The Castle

Chapter One

     I clung to the stone side of the castle. Looking up, I saw the sun. It was so welcoming and bright......but it was like Eve's forbidden fruit. I couldn't touch it. I stayed where I was, in the shade. How I envied the tall blonde werewolf that lurked around the castle. He could touch the sun.

     I climbed back in through the window, disappointed as usual. Yes, usual. I stared at the sun wistfully quite often. Of course, I had made my room my own. My old backpack was hanging on a hook in the closet, which was full of old Romanian dresses that I never wore. I was afraid I would look like Vlademira in them. My bed wasn't made. I knew I should've been asleep now, but it's an old human habit to stay up past my bedtime. It used to be the moon I stared at. Funny.

      I heard footsteps in the hall. Realistically it could only be Dragos or an intruder. Many people came out to the castle to try and kill me. Dragos, in laymen's terms, ripped them to shreds. And that's who was in the hall. He gave a slight knock. I opened the door.

     I had to look up to meet his gaze. He stared down at me. "You know what I'm about to say."

"Yeah yeah...'Go to sleep I'll take care of assassins.'"

"I found a plume of garlic outside today. They're getting closer. Now get some rest."

"Wow the thought of freaks getting into the house to stab a wooden stake through my heart in my sleep just makes me drowsy." I yawned sarcastically. Dragos was not impressed.

"Lily, this is how things are now. You sleep in the day. You're awake at night." My stomach growled. This wasn't new. "And you eat the blood of humans...."

"I'll get around to it ok? Aren't you suppose to be asleep right now?"

"W-well....yeah...." I pushed him out of the doorway.

"Go lay down, boy! Go on!" He hated when I did the dog voice on him. He let out a low growl and stomped off. "Good boy!" I don't know why Dragos stuck around at all. He could go live in the woods or even the mountains. Or did he feel he was stuck here....hiding from humanity...with me. I let out a long sigh and sat on my bed, closing the window. Hypocrite or not, Dragos was right. I should've been asleep. I laid down and pulled the covers over me, letting their warmth lull me to sleep. No one came that day.
     
      When I opened my eyes and opened the blinds, the moon was up. I got dressed in my old favorite T Shirt and jeans and tied my hair up before heading downstairs. A giant blonde wolf was siting by the fireplace, licking his huge paw. His ears perked up when I cracked the front door open. "Wanna go for a walk? Yeah? Go for a walk?" I cooed. Even in wolf form, Dragos rolled his eyes and followed me outside. He told me I was too weak to go out on my own because I was new, meaning I had only recently been bitten, and he felt obligated to escort me during our night walks. I may have been new but I had been a vampire longer than the grotesque scar tissue from the bite on Drago's shoulder remained cursed. Technically, I was older.

     The moonlight reflected off my nearly white skin, making me glow slightly. I used to be able to get a tan. Figures. Drago's four giant paws thumped along next to me. Sometimes other werewolves joined us on our walk. It kinda freaked me out because I never really liked dogs as a human but I knew they wouldn't hurt me. Vampires, as Dracul and Vlademira once explained, commanded the werewolves. It's ironic that the werewolf next to me would be their bloody and gruesome fate. I remembered every second of the attack so clearly. I couldn't help but be afraid that one day Dragos would turn on me and rip my head off. 'I should probably be nicer to him....' I thought.

     As I thought, another werewolf smelled me and joined us. She was big and black with big beautiful eyes. I knew she was a village girl, only thirteen. Poor thing. She was a head shorter than Dragos but still big enough to swallow me whole. I hesitantly turned my back on her and kept walking. Two more werewolves I didn't recognize joined our small parade. Dragos growled and stayed protectively close to me. His mouth panted by my ear.

      Our route was two laps around the castle. Along the way, the young black werewolf left us. She never stayed long. Dragos waited for me to start the howl. Even though it sounded dreadful, I quite liked screaming into the night. I howled as loud as I could. Dragos and the other two followed. Of course, they were much louder and deeper than me.

      After they were done howling the two strangers ran off together to feed. I knew Dragos was hungry too. He just wouldn't leave me alone. So, I had to follow. We crouched in some thick foliage. I was small enough to be hidden but Dragos was not. It was actually kinda funny seeing him try to hide. His eyes were on a deer in an opening, feeding with her fawn. He got ready to spring. I made myself comfortable and watched. He pounced.