Chapter 2-Strong denial

Chapter 2: 2-Strong denial

"I’m a vampire..." Maisa cried. "I’m a vampire, aunt... a vampire."

"You are Maisa," her aunt repeated. "My Maisa. Maisa Everheart."

Maisa sobbed. "I can’t go home."

The silence returned on the other end. Both of them come to terms with that truth. "No. You can’t," her aunt’s voice dropped. She knew that her brother would never accept a vampire daughter.

The truth hurt more than she expected. Maisa eyes closed, and more tears flowed out. "If your parents find out..." she could picture the expressions on their faces. It wouldn’t be loud.

It would first start as horror. They would process and come to terms with it, then settle into a silent understanding of what needs to be done.

How would they do it? They would chase or hunt her, no. They would embrace her, let her feel their warmth, and whilst in their arms, they would drive a stake through her.

She could almost hear her father call it a painless, honorable death, and it sent her chills. She didn’t want to die as something they couldn’t accept.

"They will come for you," Evelyn finished her sentence for her quietly.

Maisa swallowed. Hard. The worst part was that she wasn’t angry because she knew her family. She knew exactly what they would do, and it was exactly what would’ve done had she been in their shoes.

"I don’t want to die, aunty."

The confession came out small like a child, someone who had spent her whole life believing she was fearless until the world proved her wrong.

"I know, dear," her aunt whispered. "Stay where you are. I’m coming."

The sun moved slowly, too slowly for Maisa’s comfort. She spent the entire day hidden in the darkest corner of the hut.

She curled into herself, staring at the floor. Her life had split into two. Before and after and both parts clashed with each other.

Before, she was a hunter. She was proud of her name as she had stood beside her family and watched vampires fall.

She remembered her first kill. The adrenaline rush and the joy of seeing her father’s proud smile. His hand on her shoulder as he declared, "You’re a true Everheart."

She remembered the excitement, the pride, and the feeling of belonging that coursed through her. Then she remembered the vampire she killed. The way its body turned to ash and nothing remained of her.

She hated that she missed who she used to be. Because the person she was yesterday would have killed the person she was today.

Her stomach twisted. A strange hunger grew inside her. At first, she ignored it and kept mopping while going down memory lane, but then it became impossible to ignore with time.

It wasn’t normal hunger. It came with pain, cramps that were heightened. A desperate ache that crawled through her body.

Her throat burned, and her hands shook. Blood! She needed blood, and the thought terrified her.

"No."

She wrapped her arms around herself. "No, I’m not doing this," the hunter in her wanted to deny the craving, but her body didn’t care.

It screamed with the need for blood. It begged for her thirst to be quenched. In the end, she could only cry silently, fighting against herself because she couldn’t go outside in search of blood as the sun was still up.

"I’m not a monster..." she reminded herself, but the falter in her voice made it hard to believe her own words. "I’m not..."

The sun disappeared over the horizon. And before Maisa knew it, the door opened. "Mai, dear," her aunt called to her.

She looked up. Her aunt stood there by the door, and Maisa had never been happier to see anyone.

Evelyn rushed toward her. The moment she touched Maisa, she felt how badly she was shaking.

"Oh, sweetheart."

Her body trembled weakly. "I’m scared..."

"I know, child," her aunt brushed her hair lovingly.

"I’m hungry."

"I can imagine you are."

Maisa looked away. Hunger clawing through her skin. She could smell fresh blood on her aunt, hear the beat of her heart and her pulse, and sense the blood flowing in her veins.

"I don’t want to hurt you."

Her aunt’s expression softened. "You won’t, dear," then she offered Maisa her hand.

Maisa froze. "No," a tear rolled down her wet cheek.

"Maisa, you need to feed."

"I can’t."

"You need to."

Her eyes filled with tears. "I was raised to kill vampires, and now I’m one of them," her body trembled with denial.

Her aunt smiled sadly. "And now you’re becoming one of them."

"I don’t know anything anymore..." she gasped, shaking her head, "I don’t know..."

Slowly, shaking, Maisa reached for her wrist. She brought it close to her mouth and licked her lips. Her gums hurt as her fangs clawed through skin to come out.

She bit back a cry and endured. The moment her fangs sank into her aunt’s skin, everything changed.

The hunger disappeared as she sucked the blood out of her aunt. Her body relaxed, and her mind went quiet. She hated how good it felt. She hated that her monster was satisfied.

Her first bite, first time feeding on a person. The metallic taste of blood hit her taste buds, and instead of feeling disgusted, she felt an appetite grow inside her.

When she pulled away, horrified, her aunt simply brushed her hair back. "You’re still you, child. Just a little different."

Maisa looked down. She didn’t believe it. How could she believe that when she had just fed on a person?

Immediately after feeding, her wounds and bruises began to heal on their own. In no time, her skin was as good as new and looked flawless.

Later, after she was cleaned, dressed, and sitting beside her aunt in the car, Evelyn looked at her carefully.

"You can’t return to your old life. You know that, right?"

Maisa stared outside. Of course she knew, how could she not? She was a monster now and would be asking for death if she went home.

"I know," she answered, her mind still getting used to the fact that she was a vampire.

"I’m sending you somewhere safe."

Maisa looked at her. She wondered where safe was now that the word didn’t represent her home or the church anymore. "Where?"

Her aunt held back for a few seconds before she said, "A vampire academy."

The words felt like another wound to her. Maisa’s face went blank. Because this time she wouldn’t be going to the academy to eliminate vampires but to attend school as one of them.

"No, aunt."

"Listen..."

"No..." her voice cracked. It was too soon. "I’m not going to learn how to be one of them."

Evelyn’s expression softened. "You already are, Maisa."

The words destroyed her. The carriage moved forward. Away from everything she knew, her family and away from the life she had been trained for.

Maisa looked out at the dark road ahead. She had spent her whole life hunting monsters. Now she was going to school to become one and she had never felt more alone.

"It’s going to be fine, dear. I’ll have ready all the arrangements for you."

"How can you accept the monster I have been turned into?"

Her aunt looked up. She didn’t see a monster. She still saw her brother’s eighteen year old daughter, who still had her whole life ahead of her.

"Because monster or not, you’re still my niece," she answered.