Tayanna: A Vampire's Tale

Chapter Ten: Birthday gifts and wishes

PART TWO
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It's been four years and there was to be a masquerade ball in the honour of my sixteenth birthday. I sat in my new room, it was themed red and black like the rest of the castle.

We had redecorated Castle Dracula a year after Van Helsing was killed and things became calmer.

I slipped off the stone platform I slept on instead of in a coffin, and walked over to my vanity. I sat down and stared at the empty mirror. I knew I could not see my reflection but over the years my magic had gotten stronger and I was able to control it better. If I tried hard enough my reflection would appear for a few seconds before disappearing again.

I still had long black hair and pale skin but I was older looking. Father told me I had the power to grow up and stop aging when I wanted to, so I wasn't stuck in the body of child forever. Although I briefly saw my reflection, Dracula would tell me what I looked like, in detail. He told me that my eyes were like Aleera's only a greyish blue.

I concentrated on myself and my reflection flickered in the mirror. In the bottom of the mirror I saw a flicker of pink and Aleera came and sat down on the vanity bench beside me.

She looked at the mirror and then turned to me smiling. She looked at me and examined my face.

"You're truly beautiful, my darling" She said, gently brushing the back of her hand on my cheek, "No mirror can ever reflect that"

She tapped a long fingernail on my nose and I giggled.

"Thank you, mother" I smiled.

Even though she was not my real mother, Aleera felt like one and I think she was more than happy when I first called her mother as a child. I was the daughter she never had and was the only child she'd ever have.

Aleera told me that Dracula wanted to see me and was up in the library. I left my room and walked through the lounge where our coffins used to be and up the stairs of the tower where Dr Frankenstein had created his monster which we made a library. I spent a lot of time there, I loved to read in the window sill, looking over Transylvania with book in my hand.

When I reached the top the stairs, Dracula was standing looking out the window. I came beside him and he wrapped his arm around me, smiling.

"You look happy?" I said.

"Do I?" He joked.

Over the years, he had shown more emotion. He was still a ruthless, sadistic vampire but he showed emotion towards me and Aleera. Aleera got all the attention she had craved for years.

"Well I guess it's because of you," He turned and looked at me, "Your such a beautiful child. My beautiful child"

He brushed the back of his fingers along my cheek.

"And I think you'll look exceptionally beautiful, in this..." He said and turned into the room.

I turned and a mannequin stood in the centre of the room. On the mannequin was a beautiful black dress that puffed out and had long sleeves and a colour.

"It's wonderful" I said, feeling the fabric.

"For your birthday" Dracula said.

I turned and hugged him tightly, I was so excited for the masquerade ball. Even though I'd only know a few people there, most were my father's friends, but I was still so excited. Going to balls one of my favourite things to do, dancing and wearing beautiful dresses. Dracula, Aleera and I had gone to a few balls in the past but had never thrown our own, and our first one was for me, I was going to be the centre of attention and a shot of adrenaline shot through my icy veins just thinking about it.

The masquerade was tomorrow and I was having trouble sleeping from excitement and something else I could not quite place. So, I got up and went over to my desk. I opened one of the drawers and pulled out a piece of cloth, candles and a piece of white chalk.

I sat on the floor, on a non carpeted area. Using the chalk I drew a pentagram on the floor. Some people believe it's a sign of the devil but I disagree. My father does not wear a pentagram.

At each point of the star I placed a candle, one to represent each element, water, fire, earth, air and spirit. I sat cross legged and cupped my hands to my chest, closing my eyes, I breathed heavily.

I felt each candle light from the energy of my magic. I used the pentagram sometimes to calm myself, relieve all sorts of stress. Naturally I didn't use it very much, there was no need.

I stayed on the ground for a while, sitting calmly. Then, I started to feel pain. Not any particular type of pain, just pain, everywhere.

Suddenly, things started to flash in my mind. At first I thought they were memories but I had never seen them before. There was a flash of a party.  Then a flash of a boy with brown hair, it was so quick I didn't see his face. I saw someone else, with a crossbow, then a second later there were screams, then someone was on the ground. They felt like visions. I had read about them before, visions of a possible future. The last flash I saw was of a necklace. A black oval gem with a silver bat on it. After the last vision, everything went black and I collapsed to the ground.