THE VAMPIRE SOUL

Here I am again.

Once again, I found myself running down a narrow and old road that seems to have been abandoned by time.

The moon was smiling above me. At first, it was like a greeting but when you look closely I felt like the moon knows some secret only it can see from the above as it illuminates my path.

After all, when the moon forms a smile above the sky, darkness often enveloped the whole world and for the first time I can see it.

I was out of breath from running. I can no longer remember which part of the place I started running. Why did I come here? Why did I change the path I was taking home? Maybe, this is my end.

I was trembling as I reached the end of the alley, just a few runs, just a few steps and I could see the light from the pole when he appeared in front of me.

His body was covered in black. When he looked up, I couldn't even leave my position as his red eyes opened. And when he opened his mouth the shape of his teeth gradually changed until I could feel the blood slowly flowing in my neck.

Before the dark finally devoured me, I saw a woman dressed in white as I heard her count....one...four....three.

Vladimir's POV

"They're getting bigger again," My brother Van said anxiously as we drove down the dark alley. "He is really building an army," he added.

I did not answer what he said because I was irritated by the variety of smells I was inhaling. I wouldn't have gone with him and just let him do what he wanted to do but I knew I wouldn't be able to sleep when something bad happened to him.

"You should have told me that we are going here," I said. "You should have told me to bring a mask."

"I'm sorry, I thought you're not coming and Dad told me to keep this a secret from anyone until it's over."

I was about to speak when suddenly the surroundings became quiet. Out of the darkness, a man came out, smelled like a corpse. He slowly walked towards us, smiling as he tilted his head. It looks like a zombie in the movie people are watching now. Van and I once pulled out the silver knife and prepared for his approach.

I was suddenly startled when blood dripped from his lips. Annoying! I couldn't wait for him to get closer. I rushed and stabbed him in the neck and just like thunder and lightning an army of corpses came running towards us.

"That was uncalled for," I said. "You probably have a plan, don't you?" I asked my brother. We are already surrounded by low-key, lowkie for short.

"No, actually," he laughed before he scratched his neck and started. I don't have to ask any more questions because I'm just annoyed with him. When did he plan? He just loved to rush things.

"Tsk," I hid my knife. We wouldn't be able to finish if we continue to fight them with a knife because with every lowkie we kill they increase. "Let's finish it fast." I told my brother. We removed our gloves and released our power.

My name is Vladimir Fear. I am a vampire. If you are still wondering, yes, vampires still exist in the modern world. Though, we are just like myths and legends for people. They thought we only exist in movies. That's what they thought, and what we want.

We still want to live in darkness. That's why we are preventing these lowkie vampires from harming the people, though actually we are somehow exposed. Sad to say, it's also because of our own blood that we're getting exposed.

We vampires came from different houses, class, and rank. First house is the House of Nobles, they are our ancestors. They are actually rare nowadays, they don't mingle with people because they are really the vampires who don't come out during the day. They formed the highest council of our race, and mostly they are sleeping in coffins in their respective places. And, will go out if there is a war.

Second, the House of Pureblood with House Fear as the highest class, and there are two more, the House Ruin and House Fall respectively. I can't remember the other Houses but I believe there are more than ten houses of purebloods. I haven't met those because they live on different continents that's why I can't name them. We, purebloods are given unique powers and abilities different from the half-bloods or commoners.

Half-bloods were formed when a vampire mate with a human. It is not actually accepted in our clan that's why for the last hundred years they have been waging war to be named as one of the houses. They are also the reason why there are lowkie vampires. Lowkie vampires are humans turning into vampires but when they don't drink enough blood they will die.

The half-bloods used humans to build an army. They turned humans into vampires by the use of their blood. It turned out, for the last few years, the number of missing persons has been recorded. Some of them were successfully turned into vampires, others were dead because they weren't able to feed blood. We, the houses, actually joined forces to stop them. That's what we and Van are actually doing. Killing the lowkie vampires sounds evil because they have families looking for them but it would be more evil if they spread over the place.

"Woah, damn!" I heard Van say. "It's over, so what are we going to do with all of this corpse?"

"Turn them into dust," I ordered. My brother can turn everything he touches into dust. That's his gift.

"Yes, sure." He touched a corpse resulting in a domino effect as they all turned into dust.

I blew away the dust in front of me. I was about to go home to the Van when I noticed the woman looking at us.

Wait, I didn't even feel her. Has she been there before? Did she see us?

I automatically approached her but she ran. I was right in my suspicion that she saw everything but why didn't I even feel her presence. I couldn't even smell her blood.

We were at the end of the alley entrance, just one step away and I could reach her when she suddenly disappeared from my sight. I just stopped. I turned around but I could no longer see her shadow.

"Brother, why did you run? Who are you after? "

"The woman, she saw us."

"Woman? Who, I didn't see anyone."

I looked at him and went back to the street. "Yeah, maybe it's just my imagination. Let's go home."

Next morning, I went to school. I still live a normal life, pretending that I am a human even though I am not. Since then, we have been moving from place to place. Every five years or six years we move so people will not realize that we don't die. I've been to different places, lived in different houses, and used different names for the last hundred years. The name I am using is actually not my real name, but the surname always stays.

My sister, Via, actually has the ability to change and play with people's memories. It's her gift. We change some of the memories of the people we've met before leaving them. But there were few people we chose to remember us. They were the people whom we created lots of beautiful memories we can't afford to lose.

I walk inside the hallway of the university. We stopped growing when we reached the age of 18. College days, so I usually start going to college in every town we move to. To tell you, if there is only one award for having the most degrees and medals in college I will be awarded. I tried so many courses along with Van, and my sister Via. I also have one more sister, Vanna, but she doesn't like going to school so she's just at home. The reason is she's our owl.

She's our connection to the past, present, and future. She sees everything in her vision. Each house was given an owl. She was ours for the last hundred years. She usually spends her time in our library, she just goes out to buy the things she needs like books. It's risky to let the owl go alone.

I chose Literature as my course now, never tried it before so I agreed with Via and Van though we don't stay in the same class. I don't like having them around with me, so do they. We keep a low profile wherever we go, we don't create names for us. We just live like a normal student. But sometimes, we can't because we need to avoid them and their blood. Though we don't feed humans, there are circumstances when we can stop ourselves.

They can also see how unique we are from head to toe. We look like corpses. We have pale skin. It's like the sun forgot to shine on us when we were kids. We don't reflect on mirrors and pictures so we tried our best to hide ourselves from those things. Actually, on our first day at school we let them fear us. We wouldn't be Fear for nothing. We created rumors about us that would make them avoid us. Mostly, they would believe. But I've also met people before who never believed and those people became our real friends.

I sat on my favorite spot beside the window. Of course, I have no one next to me. They usually avoided me because we spread rumors saying that we were once drug addicts and were taken into rehab. We created fights the first day we came here so Van and I avoided them. As for Via, she can be friendly, after all she can play with memories so she sometimes created names for her like joining on pageants, sports, and other activities. After that, she would change their memories like she doesn't exist.

My usual routine would be sleeping in class and still passing though I sometimes fail the other subject and I just don't attend. To tell you, I am getting tired with my life. I no longer know what my purpose in life is. I kept on waking up, and living but with no real destination. I envy people, because no matter how short their life is they know what they want in life.

It was a literature class and we were asked to read books. I started reading, there was no problem at reading because I always love books. I don't even know why I just now thought to try this course.

I thought for a minute that there was no problem, until the professor went in and introduced the new student. I wouldn't care. I never care. What made me look at her was the smell of her blood, it's type AB. The strongest and most delicious blood of humans. I have never seen one of her kind for quite some time.

But it wasn't the blood that made me stare at her.

It was the fact that she was the girl who disappeared last night.

Vladimir's POV

"Are you really sure? I told you I have not seen the girl. I saw no one, "Van said with conviction. I told her about the girl, the new student.

"Who is she? What's the name? " Via asked. "There was also a new student in my class earlier, maybe they are the same."

"Cassandra." I plainly said. That's what I remember when she introduced me after she sat down. The professor told her to sit next to me since it's the only vacant seat.

"Oh, the girl with the strong blood. Cassy. "

"Cassy, are you close?" Van asked, wondering.

"Yeah, I was next to her earlier. I even invited her to have lunch with us - oh there she goes. " Via waved and then shouted Cassy's name.

I didn't dare to look. I was busy stopping my stomach from circling. I don't know, I don't get why I'm suddenly nervous. Is that because I knew she knew about us then my sister is innocently trying to be friends with her.

She loves being friends with strong blooded humans, not that she has the intention to drink their blood. She feels that those kinds of people need protecting because their blood is stronger. Prone to half-bloods because when half-bloods drink their blood, they get stronger.

As for us, we can suppress our desire because we are used to drinking animal blood. But we still need to drink human blood because it makes us strong so sometimes, when we feel like we are weak we buy blood on the red bank and drink it. At least, it wasn't illegal.

"Hi Cassy, sit beside my brother. Vlad, are you classmates right? " She smiled as a response to my brother. "And this is Van, my brother too."

Van just waved at him and was silent for a moment.

She really got that blood, the rarest of them all.

She was already busy talking with my sister when I stood up. They both stopped and I just said that I finished eating even though I haven't touched my food yet. I know, the food is just a disguise because we don't really eat. When I look at her, it seems like she is sad because I am leaving or I was just hallucinating again so I ignored her.

I went outside. I'm irritated. It's easy for me to get bored and irritated. And I get irritated whenever I see that woman. I'm annoyed for reasons I don't know. My stomach kept on circling over and over again and almost vomited. I never felt this feeling before. Am I nervous? I don't know. I don't know and I don't get it, that's why I'm annoyed!

I went to my usual place, the garden which is far away from the cafeteria and our building, though I like spending my time here because it's quiet. Not many people come here because the garden is too old and in a secluded area of the school. It's also not very well so a lot of grass grows. There was a rumor that there was a ghost here which for almost a year of my stay here I still haven't seen. Not that I care, I just like sleeping in here because there is no nuisance.

It was after a minute when I smelled her blood. Strange. I don't have to open my eyes just to find out who. I felt her standing in front of me.

"Hi," she greeted me as I kept my eyes closed. "Don't you remember me?"

I do, I thought to myself. I remember very well that you suddenly disappeared in front of me last night. I don't even know how you did that.

"I saw you last night," she started. I restrained myself from moving and staring. I can't kill her. We don't kill people. I would just ask Via to change her memories, after all they're friends. Good thing, it would be easy for Via. "With your brother, and with a unique creation of God."

I felt that she moved a step forward. I estimated she was only two steps away from where I was lying.

"But that wasn't it. You see me before that too. "

I couldn't hide my frown when she said that. I kept my eyes closed as I tried to remember where else I had seen her but I couldn't get it out of my memory until she said three familiar words to me.

"One, four, three."

I opened my eyes as soon as she said that.

I still haven't figured out the magic she used every time she disappeared in front of me.

I went back to the cafeteria, to my surprise she was there with my sister and brother like she never even moved an inch. They were actually enjoying their conversation about something when I approached them.

I raised an eyebrow, I couldn't hide the disbelief. "Did you just come back?"

They all looked at me.

"Duh, we didn't leave here." Via said, rolling her eyes. "Where did you go? Why did you leave all of a sudden? "

"I slept," I replied. "I'll go."

I no longer waited for them to answer. I still can't believe it. It can't be. I hate it. She didn't leave here? Am I just dreaming? I know for sure that I am not asleep. I felt her. I even smelled her.

Am I just hallucinating?

I decided not to tell it to my family yet. Not today, I still want to know her whereabouts before I consider her a treat to us. It would be good for her to be my sister's friend so I could watch her, she could watch her. And one more thing, I need to know her. I heard her say those three words. It always appeared in my dream, in my past.

I didn't grow up as a vampire. I grew up normal or just what I thought. I was a human when I was a kid - real kid. My parents sealed my blood along with my brothers and sisters to save us from the ancient war.

When I was 18, that was the first time I found out about vampires. I remember how scared I was while being chased by a vampire and I thought that was my last day. But the bite actually made me remember who I was when I woke up.

I will never forget that night, because I heard those three words coming from the voice of a girl and it always haunts me every night.

Is she that girl? But that was a long time ago. I can't even remember the girl and can't even say the reason why she appears in my dream. Maybe she was a part of me.

I went straight to the admin office where the school's CCTV monitors were located. Stan opened up to me as he focused on the computer, behind him were the large monitors connected to all the CCTV cameras of the entire university. Stan Fear is my cousin. His family and my family always moved together so he also moved here to school with me.

Stan started working as one of the admin and was assigned to guard the school and it was our advantage because we have someone to look at us inside the university. He monitors the CCTV, it was easy for him to manipulate things that flow through current. That's his gift.

That's why I asked him to check out the CCTV in the cafeteria. I want to make sure if Cassandra didn't really leave.

"You only visit me when you need something," he said. "Why do you need the footage?" he said as someone pressed the keyboard. I approached the monitor and looked at the footage from the cafeteria after he adjusted the time.

The camera was not focused on the table where we were staying. I watched the entrance, I saw her enter and was waiting if she came out alone but no. My sister is not lying, she did not come out. I only saw her come out when she was with Van and Via. I know she's with them because I can see two blurry shadows. That's how we appear on camera, we become blurred shadows.

"Who's the girl?" he asked. "Do you like her?"

"No," he said quickly. "She saw me last night with Van fighting lowkie."

"She's a threat."

I shook my head. "I am not sure. Don't tell them yet, let me handle it. I still need to know something."

"What, is it worth lying for?" He eyed me.

"I still can't figure it out. She disappeared right in front of me. " I told him all the details.

"You gotta be kidding me!"

"I'm not. So can you please monitor her every day and when you find out that she's a threat, report her. "

"Okay, noted."

"One thing, I would like to get her profi ---"

"Done that," he smirked. "Cassandra Yiel. 18 years old. March 28, 1995, and #000 Heaven Street, oh that's weird. She was accepted here with just that information. She must be something."

"There is nothing else and where the hell is heaven street. Does that even exist? " I said, frustrated.

"That's all I could find, Vlad. If you want to know, go ask her. "

I will.