Themoonlight shone brightly against the darkness of the nocturnal skies. It stoodalone, without a trace of a star as a wishful companion. The milky beams of lightcascaded down into the wood, seeping through the canopy of trees. Theluminescent light rested on a small cottage hidden beneath the shadows of theheavy foliage.

Silencedroned on in the midst of the night. The faintest of whispers that came from theisolated cottage, resonated in the still air, and echoed throughout the darkwood.

Whisperswere tainted by the swollen cries that traveled up the porcelain length of awoman’s throat, and escaped past her pale lips. They all stood around her,waiting for the silent kiss of death to send her into deep slumber. Without alift of a finger, they stood and watched her with their dark beady eyes; theinfant sliding forward as crimson pools of fluid escaped the bloody passages ofthe woman.

Herpainful cries emerged into laborious screams that burst from her lungs. Shegasped for air, clutching onto to whatever sanity was left for her to hold onto. The pain was excruciating, yet she continued to strain, hoping the deliverywould come to a quick end.

Theirhungry eyes feasted on the flowing streams of blood, coming in waves andsoaking the creamy linen sheets. The young woman’s thoughts that were mingledin devastating pain ran through her mind, back and forth in disarray. She couldonly cling to one rational thought that exposed the true meaning behind thereason of why she was there with them…

“Thesehumans are impotent fools, who offer no contribution to the world,” snarledone of them. “There is no use for their existence in society.”

Shewatched them from behind the large pine. They were undeniably beautifulcreatures. Deceiving in their looks.

“Whichis why we must eradicate them from the face of this planet,” said another withdisgust. “They are nothing but pests that create vexation for us all.” She noticedhis handsome features that were distorted with his utter dislike for her ownkind.

“Ifyou find them to be annoyances, then we should get a start on our plans,shouldn’t we?” replied the leader of them all.

“Whatis it you have in mind, Edward?” said a voice with a melodic ring to it.

“Shallwe sink our teeth on fresh meat tonight?” said the first of the group to speak.“I saw the most darling little girl the other day…”

“Nonsense!I saw her first!” interjected the second that spoke. “I happened to makefriends with her this afternoon.”

“Thatwas only because you managed the roll the ball across the street,” said thefirst. “At least I play fair, Kostos. I don’t use mind tricks to bait achild.”

“Listenhere, Osias, you’re no better.  I don’t play peek-a-boo with childreneither.”

“Whatthe hell is that supposed to mean? All I have to do is disappear in thin air,and make an appearance when the time is right. You see, my friend, it’s allabout good timing. Something in which, you, seem to lack.”

“Why you imbecile… I ought to---”

“Playnice, boys,” said Isobella, examining her polished fingernails. She wasbeautiful, with long tresses of black hair swirling down past her shouldersonto her breasts.

“Isobellais right, of course,” Edward Bloome said, clearing his throat beforecontinuing. “I don’t want to hear it from both you tonight. There is much to bedone, and we won’t accomplish it by quarreling with one another.”

“Yes,Edward,” answered Kostos through his sharp, clenched teeth.

“Whatexactly do you have in mind for us, Bloome?” questioned the handsome Osias.

Sheleaned into closer to the pine, listening to what was about to come.

“WhatI am about to suggest is something that must not be taken so lightly. It mustbe dealt with precision and, like you retorted before, Osias, good timing. Itwill require your unadulterated fidelity, do you all understand me?”

“Yes,”they all answered in unison. It was silent for a brief moment. The cricketschirped, as they all stood around waiting for what it was Edward was about tosay. Along with the faint symphony of the crickets was a slight rustle in thebushes.

Osias'head lifted up, as he furrowed his brow. Then, he stood up from his sittingplace on the large rock, and listened before Edward continued on.

Sheheld her breath still, avoiding to make further clues of her unknownpresence...

“Inorder to erase the world of the humans, we must use them to our own advantage.You see, some of these humans are gifted. Gifted in the sense of intelligenceand supernatural traits. They are not as stupid as you think. Some of them maybe able to see things in the future before they occur.”

“Seers...”Osias answered slowly.

“Thatis right, Osias,” affirmed Edward with a nod. “And these seers may be the key toour uprising.”

“Andhow, may I ask?” questioned Kostos with a lift of his eyebrow.

“Wefirst befriend the seers, and when the time is right, capture them and usetheir power as our own. It will be beneficial to our plans. But of course, wewill not be doing this alone. We won’t accomplish all of this with the four ofus.”

“Ehh…You mean we have to be friends with them?” responded Osias with blatantdisapproval. “This is sickening.”

“Onlyfor a short time, yes,” Edward answered.

“Thatwill be no problem with me, Edward,” assured Isobella.

“Iam most sure of it, Isobella. Your unearthly beauty will draw others to you.”

Suddenly,an unfamiliar sound interrupted their conversation. It sounded like thebreaking of twigs from clumsy footing.

“Shhh…”whispered Isobella. “What was that?”

“Youheard it too, then?” said Osias. “I heard it before, as well.”

“Itseems we may have an intruder in our midst,” Edward said. “Well, we must findthem, whoever it may be.”

“Right,”replied Isobella in obedience to her leader. “I am on it.” She snapped herknifelike teeth together, as she sneered.

Kostos'razor-sharp teeth were clenched, as his face gave off a hardened expression.Osias hissed as he searched around the area. He disappeared for moment, fadingaway into the delicate air.

Thesound came again. This time, it was apparent someone was trespassing ondangerous grounds.

“Findthem!” snarled Edward.

Isobellaflew up into the sky and swiftly swooped against the weightless air, patrollingthe surrounding area. Her eyes spotted the young woman, who was unable to blendin with the foliage because of her white nightgown. She screeched, alerting theothers, as she swerved downwards after the young woman…

Shebegan to run faster. The adrenaline rush flowing through her veins. Her bloodsinging as she aimlessly ran, pushing through the branches and bushes with aHerculean effort. The neatly tied bun on top of her head became unruly, asloose strands of brown spilled down her neck. The soft threads of hair weredrenched from the beads of perspiration forming on the crown of her head. Shecontinued to run, wherever her feet was dragging her to. She had no where togo. She was stuck in a maze of trees and dark shadowed places.

Losingcontrol of her footing, she tripped over a warped tree limb that was sprawlingout from the grand maple. Isobella was right on her path. Following her like abloodhound on a scented trail. She flipped over onto her back, and foundherself staring straight up at Isobella. Her teeth were cloaked in venom, asshe snarled into her face.

Ina lithe movement, she got on her forearms and knees, in attempts to crawl aboutfrom Isobella. The pounding of her heart rang in her ears, as she can hear theuneven tremors of her breath flow from her exhausted lungs.

Isobellagrabbed her by her voluminous mane of black, and pulled her away. “Where do youthink you’re going?” barked Isobella. She gave the young woman a wicked smilebefore tugged roughly at her hair.

Screamsburst from the young woman’s mouth, as she yelped out in pain. It echoedthroughout the dark wood, resounding against the hard oak of the trees. Birdsflew away into the dark sky, fleeting from the terrifying shriek of the youngwoman’s voice.

Isobellagrabbed the young woman by the neck, and pressed her weight down onto herdelicate, breakable body. Her gasps were restrained by the pressure ofIsobella’s grasp. Choking for air, she tried to push Isobella off her, but theweight of her body was massive.

Then,within a short moment, her eyes filled with horror slowly began to lower, thelids dropping down with a heavy weight, as the last speck of light faded awayinto a darkened abyss.

Osiasand Kostos were the first to arrive. Their eyes had gone mad with feverishhunger. Isobella cast them a hardened look, claiming her possession on theyoung woman. She pushed the young woman’s face to the side, lifting her longhair out of the way, and lowered her mouth to the delicate place by hercollarbone.

“STOP!”bellowed Edward’s voice from behind.

Isobella’sface abruptly lifted away from the young woman’s neck, to look at her master’sface with confusion. “What is it, Edward? Why must I stop?”

Edwarddropped down from the air onto his feet, and strode slowly towards the youngwoman. Osias and Kostos watched Edward as he moved closer and closer to thewoman. Kneeling down beside her, he gently lifted her face upwards, and pushedthe unkempt hair away from her face. He paused then, his eyes widening indisbelief.

“Whatis it? What is the matter, Edward?” asked Isobella again. “Why can’t I –”

“Don’ttouch her,” interrupted Edward. “It seems we have stumbled upon a prize.”

“Whatdo you mean?” questioned Isobella, demanding to know what the meaning of thiswas.

“Itseems we have stumbled upon a Blackwell descendant.”

Withastonished amazement, Isobella, Osias and Kostos exchanged looksincredulously.

Edwardcontinued, “And by the looks of it, she is with child.”

Itwas the final moments of Synnovea Blankwell’s life, and she could only recallhow this all came to be. Now here she was, giving birth to a child who maynever see his or her mother again. She knew by giving life, death must come. Itwas the only way.

Withthat thought in mind, she pushed harder, screaming in unfeigned agony from thepain of it. Determined to free the child from inside, she strained with force,and with only a final press, the child slipped away from within and slid intothe arms of the enemy.

Thecries of the infant resounded throughout the silent room. Life had been given,and now must be taken away.

Theyall approached her now, the same feverish eyes she remembered from that fatefulnight. The night before she was entrapped within the suppression of theVampire’s imprisonment. Their venom coated teeth glimmered in the daintycandlelight as they neared her with intense hunger written on their faces.

Insteadof leaving with the image of their teeth in her memory forever, she looked toher child instead. The child was being wrapped in a scarlet blanket, beforebeing placed into a woven basket. The cries of the infant grew louder, as theydrew closer and closer to her. She closed her eyes, then, knowing that the endwas now. Knowing she was leaving her daughter, alone in a world with a perilousfuture in the events coming ahead.

Shealso knew, as she felt the hot breath against her bleeding body, she wascontent with knowing that her child had been born to save the future ofmankind.

“Whatshall we do with the child, my lord?”

Wipingthe remnants of blood onto his sleeve, Edward replied, “The only thingleft todo is send her off to an orphanage where some unfortunate family canadopt heras their own. Who will complete the honors of sending her off?” Helooked toIsobella. “Isobella? No?” His eyes then moved to Kostos. “How about youKostos? – No?” His gaze snapped onto Osias. “Why, Osias! Thank you fortakingthe liberty to finish the task.”

Osiasgroaned, “Why must it always be me?”

“Becauseyou’re the capable one,” replied Isobella soothingly. “Why else do you thinkEdward relies on you and not Kostos?”

“Precisely,”nodded Edward in agreement. “Kostos would end up losing the child beforereaching the orphanage.”

“Butwhy not have Kenneth do it? After all he is your nephew,” justifiedOsias.

“Kennethis too young to complete a task such as that,” Edward answered with reason.“He’s not ready for the heavy things yet.”

Osiasswore underneath his breath. He ran his fingers through his hair in aggravationbefore grabbing the handle of the basket, and carrying it with him out thecottage door.

Hesoared into the midnight sky, swirling around in circles, but careful not toawake the baby. Once he arrived at the Orphanage, he placed the basket onto thedoorstep cautiously. But before ringing the doorbell, he found himself staringface to face with the child. Her eyes were wide open, devouring his face intheir wake. He abruptly looked away, and rung the bell before the nunsappeared. He faded away into the darkness of night, and hid behind the shadows ofthe tree.

Hewatched behind the sanctuary of the tree, as the nun looked around beforelifting the basket from the doorstep, and shutting the door behind her.

Fromthe open window, Osias could hear an elderly woman say, “What is it?”

“Anotherchild,” answered the woman who opened the door. “The poor thing…”

Withthat, Osias disappeared, returning to where he came from.

The infant was taken care of by the hospitable nuns of Girimple Orphanage. Therethe child was fed, bathed and loved by the nuns. The young child was adoptedalmost instantly. No one could resist her striking features, even as an infant.It was the Serkovs that adopted the child into their family. The Serkovs wereVera and Vladmir Serkov, and their daughter Ivy, would clutch at her mother’sside as she watched her father sign the adoption papers. The child was giventhe name Rosaline Evette Serkov.

Unknown to their knowledge, the Serkovs adopted a child with a promising futurethat lay ahead of her. An adoptive child with a perilous fate. A child withauthentic blood flowing through her young veins.



"Ivyyy! Not too highh!" wailed a young girl, as she flailed her legswildly in the air. She swung high into the sky, and dropped downwards from theair.

The girl behind her snickered maliciously, as she pushed the distressed childinto the sky once again. "Higher?" said Ivy, shrugging her auburn haironto her back. "My, you are a daring one, Rose. But, if you mustinsist..."

"N-no!" yelled the dark-haired child named Rose. She held onto thetwo metal links for dear life, swinging into the air once more. "Stop it!STOP IT!" Her voice cried, grasping tightly onto the metal links, her onlysource of security.

"Okay," Ivy said, giving her a final, rough shove, and letting go ofRose before turning away from the swing, and running back into the house.

"Ivy?" squealed Rose. "Ivyy?" She heard the screen door inthe porch slam shut, as she continued to swing up great heights."IVYYY!" cried the child, almost close to tears now.

She was now swinging on her own. The force of the pendulum beyond her control.The rush of air swept away her tears of misery, as her mind that was onceovertaken by stress, suddenly began to blank out. The colors of the gardenbegan to circle, mixing and overlapping one another in rapid swirls. Round andround, Rose watched the colors mingle with one another, as the things in thebackground began to disappear.

All sounds of the afternoon were ringing loudly in her ears, the clang of thesounds jumbled and meshed into one. The sounds slowly began to subside, and allRose could hear was the sound of her own breathing, slow and calm. The pendulumswung to and fro, with her small form draping over the seat.

Focused on the rhythm of her breath, the spinning colors, and whirling worldbegan to disappear before her eyes, as darkness engulfed her senses. She stillfelt like she was in rapid motion. The swinging never stopping, never ending.

Suddenly, the images began to flash before her young eyes. One by one theycame, tainting her childish innocence. She watched the shedding of blood falldown, painting the earth with its crimson hues, and overlapping the cloverfields with its vibrant colors. Bodies fell to the ground, drenching the grasscompletely with their own blood. Green was gone and only red sufficed. She sawthem flying in the darkened skies. No trace of sun, only twilight shone on thehorizon. They flew around, their screeches and shrieks growing louder and louder.Screaming in her ears, and the cries of those who suffered their gruesome actsof murder. Her blue pools of eyes, limpid with sympathy and affection for thosewho fell down, watched them quench their thirst with their mouths, likebarbarians who knew nothing of civil manners.

They stared straight her, their mouths dripping with venom and blood. Theirtongues were painted with crimson as well. Rose looked down at her hands, theswinging continuing, and saw the red. The colors were swirling again, a torpidoof hues that violently merged into red. Round and round, she swirled, her hairflying about her in disarray.

She let herself go. Surrendering to the horrendous plague that swept throughouther mind. She was soaring high, and found herself falling and falling down tothe blood drenched earth.

Dropping down onto the fair green grass of her garden.


A scream came from inside. Mrs. Serkov ran out the house, with the porch doorslamming behind her, and Mr. Serkov following after. "ROSE!"

"ROSE!" Mrs. Serkov lifted her child into her arms, laying her ontoher laps. She clutched her head to her head. "PLEASE! Wake up! --Oh...Vlad! VLAD! CALL AN AMBULANCE!"

Mr. Serkov immediately ran back into the house, past Ivy who just stood thereand stared at her sister with eyes of no feeling.