Blooded Princess

Chapter 8

     "Take your time. I'll wait." He said soothingly, rubbing my back.

     "The scientists, they found out my mother was a vampire and my father wasn't. They raised me as a human, not thinking I would ever cross the border. Now that I have I can't go back. Vincent knew and he didn't tell me. He kept me thinking I would be able to go back. I'm stuck here Ace." I explained.

     "Zandy, I'm so sorry." He mumbled.

     "It's not your fault." I said, pulling away from him.

     "I need you to know that I'm here for you." He said, looking into my eyes.

     "Can I stay here? Just until I figure out what I'm going to do."

     "Of course."

     There was a knock on the door which made me jump. Ace pulled me closer to him as he looked up and whoever was at the door.

     "Hello dad." He said.

     "Ace, and you must be Zandabelle." He said.

     "Yea." I replied.

     "It's nice to meet you. I'm Oliver."

     "Hi." I said.

     "I know this probably isn't the right time but we really need to talk to you Zandabelle." He  said.

     "Can Ace come?" I asked.

     "Of course."
     I  got up off the bed and pulled Ace up with me. We followed Oliver back into the front room and then into the large kitchen. Jocelyn was sitting at the counter. She perked up when she saw us enter the kitchen.

     "Why don't you two have a seat at the counter." Oliver said, sitting next to Jocelyn.

     "So, what did you guys want to talk about?" I asked.

     "Zandabelle, we have a tradition here. Usually children go through it  just a couple months after their born, but you need to go through it now." Oliver said.

     "Go through what?" I asked.

     "The blooding ceremony."

     "The blooding ceremony? What's that?" I asked.

     "The blooding ceremony is a special ceremony where young children are turned into vampires. If you're going to be living here you are going to need to complete the ceremony." Oliver explained.

     "What exactly do I have to do to complete this ceremony?" I asked.

     "You have to take an oath and then exchange blood with another vampire." Jocelyn said.

     "Which vampire?" I asked.

     "The king decides." She replied.

     "Who did you exchange blood with?" I asked Ace.

     "Queen Madeline." He said.

     "How were you able to exchange with her?" I asked.

     "Madeline is one of my very best friends." Jocelyn said.

     "Oh. I get it." I said.

     "Zandabelle we have some shopping to do." Jocelyn told me.

     "What?" I asked.

     "You're going to need a very special dress for the blooding ceremony." She replied.