Prologue

This'll bring you into the story ;)

Helena brushed through the crowd to catch up with her mother and her brother, Peter. They were headed out of England into the town of Myersville, Ohio in America. Just after her birthday, Helena thought moving was a horrible idea in the first place. Her mother was too busy fantasizing of her own intentions as she marched down the walkway. She was once again dressed as a man, since she wanted nothing more than to be a doctor. She had sworn herself into the life of medicine after her husband died, but women couldn’t be doctors at the time. Helena and Peter secretly swore never to tell a soul of their mother’s cross-dressing. It got their mother a job, thus giving them money for food and a place to live. They also believed in following your dreams. Helena scanned the faces in the crowd on the boat when they boarded. Some faces were keen on going to the new world. She, however, had no aspiration to be here.

After the long boat ride, both children were amazingly bored of watching the water. They happily got off the boat with their things. Their mother straightened her tie to make sure it was on firmly. She then fixed her hat to make sure it would stay on, as well as her hair staying under the hat. Helena looked to the people begging for money and suddenly realized moving there was a horrible idea. Helena let off a huff while she tugged slightly on her corset with her free hand. She then moved her hand back to the large case she was carrying with her; the case held her belongings inside. Along with her items were Peter’s things, since he is too little to lug around his own case. This corset is killing me! Helena thought sourly. "Think about it, Helena," her mother suggested quietly. "Maybe you'll find some new friends."

The three got onto a carriage and finally rested onto the back of their seat. Peter sat lazily on his mother’s lap. Helena sighed, "No one's there, you know.”

Her mother just shook her head without another word. The ride went on in silence until they finally arrived at the Myersville gate. The three entered the town, their mother leading the way. Helena pulled her suitcase with her, taking a look around. She looked only to see the sky with a tint of red lust in the air, children hiding, and boarded up homes. What a stupid idea moving to this ghost town. Helena thought. She pulled on her corset trying to breathe while they walked up to their new home. "I start tomorrow! Think about it," her mother said quietly, but cheerfully. "I could be the first woman to save an entire town from a plague! Isn't that exciting?"

Helena nodded to fill the void her mother was looking to fill. She looked around again to find a group of girls around her age. They all seemed to be surrounding something. Helena shook her head as she decided to pay no mind. She dragged her case into the little three-bedroom house. Helena’s mother looked to her before glancing outside. “Helena, why not go say hello?” she asked.

Helena sighed and dragged herself outside while her mother and brother began to unpack. The group of girls looked to her and narrowed their eyes. Helena stood her ground for a moment, wondering what to do next. As it turned out, a boy stood simply in the middle. He looked up to Helena and smiled. “Hello,” he greeted.

Helena waved back simply. He let off a laugh at her shyness and went on talking, “I’m Richard.”

She nodded to him in greeting before turning to go. “What’s your name?” he asked.

Helena paused before turning to look over her shoulder. “Helena,” she said before walking home.

Richard then pushed through the small crowd of girls to catch up with her. He slid in front of Helena, blocking her path. He smiled handsomely and said, “You’re not like them, now are you?”

Helena only took a moment of thought before answering, “Nope.”

Richard laughed at her reply and nodded. “I thought so,” he admitted.

Helena rolled her eyes. He’s just another guy trying to win me over, but what would he see in me? she thought. I have my father’s hard face and I’m not exactly beautiful. Just because I have long black hair, that doesn’t make me beautiful. She shook her head. She kept wondering as he went on talking. “You know,” Richard said slowly, “you have beautiful blue eyes.”

Was he serious? Helena thought. She coughed into her hand and tried to get past him. Richard moved himself in front of her every time. “I’m just trying to welcome you to Myersville, and make you feel welcome,” he said. His voice had a hint of charm in it.

He gently put his hand to hers and pulled her along for the ride. He took her to the lake just outside of the city and released her hand. For a moment, Helena was pained to notice he let go. Richard sat down on the grass and bent one of his legs. The bent leg’s foot pressed against the ground while his other leg was stretched out fully. He gestured Helena to sit next to him, and she graciously sat down. She sat with her legs to the side, knees bent. She used her palm to keep herself from lying down. The lake was beautiful, the water glistened with the sunlight and the trees swayed quietly with the wind. “It’s beautiful,” Helena breathed.

The sun had lowered during their time by the lake. It was beginning to get dark outside and Richard was a bit tense. He tried to ignore it for the moment and stood up. “I should be getting you back to your house, it’s rather late.” He began to mutter under his breath about the diseased people.

He took Helena’s hand and walked her home after she stood. He paused while they were still by the river, wondering which way to go. He looked to Helena for a moment, the sun setting in the background of his view. He turned and tried to lead Helena to the correct house. He paused in front of the house at last. He turned to her slowly. He thought for a moment before brushing his hand onto her cheek. He leaned down to her and put his lips to hers gently. It was a brief kiss, but it was enough to leave Helena speechless. “See you around town, then, Helena,” Richard said quietly.

Helena found herself only able to nod. He turned to go without another word and headed home. Helena put her fingertips to her lips softly. She barely touched them and smiled in spite of herself. She went to quickly unpack her things and turned to see Peter in her doorway. He yawned sleepily and looked up to her. “Helena?" Peter asked.

Helena looked over to him kindly. "What?" she asked.

"What if, you were right?" Peter said quietly.

Helena raised an eyebrow at her younger brother. "What if something bad is going to happen to us?" he thought aloud.

Peter's sister couldn't help but smile. "Everything is going be fine," she said sincerely.

She smiled as he turned and walked back to bed. She looked around her room shyly. Helena smiled as she thought of how much she’d like it here.

Awaking one morning, about six months later, Helena noticed no one was home. She walked around her home until she decided to dress and go outside, thinking they had gone out for Peter's birthday. Then a thought crossed her mind: they wouldn't leave her behind. She suddenly ran outside only the see rebellion patients from the hospital fighting some nurses and doctors. The plague must be affecting their minds, Helena thought quickly. The people were screaming, and children were crying as people’s lives were taken by the creatures that used to be people. She turned to see her own mother exposed as a woman, but nobody cared; all they cared for now was their lives. Terrified faces filled Helena’s head, and she was unable to move. Paralyzed with fear, Helena backed up against the closet tree she could find. She shouted out Peter’s name a couple times, but no reply ever came. She heard her mother calling her name, or so she swore. She was then taken by strong arms, only to see a man not too much older than her. His face was hard to tell under a mask. He put a finger to her lips and said, "Don’t worry, I’ll protect you."

Helena couldn't help but stare. She stammered, "My family, too."

The man shook his head, and he turned their attention to beyond where they stood. “It's too late," the man murmured, successfully hiding a lie.

Helena watched in horror as the man ripped off his mask. He sent his fangs to her neck quickly for a nice bite. Helena suddenly felt a burning sensation in her veins as the venom seeped through them. The last thing she heard was the screaming of the people around She fell into his arms, unconscious. He moved Helena's hair from her face just to admire her. The man sent his fangs to his wrist and bit open a wound. He let his own blood drip onto Helena’s wound, and her unconscious body began to stir, writhing in pain. He gently pressed lips to where he bit her and kissed her wounds softly. He picked her up and carried her off to the carriage. "Let’s get out of here, we have what we came for," he ordered the coachman.

The coachman flicked the reins and the horses stomped on. While riding along, the wagon hit a bump, sending Helena flying from the back seat. The man yelled back for her unconscious body, then realizing she wouldn't answer. The man yelled to his coachman to stop, and he swore if he didn’t stop he would be killed on the spot. The coachman could not stop his horses as Helena fell along a gully on the side by the Mississippi river. The man jumped from the vehicle moments later, hearing the coachman calling him by his name. He searched for Helena as she lay just next to the water.

Author's Note

Tadaa~ Please ignore typos and junk. I hope this is a way more improved piece of writing!

Reviews

[Mizuki Tsukiakari]

Write more! I already know what happens, but write more! It was a little too long for a prolouge, but that's just me. I read manga all the time, so a paragraph is long to me! Lol. You write like a pro, keep going! You've really improved! ;p