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DAGIAN

The Story of Belle

B T Coll

# Authors Note

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Dagian: is a work of fiction. Names and characters are entirely fictitious.

Copyright © B T Coll 2017

Smashwords Edition

All Rights Reserved

# Chapter One

Halloween is the single most important night of the year for my family, who at the moment are scattered throughout the British Isles. However, on this night, we all come together for the biggest party of the year. The Dagian Family, have celebrated this night for as far back as I remember and it has become not only a tradition but a necessity, ever since my father introduced new rules and regulations before I was born, which affects our very existence.

His new rules were not greeted favourably by many of my relatives, my mother had told me when I was old enough to know who and what I am. They thought him too conservative but as my father is the Supreme Monarch of the family, everyone obeyed him without question, while secretly seething but not daring to question his reasons. I did hear rumours of a few of my ancestors, who being extremely disgruntled with my father, had challenged his authority but as the story goes, their lives were quickly and quietly extinguished and from that day onward my father was never challenged again.

My father, Ezra, became Supreme Monarch after the untimely death of his father, Uriah Dagian, my grandfather, before I was born. How my grandfather died was never discussed and I often wondered what exactly happened to him. Now and again I would question my mother about his death but she would only tell me not to concern myself with such things. Nevertheless, it intrigued me and I was determined to find out the truth behind his death one day, as I had heard so many rumours over the years. For now, I have a party to prepare for and try very hard to hide my excitement, as any display of emotion, is frowned upon by my very unorthodox family.

Halloween is a yearly celebration observed on 31st October throughout the world. It used to be just our family who celebrated this night but now the 'ordinary humans' celebrate it too, to our dismay. It has turned from a very important tradition for 'us' to one of trick-or-treating, costume parties, bonfires and apple bobbing, to name just a few.

We are always dismayed when we hear of it being a night for witches, as we have yet to discover if a true witch actually exists. Over the years my relatives have encountered many 'witches', only to discover that they were just misguided individuals, who thought that they were more than human. We, the Dagian Family, are more than human and yet no-one believes that we exist, but we do. Perhaps it's because we hide away and do not mix with human but there is a good reason for that, as we as a family have a secret to maintain.

I looked at the large grandfather clock in the hallway and could feel my excitement begin to bubble to the forefront again. I wondered if my two sisters felt the same or where their emotions more controlled? I chastised myself for thinking such things, as I know that what I am feeling cannot possibly be a human emotion, as I am not totally human.

Halloween is said to be of Christian origin but 'we' have celebrated this night, ever since the beginning of our creation. By the end of the 12th century, it had become a holy day of obligation across Europe and Christian families on that night, prayed beside the graves of their departed loved ones. As the centuries passed, people began to celebrate this night by decorating their homes and hosting parties, while dressing in all manner of costumes from ghosts, ghouls, witches to whichever character was popular on their television screens at the time. Myself, along with my two sisters, would sneak out of the house and wander the streets of our town on Halloween. We would laugh at the carryings on of the children visiting the houses dressed as Batman, Spiderman, witches, fairies and even princesses.

The houses in the town of Westbank, would be decorated with macabre symbols such as witches, skeletons, headstones and cobwebs and on seeing this, we begged our father to decorate our home in such a manner, when it was time for our annual celebrations. My father had insisted that this frivolity was nothing to do with us and would scold us for going into town in the first place. He would always tell us that it wasn't safe and would forbid us from visiting the town but every year we made our annual visit and every year our father would scold us.

Our mother had always been more progressive in her thinking and had given us her blessing, a few years ago, to decorate our home in anyway that we wished. From then on, our home was decorated for our own annual Halloween party, which always took place after our own 'special' celebrations.

Halloween is party time for us and we, like those in the rest of the world, celebrate this great night and now dress up in an array of weird and wonderful costumes ourselves. Our ballroom is decorated with traditional symbols such as witches, skeletons and cobwebs. It took us hours to decorate the huge ballroom but now standing back and looking at our handiwork, myself and my two sisters were very pleased with our creation.

"Tonight, is going to be magnificent." Isla, my younger sister said, as she twirled around the dance floor. "Calm down girl. You have to conserve your energy for tonight." Eva my elder sister shouted, as Isla whizzed past her. "Honestly that girl has no decorum whatsoever." Eva told me shaking her head. Isla was such a funny little thing. Small, with a doll like face and long red hair in pigtails, she brought sunshine to my rather dull life. Eva, on the other hand was very tall and slightly overweight in comparison to her height weight ratio but no-one would ever tell her this to her face. She, like myself, had long black hair and she like myself, should have been married off years ago. I often heard mother and father discussing this matter and mother was adamant that Eva, as the eldest, should be married first. This pleased me, as I had no intention of ever getting married. An arranged marriage frightened me no end, as the fact that I would have no say in whomever I was to marry, filled me with dread. With no suitors on the horizon, as far as I knew, we at the moment were safe to enjoy our party.

As we lived far outside the town of Westbank, we were too secluded for the children of the town to visit us on Halloween. There were no children knocking on our door trick-or-treating and I was glad of that because who knew what kind of trouble they would be in if they did.

"Have you decided what costume you're wearing this year?" Eva asked me and I nodded. "I'm going as a beautiful witch. Not one of the ugly ones but the most beautiful witch in the whole world." I told her. "A witch is ugly or it's not a real witch." Eva replied with a scoff. "Well I'm going as a beautiful witch and I will hear no more about it." I replied, storming out of the room. "Hey Belle. Will we be dunking for apples?" Isla shouted, as she ran after me. "Of course, we will. It wouldn't be Halloween if we didn't." I replied and she smiled sweetly before rushing over to tell Eva what I had told her.

Walking along the corridor I bumped into my cousin Abram, who was pulling a trolley filled with pumpkins. "Sorry." I told him, steadying myself again. "You wouldn't like to help me, would you? I have all these pumpkins to carve." he asked me. I shook my head. "Sorry I'm busy but Eva and Isla are in the ballroom and I'm sure they'll help you, if you ask them nicely." I told him. "Well they better had or I'll knock seven bells out of them." he said angrily and I tutted. "I said ask them nicely Abram. Do you know how to be nice?" I replied, shaking my head. "I will try nicely but I swear if they say no, I'll knock them both into next week." he told me and I had to bite my lip to stifle my laughter. Truth be known, it was more than likely that he would be the one being thumped by my sisters.

Abram, even with all of his bravado, was really what people would call a wimp. He was so skinny and frail that I sometimes worried about his health. I confided in my mother once but she had told me that his whole family were pale and sickly looking and not to fret as he was in perfect health. The Dagian's never become ill, she reminded me.

In only a few hours my family will arrive. We are scattered throughout the British Isles and rarely see each other but on this night, we all come together for the most magnificent party at Dagian Hall, my home. Our home is an old farmhouse that my father had renovated when he married my mother. From the outside with it's weather beaten brown brick and climbing ivy, it looked rundown but as soon as you step through the door it is breathtaking.

I had often asked my father why he never renovate the front of the house or the overgrown gardens and his reason for not doing so, was in order keep people away. In the back of the house, mother had created a beautiful garden with rose beds, a fountain and a summerhouse and we as children, loved running around mother's garden.

The rear of the house had been extended over the years to create extra bedrooms, to accommodate our relatives when they came to visit. Dagian Hall now had over a dozen bedrooms.

As soon as you walk into the Entrance Hall, you soon come to realise that this place is not what it seems. We have polished grey marble flooring and the whole house is decorated white and grey. Hanging from the roof is a very large crystal chandelier, which was one of many in my home. Leading from the hall is the Family Room, which also has polished marble flooring. There is a connecting door, which leads to my father's study and this room is always kept locked with my father having the only key. It's his private workspace and unless we are expressly invited into this room, we are forbidden from entering. I could count on one hand how many times I had been in his study. Father was a very private man, who worked from home and barely left his study during the day. All I know about his work is that it entails finance and property.

The Family Room is also a mixture of white and grey, apart from the fireplace. The fire surround was a mixture of black and grey and in the middle of the floor was a huge grey wool rug with black edge trim. The fire was natural gas and it was decorated with artificial logs. The room had a hardwood floor, something that my mother for whatever reason insisted on.

All the walls in the rooms of the house are painted white, which in summer is stunning but in the winter, they makes the place look rather cold. In every room, we have electronic operated windows, curtains and roman blinds, which are all controlled by a touch screen operated control box situated in the kitchen.

We have a large room that I like to call our ballroom. We use this room every Halloween, to hold our annual family party. It has several crystal chandeliers hanging from its ceiling, along with a dozen full length gold trimmed mirrors on its walls. To me this is the most magnificent of rooms and I wished that it could be used more often than once a year.

In the basement of the house we have a swimming pool, sauna and a very large gymnasium, which is fully equipped with all the latest exercise machines and the walls are decorated with full height mirrors.

We also have under floor heating, air conditioning, CCTV and a very up to date intruder system, which are all controlled by the box in the kitchen. We may have a very private setting among pine woodlands but my father was not taking any chances with security and was always updating it.

The only thing missing from my home was a television set, which I constantly nagged my parents about. My father always insisted that television rotted the brain and to my dismay my mother always agreed with him.

We live, hidden amongst the woods, five miles from the town of Westbank, which is located near the head of Loch Long in Argyll and Bute in Scotland. Westbank is a rather a small town. The townsfolk are always friendly enough but I could always see a suspicion in their eyes, that I found unnerving. My mother always did her weekly shop on a Friday and my sisters and I would tag along with her. We found it exciting and always went for tea before spending hours looking around the shops. My father on the other hand, stayed at home and barely ventured outside.

My name is Annabelle Dagian, shortened to Belle and this is my story.

# Chapter Two

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"The ballroom is absolutely magnificent. It's far better than last year." I said, stunned at the beauty in front of my eyes. Abram lifted his head and gave me a crooked smile. "Good job with the pumpkins." I told him. "Yeh and you can tell your sisters that I will smash their bloody brains in, when I catch up with them." he told me in an angry voice. "They didn't help you then?" I asked, trying to stifle my laughter. I knew that they wouldn't anyway but I pretended to be shocked. "No, they didn't. Some rubbish about sorting out their costumes. You know your sisters make me sick Belle. You're the only nice one among them. Will you marry me Belle." he suddenly announced and I was stunned. "Abram! What are you talking about?" I stuttered and as he reached out to touch my cheek, I turn my face away from him.

"You're of an age to marry Belle and I'm as good a person as any to become your husband. What do you say? We can really celebrate tonight, if you agree." he said, shifting from one foot to the other. He was embarrassed, I could tell but why would he even suggest such a thing? "Are you saying that you're in love with me Abram?" I asked, confused by his sudden unexpected and unwanted proposal of marriage. "What! Love! Belle there is no such thing as love, as well you know. Our kind, marry for convenience and to keep our family line going." he replied, looking absolutely shocked by my question. My heart fell. I didn't love him and now I knew that he didn't love me. "Who has been filling your beautiful head with such rubbish? It's Isabella, isn't it?" he asked me. "Belle you shouldn't listen to Isabella. She's touched in the head. I thought you had more sense." he told me, with a disappointed and bewildered look on his face.

"Isabella is your sister and you really shouldn't be talking of her like that." I scolded him. "Yes, she's my sister and I have known her all my life, so I know what I'm talking about. She has flights of fancy, with those stupid romantic books that she reads. I'm telling you Belle, keep away from her and don't listen to a thing she says, for your own sanity. What do you say Belle? Marry me." he asked again, reaching out and taking my hands in his. I immediately pulled my hands away and shook my head. "I'm not ready for marriage Abram." I replied, looking down at my feet.

His face suddenly took on an angry look, as he glared at me with his menacing black eyes. "You mean you're not going to marry me. What is it Belle? Are you too damn good for me? Well I'll tell you this girl. You will not get a better offer and don't think you can come running back to me when you're an old spinster." he told me, through gritted teeth before running out of the room cursing. I saw him bumping into my sister Eva, who let out a squeal. "Hey, watch where you're going." she screamed at him, before making her way towards me. "What's his problem?" she asked me, rubbing her now painful arm. I was too embarrassed to tell her and simply shrugged my shoulder. "Did you hear Isabella has arrived? She's upstairs unpacking, as we speak. You want to come up and see her with me? I do believe she has a new romance novel with her and I think I'll be able to persuade her to read a few chapters of it to us." Eva asked me. Any other time I would have jumped at the chance but after speaking with Abram, I had suddenly lost interest in Isabella and her romantic notions. "Maybe later." I replied. "I need to finish off my costume for tonight."

As Eva turned to leave, I asked her. "Eva do you believe in love?" She stared at me with confusion in her eyes. "Of course not. There's no such thing as love. That is a human concept." she replied and I was stunned. "But you always listen to Isabella and her stories." I said confused by her answer. "Yes. Her stories. Pure fantasy but I must confess I do quite enjoy listening to them. You know, sometimes I do wish that this thing called love did actually exist. Come and join us when you are finished, if you wish." she replied and I nodded my head. Perhaps Abram was right after all and I was just fantasying about something that didn't really exist.

An hour later, when I was sure that all the decorations were just right and the room was ready, I went off to get changed into my costume. While in my bedroom I could hear the doorbell ringing at least a dozen times. The family are arriving and I hoped that we all had a good time tonight but there was a part of tonight celebrations that I wasn't looking forward to and that was the 'feed'. After that had finished, we would party which was more in keeping with what I was looking forward to tonight.

I put on my costume, which I thought was really beautiful, especially for that of a witch. It was a long black gown that reached all the way to the floor and it had a lace covering, which had little silver spiders dotted all around it. As my sister Eva had mentioned, witches are usually ugly but this was just a costume party and this witch was going to be beautiful.

Our Halloween costumes were always grand and majestic modeled after supernatural figures such as vampires, monsters, ghosts, witches, skeletons and devils. Our ballroom was now always decorated with cobwebs, spiders, pumpkins, skeletons and the like. Halloween instead of an annual custom for our family had now turned into a splendid party.

I sat in front of the mirror and applied my dark eyeliner and black lipstick. I decided not to wear a witch's hat, which I thought very unflattering, not to mention very annoying. I chose to wear a large black spider on my head instead. Looking into the mirror, I brushed my long black hair before attaching the spider to the top of my head and I suddenly remembered an old tale that I had heard a few years ago. On Halloween night, unmarried women would sit in a darkened room and gaze into a mirror hoping to see the face of their future husband appearing in the mirror. If they were destined to die a spinster, then a skull would appear. I turned the light out in my bedroom and quietly sat in front of the mirror, to see if anything appeared to me.

I stared into the mirror but the only thing I saw, much to my great disappointment, was my own reflection. I shrugged my shoulders and made my way out to the hall and decided that the tale was utter rubbish anyway and not to be taken seriously.

The entire family would all be dressed in Halloween costumes, much to my delight. The only one of the family, who never dressed in anything but his Sunday best, was my father, who always had a scowl on his face that night. As Supreme Monarch, he felt that it was not appropriate for him to dress in a silly costume. He told us this every year and every year he would appear in his best black suit, white shirt and plain black tie. He always looked like he was going to a funeral but no matter what we told him, he continued to dress in this fashion for our Halloween Ball.

Every year we would sit listening to Uncle Chester relating ghost stories, which we later found out to be an actual recount of a horror film that he had seen. Not being allowed television in our own home, left us oblivious to this fact, until one of our cousins let us in on his secret. We begged our father for a television but he insisted that it scramble our brains and we would soon be as stupid as the mortals in town. We tried to persuade our mother to talk to him but she herself agreed with him and until we married and had a home of our own, then we had to make our own amusement. So, every year, my sisters and I, would sit on the floor and listen intently to Uncle Chester's ghost stories and imagine in our head how it would all look like, if we were watching it on a television set.

On this special night, the tables were always full of an array of Halloween food, such as toffee apples, peanuts, walnuts, caramel corn, novelty candy shaped skulls, pumpkins, bats, worms, spiders, pumpkin pie, pumpkin bread, roasted pumpkin seeds, roasted sweet corn, and an assortment of pastries, pies and cakes. The ballroom was decorated with hundreds of candles and I every year I would see my father walking up and down the ballroom making sure that the candles did not set any of the decorations on fire. To all intents and purposes this was just a family party but this party was for a 'special' family, a vampire family.

The word seems to send shivers down many a human's spine but to tell you the truth, most people do not believe that we actually exist and that suits us just fine. Over the last few years, my cousins told us that, movies of vampires have switched from horror movies to more romantic movies, which were so unrealistic in nature.

For as I have been told over and over again, vampires cannot fall in love. Love is not an emotion that we recognise but all the younger females in my family, love to sit around Isabella and listen to her reading the newest romantic novel and daydream of an emotion that we cannot truly comprehend.

Let me dispel some of the ridiculous theories going around about us. We cannot walk in the light; well I was sunbathing this past summer, so that cannot be true. We turn to dust when the sunlight hits our bodies; I don't think so, or I would not be here today. We do not tan very well and remain very pale but sunshine does not turn to dust. What a thought.

We cannot see our reflections in the mirror; well how can I apply my makeup and do up my hair, if I was unable to see myself in the mirror. Vampires do not have mirrors in their houses; obviously this is untrue, as I am standing at this very moment looking at my reflection in the huge Georgian antique mirror in my ballroom. I admire my beautiful long black dress, which was covered in black lace, with subtle little silver spiders that sparkle in the candlelight. I suddenly caught sight of the huge spider on my head and decided to discard it, as it looked somewhat ridiculous and spoilt the look of the dress. I don't know what I would do if I was not able to see my reflection in the mirror. I'm sure every woman would be horrified if they couldn't see what they looked like, especially if they were dressing for a party. I once tried to count how many mirrors we had but because Dagian Hall was so large, I lost count after 100.

Vampires are known to drink blood; well that, I have to say is true but only once a year, only on Halloween. The rest of the year we eat and drink the same as other non-special humans. We used to feed whenever we wished but father had changed that and when the new rules were introduced, anyone feeding outwith Halloween was severely punished. How they were punished, I was not privy to but it must have been severe because everyone fell into line quite quickly. So now we only feed on human blood once night a year.

Another odd story that I have heard is that we are actually dead and do not have a heartbeat. I can feel my heart beating right at this moment, so I can tell you emphatically that this is not correct. We are not dead, we are very much alive but don't get me wrong we can die and eventually death comes to us all.

Now let me tell you what and who we are. We are humans, just a different kind of human. We live, we marry, we have children and yes, we die. The stories about us are so unkind. It does seem that we live forever but that is just not so. We just have a different aging system but everything else is the same. We have been on this Earth, just as long as any other human and how we seemed to deviate from the line of homosapiens, I do not know but can only guess at. I often asked my father how we came to be and he always promised to tell me one day, when I was older. So, I will have to wait for the story of our existence.

I hear laughter coming from upstairs, which seemed to echo throughout the building and knew that it's Isabella. Her laugher is like the cackle of a witch and I wondered if this was what she was dressing up as tonight. I saw Abram outside in the hall and actually felt a little sorry for him. He is thin, with spikey blond hair and would be rather handsome if it wasn't for his gigantic nose and over large ears. He was dressed in a skeleton costume, which made him look even skinner than he is, which made me laugh. Asking me to marry him seemed rather desperate and I wondered if others had turned him down. Abram was an enigma to me and because of that, I didn't like him much. There was something about him that I didn't quite trust.

He had arrived at Dagian Hall, a few days ago. His parents and sister arrived today. Uncle Saul, my mother's brother, was a huge man with broad shoulders and quite handsome. Aunt Lucinda was small, skinny with long grey hair and a huge nose. Poor Abram had inherited her nose and I wondered about her ears but I couldn't see them, as her long grey hair reached way past her waste. Isabella was completely different from Abram and took after her father. Quite a hefty woman, with long blond hair that she kept in a bun, which I didn't much like as it made her look like an old spinster, which of course she was.

I hear the laughter again and decided to join the merriment, as my curiosity was getting the better of me. I rushed upstairs and knocked on Isabella's bedroom door, which was on the second level of the house. Within seconds the door flung open and Eva pulled me inside, before quickly slamming the door shut again. "Come, sit Belle." Isabella told me and I immediately obeyed. I pulled out a chair from the dressing table and sat down. I looked around the room and saw that everyone was sitting on the floor transfixed by Isabella, who was dressed, yes you guessed it, as a witch. Her witch costume was more authentic than mine and she even had a large green nose and a black hat. Something that I refused to even consider wearing. I was going to be a beautiful witch and I didn't care if I looked out of place.

Sitting on the floor, my cousins, second cousins, third cousins etc. you get the drift, stared with open mouths, as Isabella continued reading from her new romantic novel. There must have been more than a dozen of us listening to her. "What is the book called?" I asked her. She looked over at me before answering. "This is the novel by Emily Jean Gray. It's called Forbidden Lust and it's the most romantic, erotic and positively exciting novel, I have ever read in my life." she replied with excitement. I raised my eyebrows and looked over at Eva, who was sniggering.

"His strong manly arms, wrapped around her thin waist and she sighed as he pulled her to him. She felt his hot breath on her neck and immediately felt the passion for him burning within her but she knew that her feelings were wrong, so wrong and tried to push him away."

Isabella paused and stared down at everyone. "Do you want me to carry on?" she asked her admiring audience. Everyone nodded.

"She knew that their love was forbidden and that they could never be together. Their families had hated each other for years and she couldn't betray her family but she longed for him. Could she be strong and walk away? No. She wanted him as much as he wanted her and as he lifted her onto the bed, she knew that their love for each other would be consummated that night. She felt his hands moving over her body and gasped when he...........

Isabella closed the book. "That my dears, is all you are going to hear tonight." she announced to everyone's horror. "What! You can't do that." One of my cousins shouted with an angry voice but Isabella locked the book away in her suitcase. "Isabella. Don't do that to us. We have to hear the rest." Eva shouted. "Maybe, just maybe I will read the rest to you tomorrow morning, before I return home." Isabella said with a grin on her face. The girls moaned and groaned as they left the bedroom. They were dressed in their costumes and with all the make-up, I really wasn't sure who was who.

"Did you like that Belle?" Isabella asked me, with a twinkle in her eye. "Eva says you're like me, a bit of a romantic." I scoffed at her suggestion. "I don't think so. What a suggestion." I answered. "I don't think that you believe that we can't fall in love. They always tell us that." Isabella said. "But have you known a vampire to fall in love Isabella because I have never heard of it." I asked her. She shrugged her shoulder. "Stranger things have happened." she replied with a smile. "You look beautiful Belle. What are you dressed as?" she asked me, with a confused look on her face. "A witch." I told her, making my way to the door. "A witch Belle. I don't think so. I'm a witch, you my dear are dressed like some sort of princess.' she said, shaking her head to show her disapproval. I glared at her before walking out the bedroom, slamming the door behind me. She was practically laughing at me and I suddenly dreaded going down to the ballroom. What if they all scoffed at my choice of costume?

As I made my way down the long spiral staircase, I could see Eva and Abram standing at the bottom, in what appeared to be a deep conversation. Was he telling her about asking me to marry him? I heard her gasp and was convinced that he did. I stood watching as they made their way through to the ballroom and suddenly I felt nervous. "What you standing there for girl? Come on or you'll miss the 'feed' and you don't want to do that." Isabella said, as she rushed past me. A shudder went down my spine. The 'feed'. I had forgotten all about that part of our celebrations.

# Chapter Three

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"Pricilla. You look absolutely enchanting." I heard my Cousin Oliver tell my mother. "Well thank you Cousin Oliver. This is just an old gown I had hanging in my wardrobe. I'm afraid I'm a little old to be dressing up as a witch or a ghost." Mother replied with a smile. Mother was dressed in a long pink chiffon dress and her long blonde hair was hanging down over her left shoulder. A large antique silver clasp, covered in diamonds, rested on the side of her hair and yes Cousin Oliver was right, mother looked absolutely stunning.

Father stood beside her dressed in his usual black suit, white shirt and black tie. His shoulder length black hair, I noticed, had more grey in it than usual. "A little white powder then father?" I asked, as I walked past him. "I don't know what you mean Belle." Father replied, with a curious look in his eyes. "I know who you remind me of father, Count Dracula." I told him. He puffed out his chest but I quickly rushed off before he had a chance to answer me.

I noticed Eva and Abram standing in the corner whispering to each other and I was curious as to what they had to talk about. Usually Eva gave him a wide berth but not tonight it seemed. I was about to join them, when I heard father announce that the 'feed' was about to begin and I remained where I was.

Through the windows, I could see the headlights of a large truck making its way up the driveway. It turned and drove around to the back of the building and I knew that the 'feed' was about to begin. How I hated this part of our celebrations. It all seemed barbaric and brutal to me but father always reminded me, that it was a necessity and needed to be done.

The back doors swung open and Uncle Isaac along with Cousin Boyd and Cousin Drue, marched in the humans. Uncle Isaac and his two sons were dressed all in black and with their muscly physic, they looked almost warrior like in their appearance. As the men and women were led into the ballroom, I kept my eyes to the floor. I hated to see the terror in their eyes, for some reason it made me feel emotions that disturbed me. "Have they been cleansed?" I heard father ask Uncle Isaac. "Of course." he replied and I lifted my head and found myself looking straight into your pale blue eyes.

I looked around and saw six men and six women, naked and shackled together by thick steel chains around their wrists and ankles. My father looked over at me with a pained look in his eyes. Did he find this as disgusting as I did, I wondered? I was surprised that these people did not scream or try to escape but concluded that they must be drugged to remain in such a sedentary state.

"Can we start now Ezra?" I heard Uncle Ruben shout from the corner of the room and everyone began to mumble. "Just give me a minute." Father replied, whispering into Uncle Isaac's ear. I wondered what he was saying.

I looked at you again and wondered why I couldn't keep my eyes off you. You were standing very quietly but your stare went right through me and sent a shiver down my spine. "Help me." you mouthed and I immediately looked away. There is nothing I can do for you or any of the others. You will all die here tonight. In order for us to keep living, we must drink your blood and you will cease to exist. I am sorry, believe me but this has to be done.

It never used to be like this. Cousin Abram had told me that in times gone by, we would feed whenever we wanted to and always ensured that our 'victims' did not die. But rumours had started to circulate and some of my family had to run, in order to stop detection and that was when my father decided to make these new rules. Abram even told me that many of our kind had been hunted down and slaughtered and that our family was the last of our kind. This was something that I took with a pinch of salt, as Cousin Abram always liked to tell outrageous stories, that more often than not, were proved to be false.

Once a year, a dozen or so homeless men and women would be lifted from the streets to feed us. They would not be missed and therefore we would be safe. But because we took too few people to feed us, we would have to feed until there was no more blood left in their bodies. Father told the family that this was the only way to save us from detection and to preserve our way of life. Was he right? Did we really have to kill these people?

I heard a thud and looking over, saw that you had fallen to your knees. Are you too weak to stand? Are you preparing for your death? You are handsome and the most beautiful man I have ever seen in my life. Your blond curly hair reaches just past your ears and your blue eyes are the palest blue I have ever seen. I find you captivating and I don't know why that should be. I have fed from humans all of my life, yet somehow the thought of you dying fills me with great sadness.

"Come on Ezra. What's the hold up?" Cousin Marcus shouted and everyone clapped. He was dressed as a Wizard and was standing beside his wife, Cousin Maria, who was dressed, I noticed in a not to dissimilar dress as my own. "Yes Ezra. We need to feed and then we can party." Uncle Ruben said and everyone cheered. He was dressed as a Roman soldier and had a sword, albeit a plastic one, brandished in his hand. "Let's get this show on the road." Father lifted his hand to silence everyone and stared at Uncle Ruben with a look that could kill. For whatever reason father was not happy and I wondered what was going on. "First we have the little matter of a trial to deal with. Then we can feed. Bring them to me Isaac." Father said in an extremely angry tone. "Penelope can you take the younger children out for a moment." Father told mother, who immediately rounded up the younger children, including my sister Isla and ushered them out the door.

I could hear everyone whispering and wondered what was going on. Uncle Isaac and Cousin Boyd dragged in two men and threw them unceremoniously to the floor. "With great sadness, I have to inform you that Cousin Garret and Cousin Leon have been feeding outwith the designated date. As a consequence of their actions I have no alternative but to find them guilty of breaking our family rules." Father announced, with gasps from the rest of the family.

"Spare them Ezra." Aunt Beatrice, their mother, pleaded as she fell to her knees in front of her two sons. She was not dressed in a costume and I had a feeling that she knew that this was going to happen and had turned up to stop the punishment handed out to her sons being too severe.

"They are young and foolish. Let me chastise them and I promise this will never happen again. Please spare their lives." she pleaded, as father picked her up from the floor and took her over to mother. "I know Beatrice that your husband died many years ago and you were left to bring up Garret and Leon by yourself but rules are rules. Everyone here knows the consequences of breaking these rules and there can be no exceptions." Father said and I could hear gasps coming from the back of the room.

"Fetch me the sacred ceremonial dagger." Father asked, giving Uncle Isaac his study key from his pocked. Uncle Isaac hesitated for a moment but with one icy stare from father, he turned on his heals and rushed out of the room. A few moments later he returned carrying the little silver dagger that I had seen many times on father's desk in his study. I had often asked about this knife but didn't get any information from him and thought it to be some sort of letter opener.

As Uncle Isaac handed the silver dagger to father, Aunt Beatrice screamed but father ignored her and stood behind my cousins who looked as if they were resigned to their punishment. "You Garret and Leon, have been found guilty of putting all of our family at risk by feeding outwith our rules. We cannot allow this and therefore your fate has been sealed. Do you have any last words?" Father asked them.

"I am a vampire." Cousin Garret said, rising to his feet. I fear no human and I will damn well feed from them whenever I feel like it." He had a look of defiance in his eyes and puffed his chest out to show that he meant every word he had just uttered. "So be it." father said, and drove the silver blade straight through his heart. Cousin Garret immediately fell to his knees and within seconds had turned to a pile of dust on the floor. Aunt Beatrice screamed and I saw my mother holding her by the shoulders and trying to comfort her.

I watched as father pulled Cousin Leon to his feet. My poor cousin, third cousin twice removed, whom I didn't even really know, started shaking and crying. "Have you anything to say?" Father asked him and I watched as he shook his head. Everyone gasped as father lifted his hand and plunged the silver dagger into Cousin Leon's heart. He immediately disappeared into a pile of dust, just like his brother.

# Chapter Four

#

Aunt Beatrice started screaming and shouting like a demented soul who was out for revenge. "How could you all stand around while he murdered my sons?" she screamed and everyone looked at the floor. Everyone, apart from Cousin Abram, who seemed unable to take his eyes from my father. "Take her out." father told mother. I watched as mother tightened her grip on Aunt Beatrice and tried to escort her out of the room. "Get your hands off me. You are all monsters, every one of you and I will tell you this Ezra Dagian, I will get my revenge. You will pay for what you did here tonight." she screamed, before rushing out of the room.

"Well that's put a dampener on things." Isabella whispered into my ear and I jumped with fright, as I hadn't seen her approaching me. "Clean this mess." Father told Uncle Isaac, who immediately beckoned for others to help him. People began to mumble and I looked at the humans, who were now all kneeling in front of us. They were like lambs to the slaughter and my heart felt for them.

Just then Grandmother Zenobia, who I always called Grandmother Zen, came into the ballroom. She was dressed in the most elaborately decorated long green dress that matched the greenness of her eyes. She wore a large, green, feathered fascinator on her greying hair that was now pinned up in a huge, most unflattering, bun on top of her head. Any other day I may have sniggered but tonight any emotion of joy had been drained from me after witnesses such a murderous spectacle.

"Sorry I'm late everyone. I had a little trouble with my dress and where is Beatrice off to?" Grandmother asked. No-one answered her and I watched as she made her way over to father. "Ezra has something happened?" I heard her ask and immediately made my way towards them. Father told her of the events that had just occurred and she shook her head. "And did the punishment fit the crime Ezra? How could you do such a thing?" Grandmother told him. "I have to keep order. Now don't go on mother." Father replied, before walking off and leaving her to stand on her own.

"This is just awful." Grandmother told me, as I reached her side. "And just before we feed." I noticed a pained expression on her face. Grandmother Zen was a majestic and sophisticated woman and everyone admired her. She always had a way of talking father round and I somehow knew that if she had been here, then cousins Garret and Leon would still be alive.

"He shouldn't have done it." I suddenly blurted out and immediately felt guilty, as if I had somehow betrayed my father. "No dear, he should not have done this." she told me, glancing around the ballroom. "There is a lot of unrest in this room and it's really quite unnerving." she said, looking around at the family who were huddled together in little groups, mumbling to each other. "Aunt Beatrice was very distraught and she threatened father before she left." I told her.

"Who can blame her dear? Now don't fret such. Your father is head of this family and he alone makes the rules and we have to follow them. I'm sure that he is as perturbed about all of this as we all are but he has to carry this burden and I'm sure it is not easy to keep us all in order. He has our best interests at heart." she told me and I nodded in agreement.

"When will feeding begin? I am feeling quite ill with the hunger and do the humans really have to be naked. It is quite unseemly." Grandmother said with a grunt. I shrugged my shoulders. "Pricilla dear." Grandmother shouted to my mother, who had just re-entered the room with the younger children in tow. By the look on my sister Isla's face, she was far from happy about being excluded from the proceedings and I saw mother whispering something in her ear. With a smile, Isla ran off to dunk for apples.

"Where is Ezra? The feeding should have been over with by now." Grandmother asked and my mother looked over at me. "Go to his study and fetch him Belle. I'm sure that is where he will be." Mother told me. I hesitated, as I wasn't quite sure how to speak to father now that I had just witnessed him kill two of my cousins in cold blood.

"Belle. He is still your father. Now go." mother told me, sensing my uneasiness. "We have to start feeding, otherwise there will be rebellion in the ranks." Grandmother told me. "To tell you the truth grandmother, I wish we didn't needed to feed on human blood. I hate it." I said and she immediately chastised me. "Hush child. Keep your voice down. You are the daughter of the Supreme Monarch and should not be saying such things. Your father is in enough trouble without you adding to it. Now go and fetch him, as I can hear everyone grumbling." Grandmother told me. "Look Belle. I understand how you feel but we have to feed or we will die. Now surely you can understand this. Be a good girl and fetch your father." Mother said, as she stroked my cheek. I smiled at her before turning on my feet and rushing out to find my father.

As I walked through the Family Room, I could see that the door to his study was slightly ajar, which was unusual. Father always kept the door shut tight and if anyone of us wanted to speak with him, then we would have to knock and wait for him to open the door.

"Father." I whispered pushing the door open a little further and giving it a gentle tap, so that he knew that I was there waiting for him. There was no answer and I was perplexed as to what to do next. Should I walk inside or should I stay where I was? I tapped the door a little harder but still no answer, so I tentatively crept inside. Immediately I saw that father was not sitting at his desk but sitting in a chair looking out of the window. "Father, It's Belle." I whispered. "Mother sent me to find you." He did not answer, so I nervously approached him. His face seemed strained. "Father." I said putting my hand on his shoulder. "I will be there in a minute Belle." he replied, in an unusually quiet voice. I knelt on the floor beside him. "Are you sad father?" I asked him. He turned to me and smiled. "Vampire's don't get sad. No, I am just taking some quiet time to reflect." he replied. "I shocked you tonight Belle but please do not hate me. I only did what had to be done." he told me.

I thought about it before replying. "Vampires don't get sad father and vampires don't hate. We are emotionless entities, forced to keep to the shadows." He reached out and held my hands. "Belle. You are a funny little creature. But I'm afraid, vampires can hate. Your Aunt Beatrice hates me right now and you know what, I don't blame her. But Belle, your cousins had to be punished. If the humans found out about us, we would be hunted down and killed one by one until there were none of us left in this world." he told me and I gasped.

He held my hands and stared directly into my eyes. "You see Belle there used to more of us but we are the only vampire family left. It was a long time ago but we used to feed whenever we wanted. Too many people disappeared, too many people killed and of course we brought attention to ourselves. We used to be scattered throughout every country in the world but not now Belle, not now." he told me and I was shocked, as I thought only our family were different. "They were all killed?" I asked him. "Every last one of them but somehow we were left undetected and were able to carry on with our lives here in the UK. But that could change at any time Belle and I had to stop your cousins and send a message to the rest of the family. We live in dangerous times child." he told me, as he turned and stared out of the window again.

"Did the humans kill Grandfather Uriah?" I asked him, now hoping to hear the story that I had been asking about all of my life. "Tell me father?" I asked him. "No Belle the humans did not kill your grandfather. Maybe when you are older, I will tell you what happened to him." he replied. "Father I am old enough now. Ever since I was a small child, I have heard whispers about grandfather. There is something sinister about his death and I would like to know what happened." I told him. Father shook his head. "Now let's get to the feed before there is a revolution." he told me, rising from his chair and pulling me to my feet.

As we were leaving the library I asked him, "Father when will I be old enough to learn of Grandfather?" Father laughed which surprised me, as I had never seen him laugh before in my entire life. "I don't know Belle but I will discuss this very thing with your mother tonight after the party." he replied and as we left the room, he locked the door behind him with the key that he always kept in his trouser pocket.

We stopped at the ballroom door and I could sense his hesitation. "Take a deep breath father. It always works for me." I told him. As he reached out for the door handle, I asked him another question. "Father do we really need to feed, I hate it so much?" I asked him. "Belle if we don't feed we die. It's as simple as that. Now take a deep breath and let's get this over with." he replied, opening the ballroom door.

As we entered everyone stopped talking and there was a deathly silence in the room. Father took me by the hand and we walked to the front of the room to meet up with mother and grandmother. I held onto his hand tightly, as I could feel the animosity in the room and found it quite frightening.

# Chapter Five

#

"It is time." Father announced. "Bring up the humans, Isaac." I watched as Uncle Isaac and his sons dragged the men and women over to where we were standing. Father walked up and down inspecting each and every one of them. "You have done well with your specimens this year Isaac." Father told him, licking his lips. That was the first time that I noticed that my father was as hungry as the rest of the family, for human blood.

"Isaac, allow Belle choose one and take it to the corner over there, for her to feed in privacy." Father said, looking at me. "Would this be better for you Belle? he asked and I nodded. "You choose first Belle. Who do you want?" father asked. I looked at the men and women in front of me, pretending to inspect them but I already knew who I wanted and you were standing at the end of the line. "I choose this one." I said pointing to you. "Good choice Belle. Now Isaac unshackle him and take him away for her to feed. "Come get your blood." Father shouted to the rest of the family, who by the looks of them were insane with hunger.

Uncle Isaac undid the chains and I followed him to the corner of the room, where it was dark. I tried to block out the sounds of my family attacking the humans in an animalistic frenzy and dared not look at them. "Hurry up then Belle. I'm hungry too." Uncle Isaac told me. "Just undo his chains and join the rest." I told him. Uncle Isaac raised his eyebrows. "It's not as if he has anywhere to go. There will be no escape for these humans tonight. So, go." I told him and he tutted before unshackling the human, who was on his knees in front of me.

I stared down at you, such a pitiful sight even though you are the most beautiful creature I had ever seen. I knelt down beside you and could see the tears fall from your eyes and trickling down your face. "This won't hurt. Just let me feed." I said and he jumped when he heard the other humans screaming. "You evil bastards." he whispered to me. "I will kill you the first chance I get." I laughed.

"Kill me and you will be torn to pieces like a ragdoll. Now let me feed." I said, pushing his neck to one side in preparation for piercing him with my sharp vampire teeth that only now made an appearance once a year.

I began to drink his blood and immediately felt the warm tasty liquid flowing through my body, as if it was some forbidden yet essential life force that immediately invigorated me. He didn't struggle or make a sound, which I found rather unnerving, as the rest of the humans were struggling and screaming for their survival, which was of course pointless.

When I was finished I wiped the droplets of blood from my lips and that was when he grabbed me by the throat. I gasped, as I felt his strong hands squeezing my throat but then I laughed and he immediately dropped his hands. "What was that?" I asked rubbing my now rather painful throat. "Where you trying to kill me? Do you not know we vampires are immortal?" I lied and I saw the sheer disappointment in his eyes. "You are monsters." he said, through gritted teeth and I realised at that moment, he was right. We are monsters. "What happens now? Do you let the rest of the monsters kill me? Is that it?" he asked and I didn't know how to answer him. "Help me. Help me escape. You have fed from me, so please don't let them kill me. If there is any humanity in you at all, you would help me escape this hell." he pleaded and I thought about it. I didn't want you to die like the rest. Why did I care? What was so different about you?

I stared into your eyes and felt a great sadness but didn't know why I would even care about you this way. "Are you finished Belle?" Uncle Isaac shouted. "Not yet Uncle. Give me a minute." I shouted back. "Please help me." you pleaded, with your puppy dog eyes and I knew that I had no choice. I didn't want your life to be extinguished, so I had to come up with a plan and quickly before Uncle Isaac came over.

I bent over you pretending to feed again and whispered into your ear. "Push me aside, take that chair behind you and throw it through the window and run to the woods and hide. I'm giving you a chance but if you are caught, you will be ripped to pieces. Do you understand?" I told him. "Any chance, no matter how slim, is better than this." he replied, reaching out and holding my hands in his.

I could feel the warmth from his breath as he spoke to me, which sent a shiver down my spine. Why did he have this affect on me?

With that, he pushed me so hard that I went flying across the room and within seconds he had smashed the window with a chair and had disappeared outside.

"What the hell!" Uncle Isaac exclaimed. I put my hand out to stop him chasing after him. "No Uncle Isaac, he is mine. I like the chase." I told him, rushing towards the window and climbing through the hole made by the chair. I ran through the woods and it didn't take me long to catch up with him. He saw me and immediately bent down and picked up a sharp stick from the ground and stood brandishing it in front of him. I laughed. "Come any nearer and you're getting this stake through your heart." he yelled and once again I laughed. "What's so damn funny? I know how to kill vampires." he screamed waving the sharp stick in front of him. "Is that right and where did you learn this little tip? Was it from a film by any chance?" I asked him and he suddenly looked confused.

"I saw two vampires getting staked tonight." he said, slowly moving towards me. "Not with a stick. That was a special silver dagger." I told him, trying to suppress a smile. "You mean it doesn't work." he asked, bending down and grabbing another piece of wood and holding it in front of him to make a cross. "Stay back." he screamed. I fell to the ground pretending to writhe in agony before bursting out laughing again. Humans were so funny.

I stood up and brushed the dirt from my dress and shook my head. "Vampires hate crosses." he said and I pulled out the cross that hung around my neck and showed him it. "Enough of this. I'm trying to help you, you idiot and we don't have much time." I told him, as I walked towards him. He stepped backwards. "Yeh right. You just like the chase. I heard you telling that other vampire." he said, still brandishing the two stakes of wood in his hand and looked as if he would pounce at any moment. "That was my Uncle and I just said that to stop the others from running out after you. If they caught up with you instead of me, you would be ripped to pieces by now." I replied.

"They will be coming to look for me soon, so follow me." I told him. He hesitated. "If they find you then you will most certainly be killed. Now come on follow me, quickly." I told him again, as I rushed past him and ran deeper into the woods. After a few seconds, I could hear that he was following me.

We ran through the woods, for what seemed like an eternity. I slowed down several times to allow him to catch up with me but he always kept a safe distance from me and stopped when I stopped. "Look. That small makeshift shed over there. Stay inside till morning." I told him, pointing to a broken down little shed, that my sister Eva and I built many years ago, when we were much younger. "Is that because you don't like the sunshine and turn into dust?" he asked, still brandishing the two sticks of wood in his hands. "No idiot. In the morning, you can make your way towards the road and hitchhike to wherever you want to go." I replied. "This is a trap. You get me inside and then you attack me and drain me of my blood." he said nervously. "I have already had some of your blood, you idiot. If I wanted you dead, you would be." I told him, as I crossed my arms in front of me. "For one thing. Stop calling me an idiot, you monster, and for another why are you helping me?" he said, still keeping a safe distance from me.

I shrugged my shoulders. "For one thing. Stop calling me a monster and for another, maybe it's because of your baby blue eyes." I replied laughing, placing my hands on my hips and puffing out my chest to show that I was now becoming angry with him. "Cut this out." he told me. "This may be a game to you but it is my survival that is at stake." he said, with an angry look on his face. "Talking of stakes. Are you going to keep those sticks in your hands all night?" I asked him, trying to lighten the mood. "You're damn right I am. Anyway, in the morning, what's to stop me going into town and going straight to the police?" he asked. I once again shrug my shoulders. "Do you think that they will believe you? Now come on be realistic." I told him. "We are a respectable family you're just a homeless man with a weird imagination and by the way, you are still completely naked. They would lock you up in a mental hospital." I told him, trying keep my eyes above his waist but failing miserably. "Like what you see?" he asked me and I suddenly found myself blushing, for the first time in my life.

"I'm not homeless. Why do you think that?" he asked, now covering his exposed genitals with his hands. Now it was my turn to be confused. "My uncle always picks up homeless people from the streets for us to feed on. The homeless are rarely missed." I replied. "Is that what he told you. Well your Uncle is a damn liar." he replied angrily. "If you're not homeless, why are you here?" I asked him. "I'm a student at Glasgow University, studying medicine. I went out one night for a few pints after finishing my final exams and here I am. I don't know how I got here. Wait a minute. It's Halloween. That means I have been gone for four months. My exams finished at the end of June." he said, with a weird expression on his face, as if he was trying to make sense of the situation.

"My Uncle Isaac must have kept you captive for four months before bringing you here tonight." I told him, confused by my Uncle's actions. "No way. I remember waking up in a shed, shackled with others. I must have been there for a few hours." he said. "But I don't understand that was in June."

He shook his head in bewilderment. "Well it seems that it was not a few hours but a few months." I told him. "But how do I not remember that?" he asked. "More than likely you were kept drugged. Come on now, get into the shed and hide until morning." I told him, rushing over and opening the old broken down and badly put together, wooden door.

Now standing inside the old and dark ramshakled play den that my sister and I built, happy memories came flooding back to me. We were so happy and so innocent as children but after the events of tonight, I knew that all that innocence was now gone forever. I pointed to an old mattress in the corner of the room. "You can sleep over there." I told him. "Won't they find me?" he asked and I shook my head. "This is a secret place that my sister and I built years ago. No-one knows about this place and as you can see by the state of the place, we haven't been here for years." I told him, rubbing the dust from my hands. "You will be perfectly safe here until morning." I said, trying to reassure him.

He peeked his head inside but I could tell that he still didn't trust me. "Perfectly safe. Are you kidding? I'm stuck here in a nest of vampires." he said. "Nest. What a thing to say. We are a very close nit family, not a nest." I told him, now finding myself becoming angry. "Now I have to go and I expect we will not see each other again." I told him, as I turned to walk out the door again. I felt his hand touch my shoulder.

"Thank you. I don't fully understand why you have helped me but I am very grateful to you. Please tell me your name." he asked. I smiled at him. "My name is Annabelle Dagian but everyone calls me Belle." I replied. "My name is Joshua Campbell but everyone calls me Josh." he said with a rather nervous smile on his face. "Well Josh, keep hidden until morning and by that time the family should all be sleeping soundly." I told him. "They may come after me." he said and I shook my head. "I will tell them that you are dead and that I buried you in the woods. They will believe me, why wouldn't they." I told him before rushing past him and out of the door.

On the way back home, I tried to make sense of what had happened but couldn't. Why would I help a human? And more importantly, why did he have such a profound effect on me? I could not get the image of his naked body from my head and thinking of him made me blush. Running home, I practically skipped all the way back but stopped when I saw my home looming in front of me. I brushed the dust from my dress and took a deep breath. I knew that the story I was about to give my father had better look truthful.

As I reach the back door, I saw that my father and some of my cousins are ready to head out into the woods to look for me. "Belle." Father shouted, rushing to my side. "I'm fine father." I told him, as my cousins gathered around me. "What happened?" Cousin Boyde asked me. "Nothing much. I caught up with him and now he is dead." I replied. "You killed him Belle?" Father asked me, with a pained expression on his face and I felt somehow, that I had disappointment him in some way.

"Well I didn't mean to. It's just that when I started feeding from him, I couldn't stop and now he is dead. I buried him out in the woods." I replied, brushing my lips with my hands. "Right then. Back to the party everyone." Father announced, as he put his arm around my shoulders and led me back through the back door of Dagian Hall, my family home.

As soon as I entered the hallway, I could hear laughter coming from the ballroom, which immediately stopped when I appeared with my father. Eva came rushing over to me. "You look a bit disheveled Belle. Look at your beautiful costume, it's ripped and filthy." she said, shaking her head. "I'm fine. Thanks for asking Sis." I replied. "Is he dead then?" she asked me and I nodded. "Good. Now come on, father has an announcement to make. Father." Eva said and I was curious to what she was talking about. What kind of announcement was father going to make?

"Stop the music." Father announced and immediately my cousins stopped playing their instruments. Eight of them formed an orchestra every year and with the younger ones wanting more modern music, we had to contend with listening to the radio in our bedrooms after the party. We always had a party in our bedrooms after the main party with our families.

"Pricilla will you join me." Father said, holding out his hand to mother. They stood at the front with Eva and Abram by their sides and I suddenly had a bad feeling about this announcement. "I would like to announce the engagement of my beautiful Eva to Abram. They are to be married next month and we are all delighted." Father announced to my shock and utter horror.

My heart fell. Not because I was jealous that after my rejection of his marriage proposal, he had gone running to my sister. No. I didn't want him to be my brother-in-law. I didn't want him to marry Eva, as she was far too good for him. My mind went into overdrive, thinking of ways to stop this wedding. Eva deserved a better husband than Abram, as I just knew he would never make her happy. How would he? He was a self-obsessed, arrogant, excuse for a man never mind a vampire.

Eva, although we had many arguments, was my best friend as well as my sister. Now she would be lost to me forever and our relationship will never be the same. Abram will whisk her away to live with him and his family over 60 miles away or worse still, they could live here in Dagian hall. That thought filled me with anger, as I would then have to endure Abram every single day, which I was sure would drive me insane.

I looked over at my mother and saw that she was staring down at the floor and not at the happy couple. There was no smile on her face and I suspected that she, like me, was very unhappy about the forthcoming wedding of her eldest daughter. I could see the pain in her face and concluded that we must talk as soon as the ball was over. She had her doubts about the marriage, just as I did, I was sure of that and perhaps we could discuss how to stop this wedding from taking place.

I looked over at my father, Supreme Monarch of the family and the most respected of vampires. A big, larger than life character, who although strict, had a soft heart for his daughters. He, unlike myself and my mother, had a smile on his face and I wondered why.

I noticed that my Cousin Marcus was sitting by himself in a darkened corner of the room. He was a strange one. His parents were both dead and he lived with Uncle Ruben at their home in the Perth countryside. I could tell by his face, that he seemed troubled and wondered why he seemed to be reacting badly to the news of my sister's betrothal. Then I saw him staring at Eva and it struck me like a bolt of lightening. He had designs on my sister himself and was unhappy. Did he love Eva? I gasped at this discovery. Vampires don't love but it was written all over his face. Why did I not see this before?

Every summer, Eva, Isla and myself would spend the summers with Cousin Marcus. He would spend two months with us and we always enjoyed his company. Now he was skulking in a darkened corner of the room, trying to disguise his forbidden feelings for my sister. I would speak to him when I had the chance. My thoughts were interrupted when I heard my sister Eva's laughter. She seemed happy enough, so why did I have this aching feeling in my heart that she was doing the wrong thing?

My Grandmother, Zenobia suddenly appeared at my side. "I know what you're thinking young lady." she said. "I'm hardy a young lady Grandmother Zen, as well you know." I laughed. "You are a young lady to me and I don't care how long you have lived on this Earth, I have lived far longer." she said, with a twinkle in her eye. "And as an old woman that has lived such a long time. I say again. I know what you are thinking." I shook my head. "Grandmother. I didn't know you could read minds. You really have to show me how to do such a wonderful thing." I said sarcastically. My sarcasm did not go unnoticed. "I can still put you over my knee dear. Now go and fetch your old grandmother some of that punch that your dear mother prepared earlier. Then my dear we are going to have a little chat." she replied, with a sternness in her eyes. I rolled my eyes. The last thing I wanted was some sort of lecture from Grandmother Zen. "Hurry girl. Do you want me to die of thirst?" she said. "I would be very surprised if that was to happen grandmother." I said laughing, just to see her glaring at me with her piercing green eyes.

Zenobia looked at her granddaughter, as she made her way over to the table to fetch her some punch. The girl was strikingly beautiful with her long black hair, brown eyes and a figure that other girls would literally die for. But Belle was a headstrong girl, much more so than her two sisters. She had been concerned about her for some time now. Being a vampire weighted heavily on her granddaughter' mind but it was perplexing to her that after all these years, she was still not really committed to the family way of life. This little talk was years overdue and tonight was the time to have a heart to heart with her granddaughter.

After Grandmother Zen drank her punch, she instructed me to take her over to the table for some food. The tables were laden with a magnificent banquet of chicken, beef, port and an assortment of savouries, sandwiches and luscious sliced meats. Grandmother filled her plate to the full but I had somehow lost my appetite. "Go on girl take some food. You need to build up your energy. Vampires do not exist only on human blood, as well you know." she told me, as she gave me one of her legendary glares.

So, I filled my plate with an assortment of food, even though I knew that I would be unable to even take a small morsel as my appetite had suddenly disappeared. Josh and now Eva, prey heavily on my mind and I just knew that I would be unable to sleep that night.

The music started up again and everyone began to dance. I went over to where Cousin Marcus was sitting and sat down on a chair beside him, as I balanced my rather full plate of food on my knee. "How are you doing Marcus? I hope you are having a good time tonight." I asked him and received a grunt in reply. "What do you think of our Eva marrying Cousin Abram?" I asked him and watched as he shrugged his shoulders. I knew then that he wasn't about to spill his darkest secrets to me. Whatever feelings he had for Eva he was keeping to himself and whatever he thought of their wedding announcement, he was not about to tell me or anyone else. So, we sat in silence watching our aunts, uncles and cousins dancing around the ballroom.

Before the party had even finished, I made my excuses and went to bed early. Not that I would be able to sleep, with all the noise ringing down the corridors, as my cousins sang to the latest pop music on the radio. I knew my grandmother wanted to speak to me tonight but I wasn't in the mood and although disappointed, she seemed to understand that I needed time to myself. Now tossing around on my bed, I knew that I would have a fitful sleep, as there was too much racing through my mind for me to relax.

# Chapter Six

#

I did not rise from bed until late in the afternoon and was glad to discover that Dagian Hall was once again back to normal. Everyone had left. Eva, Abram and his family had gone home, as Eva wanted to see the place where she will be living after they marry, mother had informed me of this as soon as I had risen from bed.

"Are you all right today dear?" Mother asked me, as I made myself a bowl of cereal. "I'm taking this up to bed mother. I'll be down later for dinner." I told her. "Yesterday was too much for you, so spend the day in bed Belle. You need your rest." Mother suggested. I smiled at her and returned to my bedroom.

An hour later I felt myself falling back to sleep again. Josh and I were running through the woods. Father and my uncles were after us for some reason and Josh was protecting me. My dreamy state was suddenly disrupted when Isla, my younger sister, came rushing into my bedroom. "I have a letter for you." she said, jumping up and down on the bed. "Just leave it on the dressing table." I told her sleepily. "Get up Belle. It's nearly time for dinner." she told me and I was surprised that it was so late in the day. "I will get up in a minute Isla. Leave me be child." I replied. "Child. I'm not a child Belle." Isla informed me.

I sat up in bed and rubbed my weary eyes. "Do you want me to wait for you?" Isla asked me. I didn't have a clue what she was talking about. "Wait for me for what?" I asked her, trying hard to focus my tired eyes on her face. "Grandmother wants to see you." Isla informed me. "Does she now. Well you tell grandmother that I will be down soon. That's a good girl." I replied. "I'm not a girl." Isla said, with her hands on her hips. "What is wrong with you today? You're not a child; you're not a girl. What are you then Isla?" I asked her, wondering what had got in to her today. "Don't you remember?" she asked me. I tried to think of what on Earth she could be talking about but my brain was still half asleep. I shook my head.

"I'm a teenager. Belle it's my birthday today." she told me with excitement in her voice. "So, you are Isla. And don't think I have forgotten. As soon as I dress, I will bring down your present." I told her and she clapped her hands and rushed out of the door.

I chastised myself for forgetting my little sister's birthday and such an important birthday too. She had now left her childhood behind and was on her way to becoming a woman. I clasped my hands over my eyes. What on Earth was I going to do about a present?

After rising from my bed, I rummaged through my jewellery box to find something to give Isla for her birthday. Deciding on a silver broach in the shape of a butterfly, I put it to one side to remember to give it to her later. I would ask mother if she had a little box and some wrapping paper for the broach, as it would not seem right to give her a present that was not wrapped properly. I hadn't bought her a birthday card either but remembered that mother always added my and Evan's name to the family birthday card.

I looked at the envelope on the dressing table and didn't recognise the handwriting, which intrigued me. Who would be writing to me? Opening up the envelope, I took out the letter and began to read.

Dear angel of death

Meet me. You know where. 10pm Wednesday 4th November.

Josh.

I was shocked. Why did he write this to me and why did he want to meet with me? What was I supposed to do? Should I tell father? My heart was racing with the thought of seeing him again but what did he want from me?

I quickly decided that I would keep this to myself. It was my secret and obviously Josh had not told the police anything about us, otherwise we would have known about it. I decided within a few seconds that I would meet him just as he planned.

# Chapter Seven

#

Tuesday passed very slowly and I felt myself wishing for the day to be over, as I was intrigued as to why Josh had written to me and why he wanted to meet me. I had thought that we would never see each other again, so his wanting to see me had come as a complete surprise.

At 10pm on the dot, I crept up to the small makeshift shed on the outskirts of the woods, where I had left Josh just a few nights ago. I suddenly found myself full of happiness and apprehension at the same time. Was this some kind of trap? The old wooden door creaked open when I pushed it and the place was in darkness. I smelled his presence before I saw him. He turned on a torch and shown it in my eyes. I flinched. "Sorry does the light hurt your eyes." he asked, moving the light away from me. "Only when I come in from the dark." I replied. "Did I frighten you then?" he asked. "Of course not." I told him. He shone the torch onto the floor beside him. "Come sit beside me Belle. I have a blanket for us to sit on." he said and gestured with his hand for me to join him. I stayed with my back to the door. "So, I do scare you. What are you thinking?" he asked. "I'm thinking that this is some sort of trap." I replied, looking around the room, now that my eyes had become accustomed to the darkness. He laughed "That's exactly what I thought that night when you brought me here, remember? I was wrong about you and you, my beautiful Belle, are wrong about me. I mean you no harm. Come sit down beside me." he said, patting the blanket beside him. I did as he asked and we were soon sitting beside each other.

"You look very pretty tonight." he said. "You look different yourself." I replied. "Oh yes. I have clothes on." he replied and I blushed remembering his naked body and how I found it so difficult to avert my eyes from his manlyhood.

"The last time we met, I was butt naked and you thought I was a homeless man. Oh, by the way my neck wound has healed nicely. You wouldn't think I had been bitten by a vampire, in more ways than one." he said. I looked into his eyes and couldn't decide whether he was being flippant or not.

"What do you mean?" I asked, confused by his statement. "I can't get you out of my head Belle and believe me I have tried. Did you put a spell on me?" he asked and I burst into laughter.

"No honestly. I think about you 24/7. It's like we have some sort of connection now." he told me, with a serious look on his face. "Don't be ridiculous." I replied now wondering why he was saying such things. "Well it's that or a little thing called love." he replied, with a smile. I gasped. "Don't be absurd." I told him, shocked at what he was saying. "Absurd, is it? Do vampires believe in love?" he asked. "No." I quickly replied, lowering my eyes from his face to the floor. "I see. I hear what you are saying Belle Dagian but your face tells a different story." he said and I gasped at his suggestion.

"Why am I here?" I asked him. "I told you. I have this compulsion to be with you all the time. It's unnatural." he told me. For some reason, I felt offended by his use of the word unnatural. "Believe me, I don't want to be in love with a vampire." he said and his voice sounded somewhat sad. "Look Josh, it's not love." I told him. "What is it then?" he asked. "Why do I feel like this?" I shrugged my shoulders. "Did you transfer some of your blood to me. Oh no. I forgot vampires don't have blood." he said in earnest and I laughed again. He was so funny. "There you go again with the wrong assumption. Of course, we have blood. Prick us, do we not bleed." I replied. Now he laughed. "All I'm asking, is if you can cure me of this obsession I have of you. I don't think it's normal. I can't sleep; I can't eat. All I do all day is obsess about you." he said with a glazed look in his eyes. I suddenly realised that he was being serious. "Perhaps it's something to do with me feeding from you but I don't know. We vampires never let our prey, as you call it, live." I told him. "You suck them dry?" he asked, shocked by my statement. I looked away. "My mother would know." I told him.

"Do you think you can find out for me and find out if there is a cure? You're doing my head in. I can't concentrate and I'm supposed to start work next week." he said. "Where will you be working?" I asked him, not knowing why I would even be bothered to ask him a personal question like this. Why was I interested? "Westbank General Hospital. I start next week." he replied with a smile. "Oh! So, you will be working in town then." I replied, surprised by this piece of news. I thought that perhaps after university, he would go off somewhere more exotic than my local town of Westbank.

"This is what I'm trying to tell you Belle. I'm completely obsessed with you. I mean I'm going to be working in your town. Why would I want to do that, when I have been offered a job in a prestigious hospital in London? Why did I refuse that job and apply for one in Westbank?" he said and once again I shrugged my shoulders to indicate that I had no idea. "And you want to forget me?" I asked him. "Of course, I want to forget you and your family of vampires." he replied. I jumped to my feet and rushed towards the door wanting to run from him but he reached the door before me and blocked my way. "My mother and father are fine by the way. They accepted my story of going off around the world with my friends for a few months. They see me as the most ungrateful and thoughtless brat of son and my father laid into me about the lack of contact. My poor mother was beside herself with grief, thinking I was dead in a gutter somewhere." he told me. "I am sorry. Even if you don't believe me. I am truly sorry for what happened to you." I told him and I meant every word. "Look Belle." he said, taking my hands in his. I am really grateful to you for sparing my life. I would be dead by now if it wasn't for you. And because of that, I didn't go to the police and report you all for kidnapping and murder. Well that and the fact that they wouldn't believe me and would probably think me insane." he said, with a smile.

I found myself mesmerized by his mile and I shuddered with the realisation of this. "I must go and don't worry, I will quiz my mother to see why you are in such a predicament but to tell you the truth, I cannot get you out of my mind either." I told him, blushing at my confession. Why did I acknowledge my feelings for him? "But vampires don't fall in love. You told me this." he said, with confusion on his face. "I know what I said." I replied.

"My poor Belle. It looks like we find ourselves in the same predicament." he said, touching my hair as if caressing it. He kissed me on the forehead and I thought my heart would stop beating, as he took me into his muscular arms. He kissed me on the cheek before finding my lips and all the while I was paralysed and felt as if I was in another world. A human world, where love is talked about and displayed at every chance.

Moments later the kiss was over. "What do you think of that then?" he asked. I stared at him before replying. "I think I have to go." I replied, feeling more than a little nervous and perturbed by the unknown feelings that I was now engulfing my body. "Meet me on Friday Belle. I'll bring a bottle of wine. I take it you do drink wine?" he asked smiling. "Sometimes." I answered, rather sheepishly. "Not too much or I will get drunk and you don't want a drunk vampire hanging around you." I replied, bursting into nervous laughter. He touched my face tenderly before stepping back and allowing me to go out the door.

I ran through the woods, with the wind in my face. My mind was in turmoil. What had just happened? As I sneaked back into the house, I felt my whole body shaking. I touched my lips with my fingers and found that they were tingling. My very first kiss.

The next morning after breakfast I found mother sitting reading the daily newspaper in the Library. "Morning mother." I said with a big grin on my face. "Morning Belle. My, you seem to be in a very good mood this morning." she said, with a curious look in her eyes. I shrugged my shoulders and took a book from the shelf and sat on the chair across from her and pretended to read its contents.

Mother looked over at me. "What on Earth are you doing reading that?" she asked, with a confused look on her face. I glanced at the cover of the book. Psychology of Man by Robert A Wilson. "You know me mother, I like to expand my mind." I replied. She gave me a whimsical look. "Mother." I said. "Yes Belle." she answered, looking up from the newspaper she was reading. "Can vampires fall in love?" I asked her. "What a question Belle. Why do you ask?" she asked me.

"Do you think Eva and Cousin Abram love each other?" I asked her, knowing what her answer would be. "No Belle but she is of an age to marry." she replied, before looking down at her newspaper again. "Are you happy they are marrying mother because I for one oppose this marriage." I told her. "Belle. You are a funny little creature." she replied. "That's what father says to me. Can I be a bit forward and ask if you love father?" I asked her. Mother sighed. "Belle. I respect and honour your father." she replied, shaking her head. "Yes, but do you love him mother?" I asked again, determined for an answer. "In a way, I suppose. What is wrong with you Belle?" she asked with a sigh.

Mother closed the newspaper and folded it before placing it on the table in front of her. "I know what this is all about. Cousin Isabella and her romance novels. You have to remember Belle that these stories are fiction." she told me, shaking her head. "Honestly child, I thought you would have more sense." I lowered my eyes to the floor. "Humans fall in love mother." I told her, without taking my eyes from the floor. "Yes, and humans fall out of love." Mother told me. "What do you mean mother?" I asked. "Divorce Belle. Humans fall in and out of love far too often. Vampires marry for life and do not get divorced." she told me. "What we have is better. Our lives are filled with respect for our other half. Love is but an illusion by an overactive mind."

I rolled my eyes and looked at her. I thought that she would be angry with me but she wasn't. She had her usual calm and unemotional face on but her piercing eyes had concern in them. "Mother does Eva have to marry Abram. It's just that I think that Cousin Marcus likes her. He was very sad looking, when their engagement was announced and he would be a better match for her." I told her. Mother shook her head. "Eva will marry Abram and they will live in Aberdeen. She is up there this last few days, getting a feel for the place and I am sure she will find it very amiable." he replied. "Abram asked me to marry him mother and I declined. I bet he didn't tell father that." I told her, wondering how she would react to that piece of news but she was unmoved as usual.

"I will let your father know but really it makes no difference. Your sister is very content with the idea of marriage, so I think you should be happy for her." she told me but somehow I couldn't be happy for her, as she deserved better.

"Mother. Can I ask another question?" I asked her. "Another one Belle? Well make it quick, as I about to organise lunch." she replied with a sigh. "Have you ever heard of one of our kind falling in love with a human or vise versa?" I asked her. "No of course not." she replied, quite forcefully. "Never?" I asked. "No. Never Belle." she replied, with irritation now in her voice. "I have." Grandmother Zen piped up, as she entered the library and overheard our conversation. Grandmother lived with us and had a self-contained flat at the rear of the building. She usually kept herself to herself, so I was surprised to see her.

"You have?" I asked her, somehow feeling excited by this discovery. "Yes. Many, many years ago." she replied, staring up at the ceiling, as if in thought. "Come Grandmother Zen, sit beside me and tell me all about it." I told her. "Zenobia don't fill her head with rubbish. Cousin Isabella has already done a good job on that score." Mother interrupted.

Grandmother sat in the chair beside me. "I think you will enjoy this story too Pricilla." Grandmother said but my mother shook her head and got up from her chair, determined to leave. "Sit." Grandmother shouted and mother glared at her before glancing over at me. "That's an order." Grandmother told her. I could see mother open her mouth to reply but closed it again and I knew that she was now biting her lip. Grandmother Zen was far too old to argue with and it would be highly disrepective to do so. Mother sat down on the chair again but had a disgruntled look on her face.

"Let me begin. It was when I was a young girl back in the olden days." she began and I sniggered. Grandmother glared at me before continuing. "As I said, it was a long time ago and my Cousin Elizabeth had somehow and don't ask how, became entangled shall we say, with a local farm boy who will remain nameless. She would often take me for long walks, which I thoroughly enjoyed. Her parents of course had no idea that the reason for these long walks, was to meet up with her young farmer." I was enthralled with this tale and sat wide-eyed staring at grandmother.

"I remember the first time I saw him. He was tall and had dark curly hair down to his shoulders. His trousers were far too small for him and came up above his ankles. I remember his hands and nails were filthy, with working on the farm. When he saw us coming towards him, he would always rush off to a nearby stream to clean the dirt off and dry his hands on his trousers. But he was one handsome young man and so kind and generous. I knew these qualities were very appealing to my cousin." Grandmother Zen said, with a smile on her face.

For a few seconds, she didn't speak and stared at the wall, with a glazed look on her eyes. I could tell that she was remembering times gone by and the look on her face told me that these were good memories.

"Go on." mother suddenly told her. "Interested now, are we?" grandmother asked. Mother looked down at the floor. "Carry on Grandmother Zen." I told her. She reached over and patted me on my knee. "These little meetings went on for months throughout the whole summer and I really enjoyed them. I mean, I really enjoyed being with them, as they were so much fun." she said, before stopping again and staring into space. "And?" I asked. "My, my, aren't we impatient. Do you want me to tell the whole story or skip to the end?" she asked and I immediately apologised for my eagerness to hear more.

"Anyway, my uncle found us one day. He went ballistic and forbade her from ever seeing him again. I know they say our kind do not fall in love but she most certainly did. She cried day and night for weeks and weeks. I tried to console her, we all did but she was just inconsolable. That was love. Pure love in my opinion." she told us. "What happened next?" I asked her, as I glanced over at my mother who was shaking her head. "They ran away together and we never heard from them for over 30 years." she said. Mother gasped. "Yes." Grandmother Zen said nodding.

"Thirty years estranged from her family and all because she fell in love with a human. Anyway, she turned up at the door one night and looked as fresh as she did when she left. I remember there was a storm the night she came home. I can still hear the rain bouncing off the ground and the rattling of the windows." she told us. "And?" mother asked, now on the edge of her seat.

"She turned up with her young farmer, who by the way had aged something terrible. Grey hair he had and looked very ill and pale. And on top of bringing a human home with her, she was pregnant. Well you could imagine her parents' reactions. This kind of thing was totally unheard of before and was somehow so inconceivable, that it couldn't be true. But it was." she told us, with a hint of sadness in her voice.

"She was pregnant but that can't be. Vampires and humans cannot breed." Mother said in horror. Grandmother Zen shook her head. "Yes, so we all thought. But she was pregnant, homeless and her now husband was dying." she told us. Now it was my turn to gasp. "Dying! After all that, she was going to lose her one true love." I cried, feeling completely overwhelmed by the story. "True love. Honestly Belle you have some very funny notions." Mother scolded me before turning to Grandmother. "You really shouldn't encourage her Zenobia." Grandmother shook her head.

"Please finish your story." I told her and dared not look at my mother, as I could feel her eyes boring into my skull. "He had some sort of lung condition and don't ask me anymore because I don't know. The coughing was awful and no matter what we gave him, nothing would stop his coughing. It was awful to see such a beautiful man lying on his deathbed, with nothing to be done." Grandmother told us. "Did her parents welcome her back with open arms?" I asked her. "To a fashion, I suppose. She had to grovel for days but when her husband eventually died, her family did take her to their bosoms again." she replied. "What about the baby?" I asked, full of curiosity. "She had a son." she replied and I saw what seemed to be a tear in her eye. "And was there nothing that could be done for her husband? I mean did he die?" mother asked her and Grandmother Zen nodded before letting out a deep sigh.

"What happened then?" I asked her. "She loved him that much that she wanted to turn him into a vampire but he wouldn't hear of it and because she loved him, she let him die." she told us. "What about the son?" I asked her. "Is he still alive?" Grandmother nodded. "Yes, he is very much alive but he doesn't know his heritage and thinks that he is a true-blooded vampire, instead of a half-blood." she replied.

"So, no-one told him the truth. He was half- human and everyone kept it a secret?" I asked her, finding myself stunned by the news. Grandmother Zen nodded. I now found my curiosity in overdrive. "Who are they? I haven't heard this story before." I asked her. "It was a long time ago and when her parents died, the secret died with them." Grandmother Zen replied. "She still visits his grave every Sunday, with fresh flowers." Grandmother told us.

I suddenly remembered. "You go to the graveside every Sunday Grandmother and you never did say whose grave you visit." I said. "So you do." mother agreed. "Grandmother Zen." I exclaimed "It's you. You're the one who fell in love with a human." Mother gasped. Grandmother remained silent, sniffling into her handkerchief. Mother jumped to her feet. "Is this true? But that would mean that Ezra is half-human. Tell me does he know about all of this?" mother asked her. Grandmother Zen shook her head. "He can never know. It would destroy him." she told my mother, who by this time was pacing up and down the floor. "But that means, me, Eva and Isla are all half-human." I exclaimed, with more than a little excitement at discovering this.

"Why are you so pleased Belle? This is the most devastating news I have ever heard. If your father ever found this out, it would destroy him." Mother said, chastising me for my overexcitement. I tried to remain calm and explain why I was pleased at this discovery. "It's just that I seem to feel things more than others. Mother, I have human emotions. I have tried to bury them deep within me but I have always felt somehow different, from the rest of the family. This discovery explains everything." I said trying to explain myself. "You are correct, my beautiful Belle. I have always seen that side of you but up to now, I have kept my mouth shut." Grandmother Zen said, now grasping my hands tightly. "And why are you telling all of us this now? Why couldn't you have taken this secret to your grave just as your own parents did?" Mother asked, now wagging her finger in Grandmother's face. It seemed to me that she had now lost all respect for her mother-in-law. "Mother calm yourself. No-one else needs to know and father will never find out. Will he Grandmother Zen?" I said, staring into my grandmother's eyes. She nodded her head in agreement.

"Did you never guess anything was different about father?" I asked my mother. She flopped back down on the chair and sighed. "There were times, now looking back, that he seemed to display emotion but only for a few moments. Like the time you are your sisters were born. He was so excited, which was unbecoming for a vampire and now and again he lets his guard down and I see a flicker of emotion on his face. This explains everything." Mother said, shaking her head. "Look." she said, leaning forward in her chair. "This has to go no further. There is bad blood in the family after the deaths of your cousins, the other night. Aunt Beatrice would use this information to divide the family. It would be highly dangerous for us all if any of the others discovered that there was mixed blood in the family."

I rushed over and put my arm around my mother, who seemed to be in complete shock. "I'm so cold compared to your father. As little girls, you all ran to your father and not to me." she whispered. "No mother. You are the best mother in the whole world. You have always been here for us." I told her. "Thank you Belle. You are such a good girl. Now I think I need to go for a nap, as I feel absolutely exhausted. Do me a favour and organise lunch for us, as I haven't the strength." Mother said, before pulling herself from the chair and leaving the room. Now it was only the two of us and I had so many questions for my grandmother.

I sat down beside my grandmother again. "Did you love him Grandmother Zen?" I asked her. "Yes. I still do dear and I really miss him. That's the thing about love. When it's gone, you are a left a shell of yourself." she replied. "But I don't understand. You are a true vampire and we are not supposed to fall in love, so how did this happen?" I asked her. "I don't know Belle. Perhaps it wasn't love but it sure felt like it then and still does to this day." she replied with a shrug of her shoulders.

"I'm so sorry." I told her, putting my arm around her. "Don't worry about it Belle. It was such a long time ago." she replied, pulling herself up from the chair. "Grandmother Zen. Can I ask you why you told us all of this now?" I asked, confused as to why she would confess to us a secret that perhaps was best kept hidden.

"I do not have long left and I don't know why but I couldn't keep the secret any longer. Your father, being Supreme Monarch of the family, would be destroyed by the news that his father was a human but you Belle, are made of stronger stuff. I think it's because I want to keep your grandfather alive, long after I have passed." she explained and somehow I understood. She loved him so much that she didn't want to deny his existence, even if it caused others to feel uncomfortable and even shocked by this news. "What happened to Grandfather Uriah? How did he die?" I asked her. "That is another story for another time child. Now help me to the door." she replied, reaching out and grabbing onto my arm. "You and he never had children, did you?" I asked her. "No. He never touched me in that way. Uriah was a cold man not like James, your true grandfather but he did good by your father and that is the main thing and he was Supreme Monarch. Everyone respected him and the title of Supreme Monarch was passed down to your father after his death. I would definitely say that we led separated lives." she replied, with a shrug of the shoulders. "James?" I asked. She nodded. "James Andrew Campbell. He was such a lovely man and I'm sure that you would have liked him. You have his eyes and so does your father." she told me with a smile.

"How did you come to marry Uriah?" I asked her. "My father arranged the marriage, just before your father was born. I just went along with it to keep my family happy." she told me. "What was in it for Uriah?" I asked her. "The title of Supreme Monarch, held by my father, would be inherited by him when my father died. That my dear is why he married me in the first place." she replied.

"We don't really know how he died." Grandmother Zen told me. "I came down one morning and he, well he must have been stabbed through the heart because his body was reduced to a pile of dust on the floor." she said and I gasped. "He was murdered?" I asked. Grandmother did not answer. "But who would do such a thing?" I asked her, reeling from this new discovery. Something didn't seem right and I wondered why no-one was taken to account for his murder.

"Father seems to be disturbed by his death. Every time I ask him about Uriah, he dismisses me and doesn't want to talk of him." I told her. "Belle I have noticed that you refer to him now as Uriah. You must refer to him in future as Grandfather Uriah. For all of our sakes we must go on as normal." she told me and I understood. Discovering that he was not my grandfather led me to call him by his first name and I must not make this slip again. "I must speak to Ezra." she suddenly said, pulling open the door but I had one more question to ask. "Grandmother Zen, have you ever heard of someone drinking from a human and somehow becoming connected to that human." She turned and stared at me with confusion in her eyes before replying. "Belle dear, I have no idea what you are talking about. Now let me out of this room before I take root." she said with a grin on her face but I knew that she was worried about something.

#  Chapter Eight

"Ezra can I come in. I need to speak to you." Zenobia shouted through the locked door of the study. Within minutes her son had opened the door. "What is it mother? Because if you have come to lecture me about what happened at Halloween, I'm not interested." he replied. "Are you going to keep me standing at the door or can I come in and have a seat?" she asked him. Ezra pulled the door open further and indicated for her to come into the room.

Now sitting facing her son, she asked him a question. "Your father. Did you kill your father Ezra?" she asked and he reeled back in horror. "What are you talking about? You killed father." he told her. "No, I did not. What a thing to say." she replied, shocked that her own son would think her a murderer. "Why do you think that?" she asked confused as to why he would think such a thing. "I heard you arguing with father, the night he died. Later when I heard you slamming the door and rushing down the corridor, I let myself into his study and I saw that you had put the silver dagger through his heart and reduced him to a pile of dust. I found the dagger on the floor beside his remains." She gasped and put a hand over her mouth. "I did not argue with your father that night. I don't know what you are talking about." she told him emphatically, now completely confused by what he had just told her. "Mother I heard you." he insisted. "Don't worry I never told anyone about it. I closed the study door and returned to bed and I have kept my mouth shut for all of these years." he told her.

"You let me discover his death in the morning. You never came to tell me that night. You actually think I killed him?" she asked and now it was he who was confused. "Well if he wasn't arguing with you that night, then who was he arguing with?" he asked. Zenobia thought about it for a moment. "If it wasn't me, then it could only have been one other person." she said. "Pricilla!" he exclaimed with shock. "Yes. She was the only other female in the house that night." she told him.

"All these years I thought it was you who had killed your father. I kept my mouth shut to protect you." she told him. "And I was protecting you." he told her. "But I don't understand why would Pricilla kill father?" he asked, unable to comprehend that his own wife had murdered his father. "I think I know Ezra. Now I have a story to tell you and you will be shocked." she said, before relating the story that she had just told Belle, just a few moments before.

# Chapter Nine

#

The next morning, I was filled with excitement as it was Friday and I was to meet Josh in our, what I like to call, secret hangout. Little did I know that all hell was about to break out and that I would not be able to meet him, as we had planned.

I was clock watching all day and now it was just a few hours to go, until I would see him again. As I walked towards the kitchen to find mother, I suddenly heard the front door open with an almighty crash. Eva was back and seemed to be in rather a foul mood. I watched as she struggled through the door with her three heavy suitcases. "Just stand and watch, why don't you." she screamed at me, kicking the front door shut with her foot and throwing her suitcases onto the floor. "Eva. You're back" I screamed with delight, running towards her. "Glad to see me, are you?" she asked, in a most unfriendly tone. "Of course, I am." I replied, wondering why she was in such a foul mood. She marched right past me and ran up the long staircase towards her bedroom. I immediately followed her.

Once inside she threw herself onto the bed and screamed into her pillow, which was very unlike her and I was stunned by her obvious show of emotion. I stood at the bottom of her bed watching her kick and scream like a madwoman. I was confused by her behavior, which looked very human to me. Father would be astounded if he had witnessed this lack of decorum. "You don't seem to happy. What's up?" I asked her and she immediately sat upright in the bed and glared at me. "I know." she replied. "You know what?" I asked, puzzled by her reply. "I know that I was his second choice." she said, with hatred in her eyes. Did she hate me for some reason? "What do you mean Eva? You're so angry that you are frightening me." I told her. "He asked you to marry him first and don't bother denying it." she practically screamed at me. "Halloween. He asked you to marry him and you turned him down." She stared at me waiting for a response but I didn't reply.

"Well I'm home now and the marriage is off. I'm not going to be second best for anyone. You should have told me Belle." she said, through gritted teeth. "I'm sorry." I muttered.

I sat on the bed beside her and reached out for her hand but she pulled it away. "I didn't tell you, simply because I didn't take his proposal seriously. He was just talking rubbish, like he always does." I told her. "You have never really liked him, have you?" she asked. "No, I don't like him and neither do you really Eva. You have never given him the time of day and don't pretend that you are heartbroken." I told her, now becoming defensive. "Did he tell you about the proposal Eva?" I asked and she nodded. "Well think about it then. Why would he tell you this? He's an arrogant swine and you are better off without him. You know you are." I told her. "Trust me, there are better men than him to take as a husband." She stared at me. "Oh yes. Like who?" she asked. "Like Cousin Marcus." I told her. "What!" she exclaimed. "Oh Eva, you didn't see the look on his face when your marriage was announced. He was devastated." I told her.

"Vampires don't get devastated." she said, shaking her head. "And vampires don't show this kind of emotion that you are displaying right at this moment." I told her. "Did he say that he was devastated?" she asked me and I had to admit that he did not. "It's instinct Eva. I could tell that he was absolutely and totally devastated by the news of your engagement. It was on his face for everyone to see." I replied, trying to explain myself. "Instinct. Such rubbish Belle." she replied with a sigh. "Is it Eva? You and Cousin Marcus are very compatible. You know you like him. Heaven's, every year he comes here for the summer and you two are stuck together like glue. Tell you what. I will invite him to stay for a few days and then my dear sister you can pounce on him. You would make a lovely couple." I told her. "Not if he doesn't say anything." she replied, now beginning to cheer up a little. "You know he's shy. Use your womanly ways to capture him and pull him into your lair like a black widow spider." I told her and she laughed, a bit too hysterically for my liking.

She suddenly stopped laughing and began to cry. "Oh Belle. I'm feeling all of these emotions that I'm not supposed to feel. What is going on with me? Do you think I'm ill?" she asked me, confused herself about her unusual behavior. "No Eva, you're not ill." I replied, now taking her into my arms and rocking her back and forth. "I have never felt like this before. You know I absolutely hate, yes Belle, I hate Cousin Abram." she said and now I laughed.

"I have always hated the little swine of a man." I told her. She suddenly stopped crying and we both sat and stared at each other.

"I will need to talk to father and mother but I feel so drained and emotional at the moment. Perhaps they will be able to tell me what is wrong with me. Vampires don't get emotional." she said. "It will be the human part of you." I told her. "What the hell does that mean?" she asked, with her eyes now wide open and a shocked expression on her face. I relayed the story Grandmother Zen had told me and when I was finished she put her hand over her mouth with shock. "So, father doesn't know any of this?" she asked. "No Eva and he must never know. It would completely destroy him." I told her. "What about Isla?" she asked. I shook my head. "She's too young to know of such things. Maybe in the future when she is older, we will tell her but for now no-on must know of this." I told her and she nodded her head. "Poor mother. How did she take all of this?" she asked. "She didn't say much." I replied. "I can't believe it. We all have human blood. What are the implications of this Belle? Do you know?" she asked but I shook my head. "I really don't know. I just think that we display emotions that others do not and we must keep these emotions in check. Mother says there would be dire consequences if any of the family found out about this. After the deaths of our cousin on Halloween, things could become dangerous for all of us but especially for father. He is Supreme Monarch and as such, is untouchable but if they found out that he is half-human then God knows what would happen." I told her, now beginning to fear for our future. "Poor father. He is so committed to the family. Oh Belle, they would turn against us." she said, biting her bottom lip. I nodded. "I think you should rest now. When you wake, perhaps we can talk to mother together." I told her. I tucked her up in bed, fully clothed.

As I was leaving I turned to ask her a question. "Do you want me to invite Cousin Marcus up for a few days?" I could hear Eva grunt. "I don't think so Belle. I'm off men for the foreseeable future and beyond." she said, beginning to cry again "There you go again. Emotions are a killer, aren't they Eva? Now have a rest and we will talk later." I told her, before leaving the room and closing the bedroom door quietly behind me.

Walking back downstairs I looked at the clock. If I left right this minute, I would be at our rendezvous just after 10pm. I was just about to sneak out of the door when I saw my mother walking towards me. "Eva's back." I told her. "I know." mother replied.

"How?" I asked. "Aunt Lucinda called me a few moments ago and told me all about their argument." she replied. "Abram told her that she wasn't his first choice for a wife anyway and suffice to say the marriage is off." she told me. "Well I'm glad she's home. I never wanted her to marry him anyway, as well you know mother. Cousin Marcus would be a far better choice of a husband for her." I told her. "What!" mother exclaimed. "I know he likes her, even if he doesn't show it." I said, glancing at the front door and wanting to run to it; run to Josh. "Do you now Belle. Best leave it well alone and don't get involved in any kind of matchmaking. Believe me child, you will get yourself into a whole lot of bother." Mother replied.

"No mother. I can't leave it alone. Eva has taken to her bed and I'm going to do something to fix this mess. I'm going to invite Cousin Marcus for the weekend, with your permission of course." I told her with determination in my voice. "If you like but I must warn you to be careful." she told me. "What do you mean mother?" I asked, not understanding what she was meaning. "You are so naive Belle." she said, which stunned me and I wondered why she would say such a thing. "If you invite him, he may think you have designs on him yourself." she told me. "Oh." I replied, chastising myself for not even thinking of that scenario.

"Best if I invite him." Mother said and I nodded my head. "You're right mother, as always." I replied, walking over to her and kissing her on the cheek. She flinched and I knew that she was uncomfortable with my obvious show of affection. "You need to keep your emotions in check, you never know who could be watching." Mother told me with a smile. I suddenly had the urge to confess my discretion. "I'm sorry mother but I had to tell Eva what Grandmother Zen told us." I said, hanging my head, ashamed of my big mouth. "But you promised to keep it secret." Mother replied, with a look of sheer horror on her face.

"Oh, mother I couldn't. You didn't see the state Eva was in, when she came through the front door. She ran up to her bedroom screaming and crying and she didn't know what was wrong with her. Mother she thought she was ill. I'm sorry but I told her to keep it to herself and we can trust her mother." I said. "I see." Mother replied and I knew that I had disappointed her. "She wants to talk with you about all of this. I hope you understand, I just had to tell her." I told her, feeling guilty but knowing that it was the right thing to do in the circumstance. "Are going to tell Isla too?" she asked. "Of course not mother. Isla is far too young to understand." I replied, shaking my head. "Promise me this minute, that you won't tell anyone else." she said, reaching out and holding my hands in hers. "I promise mother." I replied. "I mean it Belle. I don't want your father or any of the family finding out about this." I hung my head before replying. "Yes mother. I promise."

I looked at the clock in the hall and was horrified to see that it was after 10pm. "Now help me in the kitchen. I have a lot of baking to do." Mother said. "But it's 10 pm." I told her, with anguish in my voice. "And." she asked staring at me, waiting for an answer. I tried to conceal the urgency that I was displaying in my voice by saying that I was excited that Eva was back and that I needed to spend some time with her. "Let her sleep. Now come, we can make a start tonight and then there will have less to do tomorrow." she said, pulling me towards to the kitchen. I wondered what Josh would think when I didn't meet up with him. Would I ever see him again or will he just leave and never return? My heart fell with the thought of never seeing him again.

"Where is father? I haven't seen him all day." I asked mother, who just carried on walking through to the kitchen. "Mother." I shouted. "He left last night with your grandmother." she at last replied. "He and your grandmother are staying with some of the cousins down in the Borders for a few days." she told me. "Why?" I asked her confused that father would leave without saying goodbye and even more confused that father had even left the house. He never went to stay with any of our cousins. "I have never known father to leave the house, ever." I said and wondered if Grandmother Zen had taken him away to tell him about his parentage.

It all seemed very strange to me. "Stop with all these questions Belle." mother replied. "He and grandmother will be back in a few days." I could tell by the tone of her voice, that something had happened but by the look on mother's face, I knew that my questions would need to wait for another day.

# Chapter Ten

#

Over the next few days, Eva became her normal annoying self again. Isla was pleased that her sister was back but it was hard to read her face, as she never did display emotion. I thought that perhaps she was more vampire than the rest of us but then again, I thought that about Eva. Perhaps the emotions only rise to the forefront of our brain when we are older or then again maybe Isla will be spared from all of these human emotions.

Father was still not home and mother would still not offer any explanation for them going away. Perhaps they had an argument, I thought but quickly dismissed this silly idea, as my parents were always cordial towards each other and I had never once heard them raise their voices.

As I was walking towards the kitchen, Eva rushed up behind me and grabbed me by my arm. "Heavens." I screamed. "Don't sneak up on me, ever." I told her. "Are you scared of vampires then?" she replied, laughing. I shook my head. Her good humour surprised me. "Belle, come for a walk with me." she said, pouting her lips. "An unusual request Eva." I replied. "Just come for goodness sake. Don't make a big deal of it." she replied. So, we linked arms and made our way towards the rear door towards mother's garden. "We are going for a walk in the garden mother." Eva shouted to mother, who was in the kitchen. Mother did not reply.

As we walked into the cold winter air, I found myself shivering which was very unusual. "Hey you're shivering." Eva said and I was surprised that she had even noticed. The new emotional half-human Eva was freaking me out, as she had always been so self absorbed and now she was acting differently. "That will be the human blood in you." she said laughing.

"And you, my dear sister, are laughing way too much for a full-blooded vampire." I told her. "You know Belle. You are right. Cousin Abram is a shit." she suddenly announced. "Well I didn't exactly use those words." I told her. We burst into laughter and I suddenly felt that I somehow had a different, a better, relationship with my older sister. "Did you invite Cousin Marcus for the weekend?" she asked, as we walked down to the new greenhouse that mother had father erect, at the bottom of the garden. "Mother thought it best if she made the invite." I told her. Beth suddenly came to a halt and stared at me. "Why was that?" she asked and I shrugged my shoulders.

We began walking around the garden again. "Belle I do like Cousin Marcus. In fact, thinking back, I do remember stirrings within me, when he was in my presence." she told me, in a way of a confession. "Stirrings within you." I laughed. "You sound like someone out of a Dickens novel." I told her. "Well you know what I mean. Anyway, I am trying to subdue all of these human emotions." she whispered into my ear. "And since mother and I had our little talk, I feel much better about the situation." I was pleased that she felt better within herself but if she was subduing her human emotions, she wasn't doing a good job of it.

"Anyway, I want to know how to capture the heart of Cousin Marcus. What should a girl do in this situation?" she asked me. "Does Cousin Marcus have a heart to be captured?" I asked her. "That my dear Belle, is something that I intend to find out. Now how does one go about flirting?" she replied. "How should I know? You are the one that always listened to Cousin Isabella's romantic novels." I told her and she grunted. "As if I can remember anything of what she said. Look, I'm sure that we can put our heads together and come up with some womanly ways to capture Cousin Marcus." Eva said and I could see the determination in her eyes. "Why are you in such a rush to marry?" I asked her. "Because." she answered without any other kind of explanation. I, unlike Eva, had no longing to marry, as I enjoyed my freedom too much to compromise it by becoming someone's wife.

# Chapter Eleven

#

Saturday morning came, Father was still not back home and Cousin Marcus arrived at our door, just after dawn. When I told Eva that he had woken up mother so early in the morning she laughed. "He must have travelled all night to reach us so early. Where is he now?" she asked. "He's having breakfast, so you had better get dressed pronto if you want to entertain your future husband." I replied. "He is rather eager don't you think?" she asked. "Eager beaver." I replied with a snigger.

"Right give me a few minutes and we can go down and greet him together." she told me and I sat on her bed waiting for her to make herself presentable. After showering, she went through all of her clothes in her wardrobe, to find something suitable to wear. "What about this?" she said, holding up a rather dull black dress. I shook my head. "Something more alluring is called for sister." I told her. "What about that red dress. I have always admired that dress and it does enhance your figure rather nicely." I told her, pointing to the wardrobe. "It makes me look fat." she replied with indignation in her voice. I knew that she had tried several times to stick to a diet but had always failed. I also knew that she resented the fact that I was much slimmer than her. "It does not." I assured her, now taking out the dress myself and holding up against her. "The neckline is rather low and shows off your rather large boobs." I told her and she pulled it from me and gave me a slap on the arm. "Ouch." I said, feigning injury. "Look Eva, you're trying to seduce the man, so stick out your boobs and be proud of them." I told her, looking down at my rather flat chest and pulling a face.

"If I had a pair of boobs like yours, I wouldn't be hiding them away. Be confident in your own body Eva." I said and she shook her head, before throwing her head back and laughing. "You are completely and utterly nuts but I like it." she replied, as she quickly pulled on the red dress that she had snatched from me. She adjusted the neckline to try and make it come up further on her body. "Leave it alone." I told her slapping her hands away and pulling it back down again. "Now come and I will fix your hair and we really must go down or breakfast will be over." I told her, as I guided her towards the chair in front of the dressing table.

"Do you really think this dress is appropriate for this time in the morning? Not only does it have such a low neckline, it rises way past my knees when I sit down." she asked. "The dress is fine, now let's curl those long black tresses of yours and then my dear sister some bright red lipstick." I replied.

Soon we were making our way down towards the dining room. "You look lovely yourself today Belle." Eva told me. "Who me? I have had this blue dress for years now and I would have much preferred wearing my denims but like you, I thought I had to make an effort." I replied. She looked at me with confusion in her eyes. "Why should you make an effort?" she asked me. "Well maybe Cousin Marcus will take us into town. He usually does." I replied. She simply smiled at me, albeit a feigned smile and we continued down the stairs.

"Hello Marcus." Eva said in a husky voice before walking into the dining room for breakfast. "Hello Cousin Eva and Cousin Belle." he said, now rising from his chair like a true gentleman. "I hope you are both well this lovely morning." he said, with a big grin on his face. "I think I will have some cereal today. What about you Belle?" Eva asked me. "Me too." I replied, as we both poured ourselves out some cereal before sitting down at the table.

"Good morning Isla." Eva said but Isla ignored her and gulped down the last of her breakfast, before pushing back her chair and disappearing outside to play. "Well really. How rude." Eva said. "Young ones today just don't seem to know how to act appropriately." My mouth hung open, as I had never heard Eva speak like this before and I made a conscious decision to tell her to rein it in a bit. She was being far too pompous and not laid back and relaxed, as I told her she should be. Perhaps she was nervous but she was not coming across in a good light.

Cousin Marcus was sitting beside mother and Eva and I, were sitting across the table from them. Of course, Eva ensured that she was sitting directly opposite Cousin Marcus. "Well what have you got planned for today?" Mother asked us. I shrugged my shoulders and Eva stared at Cousin Marcus.

"Well I was thinking that we could have a picnic by the lake. What do you think?" he said, staring directly into my eyes. "That's a lovely idea. It's rather chilly outside though, so I will need to change into something more in keeping with the cold weather." Eva told him with a smile. "What about you Belle?" Cousin Marcus asked. "That sounds lovely." I told him and then received a kick on the ankles from Eva. "Ouch." I screamed out in pain. "What's the matter?" Mother asked me. "I just hurt my knee off the table leg." I lied, before glaring over at Eva, who by this time was staring dreamily at Cousin Marcus and pretending that she didn't hear me cry out in pain. What was she playing at?

Cousin Marcus gave me a wink, which shocked me. He is very handsome, with piercing black eyes and his dark hair hung around his shoulders. Why did he wink at me? "Well that's all sorted then. A picnic by the lake it is." he said. I nodded but as I didn't want to be a gooseberry, I decided that I would come up with some excuse for being unable to accompany them. I was sure that they only needed an hour or two alone, for Eva's seduction plan to work.

"Letter for you Belle." Isla said, rushing in from the garden. "Who gave it to you, a garden gnome?" I asked, wondering how she brought a letter in from the garden. "No silly. I met the postman at the front gate." Isla replied, giggling before turning and running out again. "Who is it from?" Eva asked me. I shrugged my shoulders. "I don't know. I don't recognise the handwriting." I said looking down at the white envelope in my hand. I knew that it wasn't from Josh, as his handwriting was rather on the large side and whoever wrote this had very small handwriting. I wished the letter was from Josh, wondering why I hadn't met him and to arrange another time. Had he forgotten me already? "Aren't you going to read it?" Eva asked and I could tell that she was curious. "Not at the table. I will read it later. I'm sure it won't be anything important anyway." I replied, placing the envelope onto the table. I glanced over at Cousin Marcus, who now seemed rather nervous, for some reason.

"The letter is from me." Marcus suddenly told me, staring down at the table. "It was supposed to arrive before I did. The postal service nowadays is just atrocious." Eva gasped at his revelation. "Addressed to Belle. Why would you write to her?" Eva asked, with an angry tone to her voice. "It's nothing important. Just thanking her for the invite this weekend." he replied, still staring down at the table. "But I thought mother invited you." Eva said, glancing from me to him and back to me again. "Well yes she did." he replied, now lifting his head and staring over at me. "And?" Eva asked and I knew that she wanted a proper explanation. Marcus shifted nervously in his chair. "Well I was going to address it to your mother but Belle's name just popped into my head." he replied, staring over at me. "Well if that's the case you won't mind her reading it to us then." Eva said and once again Marcus lowered his eyes to the table. "That's enough Eva." Mother told her. "Do what you want Belle. It is your letter."

Not knowing what I would find in the letter, I half wanted to wait and read it in private but if Marcus said it was just a thank you note, then I didn't find a problem in reading to everyone.

I opened the letter and decided to read it to myself before divulging its contents to the others.

Dear Belle

Your mother invited me to come up to visit you this weekend. I feel we have much to talk about and as I feel nervous around you, I thought it better to declare my feelings for you before I arrive.

I want to ask your fathers permission to marry you and once he agrees I fully intend to ask you to be my wife.

See you soon

Marcus x

I tried not to look as dismayed as I felt. "Well are you going to read it to us?" Eva asked, now displaying urgency in her voice. "It's just as he said. He thanked mother for inviting him and he hoped that we were all well. Thank you, Marcus." I said, staring over at him. He didn't lift his eyes from the table but I was sure that I heard him give a sigh of relief.

"Anyway. I have a few things to do and I will see you all later. Excuse me." I said, trying to remain calm but wanting to slap my cousin across the face for even thinking of proposing marriage to me. I knew that if Eva found out about his true intentions, she would somehow blame me.

On my way up the stairs, Mother called me back down again. "What is really going on Belle?" she asked in a whisper. "Nothing." I told her. "Belle I may not have human emotions but I know that you are upset by something. Now tell me what is bothering you." she insisted and I knew that I couldn't lie to her. "I think we have a problem mother." I replied. "I can't talk about it here, as Eva may overhear." I told her. "Right then, come to the kitchen with me because we are going to get to the bottom of this problem of yours." she said, guiding me by my arm towards the kitchen.

Now sitting at the kitchen table, I read the note that Marcus had sent. I sat at the table and watched as my mother paced up and now the floor. "What do you think of his proposal?" she asked me. "I am truly horrified. He is supposed to propose to Eva. Oh mother, what am I supposed to do?" I asked, trying to hold back my tears. "Well firstly, we will destroy this little love note for a start." she said, taking it from my hand and tearing it into tiny pieces before throwing it into the wastepaper basket. "Eva will absolutely hate me mother." I said, brushing the tears from my eyes. "We will think about this logically. He obviously honours and respects you and is looking to settle down and have children. Now if we could move his attentions away from you and towards Eva, then our problem would simply disappear." she said and I nodded in agreement. "But how are we going to do that?" I asked trying hard to think of ways to make him dislike me and turn his eyes to Eva.

"Well you could act like a spoilt brat, I suppose." Mother said and I was about to laugh at her idea, when it struck me that this plan could actually work. "Good idea mother. I will be as obnoxious as possible and hopefully put him off me." I declared, now with a smile appearing on my face. "Or you could simply talk to him and put him straight." Mother suggested. "Then Eva may be in with a chance but Belle whatever happens, she must never know of his intentions towards you. You girls will be the death of me." Mother said, with a forlorn face. "It's not my fault mother. I didn't ask for any of this to happen." I told her, hoping that she believed that I was an innocent party in this new chaos surrounding our family. "I know Belle but I feel that it is up to you to sort it out and quickly before he says something to your sister." Mother told me and I nodded. Even though I didn't know of his intentions, it was my idea to invite him down for the weekend. I was the one that had to put him straight, and as mother said, quickly before Eva gets wind of his true intentions.

Eva startled me by suddenly appearing in the kitchen. "What's going on in here? Are you having a family meeting without me?" she asked sarcastically. "Just talking about nothing in particular." I told her, glancing over at mother to confirm what I had just said and she nodded to Eva. "I was thinking Belle. Can you make some excuse for not coming on the picnic with us?" she asked. "Yes of course. I'm not going to be a gooseberry. Tell Cousin Marcus that I am feeling under the weather and had to go back to bed. I will keep out of the way today." I told her. "Good. Now can I see the letter he sent you?" she asked. "Oh! Sorry I tore it up and threw it away. Didn't I mother?" I told her, glancing over at my mother who didn't say a word but simply nodded in agreement. "There is something going on here. I smell a rat Belle." Eva said and I laughed. "You have a vivid imagination. Now don't leave Cousin Marcus on his lonesome." I replied pushing her out of the door. "Get to it girl."

# Chapter Twelve

#

As I promised, I kept out of the way all day Saturday and on Sunday morning after breakfast, I pulled Cousin Marcus to one side. "We must talk. Meet me in the garden in an hour." I told him, before making my way to the kitchen to talk to mother. For some reason mother was always in the kitchen these days and I was determined to find out once and for all what was going on between her and my father.

She was sitting at the kitchen table, reading a newspaper when I entered the room. "Mother." I said, sitting down across from her. "What is it now Belle? Have you sorted out that mess with Marcus yet?" she asked me, looking up from the newspaper and tutted when she saw that I was shaking my head. "I will sort it mother but first I want to know what is going on with you and father. I mean, is father ever going to come home?" I asked her. I was determined to get to the truth of the situation and wondered why our family seemed to have so much drama lately.

She turned the page of the newspaper and carried on reading, ignoring my question. "Mother." I practically shouted at her, pulling down the newspaper. "Speak to me." I said, when I noticed her unwillingness to do so. Mother folded the newspaper and laid it down on the table. "Belle it is none of your business what goes on between your father and myself. Who do you think you are to ask me such personal questions?" she said and I could hear the anger in her voice. "Mother. I'm your daughter, I think and I want to help." I said with a grin. Mother slapped her hands on the table, which shook me for a second. "Are you trying to be funny girl." she said. "Sorry mother I was just trying to lighten the mood. I was trying to be funny. I mean after Grandmother Zen told us the family secret, I thought I would try to cheer you up." I told her, now feeling somewhat guilty for being so silly. "I didn't mean anything by my comment. I am your daughter."

"You really want to know what is going on?" mother asked me. "Of course I do and I promise it will stay just between us." I replied. "Your father and I have separated." Mother said and I jumped to my feet. "What!" I exclaimed. "Vampires don't get divorced." I practically screamed. "Belle, keep your voice down. Now sit." she said and I immediately obeyed her.

Now sitting back down facing her, I could see that she wasn't too pleased with this turn of events herself. "We are not getting divorced. Well I don't think so anyway but we have problems." she told me. "What kind of problems?" I asked, now filled with curiosity and sadness and wondering what could have happened to cause my parents to live apart. "If you don't tell me, I will go to see Grandmother Zen and you know that she can't keep secrets." I told her as a way of a threat.

Mother glared at me. "If I tell you, then you will hate me." she suddenly said, which heighted my curiosity even more. "I could never hate you mother." I replied, reaching out and tenderly touching her hand. She immediately pulled back her hand and I braced myself, for what she was about to tell me.

"I killed your Grandfather Uriah." Mother declared. I shook my head. "Don't be silly mother." I told her. "Perhaps you feel somehow responsible for his death but you didn't actually kill him." I told her, wondering why she would say such a thing. "No Belle. You don't understand. I did actually plunge a silver dagger into his heart. I killed him and I don't regret it. In fact, I would do it right now if he threated our family in the way that he did that night." she confessed. I was shocked to the core. My mother had murdered my grandfather, well step-grandfather, as he wasn't my real grandfather. My real grandfather had been a human.

Silence engulfed the room, like an unwanted visitor and both of us sat in silence for what seemed like an eternity. My mind just couldn't take in what she had just told me and I was completely shocked. "Your father found out and packed his bags and moved away with your grandmother. They both hate me Belle and now you, my beautiful daughter hates me too." she said, with a very strained and pitiful look on her face. I opened my mouth to speak but no words came out. I had never been so shocked in all of my life and I cursed the fact that I had to stick my nose into something that didn't concern me. Why had I wanted to know about their problems? Why did I make her confess to such a heinous crime?

"Say something Belle. Anything. Just talk to me." Mother said, with sadness in her eyes. "What can I say." I suddenly replied, now finding my voice again. "Look mother. Tell me all about it." I said and mother nodded. "It was before you were born. Ezra, Eva and I were staying with your grandparents for the weekend. There was some important family meeting that your father called the family to attend. And instead of staying in the place we were living, with just Eva for company, your father took us along with him." she told me. "It was before you father built this place. Anyway, one night I was passing your grandfather's study, on my way to bed, when he told me that he wanted to see me." she said, now stopping and staring down at the table. "And?" I asked. "He told me everything that your grandmother told you the other night. He said that he was calling a family meeting to tell them all about it." she told me. "You mean you already knew that father was not a full-blooded vampire when grandmother told us." Mother nodded. "But you looked so shocked." I replied, surprised at discovering this. "I must be a good actor then." she replied.

I thought about what she had done. "I had to protect our family. If the rest of the family found out about this, we would have been ostracised or worse. Belle, I didn't mean to do it. It just sort of happened." she told me, now reaching out and taking my hands in hers. "Why did he tell you what he was going to do? I just don't understand why he would confide in you like that." I asked her. "I don't know, perhaps he thought that I would agree with him somehow. But I had not only your father but Eva to think about." she replied, squeezing my hands. "And father didn't know about this?" I asked. She shook her head. "I kept this to myself all of these years. When he was discovered, your father and your grandmother covered for each other and pretended that someone had broken into the house to kill him." she said, now staring down at the table again. "What do you mean they covered for each other?" I asked not understanding what she meant by saying such a thing.

"Before he left your father told me that for all of these years, he thought your grandmother killed him. And in turn, your grandmother that that they had some sort of argument and that your father had killed him. None of them wanted to upset the other, by talking of his death but after Zanobia's confession the other night, she ran off to speak to your father. It all came out and now he can't bear to look at me." she told me.

"Did grandmother Zen tell father that he was half human then? " I asked. Mother nodded. I took a deep breath. I wanted somehow to comfort my mother in her time of need but I didn't know what to say or what to do. "I think I will go for a walk in the garden. I need to clear my head mother and try to make some sense of all this." I told her. She stared at me and even though she had committed the most heinous of crimes, I couldn't help myself from feeling sorry for her. I wondered if father had been so shocked and disgusted with finding out what she had done, that he had to get away for a few days. I knew how he felt but I, myself could not abandon my mother, so I hoped that a walk in the garden would make me see things more clearly.

As I stepped out into the garden, I saw Cousin Marcus standing staring into the fountain and knew that now was as good a time as any to put him straight about our relationship. "Belle. I need to speak to you." he said, walking towards me. "And I need to speak to you." I replied. Now we were standing facing each other and as he opened his mouth to speak, I stopped him as I wanted to speak first. "I don't know what you are thinking of with this marriage proposal. I don't want to marry you or anyone else but I do want to remain friends." I told him. He immediately looked down at his feet and I wondered what he was thinking. There were a few moments of silence before he lifted his head again and stared into my eyes. "I see." Was all that he said, before turning on his heels and walking back into the house. I was confused, as I thought we would have a long talk about all of this but it was clear that he had nothing more to say.

I continued my walk around the garden and thought of what mother had told me. Grandfather Uriah was about to tell the family about father and his parentage. I knew that this would have not gone down well with the family and perhaps mother was right when she indicated that we would all have been at risk. The family could have turned on us but would they have done? Of this I wasn't quite sure, as this mixed blood in the family scenario had never arisen before, as far as I knew.

I needed to speak to father and wondered if he was gone for good but I somehow knew in my heart that he would be back, when he got his head sorted out.

"What the hell is going on?" Eva yelled, as she rushed outside nearly pulling the hinges off the door. "Marcus has left. What did you say to him and don't tell you weren't talking to him because I saw you from my bedroom window." she said, through gritted teeth. She was now standing with her hands on her hips and the expression that was now on her face, told me that she was angry.

I shrugged my shoulders. "He didn't say that he was leaving." I told her. "Well then, what did he say?" she asked, now practically in my face. I backed away from her and wondered whether I should make up some sort of lie to appease her but our family had too many lies, so I decided to tell her the truth and told her what he had written in the note to me. "What!" she exclaimed. "Are you telling me he came here to ask you to marry him? I knew something was going on. Does mother know? Is that what your little discussion was about when I interrupted you?" she asked. I nodded. "I'm so sorry Eva. I didn't know what to do for the best and I confided in mother. I told him that I wasn't about to marry him or anyone else for that matter." I said, in a way of an explanation.

Eva turned and began walking back into the house and I rushed after her. "Eva, it's not my fault, please don't hate me." I said, reaching out and touching her arm. "Get your hands off me." she yelled, turning to face me. "My own sister. You were the one telling me that it would be a good idea to invite him down. You were the one trying to convince me that he liked me. How could you do this?" she said, pulling her arm away from me.

"Eva. I knew nothing about all of this. I am as shocked as you are but I put him straight." I replied. "Yes and now he is gone. Thank you, Belle, very much." she said sarcastically, as she walked away from me.

I watched as she slammed the door shut behind her and hoped that she would calm down in a day or two because as a family we had more important things happening, than our Cousin Marcus and his misguided ideas.

After coming in from the garden, I went to my bedroom and stayed there for the rest of the day, only coming down for supper. The supper table was very quiet that night, with only my little sister Isla speaking about something or other, as I wasn't really listening. Mother picked at her food and so did Eva. Now and again they would glance at each other but neither said a word. I knew that mother would think that I told her about her confession and I was going to but thought better of it.

When supper was ended, we all left the table and went our separate ways. Isla went outside to play, Eva stomped upstairs to her bedroom, mother went into the kitchen and I stood in the hallway and was half deciding to run off to find father, when I heard a knock on the door. Thinking it was father, I pulled the door open and was immediately confronted with an angry Josh. "What the hell are you doing here? Are you mad?" I asked him. "You wouldn't come to me, so I came to you." he replied with an angry tone. "Can I come inside?" he asked. "Go away." I told him, closing the door but he stopped the door with his foot. "We need to talk. If you don't let me in, I will keep on knocking the door." he said, to my horror.

I pulled him inside and closed the door quietly behind him. "Be quiet and follow me." I whispered, leading him upstairs towards my bedroom and hoping that no-one saw him. I pushed him inside and told him to keep his voice down. "Eva is next door so be quiet." I warned him. "Pulling me into your bedroom. What a naughty vampire you are." he said, now with a glint in his eyes and sitting himself down on my bed. "This is some house. I mean, from the outside it looks just like an old farmhouse but inside it looks like a bleeding palace. What's that all about Belle?" he asked me.

I stood with my back to the door. "Father wants to keep people away." I told him. "Now why the hell are you here?" I asked, confused that he would be brave enough to come to see me.

"Here sit down beside me." he said, patting the mattress and I shook my head. "Why didn't you come to see me?" he asked. "Family problems." Was all that I told him. "I see. And how were we ever going to see each other again. I mean, do I have to do all the running in this relationship?" he asked, with a huge grin on his face. "What relationship? We don't have a relationship." I told him. "We could have." he replied, staring into my eyes.

I approached him and he immediately grabbed me by my hands and pulled me down beside him on the bed. "Do you want me to go?" he asked and when I nodded, he immediately jumped to his feet and walked towards the door. "Goodbye Belle. Nice knowing you." he said, opening the bedroom door. I rushed to his side and closed the door again. "You can't just walk out of here like that. Someone might see you. Go out the window." I told him.

He walked over to the window and looked outside. "Are you bloody kidding? I'd get myself killed climbing down there. But I will go on one condition. Come with me Belle." he said, to my astonishment. "What are you talking about?" I asked, as he walked over and took me by my hands. I could feel his breath on my face, which sent a shudder down my spine. Why did he have such an effect on me? "I know its madness. I know we met under very unusual circumstances and we don't know each other that well but I want to be with you." he told me. I walked away from him. "You don't know what you are saying. Now go before someone finds out you are here." I told him, opening my bedroom window. "Climb down the tree. We are not that high up." I said, staring at the floor.

I heard him walking towards me and my heart was beating so fast that I thought I would faint. "Is that what you really want?" he asked, lifting up my chin so that we were staring into each other's eyes. "I don't know how this happened Belle but I want to marry you and live the rest of my life with you. Are you telling me you don't feel the same?" As soon as he asked me that question, I knew the answer but could not admit my feelings for him.

"Look I have that position in London. They kept it open for me, so we can go away tonight and we can be together." he said and I thought about it but there was one problem that perhaps had slipped his mind. "I'm a vampire. I need to feed." I reminded him. "Yes and you can feed from me. It's only once a year and I have plenty of delicious blood." he replied, with a smile.

"There is something else." I told him and I could see the worried look in his face. "I recently found out that my father is half-human which means that I am part-human too. My parents had an argument and are living apart and I can't just leave them. They need me." I told him, with a quiver in my voice. "Well that explains everything. I fell in love with you and because of your human blood you love me too and don't try to deny it." he said, now excited by this discovery. "My parent?" I told him again. "Your parents can sort their own lives out. Come away with me Belle. I love you. Please." he begged but I shook my head. He climbed out onto the window-sill, ready to jump onto the tree when I stopped him. "Josh, you know that I love you." I told him. "If you love me, you will come away with me right now because I'm going to London and I don't intend to ever come back." he replied and I could see that he was serious. There were a few moments of silence before he continued his journey down the side of the house. "Goodbye Belle." he said, when he had reached the bottom. "I hope you have a good life." He gave me a wave and my heart felt broken. I couldn't just let him walk out of my life. "Wait. I'm coming with you but I need to leave a note for my family." I shouted, before rushing over to the dressing table and rummaging through the drawers to find a piece of paper and pen. I then wrote a short note to my mother.

Dear Mother

By the time you read this, I will be gone. I am running off with the man I love and yes, he is a human. Please forgive me and I hope you and father sort out all of your difficulties. I will write to you as soon as we are settled.

All my love

Belle. x

I left the note on the dressing table and clambered out of the window onto the tree and made my way down to the man I love. As I reached the ground he ran towards me. "Oh, Belle I love you so much. We are doing the right thing believe me." he said pulling me into his arms. "We must go quickly before someone hears us." I told him and we ran off into the woods, hand in hand, as a love-struck couple running off to start a new life together.

Epilogue

#

We have been together now for over forty years and Josh is as handsome now, as he was on the first day that I set my eyes on him. We have no children and I wondered why? Could it be that we are not as compatible as I thought, at least in the biological sense? We have each other, which is enough for me and our love for each other is just as strong, after all these years as it was in the beginning. Josh had suggested adoption several times over the years but I was always against the idea. Adoption would involve the authorities and with no record of my own birth, unanswered questions would arise and my secret has to remain secret. Vampires or even half-vampires do not exist in the human world.

We didn't marry, as it would be too difficult if not impossible to do so but we call ourselves husband and wife and I am known in the area where we live, as Mrs Joshua Gallagher, a title that I hold in great esteem. Not that I ever go outside on my own, as I find the city of London too noisy and frightening, compared to the countryside I was brought up in but we do things together that most couples do. Tonight for instance, Josh is taking me out for a meal and then to a West End show.

We now live in a six-bedroom apartment in Park Road, London, and he commutes to London Road Hospital every day, where he now works as a consultant. The apartment is a far cry from the one-bedroom cramped and rather disgusting apartment that we lived in, when we first ran off to London.

I often think of my family and wonder how they are these days. Are they all well, do they ever think of me? I used to write to my mother constantly but now I write once a year to tell her how we are getting on and to ask of news of the family. She has never answered any of my letters, which saddens me greatly. Neither of my sisters ever write to me either and I wondered if they were married now and had families of their own.

Josh had suggested that I could go and visit them but being unsure of what kind of welcome I would receive, I decided to let them be and get on with my own life.

My husband understands that every Halloween, I need to feed on human blood and lets me feed from him. Even though I am half- human, my vampire genes make me crave human blood and he seems to understand this, for which I am eternally grateful.

"Is that you?" I shouted from the kitchen, when I heard the front door open. "You're early tonight." I shouted, as I heard Josh come home. I rushed out to greet him and noticed that he didn't look too well. "What's wrong?" I asked him, as he staggered towards the sofa. "I'm fine really. I just feel a bit under the weather." he replied, now sitting with his head in his hands. "Do you want me to get a doctor?" I asked him and he laughed. "I am a doctor or have you forgotten? Now don't fuss. I will have a quick shower and then we can go out to dinner." he said, pulling himself up from the sofa. "Just go to your bed love. We can go out another night." I told him. "Are you sure?" he asked and I noticed that he looked very pale and had dark circles under his eyes.

I helped him into the bedroom and helped him undress. "I will be fine love. Don't worry. I'm sure it's just a virus." he told me but I had my suspicions that it was something more serious. I had noticed for the last few months that he wasn't his usual self but he had always dismissed my concerns, telling me that I had an overactive imagination. Now it seems that my instincts were right. Josh was ill but how ill was he.

I tucked him up in bed. "Go to sleep for a while." I told him, as he reached out and grabbed my hand. "You know I love you, don't you?" he asked and I noticed his grip on my hand was rather weak. "And I love you. Now get some sleep and if you are no better tomorrow, I am calling a doctor and no argument." I told him. He opened his mouth and I knew that he was going to protest against this. "No arguments. Now go to sleep and I will be in to see you shortly." I told him, moving over to close the bedroom blinds. And when I turned to leave the room, I could see that he was already asleep.

An hour later, I returned to check on him and saw that he was still fast asleep but noticed that his breathing was rather shallow. He opened his eyes and smiled at me and I sat down on the bed beside him. "I'm sorry love." he said and I was confused by his statement. "Sorry for what?" I asked. "I'm sorry for taking you away from your family." he told me and I shook my head. "You didn't take me away, I ran off with you because I love you." I replied.

"I don't like the look of you and I'm going to get a doctor in to see you. No arguments." I told him but he shook his head. "There is no need for that love. I already know what's wrong." he replied, to my astonishment. "You do?" I asked, wondering why he didn't speak to me about not feeling well. "I'm dying. It's my heart." he said and I gasped. "I have this genetic heart condition and it's been a bleeding miracle that I have lasted so long but now it is catching up with me. My heart is failing Belle and there is nothing that anyone can do." he told me and I began to weep. Crying wasn't something that I ever did much but the man I love with all of my heart, was telling me that he was dying. "How long have you known about your condition and why didn't you tell me?" I asked him. "Not long but I kept it to myself because I didn't want to worry you." he replied, with what now seemed like a whisper. He was becoming weaker and weaker in front of my eyes.

"There is something that we can try." I told him. "Let me turn you and we can be together for centuries." I said but he shook his head. "Never. I don't want to be immortal." he replied, with tears running down his face. "I don't want to leave you Belle but I don't want to be turned into a vampire and be immortal." he said, with a quivering voice. "You won't be immortal. You will just age slower and live longer but we will both die eventually. Please Josh it will give us more time together. I just cant live without you." I cried. "Go back to your family, when I'm gone. They'll take you back my beautiful Belle, I'm sure of that." he told me, lifting my hand to his lips and kissing it.

I was about to argue with him but though better of it, as he was dying in front of my eyes. I stared out of the window for a second and when I looked back, I noticed that he was once again sleeping. I stayed by his side holding his hand, as somehow, I instinctively knew that he might not make it through the night.

As the hours passed, I noticed that his breathing was becoming more and more shallow and wondered on the right course of action. Should I let him die as he wished and be left alone for the rest of my life or should I go against his wishes and turn him into a vampire, so that we could be together for longer? This was the same dilemma that Grandmother Zen was faced with many years ago. She chose to listen to the man she loved and respecting his wishes let him die. Could I do that?

The sun rose and its rays filled the bedroom. Morning had come at last. I watch you stir in your bed and at last you open your eyes. "Morning." I said, with a smile. "Morning love." Josh replied, with a now stronger voice. "How are you today?" I asked and he smiled. "I feel a lot better. You know I think that perhaps I will last a little longer." he replied, holding my hand in his. "You look better. Perhaps you were overworked and all you needed was a little rest." I told him, kissing him on the cheek. "I still have heart failure." he told me and I nodded. "I know love but if you feel a little better, then that means you are not as bad as you think but you should retire." I told him.

He nodded in agreement. "Whatever time I have left, I want to spend every single second with you. Belle you didn't do anything to me, did you?" he asked with suspicion in his eyes. "Of course not. Now stay in bed and I'll fix you some breakfast. We need to build up your strength." He once again smiled at me and I noticed that his complexion didn't look as grey now. "You promise you will retire?" I asked him, as I made my way towards the bedroom door. "I promise love. Life is precious and you my lovely Belle, are more precious than life itself." he told me and I laughed.

Outside the door, I paused for a moment and suddenly see him jumping out of bed and rushing over to the full-length mirror. I watch as he examines his neck and know that he is looking for any tell tale signs of bite marks. I hear you sigh with relief, when you see that your neck is bite free and when I hear you jump back into bed, I continue to the kitchen to prepare you some breakfast.

I smiled to myself. You are happy because you are oblivious to the truth. One day I will need to tell you but until then, we will live a normal life and you will be blissfully ignorant to the fact that I couldn't let you die. You like I, will need to feast on human blood next Halloween. By that time, I hope you will understand why I had to do what I did. I did this out of love. I love you too much to let you die and when I tell you and you hate me for doing this to you, I will need to deal with the circumstances of my actions. You may ask about the bruise on your chest, beside your heart and I will lie to you for a few months at least, until it will be necessary to tell you the truth. I pierced your chest to get to the main artery and we exchanged blood and you are now like me. Forgive me.

The End

