When Elara opened her eyes, she wasn't sure what she was looking at.
The usual white ceiling they had at home was now replaced with a dark stone. A chandelier smacked in the middle, faintly glowing.
The air was much colder and there was an eerie silence. No passing cars and even her neighbor's television which was on basically most of the time couldn't be heard right now.
She sat up quickly.
This wasn't her bed and she definitely wasn't in her room.
Her eyes quickly studied the space and her breath hitched. To say it was pretty would be an understatement. The glass windows extended from the ceiling to the floor showing off a silhouette of glowing architecture.
The walls were lined with art and fixtures and while it was a bit dark, the beauty of the room was undeniable. But that didn't change the fact that she didn't know where she was.
"Where-?"
"Oh gods, Lady Elara you're awake!"
Her head snapped to where the voice came from, only to be met with familiar eyes.
"Rowan?"
Aside from her parents, Rowan was the only other family member she knew. Well, she barely knew him.
All she would remember was him showing up to their house at random times throughout her childhood. Whenever that happened, her father would tell her to hide in her room and allow her to watch television as much as she wanted.
But even with the volume tuned up, she could still hear the arguing voices in the other room.
He'd always leave late without saying goodbye and at night, before she went to sleep, her mother would sneak into bed with her and remind Elara how much they loved her.
Rowan's face was first surprised then it turned into a smile. "You remember me,"
"My parents were scared of you."
"No, they weren't. They were scared of facing the truth."
"The truth?"
"Lady Elara, where do you think you are?"
"I have no fucking idea, Rowan. I don't know what kind of game you're getting at calling me Lady and shit, but I was just at home then…"
"Then what? You think what happened was just a normal part of human life, Elara?"
The words human life echoed back at her. Rowan had said it with such disdain that she knew her suspicions had been right all along. But how was it possible that her parents kept something this huge from her?
"No, this isn't possible. I grew up in Eastwoods, I have friends and I go to school. My life is normal,"
"They wanted to hide this part from you, Lady Elara. That's why Lady Celestine and Lord Darius did their best to suppress you,"
"No, my parents were Clara and Daniel. They weren't Lady or Lord whomever you are talking about. We're normal. Human," as if emphasizing the last word would make it truer.
"Elara,"
"You're a liar."
"Someone or something found you, okay? What your parents did was wrong. They knew that. And for the longest time, they got away with it. But someone… something found you, and the council has decided to bring you back."
"I don't want to go back. I want to go home,"
"This is your home now," he reached out a hand gently in an attempt to comfort her.
"No,"
As if at her command, Rowan winced in pain and pulled back his hand.
Before he could say anything else, Elara scanned the room and when she spotted a door, she knew it was her only chance.
So she made a dash for it.
"Lady Elara, wait!" she heard Rowan call out.
She didn't know where she was or where she should go, but anywhere was better than there. And maybe she'll finally get some proper answers.
As she rounded a corner, she bumped right into a tall figure, who immediately held her and stopped her from going any further.
Wanting to escape, Elara tried to channel the same energy as she did when she yelled at Rowan, but aside from a slight shift on the hold on her, the man didn't even flinch.
"Nice try, princess. But you need to do more than that to phase me."
When she looked up at him, she was stunned. It was him, the guy from the alley.
"Who are you? Why won't you leave me alone?"
"Unfortunately, as much as a nuisance this is to me as it is to you, I can't."
Elara wasn't sure what he was saying but all she knew was that she was trapped.
"Lord Cassius, thank you. My apologies, she almost escaped again."
"Sir Rowan, make sure to keep her under a watchful eye. It seems that she has a tendency to run away the moment she can."
She hated being talked about as if she wasn't in the room with them. Elara started to tune them out as they discussed more about the council, while she was still in Cassius' hold. She tried to wriggle herself free from his grasp but he just tightened it the more she struggled.
While trying to make another attempt at being let go, something in the room shifts. She wasn't sure how, but Elara felt like something or someone powerful was in the room with them.
"Ah, Lord Cassius, sir Rowan. Glad you are here. And with Lady Elara, too." A gentle voice came from across the hallway.
"Elder Selene," Cassius bowed his head and Rowan got down to his knees.
"It is with perfect timing that you are here. I was tasked to pick up Lady Elara and bring her to the council room. Lord Cassius and sir Rowan, you are also expected to be there."
Her voice was not loud, but it had a firm tone to it that Elara didn't want to defy. She had a feeling she couldn't easily escape this time.
"Let me go at least," she growled at Cassius and to her surprise, he laughed.
He did let her go but the smirk lingered on his face.
The three of them tailed behind Elder Selena and were led down a hallway that was eerily silent until they reached a tall door, isolated from the rest.
Elder Selene knocked on the door and declared her presence along with our names.
"Thank you Elder Selene for bringing around Lady Elara. And I see you have Lord Cassius and sir Rowan as well." an old man seated at the head of the table stated.
Both Cassius and Rowan bowed while Elara stood in defiance.
"Lady Elara, it is with utmost importance that you bow to the Elder council." Rowan whispered at her urgently.
"I don't even know who they are," she said matter-of-factly.
"It is alright sir Rowan as she is still not familiar with us or the customs. She will soon learn, at which of course, we will then hold her accountable for any sort of disrespect."
Everyone seated at the table shared looks. Their expressions ranged from amusement to hostility, but no one spoke.
The man seated at the head gazed at her with an observing look. He tilted his head and his silver hair glinted with the movement.
"Lady Elara," his voice was calm but commanding. "I am High Elder Horace Kael. You currently stand before the council that governs our world."
Elara exhaled sharply and narrowed her eyes. "That explains nothing. And what do you mean about our world?"
Rowan shifted beside her. "Lady Elara, please,"
"No, fuck this. I wake up in a strange world and you all tell me my life is a lie, but no one is giving me proper answers. I think I deserve an explanation before anyone lectures me about manners."
Horace nodded, acknowledging her point as the other elders whispered amongst themselves.
"Then tell us what you remember," Horace requested and it catches Elara off for a second.
The room suddenly fell silent and all eyes were now on Elara.
"I woke up with a bad feeling and I knew I had to look for my parents. When I found them in our living room, they were dead and blood flooded the floor."
As she recalled the story, she felt her tears well up. This was the first time she was fully able to think about her parents being dead.
Rowan stood up and rubbed his hand along her back.
"I remember not even being able to process what was happening when someone was there. I don't fully remember what happened but they knocked me out again."
"Did you see who it was?" someone at the table had asked.
She shook her head. "I woke up again and it was all gone. Their bodies, the blood. All gone. I thought I dreamt it but when I looked around, they really were gone."
Elara paused. The vial. She could still feel the necklace around her neck. But she had a feeling this was something she needed to keep to herself for now.
Rowan stared at her. "You never told me any of this."
"How could I? I don't even trust you,"
His mouth forms a straight line and he nodded, realizing she was right.
"I heard the police arrive. So I ran, afraid they were going to blame me. I don't know how I did it. I outran them and ended up in an alley, where… I think I drank human blood. And then, he brought me here." She pointed her finger at Cassius who had a blank expression on her face.
A quiet pause followed. A few minutes passed before one of the other elders spoke up.
"She has fed. She has awakened."
Another voice answered. "Yes, she has."
A third voice then cut through the room.
"Can you feel it too?"
The chamber went still, everyone now staring at Elara.
"It is faint, but it is there. She must possess it."
Elara frowned. "Someone tell me what's going on?"
None of them answered her immediately.
Instead one of the elders studied her carefully before asking, "Lady Elara, do you know what a veinmark is?"
She shook her head, but the question made her chest tighten and her side burned. The feeling her parents brushed off as intuition now flared.
A quiet murmur passed around the table. Her parents' names were mentioned and how she had been suppressed greatly.
Another voice spoke thoughtfully. "If the suppression placed on her held for this long, the manifestation could have been delayed."
"What do you mean, Elder Cassara?" Horace had finally spoken up.
"There is precedent for delayed manifestation. A case centuries ago where suppression prevented the mark from appearing until adulthood."
The council began quietly debating among themselves.
Elara felt irritation rising again. "You keep talking about my parents like you knew them," she said sharply.
"So answer me something," Her gaze moved across the table. "Was it any of you who killed them?"
Rowan inhaled sharply. "Lady Elara,"
"No. I was dragged here for whatever reason, so the least anyone could do for me is to tell me the truth."
Horace watched her carefully before answering. "The circumstances of your parents' death are being investigated."
"That's not a proper answer,"
"Well, it's the only one we have." Horace's voice this time was raised, and this time it scared Elara.
"Regardless, Lady Elara," he continued. "You are here now and you require training. Young vampires such as yourself are enrolled in Umbra Scola where you will learn discipline, control, and the laws of our society."
It was the first time the word "vampire" has been said directly and hearing it made her pulse heat up.
She was dumbfounded. "You want me to go to school? A vampire school?"
Cassius snickered. "That's one way to describe it."
Horace cleared his throat. "This has always been the way of our kind. And you know Lady Elara, even if you deny it, something inside you knows that this is where you belong. Your questions will be answered in time and maybe Umbra Scola will lead you to these answers."
Another elder at the table, one who had been quiet the whole time, raised her hand.
"Elder Nyxara?"
"What if she possesses it? The veinmark?"
"If the veinmark manifests, then Lady Elara will no longer be an ordinary member of our society," Horace began, "She will have the throne waiting for her."