Chapter 2 1 B

She went to the attic and slumped on the floor, her tears breaking through as though the rush of a tsunami. She knew she couldn't remember her mother for she died only a few years after she was born, but she had missed her. Jezebel was the only figure close to a mother in her life but whenever she saw these people and how amazing it must've felt to have a mother, that ache resurface in her heart. She didn't know what she did that was so terrible for them to hate her this way when all she did was loved them with everything in her being.

She got tired of crying and roamed through the darkness in the attic until she found the bathroom door and she washed her face, hopefully, if she went down now, they would be eating their dining as the lovely family they were, to themselves. And behold, that was what she saw as she silently walked to the kitchen, her eyes so red from her tears as she picked the small portion of food Yamla had always kept for her. She went out of the house through the back door and sat on the bench she mostly did every night.

Her eyes looked up to the moon while she kept the bowl by her side and slowly, tears pooled her eyes. "Hey," she spoke to the moon, not trying to stop her tears. "I've always sat here and spoken to you about everything that bothered me, yet you've never said a word to me. Not even a comforting sound or anything that will let me know that you indeed heard all that I've said."

She chuckled at her stupidity and wiped at her tears, "How foolish of me, right? I'm sorry." With a sigh, she began to eat the food silently and abruptly, she looked up at the moon again. "Can you give me a husband as your way of comfort? Someone that will take me away from them and everything that reminds me of them. Someone that will love and take care of me." The sky still looked the same, pitch black with the sprinkle of stars to brighten it and the moon, stagnant in its possible way that Esmeray had to softly smile. "No response, right? If you were willing to grant my wish I would've seen a shooting star as an answer but..." before she closed her mouth, there, she caught a glimpse of a shooting star that passed just beneath the moon and she wasn't able to jubilate when she heard a sound.

The most frightening and horrific sound she had ever heard. It wasn't a howl, clearly far powerful and dangerous than a wolf could ever be. It was a screeching sound, a banging and horrific yet dangerous sound that immediately sent a chill down her spine for it screamed of danger! She got to her feet as her whole body shook with fear and she broke into tears while she ran back home, for it felt as if whatever made this sound was around her vicinity and she was taking no chances.

She rushed to the living room, crying as her body still shook, she could still hear the sound and it was getting closer. Papa looked up at her, "What is it?" They looked so calm for people that just heard the sound she did.

"Something, I heard a sound..." She screamed when it felt as though the sound was right beside her ear and ran into Papa's arms. "Papa, it's a dangerous sound! It's going to kill me!" She cried and hid her face in his chest, and no matter how he wanted to push her off him, she was trembling with so much fear for him to be that merciless.

"Esmeray, no one hears any sound. There's nothing, okay?" She had always been strange, but nothing to the extent of hearing a sound no one did.

•

"Do you mean that the vampire prince slept for 500 years and now he has resurrected or what?" Her eyes bulged out as she heard the story Jezebel was telling her, which felt like a myth. Because were there real vampires? She had never seen one even though Jezebel told her that Dewhurst was half-human, half-vampire.

"Yes, Esmeray. He'll resurrect and take revenge for the reason he had been killed 500 years ago, which was his throne." Jezebel spoke as though she had seen the future and while she opened her mouth to laugh at the horrified expression Esmeray had on her face, Esmeray stumbled from her chair and she moved back, pointing at Jezebel's fangs!

"Jezebel, you've never had fangs! What's all this?" The customer that just smiled at her also had his fangs peeking from his mouth but when he walked into the store, he looked human, normal!

Jezebel caught her trembling hands in hers, "Yes, I'm a vampire, Esmeray."

With her heart racing in her chest, Esmeray asked further, "But I've never seen your fangs or anything that showed you're a vampire."

"That's because all the vampires in Dewhurst agreed with the humans to always appear as humans that they're now unable to see a vampire in his or her form." Someone passed in front of the shop and she saw his fangs too, and his light purple eyes that reflected light.

She broke into tears, "Why is it that I could see it now? I'm human."

"You're human, so I wonder how you've seen it. And Esmeray?" She softly called out while Esmeray nodded her head, "The sound you heard yesterday, was a sign to all vampires that Prince Ammar has resurrected. And no human was meant to hear that sound."

So, after 500 years, he had finally resurrected. But why did she have to get tangled in this mess? "But I'm human, Oh Jezebel!"