Ok, so this is NOT finished, as will be obvious when you read the end. But i think my computer will die soon, and i can't find a USB drive. I will not lose all this hard work!!!
Anyway, i have bothered to edit most of this, but i'm still not entierly happy with the edited bit.
Gah, this was meant too be short T_T *sighs* oh, well, i guess Cole just want'ed his story told.
Well here goes....
The teenage boy vaulted out of the window and into the street, running as soon as his feet hit the ground. A bag was culched tightly under his arm, his grubby hands gripping it tightly so it wouldn’t fall. But despite the shouts that followed his fleeing form, he had a wide smile. It had been a few days since he had gotten anything good and the small amount of money he had put aside to feed him and his sister was starting to run out.
His feet pounded against the ground, quickly outpacing the few servants who had chased after him. Rounding corner after corner, he easily wound his through the cluttered streets, slowing as they became more populated until finally he came to a halt. He’d run for over six blocks, but his breathing and heartbeat were only slightly fasted than normal, he’d always been fit and it was an extremely useful advantage in his life.
Walking down the street Cole kept a look out for anyone following him, but it seemed he’d lost them. ‘That was almost too easy.’ he thought to himself, as he loosened his grip on the bag and let it swing by his side. ‘I would have thought that a house like that would have better security.’ Shaking his head slightly, he continued down the street, toward the centre of town. All that was left to do now was sell the stuff he had stolen.
A few more turns and he reached he reached market Street. The busiest street in the city. Market street was crowded with people and small stalls selling any number of things, from food to furniture and everything in between. For most people it would be nearly impossible to navigate the stalls with any speed or accuracy, but Cole had lived in this city since he was a child and it took only a few minutes to find the stall he was looking for.
Cole walked forward, toward one of the more crowded stalls. He made his way through the small crowd and stepped through the curtain that hid the storage section of the stall. Inside, among stacks of boxes and items of varying value, was a small table with a large man behind it.
“Hi Jaun.” Cole said, pulling a box up, so he could sit opposite the man. “Interested in buying today?”
“Cole my boy.” Then man said smiling. “You should know that I‘m always willing to buy your goods. Your one of the best boys around here.”
Cole smiled at the comment, then upended his bag onto the table. Out of it spilled a number of items, mostly fancy looking art pieces and a few pieces of cutlery that had obvious value. “How much will you give me for this lot.?”
The man put on a pair of worn glasses and bent over the table, inspecting the items in the light of the lamp that sat on the table. After a few minutes of close evaluation he finally lifted his head and looked at Cole. “Excellent as always.” He said, smiling again. “I’ll give you fifty fria for it.”
Cole laughed at that, he knew this game well. “I’m not stupid Jaun. One hundred, or I go somewhere else.” The figure was much more than what he expected, just as the Jaun’s had been less than what he was willing to pay.
“Seventy five.” Jaun countered easily.
“Deal” Cole said smiling, Jaun had known him long enough to bypass the majority of the bartering and seventy five fria was more than Cole would have gotten anywhere else.
“So how’s you sister.” Jaun asked as he counted the coins out from the pouch tied at his waist. “Gotten into anymore trouble lately?”
“No, thank god. The beating she got last time seems to have sorted her out for the time being.” Cole said. The last time he had gone on a major run, his sister had decided to try her own hand at stealing and it had ended with her getting a severe beating from the lady who caught her. Cole was just glad that the police hadn’t been notified, or it would have been a lot worse.
“Serves her right” Jaun replied. “She’s a cute kid, but if she’s going to follow in your footsteps she’s going to have to learn to not get caught.”
“Yeah she’s lucky all she got was hiding, if she’d been caught by anyone else, god only knows what could have happened.”
“Your right about that.” Jaun said with a chuckle. “But she’s a quick learner, it’ll turn out alright in the end. After all, she has your blood.”
“I know it will.” Cole said and stepped back from the stall. “Well, see ya.”
“Bye Cole, take care.”
“You too.”
Cole walked back down the street, stopping occasionally to by various items of food and other things he needed. But the whole time he was thinking about his sister, Ash. She was only eleven, but she was determined to follow in her brothers footsteps and that worried Cole to no end.
He had promised once, nearly three years ago now, that he would teach Ash to steal when she turned twelve. At the time it had seemed like and easy way to get her to let him be, and the three years until she turned twelve seemed like an eternity away. But now her birthday was a few mere weeks away and he was dreading teaching her such a dangerous craft. Cole and Ash only had each other and he didn’t know what he would do if something bad happened to her.
It took little more than half an hour to buy everything he wanted and by the time he was finished all that was left of the money was a few coins. He dropped these in the cup of one of the local beggar’s, a one legged man who had always been kind to Cole, even when he was a child.
“Another successful run?” The beggar asked.
“Yep. And it fetched quite a bit too. More than usual anyway.” Cole said with a brief smile. “Good thing too, my food stash is almost out.”
“That’s good to hear.” The beggar said, returning the smile. “I know it’s been tough for you and your sister since your parent’s died. I’m glad your doing so well.”
“So am I.” Cole said and lifted his hand in farewell. “I’ve gotta get back now, see you later.”
“See you Cole and say hello to your sister for me.”
“Sure, will do.” Cole said and, with a wave, continued on his way home.
A smile on his face, Cole walked through the city, waving at the people he knew as they walked passed. It took nearly an hour to reach the abandoned house that served as his and Ash‘s home, but Cole enjoyed walking and the trip seemed to pass in no time.
The building wasn’t much to look at from the outside, crumbling bricks and fading paint, but that was one of the things he relied on. In fact, the door and windows on the ground were all boarded up with old planks, adding to the deserted look of the place. But Cole ignored the door and windows and walked down the alley that went down one side on the building. Reaching behind a stack of wood that leaned against the wall, Cole pulled out an old, metal ladder. He took a few seconds to unfold it, before leaning it against the wall and climbing up to on of the second story windows.
“I’m back.” He yelled out as he climbed through the window, pulling the ladder in after him
“Brother!” Ash yelled as she sprung up from her seat and ran to give him a hug.
“Ash.” He said as he tousled her hair. “I hope you’ve been good while I’ve been gone.”
Ash rolled her eyes “Of course I have.”
“Good to hear.” Cole said and walked toward the couch, the bag of purchases hanging loosely from his hand.
“Did you get my paints?” Ash asked excitedly, trying to pull the bag out of his hands.
“Yes I got your paints.” Cole replied and, pushing her away gently, he reached into the bag to pick out the jars of paint he had brought her. “Here you go.” He said handing them to her.
“Thank you so much. You’re the best brother in the world!” She hugged him again before going back to her spot on the floor and opening the jars to continue with the picture she was working on.
Cole smiled, he was glad he had gotten so much for this run. It felt good to be able to afford a few luxuries. Pulling an apple out of the bag, he went to sit on the large warn couch that was lined against one of the wall’s, finally able to relax. Bitting into the piece of fruit, he looked over Ash’s shoulder to see what she was painting this time.
Ash had a photographic memory and an amazing talent for putting these memories on a canvas. Cole was always surprised by the skill of her work and he saw that this time she was painting a country scene, filled with vibrant colours and flowers. Though Ash had only been to the country a few times in her life and that was many years ago.
Looking around at the walls, Cole gazed at all the other picture’s his sister had painted in the years they had lived there. The walls had once been plain stone, but it wasn’t long after they moved in that they became Ash’s canvas. They were now covered in a rainbow of colours, and on top of this were stuck the other pictures Ash had painted after she had run out of wall space.
Cole smiled, he knew Ash would be busy for a while now that she had her new paints and he could spend a little time relaxing. Reaching into his bag again, he pulled out a small, leather bound book that he had purchased at the markets and started reading.
A few hours later the sun went down and Cole got up to light the candles. “How’s your picture going Ash.” He asked his sister as he walked around the room.
“Good. I’m almost finished.” Ash replied, the end of a paintbrush in her mouth as she squinted at the work in front of her.
“That’s good.” Cole said with a smile, as he lit the last candle. “Are you ready for something to eat?”
“Yep, What did you get this time?” Ash asked, springing to her feet and putting her painting aside.
“The usual.” Cole said pulling out bread and fruit. “Except I was able to afford meat this time.” He said laughing at the smile that spread across Ash’s face at his words.
“Oh goody.” Ash said clapping her hands together. “We haven’t had any meat for ages.” Her long, brown hair flipped from side to side as she ran over to help Cole prepare dinner.
They worked efficiently and easily together to prepare the meal. Ash cutting up the bread and fruit. While Cole cooked the meat on the small fireplace that brightened up on corner of the room. When everything was ready they sat down next to each other on the couch and started to eat.
“So what did you do today?” Cole asked Ash.
“Nothing much. Me and Fadia went to the fountain with her mother. But other than that I’ve just been painting.” Ash sighed and Cole felt sorry for her. She never said anything, but Cole knew that she felt left out when ever she saw her friends with their parent‘s.
“Well that’s good, I guess.” Cole said, cutting at the meat on his plate. “At least you didn’t get into any trouble this time.”
“Yeah, I didn’t get into trouble. Instead I spent the whole day bored out of my mind.” She sighed again. “When will you teach me how to steal like you do?”
Cole was surprised by the exasperated anger in her voice, but he still wasn‘t willing to give in. “We’ve gone over this. When you turn twelve, I’ll teach you everything I know, but until then you have to stay out of trouble.” He finally said. They same thing he seemed to be saying every other day now.
“Aww, come on brother. I’ll be twelve in two weeks, why can’t you just start teaching me now.” She whinged.
“Because I made a promise to mother and I’m not about to break it because your impatient.” It was the truth, but only part of it. He had so many scars from his early days, both physical and mental, and he had no wish to place his sister at risk of getting her own. Though in the end he knew it would be unavertable.
And anyway, he already suspected that the time Ash had been caught wasn’t the only time that she had tried her shot at stealing. He’d often found her with sweets or an extra pot of paint. But when he questioned her she always said they were gifts from her friends. He didn’t believe this in the slightest, most of her friends were as poor as they were, but if she was managing to steal without being caught, he thought it best not to interfere. That attitude had changed when she did get caught, now he just wanted her safe.
“Whatever.” Ash said rolling her eyes, but he knew she was only dropping the subject to keep the peice. “So how did your run go today?”
“Easier than I expected actually, for such a big house, there was hardly any guards.” Cole said, smiling. He might not want to teach his sister to steal, but he had to admit, she was very enthusiastic toward his own runs and was willing to soak up all the knowledge she could get. Not to mention that he was perfectly happy to move the conversation on his direction.
“Well that’s good, maybe you should go back there again.” Ash said, the smile returning to her face.
“No they’ll have increased the security by now. And anyway, it’s wrong to take from one place too often, those people need food and shelter as much as we do.” Cole said.
“I know, but their rich, they can just buy new stuff.” Ash said with a determination that made Cole frown.
“Of course they can, but if they have to keep buying replacements then they won’t be rich anymore. And believe me, people like that can’t live without their money.”
“And because we can, we have to stay poor?!” Ash asked, demanded.
“That’s not it Ash.” Cole said with a sigh. “Look. There’s plenty of other houses to steal from around here, I have no reason to go back there again.” Cole replied with a tone that said the discussion was over.
“Fine.” Ash said and they finished the meal in silence.
When they had finished eating Cole tucked Ash into her bed, that lay in a small room coming of f the main room, though Ash still insisted that she was too old to be tucked in. Once he made sure she was asleep he walked into the main room and lit a single candle to read by. The book he was reading was on the occult, vampires and shape shifters in particular. People still denied the existence of these beings, but it was a kind of open secret that they existed and Cole had found the subject interesting since he was a small child.
After reading for a while Cole tried to fall asleep, but, like most nights these days, he knew it would be impossible. Finally he decided to go for a walk. Before he left he wrote a short note to Ash, explaining what he was doing, and checked to see if she was still asleep. When he was certain Ash wasn’t going to wake till morning, he grabbed his jacket and climbed back out the window, hiding the ladder in it’s usual spot.
The streets were already dark and deserted when Cole reached them, but he didn’t mind, in fact this was his favourite time of day. Gone was the hustle and bustle of the morning and midday hours, now everything seemed so peaceful and pure.
He took his time walking through the streets, enjoying the night with no real goal in mind. The walk gave him time to think about all the things that were happening and he desperately needed that time. At first he thought about his sister and the training he would have to start her on in a few weeks time. But it wasn’t long until his mind started to wander to more trivial things, such as the book he was currently reading and the house he planned to rob next.
After a while he was so lost in thought that he was barely noticed where he was going, his steps simply forming a rhythm to his thoughts. But before he knew it he looked up to find himself looking at one of the walls that surrounded the city. He looked at it in surprise, the closest city wall was a good three miles from his home and that wasn’t taking into account the vast, tangled maze of streets between there and where he was now.
Cole gazed up at the dirty, broken stone that made up the wall, easily a few hundred years old, it had originally been built to protect the city during the last great war, but in the years that had past it had started to fall to ruin and now it was old and crumbling, with grass growing in the gaps between the stones.
Cole considered climbing over to explore, he hadn’t been past the city walls since he was a small child, when his mother used to take him and Ash to visit relatives who’s names had now been forgotten. It tempted him more than he could say, to climb the wall and see something other than the seemingly endless buildings that made up the city streets. But he knew he had to be back before Ash woke up, or she’d be worried about him and go searching, which would probably end with him spending the rest of the day searching for her. With a sigh he turned his back on the wall and stared at the alleyway he had come through, trying to remember the path he had taken to get there.
Cole had lived off the streets since he was ten and knew them like the back of his hand, but he hadn’t been this far out for a long time and the streets where unfamiliar. He sighed again, after all these years he should have know better than to wonder around with no idea of where he was going. ‘I guess I’ll just walk until I see something familiar.’ he finally decided and started forward, picking the street closest to him.
After an hour of walking, Cole finally admitted to himself that he was lost. It should have been a simple matter of walking toward the city centre, but the streets winded pointlessly and where seemingly endless. After a while Cole had given up hope of finding his way back and was now just looking for someone to ask for directions. But the streets were deserted and he knew it would stay that way for many more hours and people knew better than to open their doors at night. Still, he didn’t know what else he could do.
By the time he finally found someone, many hours after he had started searching, it was the early hours of the morning and the temperature had dropped to just above freezing. Cole was shivering and cursing under his breathe when he saw the man standing in the shadows of one of doorways.
His first reaction was relief and he wasted no time in Calling out. “Hello?!” he yelled, increasing his already fast pace. “I’m lost. Do you think you can help me?”
The man stared at him, his brown eyes seeming to glow slightly and Cole slowed down slightly. The air that came off the man was one of danger and…hunger? It put him on edge, but Cole knew that the chances of finding anyone else were slim and he was freezing to death. “Hello?” He said again as he got nearer to the man. “Did you hear me? I’m lost”
The man continued to stare at him, his tongue coming out to lick his lips. ‘Ok.’ Cole thought to himself, ‘That’s definitely creepy.’ He came to a halt, not sure what to do and he swore that the man’s eyes were glowing. After a few seconds of silence his thoughts flipped back to the book he had been earlier and he decided that it was better just to leave, this man obviously had some serious problems and he probably wouldn’t be much help anyway.
Taking a cautious step backward Cole moved away from the stranger, who was still staring at him with hunger in his gaze. “I guess I’ll just go then.” he said holding his hands up, palms facing outward. A strained look passed across the strangers face and he made a move forward. Cole took another quick step backward, moving further down the street. There was definitely something wrong with this guy and his presence made Cole’s hair stand on end.
Continuing to back away, Cole got ready to run. He wasn’t a coward, but he wasn’t stupid either and staying would be stupid. At his movements, the stranger clenched his hands into fists and the strained look on his face intensified. “Run.” He whispered, the word barely audible.
‘What?” Cole asked, stopping.
“Run!” The stranger yelled it this time and the glow of his eyes intensified, the humanity seeming to leave him.
‘That’s it’ Cole thought, actually feeling scared now. ‘I’m leaving’
He took another step backward and turned to run, but before he could move any further, the man lunged at him, his hands gripping Cole’s shoulder and pushing him backward into the dirty wall behind him.
“What the….?” Cole yelled as he tried to tear himself out of the man’s grasp. “Let me go!” But the strangers grip was strong and Cole could do little more than struggle weakly. “What the hell do you think your doing?” He said trying to kick at the mans legs. But nothing he did seemed to have any effect. The man’s expression was completely animalistic now, all semblance of humanity gone.
Cole was scared now and he used all the adrenaline that was running through his veins to struggle as hard as he could. The stranger pushed him harder against the wall and pulled his lips back from his teeth baring cat like fangs. Cole shouted for help then, almost a scream but not quite. ‘Vampire.’ Was the thought that entered Cole’s head, before the man suck his fangs into his neck.
Cole struggled harder as he felt the blood flowing out of his neck. ‘Damn it!’ He yelled in his mind. ‘I can’t die now!’ But even as he thought it, he could feel himself getting weaker. His struggles slowing. It was only when he felt like he was about to pass out that he realized what he could do. With the vampires fangs buried into his neck, the vampires neck was right in front of Cole’s face. With little more than a moments thought Cole bit the vampire back.
The taste of blood filled his mouth, or at least that’s what should have filled his mouth. Instead it was more like the smell of the night air made into a flavour. He swallowed a mouthful before the vampire pulled his fangs out of Cole’s neck and pushed him roughly away. “You bit me.” He exclaimed, looking confused, and Cole was shocked to see that all the animalistic hunger had disappeared from his face.
“You bit me first.” Cole replied, the shock evident in his voice.
The confusion on the man’s face was instantly replaced with sorrow and guilt and if Cole had been in a better situation he may have felt sorry for him. “I…I’m really sorry about that.” The man said unable to meet Cole’s eyes. “I couldn’t help myself, I’m still new to this and my control leaves much to be desired.”
Cole just continued to stare at him. Until finally the vampire raised his eyes.
The man seemed to be at odds with what to say next and finally seemed to settle on being blunt. “I’m a vampire.”
“A vampire?” Cole said with an attempt at a laugh, but inside he was to confused to settle on one emotion.
“Yes, a vampire.” The man sighed. “And unfortunately, now so are you.”
“What are you talking about?” Cole asked trying to stifle the panic that was rising inside him. All the books he had ever read had said that in order to become a vampire, one must exchange blood with one. And as Cole was only too aware of by the faint taste that still tainted his lips, that was exactly what had just happened. Not that he regretted his decision. He’d rather be a vampire than dead, which is no doubt what would have happened if he hadn’t reacted the way he did.
“We exchanged blood.” The vampire said. Echoing Cole’s thoughts. “Now you’ll become a vampire, just like I am.” He sounded sorry, but at the same time there was a hint of relief in his voice.
“Ok.” Cole said trying to think what he was going to do, but drew a blank. “Maybe you should tell me your name now.” He finally settled on, anything to gain him more time to think of something. And it was probably a good piece of information to know anyway.
“Markus.” He replied, followed by a long pause. “What’s yours?”
“Cole.” Cole replied, taking a deep breath. He could deal with this, he hadn’t survived as long as he had without being able to cope.
The two stood in silence for a few minutes. And Cole to the opportunity to mentally go over any changes that had occurred. There were none.. “I don’t feel any different. Shouldn’t I feel different?” He finally asked Markus.
“Not quite yet.” Markus replied. “Your still human at the moment. But come dawn you’ll become unconscious and when you wake tomorrow you’ll be a vampire.” He sighed. “At least that’s the way it works for our bloodline.”
“Our bloodline?” Cole asked, curiosity taking over from his other emotions. He‘d heard about bloodlines, but he‘d never been sure if they‘d been a myth or fact.
“Yes. There are many different bloodlines, each with their own powers, limits and customs.” Markus said, taking on the tone of a teacher. “Ours is called the ‘Sang’ bloodline which is French for blood.” Markus cracked a small smile. “Most of our powers revolve around blood, as you’ll find as you become stronger. Though not all of them will, every vampire’s different after all.”
“Right.” Cole said. His heart beat and breathing had returned to normal by now, the adrenalin leaving his system, and the cold was making itself known once again. “So by tomorrow I’ll be a vampire?” He said it with perfect seriousness, but the whole thing seemed like a bad dream. It couldn’t really be happening.
“Yes. So I guess you should come with me now. I can take you somewhere where you’ll be safe until you’ve gotten used to your knew life.”
“No” Cole shook his head. “I have to go back to my sister, she needs me.” Ash was never far from Cole’s thoughts and he knew he had to consider her now.
“That may be the case, but when you awake tomorrow night, you’ll be very hungry and I doubt you’ll be thinking straight enough to stop yourself from ripping your sister’s throat out.” Markus’s voice was matter of fact, but Cole could see the sadness in his expression and the sorrow in his eyes. Cole wondered what tragedy was hidden in his past.
Still… “I wouldn’t do that to Ash.” Cole said with perfect conviction.
“That’s what everyone says, but once the worst happens, nothing can be done to change it. Do you really want to take that chance?” Markus sounded angry now.
Cole thought about it, but he already knew the answer. “I guess not.”
“Right, so come with me.” Markus said, turning his back on Cole and heading off down the street.
“But what will I do about my sister? I can’t just leave without a word.”
Markus turned back with a sigh. “Look, I’m sure she’ll be fine for a few days. You can go back once you’ve learnt some basic control.” Then he started walking again, leaving Cole no choice but to follow him.
“Fine, but I have to go back before the week’s out. She’s too young to look after herself.” Cole said, running to catch up. But at the same time he knew that what the said was more wistful thinking than the truth. Cole had been perfectly able to look after himself at Ash’s age and he doubted that she wouldn’t be able to. He also knew that the time she had been caught stealing hadn’t been the only time she had gone against his orders and the fact that she had only been caught once made him proud enough not to bring up the other times.
Markus walked with surprising speed causing Cole to have to nearly run to keep up with him. “Where are we going?”
“To see the local Mistress. She’s not of our bloodline, but she’ll still be able to help you.”
“I thought you were going to help me?”
“Me?” Markus laughed. “I can barely control myself, as you should be able to see by your current predicament.” He shook his head. “Nope, I’m going to take you to the mistress, she’ll be able to help you more than I can.”
“Whatever you think’s best.” Cole mumbled under his breath, as he continued to follow.
It took a surprisingly short amount of time before Cole realized that they had travelled back to the part of the city that he was familiar with. He briefly considered trying to make a run for it, but the look in Markus face earlier scared him more than he’d like to admit. He didn’t want any harm to come to his sister. ‘And anyway’ he thought, ‘I doubt I could really get away from this guy, he’s much to fast’.
They walked in silence and Cole almost stopped when they passed the building where Ash was no doubt still lost in sleep. But he thought it better not to make her whereabouts know to Markus. He still didn’t know if he could trust him. So he walked past the building with no more than a single longing glance.
After they had left the building behind, Cole was lost in thoughts of his sister. He followed Markus automatically, his steps fast but silent, but with his mind on other things, he wasn’t really paying attention to where he was being lead.
“We’re here” Markus said, his voice sounding impossibly loud in the silence of the sleeping city. Cole jerked his head up at the sound and froze with shock, cursing silently under his breath. They stood in front of a huge mansion. Cole swallowed loudly, the same one that he had robbed earlier that day.
“Is there something wrong?” Markus asked. Looking at Cole with confusion and a touch of suspicion.
Cole thought about telling Markus the truth. But he wasn’t sure if the servants had actually seen enough of him earlier, to identify him; and if what Markus had said was true, then he really needed this ‘mistress’s’ help. “Nothing” he finally muttered. And ignored the slightly suspicious look that remained in the vampire’s eyes.
Markus looked at him for a few moments, but Cole managed to keep a blank expression on his face. Finally Markus shrugged and opened the front gate, gesturing for Cole to enter.
Cole walked through the gate reluctantly. He didn’t want to believe that any of this was happening, but he knew it was better to just go with the flow and hope for the best. The path up to the mansion was made of old, worn stone, that was still beautiful despite it’s age and it wound it’s way through a maze of black roses. The front porch and steps where polished ebony and Cole found himself enjoying the details that he had missed the last time he had been there.
The entry way was two massive doors that were promptly opened by a pair of scurrying slaves. Cole walked in with a sense awe. It had been a long time since he had been in such a fancy place, or at least never with invitation. Not since his parents had died. While Cole was still enraptured by his surroundings, Markus called over one of the slaves and after a quick, whispered conversation the slave left, presumably to get the mistress.
“She should be ready to see us in a few minutes.” Markus said. Raising his voice to get Cole’s attention.
“What?..” Cole asked, shaking his head. “Oh, ok.”
“Why don’t you sit down while we wait.” Markus suggested and gestured at a number of chairs that sat against one of the walls. Cole hesitated for a moment, but when Markus took a chair for himself, Cole followed his lead.
The two sat in silence as they waited and Cole gazed around with great interest. He’d been in plenty of mansions, and rich men’s houses before, but he’d never had the chance to really look at anything. All his time was spent sneaking and running. His mind solely on the job. There was no time for anything else. But now he did have the time, and he looked around with interest and a strange sense of longing that he couldn’t really place. He didn’t long for the possessions, or even the lifestyle. But something in his surroundings unsettled memories he didn’t know he had.
But before he could follow this line of thought much further the slave returned. “The mistress is ready to see you now.” He said gesturing to the grand staircase at the end of the entry passage. His head was bowed, submissive, and Cole looked at him with sorrow. His life wasn’t easy, but he was lucky that he had a choice about how he lived. Still, there wasn’t much he could do in his current position, so he followed Markus in the direction the slave had gestured.
The staircase was made with highly polished marble and spiralled up three floors. Cole watched his reflection beneath his feet as he climbed the steps, noting that his dirt smudged body and ripped clothing looked extremely out of place. He smiled at that. It reminded him of his mother. She’d always been obsessed with cleanliness and good appearances. His smile turned to a frown. If only she could see him now, covered in grime, and about to become a vampire. He smiled again and laughed slightly, the look on her face would have been priceless.
Cole raised his head with that thought, to see Markus looking down at him from the top of the staircase, and he hurried up the last few steps. A more serious expression taking over his face, he didn’t have time for thoughts of his mother now. When he caught up with Markus, Markus led him down the hall at the top of the stairs, to a large door near the end of the passage. He knocked once, but didn’t wait for a reply. Entering with a sense of familiarity that put Cole on edge. He hated intruding on other peoples lives.
When they entered, Cole found that the inside room was even more beautiful than the rest of the house. It was lavishly furnished, and while Cole could see from the furnishings that it was only and office, the room seemed to hold a warmness in it’s appearance and it had a lived in feel. In the centre of the room was a large ebony desk. And behind this, in a antique desk chair, was the woman whom Cole assumed was the mistress. He looked at her and could feel instantly the air of power around her. She was pale, as could only be expected for a vampire, and her hair was the colour of spun gold.
She was beautiful, but Cole was surprised to see that she looked older than he would have expected, looking in her late thirties, though Cole knew she was no doubt older than that. He wasn’t sure why he had expected her to look younger either, he just assumed that she would have the ageless look that was occasionally commented on in his books. She was dressed as immaculately as the room was furnished, in layers of gothic lace, satin and velvet.
Cole wasn’t sure what to say. This ‘mistress’ was the type of person he stole from, the type of person who he either ignored or envied when he saw them in the street. She was defiantly not the type of person he interacted with. Luckily it was Markus who spoke first.
“Mistress.” Markus bowed as he addressed the woman.
“Markus.” The woman replied with a sigh. “What have you done this time.” The question was rhetorical and she continued almost immediately, turning to Cole now. “The servant filled me in.” She said. “So your Cole, our newest fledgling.”
“Yes mame.” Cole replied, not sure what else to say.
The woman sighed again. “And you want my assistance in teaching you how to be a vampire.” She asked, but again she continued before an answer could be given. “Well I can hardly turn you out on the street, the last thing we need is a rampaging fledgling on the loose. It’ll draw all the hunters in a two city radius.” She put her hand to her chin and seemed lost in thought for a moment before speaking again. “ I guess I’ll call Canther, he’s strong enough to control a fledgling. And the coven can function without him for a few weeks.”
Cole stayed silent throughout this. It was obvious the woman liked to talk, and as long as he got the assistance he needed, he didn’t really mind. Markus was nodding at what she was saying and this gave Cole a small amount of confidence, though he wasn’t sure why. He didn’t even know if he could trust Markus. Hell, they’d only met a few hours ago, and not on the best of terms. Still, his approval settled some of Cole’s worry, and he waited patiently as Markus and the mistress made their plans.
Finally, when everything appeared to be settled, the woman pressed a button on her desk. Cole heard a bell ring in some other part of the mansion, and with the minute another slave entered the room, a young woman this time.
“Call Canther to come see me.” The mistress told her in a dismissive tone, not bothering to give the girl her full attention.
“Yes Mistress.” The slave said, and left.
Markus and the mistress made small talk while they waited, but Cole remained silent. It was unnerving for him, to be so left out. Cole was always used to being on equal terms with the people he met, if not in charge. And he always got along with everyone. Being put in a position such as he was now was unsettling and he detested it. Though he knew it wasn’t anyone’s fault and he had little choice but to deal with it.
After a few minutes the door opened and another vampire walked in. Cole could tell he was a vampire by the same pale colouring he shared with the mistress and Markus, but also by the aura that seemed to hang around him. All the slaves, Cole noted, had been human. The new vampire was strongly built and while he was frowning at the moment, Cole could see faint smile lines around his mouth. This vampire was also dressed much more casually than either of the others and Cole felt more at ease with him in the room. Less different.
“You called Mistress?” The vampire asked as he walked into the room, to stand in front of the woman desk.
“Yes, Canther, this is Cole.” She gestured in Cole’s direction and Canther gave him a quick glance. “He’s our newest fledgling and I want you to teach him the ropes.”
Canther took another look at Cole before turning back to the mistress. “I didn’t know you had authorized any new fledglings Mistress.” He replied, an annoyed expression on his face.
“I didn’t, but Markus here had a little slip up. And I can hardly let him take on the task. If he had the power to control a fledgling then none of this would have happened in the first place.” Her words were harsh, but there was no real venom in them and Markus seemed to ignore her.
Canther scowled at Markus before answering. “As you wish Mistress.” He said to her, then turned to Cole. “Follow me.” He said and left the room.
Cole was startled at the quickness with which he left and was tempted to stay with Markus. Who he had at least some knowledge on. But Canther wasn’t waiting and with an encouraging smile from Markus, he followed the other vampire. Cole scowled at himself as he rushed to catch up with Canther on the stairs. He felt like a child, following people around constantly, expected to follow orders and have no opinion, not to mention being looked upon as a chore, something to be endured. It reminded him why he had chosen the life he had and why, even when the opportunity had arisen, he had stuck with that choice.
Canther lead him back down the stairs to the ground floor and then through another door that lead to a flight of stairs than went down to a floor below ground. Cole followed at nearly a run, Canther moved incredible fast and paid no attention to Cole’s, still human, speed. The underground floor consisted of a hallway lined with a number of doors, all identical. Cole stared with unease, his pace slowing, he found the repetitiveness decidedly creepy. But Canther continued at the same pace until he reached one of the doors at the end. Where he stopped and pulled a key out of his pocket. Sliding it into the lock, he pushed the door open, and , reluctantly, Cole followed him into the room beyond.
However when Cole saw what the room contained, he froze in the doorway. “There’s no way your locking me in there.” He told Canther firmly. “No way in hell.” The room wasn’t exactly terrifying, but there was no windows and the only piece of furniture was a small bed that was bolted to the floor. Everything was in shades of grey and the room was tiny. It looked like a jail cell.
Cole took another step backward until he was out of the room completely. “Look I appreciate you being willing to help me.” He said. “But if this is the help your giving then I’m leaving. I’m not anyone’s prisoner.” He took another step backward.
Canther sighed and faster then Cole could see, he moved forward and behind Cole, grabbing his shoulders in an iron strong grip. “I’m sorry.” He said as he pushed Cole into the room, easily overcoming his resistance. “But there’s no way the mistress will let a fledgling loose in her city. Your choice has been made for you, now deal with it!.” With the last word he finally got Cole and himself into the room and closed the door behind them.
Cole heard the click of the lock and he couldn’t help but start to panic. He hated enclosed spaces and this looked just like a jail cell. The last place a person like him wanted to ever see. Canther had let go of him when the door had shut and Cole slowly made his way to sit on the bed, trying to calm himself down.
Canther looked at him for a moment. “Are you alright?” He finally asked. “Look I know, becoming a vampire can be a bit of a shock, especially if you didn’t ask for it, but you really need to calm down, your going to make yourself sick.”
Cole laughed, slightly hysterical. If only Canther knew that what was panicking him was the small space, not becoming a vampire. Actually, he was taking that quite well. Or maybe he was still in shock.
Canther was looking slightly worried now and uneasy. Cole guessed he didn’t have to deal with this sort of thing that often. Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes and forced the panic away, more for Canther’s sake than his own. “I’m ok.” He said, once he’d made sure it was the truth. “This is just all a shock.”
“Yeah, it is.” Canther said, relived that Cole had gotten over his panic attack.
“So how long am I going to be locked down here?” Cole asked. He looked around at the barren walls, pushing to panic back when it tried to rise again.
“Until you have control over yourself.” Canther replied. “It could take a week, it could take a year. It all depends on you.”
“I still can’t believe this is happening.” Cole said, more to himself that to Canther. “It was only a mouthful of blood. I thought it had to be more than that.” he shook his head, almost in denial.
“It’s different for different blood lines.” Canther said. “Some don’t even need a blood exchange. But I know a bit about Markus’s bloodline and even a few drops would have done it, as long as the vampire had consumed your blood before it happened.” He sighed. “It’s just bad luck that you’re the one Markus came upon tonight. He’s only slightly more than a fledgling himself and his control is shocking. But the mistress is too close to him to see this and deal with it.”
Cole didn’t like the tone Canther used on the last three words. “What do you mean by ‘deal with it’?” He asked.
“Either put him back in one of these cells, or kill him. He’s a risk to us all” Canther sounded angry, but at the same time resigned. It was obviously something he had been saying for a while.”
“Is that what will happen to me if I can’t control myself?” Cole asked, not really wanting to know the answer.
“Probably, but I doubt that will happen.” Canther said. “You still have your sire to give you more blood, to increase the rate you’ll gain your powers and the extent of your control. Markus doesn’t even have someone from the same bloodline, let alone his sire. He has nothing left but his will and that’s not strong enough.” There was pity and frustration in his Canther’s eyes when he finished speaking.
“What happened to his sire, the rest of his bloodline?” Cole asked. They were his bloodline too now and he wanted to find out what had happened.
“Nobody knows.” Canther answered. “He was a close friend of the mistress when he was human. But one day he disappeared and returned nearly six months later. A vampire. He refuses to say what happened, and the mistress won’t push.” Canther sighed. “I hope for your sake, that he tells you. It would be terrible to have him as the only vampire from your bloodline to teach you. He knows less than nothing.” Canther said with detest. It was obvious that he disliked, if not hated the other vampire and Cole thought it better to change the subject.
“So what’s going to happen to me until I learn to control myself?” Cole asked, a question he really wanted to know the answer to.
Will update this when i finish it. But please comment on what i've written so far.
