The air felt heavy to breathe as I couldn’t help but cower behind Nene, who stood firm.
“Your little girl or sister doesn’t have to suffer if you come quietly.” Tania announced, “I’ll make sure you both are taken into custody.”
“Ah… So, they saw that? I thought I had been more careful.” Nene scowled at the vampire, who didn’t flinch at all. “Give in so you can kill us later? No thanks.”
Huh? Why are you lying?! It wasn’t you!
I wanted to speak, but the knot in my throat was making it impossible. The day in question occurred a month ago, and it was the last day I was allowed to leave our house unsupervised. A dying bird had caught my attention, triggering me to go to it. I didn’t even realize I stopped its time, furthering its suffering, until Nene found me.
I had trapped the poor soul in eternal pain, without even knowing it.
“Sometimes, you have to let go of things for them to be happy, Vivi.” She smiled, taking me inside, while the bird remained in a small box I had found for it.
That was when I learned why my father had always wanted me never to use my magic unless it was necessary. Most of my kin couldn’t even freeze time for themselves, let alone for another, yet I could do it without a single thought.
“Come clean, and the girl doesn’t have to come to harm.” Tania offered a way out for Nene by appealing to her motherly instincts.
“Do you expect me to believe a lie like that? From you, out of everyone here. Please, I know better than to trust a bloodsucker like you.” Nene gibed, taking a soft glance at me before quickly returning it to the vampire.
The entire time, I was shaking where I stood, fearing both the fall and what the woman would do to us.
“I never agreed with the hunt of your kin. Like I said, I can bring the girl to a family that’ll accept her for who she is. Of course, your fate may be different, unless you work with me to find those monsters.” The vampire offered her a way out of this.
All it did was cause Nene to shake her head and smirk. Her body suddenly stopped trembling as it relaxed, focusing on the woman in front of us.
“Well then, that’s even less reason for me to follow along with your plan,” Nene announced, extending her hand between me and her.
“Very well. I tried to be nice, but I grew bored of trying to reason with your kind. I’ll kill you and the girl if you don’t tell me where Cain and Lilith are!” Tania snarled at us; nostrils flared as her eyes shimmered brightly.
What did they do to deserve such hatred?
There was also a new feeling that was swelling within me, worse than when I had my nightmares. Knowing there was no escape from the female vampire, who was intent on catching us. Nene smashed the pouch that held a few more of those ours into her palm before throwing them on the ground toward her.
What happened next was too fast for me to react to. Picking me up in her arms, she jumped towards the cliff behind us as a blue light blinded me soon after. The only thing I could feel was Nene holding me close to her as we were in freefall. The sound of branches snapping filled the air as she held me tightly against her.
I felt air flush through my hair before it ended with a loud thud. Fluttering my eyes open, my guardian slowly released me from her grip as I found myself safely nestled on her bosom. Acting much as a cushion, she took the brunt of the blow, and my body ached slightly because of it.
The only reason the complaints didn’t leave my lips was because of the blood that pooled from her head and onto the grass below her. There were cuts and rips all over her clothes and body from falling against the trees above us.
I didn’t know what was wrong with her, but it didn’t look good. At this point, I still didn’t know what death truly meant, but she reminded me of the bird I had trapped. Nene put it out of its misery when she took me inside and probably didn’t know I was watching. She had buried it under a tree near the house, which must’ve been when a neighbor saw her.
Much like the bird, darkness was falling in her eyes as they appeared heavy. A chill gripped my core as more tears trailed down my cheeks, and I reached for her dress.
“Vi… vi…” Nene softly spoke, still clinging to life.
Roars came from the top of the cliff we had been on moments before.
“Nene!” I cried, stuffing my face into her chest.
Her warmth still radiated to my skin.
Ah… I know I must move! I promised I would, but how can I go without you?!
Shaking my head, I slapped my face, trying to shake away the emotions that were trying to confuse me. Taking a deep breath, I attempted to help her up, only to fail at lifting even one arm. She was too heavy for my little body to handle, as blood stained my clothes because of it.
“Go… Vi…” Her words slurred as groans left her soon after.
That was when I realized the same red substance that dripped from her head and pooled into the ground below us. It was coming from her lips, too. I was unaware that she had multiple broken bones and a fractured skull. There was no way I could save her with the power I had, but I wanted to.
I needed to save her. She was my protector.
My Nene.
Luckily, my powers were still too dormant for me to manifest them willingly. The brooch also kept them in check, which was why my father gave it to me. Sometimes my magic would be too intense for it to keep it back, but this was an entire human, not a little bird.
“No!” I cried, trying to help her up, only to hear her scream in pain because of my action.
With every attempt to help her, things only got worse. Immediately, I stopped trying, shifting my gaze to my hands as they were warm and wet with fresh blood. In her hand was the pouch she had used to store the orbs.
“Live… for me…” Nene breathed as I grabbed onto her hand, only for it to fall limp soon after.
Her eyes turned cold as the light dimmed and her pupils dilated fully. This was a moment burned into me for an eternity.
“Nene!!! Nene!!! Please! Don’t leave me!” I broke down, tears streaming like a raging river down my cheeks.
The only thing that stopped me from spiraling was inhuman noises that came from above me, triggering me to gaze up to see a shadowy monster’s blue eyes staring back at me. It felt like they pierced through me from the top of the cliff as it cocked his head at me.
Never in my life had I been stared at as if I were a tasty meal to be feasted on. In an instant, I immediately got on my feet, running at full speed away from there. Blindly, I bolted through the forest, trying to erase the images burned into me while knowing a monster was right behind me.
However, Nene’s light dimming and the beast’s lustful gaze on me stained my mind. No matter where I looked, that image kept replaying as I tumbled my way through the evergreens that surrounded me.
Why did this have to happen?!