The Hunter - age 11
2015

At that moment, I knew what true fear felt like. I think back to earlier in the night when my mother stared me down with the eyes I inherited from her and warned me to follow my usual bedtime routine.

I had huffed, blowing hair out of my face and storming off to my room. I felt stupid doing that stupid routine. Locking my windows, lining them with a garlic and salt mixture, setting my traps, checking them, checking them again, and securing my door. It had all felt so lame.

None of my friends had to do these silly rules, so why did I?

For the first time, I had gone to bed in spite of my parents, leaving my window unsecured and even a fraction open for the first time in my life. After all, I was on the second floor. It was perfectly safe to do so, Mum and Dad were just being paranoid.

About 10 minutes ago, I jolted out of my sleep to a muffled sound coming from downstairs.

Maybe Leila was sneaking a chocolate chip cookie as a midnight snack. I had thought.

I sighed and ripped the blankets from my body and felt an eerie and unfamiliar chill as it pinched at my skin. But, I thought about how freaked out my parents would get if they saw Leila outside of her bedroom, especially at this hour.

So, in the spirit of sisterhood, I had quietly snuck out of my room and made my way down the stairs. I made sure I avoided all the creaky spots of the staircase on the way down.

I had peaked around the corner and expected to see Leila with her tongue between her teeth, her little arms reaching for the cupboards above her head. Instead, I saw something that would haunt me forever.

I've never forgotten the face of the man when he dropped my mother's body to the ground right next to my father's, his head leaned back in ecstasy. Then, as if he heard my heart thumping, he turned around and faced me, his red eyes sparkled with enjoyment as a smile had taken over his ruby lips.

I will never forget that face.

The face that haunted my mind and dreams, even when my older sister had scooped Leila and I up in her arms and fled. The ruby red smirk that chased away sleep for 9 years after the fact, mocking me and blaming me for the hue.

The face of a Vampire.

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Alis never got over the tragedy, it made her tough, and determined and she poured that determination into the first viable vessel; me.

Leila had the privilege of being blessed with time or lack of it. She couldn't remember the people that created her, much less their grisly death. Alis didn't waste time trying to conform her to what I had to be.

Alis pushed me to my limits, never letting me forget the cracked open window of my bedroom. She pushed me farther than my parents ever did, helping me to recognise those creatures from basic instinct alone.

She was there when I first killed one. She watched from afar as I buried my vervain-laced dagger deep into one's chest, their pointy teeth only inches away from my neck. I watched their eyes as they felt the point of my knife the same way their victims felt the point of their teeth, the same way that thing watched my parents. Soon, the sparkle faded and their body began to turn to specks of dust, floating away in the wind.

Alis had never been so proud.

her prey - age 18
2022

My laboured breathing continued to be washed down by heavy gulps, my heavy gear and clunky helmet only making it harder to do so. I was used to this, I knew how to fix and combat and ignore the human signs of a game. This is what I did, this game was what determined if I made it to college all on my own.

I run faster, using my shoulders, extended by the shoulder pads, to push through the other team as if they were nothing more than a harsh wind. The adrenaline made me stronger, my coach said he'd never seen anything like it before.

A flash of red and I'm sent tumbling on my ass, the fall so hard that my lip is cut open and blood seeps into my mouth. Not even a second later I was back on my feet, running after the guy with the ball as I licked the metallic taste from my teeth. It felt like I was floating as I caught up to him, sending him toppling to the ground even harder than he sent me.

In the privacy of my own helmet, I laugh, not sparing a look back as I barrel towards the white gates of my scholarship. Time seemed to move slower as I threw the ball into the turf so hard it left a small dent in its place, the crowd watching me all screaming in celebration and rising to their feet.

I threw my fists in the air, yelling so loud my throat ached instantly as I felt my teammate and best friend, Levi, almost tackle me to the ground in a hug, our helmets clashing.

Looking out to the crowd, I notice something strange to the side of the bleaches. A brunette girl, hair tied back into a loose ponytail and clothes so dark she could blend into the shadows by turning around. Her big bug eyes stared into my soul, burning a hole into the force. She then turned around and disappeared into the fog.

"Tommy, Tommy!" Levi begins to chant, all my teammates joining along in a chorus that distracts me from the vanished brunette.

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The yellow glow of the house, although typical, felt especially unsettling. I always felt a certain level of creeped out in this big old house, but I grew up here. My Father loved to show off his wealth, this old Victorian-era house was an example of that.

"Thomas," My Fathers' raspy voice called from the dining area. I quietly sigh, dropping my gym bag against the wall and moving to enter the room. The dining table was comically big for only three people, none of my Dad's helpers were ever allowed to eat at the table with us, only stand by the edges of the room in case he or my brother needed something.

"Father," I nod, taking my seat on his left side, my brother directly opposite me on his right side.

"I have a present for you this year, son," He smiled at me, turning to look at my older brother, Zeke, their eyes conveying a secret that I wasn't a part of.

"My birthday was yesterday," I laugh, looking down at my empty plate. Strange, usually the food is ready by the time we sit at the table.

"Yes but, today... today, my boy. Seeing you out on that field, rage in your eyes and blood on your chin. I have never felt prouder," He spoke, looking upwards in delight. I'd never noticed before, but the chandelier above didn't reflect in his eyes. "Now, I know you're ready,"

"Ready? For what?" I ask, trying to ignore the sinking feeling in my stomach as mischief flashed in my brother's eyes.

"Davine, Darling," My Dad beckoned, not removing his dark eyes from mine as he held his hand out for one of the helpers. Davine stepped forward from the walls, kneeling next to my father's chair and removing the hair from the left side of her neck.

"Whoa, what the-"

The words get stuck in my throat as he sinks his teeth into her neck. She lets out a soft groan as he does so. My chair scrapes against the floor, my body jumping up and moving away from my now red-eyed father.

He lifts his head up, letting go of Davine so she drops to the floor with a thud. His once grey beard was now flecked with patches of red, his canines as sharp as the dinner knives on the table in front of me.

"What the hell is going on?" I shout, holding my hands out in front of me as if to protect myself. Before I could say or do anything, Zeke moved faster than humanely possible, grabbing the steak knife from the bench and landing it straight into my gut.

I topple over, making eye contact with him as he smiles at me, eyes as red as the liquid seeping from my stomach. "Your world just got a whole lot bigger, baby brother,"