The Writers' Circle

The small child lay in her bed, keeping her breathing slow and squeezing her eyes shut. A strand of her dry, uneven chocolate hair slid down, tickling her nose. It took all of seven-year old Sarah Tokagi's self control to keep from sweeping it back out of her face. Just when she couldn't bare it any longer, the clock struck ten, making her heart leap into her throat. She heard the footsteps of the old, cranky nun, Sister Ruth, who checked on the orphans every night. Though they called it a 'convent', it was more like a prison to little Sarah. The children were watched by vulture-like nuns and priests. When the door closed and the nun's footsteps had died away, Sarah threw the blankets off her. She was dressed in some normal cloths she'd 'found'; a t-shirt and sweatpants. Sneakers too. Too many questions would arise if people saw a seven-year old girl in one of the uniforms the children were forced to wear at the Vatican orphanage.  Sarah tip-toed over to the first story window and slid it openly as quietly as she could; it still creaked. Sarah froze, hoping not to wake any of the twelve other girls she shared the room with. As Sarah had feared, the girl closest to the window, five-year old Jenna, stirred and sat up.
	"Saraaaah?" Jenna asked sleepily in her high soprano voice.
	"Go back to sleep Jenna, I'm just letting some cold air in, you seemed hot." Though she was only seven, Sarah had a higher maturity level than most of the teens at the orphanage, and she was very clever. She'd always been able to convince Jenna to do what she told her. Even to stop crying when she missed her parents.
	"Okaaaaaaay," yawned Jenna, plopping back onto her pillow.
	Sarah sighed in relief and slid first one pale leg, then another out the window so she was sitting facing outside; facing freedom.
	"I'm coming, mommy and daddy," she whispered to herself, and then she pushed herself out the window and fell the four feet between the window and the ground. She landed with a soft thud and began running into the clear, starry night.

	It had been hours, and Sarah had finally realized what a poor plan this has been. She had no clue what her parents looked like, where they lived, what their names were. All she knew was that they were alive. She didn't even know how she knew that. She just knew.
	A growling sound came from behind Sarah, and she whipped around. A huge dog was growling at her, baring its teeth and preparing to pounce. Sarah didn't even bother to scream. She just ran. She ran and ran till she felt her legs would collapse under her, and then she ran some more. She turned down an ally and tripped, landing on her hands and scraping them, making them bleed. The dog stopped outside the ally, but wouldn't come in. It just whined before turning tail and fleeing. Sarah sat and leaned against a wall, trying to control her breathing. She gasped for air for a while, but she didn't cry. She had never cried. It's not that she thought it was weak; in fact she thought it was amazing. She just couldn't. When she was finally calm enough to take in her surroundings, she saw what must have scared the dog away and saved her life. A man was leaned against the wall across from her, passed out. His silver hair gleamed in the moonlight, along with something that was barely revealed by his slightly gaping mouth. With a start, Sarah realized the man had fangs. Very long and sharp looking fangs. Instantly she knew the man for what he was. A sworn enemy of her people, the Vatican. A vampire.
	Sarah stood, prepared to run for her life again, but as she took the first step, the vampire groaned and opened his eyes. His striking silver eyes held Sarah in place as though she was hypnotized. But really, she was terrified. The vampire seemed to sense this.
	"Do not fear me, child. I am not your enemy," he said, "My name is Lexington. Lexington Bleu, of the Bleu Covenant. What's your's?"
	"Sa...Sarah," she stuttered. The vampire smiled, and even though it showed his fangs more than ever, it was a warm, kind smile. It made Sarah unafraid. 
	"Sarah. That's a very pretty name. It means 'princess'. Where are your from, Sarah? Why do you roam these streets so late at night? Do your parents not worry about you?"
	"I am trying to find them," Sarah answered.
	"Ah, you are lost," Lexington realized.
	"No, I live at the orphanage. I ran away to find my parents. But then I realized that was silly of me. I have no clue where to find them," Sarah corrected, then continued, "Mr. Lexington, are you hurt? This city is very dangerous for vampires, though I'm sure if anyone got to know you, they'd think you're not so bad as the priests tell us."
	"In a way, you could say I am injured. It has been a while since I have... fed."
	"Oh." This gave Sarah something to ponder. Should she offer some of her blood to the vampire? Surely he wouldn't kill her. But if he bit her, would Sarah become a vampire too, if she didn't die? A drip on the ground disrupted Sarah's thoughts. She glanced down and saw that the palms of her hands were blood filled. She'd injured herself pretty badly when she'd fallen, and now the flood was pouring over onto the.... Sarah's head snapped up.
	"If I gave you some of the blood from my scrape... well... would that be okay?" she asked nervously.
	A shocked, then strange look appeared on Lexington's face. On the one hand, he needed the blood. But on the other, he didn't want to take the chance he might hurt the girl, even though he was very old, even for a vampire, and very experienced in self control. Finally, the want to survive won. He very gently and very slowly took Sarah's hand, and, keeping eye contact to be sure she wouldn't change her mind, drank some of the blood from her hands. He drank all that was there (which was quite a bit; it seemed the girl's blood had a low platelet count). When she was still bleeding after a few minutes, and her already pale face looked even paler, Lexington picked up a broken piece of glass off the asphalt and cut his own palm.
	"Drink, before the wound heals," he said, offering his palm to Sarah.
	"Wh...what will it do to me?" asked the frightened Sarah. She wondered if it would change her, or make her into some kind of vampire slave. 
	"It will heal your hands, and make you stronger. It will also create a bond between us, so that I will always be able to find you if you need me. It is my way of thanking you."
	Sarah thought for a moment. She knew she was weak. The doctor had said there was something wrong with her blood, and that she had some heart problems as well. She was about to drink when another thought crossed her mind.
	"What if you die?" she asked quietly.
	"Then the bond will be passed on to my oldest 'creation'. My son, Soeya Bleu," Lexington explained.
	Knowing this, Sarah took a deep breath and quickly drank before she changed her mind. As the warm, sticky liquid flowed down her throat, she felt her wounds heal. She felt stronger, as though she could play forever instead of having to take a break every fifteen minutes. She even felt color enter her skin for what seemed like the first time, and her hair felt soft and smooth. Somehow, she even knew when to stop. As she pulled away, Lexington's hand healed. He looked healthy and strong again. There was even a little gleam in his eye that made him look younger than he had before.
	"Now, Sarah. Shall I return you back to the orphanage?"
	Sarah thought for a moment. She didn't know where her parents were, and she couldn't ask for Lexington's help after he had already repaid her. She nodded tiredly, realizing she was exhausted. Lexington sat up in a kneeling position, and helped Sarah climb piggy-back on him.
	"Hold on tight," he said with a bit of laugh in his voice. Then he took off. Sarah giggled and 'wee'd. It was so much fun, and Lexington ran very fast. He laughed with her, seeming to enjoy her company. Too soon, Lexington was setting Sarah on the window sill to the orphanage. Sarah felt she would have cried if she could have. She knew it was time for him to go, but he had been the only person she could remember who had been truly kind to her, not just tolerant like the nuns and priests. She hugged him, and he whispered in her ear:
	"If you ever need me, call out my name, and I shall be there," he hesitated, as though he wanted to say more. Instead he kissed Sarah lightly on her forehead, and disappeared into the night. The clock chimed two, making Sarah jump again. She quickly hopped into the room and climbed into bed, pretending to be asleep as she had before. After Sister Ruth left, Sarah kicked off her shoes and got comfortable. Then, she slept.