For almost two hundreds years.
************************************
It was Regency Era.
A maid was sweeping the floor far, far away from where the ball was taking place in the mansion. Suddenly, a voice spoke “why don’t you take a break?”
She jumped. “I am sorry, my lord. I did not hear you from behind.” She tilted her head slightly down in respect and courtesy.
“It’s me who should be sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you. You really should take a break. Those with no work in concern to the ball are resting.”
She still looked down. “I much prefer to work, my lord.”
There was a short silence before she saw and heard the footsteps walking away towards the ball. She sighed in relief. She refused to look up and see his handsome face. She refused to get lost in his midnight blue eyes, which often shone with kindness. She refused to fell in love with the master of the manor. She did not know how long she could resist.
A moment later, she heard footsteps coming back. It was Alex. He held out a plate of food and only uttered one word.
“Eat.”
She hesitated for a while before she reluctantly took the plate and ate. She still refused to look up, knowing that there would be a devilish quirk at the corner of his mouth. She told herself repeatedly she was just a maid.
She got her first kiss five months later.
****************************************
Gloria closed her eyes in pain. It had been almost two hundred years and her heart still ached. She hated herself for falling in love, knowing that they could never be together. At the same time, she loved herself for giving him and herself a chance at love.
*************************************
Gloria worked at a bookshop. When she entered inside, a voice called out.
“Good morning, Gloria. Why are there panda eyes on your face? Have a sleepless night?” Nikki said sympathically.
Gloria only greeted the owner of the shop and ignored her question. She knew she would not take offence. It was sad that she could only work here for four years to avoid suspicion. She never aged, for God’s sake. She started to arrange the books from the boxes.
It was late afternoon when the girl came in. She was fifteen, with raven hair and simple freckles. She was looking around curiously. Finally, Gloria asked her.
“Do you prefer anything?”
The girl turned to Gloria. “Yes, where are your romance novels?”
Gloria was not surprised. The girls at her age often asked for romance. However, her next comment surprised her.
“It’s so sad that reality sucks. We never have good romance or even life like fiction. No wonder I liked the books better.” The girl rolled her eyes in resignation.
Gloria nodded in understanding. “Life sometimes sucks.”
The girl could not agree more. She left with the books. She returned occasionally for more books.
She never came back. Yet, nobody knew that. Nobody even remembered her for coming. It was not their fault but was done deliberately by time.
**********************************
It was half a year before life resumed to normal and Gloria continued working. Yet, the world was not at peace. A dark society was arising with the near destruction of the world. Trouble was brewing. Gloria was in the midst of it.
In the graveyard, Sam Sands was standing forlornly in front of Elle’s empty grave. He was still mourning. He could not believe Elle had died. He could not believe Elle had sacrificed herself and nobody but him remembered. He wished she could return to life. He wished he could begin to have interest in life again.
His wish came true but not in the way he wished for.
***********************************
Sam went to the bookshop that Elle had gone before. Elle had exclaimed about the bookshop many times that the name was burned into his mind. She loved that shop.
Sam entered into the shop and the bell clanged. He heard “welcome” and turned to the person who spoke. It was a young adult, who was staring at him open-mouthed. Sam thought it was very weird and awkward but he could not deny an attraction to her. She was very pretty, with long dark brown hair that seemed to flow around her. Her dark brown eyes seemed to suck him in with intensity. Her eyelashes were long and lush. Her opened mouth was similarly appealing. She was now blinking, seemingly in shock.
Gloria was left with the shop to attend while Nikki went out of town. She was just counting out the orders when a man entered. She called out a greeting without thinking and then froze at the sight of him. She could not believe her eyes. Although the eyes were lighter in colour and his hair more blond, it was no doubt that it was Alex!
Gloria started to stutter and then stopped in embarrassment. She breathed in a little before returning to her normal polite self.
Sam bought two books of mystery and round them up. He could not take his eyes off the girl for some reason. He finally left, surprising himself with the reluctance he felt.
Gloria tried not to hyperventilate as she sat down. She had never believed in next life until now. She chanted to herself it did not matter if he was Alex. She would never see him again. She hoped her heart would not break again. The sight of him was so awful, so delightful, so tempting.
Gloria prayed.
**********************************
Sam returned home as if in a trance. He was very surprised and shocked at the attraction towards a girl he met for the first time. He looked at Elle’s photo and instead of pain, felt some peace in his heart. It was strange.
Gloria sat down slowly in her chair. Life was a cruel joke. It knew that she could never be with her love and yet it threw him into her path again. She would watch her love die again.
She sobbed in wrenching pain.
Meanwhile, a meeting was gathering in a dark, abandoned building.
Gorgeous people, male and female, were paying their respect to their Majesties.
“Prophecy states that that girl will take over the place of Your Majesties. Shall we kill her now to avoid trouble ahead?” A man stepped forward and spoke.
“Aye!!!” Many people chorused.
“I think that is wise. Who knows what will the chaos be if there’s a struggle for power,” His Majesty spoke.
“I shall be the first to bring her body back, “ another man stepped forward and kneeled.
The meeting ended.
Gloria’s life was in danger.
*****************************
Gloria woke up with a start. She felt uneasy. Later on, she could not sleep anymore.
The next morning, she stumbled sleepily into the bookshop.
“Oh my, you look like a thing the dog dragged in. Here, have a coffee,” Nikki said, holding out a cup of coffee.
Gloria gratefully took it. She tried to relax her tense shoulders.
“Are you okay? You seem to have an awful lot of uncomfortable sleep, “ Nikki sat down with her and asked, concerned.
Gloria sipped some more before replying. “I am okay. There is only some slight problems to handle, that’s all.”
“Well, you can take a rest, you know. I am not such an unreasonable boss.”
“NO!” Gloria shouted and tried to explain as Nikki cringed at her outburst. “Besides, I don’t have anywhere to go and I can’t sleep in the morning.”
In truth, Gloria had a body system that could only sleep at night and she could not stand long in direct sunlight.
“Anyway, if you feel really tired, you may take a rest anytime, “ Nikki said, regarding her strangely.
Gloria nodded. That was the end of discussion.
At nighttime, Gloria felt another sensation of unease. She dismissed it and climbed onto her bed. Suddenly, her window was burst open, with pieces of glasses strewn around. She froze, bewildered. Then, a man jumped in from the window. He held a long dangerous stake. He saw Gloria immediately and lunged forward, with the stake towards her heart. Gloria leapt away to the side so that the stake only scratched her arm.
“Who the hell are you?!” Gloria shouted angrily.
The man did not reply and attack again. Gloria, in rage, moved super fast and tackled the man. She knocked him out with her special power, wind. He was very strong, strong than an ordinary man, and resisted a lot. In the end, he finally, to Gloria’s relief, succumbed. She pondered for a while and went to search for a silver chain, which she had bought a long time ago, for safety. She chained him up and sat patiently for the man to wake. If she was right, he should not be out for long. She was right.
“Who are you and why do you want my life?” Gloria asked again impatiently.
The man only spit and remained silent.
“Fine, see if I care. Unlike you, I can survive in sunlight. I shall wait until dawn and expose you. After all, you break my window!” Gloria said smugly.
There was a spark of fear in his eyes. He finally spoke, “even if I die, my loyalty shall remain with the Majesties. I will not succumb to you evil one!”
Gloria was stunned. “Huh? Me evil? What the heck are you talking about? And do you mean that the Queen and King wanted my life? For God’s sake, I didn’t do anything to anger them!” Gloria threw up her hands indignantly.
The man spit again. “You who will destroy us will do everything. Even if I die, others will still come for your petty little life!”
“Fine! If you all want my life, come for it! I live long enough anyway! And farewell to you too!” Gloria flung open her blind, which she had closed to cover the broken windows. Sunlight beamed down.
The man yelled in pain and agony as he started to disappear. Smokes surrounded him. Finally, all that was left was a pile of ashes.
Gloria groaned and covered her head. As if Alex was not enough of a problem, the Vampire King and Queen wanted her dead.
*****************************************
Once upon a time, a man and a woman made love. The woman had a baby girl. The man disappeared even before the baby was born. It was not before the girl turned eighteen that her mother realized in horror that her girl was cursed. The child outlived her mother. She started to work in all sort of places and in limited amount of time. She could not let people found out she did not age.
The girl, like the man, was an Ancient Vampire.
*************************************
Gloria was the child of an Ancient Vampire. She inherited the blood and power of her father. Her growth was stunted at the age of eighteen. She could also control the Nature at that age. However, she seldom had the need to use. She was unusual from other vampires. She could tolerate sunlight although she might have sunburn if it was too long. She had a soul, for reason that was unknown. She could wear a cross and survive holy water. Her speed and strength were much faster and greater than ordinary vampires, perhaps due to vampire age. She needed not suck blood every single day, three times a day. She could just have a pint every week. She could drink and eat like normal people, which was astounding. Gloria never questioned her abilities and condition. She just accepted it. If she wanted to grumble, the first thing would be to blame her father for her vampire blood, which would be useless.
She was however still governed by the Majesties. The Vampire King and Queen ruled over the whole vampire community, regardless if it was Ancient or young. It was them who prevented the vampires from wrecking havoc in the human world. It was them who introduced the blood bank system that prevented many random biting. They had strong power and strength.
Gloria could not understand why they had come after her. She did not break any rules, as far as she knew. She also greatly respected the Majesties and had no wish to harm them. She calculated the bills in the bookshop absently. Nikki was looking at her with a worried expression. She felt that Gloria was keeping something from her. Today, Gloria was even paler than before, almost ghastly. She wondered if she was sick.
It was then that Sam came in.
****************************************
Gloria nearly fell down as she quickly scrambled to her feet. Sam watched in some amusement at her clumsy actions. For some unknown reason, he felt relaxed, which he had not felt for sometime, in the presence of her.
“Excuse me, I come for more books. May I ask if there is any book on guitar?” Sam asked her politely, smiling.
“Y.e..s..ss,” Gloria stuttered and led him farther inside the shop. Nikki watched with some interest at the exchange and wondered if Gloria liked him.
“Are you feeling okay? You look a little pale,” Sam asked.
Gloria nodded her head. She had completely lost her voice. Gloria got the books on guitar and handed them to him. Their hands touched.
Gloria gasped as a flash of static struck her. Delightful shiver came up to her arms. She stole a peek at Sam, who was equally astonished. Gloria quickly let go and led him to the counter. She then went to the stockroom to avoid him.
Sam left the shop, shaking his head. He had really felt a kind of electricity. He wondered if he was dreaming or hallucinated it. It was not possible. He decided that this place was his new favourite. He wanted to know more about that girl.
Gloria was shocked at the sight of him again. She had thought he would be gone forever. Fate really is cruel. And she had vampire assassins after her too. She sighed.
**************************************
“Justin was killed by that damn girl! I swore, she will pay by her very black blood!” A man shouted furiously.
“Aye! Aye!” The others all chorused in agreement.
Four people, two female and two male, stood out. “We shall let that girl regret for going against us!”
*************************************
Gloria looked at the broken window. She really needed to find someone to repair. Yet, she was scared that someone would come in and broke it again. She needed to settle the vampire problem soon.
“Oh well, it’s not as if I could feel the cold anyway. Besides, I could glance out and see the stars whenever I want. Moreover, I don’t have the extra funds to repair it. I just have to endure it now,” Gloria muttered.
A wind blew inside. Gloria sniffed and immediately leapt out of bed, facing the window. Four vampires had arrived.
“Oh great! Four more uninvited guests. Don’t they ever knock?” Gloria grumbled.
Before she could react, one of the females had spilled the holy water on her. Gloria sputtered, trying to remove the water from her eyes. She felt an arm griping her from behind, a hand around her neck and saw with blurred vision that a wooden thing was striking down towards her. Instinctively, Gloria called out to her power. Just an instant before the stake hit her heart, a wind blew strongly and threw the vampires back. The ground curved upwards into the shape of hands, which grabbed the vampires and held them back. The vampires’ bodies started to become frozen partially.
Gloria choked and struggled to regain composure. The four vampires were glaring at her with fury and rage. They looked like if they could get free, they would gladly rip her throat out. Gloria shook her head to clear it and confront them.
“Why do you want to kill me? The other vampire refused to talk.”
A man smiled grimly. “Well, Justin was a good one. He would sacrifice his life for loyalty.”
They then became silent. Gloria sighed in frustration. A female vampire spoke out, which startled her.
“Why does the holy water have no effect on you? It could have killed a young one and even burned an Old horribly. Yet, you are fine.”
Gloria turned to her. “How the heck do I know? I was born like that. For your information, cross doesn’t work for me either.”
The four vampires gasped in shock and astonishment.
“Who are you?” A male demanded.
Gloria rushed forward in rage. “You don’t know me and you want to kill me? Are you all stupid mindless idiots??!!”
He cringed at the outburst.
Gloria calmed herself. “I am an Ancient Vampire. Satisfied?”
“But even an Ancient One could not tolerate the cross and holy water!” A female sputtered out in disbelief.
“I shall say it again. How the heck do I know? I don’t even know my father, for God’s sake!”
The others all looked at one another.
Gloria felt very exhausted. “Look, if I let you go, can you just leave me alone? I don’t care what is your reason for killing me but I want to sleep. So just go, okay?”
Then the previous female vampire burst out, “But you could kill the Majesties!”
“WHAT?” Gloria yelled in astonishment.
The female looked sheepishly as the rest glared at her for blurting out. Gloria sat down slowly onto her only chair. “No wonder you all come after me. Who say that?”
“Prophecy,” a man only stated.
Gloria sighed and rubbed her face. “Look, I really have no intention of hurting Their Majesties, okay? So, just leave. Otherwise, I am forced to kill or expose you all to sunlight.”
“We would rather die than admit defeat, “ a man said proudly.
“Don’t be ridiculous! Dying means everything!” Gloria snapped. “Fine, you want to die? You all can wait for sunlight!”
She strode to her bed angrily and tired.
“Wait. I agree with her. Besides, if Prophecy pronounces her to be the new ruler, who are we to stop her? We might as well admit defeat,” the woman said calmly.
“Yes, I agree. We could help her too,” the other woman spoke.
“What? You want to betray our Majesties?” A man asked in disbelief and shock.
The other man was silent as he thought.
“Nobody could stop Prophecy from coming true. And you see her power and abilities. Isn’t she worthy of our loyalty?” The woman said reasonably.
“Well, I am certainly not going to succumb! Not to a mere little girl!” The man shouted.
“Pig,” the woman insulted.
“Chauvinist,” another said.
The man just ignored them until the other man spoke. “Evan, they are right, you know. Their Majesties were indeed worthy of our loyalty and respect but they had ruled for thousands of years. It’s time, as the Prophecy states, for a change of ruler. She might be a little child, but she has power far, far beyond us. She even fears not the cross nor holy water. She will be a great enemy and powerful ruler. Moreover, she’s Ancient.”
Evan finally stopped being stubborn and listened.
The next morning came. Gloria ambled to the bookshop, yawning at every step. She really needed to catch up on her sleep or she would break down. Nikki looked up from the counter and greeted. Gloria waved a hand exhaustedly in acknowledgement. Thank goodness after today, she could finally get some quality sleep.
The morning had started out weirdly. Not only did the four vampires swear their loyalty to her, they even agreed that they would protect her at night so that she could sleep. Gloria was too sleepy to question their motives and agreed only too readily. She left them in her house sleeping for the day.
The day went past quickly. Nikki insisted that Gloria to go off earlier so Gloria went to the supermarket. She wanted some cup noodles for herself. As usual, her day never ended normally.
**************************************
Sam was surprised when he accidentally bumped into Gloria in the supermarket.
He was just rounding a corner when a soft, small body bumped into him. He was reeled backwards for some steps, amazed at the force of her. Then he found that he was gazing at the girl at the bookshop. The girl was similarly stunned and quickly spun around to flee. Sam rushed to grab her arm.
“Wait.”
The girl froze and slowly turned around as if unwillingly.
“I always meant to ask but keep forgetting. What’s your name?” Sam blurted out.
The girl glanced at him briefly and then looked away. “Gloria. Gloria Renderson.”
“I am Sam. Sam Sands,” Sam held out a hand.
She reluctantly took his hand and shook it before releasing rapidly. It was not lost on Sam how he liked the feel of her hand.
“Are you buying food?”
“Yes.”
There was an awkward silence as Sam thought of what to ask next. Then, she abruptly said, “I need to go now. Good-bye.”
Before he could reply, she was walking rapidly away as if fleeing an attacker.
Sam scratched his head and thought, “did I offend or scare her?”
He did not know how far the truth was from it.
*****************************************
Gloria strode briskly, her heart pounding. She felt flustered. She cursed herself for being so greatly affected by him. She returned home just as the sun set down. A man was observing her from the shadow.
"Greeting, future Majesty," all four vampires greeted Gloria when she reached home.
Gloria instinctively stood back and held out fighting stances. But, the vampires just stood obediently waiting for her instruction. Gloria looked uneasily at them and resumed to normal. She placed her bags on the table.
"Okay, speak! What's your motive for serving me? And for God's sake, I'm not Majesty!" Gloria demanded.
A female spoke, "my name's Fernalia, Majesty. We have decided to serve you to become Majesty. We saw of your power and decided you are a most suitable ruler."
"In other words, we are rebelling against the current Majesties," another female, Lenaliee, said cheerfully.
Gloria reeled back. "What are you talking about? I had no inclination to become Majesty! Alright, just go back!" Gloria dragged the vampires to the door.
"We will not go back. We have decided," Evan stubbornly said.
The other man, Tim, said "we will be here whenever you need us to be" just before they were chased out of the house.
Gloria slammed the door and sighed.
Late that night, Gloria prepared for bed. She slept. At about 3am, she heard a slight sound and bounced off bed before a stake narrowly missed her heart. The assassin continued to attack her. It was not a normal vampire, but an Ancient one. Not only Gloria could not smell him, she had diffculty dealing with him. Things crashed all around the house as Gloria kept dodging. Her power was blocked by the vampire's power. Just at the last moment, Gloria was exhausted and was slowly succumbing, the door crashed open and the four vampires rushed in to save Gloria. With their help, Gloria summoned every ounce of power and threw wind, fire to the attacker.
Morning came finally.
********************************
Gloria thanked Evan, Fernalia, Tim, Lenaliee. They bowed in respect.
"We need no thanks. We just want you to be a supreme ruler," Evan spoke authoritively.
Gloria rolled her eyes. "How many time do I need to tell you, I have no wish to be the ruler?"
"As prophecy does not lie, whether you wish it or not, you will become one," Fernalia spoke intelligently. The other three nodded.
"Whatever you says. I can't argue with you now." Gloria quickly prepared for work.
The four vampires were surprised when they saw Gloria eat human food.
"You can eat human food?" Lenaliee asked in envy.
Gloria shrugged as she munched on a mouthful of eggs. She left for work.
************************************
"Even an Ancient vampire is no match for that brat?" A man shouted furiously.
A female came forward and bowed. "To my sources' information, there seemed to be four betrayers who are helping her."
"WHAT?!" The man roared. Everyone else cringed at the sound.
"Looks like we have to sent the vampire hunter, Kasi," His Majesty said calmly.
Everyone was shocked. Only when there was an urgent matter, Kasi would be summoned to help Majesty. Kasi was a vampire turned vampire hunter and his skills were superb. No vampires could survive.
On the other hand, Gloria was tidying the books. Nikki was out again. The bell clanged. Gloria turned towards the sound. With disappointment, it was not Sam but another man.
"May I help you?" Gloria asked politely.
The man looked at Gloria intensely, making Gloria awkward. "Erm, do you need something?" Gloria asked again.
The man looked away to which Gloria sighed with relief. Without speaking, he gave Gloria a book and went to the counter. Gloria took the hint and took the man's money and package the purchase. The man stared at Gloria for a while and then silently took the shopping bag and left. Gloria felt uneasy. She wondered who the man was.
*****************************
Sam was walking up to the bookstore when he accidentally bumped into a man walking out at the same time. The man glanced at Sam for a moment and walked off. Sam ignored the strange sensation and walked in the bookstore. He saw Gloria was at the counter.
"Hey, Gloria," Sam greeted.
Gloria looked up and blushed. "Hi." She looked back down again and tidied the things at the counter.
"Care to have lunch with me today?" Sam invited.
Gloria was shocked and nearly fell off her cashier seat. "Erm...Umm...ok."
"See you then," Sam said with a smile and left.
They had a great lunch. Gloria weakened her resistance and chatted with him happily, especially about books. Sam similarly had a great time.
****************************
"I had no idea she grows up to be so beautiful, " the man from earlier thought as he left the bookstore. "But she would have lots of troubles and danger soon. I hope she can handle them." The man vanished.
*********************************
"Bad news! Bad news!" Evan said anxiously.
"What bad news?" Tim asked calmly.
"I got information that The Majesties have sent Kasi to kill Gloria!" Evan agitatedly waved his hands.
"Kasi, the famous vampire hunter?" Fernalia was shocked.
"We and Gloria have no chance against him!" Evan said nervously, folding and unfolding his hands.
"Let's be calm here...I had a strategy," Tim said and they discussed.
**********************************
When Gloria returned home, she saw the four vampires standing in a row before her.
"Future Majesty, we have something to tell you, " Fernalia said seriously.
They told her about Kasi. Gloria slowly sat down. "Why is this happening to a nice girl like me? I didn't even harm anyone!" Gloria shook her heads.
"Never fear, we have a strategy," Lenaliee nodded.
*****************************
Late that night, a vampire jumped into Gloria's bedroom silently. Suddenly, a silver chain was wound around the vampire.
"Heh, a sneaky attack? We are waiting for you!" Fernalia said.
Gloria popped out from the cabinet from where she was hiding and quickly used her power to freeze the vampire by ice as well as used Earth hands.
"Are you Kasi?" Gloria demanded.
The vampire was motionless. He was staring at Gloria. Finally, he spoke. "Just like your father, the power of Nature and, that impatient and fiery temper."
Gloria was taken aback. "Do you know my father?" Gloria asked anxiously.
The vampire continued staring at her and then spoke softly. "Yes."
"Where is he?" Gloria walked nearer to the vampire.
"He was killed. By my hands," Kasi said calmly.
Gloria took one minute to absorb the new. Truthfully, she had no idea who her father was so she had no anger or sadness. But a tinge of sorrow seeped into her soul. He was her father, after all. She wanted to meet her last and only family. But, it was too late.
"Let's kill him!" Evan shouted. "He's a threat to Gloria!"
The vampire said nothing and stared at Gloria.
Gloria was still in her thoughts. But, she returned to reality. She uttered "let him go."
Everyone was astounded. "But, but he tried to kill you! He may try it again!" Evan shouted desperately.
Gloria waved her hands and the ice melted away and the Earth hands disappeared, freeing the vampire.
The four vampires took fighting stances in front of Gloria, protecting her.
The vampire still stood motionless and then finally spoke again. "Kasi has died of a vampire illness. I am his apprentice and was instructed by my master to take up his name and job. My first job was to kill your father. By The Majesties' instruction. Your father was a great man. But his power was feared by many and he was killed due to this jealousy. From then on, I no longer serve loyalty to The Majesties. I still took up their instructions and kill specific vampires. But I have been waiting. For this moment. Your father once spoke of you, his daughter whom he never saw and spoke, to which he always regretted. So, I have been waiting to meet you. To serve you." The vampire bowed, to everyone's surprise. "I, Hasling, vowed to serve you, Gloria, as my new master in every ways possible till to my death."
Gloria's eyes filled with tears. "Then, why did he never come and speak to me? I have always been lonely all on my own!"
Hasling stood up. "A child born from a human and a vampire is frowned upon. If he acknowledges you, you will be chased after and killed instantly ever since childhood. Once, he realises you are safer born without him nearby, he had to disappear as far away from you as possible. Nobody, except me, knew this secret."
Gloria cried.
Everybody could only stand by helplessly as Gloria cried herself to sleep.
The long night finally ended.
************************************
Gloria woke up disconcertingly. She looked up at the ceiling in a daze. Then, she recalled the events the night before and sat up. She found the five vampires sleeping dead in the living room. All of them had peaceful faces and no signs of breathing. Truly like corpses. Gloria chuckled tonelessly at the thought of this.
She left for work. Nikki greeted her at the door. Gloria greeted back without enthusiatism and set to work. Nikki glanced at her with surprise. Even Gloria would greet with more feeling. But she dared not to say a word after seeing Gloria's red blotchy eyes.
Nikki left for lunch break, leaving Gloria at the bookstore alone. Gloria was lost in thought. Suddenly, the door bell clanged. Gloria was about to whirl around to inform the person that they are closed for break when suddenly, a hand grabbed her mouth from behind. A strong power vibrated from the man behind Gloria. This power made Gloria getting sleepy. Gloria tried to struggle but the man had a death grip on her. Just as Gloria lost consciousness, she heard a familiar voice called "Hey, what are you going?!" Then, everything went black.
************************************************
Gloria woke up with a headache, which was a total surprise and a new feeling. Vampires, even her, had no headaches. Sure, she can feel sleepiness, but most definitely not headaches. Gloria glanced around trying to accustom her vampire eyes to the surrounding. This was because the room was all in black, without a single light. Then, Gloria realised with a start it was nighttime and this room was the bookstore. Gloria had never set foot in the bookstore at night. She tried to find the lights but they were all blown. Probably done by vampires. Gloria looked outside to see why it was dark out. There should be one or two streetlights. Then, she saw the reasons. Someone blew out the lights. Vampire-done too, no doubt.
Then, she saw a movement out of the corner of her eyes. It was a body. Gloria heightened her senses to determine if this was her attacker. Then, she saw it was a familiar person.
Gloria immediately hurried forward. Sam was moaning and writhing in pain. Gloria despaired and wondered what to do to remove Sam's pain when some movement moved behind a shelf. Gloria threw up a wind jolt at the movement, as she could instinctively sense it was not a human. Unfortunately, the person hiding behind the shelf threw up a barrier. Gloria panicked, knowing only an Ancient vampire could do that.
Suddenly, that person spoke, in amusement too. "I see you must make your parents proud, attacking someone without even checking who it was.
That person stood out of the shadow and strode toward them. Gloria flinched and held Sam protectively behind her, excepting an attack. Instead, the person kneeled in front of Gloria, letting her see his face clearly. Gloria gasped in shock. Once, she had seen that face in a photo before it got burned.
That man smiled. "I see you recognize me. Now we can concentrate at this young boy here." He looked at at Sam, still writhing and sweating in unbearable pain.
Gloria demanded, "How...what are you here?"
"Do you not wish to save this boy?" The man arched an eyebrow.
"Why is he in so much pain? What did you do?!"
The man just calmly stood up and leaned against a nearby shelf. "I did not attack you nor this boy, if you want to know. But, I can tell you this, that boy will die in about another fifteen minutes if you don't save him. He has been poisoned by vampire blood."
Gloria's mind numbed in shock at the man's revelation. Contradictory to people's belief, vampire blood was not a potion of immortality, nor one of great vitality. It was a fatal poison to most of the human beings. When vampires suck blood from human, they were not turned to vampire either. They either were normal or died from lack of blood. Humans became vampires only when they drank vampire blood. Unfortunately or fortunately, depending on whose views, only a few could survive after drinking vampire blood. Survival depended on a person's will and make. Some would die immediately and some had such a strong will that they could struggle in pain for many hours before they died. The pain was like when a lightning bolt struck you, stabbing you, intestine ripped out, all rolled into one.
"How long...how long has he been struggling like this?" Gloria asked, even as her heart ached at the thought of Sam in such agony for many hours.
The man replied steadily. "Four hours."
Gloria's eyes were already filled with tears as she watched the frantically struggling Sam. When she heard the man, she felt like thousands of needles striking her heart. Tears dropped from her eyes. She tried to held them back and sniffed roughly. "How can we save him? There must be a way! We can't let him die!"
The man shook his head. "You and I know there's no other way."
Gloria frantically shook her head. "No! There must be a way! Sam! Sam!" She clutched Sam tightly as her tears dropped down to his face.
The man sighed. "I do not want to tell you this....but..... There is indeed a solution but it has not been proved before...."
Gloria looked up sharply. "What way? Quick! We have not much time!"
"You are the product of mixing a human and a vampire blood together. Thus, there is logically something in your blood that could resist the lethal vampire blood. If you let that boy drink your blood...maybe...."
Gloria quickly stood up and grabbed a scissor on a table. She was about to slash her wrist when the man spoke again. "But you must be warned. Since your blood belongs to a vampire, it is likely that he will turn into a vampire as well. Do you want him to suffer immortality? He will hate you to the core after learning the truth."
Gloria hesitated. She knew the pain of immortality. Cut off from society was a huge blow to many people. But seeing Sam in such pain and the thought of not seeing Sam again made up her decision. Called her selfish, called her a bitch, but she knew definitely that after drinking vampire blood, Sam's soul would forever be damned and would never have a chance to be reincarnated nor go to heaven. That means she would never see Sam again forever. This thought made her sick and wobbly. She would rather him hating her forever then not having a chance to see him again, even if it gave her much pain, especially when she knew reincarnation existed. Gloria gave her wrist a huge slash and brought Sam's mouth to it.
***************************************************
Sam woke up, feeling dizzy. He looked around at the unfamilar surrounding. Where was he? He tried to sit up but the movement made him even more dizzy and he nearly vomited. He tried gasping for breath to steady his head but realised a shocking thing. He could not breathe. There was no air coming in nor out of his nose. Sam panicked and wondered what was wrong. He tried to stand up. Then, he blacked out.
When he woke up again, he realised he was still in the unfamiliar house. He sat up slowly, fearing the nasty feeling earlier on. Fortunately, the feeling was gone. He felt fine. Actually, it was more than fine. For some reason, he could now smell and see very much clearly. He could even smell the tree outside.
He wondered what was going on. He remembered he was attacked in the bookstore.
At that time, he was about to enter the bookstore when he heard some weird noises inside. He rushed inside to discover Gloria unconscious. Then, a man dashed towards him. He fought against him but he was abnormally strong and soon lost. Desperate, he bit the man's arm and the man slashed him. But, he missed his aim and cut himself instead. Sam dodged but some of the man's blood fell into his mouth and onto his shirt. Then, he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his body and lost consciousness.
Sam looked around and stood up shakily. He walked to the door and opened it. He saw that the place was almost bare, with only the most minimum furniture. He was about to shout to whomever saved him when the front door opened. In ambled in five beautiful people, all chatting softly to each other. They froze on seeing Sam, who also stood still.
"Oh, you woke up! Gloria was worried about you," a woman said cheerfully.
"Lenaliee, I thought we are supposed to keep her name an identity?" Another woman glared at her.
"Oops," Lenaliee covered her mouth.
"Gloria? Gloria saved me?" Sam asked in confusion. "But she..."
A man spoke, "Yes, Gloria saved you. You are now of vampire blood."
Sam shakily walked backwards in shock and stuttered nervously, "v...vam....pi..re? Wh...at a...re you talk..ing ab..out?"
"You drank vampire blood, didn't you? That was a strong poison to you mere humans. In order to save you from damnation death, Gloria let you drink her blood, which was a sort of antidote. But, you will turn into a vampire." Another man calmly replied while walking to a room.
Sam felt overwhelmed with shock and dismay. "I...am...a....v..vam...pire...now?! Where is Gloria? I want to see her now!" Sam demanded.
The women and men looked at each other. "She was supposed to hide till we tell you the truth and you left. But now...she's in the fountain near this house." They then decribed the fountain look.
Sam left immediately, feeling angry, sad, despaired all at once. He soon found the fountain as they described. Gloria was indeed sitting on the fountain side, looking into the sky. She heard a footsteps and saw Sam. Gloria quickly stood up and nearly lost her balance. Sam, in almost unbelievable speed, rushed to her side and held her. Sam widened his eyes at what he did while Gloria was flustered. They were speechless for a while. Sam finally broke the silence as he withdrew his hands.
"Why did you save me? I'd rather die than becoming a vampire," Sam said softly but his eyes betrayed a feeling of hurt and anger.
Gloria's eyes shone as tears gathered. She guiltily said, "I'm sorry. I knew you wouldn't agree to this....but....I really don't want you to be damned!" Gloria shouted at the last moment and quickly ran away.
Sam was about to chase after her when a hand grabbed him. He whirled back to see another man.
"I think she needs to be alone now," the man whispered.
"Who are you?" Sam asked in bewilderment.
The man just silently stared at him. Then, he turned to go away. "Do you know what damnation means?"
"Huh? Erm....not really," Sam answered truthfully.
The man sat down at the fountain. "Contrary to popular belief, a vampire is not damned. They still have souls, just that they are no longer 'living'. Only when they die, then they become damned and their souls would forever be stranded in a different dimension. But vampire only dies when his heart has been staked so that is a low chance of that happening. Unfortunately, the human beings who drink vampire blood and dies of poison, their souls will be damned as well. They would forever suffer in eternity alone in a dimension."
Sam was thoughtful. "You mean...Gloria saved me from damnation?"
The man looked up at Sam. "You can say that."
Sam pondered this. "Wait a minute..how...can Gloria's blood saves me? Who is she?"
The man softly said, "She knows the pain of immortality very well. She is an Ancient Vampire, like me. However, she was vampire-blood born. Hence, her blood naturally contains substances that can restrain the vampire poison. She knew you will be pained but furious but she would rather you live and blame her than to suffer alone from damnation." The man left.
Sam looked into space as he went through what the man said.
********************************
Gloria paced around in her bedroom. She felt restless. It was a heck of a day. She was attacked, again, saw someone whom she thought she would never see again and whom saved her and Sam from her assailant, was forced to turn Sam into a vampire. At this thought, she grimaced. She would never think this would happen. She cursed herself for her helplessness and the Majesties for causing all this troubles.
Suddenly, a thought stuck her. Maybe this was the true reason the prohecy came true. Maybe she was trying to protect her loved ones by going against the Majesties. Gloria shook her head to clear the idea. She went home.
******************************
Sam was at a loss at what to do. He gathered from the man that Gloria was trying to save him but he still felt upset at being a vampire. His life was turned upside down in just one day. The man had also advised him to cut off all ties with society as soon as possible since he was no longer human and hence would not age. Sam felt reluctant, feeling pain whenever he thought of leaving his mother alone. But he knew this was neccesary. He would rather not let his mother knew he had become a monster.
*****************************
The next day, Gloria went into the bookstore for work. Nikki was already there tidying the books that had fallen out of the shelves during the struggle yesterday night.
"Gloria, what on earth happen yesterday? I was only gone for one day and see what the bookstore gotten into!" Nikki exclaimed.
"Sorry," Gloria apologized softly, lowering her head.
Nikki looked at Gloria with a surprised expression. "Hey, I'm not blaming you. After all, I didn't come back in after break so this is also my fault. Sorry for making you attend to the bookstore for the whole afternoon again. My daughter got into trouble again." Nikki's daughter was a well-known gangster. No matter how much time Nikki bailed her out, she always got into trouble again.
Gloria silently got to work and a depressed atmosphere descended into the bookstore.
On the other hand, Sam was in school. Six more months and he would graduate from high school. He decided he was going to graduate from university before he cut off from his family and friends. Surprisingly, he could still drink and eat human food although very minimal before he ended up vomiting. However, he still counted his blessing for this to remove any suspicion among his friends and mother. He was still however undecided how to face Gloria.
The whole day went without any trouble for the both of them.
*****************************
On another place, there was another meeting between the Majesties and vampires. They had learned of Kasi's betrayal and Sam's existence. The vampires considered Sam as an enemy too due to Gloria's blood in him. They decided to kill Gloria, Kasi and him.
Two days after, Gloria was walking home when a shadow startled her.
"Oh, it's you," Gloria said awkwardly to the man who saved Sam's and her life.
"You really don't want to see that young man Sam ever again?" the man asked softly.
Gloria froze and lowered her head. "I don't...know. What...if he....hates me?"
The man walked towards her and put his hands on her shoulders. "You love that young guy, don't you? It's time to take the initiative and let yourself go. Instead of worrying about whether he hates you, don't you think it's better to just confront him and ask about his feelings and tell him how he feels? It's Fate that brings you two together again, don't you think? You should fight for your happiness...otherwise the two of you will be forever separated by this river of doubts."
Gloria absorbed the man's words shakily and hesitated. She knew he was right but she was very afraid. Very very afraid.
****************************
Sam heard a knock on the door when he got home from school. He opened it and was surprised to see Gloria.
"Can...can I..come in?" Gloria asked shyly.
"Of course," Sam said, stepping to the side to let her in.
Gloria stood awkwardly in a corner.
"Sit. I shall go pour you a cup of tear," Sam said just as awkwardly, wondering why Gloria came here and even knew his house.
To his amazement, Gloria snatched up his shirt and held fast, stopping him. "Wait....I only want...to say this...." Her voice grew fainter and fainter.
Sam could barely hear her. "What's the matter?" Sam asked gently.
"You must have wondered why I know where you live. That man had sources of information and he wanted me to talk to you about...something...and I..." Gloria rambled on hopelessly, not knowing what to say. She kept looking at the wall, at the sofa, at the television, refusing to meet Sam's intent stare. "I..."
Suddenly, there was a tremenduous crash and window glass fragments were scattered around.
"What on earth?" Sam cried.
Gloria sensed a movement and dodged, pushing Sam aside. And luckily too. A huge arrow was sticking from the floor mat from where they were standing at.
Sam was stunned even as Gloria immediately stood up, gazing around with a serious look on her face. Gloria concentrated and gathered a ball of fire in her hand and threw it at a movement out of the corner of the eyes. The attacker dodged and threw another huge arrow at her. Gloria puled out her wind shield and threw lightning bolt back. Sam was amazed at the power fight between the unknown intruder and Gloria. Gloria called out to Earth and the ground started to shake. The attacker stumbled and icicles started to form on his legs. As a last resort, the man threw a arrow filled with holy water at Sam. Sam froze as he heard Gloria cry in alarm. He flinched and closed his eyes, expecting an impact anytime.
Then, he heard Gloria cried as a heavy object fell onto him. He opened his eyes instantly.
"Dad! Dad!" Gloria shouted at the man atop Sam. Sam realised it was the man who saved him and Gloria at the bookstore.
The arrow had hit the man's back when he tried to save Sam. The man was cringing and shaking in horrible pain as the holy water took effect.
"Dad! You can't die! You can't die!" Gloria was crying as she tried to pull the arrow.
"It's no....use.....Gloria.....My...body is......starting to...burn," the man gasped in pain as he tried to stop.
"No! No! Dad, you say you will be with me forever!" Gloria's tears dropped as she cried out.
The man tenderly held his hands and touched Gloria's face. "I'm afraid....this is..truly the end...for me...." His hands dropped and his body started to turn into ashes.
"NO!!" Gloria screamed as her father turned into ashes. She looked at the spot at where her father laid earlier aimlessly.
Sam could only look on helplessly and hugged Gloria as she cried her heart out.
**********************************
Gloria's father nearly died when Kasi's sword slashed through him. However, a witch doctor managed to save him by sacrificing his own life. But, as Fate would have it, he died again. Gloria and her vampire friends and Sam paid respect to her father's empty tomb. Although Gloria knew it was useless as he would not feel anything, she felt it was her duty to do this. She also swore on his gravestone that she would stop this once and for all. She was going to see The Majesties.
*****************************
Gloria, Sam and her vampire friends all entered the room. All the vampires were staring at them intently. Ignoring the hostile atmosphere, Gloria calmly strode in farther to see the Majesties.
She bowed in front of the Majesties.
"You are very much brave indeed to come into your enemy's abode," Her Majesty smiled a little.
Gloria stood. "I only wish you can end this once and for all. Stop making trouble for me and my friends."
"And if we don't?"His Majesty raised an eyebrow, as every vampires in the room tensed.
Gloria said calmly, "or I will make the prophecy come true."
Every vampires gasped and many of them prepared for battle.
His Majesty held out a hand to restrain them. "Do you truly think you can harm us, little one?" His Majesty said in a mocking tone at Gloria.
Gloria stood out her chin stubbornly. "You have gone too far. Not only have you harm my loved ones, you even kill my father! I would never forgive you even if you are my ruler!"
"How dare you be rude to the Majesties! I swore I will..!!" A man stood out of the shadow and prepared to attack Gloria.
"Stop it, David," Her Majesty said sharply. The man stood back unwillingly. "I see you have a fierce spirit indeed." Her Majesty smiled at Gloria. She turned to His Majesty. "Do you agree?"
His Majesty scratched his chin in thought. "I see prohecy wasn't wrong after all. She has indeed the determination and spirit of a true-born ruler."
"Your Majesties!" Some vampires protested.
"So, little one, do you want to be a ruler?" His Majesty ignored the cries of protest and turned back to Gloria.
"Uh.." Gloria was startled into speechless.
"Shall we? It's after all time for the new generation to take over," Her Majesty smiled.
"Hmm......" His Majesty closed his eyes. "Yes...Yes..it's time....besides, there's no point for us fighting prohecy...." His Majesty opened his eyes and said sharply, "from now on, Gloria, you shall be our heir to the throne. You shall spend years on learning to be a good ruler. And from now on, you will have a share in every political decisions. Everyone, I trust you all to welcome her."
"But, your Majesties, she's just a child!" Everyone protested.
Then His Majesty turned a cold stare towards his followers. "And you dare to go against my orders?" Then, he said to Gloria, "originally, I thought the person prohecy mentioned was an ambitious and selfish person and hence we tried to stop you from organising a power fight and disrupt order. But apparently, we are mistaken. Frankly, my wife and I had decided to pick a heir long time ago even before the prohecy was mentioned. Accept our apologizes."
Gloria was stunned at how easy everything was settled. She wondered if she should have just come and meet the Majesties. Then, everything would not have come to this state. She cursed herself and the irony that Fate placed at her feet.
***************************
Gloria was indeed learning to become a ruler. She was busy every single day. Sam had gotten into university and studying hard as well. They had no chance to meet after that incident.
Three years passed.
Gloria heaved a sigh and walked along the beach. It was her day off. She wished, as always, that the stupid prophecy did not choose her as the new ruler. However, she knew that was not the most upset thing. She knew she had her vampire friends, Evan, Kasi, Tom, Lenaliee and Fernalia accompanying her even as thousands of vampires still treated her as enemies. But, she could not hide her feeling.
She was lonely.
She missed her father and most of all, Sam.
Gloria sighed again.
"Don't you know sighing will dispel all luck?" A voice called out from behind.
At hearing the familiar voice, Gloria whirled around. "Sam! What...how...."
Sam smiled. "I don't know either but I just got an urge to come here today." Sam looked away and stared at the sea. "Elle loved this place. Maybe it's her doing...." he whispered.
"Elle? Who's she?" Gloria asked confused.
"Nothing," Sam said and smiled.
They then chatted cheerfully and walked along the beach as the sun went down.
Nobody could ever separate them again. Not even Time.
********************************
THE END
Author's note:
There, a happy ending, for once! Not very good I know but it will keep you on the feet! (smiles)
Did Gloria confess her love in the end? Did Sam accept her? Well, keep guessing! I'm going to keep this a secret. hee hee. But I can say this, their feelings for each other are very deep. What does this mean? Don't ask me.
Is there another story sequel? You may ask. I'm not sure myself.......but there is indeed another story coming up. Look forward to it! It's on another basis...no romantic factor I am regretful to add...and many gore this time round. May not be a sequel.
After one year or more, I finally completed the story sequel.....looking back, I must say it's a very tough period. And now, another story is coming up! Yippee!
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