• Chapter 1: Blood Desire

    Who are you, anyway?” asked the nurse for the third time. For the third time the girl dressed in a pink night gown could not answer.
    “Ma’am, as I said, I don’t know. I don’t remember anything before the church. I’m sorry,” said she softly. “Where is Renato, maybe he’ll know?”
    “Honey,” said the nurse with a pat to the girl’s leg. “He doesn’t know more then me or you. So if you really don’t know who you are, we’ll have to give you a name. If or when we find your real name you can go back to that, if you want to. So do you have a name you’d like?”
    “The strange thing, ma’am, is that I have all my education an memories of things like that, and yet not memory of my... what was it again?” The girl said kicking her legs slightly.
    “Mortal life, dear.”
    “Right... my mortal life.” Saying that didn’t feel right to her. She remembered being human, just not the details of her life. It seemed it couldn’t be possible for her to be a vampire.
    “I like the name Rosalinda. Could I have Rosalinda?”
    “Rosalinda? How pretty! Where ever did you get that name?” Asked the nurse as she pulled out a little card and a pencil that looked like it could use a little sharpening.
    “I... I read it in a book as a kid. She was a princess, I think,” Rosalinda said unsure of herself. Her new name seemed like a missing puzzle piece, she felt whole having a name.
    “Lovely, dear. Here... we are. You are now known as Rosalinda, and your last name will be decided by which elder adopts you to teach you. Here take this card,” said the nurse holding out a card that said Rosalinda in neat script with a few other personal details, of which included her transformation. “Renato is waiting outside the door for you, he’ll tell you what to do now. Bye, now!” Rosalinda rose from the stiff bed and slid into her new shoes and threw on a jacket.
    “Bye,” she said quietly. She shuffled to the door and turned it open to see Renato waiting for her. She took in his appearance for the first time, all she knew about him was his name, that he saved her, and that he was the only person she had now. He had blue hair, not dyed blue, but real blue. His eyes would shift back and forth from blue to honey, which never failed to make Rosalinda dizzy. He was wearing a deep black trench coat that hid what he was really wearing, along with his skin.
    “So, what’s your name, my dear?” Renato asked holding the door open as she walked through. They began, Renato in the lead.
    “I don’t recall my real name,” Rosalinda said playing with her black hair, turning a deep shade of rose pink. “So the name I’m using is Rosalinda.”
    “What a pretty name. Did you come up with it?”
    “Yeah. She was a princess in a book from my childhood.”
    “Lovely, lovely. So, Rosalinda,” Renato said trying the words on his lips. “Are you scared?”
    “Because I’m on scare tactics?” Rosalinda said with a small laugh. Renato raised his eyebrow at her, and she shrunk a little. “But actually, I’m not scared. Confused beyond believing, but I’m not scared.”
    “Were you when you were attacked? Would you mind telling me what happened?”
    “No, I’ll tell you. I was scared. Scared beyond anything I’ve ever felt. I was... at school I think. Yeah, school. I stepped outside for something, and there they were. Three scary looking boys, scary with red eyes.”
    “Blood thirst,” Renato said with disgust.
    “Mmm-hmm. And they called to me, calling me such nice names. I walked over thinking they might need some help, or at worst I’d just be pranked. But when I did they grabbed me, their hands feeling all over me. Wrong, so wrong... Then they bit me, just one of them, but it hurt so bad! I pushed them back and ran like a bat out of hell. I ran through a rose bush, and ran to the church I guess. It’s blurry.” Renato looked at her with sympathy, or maybe even pity. Their footsteps echoed in the hallway, Rosalinda taking in notice that he was wearing riding boots that clicked on the polished floor. She looked at her arms, covered by strawberry slices from the rose thorns.
    “Poor excuse for vampires, I would guess. An honorable vampire would never lay a finger on a lady like yourself. Even in the blood desire state. Well, aside from the fact you are a vampire yourself now, all is well now.”
    “What do you mean by that?” Rosalinda stared at him with large, pleading eyes.
    “I mean, you are here. This is a school for people like you. Humans turned vampire, whether too soon or by their own choice. Poor fools always fall for the lust of a vampire. So improperly portrayed are we, Twilight? Ugh, don’t get me started on how wrong that is.”
    “So... I’m not the only one? A mistake?”
    “You are only a ‘vampire’ mistake. And yes, there are plenty others in your shoes. Some who fell in love with a vampire. Some who worship Satan. A prank gone wrong. I’ve seen so many cases.”
    “Why are you here? What happened to you?”
    “Me? I was a true vampire. Born straight down threw a rich bloodline. I’m here because I want to help the, eh, ‘mistakes’. I’m a teacher, more or less. But enough about me. First thing’s first. We need to get you adopted.” His voice bounced off the walls, and down the corridor. They turned down one way, Renato sliding his hand idly along the clean stone wall strung with beautiful tapestries that told stories Rosalinda couldn’t even begin to understand.
    “The nurse said something about that, what does it mean?” Rosalinda asked.
    “Simply put? It means an elder, and by elder I mean older then you could put into proper math, will decide to take you under their wing. Train you to be a productive part of society. They will be the family you can’t remember, while at the same time help you find them.” He pushed open the grand cherry-wood doors and held them for Rosalinda to pass through.