One

I was born on July fifteenth, 1995, in a world run by vampires. Not the pretty kind who sparkle in the sun and save you when you're being attacked by a werewolf. But the kind who take you away from your families and turn you into blood-slaves. The kind who will watch you starve to death and then step over you body as if you were a piece of trash.

This whole thing started about one-hundred years ago when vampires and humans went to war. At first, humans ruled the world. They didn't know anything about the existence of vampires except what was read from their books. The vamps finally thought that there days of staying in the shadows were over.

So they came out of hiding. Things didn't turn out so well. Humans and vampires died, the world was turning to ash. Those times were known as the ' Dark Hours' . Pretty soon, the human leaders of our world declared a war against the vampires and the winners got to take control. In conclusion, the vampires won.

Now we all have to suffer by bowing down to them and listening to their every command. Giving them the last of our small amount of money. Letting them walk over us, because we're too scared to stand up for ourselves or anyone else. And letting them drink our blood for mere pleasure instead of hunger.

I've heard that having a vampire drink your blood is even better than sex. I wouldn't know because I haven't done neither. But I know some people at school who are experienced at either one or both. Ofcourse, those people are the really poor third class ones who have to do things to keep themself and their family alive.

My family is barely passing by. Thanks to a dead uncle of mine, we have enough money to eat and stay alive. He's also the reason why I have this diary. The amount of money we have gives us a second hand status. Which means we don't have to become blood-slaves, but if we commit a crime, we'd be sent straight to the underworld.

First class statusers have the opprtunity to live a normal life. They don't have to become blood-slaves. And if they commit a crime, there punishment is one-fourth of their food taken away for a week. It may not seem like such a big punishment, but with the amount of food they give us, one-fourth is a huge amount.

Here in Camerron Hills, we have no first class statusers. Only a small amount of second class. And a huge amount of third.

"Anna." My aunt, Julia called. She is the wife of my dead uncle . I live with her and her annoying twelve year daughter, Emma. They are the only people I have left that I could call family. After my parents and Julia's husband died in a building crash, she adopted me as her own child. I was in that building the time it collapsed too.

No one knows for sure how a five-year old like me had gotten out alive. But in a town like Camerron Hills, you learn not question anything if luck comes your way. Even the strangest amount of luck.

"Anna." I felt my shoulders being shaked and I opened one eye as if I had been in a deep sleep.

" What time is it ? " I asked. Julia smiled down at me and nodded towards the dirty, broken down thing I'm supposed to call a door.

"Kat's in the kitchen." I smiled and jumped out of bed, surprising Julia by being fully dressed. I had on the usual Camerron Hill clothing. Black pants filled with so many holes and a dark gray shirt with the Letters C.H sewn into the bottom . The brownish-purple ring I hung on a chain around my neck, bumped against my chest with every step.

It was a gift I had gotten from my mother before she died. I've never been able to take it off, and I always keep it tucked in the inside of my shirt incase any vampires try something funny. Or I should say Armoiian vampires. They are ugly little half-vamps with completely white eyes, skin so pale you could actually see their veins pooping out, and three long lines under each eye that opens up when they breath.

"Anna." My bestfriend, Kat looked up at me and smiled. If she wasn't a second class like me, I would've thought she was a vampire. She had the pale skin, she was quick on her feet, and surprisingly strong for someone who weighs probably only eighty pounds. That's actually how she got the nickname Kat. That and, her name is Katherine.

"Don't you ever get in trouble for sneaking out so early ?" I asked and Kat shook her head. I watched as she opened the door slightly and peered outside.

"I'm still here right ? I've never gotten in trouble and I never will. "

I grab my old, rag sweater and follow her out the door. The sun blinds me and I have to pull the hood of my sweater over my eyes. Even though it could be pretty annoying sometimes, I would want the sun to shine twenty four hours a day. It's the only thing that keeps the vampires down. And only their precious Moral Rings can keep them from burning on the spot.

Once, an Armoiian had thought my ring was a stolen Moral Ring taken from a vampire. It was the color of the ring that finally set me free. Moral Rings are a midnight blue color and mine was not . If a human wears one, they will become really ill and eventually die. Even if they only wear the ring for a few seconds.

Which is why I wondered how that Armoiian had been stupid enough to think I had on a Moral Ring. I would've passed out right before his eyes.

Kat and I kept on walking until the Camerron buildings were almost out of sight. Today was a quiet day like any other. Frightened children looked through the cracked windows of their houses. Mothers hung up their washed clothes that were filled with holes and dark rags sewn securely into some of the bigger ones. The men walked to their jobs, carefully avoiding staring into the blank white eyes of the Armoiian.

We ducked through a hole in the fence that seperated Camerron from the woods. Beyond that, surrounded by trees, was a nasty old building my 'friends' and I liked to hang out in. It was entirely made of stone and had dark green vines climbing up it's deserted walls. The two-story had slime covered windows and dark creepy hallways. It was the only building in Camerron that was higher than one-story. It was also the oldest.

" I hear the Vampire Council are coming into town tomorow." Kat said. We continued walking through the piles of stones that was used to cover up the gray grass. Some of the rocks were colored a light blue to remind us of the Dark Hours. Back when the war was going on, humans would wear a blue patch on their shirts with a picture of a bird flying away from a cage . It reminded them that no matter how bad things got, they would eventually get set free.

"Why would they be coming to Camerron ?"

" Beats me." Kat answered. "My guess is that they're passing on there way to Finn."

We climbed through an open doorframe and into the dark halls of the building. Old alcohol bottles decorated the hard ground and colorful words describing what we think of vampires were written in every space on the walls. No doubt, if we were caught in this place, we'd all be turned into blood-slaves for sure. But that's one of the good things about being second class. The Armoiians don't keep close tabs on you.

" Is anyone here ?" I called out. My voice ehco'd throughout the building and traveled back to me. There was no answer and I yelled out again.

This time the sound of a bottle dropping to the ground, came from upstairs. It was a high pitched sound that made Kat and I look at each other and run up the stone steps at full speed.

It turned out to be two squirrels wrestling over a small piece of stale bread. I smiled at their idiot behavior and picked up the knife we kept on the table for emergencies . Slowly, I walked towards the closest one, with the bushiest tail, and stabbed the knife inside it's small little chest. The other one tried to get away, with the bread in it's paws, but I jumped in front of it and stabbed the little guy to death.

I held them both up by their tails and looked at Kat's dropped jaw. She swallowed deeply at looked at me then at the squirrels.

"Do you expect me to eat those things ?" She asked. Her eyes traveled down to the pool of blood that was escaping from the squirels. It's not the first time we've eaten these pests. It's just the bad aftertaste they leave in your mouth. But when you only get a small bowl of food three times a day, you learn to eat the strangest things. Technically, squirrel isn't a strange food. The way we cook it is what makes it strange.

Handing one squirrel to Kat, we went downstairs and found Caroline walking through the door. She gave me a nasty look before eyeing the squirrels in our hands.

"Hasn't your mother told you never to go hunting in Camerron ? You could get killed." I rolled my eyes in anger at her comment. She knows perfectly well that my mother is dead. But Caroline just has to rub it in and make fun of me. Every chance she gets, she is always looking to get me down. Usually it doesn't work. Other times, I want to punch her in her pretty little face.

" You didn't seem to think about that last week when you were eating them ."

Caroline snickered and walked past us into the kitchen. There is only one explanation for why that evil she devil is in our group. She is sickly sweet. If she acted the same way she does with me towards the other guys, then her sorry ass woud've been thrown out a long time ago. Unfortunately, Caroline only has hatred for me.

"Where is everyone ?" Kat asked. She jumped up on the old wooden counter and dropped her squirrel in the sink. I did the same and watched as Caroline looked out the dusty window. Her blond hair was pulled tightly in a ponytail and her teeth nervously bit her bottom lip. Which could either mean she's scared or waiting for waiting for someone. With Caroline, you never know.

" I don't know. Maybe they got stopped by some Armoiians. " Caroline said nervously.

"Don't be such a fraidy cat." I said. "Our guys our tough. Fat chance one of those brainless uglies will catch them. "

Caroline didn't calm down. She paced the room back and forth. Even after the squirrels were washed and cooked, she didn't look down at them. I was feeling the same queasiness in mys tomach. I just didn't show it like she did. Over the years, I've learned to keep my emotions to myself. You survive easier that way.

The squirrel didn't have it's usual salty flavor. And I felt as if it would come right back up and all over the floor. It wasn't like me to feel butterflies in my stomach. But right now, that's exactly what was happening. And not the good kind either. It wasn't only about the rest of our missing crew. It was about the Vampire Council.

If Kat was right, and they're really coming tomorow, there must be a reason. Either someone got into some really big trouble, or they're looking for more blood-slaves. The thought of it bought the horrible taste of squirrel right back.

Caroline finally managed to eat one and Kat popped the last piece in her mouth. there wasn't going to be any left for the rest of the guys. Maybe they weren't coming today. Maybe Caroline's right and they really did get caught by Armoiians. Possibly, the reason the V.C were coming into town was because they learned of the crimes we had comittted.

I mentally slapped myself and calmed down from thinking about all the maybe's. I need to stop worrying and think about positive things. The things we did aren't even that illegal. We go past the fence even though we aren't workers. We kill animals that are meant for vegetarian vamps. But other than that, I don't think we did anything blood-slave worthy.

" Oh-my god, it's Alec." Caroline ran away from the window and strode down the hall. Sure enough, there was Alec looking as healthy as ever. His face looked panicked though, and his eyes were wide with worry.

"What are you doing here ?" He asked us. His eyes moved from Caroline, to me, to Kat. Wrapped in his hands, was a sharp blue stick called a Kyriac. It was a weapon used to kill vampires in the war. Some of them are still laying around, and humans find them everyday. The vampires and Armoiians know nothing about it, though. I've even got one in the dresser in my room.

" What's wrong ?"

"The Armoiians. They're everywhere. Tomorow, the Vampire Council is coming and they're looking for more blood-slaves. Third and second class. "

Our faces turned an even paler pale than before. My heart practically dropped out of my chest and the voices in my head screamed run. The deal with vampires and humans was that the higher class you are, the more invicible you are.

Which means that it's not possible for a second class to become a blood-slave. Unless ofcourse they get caught commiting a crime. But the deal was pretty much broken now that the V.C will be coming tomorrow, looking for blood-slaves. I knew tomorow, people were going to be fighting for their lives.

I knew they wanted to get revenge. But what do have other than our extremely fragile Kyriacs. Vampires have more people on their side. They have powers. They have weapons. And they have fangs to rip our throats apart.

"That's...No- But they promised. They said second class statusers don't have to be blood-slaves." My breathing picked up and the world around me spinned. I needed fesh air. I needed to get out.

"You kmow how the vampires are, Anna. Did you expect the rules to last forever ?"

It was a question I didn't want to answer. Deep down, I knew the vamps were too heartless and evil to care about us. All they wanted was their precious blood. I looked at Kat whose face was calm but was probably screaming for help on the inside. At Alec who twirled the Kyriac around and around in his hands. And at Caroline, who looked like she was about to cry.

I woke up this morning thiking it was going to be a day like no another. But as I turned slowly to look at myself in the cracked mirror, I knew it wasn't. My green eyes glowed. My dark brown hair was a mess. My whole face screamed terrified. This was how easily the vamps could change a person. I went from stabbing two squirrels to death to feeling like a lost animal.

Before anyone could say anything else, I looked away from the mirror and ran outside. The run from the house to the fence seemed longer and with every step, I felt as if an Armoiian would come out and attack me. By the time I got back to Camerron, I could easily see the place was packed with them. They all looked at me strangely with their blank white eyes and I ran all the way to my house. I was probably over-reacting. Camerroners hear rumors all the time that turn out to be false.

And if this one is true, there isn't even a hundred percent chance I'd turn out to be a blood-slave. But I knew I still didn't want to be one. Because once you go down to the underworld where blood-slaves are kept in cells, and vampires live in mansions, you never come back up. And if you do, you're stuffed inside a coffin, waiting to be buried.

The sun hung high in the sky, showering us with great warmth. There wasn't a single cloud in sight and the sky was a bright blue. This was the weather that would keep vampires cooped up in their houses. But it didn't stop the V.C from coming tomorow. And the bright sunlight didn't stop me from shivering as I walked inside.

Impressum

Tag der Veröffentlichung: 29.10.2012

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