The days of darkness that followed the Dead War set into motion the dominance of vampires over everything else, unquestioned. Even now the vampires have to keep the human's leashes tight to stop rebellion. I Don't blame the vampires for being mad. But then again I don't blame the humans for also being mad, however it WAS the fault of the humans in the beginning. I guess they are just getting what they deserve after all these hundreds of years.
But don't think that vampires have stoped the evolution of technology and regressed into the dark ages, for we've gone further. In fact, since the take over, the race for technology has boomed incredibly. We now have HC's or Hover Cars, and cities are built up rather than out. Vampires need the countryside as well, you know.
Don't think that they've forgotten pleasures either, for I am the manager and head of one of the most popular Raves in our city. Well...I'd like to think so. Everything comes hard ever since I became a vampire, though. My Sire died while making me so our minds combined. You can't imagine what it's like for the male-female contradiction. My born female half, Aria; and my male mind, Trebor. Now we are called Artre.
Don't think of us as a conflict, but more of a merge. We don't actually think in any one way so think in our own way. We just ARE and we just BE. We watch over the Rave, we go home, have our meal and sleep the day away. The next night we have our meal and go to work and the night starts all over. I know it isn't exciting, but it's a living.
Hm…5 in the winter morning…closing time. We look out and see the workers cleaning up. We fetch our black, floor length trenchcoat and button up then fetch our fedora. Escuse me for being traditional…blame Trebor. Down the stairs we walk to the ground level and I signal to my employees that I'm leaving for the day. They bid me good day and I start walking home. I don't dare have my HC here in this neighborhood, so I walk it.
Maybe that restaurant I wanted to try is open… downt he dining district we find that everything is closed. Damn. Through the crunchy slush we walk, the snow so light it merely glitters in the available light. Ah…one reason to be existing… three more blocks and we reach our apartment, have a quick meal before bedtime and the rising of the sun.
Shutting ourself in Trebor's coffin we get comfortable and drift off to much needed sleep. That sleep broken when the crying of a small child wrang in our ears. The coffin's lid flung open. The desturbance is out in the hall… evening just came. We hop out and dash to the door to see what it's all about. The little blonde girl's mother is dead, bleeding on the floor. We hear the killer on the stairs heading down. Quickly reading his mind we see that he;s heading to ground floor.
Going in the opposite direction we reach the hall's window and open it to drop down five floors and land in time to be in front of the killer…a mortal. We snatch the man by the throat just to hold him there.
"What do you think you're doing?!??!" we demand.
Frightened the criminal screams. Ignoring him we mentally contact the law enforcement….other vampires, who arrive soon and I tell them and show them the crime. Taking the man awayI head back upstairs to my apartment wherein we find that little blonde girl. She looks at us innocently then shuffles her foot.
"Haven't you anywhere else to go? Any other family?" we ask.
"Uh uh…"
a man behind us speaks, "Umm…excuse me…"
we trun to look at the mouse of a man. "yes?"
"Umm… according to the governments housing and crime policies….it states that all parties involved in a homocide and survive are to care for the other survivors…."
"Meaning?"
"You…you…it is your job now to take care of her. Have a pleasant evening!" the man was gone as fast as he could run.
"Brave soul…" we turn back to the girl. "well it looks like we're bonded for life… what's your name? I'm Artre."
"C-laudia."
"I see. Pleased to meet you, Claudia. I'm your new parent. Now…I have work to go to. I can't very well leave you here. I guess you'll have to come with me."
"I want my mommy…"
"I know you do. But she can't be here….not ever again. I'm sorry. Now please…..do you have a coat and boots?"
"Mommy knows where they are…"
"whre do you live?"
Claudia pointed across the hall. We commented, "well that's easily solved. I guess we'll have to get your things and put them in here then, now that you are to live with me." we went to fetch her coat and boot and other winter geer, then went to suit her up, but Claudia backed away.
"Please, Cluadia. I'm already very late for work."
In response she went to hide under my desk. "hm….well I suppose we could take a 'sick day' off once." We called in and said that we'd call back at the end of the night to hear the earnings and business.
All that night we moved Claudia's things into our place and set up her bedroom area, for i only own a one room apartment. As we were making her bed I heard her quietly ask, "What's this?"
We loked over and saw that she was at our coffin. We admitted, "that is where I sleep."
"on top? It Don't look comfy."
"No. I sleep inside it."
"can I see?"
"i don't see why not…" we walked over and opened the coffins lid and hefted the little girl up to look inside.
"pretty cloth." She said about the red silk intereor.
"thank you."
"I'm sleepy….."
we looked at our pocket watch and saw that it was only midnight. However we remembered that this hour was late for young mortals. "alright. Lets get you ready for bed so you can sleep, alright?"
"uh huh." Claudia said as she rubbed her large green eyes. We dressed her in her night gown and went to tuck her into bed, underneath the pink pony comforter. "do you get a story or a song before you sleep?"
"no. mommy never did that."
"No?! would you like one?"
she gasped in delight. "Please??!!"
"certainly. I will sing you an old song that I know." We sang a song that Trebor knew from ancient times about a warrior who had a daughter and who fought for that daughter's safety and died doing his duty. The daughter continued on his legacy and passed it onto her children. The melody quickly put Claudia asleep as it soothed fears.
Afterwe realized that she was asleep we went to do some work at our desk before the work night was over then we called up the Rave and quietly conducted business. As Dawn approached we watched Claudia sleep a little before heading for sleep ourself. We shut ourself in our coffin, got comfortable and fell asleep.
As we slept we were brought to consciousness a few times when we heard giggling. Claudia must have been playing. Time passed slowly and it seemed a long time before we heard Claudia again this time very close. We heard her hands against our coffin and then knocking.
"Ari!!! Ari!! I'm hungry!!!"
the world outside was silent for a little bit before we heard the scraping of wood on wood. Some more silence and then the squeek of the hinges of our coffin. Our eyes snapped open and we grabbed Claudia in with us and swiftly shut the lid. She screamed in fright.
"Claudia! It's alright…. You're safe."
"its DARK!!!"
"I cannot be out in the light, Claudia. It will kill me."
"why?"
"because I am a vampire."
"why doesn't it kill me then?"
"Because you are human."
"but we look alike! Why aren't we the same??!!"
we smiled and said, "You are a good child, Claudia. Now please. I really cannot be exposed to sunlight. You can go to the phone and dial the number on the desk. Htat is for the manager. Tell him you are hungery and that I am sleeping. Arlight?"
"Okay…."
"good girl." We helped her out and said through the slightly open lid, "after the sun is completely down you can come wake me up, alright?"
"Okay!"
"have a good lunch, Claudia. I will make you dinner after sunset." And with that we went back to sleep.
It didn't seem all that long before we had to get up again. It felt like I was when Aria was mortal…that "five more minutes" rule needing to be imployed. But for a vampire there is no such rule… We sat up, at the same time opening the coffin lid and we looked around for Claudia.