Untitled

Prologue

The Change

The wet musky streets of New Orleans are enough to make your blood run cold. The wind was whistling with the cries of winter; I could feel it in my bones as I moved out of the French quarter, where I had come to live. The lamp post behind me cast eerie shadows into the alley. The buildings smelt of mold from the water slowly trickling down to the slippery floor. Overflowing trash cans appeared on either side. All was silent except for the wind, water, and the sound of my boots tapping. I tugged on my red cloak as if it would give me the courage to move on.

My lips were cracking, ready to bleed just to moisten themselves. I tried to prevent this by running my tongue over my lips, yet the saliva dried up and left them frozen. I took a deep breath, only to hunch over and wheeze with the sharp piercing cold. I tugged again at my cloak this time for courage and it’s warmth.

I took a cautious step forward scaring rats into the sewer. I could smell them—hear them. Their whiskers brushed against my boots, until my next step sent them scattering off into the abyss. I just kept my eyes on the gray horizon as it turned into a violet-gray fading as the sun went down.

I heard some movement behind me, it was slow and steady. This thing had the sound of power in its walk. I stopped to look back, yet nothing was there. I turned back towards the exit, I wanted out-now. I took a deep breath and closed my eyes for a moment, hearing my heart pound in my ears. I opened my eyes, faintly aware that I was moving forward.

‘Yet, it seemed wrong. There must have been nothing behind me. But maybe I was wrong about that too?’ I thought to myself. I stopped and slowly looked back, against my better judgment to run. A gust of wind-stronger than the one before ripped the cloak from my hands. I stretched out my icy fingers, feeling the aches and pains of muscles trying to thaw. My dark hair flew about my face, the strands in a wild tangle. My eyes watered with the awareness that they were freezing. I pressed my lips together-my jaw tightened. I relaxed it a bit, then opened my mouth just enough to let my teeth slide over my bottom lip. I bit down, resting there for a moment, letting the slight pain be my comfort.

After a while, seeing that it obviously was nothing I turned back around, almost knocking into a man. He had to have been about 6 feet tall, with skin so white it appeared almost transparent. His long nails extended to me, they looked like clear glass. I looked up to his face, he was staring at me with an odd smile. His lips creased at each end perfectly animating it. I smiled back as best I could, though I wanted to faint; my heart was still beating too fast. His eyes were a dark, intense blue with edges of ice that stared at you. I thought I heard him say, “good evening miss.” The voice was dark, charming, and almost seductive. I hesitated before I answered, “Good evening, kind Sir.” This made him smile more.

“What is a beauty such as you, doing in a dark alley like this?” he asked while looking behind me for a moment inspecting the area as if I had done something wrong. I blinked a couple of times, thinking that this was just a dream, but I didn’t wake up. I replied “just trying to get home sir.”

Then, as if by magic, he was behind me; an uneasy feeling pulsed through my veins. He touched my hair, touching his lips to each strand. He bent forward to my ear and whispered softly, “I don’t think you’re going home.” I gasped as a rough tug around my waist pulled me closer to him. I tried to pull away, but it only made his grip tighten. His grip was unbearable, and I struggled for air.

The cold wind blasted through, making me feel like I was breathing in ice. I managed to break free for some air and wheezed “let go.” There was no reply. I could feel his breath on my neck, his lips pressing lightly from my ear slowly trailing down. Though it had the effect of the wind kissing me. I tugged again to move away, his other arm came down restraining my arms from ripping at his face. Then he stood up as I tried to kick, but the movement proved useless.

He kissed the side of my neck once more, a rough piercing following the kiss. I felt blood rushing to the section. I struggled once more to free myself, yet it made the rushing of blood faster; I gave up, leaving myself a hostage to him. My muscles started to relax and I was overwhelmed with emotions filling my body. Some were painful, some more pleasant, yet it was blissful none the less. The sounds of the streets grew distant, then nothing but the gonging of bells. I had a vision of bells coming up then going down, the most beautiful golden bells on the top of the tallest tower in the world. The sun was shining over head, making colors of orange, red, and pink stain the sky. I could have been in a painting just then; I felt my mouth drop to take in the sight, then it vanished. The man’s arms were shifting as his grip started to loosen up.

I didn’t want him to stop, I wanted the bells of the beautiful painting within my mind. The sweet sound of their compounds; as they went back and forth. I could of wept, if I had the strength. I didn’t remember the fall to the floor, but I hit the cold, wet concrete that smelt of the sewer’s stench. I was face down, I tried to move my hands around a thought came to me ‘to lift myself up.’ I raised my arms and pushed at the slippery ground, yet my muscles didn’t obey. I hit my face on the ground once more. The pain coursed through my veins. It felt good to know I was living, but horrible that I couldn’t stop the pain.

I felt the man’s presence by the hint of the light through my blurred eyes. He bent down and took me into his arms once more, brushing back my hair so I could look him in the eyes. To me the world seemed to be nothing but a swirl of color and light. My heart seemed to be beating in a slow, steady rhythm towards death. Then his face moved closer, there was a loving smile upon it. He bent down and kissed my lips; they were suddenly warm, rather than the cold flesh he had.

I could feel Death’s veil over my eyes. The blood that had remained in me was turning cold. There was a stillness creeping over my limbs. Slowly, the world faded into black. His limbs around me had become nothing but slight pressure. My heart was hardly beating and I couldn’t feel myself exhale. I could see the sky suddenly, yet I wasn’t going towards the sky. I was trapped in my body. He was still there. My heart had stopped long before and my breath had gone away. Yet, there was this, wanting to be released. Then I realized that my mind was going blank. My memories and everything I had learned deserted me. He lent down to me as he breathed in my ear, “You’re mine!”