8 years ago:

The world was falling apart. Everything I had been used to, gone. The humans did this. That's what my father told me. It's their fault I'm being sent to the vampire city, Sanguinem, to stay with Ferid. The virus that the humans released shouldn't have affected me, but it did. To keep my safe, I left Nagoya. The virus had been cleaned out of the underground city so that means my body should stop hurting.

This is my third trip to the Sanguinem. The first two trips were short and I'd been with my father. Today, I had an escort taking me there. As they walked me through the city, it amazed me how many children were here. They all looked scared. Why? We vampires are saving their lives. The world is descending into chaos. Without us, they would be without guidance and all alone.

"Karina!" Ferid Bathory greeted me happily. Dad says he's eccentric, but I'd be safe with him. Unlike anyone else, Ferid pulled me into a hug. "Let me show you around."

His mansion was gigantic. Extravagant. There were so many hallways and rooms. It would be hard to go around unnoticed with how many guards were patrolling the hallways. It must be because of the world ending. There weren't as many guards the last times I visited. Business arose and Ferid left me trapped in my new bedroom. Two guards stood outside of my door.

After a few minutes of staring at the walls, I decided to sneak out. In Nagoya, it had become increasingly harder to sneak out and get away with it, but here? My odds of getting away were much higher. My suitcase hadn't arrived so I was stuck in my navy sleeveless dress that's collar hooked up around my neck. On the balcony, I waited for the guards to pass by. For a vampire, a drop from the second floor wouldn't hurt.

The city was massive. Navigating through all these streets was hard. In fact, when I stopped to look around, it became very apparent to me that I was lost. Kids stared at me with dirty looks. They whispered about my clothes. Trying to ignore them, I turned down another alleyway, colliding with a boy, who had dark black hair and green eyes.

"Ouch! Watch where you're goi-" He stopped mid-sentence to stare at me.

I only met his gaze for a second before dropping my head down. My hair wasn't long enough anymore for bangs, so hiding my red eye was hard. A lot of humans were confused by my two-colored eyes: one red and one blue. No one knew that half breed vampires existed except for those who knew me.

His voice shook with his next words. "A-are you a vampire?" When I didn't answer, he kicked my foot. "You are, aren't you? Answer me bloodsucker!"

Panicked, I jumped up, shoving him away from me with more force than I had intended to. He hit the wall hard. He's a threat. "I-I'm sorry," I said before running away. Unlike pretty much all the other vampires, violence didn't come easy to me. A lot of vampires are mean to humans because they can be.

Everything around me looked strange. I had no idea which way to go, or how to get back to Ferid's mansion. The more streets I turned down, the more lost I got. The effects of the virus still felt heavy in my body, making me weak. In a dead-end alleyway, I stopped to catch my breath, bending over and placing my hands on my knees. Running is not good when you're sick.

"That her?" A kid's voice asked from the entrance. He was tall, one of the older kids in the city.

"Yeah, that Hyakuya kid said she's a vampire. Look how she's dressed, she's definitely not one of us," a second kid said.

Both of the boys were much bigger than me. They rushed at me, grabbing my arms. "Hey! Let me go!" I struggled but it didn't deter them.

"Now what?" One asked.

"We kill her," The black-haired boy from before said, a small kitchen knife dangling from his hand. He exuded hate… towards me.

What had I ever done to him? My body grew weaker, the human side of me taking over. "Wait-"

"Yu?" A fourth boy, with blond hair and pretty blue eyes interrupted the scene. He looked at me, then back to the other boy. "What are you doing?"

"Go home, Mika. It's none of your business."

Mika ignored him, and came closer. "You can't just kill a girl. She's our age!"

"She's a vampire! All of them have to die!"

My head shook slowly as the two argued. I don't want to die! I don't deserve to die!

More kids gathered around, whispering about me. Can a vampire be a kid? Why is only one of her eyes red? Why is she so weak? More and more kids came, making me a spectacle. Someone had to notice this… There were city guards all over the place most of the time.

"If you won't kill her, we will," One shouted, kicking me in the stomach. Others cheered for him.

Mika slipped past Yu, jerking me away from the other children, shielding me with his own body. "Leave her alone! What do you think will happen? You think the vampires are just going to let you kill one of their own?" His head turned to look back at me, and he… smiled?

Who is this human boy? Why is he helping me?

Murmurs broke out and the crowd started to disperse. But his friend didn't quit. He rushed past Mika, tackling me to the ground. "No way! I'm not letting this opportunity pass me up! I'm gonna kill every vampire!" He shouted, raising the knife over his head.

Struggling to get away, tears spilled over. The boy hesitated for only a moment, but someone grabbed his arm, hauling him up with little effort. The uniform I recognized as a city guard, and when I looked over, it turned out to be someone I'd met before. "I found her, Lacus," Rene Simms said, pulling the screaming Yu off me.

Some of the braver boys tried to attack them. Humans are so stupid! Lacus seemed amused by their attempts to hurt him, and he easily tossed them aside. The view disappeared when the other human boy, Mika, crouched down next to me. "Are you alright? I'm sorry about him, he's a moron."

"I-I'm fine," I replied softly. He's nice… for a human.

"Quite the scene here," Ferid said, whisking into the alleyway. He's always in a good mood, no matter what happens. Always planning.

"Lord Ferid, this boy tried to kill Karina," Rene said. He still had Yu dangling from his hand, who continued to struggle and swing at him. This boy didn't know when he was beat.

Ferid laughed, amused at this. "A knife wouldn't have done too much damage to her, I'm afraid. We vampires are very hard to kill. I'll deal with this boy. You and Lacus make sure that our little Karina gets back to the mansion safely."

For the first time, I didn't mind being escorted. The experiences I'd had with humans had been limited, but this attempted murder had rattled me. Humans were terrifying creatures, though weak. I watched for as long as I could. Mika and Ferid were having a conversation that I couldn't hear, but it looked clear that Mika was protecting Yu. As far as humans go, I actually liked him. Back at the mansion, I was under lockdown again, awaiting whatever Ferid might do to me after my fiasco.