Rural Ireland, 2023:
My flight came into Dublin that afternoon from Gatwick, London. From there I took a train, first through the city and then out into the countryside, where I had to grab a bus. Luckily for me, I was probably the only vampire who could travel in broad daylight. The journey on the whole took roughly five hours, with lots of waiting in-between. The bus was empty by the time it reached my stop; just a little bus sign out in the middle of mountainy, rural Ireland. I waved as the bus driver took off, leaving me there all on my own. With nothing but a backpack and tote bag, I then made my way down the road into the mountains. The trees were getting taller; the forest was getting thicker. From the moment I set foot in the greenery I knew there were werewolves here.
Slane Castle wasn't that far of a way from the road. Ok, well yes it was; it took me two hours by foot to get there. But I understood why they didn't have any direct roads leading to the castle. This castle was one of the only castles in Ireland to be owned by a vampire organization. Everything else, including the surrounding woods, belonged to the wolf clans spread across the county. Humans- and werewolves- were NOT welcomed at Slane Castle, for obvious reasons. It was the only resort in the world I could find catering to vampires in need of rest and help. A vampire went to Slane Castle if they wanted a holiday without temptation, or to be cured like me.
I'd called their reception from London a couple of days ago so they knew I was coming, or at least I hope they did. When I first saw the castle from a distance I was struck by how beautiful and ancient it was. What a gorgeous place! We vampires were so lucky we had somewhere like this we could stay at. It took me another half an hour to walk down there. By the time I was on the main walkway in, I had to stop for a moment. God, it's moment like this when I wish I had vampire-like speed. Oh well. After a minute of resting, I popped an electrolyte tablet and checked my vitals. Everything was a-ok. "Ok, good! This is going good so far." With that, I tossed my backpack over my shoulder and headed on inside the castle. It was a mix between Hogwarts from Harry Potter and Kilkenny Castle, if you've ever been there. The place was massive and had massive grounds both inside and out. The front and sides of the castle had large, well-cultivated lawns. Out back was a breath-taking view of the mountains and stream, with a bunch of pools and other amenities. I already loved it very much.
The inside was just as spectacular and ancient. It had this must to it; this smell that all medieval castles had. Just imagine what the inside of Hogwarts smelt like. The reception hall was this giant room at the end of the front walkway, which wasn't that long. The reception desk was huge, tall, and brown, stretching at least twenty feet in length. Heh, speaking of Harry Potter, the reception was the perfect amalgamation of Filch and the chief goblin from Gringotts. Preoccupied with his writing, he paused to scowl up at me like I was interrupting very important work. Taken back by this a bit, I still decided to put on a friendly front and smile; something which did not amuse him.
"Hi there. I'm Bella Swan; I've got a reservation for 2 July." The old grumpy vampire hissed before thumbing through his old-school reservation book. No computers in this place; I'm surprised they have a phone. Scanning the hand-written list with his bony finger, it paused at my name. "Nugh, Miss Swan, was it? Are you for the vegetarian diet?" "Uh, no. I'm….. I'm doing the fasting cure," my grin fell a little. It was embarrassing talking about it and look of distain on his face didn't boost my confidence. He scowled again, glaring at me like I was a disgrace to the vampire race.
"The fasting cure? I take it then that you can only drink human blood?" "Um, y-yes sir. B-But I haven't drunken any since London! I drank a full ten bags before I left for Gatwick. No, I….. I haven't had any blood since I've arrived in Ireland," I don't know why I felt the need to tell him all this; it certainly wasn't any of his business. Maybe it's because there's a stigma for vampires fasting- especially those like me- and I wanted to justify myself. I had a "human" body in all but aging, but the downside to that is I can only consume human blood. The vegetarian diet won't work for me; it's like other vampires eating regular food. It's either human blood for me or nothing….. And I've chosen nothing. That doesn't mean I plan to starve myself! It's just a fast where I don't want to drink blood for as long as possible. I hope to ween myself off my thirst with it, but perhaps that's too hopeful. Either way, I was just sick of drinking human blood and wanted a change…
I needed a change.
The cranky vampire picked up his quill- yes, he actually wrote with a quill- and twirled it in his fingers. "Now, let's see. Miss Bella Swan. Place of birth?" "Phoenix, Arizona." "Age?" "A hundred and eighteen," I was turned in 1922, the same year the Great Gatsby was set. The vampire who turned me was long gone by now, but I didn't like to talk about that. I still missed him greatly, the man who adopted me after transforming me into a vampire… He wanted a daughter and I….. I stupidly wanted immortality. At least I kept my flapper body frame all these years, even if the flat, washboard look did go out of style after WWII.
The man kept scribbling, periodically glancing up to me from time to time. There was a hint of curiosity in his glower now- just a hint. "I've never met a "human" vampire before." "Uh, yeah. I guess we're kinda rare," I blushed, rubbing the back of my head awkwardly. Being "human" meant that I could still break bones, get sick, need sleep, need exercise, not sparkle in the sun, and all that. That was supposed to be my vampire "gift", though I'd call it more of a curse. The only thing that made me technically a vampire was my immorality and ability to only digest blood. I figured it out though; it wasn't the blood so much I needed but the nutrients from the blood, which is why I started taking supplements again. It's not the same as drinking actual blood, just like it's not the same as eating actual food for humans, but it was better than nothing. Thank god my body could digest them.
After the vampire finished the sentence he was writing, he set down his quill and folded his hands together out in front of him on his desk. "Well, welcome to Slane Castle, Miss Swan. I'd say it's a pleasure to have you, but I'd be lying. You are the only vampire here doing a fasting cure; all the others are on the vegetarian programme. You are free to stay until the end of your fast, how ever many months or years that may be. I think it'll be no surprise to you that you are the only "human" here, or in the whole of Ireland I'd dare say. As such, you'll need to exercise precaution since you might tempt the other residents." "I understand, sir," I nodded my head compliantly. He waited a moment before continuing on with the lecture.
"You'll be put under the guardianship of one of our tenant vampires. He'll oversee your fast and monitor your wellbeing during your stay at the castle. Remember, Miss Swan, he's in charge; if he says you have to end the fast, you have to end the fast. Is that clear?" "Yes sir," I nodded again, a little slower this time. Guardian? No one said anything about having a guardian while I was here. Oh well, I suppose it's just standard routine. Felt a little restricting though, and if I thought that was restricting, it was about to get worse. "And it'll be no surprise for you to hear that the forest beyond our grounds is strictly out of bounds for any vampire on the property. You are not to enter the forest without written permission and your guardian's consent. Is that understood?" "Yes, sir, absolutely." "Mmmmmm, good. Last thing this place needs is another vampire death by one of those mangy wolves." Wait, what?! The werewolves I sensed back in the forest have actually killed vampires here before? I guess that shouldn't surprise me, but it was a little alarming to hear. And to think, I just walked through that forest all on my own too…. Maybe I don't smell like a vampire to them because of my "human" body? Heh, other vampires sure thought I smelt human enough.
The receptionist handed me a very old, brass key. I bet it was the same key used when they first built this place; I couldn't help but smile. "This is the key to your room. You'll be staying in the East Wing, room sixty-five on the top floor. That floor is empty except for your guardian's room. You must check in with your guardian once a day so the hotel can ensure you're still…" He paused here. My hand gripped the key unconsciously as my lips trembled a little. "Alive?" I completed his sentence for him. He eyed me momentarily and slowly nodded his head. Then his lips pursed for a second. "Look here, girl. I know you're technically a vampire but to the rest of us, you're as good as a human. An ageless human, granted, but one with warm blood pulsing through her veins." "Sir…" My mouth parted a tad in horror. His eyes sharpened onto mine. "If you want to survive, you'd better watch yourself. The other residents here are not your friends; you're still food to them and they're on a diet too. You're walking temptation, and you'd do good to remember that." He said this and my heart skipped a beat. He's right… I know he's right. I've done my best to avoid other vampires since Charlie died. Now I'll be living with a sea of them, and not just any vampires: vampires trying not to drink human blood like myself. I would tempt them being here, but it would be alright, wouldn't it? This place was meant to help vampires, after all. They must not want to drink human blood if they're staying here; why else would they come to the middle of nowhere in Ireland? That alone gave me some security, didn't it? Didn't it…? My train of thought was loudly interrupted by the receptionist plunking his registration book down on the desk in front of me and holding out a pen for me to take. His eyes- nay, his whole expression- were dark and grizzly again, glaring daggers my way.
"Sign the register."