Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail and its characters nor associated with its franchise. All rights reserved to Hiro Mashima, original creator and illustrator. All circumstances found in this story is fictional and all persons, places or events in this book same in real life are purely coincidence. The Vampire Tales rights reserved to K.T. Adlam, writer.

Note: "Italicized" text means flashback.


Chapter 3


"Trevor."

Juvia called out into the darkness only to hear her own voice answer.

Dried leaves and fallen twigs broke beneath Juvia's weight with crisp sound. She did not mind them. Juvia continued pursuing the dark forest. Blue orbs gathered the smallest speck of light so she could see even through the blinding darkness. She did. She saw the nakedness of the forest which would have been impossible to human eyes. Despite her efforts, Juvia couldn't find the Scarlet champion. There was no sign of the raven-haired boy either. The whiff of human blood was her only hope in finding them. She followed it.

Alas, Juvia saw movements underneath the ancient white oak. Her blue pupils widened, the vampire vision allowed her to see the figure clearly. She couldn't see his face; his back was at her. Yet, somehow she knew, even when the branches blocked the moonlight, the figure's hair was of a Scarlet color.

"Trevor." She whispered.

Juvia's heart raced upon the realization that he wasn't alone. The smell of blood grew strong as she approached the tree cautiously. The aroma of human blood confirmed her suspicion.

"Trevor!"

A surge of protectiveness hit Juvia. She could feel herself changing. The princess hurled forward; the faint and slow sound of the human's heartbeat urged her steps. She easily grabbed the Scarlet champion by the collar and threw him on the ground like he weighed nothing. Juvia was stronger and quicker compared to the losing champion.

The cruel dots widened into blue pupils. Juvia's features smoothened. The animal snarl long gone and was replaced by genuine worry. Then, she panicked.

Gray Fullbuster sat against the old oak tree, fighting for his life. He was losing so much blood and the sound of his heartbeat was quickly fading.

Juvia cautiously touched his face, afraid to break him. Warmth left Gray's body; his skin was cold as ice. The blood ran onto Gray's damp shirt. Experience taught Juvia to search for its source. She needed to find the bite-mark and put pressure on it so that the blood would stop streaming out. It proved to be a struggle. His neck was already reddened with blood.

Her fingers searched for a vein or an artery. It would be a vampire's primal instinct to target those areas to feed. Juvia felt two dents on his neck, the thin coat of blood concealed them. She put her fingers on top of the twin dots and pressed.

"Let him die."

The voice came from behind, cold as the night.

Juvia sunk her teeth into the flesh of her wrist, drawing blood. She pressed the open bite against Gray's already blue lips and felt blood sipping out of the bite. Her blood had the power to heal Gray but she needed to hurry. Her wound would heal itself and close quickly.

"I said leave him to die!"

Juvia pierced her skin again with her sharp canines and did the same ministration, feeding Gray her vampire blood. She sensed the rage coming from Trevor, white heat of pain and fury. She'd deal with him later. All she could think about now was saving the raven-haired boy.

Relief washed over Juvia when she heard Gray's heartbeat slowly gaining. When she was assured that the boy was finally safe, Juvia rose from her position and faced the culprit. She had to deal with the new vampire and try to talk sense into him.

What she saw frightened her even more; Juvia was now staring at red eyes glowing with bloodlust.

"No!"

The dream violently awakened Juvia. She was shaking, from the sheer memory, from the harsh coldness that gripped her clothed body. She found herself screaming into her silent room. The one syllable word bounced against the four walls until it finally vanished. Cold bullets of sweat trailed down her flushed skin until they dissolved into the fabric of her night clothes.

The nightmare brought with it heavy feelings. It lingered in the room, wrapping around her neck that made her struggle to breathe. In the past few months, she was slowly healing. The nightmares have tamed. The vivid memory of the night Trevor died has turned black and white, then became a blur until it was deduced to nothing but a distant memory. But seeing Gray yesterday, Juvia was back to where she started. And worse. The memory was harsher and the demons came back stronger. All her efforts in the past few months to heal herself shattered in an instant.

Juvia's heart was pounding so violently that she could feel it almost coming out her chest. She placed a quivering hand over it, trying to appease it. It was futile. Her half-vampire, half-human heart throbbed unusually. It was beating so loudly she has mistaken the sound of soft knocking on her door and missed it.

The door creaked ajar. Blonde head peeked through the small opening.

"Good, you're up." The Heartfilia daughter pushed the door open, all dressed and made-up. She entered the room without invitation. She did not need one. "You have to get ready or you'll be late for school." Lucy reminded.

The young blonde ambled toward the king-sized bed; a lone princess sat at the middle, surrounded by a sea of light blue sheet and duvet. Lucy dropped at the side of the bed wanting to say one thing and having said another.

"You don't look so well, Juvia!"

The distress in Lucy's voice rang in the princess' ears, paired with the panic that rounded Lucy's brown eyes. The hands that worriedly cupped Juvia's face lent it warmth. The princess was sweating but her porcelain skin was freezing.

The concern in Lucy's warm brown eyes ate at the princess. Juvia never wanted anyone to worry about her. Especially not Lucy. The sole survivor of the Heartfilia lineage has problems of her own and Juvia should not add to that. Juvia never wanted to be a burden. Before the worried youngster panicked for her sake, the princess took Lucy's hands in hers, removed them from her face and placed them on Lucy's lap.

"I'm fine." She lied. "Just a bad dream." Juvia faked a smile, hoping it would appease the worried youngster.

"Tell me about it." Lucy coaxed.

Juvia felt the mattress dipped when Lucy adjusted herself on the bed to face her properly.

"I'm here to listen."

Juvia wanted to tell her. She always wanted to be honest with Lucy. But something was holding her back and Juvia did not know what it was. It held her captive. Her truth was sealed by that unknown thing that held her back from opening up; leaving her no other choice but to concoct another lie.

"I don't even remember anymore. So, don't worry about it." It pained Juvia to know how easy she could lie through her teeth and to Lucy of all people.

"Well, yeah. But –"

"–We'll be late for school."

Lucy did not disagree but she wasn't convinced either. Knowing the princess all her life, she knew if something bothered Juvia. She could tell by the way the princess avoided Lucy's brown eyes and the way the former always changed the subject.

Juvia realized she was still holding her best-friend's hands. She gave it a little squeeze as an act of reassurance before she finally let it go.

"You go first. I'll come down in a second."

"Just… You know you can tell me everything, right?"

Brown eyes surrendered. She wanted to give Juvia the space she wanted but she needed her to know one thing. "I'm here, Juvia. I've been busy but you know I'm here."

Lucy gave the princess' hands a squeeze too, comforting her, assuring her. Her eyes begging Juvia to trust her. She did. Lucy was one of the few people Juvia could trust her life with. But she couldn't tell her about the nightmares. She couldn't tell anyone.

"I've been worrying everyone since the Selection."

Guilty blue eyes withdrew from the gaze; ashamed of the trouble she brought everywhere.

"That's because we care, Juvia."

Lucy's words always had a certain power to them. They comforted Juvia; easing the burden she have been feeling since the morning. For a moment she almost believed that everything was going to be alright. That everything would go back to normal. She knew it wouldn't but it helped to have some moments like that. Moments that gave her a glimmer of hope.

"I know that." She said before the urgency of the morning came to her. "Now, go or we'll be both late for school."

Lucy obeyed without protest. She left the bed, walked to the door and was about to grab the knob only to turn around to make one final resolve, "Let's talk after school, okay?" The door clicked behind her.

It surprised Juvia. So much so that she answered an agreement without thinking. When she heard the click of the door, Juvia wallowed in her own thoughts. She pulled her knees against her chest and buried her face between the space. Her jaws clenched. Her teeth gritted. Her cold fingers gripped at the duvet.

"I said leave him to die!"

It was all coming back to her now: Trevor's bloodshot eyes, his cry of pain and anguish, Gray's fainting heartbeat, Trevor's attack and… Her breath caught up in her throat. Juvia had to stop herself from remembering, remembering the awful thing that she had done.

"Can't you see? He's the only one standing in our way."

Juvia brushed away her thoughts, rubbing her open palms against her face in an effort to return the warmth to it. She threw a jaded look at her bathroom door. Waking up and getting ready in the morning have started to feel like a chore. With the little will power she had, Juvia pushed herself off the bed and dawdled to the shower.

It was the second day of school and Juvia dreaded the day before it even started.

Fiore History class was taught at the third floor of the Makarov Dreyar building, named after The Eldest. The students were scattered around the classroom, waiting for the teacher to come in. It was the second day of school and Juvia could not tell if she has adjusted to everything just yet. Everything looked normal for a classroom set-up, she thought. Juvia wasn't sure. She has never been in a classroom before with other regular students.

It wasn't long until the Fiore History teacher arrived. He was a buff man with chiseled features. From what Juvia heard, Mr. Groh was a resigned high-ranking official from the Training Center. However, from what she gathered, Mr. Bacchus Groh was actually dismissed from the service. Something to do with inappropriate behavior. Mr. Groh was certainly not a regular man since he was able to pull some strings to teach at the Academy.

Mr. Groh started to call out the names in the roll in alphabetical order. Some of the last names Juvia heard of. They were of powerful and influential families with lineage already existing even before the year Juvia was born. Most of the last names, however, did not ring a bell.

Juvia braced herself when the Fiore History teacher approached the letter F. She busied herself by thinking about something else. Anything unrelated to the raven-haired boy. Mr. Groh's weird scar on his left eyebrow got her attention. There was a thin blank line that almost divided his eyebrow into two unequal parts. There was no hair on that line. Nevertheless, the scar did him good. It gave him this certain bad boy appeal that girls seem to like. His eyes were straightforward and a little mischievous. They locked eyes for a moment before he turned to his roll and penned something on it. Juvia realized Mr. Groh just called her name for attendance. She wasn't able to answer and she had yet to introduce herself to him either. But Juvia was royalty; she needed no introduction.

Groh continued to the Rs. He mentioned a name but no one answered. He called out again to no avail.

"I guess someone lost their pants in the woods and is late for school looking for them."

Juvia rolled her eyes at his snarky comment thereafter. Implying something crude despite the fact that the man was an educator. What ill-manners! Someone from the class weighed in saying that the absent student was probably fighting a hungover. It earned a laugh from the class but not from Juvia. Mr. Groh then called for Gajeel, calling him his Highness. There was also no response.

Juvia glanced at his desk only to find it vacant. She scanned the room; no sign of the Prince of the West. He wasn't at breakfast earlier too. Gajeel was probably still in bed with some stranger. His absence, though, did not earn a snarky remark from the teacher nor did his classmates had anything to say. Perks of royalty: everyone was afraid to offend you. Deep down, Juvia knew, they all wanted to say something about it.

Bacchus Groh did not linger on Gajeel's absence and proceeded to the S. Juvia's brows were pulled in distaste when she saw the flirtatious glance the teacher in front threw at the Strauss Princess. Juvia now had an idea what the 'inappropriate behavior' was all about. When the suggestive teacher made an effort to make small talks with Mira, Juvia rolled her eyes. He reminded Juvia of a guy who slept with women with great backgrounds, royal even. A male social climber.

Mr. Groh folded his record book, placed it inside the drawer and locked it in place. Juvia had no idea why he had to. Who would want to steal a class record? The buffed teacher walked around the classroom, throwing questions at students. He asked Juvia something about the battle with the dark cult – Avatar. She wasn't in the mood to answer and apologized.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Groh–"

"–Bacchus will do, Your Highness."

"But I really have no idea."

Mr. Sunshine smiled and assured the princess it was alright if she didn't know. Even apologized for asking a silly question.

Juvia came up with a conclusion: Bacchus Groh was the type of guy who was willing to bend over to please. Juvia knew what he wanted, to gain some influence by association. Exactly the reason he was able to get a teaching job from the Academy despite that smudge in his record. She glanced at Mira who was now answering the teacher's question. Mirajane was smiling but Juvia could tell the Strauss Princess wasn't interested at all. Neither was she. Juvia lost interest in her teacher's lecture the moment he entered the room in tight garments. Probably wanting to show off his muscles. They weren't impressive.

Mr. Groh continued his lecture, now talking about the misguided goals of Avatar. Bored blue eyes wandered around the room yet avoiding a certain spot. There was only one reason why – Gray Fullbuster.

Juvia ought to hit herself. She knew well what effect Gray had on her. Just the thought of him sent her down a depressing spiral. But like a moth to a flame, Juvia was drawn to him.

Blue guarded eyes, now wild with curiosity, landed on a raven-haired boy sitting three to four desks away from her. Juvia lowered her head, not wanting to reveal herself. She stole a glance at Gray then returned to the blank page on her notebook. She felt a throbbing in her chest and her grip on her pen tightened. The dark feeling was at it again, pressing her down the chair, holding her captive. But there was another feeling buried beneath all the darkness – a glint of longing. Juvia could not understand. He was bad for her. Gray drew out the demons the princess struggled to suppress. Instead of avoiding him, however, she felt a sudden need to see him again. Juvia obliged. She casted another glance at Gray; this time her deep blue eyes lingered.

Gray hasn't changed much. His hair was almost the same length as it was during the Selection. His chiseled features have become more prominent like he lost weight. Gray was listening attentively or so it appears. His brows were knitted, meeting at the center. His midnight eyes were trained ahead.

Then suddenly, Juvia was staring at those endless midnight eyes and they were staring at her too. Juvia quickly called Lucy who was sitting next to her and pretended to ask something about the lesson. The truth was she was embarrassed when Gray caught her gaze. At her peripheral vision she saw Gray returning to just staring up ahead. Juvia let out a relieved sigh but her heart was pounding harder than usual. A peek of that confusing feeling broke into the surface of the endless darkness. It was enthralling.

Half-way through the lecture on Fiore, Juvia felt a change in the atmosphere. She had a sudden bad feeling. Something was not right. Juvia picked the desk next to the wide window that afforded view of the entrance to the Rosewoods. The quadrangle that time of the day was deserted. Classes just started and the administrators of the Academy were strict about cutting classes. That day, Juvia saw something or someone coming out of Rosewoods – people, about four or five of them. Juvia could not see who the men were but they looked like they were in a rush and were headed towards the right wing of the building. It looked like they were carrying something too. Juvia's full attention was focused on that something the boys were carrying and she almost jumped when she realized what it was, a human girl. Upon the realization, every detail became clear. The girl's shirt was drenched in brown and dark red. She recognized the latter, it was blood. Around the girl's collar, seething through the fabric was blood. Juvia could never mistake it.

No one else noticed the commotion at the quadrangle besides Juvia. Until, a male student popped at the door. He looked like he sprinted from the first floor to here, struggling to relay his message and catching his breath. Whatever he wanted to say seemed urgent.

"Mr. Groh! They… found a body… in the woods!" he announced, huffing and puffing in between the words. "She's from your class." He blurted out.

Juvia saw the color washed away from her Fiore teacher. The information terrified Juvia. Could it be the absent girl from this class?

Bacchus Groh raced the distance from the third down the first floor, his steps urgent, leaving behind the class in chaos. The current lecture was completely abandoned. All the students sprinted after Groh; so did Knight and Mira. Something about this felt bad, like a looming storm was about to hit the town.

"Juvia, let's go." Mira called, abruptly pulling Juvia back to the current situation.

With vampire speed, the royals arrived at the scene in no time. They rolled in just in time to see the group that carried the motionless girl burst through the door and hurried into the building. They were loudly arguing which direction to take, panicking, and not thinking straight. But Juvia could hear the sound of a faint heartbeat and labored breathing. The girl was still alive! But not for long if the boys could not make up their minds.

"Take her to the infirmary."

The stern and definitive voice came from the red-haired girl who just arrived with Mr. Name and the rest of the class. She showed no sign of panic or distress. No emotion at all.

The rescue party followed her without objections and carried the attacked girl towards where Juvia assumed led to the infirmary. Up close the situation looked even more terrifying. The girl's garments were still on but it was drenched with a mix of dark red and brown. Her expert blue eyes searched for something and her suspicions were confirmed when she recognized the two cruel dots on the side of her neck. The thought was even more terrifying. The girl was attacked by a vampire!

Mr. Groh tried to hold back the curious crowd and let the rescue party on their way. Camera phones started clicking and flashing. In a loud and angered voice, he scolded the students: warned them to keep their phones away and threatened to confiscate all of them. His face was all red and his veins came in prominence.

Erza knifed through the crowd, her authority parting the nosy crowd into two. The murmuring students let her and stood on the side as the Student President made her way down the stairs. Her face was unreadable or rather it was blank. There was no expression on Erza's face but just pure authority.

A young blonde walked beside the Student Council President. The two followed the trail the rescue party took. A few male students rounded the close-knit pack.

When the attacked girl was out of sight, murmurs erupted. Students were both surprised and freaked out after the fact. Juvia thought they ought to feel guilty about their remarks earlier. But people did not like admitting to their mistakes. Instead, they rationalize their faulty actions.

The students whispered their concerns, more for their safety rather than for the well-being of the attacked girl. However, in a din of troubled voices, one thought caught the princess attention. She tried to filter the conversations passing through her ears to focus on one voice.

"This is the first time something like this ever happened!"


Writer's Corner: Merry Christmas you amazing, amazing people. Especially, to my #Gruvia Family. Uploaded this today so you see a glimpse of Gruvia on Christmas.

We're already beginning the first phase of this story by introducing the attack on that girl. Not sure if I can pull off this vampire attack action but I swear to stick to it. Also, one review asked about the sudden change in TVT. I'd like to explain it here. This version of TVT: Book I The First Sire is the official first book in the series. The first one I have written I have renamed to The Vampire Tales: Prequel. In short, the events in the Prequel are events that took place prior to this story. I'll put flashbacks in here which took place in the prequel. Please look forward to it. I'll go to back and finish TVT: Prequel once I research and learn more about writing action scenes.

I hope that clears up the confusion. Again, TVT: Prequel, the one I wrote first took place prior to this story: TVT: The First Sire.

Once again, Merry Merry Christmas everyone and I hope you enjoyed glance-stealing Juvia. Hehe.