33-1

Alina "You're transitioning into a vampire." I didn't think the words had sunk in yet. Erick was currently on the phone, talking a mile a minute and in languages that didn't quite exist in the Earthly vocabulary, while I sat on our bed, staring at my hands as if I'd magically found the answers to what happened tonight written on them. This was a first for me. I was never the person to stay this quiet in the eye of the storm. Usually, I would just faint, but today, I felt a strange sense of calmness that was so unlike myself that I kept on wondering exactly how long it'll take for the words to sink in or if it ever would. "You're transitioning into a vampire." "Alina?" Erick's voice was gentle and careful as if approaching a panicked wild animal that was outwardly calm but could turn into a hissing monster at any instant. "It hasn't really set in yet, Erick," I told him, turning my hand over. "I don't know what to feel." "I'm sorry. This is all my fault." Erick sat down on the bed facing me. His phone next to him showed an ended call from Miaka. "I should've been here for you." "What happened last night?" I asked. The part after we made love was hazy. Although I did remember the bite, there were no marks to prove it. "After I got us out of the pool, I laid you down on the gazebo. But then I got a mental call from Miaka," he explained, "which was strange because, one, Miaka doesn't call for help, and two, I had strict orders forbidding anyone to disturb us for the night. Turns out, Emiel had attacked the castle." I gasped. "Emiel! Is everyone alright? Is Miaka alright?" The thought of little Miaka in Emiel's clutches horrified me. I knew that Emiel didn't harm humans because of some sick twisted reason, but Miaka, although a child, wasn't human. "Don't worry." Erick gave me a small smile. "We lost about eleven guards, but Miaka's the one who caught Emiel. She's stronger than she appears." "Thank God!" I heaved a sigh of relief. "But," Erick continued, "it appears to have been a distraction. You were the target all along." "Me? How?" "Fang marks." He touched the side of my neck lightly. "It's almost gone, but I can still see them. Someone injected vampire venom into your bloodstream while I was away. It was someone very strong, or Kendrick would've alerted me the second he felt anything. Even the vampire guards stationed around the house didn't feel a thing." "But who could be strong enough to evade security?" I asked. "Erick?" He had a troubled look on his face. "Remember what Miaka told you about the mages? The ones who created the dimensions?" "Yes." "They're called the Ancients. There is a very popular belief that they didn't die during the making as everyone supposed," Erick said. "Instead, they're merely sleeping. It was an eons-long slumber that can only be broken by them when they are ready to wake." "But what does that have to do with me getting bit?" I asked, unable to see the connection. "Possession of an individual is the first sign of an awakening Ancient. Turning of a human is the second." And then it clicked. "Emiel was the first sign!" Which was why he seemed to have a split personality like there were two individuals living in his body. "And I'm the second?" "Yes." Erick confirmed. "Miaka made the connection this evening after you told her about Emiel's eyes. Tonight, there were a group of vampires with Emiel during the attack, and they all had red glowing eyes." "But why would an Ancientwant to turn me?" My hand instinctively went to my neck to touch the spot where I'd felt the sharp pain. It was gone now, but talking about it made me feel like it was tingling. "The choice can be random or very well planned. Not all Ancients who helped create the dimensions did it out of the goodness of their hearts or because they cared for their people. Some of them intended to rule and be the unopposed leader of an entire world." He explained. "Most probably, the one who's waking up wanted to rule over this world. And since he couldn't possess a royalty because we're always so well guarded and well trained for all sorts of circumstances, he or she chose the next best thing." "I see. So then—" There was a sudden blackness in front of my eyes, and my body went numb for an instant. "Alina!" I blinked my eyes open, but the blackness was still there although I could feel my hands and feet again. Then slowly, my senses returned, and I could feel Erick shaking my shoulders. The blackness frayed at the edges oh-so-slowly, and my vision returned to reveal Erick's worried face inches away from mine. "Erick?" I raised a trembling hand to touch the side of his face. "What happened?" "Your transition..." He trailed off. I sensed a kind of helplessness in his voice that I've never heard before, but he masked it the next instant. "Get some rest, Alina. It'll help you." I simply nodded my head, suddenly feeling too tired to even form a coherent reply. I closed my eyes and let sleep take over me. Waking up early in the morning to the sound of waves crashing on the shore was normal, but this was the first time I'd woken up to that same sound in the middle of the night. The bed was empty when I opened my eyes, but it was still warm. Erick must have woken up not too long ago. The bedside digital clock said three forty-nine am.