The Writers' Circle

Prologue

    Karoline looked at her reflection in the mirror and admired the beautiful crimson dress that Remus had had his tailor make for her. Keeping her eyes on the mirror, she used her long slender fingers to organise her naturally curly brown hair.
   "I never asked you this before, Emetine, but how is it that I see my reflection?" Karoline called to the other room. "I thought my kind didn't have reflections?"
   "No," answered a voice. A short woman with dark hair and brown skin entered the room, carrying her mistress's box of jewellery. "It's only liquids that you have no reflection in."
   "Really?" She asked in a conversational tone. She picked up her glass of wine from her dresser and looked in. She didn't see her beautiful face looking up at her as she did in the mirror. She saw only the rings on her fingers hovering in the air over where her cheek should be. "Interesting," She put the glass back down. "I shan't be rowing boats on the river with neither Remus nor his parents any time soon."
   Emetine chuckled, as she was required to, being Karoline's handmaiden. "Of course not, Miss Flemming," She opened up the jewellery box and took out an ornate silver necklace adorned with a shining white crystal. She handed it carefully to her mistress. "And remember to wear this at all times." 
   Karoline took the necklace from her maid's hand and gazed at it, transfixed. "What did you say this is again?"
   "It's an amulet, containing a caliga gem." Emetine answered. "It absorbs the sun's rays, protecting your body from burning as long as you wear it."
   Karoline put it on, and admired her reflection again. "It's a little much, don't you think?"
   Emetine chuckled slightly. "Just say it's a family heirloom. I can't see your fiancé or Mr and Mrs Lance disagreeing with that, considering you've invented a past for yourself."
   "Yes," said Karoline. "Good idea. They already believe that I am a rich heiress whose parents died in a tragic accident. I'll just say that I inherited this." She looked at the mirror again and pulled a sad face, holding the crystal in her hand. "'It belonged to my mother'." Karoline let out a chuckle and slipped the jewel down the top of her dress. "They'll believe that."
   "Hmmm," Emetine replied absentmindedly. She was looking through the window and into the beautiful grounds. There, a handsome young man with strawberry blonde hair and brilliant green eyes sat, reading a book under a blossoming tree. Karoline turned to say something to her, and saw her eyeing the man.
   "Amadeus Greenway," she said, very matter-of-factly. The handmaiden turned around quickly and began to tend to her mistress's hair. "I see you're eyeing up the mayor's son, Emetine."
   "Of course not, Miss Flemming," she replied quickly. "I was just admiring the very enchanting tree. Pink blossom, if I am correct. All the way from Japan."
   Before Karoline could comment on that, there was a knock on the door and a handsome man with dark, wavy hair, a pale white face and beautiful shining blue eyes entered.
   "Remus," Karoline said, surprised, walking over to him and embracing him in her arms. "I wasn't expecting to see you so soon. The wedding's tomorrow."
   "I know, but..." Remus's sapphire blue eyes darted in the maid's direction.
   "Oh," Karoline said nervously. "Emetine, you're excused." 
   Emetine left, with a courteous nod to the couple. Karoline turned back to her fiancé. "What is it you wanted to say?" 
   "Ummm..." Remus was obviously very nervous and distressed for some reason. Sweat poured from his brow down his pale, handsome face. "I just... wanted us to talk about our future." He managed a quick smile and sat in the chair Emetine had previously been occupying, in front of the window.
   Karoline was wary. She wasn't sure what was going to happen. Thoughts raced through her head.
   Does he not want me anymore?
   Do his parents no longer approve?
   Does he not love me enough to marry me?
   Remus gestured towards the chair in front of her dresser. "Come, sit by me." He said. Karoline did so and sat at the chair. She smiled nervously. "Closer." He said impatiently. She took a step back. He was never ever angry. He let another smile flicker across his face. "Please." 
   Karoline moved the chair in front of the window, the sunlight streaming onto the both of them. She could feel the crystal on her chest vibrate a little as the sun's rays first touched her, but it soon stopped. She sat next to her soon-to-be husband.
   "Could you pass the wine?" Remus asked. He sounded a little relieved for some reason. Karoline had no idea what was going on, but smiled a little and said 'of course' before handing him the glass of wine from her drawer, along with the bottle and another glass. He filled up one, which he sipped from, and began to refill the other before he caught sight of the beautiful jewel, which he could just see as Karoline put the bottle back on the drawer. "That's an interesting necklace you have, Karoline."
    "Why, yes it is." She answered, still nervous of what he was going to say. "I... got it from my mother after she and my father died." She lifted the jewel from inside her dress and gazed at it. As her eyes lingered on the beautiful crystal, Remus pulled out a tiny bottle from his pocket and poured its contents into the other drink. He passed it to her. "Thank you, Remus." She put it onto her dresser. "Now, what did you come here to say? It's bad luck to see the bride before the wedding." She chuckled slightly.
   "Ummm... why don't you have a drink first? Good for the nerves." 
   "Sure." She took a mouthful from her glass and put it back down. "Now then, what did you-?" She stopped dead in her sentence as she began to cough violently. Her hands reached for her throat as she collapsed from her chair. Remus stood up quickly, but made no effort to help her. Karoline's throat felt as if it was burning, and it soon felt like her entire insides were aflame. She screamed and writhed in agony, screaming her fiancé's name, but all he did was stand and watch, though a tear rolled down his cheek. Suddenly, the door flew open and a tall stern man similar in appearance to Remus marched in.
   "Father!" Remus cried. "You were right, she is a demon!"
   "Get back, son!" He ordered. Remus stepped back and leaned against the wall. He saw the tear on his cheek in the mirror and quickly wiped it away. He couldn't bear to watch as his father, Mr Lance, lifted up the screaming Karoline.
   "Remus!" She cried. "Help me!" But all he did was look away. She was carried outside by Mr Lance, and struggled in vain, as she could hardly move because of her excruciating pain, which seemed to be expanding through her body, burning her from the inside. 
   "Remus!" Karoline was being carried down the long corridor now, almost unable to move, but trying to fight the poison. She tried to kick Mr Lance as he carried her across the courtyard and into a dark room that contained only a crucifix on the wall and a huge pile of wood heaped in the centre of the room. 
   "Emetine!" Karoline cried out. Surely she would find that she was gone and rescue her? But nothing replied to her call.
   Mr Lance lay her down on the pile of branches and grabbed a bracket from the wall, which was alight.
   "Your kind are not welcome here, foul demoness." Mr Lance declared before punching her in the face. It felt to Karoline as though her entire face had collapsed in on itself, and she let out a final broken shriek before her screaming turned into mere sobs in-between her cries. 
   Mr Lance dropped the bracket onto the wood, which was alight with fire in mere seconds. Karoline felt the flames lick her body and burn her now-tattered dress given to her by her fiancé, who betrayed her. Her sobs vanished as she realised it was the end. Remus was not going to return. Emetine could not hear her cries, and Mr Lance wanted nothing more than to spit on her burnt-black corpse.
   However, despite the unbearable burning, the pain in her apparently broken nose and face slowly disappeared. Her eyesight, which was blurred by tears, seemed to enhance.
   Suddenly Karoline remembered what she was. 
   Filled with rage and contempt, she mustered the strength to stand amidst the flames and saw Mr Lance, who was on his knees praying, jump up and gasp in surprise and fear.
   Karoline leapt from what was to be her funeral pyre and landed in front of the man who tried to roast her; his own son's fiancée. He gazed into her rage-filled eyes for a moment that seemed to last forever, until Karoline felt two razor-sharp teeth erect from her upper gum and realised she must do what she had sworn never to do.
   She dug her fangs into Mr Lance's neck.
   He screamed in sheer pain and agony, while Karoline sunk her fangs deeper. She felt a warm trickle of blood drip into her mouth and marvelled at its wondrously satisfying taste.
   Not in a hundred years could she describe what her first blood tasted like. It was a smooth taste, but at the same time tasted like rusty metal. It was warm like the gravy she had always loved in life, but left her mouth feeling dry and cold afterwards. Realising the taste Lance hid inside his veins, she bit deeper.
   He yelled and dropped down to his knees while Karoline knelt down with him. He turned cold as Lilith drank his warm blood. His screaming faded as Karoline moaned with twisted pleasure.
   Soon enough, Mr Lance lay dead on the floor.
   Karoline slowly extracted her fangs from Mr Lance's neck. Even as she wiped her lips, which were covered in sweet, warm blood, she could feel her fangs sink back into her gums. She stood up and simply stared at the corpse of the man who would have been her father-in-law. However, she felt nothing.
   When she first became what she was, she swore never to hurt a human. It wasn't right. But now she found herself being precisely what she did not want to be.
   "Now for Remus." She muttered to herself as she stepped back into the sunlight, her once beautiful crimson dress barely held together, with her shining talisman dangling from her neck.
   She was a vengeful demon. An enraged beast.
   Karoline Flemming was a vampire, and no one was going to cross her and get away with it.

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Chapter 1 -
   Katharina Prescott sat on her bed rummaging through a box full of her parents' things. It was full of hundreds of different objects; the pocket watch her father always used to carry around with him and check every minute of the day, her mother's ornate emerald-encrusted butterfly hair-slide which she had always kept on her dresser but only ever actually worn during rare formal occasions, especially on Halley's Day, the anniversary of Parkview's founding.
   Kat found a large leather book that she recognised immediately. It was her parents' photo album, and it still smelt from when Jaden spilt lemonade all over it when he was five and Katharina was seven. She smiled as she turned the slightly stained pages and saw the numerous pictures of her and her mother in matching dresses for Halley's Day and Christmas, with her dad and Jaden stood looking awkward in suits and Gertie, their golden Labrador retriever, with a bow on her head.
   There was a knock on Kat's door. She lay back onto her soft blue bed with the album in her hands and gazed outside her window. 
   "Come in," she said. The door opened and a young woman with long brownish-blonde hair and piercingly blue eyes walked in.
   "Hey," the woman greeted. "Do you want me to make you something? You've got school soon."
   "No, I'm fine thanks, Aunt Bethanne." Katharina answered. "I'll get some toast on my way out."
   There was a moment of silence as Beth noticed the box on her bed. She approached her and sat next to her on the bed.
   "You looking through your parents' stuff?" She asked.
   "Yeah," Kat answered sadly. "I was looking for the butterfly for the June Celebrations."
   There was another moment of silence again. Beth knew exactly what was going through her niece's head.
   "It wasn't your fault, Kat," she said softly. "It was an animal attack."
   "But they were there in the forest because of me," Katharina argued.
   Before Bethanne could say anything comforting or that it definitely wasn't her fault, Katharina's mobile rang.
   "That's Jenny," she said, getting up. "I'll be going now."
   "Wait-"
   "- and I'll be staying over hers with her grandmother after school so I'll have dinner over there. Bye."
   She practically sprinted out the door and answered her phone on the porch.
   "Hi, Jenny," she greeted, not quite as happily as she meant to sound. "I'm on my way."

   Katharina approached the school. She walked past the all-too familiar sign reading; Ivory Hill High School, where she saw her brother, Kaden, speaking with his new girlfriend she had heard so much about.
   Normally, she would've stopped to make an embarrassing comment, but she was different now. Instead, she walked past them and to a red-haired girl stood at the bottom of the stairs up to the school, fiddling with her mobile.