Eona leaned over an untouched cup of coffee, holding her head up with one arm propped up staring off into nothing.

"You look like hell." Jake sipped a glass of orange juice, noticing she had not changed her clothes from last night.

They had gone to the bar together, after Lady Carmilla and Kira had disappeared there was little interest in waiting around. A local bar near 14th to 28th Streets was just where they headed. Jake had hoped his friend would find a warm body for the night, someone to take her mind off Kira and her aunt's extra curricular activities, but she was no in the mood to play fuckboy. They drank, but neither got drunk and with no interest in exploring the nightlife, they returned to the hotel, having a few more drinks in the bar before calling it a night.

Jake and Eona returned to the penthouse, finding they were not the first ones to return. They were certainly the quietest.

Eona shot a glare, just as Kira entered the kitchen. She walked, her steps careful and short when going to the fridge. When opening the fridge Jake shook the opened OJ and set it next to a clean glass. Kira looked to her friend, then to Eona who turned in her bar stool away, taking her cold coffee and moving to the couch. Silently Kira and Jake exchanged looks.

"Long night." Jake said as Kira poured her OJ.

She began to take a sip, "Couldn't sleep what with the choir next door."

Kira spat out her drink, Eona smirked and chuckled silently, taking a sip of her coffee. Turning bright red Kira coughed clearing her throat, "S-sorry..." She said sheepishly, "I didn't know we were being that loud."

"Based on what we heard, I don't think you cared." Jake huffed in amusement, hopping on the counter just as his toast popped out of the toaster.

Once the others had risen and dressed, they awaited their security team to call in. With the facility of the former United Nations being across the street a vehicle was unnecessary, but it did not stop the Imperial Guard from making the block the most secure area in all the world. To the Empress this was unnecessary and eccentric, few could stand against her, none of them were human. She chuckled to herself at that thought: Kira could resist her, but not very well.

This meeting of human representatives was nothing more than a formality, a publicity stunt to quell some of the civil unrest that continued since the war's end. It gave them a false sense of representation, of hope that their feeble voices would be heard. Humanity has become second-class citizens because of their own arrogance, believing they were superior; their arrogance, greed and pride destroying the world around them. Vampires maybe monsters, but only humans are capable of becoming demons. The immortal's declaration of war was to take the future of this world from their mortal counterparts. To save it and themselves before humanity doomed them all.

Looking at the streets below, Kira saw the crowds allowed to gather and protest the vampire's presence, their rule; the Empress's rule. Her sanctions and limitations of human movement and freedoms. Their legalization to be enslaved by their vampire overlords, to be drained and killed for 'unreasonable' defiance. Their rights stripped from them, their freedoms limited by laws and yet they were still freer. They could still travel, could still leave the county, love who they wanted, get the jobs they wanted. Kira's eyes shut as she let out a quiet exhale.

Humanity lost much during the war; children become adults at tender ages, mothers and fathers outlived their children. Brothers and sisters lost their other halves, forced to wonder the new world with half their heart six feet under and the other half a broken shell of its former self. The humans here, today, hold onto the old ways, the old system of government where one could protest for change and it could very well happen, demanding social equality, justice. Pretty, empty, words now; there was only one rule, one law: Empress Carmilla Tepes.

I wish I could be like them. Kira thought. To have hopes and dreams for a better life, to have an actual chance at a future of my own choosing. She clenched the steel guardrail. I wish I had a choice. To choose to work, to choose where she could live, to travel and see the world to connect with humans, to help them and love? Love was not something she held interest in, something she knew anything about. Physical attraction, sexual desire, that was not love, it was lust and that she certainly knew and enjoyed greatly.

Kira's thoughts returned to the faint voices far below, their cadences and rally cries. She listened to them call for the chance of the abolition of slavery, of the degradation and discrimination of humans. In their hearts, no doubt, they called for the death of the vampire. Why do they bother protesting? Do they think they can really change something? It made no sense to her, to waste their time, their freedom, their lives knowing nothing will change. Maybe she could have understood them if her life had turned out different, if they had never been found in the woods that night. What would they say if they saw me now? She thought, tugging at the scarlet scarf around her neck. A pained smiled was cracked. They'd probably be disappointed in me, dad always taught us to fight; death was better than chains. She turned away, heading inside to put on her clothes for the day.

Kira entered the elevator with Eona, and Jake, the Empress would go down later, the idea was to paint a smaller a target on the back of the Imperial Family and guests. For Kira herself, the only human among them, it was safer to be distanced from the Empress, though she could easily protect the human, the chances of her being caught by an attack were significantly less when beside two gifted immortals. Though she would not admit this Kira was happy to be with them, to be with her friends again. She felt like she was a kid again, innocent, ignorant, that she had forgotten how horrible and unfair the world could be.

Entering the lobby, a small team of Imperial guards dressed in black and forest green suits stood between them and the door. Wolfgang was beside the elevator, following at Eona's side when they entered the lobby. He was an older-appearing man, still youthful in his immortal physic; he had thick, short military-cut hair, his suit slightly differed than those beneath his command. Though a thinner man, he did not appear skinny as a body fit for a swimmer.

The Commander of the Guard began as they walked towards the doors, "It is my advise that you drop the dead weight."

"Deadweight can hear, you know." Kira rolled her eyes.

Wolfgang it not give her a passing glance, "And speak out of turn."

Huffing with amusement, "I see you haven't changed a bit."

Eona and Jake smiled.

The Pureblood vampire looked back at Kira, "You have." Was all he said before turning back towards the door and continuing his conversation with Eona, "It would be in our best interest..."

Kira tuned out what Wolfgang was saying, stopping just short of the lobby door. Jake noticed and stayed behind with her. He called her name, but she did not hear him, she stared off at the doors, the people's voices. They chanted against their treatment, against their enslavement, against the domination of monsters over them. Kira heard their voices, she heard the cries of a city burning. The screams of people as the vampire descended in the night, slaughtering any and all in their path, feeding without care as to age, gender, or race. She remembered them running, pulled then lifted into their parent's arms as they ran to cover. The Red Night, the declaration of war and humanity's apocalypse.

She remembered watching the vampires march, their armies storming the city; she remembered watching them cloaked in whites and blacks not a drop of red touching. They were beautiful, like statues she saw in books at school, their crimson eyes mesmerizing; Kira remembered watching, listening to the vampire's words. No others seem to listen, but she spoke anyway, her eyes locking onto the human child as though she was looking at her and only her.

"Attention foolish humanity! We vampires have come to take back our world and save it from you! Resistance is futile." Kira watched her without understanding her words, without understanding why, but she did understand after The Red Night what death was.

Kira's parents turned the corner, but not before the human saw their leader, one who remained unchanged for years to come. Remembering her clear as day, choosing ignorance, she remembered her crimson eyes, the elegant, golden, pauldrons she wore and her long, silver, locks pulled up into a ponytail. Years later, Kira was able to put a name to that face.

"Kira!" Jake began to shake her gently, coming between her and the lobby doors, "Hey, what's wrong?"

"I-" She shuddered as Eona turned around and back stepped, "I'm okay-just...I don't like big crowds."

Eona listened to the woman's racing heartbeat, the shaking she hid behind her back and staggered breath. Something was certainly making her nervous, but he vampire doubted it was a crowd. Kira took a deep breath in. Stepping out, Jake and Kira flanked Eona, the Pureblood Princess remained in the center. The hotel was surrounded by protestors, humans and ex-humans, those turned aggressively and against their will who sided with their former kin.

Screaming and chanting, Kira clenched her fists, her nails digging into her palms, anything to distract her. Shut up. She clenched her jaw tight, fighting from being pulled back into the first night. They were loud, they were aggravating, screaming, yelling, all for what? What did they think they could accomplish? The vampire would not listen to them, they would not bother listen to livestock. Shut up!

"End-to-the-Empire!"

They chanted behind the barriers and guards, yelling profanities and threats. One broke through the barrier, grabbing Kira, pulling her into him. He looked at her eyes, seeing their sky blue was nothing like the crimson of the immortal.

"She's human!" One yelled

"Traitor!" The human held Kira tightly-grabbed by the throat by Eona, Jake grabbed his wrist, freezing it by the touch.

Guards came in and took him away, Eona gently placed her hand on the small of Kira's back to comfort and ease her forward. Kira looked at the crowd, at their anger and frustration, trying to understand them, understand her own people and when she found she could not, that frightened her more than any threat to her life. She was forgetting what it meant to be human.

Kira stared down the street, one stood out in the mob. He was without word, without anger and frustration, he stared at Kira, with something else something...curious.

"Hey." Eona leaned over, "I've got you."

The vampiress rubbed the woman's back some, "Its, okay I won't let anyone hurt you."

Kira turned away from the man, looking to Eona. Rather than the kid, the teenager she knew, Kira saw only the Eona in front of her. A confidante, responsible, adult strong enough to make the words she said have truth and meaningness. It was different than when they were younger, Eona was no longer girly, not rebellious or complacent. It seemed they had switched roles. Kira eased closer to Eona, feeling comfortable, feeling safe, like she could even let her guard down again. Don't. She told herself. Don't forget ever again. I'm not like them, I'm human.

What did it even mean to be human anymore? Has living with vampires, living with the very one who initiated humanity's downfall somehow converted her to being more like them than human? Was being human physically all she could claim to be now? How long until even that eroded away? How long until these symptoms could not be suppressed, could not be hidden? Was she going to become one of them? Was she going to die? Maybe that would have been better, maybe...it would have even been better if she had never been born.

Inside the former headquarters if the United Nations, what was the symbol of diversity, change, and equality had been changed to almost a monument of humanity and the supremacy of the immortal. Humans from all around the globe, representatives, diplomates each here to convey their 'requests' and concerns in false hope of appeasing the Empress and obtaining back a small fraction of what was lost, what had been taken. If only on paper. Kira stayed close to Eona who conversed with a few dignitaries whom she had known and met in her time abroad.

Listening to the vampire, Kira realized that what Eona had said about studying abroad had been true after all. She was very formal, her higher-educated speech and words were ones even Kira did not quite understand. Discussing climate change, economic policies, conflict analysis Eona was extremely familiar with many details of current international events. Kira herself only knew of recent events, but the other woman was familiar with details and dates that seemed to lead up to the current news. She was impressed with Eona and with that, felt slightly guilty in her previous biased against her as using studying as her excuse to leave. Of course she had to leave, she was the Princess, an important political figure and leader in vampire society, one who did not care to play the Game and held no fear in being a social outcast. She had complete confidence in her reasoning and power-it must have been nice to be born into such a position in society, but also a dreadful curse. Kira could not imagine having that kind of responsibility.

She felt out of place, self-conscious when listening and adding nothing, to be a trophy to parade around. Maybe that was not how Eona and Jake saw it or even Carmilla, but it did not help to make that feeling in the pit of her stomach go away. Come on, you're here to learn. To play the Game better for yourself and to be useful. Kira would smack herself silly if she were not in public. This was not the time to wallow in self-pity, to be self-conscious, she had a purpose if not for Carmilla, then herself. This was how she had survived this long, listening and using what she heard to live another day, to win the battle and see the sunrise again.

Leaving the safety of Eona's side, Kira did what she knew best-she became invisible. As a human in a vampire's world there were times when being seen through, being ignored and underestimated was one's greatest asset. Here with humans and vampires together, she became just another face in the crowd; when in Rome do as the Romans. Sticking to the side of the room Kira kept to a small crowd of people, appearing as though she were apart of them, she looked around to watch and listen. She knew to not draw attention to herself, to not stand out and to hide in the shadows.

The crowds moved closer to the main assembly hall, the whisper's of the Empress's arrival becoming the center of much anticipation. Kira opened her phone, shooting a few messages to Eona and Carmilla, informing them of her wellness and not to worry. She eavesdropped on the languages she knew, Italian, english, courtesy of vampire education and one she never allowed anyone to know. Italian was common at the Palace, even Carmilla preferred it when speaking to herself when deep in thought. Many conversation were about the coming policies, some the human representatives wanted to be changed, a few even they agreed was pointless to even attempt to discuss removal. Kira admitted to herself that inside the Palace she was shielded from many of these rules and did not know how restricted even 'free' humans were.

One conversation in particular drew her attention, two men and a woman, rather than talking, they were signing and Kira knew exactly what they were saying. They had a time-frame, talking to another about people being in place, waiting for the signal. They were human, all three of them and it did not take much for Kira to put two and two together. Kira looked at them, they noticed her. She signed to them:

Too many vampires. Whatever your planning won't work.

Granted access by one of Wolfgang's men, Kira kept near the media areas, blending in with them. Here she was just another human, here she was invisible to the unsuspecting. Eona took the stage first, opening the discussion board to different topics to be mentioned, later announcing to all to bow and respect their ruler Empress Carmilla Tepes.

"Twins...have always fascinated me." Said a youthful man, whose tone and words reflected a greater age than that of his appearance.

Kira hesitated at the word, her head snapping to the man whom she had neither sensed nor heard. With a built, muscular body, his clothes barely covered his size with open-collared suit, topped by a black overcoat. He had shoulder-length blonde hair combed back, two pieces on both sides of his face free to hang on the sides of his face. With brown eyes, Kira looked at every detail, every feature of his face and felt his eyes were the most out of place. They looked almost...fake.

He glanced down at her, "How different they can be from one another, the Empress and the previous are as night and day."

"You said twins?" Kira asked, the word frightening her greatly.

The unknown man nodded, "Carmilla and her sister, born only minutes apart. Yet the youngest inherited the crown rather than she, it makes one wonder how she must have felt in that moment."

Looking back to Carmilla who answered questions from the assembly, Kira's eyes softened, "I...had no idea."

"It was quite the anomaly, vampires rarely give birth to twins and for those born into positions of power well...it is in the nature of the vampire to take." Explained the man who Kira had a growing uneasiness about.

Something about him told her to either run as fast as she could or to curl up in a ball. He was powerful, he was dangerous and Kira did not want to be near him. It was that kind of feeling that would kick her self-preservation into gear, having her flee for herr life, to save her life, but she could not do that here. She wanted to signal someone, somehow, but what could they do? If this man thought to kill her, she would be dead on the ground long before anyone even realized they could not see her. Kira swallowed hard, her neck began to burn, she reach up, sliding her hand beneath the scarf and placing her cooler palm on her burning flesh. Why was it acting up now?

"Vampires have a thirst that knows no end." He said, his tone neutral, his posture relaxed, "If you do not wish to be taken by it you would be wise to run."

Whoever he was he had no fear of harm from anyone here, but why was he talking to her? Why did it seem like he knew about her? That he knew her situation?

Kira...decided to play the Game.

"What makes you think I want to run?"

The man looked at her, "I see it in your eyes: the fear for your life, the desire to be free again, the right denied to humanity by the vampire." He leaned against the wall, "You fear being hunted again, to be chained and locked away like an animal."

"I'll always be in a cage." Kira said simply, "No matter how free I'll always have an invisible chain around my neck." Her fingers dug into the Stigma.

"Even if that maybe true, this remains true: the free choose, a slave obeys." The man countered, seeing the tattoo that is usually covered by the scarf.

Kira smiled a little, "You sound a lot like my dad, right before he abandoned us to go fight your people."

The man was quiet.

"Yeah." Kira glared some, "I know colored contacts when I see them. You were outside and snuck up on me without me noticing; for someone whose advocating for humans, you've never been one have you?"

"You...are just as perceptive as her." He said, the statement catching Kira off guard.

"Her?"

He began to walk away.

Kira followed, "Hey! What does that mean?" They left the assembly area, she reached out and grabbed his cloak and realized the moment she did that it was a mistake.

Her heart skipped a beat, her entire body froze in fear as an overwhelming force emanated from this man, this vampire. This was not the power of an ordinary vampire, Kira had not felt this fear since she was almost killed back then. She let go of the cloak, stepping back, her eyes widened in shock, trying to understand how she could feel this way, could feel this power; senses of a vampire's strength known only by one who is an immortal. The man turned around and faced Kira, his crimson, cat-like eyes shining through the colored contacts.

"If you remain by her side, the day will come, when she becomes the very thing that destroys you." He warned darkly, towering over her, "You would do well to remember who and what you really are or you will suffer a fate worse than death." Leaning closer, he whispered into her ear, one word, one name, that shocked her to her very core.

He left her with those ominous words, seemingly telling her the very future she would experience as though he had seen it first hand. She watched him walked into the crowd, vanishing behind a passing duo. How! How does he know that name! Kira shook herself back into movement. Who the fuck was that! She turned back to the Assembly Hall trying to understand what just happened, what it meant and most importantly, why he seemed to not only know her, but mention the Empress being a twin was terrifying.

She went to one of the guards, asking for a radio to contact Wolfgang. The vampire scoffed at her at first, telling her to run along like a good little slave back to her master. Annoyed, Kira turned to her phone rapidly texting Jake.

EMERGENCY GET HERE NOW

He arrived in less than thirty seconds.

"I got your text what's wrong?" He asked.

Kira grabbed him pulling him toward where the vampire had disappeared to.

"There was a vampire, he had colored contacts, brown and black hair; he knew me! She explained out of breath.

"That's alarming-"

"He knew me, me before the Palace!" She exclaimed frantically, "Jake, there shouldn't be anyone who knows that!"

The vampire hesitated, "I thought everyone who did was..."

"Dead!" Kira said with fear, "Everyone in my family is supposed to be dead, but he knew it, he said it outloud!"

A loud commotion in the hall had them both inside there humans began arguing, shouting demands and outcrys at whatever Carmilla had said. She stood there without a care of their thoughts, their desires, this was nothing more than a show, there was no power here, no voice that she nor the council would listen to. These people were nothing more than tools, humans who believed they could strike a deal with those far above them with nothing to offer. Kira turned to Jake asking what just happened.

Empress Carmilla announced a mandatory draft of humans to be turned into vampires for the Imperial Army in order to put down the human rebellions. There would be no exceptions, no way buyout or bypass the draft, everyone and anyone of the criteria would report to the prescribed duty stations to await transition. Of course ample pay and benefits would be granted to those drafted, but any who tried to resist or flee would automatically be cast into slavery to be used in labor camps.

Kira could not believe what she was hearing, did not understand why this woman, this vampire could be so kind and caring to her and turn around and do this. She did not know which mask was real, which one she should believe. The vampire had warned her, if she was willing to do this to complete strangers, what would she do to Kira who was closest to her? What would happen to her if Carmilla ever got tired of her and cast her from her bed. She could not be turned, the only options were to flee or to die if that was so. What choice did she have, but to continue to prove her worth, to continue to survive.

Looking to Eona, Kira was relieved to see the confliction on the vampire's face. She did not agree to this, there was at least one person, one vampire within the Palace who was against this enslavement and degradation of humanity. What else did Carmilla think she should do to the human race? Was the war not enough? Was the pain, the loss and anger not enough; was there not enough bloodshed to appease her? Vampires have a thirst that knows no end. That man knew what Carmilla was going to do, like he had seen the future, was he here to stop the Empress? He warned Kira of a fate she would suffer if she remained, but why warn her? A single, ordinary human?

"Jake..." Kira said to a concerned and shamed friend, "Don't tell anyone what I said." She went into her phone and erased the message, "I'll tell Wolfgang about the vampire, but don't mention to anyone he knew my name."

Jake tried to plead against that, that staying silent about someone who seemed to threaten her life was a grave mistake. Kira would hearing nothing of it. Whoever that vampire was he was not there to threaten Kira, nor did he seem he would come after her, he was trying to warn her and using her real name was his way of grabbing her attention and it did just that. He had to have learned it somewhere. The human frowned as the Assembly was now in an uproar. Who? She searched her memories, digging up pain and anguish she barely could stand to relive, but knew there was no choice. She could ignore and turn a blind eye to much, but not this. I watched them die with my own eyes, the cabin burned to the ground. Who then? Who could possibly know her real name? Know what name she was given? Known which house she went do?

The guards took action, subduing any humans who came too close to the Empress as she departed the stage. Kira watched her walk off, but she did not look back at the human. Why would she? She was not looking for forgiveness, for approval. Kira was only human, a body to warm her bed, she was livestock what did her opinion matter if she did not even mention this to her when she began teaching Kira about politics. What was she to the Empress? Why could she not understand, after all these years what the Empress was thinking, what she was going to do? Everything else before was easy, she knew her habits, her likes and dislikes, but outside the Palace she seemed like an entirely different person. Or perhaps this was who she was all along.