My World And Welcome To It, III

My rebirth into a vampire was the best thing that could have happened to me.

I'll never forget that night. The men were away hunting when our village was raided. We were snatched out of our homes and herded into the village center. They killed all the elders, then shackled us--the women, children and the few men who'd stayed behind--and marched us through the countryside. Many of us died along the way, including both my babies. My twins, in their sixth year.

We finally reached the sea where the biggest ship I'd ever seen lay at anchor. The night before we were to sail, my grandfather came to me. I thought I was seeing a ghost. He'd disappeared on a hunt many years before. He told me what would happen to us and said he could save me. But I had to trust him. I said yes--what else was I to do? The last thing I remember before blacking out was the sting of his teeth piercing my neck. I don't remember much after that, just bits and pieces, like a dream. The only thing I really remember was my thirst. How it burned!

Then I just seemed to wake up. Grandfather was by my side, holding my hand. A crowd of strangers surrounded us. They stared at me. I was afraid but Grandfather held me, stroking my braids. I felt so weak. He told me many months had passed since he took me away and I was now a vampire. The people around us--vampires too, for the most part--were my new family. I was still frightened but they were very kind, feeding me from their bodies until I was strong enough to manage on my own.

Some vampires hypnotize unwilling humans to make them docile but I've never taken blood from a human who wasn't willing to share. There are many vampires who feel the way I do, though you wouldn't know it from all those horrible stories humans tell about us. Ah, well. Humans are what they are, and always will be.

It's funny, but almost three centuries later I still find it ironic that I had to die in order to live.