speak with one privately there is a door on the right wall that is a small conference room."
With that Mr. Campbell trotted off and Mr. Savior began to walk around the room. All of the other orphans knew what to do and went about their business before the two men had entered. Even though they all attempted to ignore Mr. Savior, I could see their eyes follow him around the Great Hall. I saw Alice walking towards me and decided to make a break for it. I was stopped by the sudden appearance of Mr. Savior behind me. Letting out a small yelp, I clutched my book to my chest.
"May I ask what you are reading?" he asked kindly.
"T-tt-Tennyson," I stammered blushing at the sound of my voice.
He smiled and gestured for me to follow him. Numbly, I trudged along behind him and towards the conference room. Once inside, Mr. Savior closed and locked the door. For some reason my heart sped up and every instinct I had was screaming at me to get the hell out of dodge. Mr. Savior took one of the seats farthest away from me and motioned for me to sit. I cautiously obeyed and took my seat, scooting it a bit further away from him. A heavy silence filled the room as we stared at each other.
"So Mr. Savior," I began.
"Please, call me Chris," he interrupted with a smile.
"Chris," I repeated. "What exactly do you want a teenage girl for?"
"You think I'm some sick-o don't you?" he chuckled. "Actually I'm not looking for some teenage girl. I'm looking for a very special teenage girl."
"Special?" I echoed. "What do you mean by special?"
"You can tell what I'm thinking can't you Dana?" Chris asked. "You can sense my thoughts. You probably can even sense what I am feeling right now."
My mouth gaped open as I stared at him. My mind went blank as I tried to think of something to say. How in the hell did this man know about me? It took Alice almost 10 years before she finally figured out what I could do.
"I also know you can manipulate people's thoughts and emotions," Chris continued. "I also know what happens when you're scared or angry. Very powerful abilities you have there Miss Dana."
"Who in the hell are you?" I shouted standing abruptly from my chair. It fell with a loud bang.
Chris looked up at me, his green eyes seeming to glow in the dim light. He stood slowly from his chair and walked over to me. He reached out a hand cautiously and placed it on my shoulder. I flinched slightly at the contact but allowed him to keep his hand in place. I tilted my head back to look up at him, my eyes wide.
"Tell me Dana do you believe in vampires?" he asked me softly.
"Vampires?" I repeated. "You mean like cape wearing blood suckers?"
"Something like that," he chuckled.
I looked into his eyes, attempting for the first time to actually try and make sense of someone's thoughts. I was met by some kind of block. It felt like running head-first into a brick wall. I cringed back my head aching. Chris chuckled and ruffled my hair gently, making the curly locks more unruly.
"You cannot access my thoughts little one," he scolded me. "You see, there are things in my mind that I do not wish to explain at this time. What I shall explain is this: I am a vampire. Before you ask, no I do not drink blood. Not all vampires need blood to survive. Some gain nutrition from the earth, others from the subconscious dreams of humans."
"So you're a vampire but you're not gonna eat me?" I asked my voice shaking.
"No," he said smiling warmly down at me. "What I am willing to do, if you so choose to accept, is take you away from this place and make you a member of my family."
"Why do I have a feeling there is a catch?" I asked warily.
"Well you have to allow me to change you and make you a vampire as well," Chris replied calmly.
I stood there for a moment, once again trying to infiltrate his mind. I sighed when I was once again met by his mental block. Brushing off his hand, I walked over to the window behind Chris. The rain had stopped and there was a full moon, filling the room with its silvery light. I looked back at Chris. His face was kind and encouraging. I closed my eyes and gave myself over to my thoughts.
This man just confessed to me that he was a vampire. And yet he doesn't drink blood, so there is no real way to make sure he isn't just some creepy old man with a biting fetish. I opened my eyes again and stared hard at the man before me. He met my gaze steadily, never breaking eye contact for a second.
"Alright then," I finally said.
"What?" Chris asked startled.
"I'll let you make me a vampire," I told him. "Just get me out of this hellhole."