I felt as though I was floating, my limbs weightless. Drifting slowly in a gentle, unseen current which flowed around me, cradling me, rocking as a mother would their a newborn babe.
My body was suffused with warmth. It reminded me of the countless occasions I had escaped on my own, to lie in the meadow; surrounded by the daisies, dandelions, foxglove and violets. I was safe, confident in the sun's ability to protect me from the evils lurking in the dark.
I was surrounded by gentle light. Somehow this knowledge came to me, despite my closed eyes cutting me off from the world. I was so incredibly relaxed.
Slowly I became aware of noise. Interrupting my serenity. It began as some sort of muted humming, a consistent drone. Slowly it mutated, first breaking up, becoming an series of rustling noises, eventually evolving into a noise resembling distorted speech. I could almost decipher the words. Small fragments of speech managed to slip through the fog surrounding me and dance around my mind.
"... Strigoi... The Lost... "
"This.. Her home..."
"... Not my daughter, not any more."
The last comment ruptured the serenity that surrounded me, bringing me back to the real world, closer to the speakers.
"I'll not have anything to do with any blasted strigoi feeders." My fathers voice growled.
"Yes, because she chose to let them drain her blood, for God's sake, man. She's only fourteen!" Another, unknown, voice responded.
I lay completely still, attempting to control my breathing.
"They shouldn't have had the chance," my father snarled. "She was weak and they bested her. No daughter of mine is weak. I did my duty, I sired her, I raised her. If her mothers weakness has infected her so deeply that she can't compete with the lost then this is no place for her!" The anger was blatantly evident in his voice, I had failed him.
I began to tremble, as though from cold, but that could not be the case; whilst before I had been warm, I was now uncomfortably hot, covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
"So what am I supposed to do with her?" The other voice replied, warily.
"Ask the good lord what he sees to be her path, because on his name; she's not stepping foot in my home ever again." He declared fiercely.
Pain shot through my heart, it was almost as though I could feel it actually breaking. Needles of tears pricked behind my eyes, causing my closed lids to flutter slightly as I tried to suppress them.
"Look here, Fyodor. You're being unreasonable!" The stranger tried to reason.
"No, you look here. You and your kind have changed. Since that god-damned Zeklos bastard has sat on the throne you have become weak. Not even ten years ago you would have been here, helping us raise our children, standing beside us whilst battling the lost. Now you cower behind us, even though your gifts are more powerful than anything within our arsenal. How many dhampir lives could be saved, if not for moroi fear? You have all become tainted, and now you expect me to waste my time training a hopeless cause? I have three other children to train, young men, all excellent fighters. They are the ones that will be saving your neck in coming years, I need to devote my time to those who will use it best."
With that stomping footsteps echoed around me. A door slammed, rattling the eves.
"Follow him, collect her belongings," the stranger's voice instructed. "What in the world am I supposed to do with a fourteen year old girl?" He questioned bitterly.
"Yes, lord." Another voice answered, before light footsteps followed those my father had taken, just moments before.
I couldn't stop the tears as they slowly ran over, slowly coursing down the side of my face in miniature streams, dripping and pooling in my ears before overflowing down the back of my neck and into my hair.
Sadness completely overwhelmed me and the trembling grew stronger. I slowly became aware of another emotion gnawing at the back of my mind, an angry frustration, as though I had been trying to talk sense into one of my brothers but they were going ahead with some harebrained scheme anyway.
"You can open your eyes," the stranger murmured. "He's gone."
I slowly pried my heavy eyelids apart, wincing as the sharp sun of dawn hit my eyes, as it came slanting across the room from the window high on the opposite wall.
Having managed to open them fully I dragged myself into sitting position, groaning as my muscles protested painfully.
He just stood there, watching me through amber eyes, before turning to pour something from a decanter.
"Drink this," he instructed, pushing a cup of brownish-yellow liquid into my hands. It swirled within the ceramic container with the same colours as his eyes.
With trembling hands I raised the glass to my lips, slopping some of the fluid over the sides in my haste. Quickly I gulped down half of the contents, before my mouth could take note of the flavour. As the burning sensation stung the back of my throat I gagged, spitting the drink back into the cup as violent shivers racked my body.
A cough forced it's way from my lungs, throwing me forward. A second followed directly after and before I knew it I was in the middle of a full-fledged coughing fit.
"For God's sake," the man muttered, striding to my bedside he pulled the drink from my hands and thumped me soundly on the back.
As the coughing subsided I fell forward, burying my face in my arms, propped on my crossed knees. Hot tears coursed from my stinging eyes, furious sobs convulsed my body.
Stalking arrogantly from my side he grasped the decanter, drinking straight from it as he exited the room, leaving the door to slam behind him.
Soon the sobbing slowly halted and my tears dried. I laid down again, curling up on my side. Facing the wall I dragged the blanket back over me, attempting to warm myself from the chills now invading my body.
I eventually fell into a fitful sleep, haunted by demons with piercing red eyes.
At some point in my slumber, a friendly looking face appeared to tuck me in. She departed after leaving a bowl of water along with bread, cheese and an apple beside me on he floor.
From that moment I slept more soundly, barely stirring.