Frigged
(Modern Day) St. Petersburg, Russia 224 a.d
The wind outside was freezing and close to unbearable. Irina and Katrina were out together getting some firewood. They were trying to work fast. The snow was bitter cold and Irina was complaining that she could feel herself turning to ice. The whole time, both were looking forward to a hot fire to warm them up. Once they had enough firewood, they ran back to the small one room wood house they had out in the woods and went straight to the fireplace made from stone and placed the wood within easy reach to the fireplace and took a seat right before the fire waiting to be warmed up. Their father had built them this house many years ago, putting them in better living conditions than most of their friends and acquaintances.
And he'd built the fireplace to perfection, making sure they'd always have heat and something to cook their meat. Unfortunately, their father had died of disease many years before and they were now all alone. Sasha had many gentleman suitors that were young and well prepared to care for a family, but she didn't want to remarry. She'd found her love and had lost him and knew she'd never love another man the way she loved Tanya, Katrina, and Irina's father. Of course, there were plenty of men more than willing to marry one of her daughters, but she wasn't ready to give them away. She thought they were doing better than most and marrying her daughters off wasn't necessary.
"Once you're warmed up, girls, do me a favor and hang a pot of water over the fire please."
"Yes, mother." Irina and Katrina said in unison as they held their hands close to the fire to warm themselves up. Sometimes in these Russian winters, gloves, well made boots, and heavy clothes weren't always enough to keep you warm when it was in the middle of the winter. Katrina couldn't wait for summer. That's when their home was pleasant. It never got too hot and it was warm enough that she could walk outside with a nothing but boots and a long sleeved shirt.
Once they were warmed up, they retrieved the freshly cleaned pot from the corner and placed it over the fire. It was a pot made of bone, so it wasn't very big. But it always served its purpose for about seven uses before the fire ate away at the bone completely. Once over the fire, Irina went outside to retrieve several pieces of ice so it could start melting for the stock. There was still meat left from the animal whose bones were being used to make the soup, so Katrina was sure to have that cut up and ready to throw into the pot while Irina got the cabbage Sasha had sliced up at the fire and ready. All that was left was to wait for the fish to be done.
"I wish there was something more we could do to this soup. As is, it's so bland."
"We should use cranberries." Katrina scrunched her nose.
"No, certainly not. They would make the soup sour and not in a pleasant way. Besides, we'd be lucky to find a bucket's worth of cranberries in a year." Irina sighed.
"I know. I remember when we did find some. They were so tasty."
"Not in my soup they weren't." Irina and Katrina giggled and rested their heads against each other's and watched the fire under the bone bowl. Not long after that, Tanya finished prepping the fish and started butchering it until the fish was in large cubes and deboned.
"Is the water boiling yet?" Tanya walked over to her sisters at the fireplace while they both shook their heads and Irina answered.
"Almost. We just need to leave it a little while longer." Irina turned to look at Tanya. "What fish is that?" Tanya shrugged.
"No idea. It's the one I managed to catch first. It's too cold out to do any real fishing. Maybe when it's finally summer again, we'll be able to do something with more fish, but for the time being, be happy with what we have." Katrina shivered and groaned.
"I hate winter. I hate it, I hate it, I hate it."
"Everyone hates winter, Kate. But it's a part of life."
"I know that. But I still hate winter." Everyone had a quick smile and the water began boiling.
"Kate, start putting in the cabbage will you? The water looks like it's boiling." Katrina glanced at the water, then put the cabbages in as Tanya told her to. Sasha walked over and started throwing in some roots that would make the soup taste a little better. Regardless, it helped the soup to be less bland. That and the variety of cabbage they had this time definitely helped.
"I can't wait for this to be done cooking. I'm so hungry." Sasha patted Irina on the head gently.
"It'll be done cooking by sundown, sweetie. Let's try to go to sleep early tonight too, while we're at it. This is the last of the meat, so I think it would be best that we find another deer or a few rabbits." Irina sighed.
"I miss father. He could always come home with more than enough meat for us all." Everyone was silent a moment while they thought of their late loved one. Sasha sighed and smiled a little.
"He was always a good man for that. Maybe once the time's right, you girls can find good men for yourselves and we'll all be taken good care of." Tanya smiled.
"If you would let us marry, mother."
"I'll let a man marry my daughter when he's good enough. I fear I've yet to be impressed."
"Are you sure it's not because you just want to keep us around, mother?" Sasha smiled and kissed Tanya's cheek.
"It's a little of that too I'll admit." There was a collective smile as everyone was gathered around the fireplace keeping an eye on the food. Once the water was finally at a rolling boil and was getting a little color from the roots and cabbage, Tanya added all the meat into the pot so it could start cooking. The smell of the soup began to fill the room when there was a knock at the door. Sasha stood and walked to the door to answer it.
"Hello?" At the door was a young man holding a few rabbits. He had a thick beard and thick brown hair and was wearing layer upon layer of animal fur like the rest of them. Sasha smiled when she knew who it was. "Rufus. It's a pleasure." Rufus smiled.
"Hello, Sasha. We caught a few extra rabbits, so I thought you would want some meat." Sasha smiled and took the rabbits when he handed them to her.
"Well, that's so sweet of you. We're about to have dinner. Would you like to join us?" Rufus smiled and nodded.
"Thank you, Sasha, I would love to." Sasha smiled and moved aside so Rufus could walk in. Rufus was one of the men that had taken a liking to Tanya. Sasha was fond of him since he was being far more patient than the other men interested. He simply showered them with help and food with hopes that Sasha would eventually cave and allow him to marry Tanya. "Evening, Tanya. You're looking beautiful as ever." Tanya smiled.
"How kind of you to say, Rufus." Rufus smiled and walked a little closer to Tanya and took her hand in his to kiss it sweetly.
"How've you been? I haven't seen you in a few days."
"I've been nice. I'm happy to know you were thinking about me all those days." Rufus smiled shyly and let go of Tanya's hand.
"Of course I am." Interrupting them, Sasha grabbed Rufus's arm to get his attention.
"So, Rufus, how fairs your mother and father?"
"They're well. Mother sends her regards and demands to know why you've not visited her in so long." Sasha smiled.
"Be sure to send my apologies. We've just been working so hard this winter. It feels like everything's in short supplies these days." Rufus nodded.
"I know what you mean."
"And yet you bring us four rabbits that you could keep for yourselves. I feel horrible accepting them." Rufus shook his head.
"Please, don't feel that way. We had a good day and it seemed cruel to keep them when I know you guys can use all the help with hunting you can get."
"I still feel like we're inconveniencing you." Rufus shook his head again.
"Never. Not at all." Irina giggled.
"He only says that because he wants to marry Tanya. We all know it's true." Sasha gave Irina a stern look and Irina stayed quiet while Rufus chuckled with embarrassment.
"I can't pretend that isn't partially true. But rest assured, I would do this even if I didn't care for Tanya." Tanya smiled at Rufus and Sasha sighed and smiled.
"One day. Don't worry. When I'm ready to be rid of her, you can have her." Rufus chuckled and looked at Tanya.
"She'll never let me marry you." Tanya giggled and walked over to Rufus and gave him a quick hug before going back to the fireplace to check on the soup that was still cooking away. Sasha smiled.
"Please don't say never. You'll have her someday." Rufus and Sasha smiled at each other and they finally ate dinner together when all the meat in the soup looked like it was completely cooked. Rufus eventually left Sasha and her daughters when they were done eating dinner and had pleasant conversation.
They all took a moment to clean the house and bowls and put out the fire before finally going to bed for the night. In the morning, all four stayed home together, no longer needing to go out and gather any food seeing as Rufus did the work for them. With the free time to spare, they all sat together at the fire and cooked up one of the rabbits that Rufus had brought them the day before.
"It's so nice to stay in for a change." Sasha nodded at Katrina's statement with a smile.
"Indeed it is. It reminds me a little of when your father was alive. He used to spoil us, that man." Sasha laughed gently at the pleasant memory and sighed a little while thinking about her late husband. Then she looked at Tanya, who was sitting with her sisters before the fire and sighed again. "Tanya."
"Yes, mother?"
"How do you feel about Rufus? And answer me honestly, please. I know I tease about promising you to him, but if you don't love him, then I will understand." Tanya looked at Sasha with a little surprise. She was silent a moment before finally answering.
"I…..I don't know what to say."
"Tell me how you feel about Rufus. That's all I want." Tanya was silent again for a moment before answering.
"I care for him. He's so kind to us and helps us whenever we need him to. And he's very handsome. I think our children would be lovely, so that's a good thing. And if I married him, our lives would be a lot easier in all honesty."
"So does that mean you would want to marry him?" Tanya smiled and nodded.
"Yes. I would love to marry him. He's a good man and any woman would be lucky to have him. I'd love for that lucky woman to be me." Sasha grinned and hugged Tanya.
"I'm so happy honey. I'll tell him I would approve of him marrying you. And if he accepts you, then he can move in with us. We'll even add a room so you two can have some privacy. How does that sound?"
"It sounds wonderful, mother." Sasha and Tanya hugged for a little longer while Katrina and Irina joined in the hug, partially because it would make them warmer. Later that day, Rufus stopped by the house and Sasha told the girls to prepare dinner while she took Rufus outside to talk.
"What do you want to talk to me about, Sasha?" Sasha smiled.
"Well, I realize that I've been stubborn and you've been doing your best to be patient with me. And I think that under the circumstances and considering your kindness and generosity to us, that it's time I finally give you what you've earned." Rufus was a little surprised.
"What are you talking about, Sasha?" Sasha smiled wider.
"What would you say if I told you I think it's about time Tanya had a husband?" Rufus's face seemed to light up when Sasha said that and he grinned from ear to ear.
"I would ask you I could marry your daughter this coming spring." Sasha nodded her head with the same smile.
"Spring sounds delightful. And we would love for you to move into our home. I fear we do not know how to build another room onto the house, but I was hoping you and a few others might know how. That way you and Tanya could have a room for yourselves. I do expect grandchild, as I'm sure you're aware." Rufus kept smiling and shook Sasha's hand.
"Of course, Sasha, as many as you would like. I can't thank you enough for this."
"You can thank me by walking inside and asking my daughter to marry you." Rufus nodded eagerly and left Sasha with an, 'of course, ma'am', and went straight into the house with Sasha following close behind. When Rufus walked in, Tanya was at the fireplace with Katrina and Irina and they all looked up and saw Rufus walk in.
"Rufus, it's a pleasure to see you." With a smile, Tanya stood up and walked a little closer to Rufus. "Did mother tell you anything special?" Rufus chuckled and nodded.
"Yeah, she did. She said I could ask you to marry me." Tanya grinned a little wider.
"Are you going to?" Rufus chuckled.
"I thought I just had. But forgive me for not being blunt." Rufus took Tanya's left hand in his before speaking again. "So will you marry me, Tanya?" Tanya kept smiling and finally nodded her head.
"Yes, Rufus, I will marry you." They smiled at each other a little longer when Katrina said a word of praise for the new happy couple.
"It's about damn time! It'll be nice to have a man around the house at long last. Now we don't have to worry about hunting on our own anymore. We've got Rufus to do that for us. And hey, if you give us a few nephews, we'll have even more help." Rufus and Tanya laughed at Katrina's comment and Tanya walked over to Katrina and gave her a hug.
"I'm glad to see you're so excited about my upcoming nuptials."
"Of course I'm glad. And once you two are married, you can reward the poor man for making him wait so long for you and we can put him to good use. That's all I'm saying." Irina giggled and joined Tanya in hugging Katrina.
"She's just happy to see you in high spirits. We know that's what this is." They all smiled and continued to hug one another while Rufus and Sasha stood close to each other with a smile on both their faces. Once Tanya and the others were done hugging, she looked back at Rufus and walked over to him and took a hold of his hands in hers.
"So when should we get married?"
"How about in the spring? That gives me and some men time to add onto the house and it'll be much nicer weather in spring." Sasha agreed.
"That would be wonderful. We've got time until it's spring. Well, first things first. We need to have your mother and father come here for dinner. It's been so long since I've seen your mother anyway that I feel like we're strangers."
"Believe me, mother is in agreement."
"And of course, we'll need to get a proper dowry together for the wedding. I think we can put together something nice." Rufus shook his head.
"No, don't worry about a dowry. If I'm moving into this house, I'd say that we're not ill-equipped."
"Oh, but Rufus." Rufus held up his hands.
"I insist. If you wish, you can think of the added room as the dowry for our marriage. It'll give me and Tanya some alone time when we want it, and that's about all that would be lacking as of now." Sasha smiled.
"Well, if you insist on having that be your dowry, then who am I to complain." Rufus smiled and walked to the group and hugged Tanya.
Rufus stayed for dinner that night and had his family over for dinner the next night, his mother bringing dinner for everyone to share. Sasha and Rufus's mother, Hetalia, spent most of the evening catching up with each other as opposed to sorting out details about the wedding. His father eventually got Sasha and Hetalia back on topic and did most of the talking on what would need to be done to prepare for the ceremony. Rufus could tell his father wasn't too pleased with the dowry that was agreed upon the day before, but since Sasha and her family didn't have much else to offer, he held his tongue and let it go. He eventually figured that a house was a good enough dowry even if it would still house the bride's family.
As soon as the weather was partially better, Rufus got a bunch of men together to help him work on adding a room to the house that Sasha's husband had built years before. Rufus and the other men that assisted him managed to get the addition done within a few long days. And before either Rufus or Tanya knew it, it was already spring and the snow was melting and they began planning for the wedding more actively. It wouldn't take long to plan anyway. The dress would take the most time and Sasha and her daughters were all making it together.
"Are you excited about getting married, Tanya?" Tanya smiled at Kate.
"Of course I am. I just can't believe the time went by so quickly." Sasha laughed a little without humor.
"You don't have to tell me twice, Tanya. This is why I was reluctant. I feel like I'm losing my baby."
"Mother, I'll still be living with you. You won't be losing me."
"I know. But you're not a little girl anymore."
"I haven't been a little girl for a long time, mother."
"But I could pretend you were. But with a husband, you're far from a little girl." Irina giggled.
"That is the point isn't it?" Sasha sighed.
"I suppose you're right. It doesn't make the transition any easier though." Katrina looked at Sasha.
"You've still got us, mother. And remember why you decided to let Rufus marry Tanya in the first place."
"I know, I know."
After that, they all sat together in silence working on Tanya's wedding dress that they were making from the fur of winter rabbit coats like what was traditional. They finished sewing the dress that evening and made Tanya put it on and stand still while they made any needed adjustments to it. Once Sasha had sewed a few parts up so they were tighter and Katrina and Irina made sure the hem of the dress was even, they all backed away to look at her, Sasha with tears in her eyes.
"Oh, honey, you look beautiful." Tanya smiled.
"Really?" Irina nodded.
"A vision, Tanya." Tanya smiled at everyone and wished that they had a mirror so she could see for herself. A moment of trying on the dress went on, then they heard someone scream from outside. It sounded like a man and Sasha looked at Irina.
"Irina, look outside and see what that was. If you can't see just from standing at the door, then don't bother and come right back in." Irina reluctantly walked to the door and looked out. She didn't immediately see anything. She just saw the woods, then she came back in and closed the door. "You didn't see anything?" Irina shook her head.
"Nothing. It must've been further in the woods." Sasha sighed.
"Alright. Kate, burn out the fire. I don't want any light coming from this house. If it's a possible intruder, I'd rather make it seem like we're not home." Katrina ran to the fire and started putting it out as Sasha ordered by separating the wood, then tossed some water over the fire to finally put it out. "Now everyone be quiet for now."
Everyone did as Sasha said and stayed completely silent while they all listened for any noise from outside. About two minutes went by without a sound, but they all remained silent and waited for any sign that there was a form of activity in the woods. After another two minutes, Sasha relaxed and sighed.
"Okay, Irina, put the fire back on. It's getting cold in here and I think whatever that was in gone. But I don't want anyone going outside or answering the door without asking who it is." Irina stood and went to the fireplace and started replacing the wood and rubbing some together to spark a fire.
"Do you think whoever it was is gone?" Sasha nodded at Katrina.
"I think so. I couldn't hear anything, so maybe they went away from our village. But I'd rather remain cautious for now. So let's try to stay quiet for a little longer." Once the fire was finally lit again, they all gathered around the fire to warm up and stayed relatively silent, still weary of what might still be in the area.
"How do we know it wasn't just an animal attack?" Sasha looked at Tanya.
"All the more reason not to leave the house. A wolf can't get passed a door last time I checked." They all smiled a little at each other and stayed quiet again. This time, they started hearing footsteps that seemed a lot faster than what they should be. It was almost like those steps were barely hitting the ground. "Shhh."
Sasha made the gesture to encourage them to remain silent as they listened outside. Sasha assumed that it was an animal outside and didn't feel the need to ask Irina to put out the fire again. They waited quietly for whatever was outside to hopefully go away. Then Sasha noticed something odd. The sound stopped and she couldn't hear any breathing or animal sounds. Only a person would be this quiet. Then a chill creeped up all their spines when the door was opened by a man they'd never seen before. He was extremely pale, even for the area they lived and Sasha noticed his red eyes first and foremost. The man smiled and they all backed away slightly at the sight.
"Evening, ladies. It's a nice day outside. Why waist it away?" None of them answered him and he sighed at their silence. "Forgive me for trying to be pleasant. I'll just get this over with." In an instant, the man was at Sasha's side taking a bite into her throat and everyone started screaming. They all started hitting his stone hard body with no other idea what to do to get him off their mother. Irina grabbed a piece of wood from the pile and started hitting him with that.
In irritation, the man turned his attention to Irina, throwing Sasha to the ground. Katrina and Tanya immediately went to her, then backed away in surprise when she started screaming from the burn in her neck that was spreading through her body. Their attention was drawn back to the man who was now attacking Irina after he's thrown the wood she was holding off to the side. Katrina ran to get a knife and attempted to stab him while Tanya grabbed some wood straight from the fireplace. Katrina made the first move, but the man bit her wrist when she made the attempt and he violently pushed her down. But then Tanya got to him and tried kicking him. He then dropped Irina, who was still alive and was now feeling the burn herself, as well as Katrina, and bit Tanya. But Tanya made one last attempt and hit him with the portion of wood that was on fire.
The man burst into flames and threw Tanya to the ground and ran out of the house to put himself out, though he was too far from any form of water and died before he could save himself. Tanya fell to the ground in pain, not noticing she dropped the burning wood too. She was in so much pain and could barely concentrate on anything else. But she forced her eyes opened and realized that the house was on fire. She tried to move seemingly in vain, but she forced herself to her feet despite the pain and pulled her two sisters and mother out of the house and far away so they wouldn't get hurt. The moment they were all out, Tanya couldn't take anymore and she fell to the ground screaming. Hearing the noise from the village, Rufus ran to Tanya's home and saw the smoke and fire before he saw Tanya and her family outside the house, all screaming in pain.
"Tanya!" Rufus ran to Tanya's side, trying to get her to talk to him. But all she could do was scream. Not after Rufus found them, other men from the village came to see what all the screaming was about.
"What the hell are they all screaming about?" The eldest man in the group yelled in an effort to be heard.
"I don't know. I found them like this." As Rufus was talking, he noticed that they all had bite marks on them that were still bleeding lightly. "It looks like someone bit them." The eldest man looked at his son who was standing next to him.
"You and your brother see if you can find anyone suspicious. I don't they would've gotten far. Follow the footsteps." His son nodded and ran down the path where there were footprints. They looked more like empty circles in the ground and the dead grass underneath the snow looked like it was burned.
Rufus kept trying to talk to Tanya and all her sisters and mother trying to get one of them to talk. Tanya tried speaking, but she was in so much pain that talking was more than she could stand to do. All she felt was fire even though she wasn't burning. It wasn't long before the elder's sons came back, both of them a little stunned.
"There was a man on the trail that was on fire. He was already dead…and it didn't smell like burning flesh. It smelled more like something sweet was burning. The sweet smell was so thick even with the cold." The elder looked at his sons confused.
"Are you sure it was a man?" The son nodded.
"Positive. He was even moving a little. We tried throwing snow on him, but we could put it out. And the smoke was purple. I've never seen smoke like that."
"What the hell are you talking about, boy?" The sons both stayed quiet. The elder looked to his right at a man at random. "Go down the trail and look for yourself. Tell me exactly what you saw." The man did as instructed and ran down the path the way the sons went.
"Father, we aren't lying to you. The smoke was purple and it smelled so sweet." The younger son nodded.
"That's right, father, we swear. It was so strange. Something's not right, father." The man that had gone to check came back with wide eyes.
"They aren't lying sir. There's a dead burning body down the trail and it's burning purple smoke and a sweet smell. Whatever it is, it's sure as hell not human."
"Well, then what the hell is it?" They were all yelling at each other in an attempt to be heard, and eventually, Rufus had enough.
"Well, whatever it is, it's dead now. We need to help Tanya and the others. They're in pain."
"And what can we do? We don't even know what's wrong."
"Get the medicine man. He'll know what to do."
"Fine. Boys, you heard him. Get Boris and tell him we have four women screaming in pain and are in need of his expertise." The older son did as instructed and ran back towards the village to get their medicine man. They all stood in a circle around Tanya and her family as they kept screaming in pain. Sasha was the first one to stop screaming. It wasn't helping and it wasn't making her throat hurt even more.
"What's all this screaming?" Everyone turned their heads and saw Boris, the medicine man, come running at an elderly pace. The elder was the one to answer.
"We don't know. They were screaming when we showed up and they all have bite marks on them. We were hoping you knew what was going on. We think we may have found their attacker down the road, but it's burning purple sweet smoke, so we don't even know if it's human." Boris stopped in his tracks. He knew exactly what had happened. The same thing happened to a young girl he'd known long ago. There was nothing they could do for her then, and there's nothing he could do now. "What's wrong, Boris?"
"I can't help them. They're doomed to die." Rufus looked right at Boris and stood.
"Don't say that." Then he started walking to Boris and didn't stop until right in front of him. "There has to be something you can do. You're a medicine man for fuck sake."
"I'm a medicine man, Rufus, not a miracle worker. They're all dying as we speak. All we can do is put them and ourselves out of our misery now and get it over with."
"What the hell are you talking about?" The medicine man sighed and finally explained.
"When I was younger, I knew a woman that several my age can attest to knowing. Her name was Olga and she was a kind girl who was newly married with a child on the way. One day, her husband came home from hunting and found another man there. His first instinct was to think his wife was being unfaithful and he barged in demanding to know what was going on. But his wife screamed for him to run away. He noticed that there was a bite mark on her wrist before doing as if wife said and running away. I don't know why that man didn't try to run after him, but he didn't. He came to my father's home screaming that there was a man he didn't know attacking his wife. We all ran to his house and the man was gone, but his wife was still there and was screaming so loudly our ears were bleeding. My father did all he could to save her, but she just kept getting colder and colder, and she kept getting paler. But her heart kept beating. But three days after the incident, I saw my father and mother on the floor completely drained of blood and Olga was gone and three people were missing with her. They were found not long after in the same condition as my parents. There's no doubt in my mind that Olga was responsible for the death of those people as well." Rufus interrupted Boris.
"What are you saying? That my bride-to-be is turning into a cannibal?" Boris shook his head.
"Not a cannibal, Rufus. You have to be a human feasting on other humans to be a cannibal. What they're becoming isn't human. They're blood drinkers, Rufus, and that's what Tanya and her family are becoming. And there's nothing we can do except kill them while we're still able to stop the process. It's kinder to kill them now than to leave it and let them become monsters."
"No, you can't do that."
"Rufus, I understand you're mad to lose a bride, but this is out of my control and everyone else's. We need to kill them, for the wellbeing of the village. She won't be who you knew. I think I made my point valid when I explained the situation with Olga."
"There has to be something we can do."
"Rufus, there isn't. They're going to die no matter what we do." People who remembered the incident that Boris was referring to nodded their heads in agreement.
Rufus kept trying to talk reason with the men while they did the same to him. Sasha didn't hear much for lack of being able to listen for very long, but all she heard for certain was, "we need to kill them". Sasha was pretty much hoping for death, but something in her made her try to fight it. While the men were arguing amongst each other, Sasha did what she could to get her daughters away from the group. It was slow and she was fighting screams, but her daughters were still screaming, so it wasn't hard to hide the sounds she was making. The men kept arguing heatedly and Rufus began to get slightly violent when all the men turned around to go towards the village to get their weapons. Sasha managed to get the girls and herself a few meters into the woods before she had to stop for a moment. But despite the pain she was in, she kept forcing herself to move herself and her daughters further into the forest so they could be safe from the men that were now hunting them.
Sasha managed to get her daughters and herself a mile away from their home by the early morning the next day before she couldn't stand it anymore and she just collapsed and let herself burn some more. For all four of them, the days went by very slowly and the pain they were feeling never eased. The men were all surprised to see Sasha and the others weren't where they left them and noticed the trail Sasha had left while she was trying to get her daughters away. Rufus managed to convince everyone to just leave them be and to go back to the village. He knew he'd never be able to hurt Tanya or her family and he didn't want to be forced to, regardless of the situation, so he made the village leave well enough alone and no one tried looking for them.
Sasha was the first one to notice a change after days of not knowing more than she was in pain. But then the pain began leaving her toes and fingers and continued straight to her heart for mere minutes, then her heart stopped and she breathed out her last living breath. She sat up when she was completely recovered and in complete awe of what she could see and hear. She could hear the villagers a mile and a half away from where they were going about their daily chores and animals in the forest doing the same. Tanya, Irina, and Katrina followed after their mom when they recovered. Irina was in a spot where the sun touched her skin and she noticed she was sparkling like clear water.
"Mother, I'm sparkling." Sasha and the others looked at Irina and just stared for a moment before Katrina held her hand in the light and noticed the same thing happened to her. Then Tanya and Sasha did it, and they were all surprised.
"What are we?" Katrina asked this question, but no one answered. No one knew the answer. But Tanya made a guess.
"That man who attacked us. I think we might be what he was." Then Tanya noticed her throat felt painfully dry and mentioned it. When she said something about it, they all had that at the front of their minds and none could bare to talk anymore.
"Blood. We need blood." Irina stared at Sasha wide eyed.
"What?"
"That man attacked us because he wanted our blood. That's what we need right now. I'm certain." Tanya, having another concern, spoke next.
"What will we do about our past life?" Sasha wasn't slow to answer.
"We can't go back. They'll never accept us for what we are now."
"Then what are we going to do?" Sasha was silent a moment to think of the best way to answer Tanya.
"The only thing we can do. Wonder around and hunt. We don't have any other choice."
"But mother…" Katrina was the one to speak and she touched her mother, but then she fell over and was down for a second. Katrina and the others were all stunned, as was Sasha when she recovered.
"What was that?"
"I don't know." They were all silent a moment, then Sasha decided to ignore it and got back to what she had been saying before.
"We'll have to become nomads. Maybe we can settle down somewhere some day, but for now, we can't just wander into a village. They'll noticed our red eyes and will know from the start something's not right about us and they won't let us stay."
There was a collective silence amongst them, but they eventually agreed that was the only option that was open to them. Tanya was heartbroken to know that she was leaving Rufus and the life they could've had together behind, but she also knew that it couldn't be helped and never spoke of what she was feeling. They all stayed together for years depending on one another and learning about themselves and Katrina's interesting gift for using lightening at her fingertips, even if it was menial. In a manner, Sasha was able to keep things the way she wanted it. She didn't have to give up her daughters anymore because they didn't need that type of support in this life. So once she was used to it, she found she was happier now than she had been before. She kept that bit of information to herself, but to the end, it always made her smile to think about it.e mhe