Prologue

In my dorm of Madison University, located in Wisconsin, I was mindfully reading a short novel, like I can’t take long ones these days and waiting for my satisfaction to come around, in the shape of a tan face, abs, and height of about 6 feet 3. William.

I do not know what I’m doing these days but just living the life of an artist, pleasantly living.

"You look so helpless, what are you doing?"

I crossed my legs on the bed and said defiantly, "reading?"

The older guy stood hovering near the door way. "I"ll take you to prom."

The older me laughed. "It's tomorrow, you know."

"So?" He cocked one eye.

"I need a dress." Looking at him from under my eyelashes, i still remember those good times we had.

"I'll find you one. Princess. You just stay right there." 

I crossed my arms across my chest. "Really?" He must know what i like..."Hmm...All right, I’ll go with you."

I got up from the position on the bed and walked over to him, put one arm through the space between his and leaned forward, sucked his lips. He shifted, as if thinking, if you really want me to. Then he wrapped his arms around my lithe body, caressing it, and pressed his lips into mine, while i rammed him into the wall.

Satisfaction and pleasure gained. As always, from William.

"You wanna let go of me now?"

i gasped. "kind of."

"You're tired." He looked at me. In reality, i was just hungry. 

"It's nighttime, of course I’m tired." I shifted my gaze and looked at his shirt. Cotton definitely felt good to touch. 

Pause. Shuffle in feet. 

"Good night William." Pause. "See you again." Uncertainty in tone but filled with hope.

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Although we're in college we still barely get to see each other. I mean, i love him. He's been with me since forever

. I lugged myself to shower, bed and sleep. Little did i know tomorrow I’d get sick. Goodbye prom.

"I'm serious, you gave it to me!" I wake up in the morning with a high fever and a horrible headache. 

"I'm sorry." He knew I was kidding. "I'm here to take care of you."

"That's right." I smile. My body felt damn sweaty and wet. He glanced willingly at the materials he has to reduce fever, calm illness, and care for my body. 

Knowing he will save me, i closed my eyes and fell into a deep daydream. It's not that i dream about him and me making out all the time but sometimes i do. Don't blame me. 

Soft lips. Smooth skin. And all moves toned to perfection. William's just what i like.

I pry open my eyes. Wide awake. "What about prom?" 

"Hmm...we'll go to honeymoon instead."

"Ocean City." I sighed. 

"It's a deal." His guyish voice stayed the same.

Yeah ah! I gotta do my happy dance but i was stuck in bed. But still, i was upset, now i'm happy. 

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"Ow! My head is killing me. Where are those Tylenol pills?" 

"You've had enough. They're really addicting." He shook his head and sat on the bed next to me. As he leaned closer, and i could smell the power of his bleach. Then he calmly placed a hand on my forehead. Took it away fast. "Yeah, you're really cold up there."

I turned over and groaned. If missing class wasn't enough, then what is life? It's not like I’m worried about my grades or anything but sooner or later I’ll have to catch everything up. I'm a good student.

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Finally, that fuzzy hotness around my head is gone! I open my eyes. Yepp, William definitely left me. Then i hear the toilet flush and he comes out of the bathroom looking as good as new. 

"You didn't leave me...Thank you!" I glance at the watch. It's 10:40 am. "What date is it?"

"November 2nd." 

"William! Then we can't go to Ocean City!" 

"Fine, then I’ll take you to Hawaii...What's the big fuss about?"

His smoky hair and light skinned complexion with that collar he's wearing amazes me. Does he always look this good? David's hotter though, but he's more of the kissing type. it's not like i'm with multiple guys at the same time but i am. So there. Why am i talking about David in this story anyway?

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Ding ling ling! Class starts at 1:00 pm. The only class i have with William. Art class. I see him in the room already, wearing a t-shirt and khakis. I walk over to him and boldly glance at his painting. 

"Wow, it's really good." Those barren landscapes stretch across his entire canvas, with the faint catch of a sunrise. I realize that happens in every painting he does. Then sometimes, i wonder if he ever thought of drawing me...

"It's for you." 

Yeah right. It's the opposite. On second thought, the abandoned houses and nature in the background does look exactly like me.

'"William! You drew me as the sun!" I watched him smirk. It was like, can i touch you? Can i hold you?

"Hug me, Heqi." 

I shift from left to right. "I'll marry you."

 

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Remember those days when we were young, catching fireflies and stuffing ourselves with homemade ice cream? Those were the good days, before things got complicated and I had to move. I was lonely for a while, when i was five and my parents kind of ignored me. I cried myself to sleep every night. No big deal. Just feeling the darkness of the hour and the evilness of my anger. Suddenly, after those three lonely months, William was by my side. He said, "I would never leave you alone like that." I breathed a sigh of relief and buried myself into his shoulder. "Promise." 

 So how did we get here? Away was the city life and in came the suburban feel of Deleware. William was 5 inches taller and a year older. That's saying something. When i finally turned 7, he gave me an album by Jessie McCarthy. At first, i was hesitant, but later i came to love this new type of rock. So i listen to them with open ears.

"You wrote it!" I exclaimed. I accusingly pointed a finger at William in all fun and games because i had just realized that he wrote the entire album and had someone else sing it to me. 

"So i did." He smiled mysteriously and dipped his head.

I breathed a sigh of relief. I was falling in love with that  music and those beats. I couldn't love two people can't I? Not in my religion, but if given the chance, i definitely would.

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--Back to present--

"You're drawings are something, William." I peered over his shoulder and gazed lovingly at the girl who's supposed to be me. Not that it doesn't look like me, but it looks even better. Then my eyes drifted to the gentleman holding her hand with a goofy grin on his face. A goofy grin on his face. 

"Who's that?" I inquired.

"...your brother."

"I don't have a brother."

"Okay...Orange hair, long face."

"Doesn't ring a bell." 

"Left you after 2004 and you saw him again in Italy in 2011."

"Uhm...am i supposed to be really excited that i have a brother or sad you're joking?"

"Come on, you two look alike. Exactly alike. Except you're a girl and he's XY." William leaned back into his chair.

I averted my eyes and stared into his face. "Tell me more."

"He's smart, does what you tell him, and brilliantly good at art."

"Hmm...I see. So when can i see this brother i have that my parents won't admit to?"

"You don't want to know how you two got separated? I'd be more than happy to tell you." 

"Wait, tell me one thing...is he hot and taller?"

"I knew you would ask that." Sigh. "Yes."

That kind of made me feel better. Knowing my brother was well equipped with the powers of seduction is a great necessity to life. Just kidding. 

"So tell me more...which side of the family does he look like?" I crossed and uncrossed my legs on the carpet back in  William's dorm. I know my mom has an oval face with straight white pearls and hair as silky as... chinese silk. And my dad is the average joker you'd find entertaining on the Tonights Show.

At 7'o clock and i'm already feeling so lonely, Even in William's company. Suddenly, a gust of wind blew in from the window. I pulled my denim covered legs closer towards my chest and shivered. I felt an luminous light outside around me like the energy stealing from within all disseminating away from my body, the true system in need of energy. I felt so powerless and miserable, like i was lacking something very important. Closing my eyes as everything started to blur in odd shapes, i clutched my body and swayed back and forth. 

I heard William cuss like never before and in a split second he had wrapped his arms around me in a warm, strong hold and pressed his lips to my neck, demanding me to do the same but drink. Only his warm lips remained upon my neck and that was the last thing i wanted to feel until i opened my eyes again and see his soft neck right in front of my vision. At that moment, i felt an urge to drink, the one and only purely red blood. Which means i'm bloodlust...and he's my prey.

Sucking, so lame i thought. Sucking blood from William, a miracle to be alive. Did i say William isn't helpful at times? Not an equal, but more like a servant. Because that night i found out, he doesn't need blood at all. Lucky humans. Luckier vampires. Face it, my mom was one and my dad was normal, growing old by the second. Not saying i'm turning snobbier but the thing is, i'm trying to embrace my new life. It felt like the lock unlocked and i finally reached the age to be a vampire, 17 years old. Downside, i'll feel this new hunger like i've never felt before, but i can control my meals, it's no big deal.

Oh my f*****g god, this tastes so good. I clutched William's neck that was growing more limp as the time passed and realized i finally had to stop. So my thirst was finally quenched. I tore away from his neck and placed him nicely onto the bed. Wiping my mouth and then finally thinking of putting a band-aid on that spot, i rushed to the bathroom to get the towel to clean his wound and use the band-aid. Thank you, William for the meal.

Determined to catch a glimpse of myself in the mirror because i heard the books say beings are prettier after the transformation, i looked and it was about the same. Oval face, sapphire eyes, and full lips. Maybe my skin turned paler or i was vampire from the beginning. Anyhow, i felt completely replenished and will use my newly gained vampire senses to find my brother. Just to make sure William was okay, i sat on his bed and stroked his fingers. Just a servant and nothing more. Kind of sad, this feels to me. That's all he ever was. And i can't fall in love with him. 

One last glance at his sleeping body and i stole into the night, in search for my Renji.

Suddenly, it hit me like a pang of shock. I faced the proud ocean of Hawaii, standing relentlessly on the cragged rocks in my bare feet. Away were my servant and college from Wisconsin. In will be my brother Renji and soul mate Jeffrey. My intuition tells me this. I just know it. Then will come the real good times I’ll remember and treasure the most.

A cold wind blew against my chest, trying to tug me off the rock. I jumped off of it, not that it was comfortable anyway. Walking on the sand and going over the various vampire traits in my head. So far I got, heals fast, smart, superhuman strengths…wait, if my father wasn’t a vampire, but my mother was, doesn’t that make me “half”? Muttering, no, and shaking my head. I can’t be. I just can’t. But I haven’t feasted on blood since I was born. Suddenly I remember that goodness my mother fed me just before she sealed me with a touch of her finger. For seventeen years I’d been nothing but acted like a mere human. I must be a pure vampire. If my mother was, then my dad, who wasn’t…was he? No, he must be. He has to be. I am a pure blood and so is my brother.

Following my intuition again, this time it is stronger in my vampire form. Renji is…in New York. Men’s intuition is never as strong as a women’s so they use a hacking device to track. Which is as good as it gets, not naturally. I don’t like to hack because it’s too much for a girl like me. I have tried but it failed miserably with too many viruses. Anyways, back on my brother. I hope I find him, my soul mate, and my family.

I like William but we are not the same. Once a vampire, always a vampire. Same for humans. Vampires can suck vampires but it weakens them for a while so they use servants who they fatten them up like pigs. William isn’t fat. He’s just all muscles. With a playboy face that’s just my type to cuddle.

When vampires were first made in year 1700 by mere human experimentation, they didn’t know who they really were. They thought they were still the same as humans, but the blood sucking didn’t fit the mark. There was peace for a while until the vampires decided to feast on humans. Then all hell broke loose. For 2 years vampires were exposed and hunted. The smarter ones stayed hidden. The weaker ones died. There became lines of adroit vampires who survived on humans secretly. Human blood is more precious than animal blood and vampire blood is even better.

Geez, I hope William does not die, I thought, as I wandered through the empty streets of New York. I realized I tend to drink just a little too much, just like the stray tabby I feasted on that afternoon, because in the next two hours, I saw that it had rolled over on its white belly and clearly passed out. Which of course, leads to death. Not that the same thing will happen to William, since I can still feel his presence. Due to the strength of my vampire powers. But he’s just my servant right? In all misconstrued beliefs, a playtoy.  On the otherhand, my family and soul mate are still alive and that’s all it matters. The chose race to live forever.

Walking over to the next alley in the gloom of the night-the downtown is broken down houses and shattered windows where the city is sparkling lights and tall buildings-I miss some company. In my caramel blazer and denim jeans where my legs were starting get cold from the cool air seeping through my jeans…and the mist settling in above just so that I can’t see more than 10 feet in front of me. I picked up my pace, fast walking in a straight line and jumping over cars with ease, passing shops, just to where my heart directs me to go. Then finally, weary and tired, I pulled myself to an abandoned shack on the top of a building. Five stories high and it was 12:00 am. I do not need that much sleep so 3 hours is fine for me.

Then off I go, leaping into the night for another turn of events.

Some part of me expected him to come early to see me, but some part of me wanted to find him, taking my sweet time. I want what I want. And, Rial won’t leave his baby sister alone, would he?

If I tried, I can still feel his thoughts and state of mind. It’s very faint, since we haven’t shared blood in like forever. I can feel that he’s waiting for me, and has prepared me everything I need for the future. My older brother.