The Awaking
As consciousness seeped back into my being, a wave of cold clarity washed over me. My senses were heightened to an unimaginable degree; the rustle of a leaf outside the window sounded like a thunderous applause, and the faint scent of earth filled my nostrils, rich and potent. My body felt alien, as if I were encased in a vessel that was both mine and utterly foreign. I moved to sit up, and the action was fluid, graceful, effortless in a way that human muscles could never achieve. A sense of power thrummed through my veins, a silent promise of strength that was now mine to command.
But with this newfound power came an insatiable thirst, a burning desire that clawed at my throat with an urgency that was almost panic inducing. It was a hunger for something primal, something that my human self would have recoiled from, but now seemed as natural as breathing. I stood, my reflection in the mirror a stranger’s now takes it’s place. Pale skin, eyes a piercing shade of crimson, and an aura of danger that seemed to cling to my frame. I was no longer Caroline, the girl who feared the dark and the monsters that lurked within it. I was the monster now, and the night called to me with open arms.
I believe I am in over my head now, I chuckle to myself. The locket against my chest gave me a small amount of warmth but it did me no good in my time of need. Just when I thought I had it all figured out something else takes me by surprise. That has always been my life. The knock on the door was heavy and I can feel my stomach twist. He did this to me; I don’t know what I am, but I have my suspicions. The slow latch of the door clicked and I saw his hulking form enter but when he walked their was no sound. I expected footsteps or even the sound of his breathing. Then again I feel as if I am floating myself.
His husky voice filled my ears, “I was wondering when you would wake.”
He sounded so casual like he didn’t snap my neck. “What did you do to me?” The question was forced past my frozen lips.
“I turned you into the person you had always meant to be.” Lord Syndril is always speaking in riddles. My head is pounding far too hard to truly think about what he is saying.
“And what would that be?” I lock eyes with him in our reflection. “You called me animae socius, what does that mean?”
He gives me a half smirk, “That is for me to know. Maybe one day I will tell you.”
“Now answer my first question,” I say this time with more defiance. “What have you done to me?”
He looked at his hand as the little stream of sun gleamed off of it. “The sun is so beautiful don’t you think?”
“The sun gives life to everything it touches.” I walk over to where he is standing and brush my fingertips along the light. The sudden burning sensation took me by surprise. The wrinkles in my forehead creased as I looked up to him in confusion.
That faint smile I have started to associate with him was back. “I wouldn’t do that if I where you.” He ran his fingers along the inside of my wrist. “You can walk in the sun once I know I can trust you.”
“And how long will that take?” I jerk my hand from his grasp.
His expression soured with disapproval as he declared, “It matters only when I deem it so.” With a swift motion, he buried his hands in his pockets. The fabric strained against his form, and despite myself, I couldn’t help but notice the allure of that simple gesture. I am in so much trouble if a simple movement like that is attractive. “You know what I am, you just don’t want to say it. Do you?”
My heart raced as I stared at him, my mind struggling to process this revelation. I had always suspected there was something different about him the moment I laid eyes on him. The way he moved, the way he seemed to know things others didn’t. But this? This was beyond anything I could have imagined. My father would tell me stories of monsters, they had been passed down for generations. I always thought they had been works of fiction but now I know otherwise.
“You turned me into a vampire?” I whispered, my voice barely audible in the dimly lit room.
He nodded; his expression unreadable. “Yes. I had no choice. You started dying once you drank from that cup. If I am honest, I am surprised you survived.” He looked over my body as if he was checking to see if I was fully intact.
I couldn’t stop my anger. “You didn’t ask me! You didn’t give me a choice!” No one ever gave me a fuck choice. “You stole my life, my humanity.”
He stepped closer, his eyes locking onto mine. “Would you have chosen death?” He brushed a stray hair from my face tucking it behind my ear.
She hesitated, torn between the memories of her old life and the new reality she now faced. “I don’t know.”
He sighed, frustration etching lines on his face. “We don’t trust each other, Caroline. But we’re bound by blood now. If I die so do you.”
I clenched my fists. “And what if I don’t want to live like this?”
He leaned in, his lips brushing against my ear. “Then you’ll die, and I will claim another from your family.”
The tension between us was palpable, the air thick with uncertainty. I knew I had no choice but to trust him for now. But deep down, I wondered if I would ever truly forgive him for what he had done. The darkness of our new existence loomed over us, and I couldn’t shake the feeling that we were both teetering on the edge of something dangerous and irreversible. The look he is giving me tells me this is only the beginning.