Decsription

“If any vampire kills a human, a curse will be brought upon the forest”.

 

This did happen. A vampire of the forest killed a human and now all the four clans, Fearless, Midnights, Moors, and Fallen Oaks are cursed. All forest vampires are now half human. They’re not allowed to hunt or drink animals’ blood and they are not allowed to have any reactions with any humans. To survive they have to drink water to control their thirst.

 

Now that the curse is in place, North, the leader of the clan Fearless, is hiding a dark secret that could destroy them all. It’s up to a young vampiress named Xena to reveal the secret even if it means going behind her leader’s back. While she’s in Fearless she meets a handsome vampire named Severn, who is only a year older than her. Severn agrees to help Xena by making himself North’s pet. North limits Xena’s friendship with Severn, and Xena also has limited time to get him back and save Fearless and the other clans.

 

Will Xena win or will she fall?

 

Chapter 1

 

“Fearless, today we are growing stronger as ten apprentices join us this evening”, North told us.

 

I really wasn’t listening to my leader. I had no interest in listening to her. I felt the girl that was standing next me stiffen. I followed her gaze over to the tree that grew nearby Flat rock. A blonde boy was glaring at us. I nudged the girl gently. “Just avoid him”, I whispered.

 

“No. His thoughts are too loud”, she said.

 

I didn’t reply. Instead I looked back to see North dismissing the clan. The girl elbowed me. “Come on”.

 

We caught up with our group outside the dormitory. A brown haired girl led us through a tunnel and into a opening. My eyes took in the sight. Wooden ramps led up to built in cabin houses that sat in the trees. A sidewalk led into the dormitory and splitted off into different directions towards the wooden ramps. The nice girl left us to explore our new home.

 

I walked into my new room, closing the door behind me. The walls were a grey-white and my bed was covered with pale blue blankets. My closet was close to the bathroom, and an owl shaped clock hung on the wall. The blinds were a pale blue with a white underneath. I closed the blinds making it a little darker in my room. I walked over to the comfy chair that was sitting by the window. I ran my hand across the soft fabric before walking over to my closet. I opened my closet to see all of my clothes neatly folded or hung on the hangers.

 

I walked towards the cafeteria . The room was loud. The girl that stood next to me earlier motioned me over to her table. “I’m Vanessa”, she said, while I took a seat next to her.

 

“Xena”, I told her.

 

“Xena. That’s a lovely name”,Vanessa replied.

 

Another blonde girl sat next to us. “I’m Claudette”.

 

“Xena”, I said shaking her hand.

 

I looked around the room taking in the breathtaking sight while Claudette and Vanessa fell into a deep conversation. Chandeliers hung from the ceiling making the room alive with brightness. Many vampires were either standing or sitting on the tables. A sweet scent took me out of my sight seeing. A brown haired girl was now sitting next to me.

 

“This is Emily”, Vanessa told me. She was cut off by another girl when she sat by Claudette. “And this is Maizy”.

 

Maizy gave me a small smile but didn’t say a word to me. After we ate our food, we all met in Vanessa’s room. I paid close attention when Maizy spoke about North. “They say that Paul and North have a child. Misty, one of the doctors, is to be believed to be their daughter. North gave Misty up to another doctor named Jamia because she didn’t want to be punished. North told Jamia to hide Misty from the clan. So Jamia took Misty in as her own and, like North said to do, told the clan that she accidentally mated with a Nomad”. We were silent after the story.

 

“Don’t believe it”, Claudette said after a moment.

 

It was midnight when I walked into my room. I grabbed a pair of leggings and a tank top from my closet. The warm water felt good on my bare back. Maizy’s story was still stuck in my head. If North didn’t want to be punished in having Misty, then why have a mate? I wondered quietly. After I was dressed I sat in my comfy chair for a few minutes. It was quiet in my room except the fan that I had left on in the bathroom. I sighed tiredly before shutting off the fan.

 

The blankets were soft between my fingers as I drew them back. I sat on my bed before crawling into the covers. The glare of the boy earlier was fresh in my head when I gazed at the ceiling. I remembered Vanessa’s stiffen body standing next to me when she read his thoughts. I heard the rain beat against the window and saw the lightning flash in the darkness. I snuggled in the covers of my bed and fell asleep. A rumble of thunder sounded in the night sky.

 

Chapter 2

 

During training the next morning Emily sprained her ankle when she fell off a rock and into the river. I watched Vanessa and Chris, one of our trainers escort her to the hospital. We sat at our usual table for lunch.Two older apprentices, Dragon and Izzy joined our table along with Brady and Dereck. I felt Izzy poke me with her elbow. I gave her a look of disgrace but she avoided me and said ”He’s looking at you again”. She nodded over to the table where the blonde boy sat with two other apprentices staring at me.

 

“What’s his problem?” I asked her.

 

Before Izzy could answer me Dragon butted in. “That’s Severn. He’s an older apprentice like me and Izzy, and Brady, if you include him. I don’t”. He paused and gave me a wink. Anyway, Severn is nice and he’s a very quick learner. He’s gifted. Like Vanessa, he can hear your thoughts. Plus he probably is interested in you”. He gave me another wink.

 

“Really, Dragon? Glaring doesn’t mean ‘like’ ” Izzy said sounding annoyed. Dragon rolled his eyes at her before passing me a small smile. I looked up suddenly to see Claudette running out of the cafeteria. Dragon looked at Brady who was grinning. “Dude, what did you do?” Now all of us had our eyes directly on Brady. “What? I was just kidding around”, he said, blushing. Dragon shook his head while Emily went to dump her plate. I bid my farewells before going back to the dormitory. The dorm was quiet when I walked into the clearing. I went to my room then sat in my chair. I pulled my sleeve up to look at the bite that Izzy had gave me during training the other day. She kept apologizing when she walked with me to hospital. “I’m fine”. I had told her. The bite still stung but it was now scarred into my skin. I sprang from my chair when I heard loud knocking on the door. I opened the door to see him standing there with ice in his honey colored eyes. “Come in”, I said. He walked into my room without looking at me.

 

Severn.

 

I remembered Dragon saying his name earlier as I closed the door. I looked to see him pacing around in my room. “I hate her”, he growled, darkly. Her? Who was he talking about? I wondered quietly before motioning him to sit in my chair. When he had sat down in my chair I asked. “Who?”

“North”, he said with bitterness. He looked out my window totally trying to not look at me. I leaned against the wall closest to him.

 

“Tell me what’s going on”, I told him. I heard Severn sigh heavily.

 

“I’m not telling you how I knew that this was your room”, he muttered.

 

“Just telling me what’s going on”, I said. I was getting annoyed with the simple statements.

 

Avoiding me, he got up then started for the door. I stood in front of him in a flash. His eyes turned into a dark, cold color as he narrowed them. “I can’t. Now move”. He sneered lightly.

 

“You sure?” I asked. “You can tell me anything”.

 

“No Xena”, he said calmly. He walked past me and left. I closed my eyes to calm myself. I felt so frustrated. “You don’t come to talk if you won’t tell me what’s wrong”. I wanted to hiss at him.

 

I sighed with frustration then left my room.

Chapter 3

 

I woke up at four in the morning. Yesterday’s conversation with Severn was still haunting me. Dreaming about him made it harder to stop thinking about it. I left my room and headed for the forest.

 

The forest was quiet as I walked towards the creek. We weren’t really supposed to be out this early but I couldn’t fall back asleep. I wasn’t scared of the punishment North would give me if she found out I was sneaking out of camp before dawn.

 

I sat on one of the rocks and stuck my barefeet into the cool, dark water. My reflection was visible in the water under the moon’s light. It felt like forever since I left Moors. I remembered how nervous I was waiting for my turn to choose a clan. I knew I wouldn’t choose Midnights. Midnights was the darkest clan in the forest. They fought over everything. If you crossed the border that you shared with them, they would kill you before you could explain yourself. I knew I didn’t want to be that kind of vampire that killed other needlessly. The only thing I didn’t like about Fearless is one vampire that creeps me out the most, Paul. He isn’t the nicest vampire that I’ve met. Everytime I see him talking with North I keep thinking about the story that Maizy told about them.

 

I stood up on the rock and looked across the creek at Nocole's territory. The trees were not visible even with the bright moon. “You know those rocks can get slippery”. Came a voice behind me.

 

I turned around too quickly and fell. I caught myself with my hands as my feet went under the cool water. “Here”. Said the voice. A hand grabbed my arm and helped me stand. I looked to see Severn’s dark gaze.

 

“Thank you”,  I said once I was out of his grasp.

 

“No problem”, Severn told me.

 

I walked away leaving him by the creek. I felt so embarrassed of falling in front of Severn. Hopefully, he’ll forget about tonight, I thought.

 

“Xena wait up !”  He called out.

 

I stopped in my tracks and growled with annoyance. He stood cautiously in front of me, sensing that he shouldn’t come any closer. “What?” I snapped, harshly.

 

He didn’t even flinch. “I want to apologize for yesterday”.

 

“Don’t worry about it”, I said.

 

Severn looked at the ground. “What are you doing out here?”

 

I met his gaze for a moment then replied. “I was just taking a walk”.

 

He snorted in disbelief then rolled his eyes. “You’re going to be in big trouble when North finds out that you’re out here and breaking the rules”.

 

Frustration filled in me as I snapped back at him. “Well, you’ll get in trouble too”.

 

He shook his head and walked past me. “You coming?” He asked without turning around to look at me. I didn’t respond as I watched Severn disappear into the trees. There is no way I’m going back with him, I thought bitterly. I made my way towards the Cedar trees.  I hoped Severn wouldn’t tell North that I was walking around the territory without permission. I walked over to the branches that were covering the path with their long limbs. As I looked through the limbs a hand covered my mouth.

 

“Don’t scream”. Hissed a voice.

 

I stopped struggling then whipped around to see my attacker. “Severn”. I gasp. He put one finger to his lips to shush me.Then he put one arm around my waist and nodded towards the trees. I saw a figure emerge from the shadows. I gasped quietly when I recognized that it was North. We crouched lower when our leader looked in our direction.

 

“Run”. Severn whispered.

Chapter 4

 

“Run !” Severn repeated but this time it was more like a command. He urgently got me to my feet.

 

“Severn what’s going on?” I asked in fear.

 

Severn didn’t reply instead dragged me away from our hiding spot. His fearful mood was making me uneasy. “Run back to camp and don’t come back.” He ordered.

 

“Severn what’s…………..”

 

“Just do it !” He hisses.

 

I ran.

 

The next day I woke up to the sun’s light breaking into the room. My head felt dizzy as I tried to sit up. When I heard the door open with a click I fell back to sleep.

 

“She’s still asleep,” a voice says.

 

“All right I’ll tell North,” answers a male voice.

 

I fell in a mist of sleep.

 

“Xena. Xena wake up,” a fainted voice spoke.

 

I couldn’t respond. My throat was sore and dry. I blinked my eyes open then pointed towards the window. Whoever was in the room understood what I was saying because the room became a little darker.

 

“Xena, can you hear me?” The voice spoke again.

 

I turned towards the voice and asked dryly. “Who are you?”

 

“Sylvia.” The voice replies.

 

Sylvia? Who would name their daughter Sylvia? The person knew me but I don’t know them. I closed my eyes and asked. “What happened?”

 

“You got a concussion when you tripped while running back to camp.” Whoever Sylvia was, said.

 

“Sylvia.” I say, tiredly.

 

“Yes?”

 

“Where’s Severn?” I ask her.

 

“He’s with North having a talk.” Sylvia relpies to me.

 

I stayed silent for awhile. “Take me back to my room.”

 

“No,” Sylvia says. “You have to wait.”

 

“Why? You’re my sister,” I argue.

 

At noon Sylvia escorted me to my room. The dorm was quiet. Everyone must be at lunch, I thought. The thought about lunch made my stomach growl. Sylvia led me in my room. I watched her dig out an outfit for me from my closet, then she handed me the outfit and pointed toward the bathroom. “Shower.”

 

I took a quick shower. I kept wondering about what North and Severn said to each other about last night. I emerged from the bathroom with my shorts and t-shirt on and saw Sylvia sitting on my bed holding my brush. “Hair?” She draws a smile on her beautiful face. I smiled and sat on the floor in front of her.

 

After Sylvia left I fell asleep in my chair. My head was in less pain then it was this morning. I was in the midst of sleep when the knock on my door made me jump. I groaned silently before opening the door. “Wha t!” I snap. I later regretted it after seeing Severn’s wide gaze. “Sorry, headache.”

 

“Not complaining”, he says, once he found the words. “Sylvia told me you were out of the hospital.” He continued when he walked into my room. I closed the door without a word.

I turned and fixed my gaze on him. His hair was chopped short and his golden eyes were dark. His skin was pale but a hint of humanish-skin was fairly visible. He had a fainted scar by his jaw and fresh scratches on his arms. His bony structure was visible beneath his sweatshirt. I stopped characterizing him and looked into his eyes.

 

“What do you want?” I ask, bitterly. My head was bothering me again and I wasn’t in the mood to talk.

 

“To see you,” he replies.

 

“Why? Why didn’t you run back with me? You don’t tell me to run without an explanation or at least run back with me.” I snap.

 

“Xena.” Anger grew in his voice. His dark eyes were now glaring at me from across the room. He walked over to me so that his face was closed to mine. “It doesn’t matter why I didn’t run back to camp with you. I know what North thinks of you, and believe me the thoughts aren’t pretty. Just be careful.”

 

“I will.” I tell him.

 

He leaned his forehead against mine, making our eyes meet. “Trust me,” he whispers.

 

“I do trust you,” I say, still looking in his eyes.

 

“Make sure you’re not lying,” he growls.

 

“I’m not.”

 

Severn squeezed my hand before leaving my room.

Chapter 5

 

Maizy and Vanessa knocked on my door the next morning and walked with me to breakfast. Vanessa told me that Paul was not happy about me missing three days of training. Emily greeted me with a smile when I sat down next to them while Claudette gave me a hateful look. I asked Maizy where Hazel was, and she told me that Hazel had switched to doctor training.

 

I really didn’t seem as Claudette’s favorite at the table. She was sometimes nice but not all the time. Vanessa told me earlier that Claudette was from Midnights, that’s why she wasn’t nice all the time. Two new girls sat by Emily. MayMay(May) and April. I didn’t see Severn at all this morning. But I did see Sylvia. Sylvia was a pretty vampire with green-honey colored eyes with pale hair. She had our mother’s hair while I got our father’s brown hair. Sylvia would always tease me about blonde vampires being more popular than any other vampire. I turned back to the loud table. May was talking to April about Dragon and Izzy. I felt a sharp pain in my stomach but when I stood up it shot down to my hip bones.

 

“Xena, are you okay?” April asks, looking at me with concern.

 

“Um, yeah. I’m going to the bathroom.” I say.

 

At first, April looked like she was going to argue but instead she turned back to May and started another conversation.

 

You lied, said a voice as I walked down the familiar hallways of the hospital. I spotted Sylvia in a deep conversation with another vampiress. I sighed in relief when they walked down a different hallway. I past the lobby and towards the nursery. I stopped dead when a voice spoke.

 

“What are you doing here?”

 

I turned to see Hazel standing with a baby cooing in her arms. “Hi, Hazel.”

 

Her gaze was making my stomach twist.

 

“What are you doing here?” she repeated.

 

Another vampire came behind Hazel before I could reply. The vampire whispered something in Hazel’s ear then took the baby from her. She looked back at me. “Come with me.”

 

I followed Hazel down another hallway. Then she stopped and layed her icy gaze on me. “Listen Xena. You shouldn’t be wandering around. Go before I report you to North.”

 

“I will after I talk to Sylvia.” I tell her.

 

I turned away from Hazel and headed to the end of the hallway. Before I got to the end of the hall Hazel was in front of me in a flash. “No. You can’t talk to Sylvia.”

 

“Who said?” I ask, furiously.

 

“I did,” a voice comes behind us.

 

I looked back to see Sylvia looking at me with fire in her eyes. She had her hair up in a bun and her arms were crossed over her chest. “Hey Sylvia,” I say, slowly. “What’s going on?” I didn’t understand.

 

“Just go,” Sylvia hisses, totally avoiding me. “I want you to go. Now.”

 

“Syl……..”

 

I ran down the hall with tears in my eyes. Swiftly I made my way through the halls of the hospital. I caught myself against a wall. I was shaking so badly that it was hard to breath. I took a deep breath then I heard voices by the front desk. I quietly peeked over the corner to see North talking to another vampiress.

 

“North are you sure?” asks the pretty vampiress.

 

“Yes. And he will agree,” North replies.

 

He? I wondered Who as she talking about?

 

“Look, I have a bad feeling about this,” the vampiress says to North.

 

“Misy, no one will know I’ve broken the law again,” North says.

 

North breaking the law? That didn’t surprise me. She’s been breaking laws since she was a child.

 

“What’s the name?” asks Misty.

 

My blood froze when North told her the name.

 

Severn.

Impressum

Tag der Veröffentlichung: 10.01.2018

Alle Rechte vorbehalten