The Secrets of Lore Seymour

27. A Glimpse Into the Past

21 Years Ago

Warning: Gore and sexual assault.

Saul always poked fun at me for being babied. I didn't get up as early as everyone else, although Mama always told me that they let Saul sleep in when he was seven too. He was teasing because that's what older brothers did. As much as I fought back, as much as we called each other names, I didn't actually mind the attention. Saul was the cool older brother who worked hard and was beloved by everyone in town. I tried to be like him, someone Mama and Papa could rely on.

Mama and Papa were the epitome of great parents. They held me when I cried, told me stories when I was scared, let me try new things and never got disappointed when I became disinterested. Papa showed every ounce of love he had for all of us; dancing with Mama for no other reason than just because. Taking Saul and I on fishing trips where we'd end up spending more time swimming or playing in the mud. And Mama never lost in terms of affection. She smothered us with love and ensured we learned even if we didn't have the money for better schooling.

I loved my family with every fiber of my being. Never once did I imagine that we'd be separated. Death felt imaginary, so far away that it hadn't even crossed my mind, especially not on that day that was so exceedingly ordinary I couldn't have ever guessed what was about to happen.

In the mornings, Mama usually kept me in the kitchen to help clean up after breakfast. I wiped the crumbs from the table and carried the dirty dishes to the sink. Mama patted my head, thanked me, and started to wash the dishes--that was when Papa screamed.

Mama leapt back from the sink, gripping me so tightly that it hurt. I think I told her so, but she couldn't hear me over the panic and Papa's continued shouting. He cursed, screamed, then called for Mama and me to run. But from what? That's when we first heard them; their laughter overtaking Saul and Papa's anguished cries.

"Mama," I whimpered, peering up at her expression of horror that sent me into a crying fit. I didn't know what was happening, but I understood it wasn't good. My lungs ached, legs shook, and soon I couldn't move at all.

Mama threw a hand over my mouth when Papa and Saul's cries went eerily silent. All I heard were our erratic breaths, then the soft creaking of the floorboards as she moved us towards a bedroom. A stranger kicked in the front door. The cold winter air stung my eyes. When I blinked away the pain, a vampire with red eyes stood in the doorway soaked in blood. His fingers kept twitching next to his side and the veins beneath his skin were so dark they resembled the roots of a tree ripping out of the dirt. The man lunged towards us. Mama screamed and flung me out of the way.

"Run, Seren, run!" She pleaded while narrowly grabbing the vampire's wrists.

"How feisty," he growled, meeting Mama's glare with a wicked smile. "I like that in a woman. Keep it up. It'll make what's coming even better."

Mama gripped his wrists so tight her nails pierced his skin. She whispered strange words that sounded like what the physician said to me when I was really sick. But Mama didn't heal him like the doctor did me. A dull white light slipped around her hands. She snapped his wrists like they were twigs.

The vampire howled. Another vampire stepped into the house, looking as mad and strange as he did. She let out a deranged laugh at what she saw, "What fun, we stumbled on a mage!"

Although the man's wrists were broken, he swayed them left to right. They snapped back into place. He licked the blood from where his bones once pierced the skin, then said, "A weak one, but that's better than nothing. She's mine, Vinah. You can have the kid."

"You won't touch him!" Mama screamed. She kicked at him, then tackled the woman, Vinah, when she came towards me. "Run, Seren!" Mama begged.

I went for the bedroom, hoping to get out through the window. The door slammed shut. No matter how much I tugged the handle, the door wouldn't budge. The only escape was through the front door, which the two vampires stood before.