Part 2
Juliana sat up in bed, screaming, sweat pouring down her face. She blinked in the darkness and shut off the screams abruptly.
~Only a dream~ she told herself, ~ only a dream.~
She took several deep breaths calming herself down. She reached out and pulled some tissues from a box on the bedside table, using them to wipe the sweat from her face. She wasn't lost in the woods. She was safe. Sae in a new town called Elm Creek, somewhere in the USA, in the middle of nowhere, where surely he'd never find her.
Juliana yawned, but she wasn't really tired anymore. She was hungry. But not for a quick snack in the middle of the night like cookies and milk. ~Cookies are no good. Not what I need.~
She got out of bed and headed into the kitchen without bothering to turn on the light as she could see perfectly in the dark anyway. In such a small town if she slipped out and made a quick kill, then someone would notice and start asking questions.
~No~ she scolded herself. ~No. You do not kill. No matter how much you want to you'll never kill again. You'll have to learn to control yourself. Remember what happened the last time.~
Juliana shuddered, pushing away the memories that were trying to emerge. No. She wasn't that monster anymore. She would never be that monster again. The consequences had been fatal.
She slipped on a pair of sandals and headed out into the back yard. Animals were okay. She could feed on them. If humans used them for food why couldn't she? She picked up a wild hare that had wandered into her yard. She could hear other night animals scurrying about, smell them, and the smell of this one was making the hunger inside her stronger.
Her canines lengthened to long, delicate curving points, which she used to pierce the base of the hare's throat. The hot blood gushed into her mouth, filling her with warmth and a tingling sensation. It would satisfy her for now.
She wouldn't let the need get out of control again.
When the hare was drained of blood she dropped the corpse into the metal trash can by the back door.
For a while Juliana stayed outside, gazing at the beauty of the night, all the more wonderful with her night vision. The sky was shimmering with several shades of blue, sprinkled with a million tiny pinpricks of stars, gleaming with moon, bathing the world in a mysterious white glow.
Juliana loved the night. It was in her nature, in her blood. The one part of her she wouldn't deny. For Juliana did truly belong to the night, as a vampire. She was also a master of witchcraft, learning the talent for centuries. One aspect of her witchcraft she wasn't so sure about were the visions. Her premonitions. Past and future events. A blessing or a curse, she never knew, particularly when she saw things she didn't want to see.
But who would suspect there was a vampire in the middle of nowhere. It may be secluded, but it was a nice town, buildings both old and modern. As for the people...she would find out what they were like tomorrow when she started school in the morning.
Juliana was originally from Ancient Rome, and had lived for over two thousand years. She was used to changing and adapting when the world around her developed. She had lived in lots of different countries and knew lots of languages.
She was also very good with computers. Every two hundred years or so, she changed her looks and her name, staying carefully hidden. But as the 21st century developed and technology became a major part of life, Juliana had learned to create "pasts" for herself on file, dodging the human authorities.
She was ready for a new life now. She had accepted her nature, eventually, and lived a full life during both the night and day, as the sun held no boundaries for her, not completely evil, but exactly Miss Perfect.
It was the beginning of the nineteenth century when he had first appeared. At the memory she shivered the warm feeling the blood had given her turning cold. She went inside.
She had lived in Italy at the time with her present lover, an Italian vampire by the name of Antonio. He had adored her, as she had him. She had been very much in love with him, her lust and desire bordering almost on obsession. But that had not mattered as his feelings for her had been the same.
And then *he* had appeared. The Hunter with the ice cold blue eyes.
He had murdered Antonio in front of her, and from that moment on, her life had become a walking nightmare.
He had pursued her all over the world. No matter where she tried to hide, he always found her. She never saw his face, just his eyes. She shuddered. The idea of settling down here was blending in amongst the human regulars he wouldn't find her. The area was so small, practically non-existent.
She glanced at her reflection in the mirror whilst heading back to bed. Her hair was golden blonde, rippling softly down her back, her eyes were a sparkling emerald green. She had porcelain pure skin, high cheekbones and a full red mouth with a stunning smile, revealing perfect white teeth. This was how she had looked before she had changed.
He shouldn't recognise her at all now. The last time he had seen her, her hair had been short and black, her skin slightly darker. A Glamour spell had helped her out with a new look. Her name back then had been Cynthia.
A new look, a new name, a new place, and a new laugh.
~He won't find you~ Juliana told herself. ~He won't~
She kept repeating this to herself as she fell into a dreamless sleep.
* * *
Juliana sat up in bed, screaming, sweat pouring down her face. She blinked in the darkness and shut off the screams abruptly.
~Only a dream~ she told herself, ~ only a dream.~
She took several deep breaths calming herself down. She reached out and pulled some tissues from a box on the bedside table, using them to wipe the sweat from her face. She wasn't lost in the woods. She was safe. Sae in a new town called Elm Creek, somewhere in the USA, in the middle of nowhere, where surely he'd never find her.
Juliana yawned, but she wasn't really tired anymore. She was hungry. But not for a quick snack in the middle of the night like cookies and milk. ~Cookies are no good. Not what I need.~
She got out of bed and headed into the kitchen without bothering to turn on the light as she could see perfectly in the dark anyway. In such a small town if she slipped out and made a quick kill, then someone would notice and start asking questions.
~No~ she scolded herself. ~No. You do not kill. No matter how much you want to you'll never kill again. You'll have to learn to control yourself. Remember what happened the last time.~
Juliana shuddered, pushing away the memories that were trying to emerge. No. She wasn't that monster anymore. She would never be that monster again. The consequences had been fatal.
She slipped on a pair of sandals and headed out into the back yard. Animals were okay. She could feed on them. If humans used them for food why couldn't she? She picked up a wild hare that had wandered into her yard. She could hear other night animals scurrying about, smell them, and the smell of this one was making the hunger inside her stronger.
Her canines lengthened to long, delicate curving points, which she used to pierce the base of the hare's throat. The hot blood gushed into her mouth, filling her with warmth and a tingling sensation. It would satisfy her for now.
She wouldn't let the need get out of control again.
When the hare was drained of blood she dropped the corpse into the metal trash can by the back door.
For a while Juliana stayed outside, gazing at the beauty of the night, all the more wonderful with her night vision. The sky was shimmering with several shades of blue, sprinkled with a million tiny pinpricks of stars, gleaming with moon, bathing the world in a mysterious white glow.
Juliana loved the night. It was in her nature, in her blood. The one part of her she wouldn't deny. For Juliana did truly belong to the night, as a vampire. She was also a master of witchcraft, learning the talent for centuries. One aspect of her witchcraft she wasn't so sure about were the visions. Her premonitions. Past and future events. A blessing or a curse, she never knew, particularly when she saw things she didn't want to see.
But who would suspect there was a vampire in the middle of nowhere. It may be secluded, but it was a nice town, buildings both old and modern. As for the people...she would find out what they were like tomorrow when she started school in the morning.
Juliana was originally from Ancient Rome, and had lived for over two thousand years. She was used to changing and adapting when the world around her developed. She had lived in lots of different countries and knew lots of languages.
She was also very good with computers. Every two hundred years or so, she changed her looks and her name, staying carefully hidden. But as the 21st century developed and technology became a major part of life, Juliana had learned to create "pasts" for herself on file, dodging the human authorities.
She was ready for a new life now. She had accepted her nature, eventually, and lived a full life during both the night and day, as the sun held no boundaries for her, not completely evil, but exactly Miss Perfect.
It was the beginning of the nineteenth century when he had first appeared. At the memory she shivered the warm feeling the blood had given her turning cold. She went inside.
She had lived in Italy at the time with her present lover, an Italian vampire by the name of Antonio. He had adored her, as she had him. She had been very much in love with him, her lust and desire bordering almost on obsession. But that had not mattered as his feelings for her had been the same.
And then *he* had appeared. The Hunter with the ice cold blue eyes.
He had murdered Antonio in front of her, and from that moment on, her life had become a walking nightmare.
He had pursued her all over the world. No matter where she tried to hide, he always found her. She never saw his face, just his eyes. She shuddered. The idea of settling down here was blending in amongst the human regulars he wouldn't find her. The area was so small, practically non-existent.
She glanced at her reflection in the mirror whilst heading back to bed. Her hair was golden blonde, rippling softly down her back, her eyes were a sparkling emerald green. She had porcelain pure skin, high cheekbones and a full red mouth with a stunning smile, revealing perfect white teeth. This was how she had looked before she had changed.
He shouldn't recognise her at all now. The last time he had seen her, her hair had been short and black, her skin slightly darker. A Glamour spell had helped her out with a new look. Her name back then had been Cynthia.
A new look, a new name, a new place, and a new laugh.
~He won't find you~ Juliana told herself. ~He won't~
She kept repeating this to herself as she fell into a dreamless sleep.
* * *