NOTE: This story is written in a retro-futuristic style. So, you won't find it to be too modern or too historic either. It will be something in the middle. Thank you. Have a nice read:)

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The sun settled bringing dark clouds in the sky, the shade of orange painted over the sky. Trees rustling by the passing wind. People in the town returning back to their houses. Far from all the hustle bustle of the town, far from the city. There was a forest located between the expansive cities of Iris and Veneton. The forest was restricted as many wild creatures resided there. In the midst of the forest, there was a small house surrounded by large coniferous trees.

Dazed, cold, alone yet unafraid; a little girl of the age of seven hopped, skipped and jumped as she returned home from town carrying a small basket filled with ripe, freshly picked berries. Both of her small hands were clenched tightly around the straw handle of her wickerwork basket that she clutched to her chest. Her humming didn't quite block out the cawing of the cackling crows that circled above the darkening treetops nor did it stave off the eerie feeling that blanketed the forest as night fell.

The dim flickering of flames on wicks of melting wax cast a yellow glow that peered through the thinning tree trunks. Joy hastened the girl's steps whilst she breathed in the familiar scent of smoked wood chips, cooking spices and herbs. As she approached her house, her fast pace slowed bit by bit until she came to a halt. Her wide eyes took in a large figure wearing a black hood standing in front of her mother.

Young Elina picked at the loosening threads on the edge of her cloak while she nibbled nervously on her chapped lips. Her orderly mother hadn't mentioned that there were to be any visitors tonight. Furthermore, the stature and aura surrounding the intimidating stranger didn't quite seem guestlike.

She was about to step forward when the flutter of his black cape drew her eyes to his movements. The man loomed over the petite woman with his back toward Elina, obscuring her mother from sight. All was still until the pitter patter of viscous drops of liquid splattering ricocheted off the walls of the girl's skull.

"M-Mommy...?" she called out as her eyes took in the growing pool of crimson blood. Her hands trembled and relinquished their tight grip on the basket. All Elina saw was red; blood mixed with berries as they tumbled and rolled into the dark puddle.

"MOMMY!!"

A loud resounding thump sounded as the lifeless corpse dropped to the ground. Elina moved slowly towards her mother and her murderer. Her legs were shivering out of fear.

As she approached, a glimpse of moonlight glinted off the bloodied canines of the killer. Vampire. Terror clawed at her body, mind and soul, like ice running through her veins.

At this moment, something darted from the foggy depths of the forest. It's face was concealed by a black hood similar to the ghastly beast that stood over Elina's late mother. The new comer wasted no time in latching onto the monster before disappearing within the blink of an eye with only a swirl of mist left in their wake.

With the two gone, Elina ran towards her mother. Then she noticed that her father was also lying down dead like her mother, both of them having the same two pierced marks on their neck.

Looking at both of them, tears poured from her blue eyes as she knelt beside her parents.

"Mommy, Daddy!" She shook them in an attempt at waking them up.

"You can't leave me!" Her lips trembled as she flung her small arms over her parents', holding onto them in way as if she'd ward anyone who'd dare come to take them away from her.

Even with her young mind, a part of her knew her attempts were futile. Her parents were no more. She was going to be alone here.

A sinking realization hit her like a truck. She wasn't alone. Not yet. Her parents weren't there but her younger sister. . .

Elina rose from where she sat crouched next to her parents, her footsteps hastened as she dashed towards her house.

She looked around every nook and cranny, every hiding spot she and Olivia cooped in when they played games, when they tricked their parents.

But she wasn't to be seen anywhere.

"Olivia?!" A desperate cry wrung out from her which rose higher and grew more panicked as she reached back to the frontyard where her parents lay motionless in their little garden.

She was truly and utterly alone.

**

Elina didn't remember much of what had happened after. It was a rush of many things for her little mind still reeling from the shock of her parents' death to contemplate.

Two wandering farmers had found her clinging onto her parents, crying profusely. She'd been too in trauma to remember her mother's warnings about not going along with strangers. She had silently followed as the farmers asked her to come along after processing the situation.

Although the strangers weren't bad, they'd actually taken her to the council building. The council was the central government of peace that worked under the royals command to aid any immediate issues.

An elderly council man with graying hair and liquid amber eyes had been present when the farmers had bought her to the building. He'd immediately asked her name, her parents name, told her to narrate what had happened in the woods and then looked into records for a relative.

Hours later, Elina was sitting on the wooden seats staring down at her dry blood-stained little hands.

"Eli?" A familiar voice called out.

Instantly, Elina looked up at the figure of her father's brother approaching her. Her eyes teared as she hopped down from her seat and ran towards him like a wailing puppy.

"Uncle Aron. The vampire. Mommy Daddy. Olivia." Her cries grew louder into hysterics as she clung to her uncle's neck when he picked her up in his arms.

Aron's own eyes misted but he held back the tears in front of his niece and patted her head gently in an effort to calm down the little girl.

"I know, sweetie. I know." He tried to console her, his own heart breaking at the news of his brother and sister-in-law's death.

"They're so bad." Elina continued whimpering, "Vampires are so bad."

Aron shut his eyes as the first tear ran down his cheek. They are. But he didn't say it out loud. Not in a place where vampires worked too among the humans.

Aron held firmly onto his niece as his eyes slid towards the elderly council man who'd informed him about the incident and explained how now Elina's custody were in his and his wife's hands as the only relatives left.

"I'll take her home." Aron informed the councilman as Elina passed out on his shoulder from her crying session.

The man nodded in return, "Our men will come to check every month any day they wish, for a year. I hope you understand the protocols."

"I understand. It would be a great help if you could find my another niece too." Aron requested, knowing full well they hadn't found Elina's younger sister anywhere.

"We'll be sending patrols to look for her and if we find anything, the officials will let you know at their visits to your house." The council man added solemnly.

"Thank you for the help, sir."

Aron then took his neice home where he and his wife, Rachel, took care of the little girl as their own. Even after years of marriage, they didn't have children, and in a way Elina was a blessing to them.

No matter how unfortunately Elina had ended up with them, Aron and Rachel groomed her with love and affection into a beautiful young lady.

A beautiful young lady who went around with a wooden stake.

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AUTHOR'S NOTE

Hey Guys! First of all, Thank you so much for reading this book. It means a lot to me.

If you find any grammatical mistake, please forgive me for that, as this book is unedited. But if you can't bear my grammar, you are free to stop reading. I will be editing the book once it's completed. I know this chapter was a little small but there's a long time skip after this chapter. So, I wanted to start that with an all-new chapter.

Follow me on Instagram at mystery_angel6

See you in the next chapter:)