Classes passed by slowly that Monday morning, and after almost falling asleep through all of them, I hurried to the pub at about 2:00. It's always been pretty slow there, until 7:00… That's when things got difficult.

"C'mon Bella, let's get some service over here!" Some of the regulars called from across the bar.

I hated being called Bella… But when here, no one cared about what you wanted. The bartender and my boss gave me a look, and I quickly walked over to where they sat. The smell of smoke filled the contaminated air, and distasteful music gave the place an even worse atmosphere, almost as detestable as the people who came here.

"Can I help you?" I asked the three men sitting lazily with slumped posture.

"Hell yeah you can." The oldest of them bellowed, and all joined in the laughter.

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes and walk away by holding my tongue and waited for them to speak sensibly, if that was possible.

After telling a few more sexual harassment jokes and getting all the humor out of their systems, they realized that getting some booze was of more importance now then messing with me. They slurred out their orders, and I walked off to retrieve their drinks.

It was a typical night here… You had to be tough to handle all the drunks and bastards, and also patient enough not to tear out your hair or their faces, but worst of all… You had to be humble to keep your job.

That night dragged on at a lethally lethargic pace, but at last there was only five minutes until I could leave this god-forsaken place. Suddenly I felt something touching my butt… and I slowly turned and saw some old pervert groping me in public: and that was it.

If it hadn't been such a long and terrible night, I might have been able to overlook this… but not tonight. Unleashing all my frustration at life, I punched the drunken guy straight in the nose, sending him tumbling backwards in his chair.

Of course I was fired after that, and walked home in a huff with my knuckles stinging.

I stormed into the house, knocking Mom out of her usual hypnotic concentration in vain as I practically ran to my room. Then I did what I always did when my emotions were about to explode: I wrote.

I wrote of rage, all people I couldn't stand, my life in ruins changed forever, I wrote of sorrow and loss, the pain I had no one to express it to. I was… very alone.

After writing all of it down, I laid down exhausted. Maybe I did need a break from work anyway, to settle down and discover my place here. I heard a light knock at my door that broke my thoughtful trance.

"Come in…" I mumbled, not bothering looking up as she walked in.

"Are you alright dear?" She asked, sitting down on the small green bed where I lied.

"I just… got fired." I sighed, staring at the ceiling.

After a few silent moments, she grabbed my hand and squeezed it. "You need some exploration! To see the wonder of the land, and all it offers. Here, take this." She said, and handed me a folded piece of paper she got from her pockets.

"What is this..?" I asked looking over it.

"Your past and your land… Your home now." She smiled and walked away, as if having another idea for her next story.

I unfolded the paper quizzically and gasped at what I saw.

It was a map… A small one, but it was filled with writing and circling, like it was used a thousand times before.

At the top it listed the names of MacRory's before me, whom I had never known. The latest name was my Mom's… Isla MacRory. Over the years, more sites were added, like creeks, hidden waterfalls, and ancient buildings. It was… amazing. One site that especially perked my interest was an old graveyard nearby that was written in by one of the first names on top.

I had always loved cemeteries because of the pure character and history they had, and I had never seen a really old one before since the ones I'd visited never predated the 1900's. That's when I decided that I would go take a look tomorrow after my classes.

Before I closed the map, I noticed a small note in the lower left hand corner that had the same handwriting as the first name written at the top… and it read, "Beware of Vampires."

"Vampires?" I asked myself puzzled. Then I folded up the map and placed it carefully in my nightstand.

Maybe I'm just stuck in a family of crazy people…