It was a tense situation. The silence in the cabin was thick, an unspoken warning not to disturb it. Astraea wandered through areas she hadn't yet explored when she came upon a corridor. To her left hung a portrait of a striking blonde seated regally in a chair, a handsome red-haired man standing beside her, his arm resting possessively on the chair's back. Both of them beamed at the viewer. Astraea noted that the portrait was painted in 1764, a detail that surprised her more than it should have.
"What are you up to?" The sudden voice shattered the silence, causing Astraea to jump. She turned to see Ophelia, looking exactly as she had over two hundred and fifty years ago. Ophelia glanced at the portrait behind Astraea before returning her gaze to the girl. "What are you up to?" she repeated.
Astraea shifted her attention back to Ophelia. "I was just exploring the cabin." Ophelia nodded, then turned to leave.
"Avoid this hallway and the rooms in it." Despite their first exchange in five hours since Astraea had awakened, the tension in the air remained palpable. Astraea couldn't shake the feeling that it was connected to the ritual set to take place at midnight—a ceremony that hadn't been performed in over two hundred years, the last time being when Ophelia herself had been transformed. Ophelia was the only living soul who knew how to conduct it.
Obeying Ophelia's warning, Astraea exited the corridor, her curiosity about the forbidden area only intensifying. The allure of the abandoned hallway, as Astraea had named it due to the thick layer of dust, far outweighed her interest in the more accessible parts of the cabin.
Instead of continuing her exploration, Astraea chose to go outside. Sitting on the porch, she enjoyed the cool breeze, only to become aware of another presence beside her. Expecting to see David, she was surprised to find Ophelia's profile. "You are free to leave," Ophelia stated.
Confusion furrowed Astraea's brow. Ophelia, noticing her perplexity, elaborated, "Your heart is weeping. Whoever you met yesterday is nearby. Before you decide to approach him, find out who he is." With that, Ophelia stood and retreated inside.
Shaking her head, Astraea resolved not to seek out someone she didn't know. She didn't care who he was or that her soul cried for him; her loyalty to her country surpassed any need to discover the identity of an insignificant stranger.
Bored and restless, Astraea headed back inside to find David. Ophelia had insisted on handling the preparations for the ritual outside, warning Astraea and David not to interfere.
As she walked down the familiar hallway, Astraea guessed David might be in his room. Passing by her own door, she knocked on the one next to it. The creaking sound of the old door opening revealed David, and a smile broke across Astraea's face. "Can we talk?" she asked.
David stepped aside, allowing her to enter. He motioned to the bed, and she thanked him before sitting down. He joined her, sitting close.
"What did you want to discuss?" David asked, his gaze drawn to the door a few feet away.
Astraea took note of the way his brow furrowed, the dark circles under his eyes, and the chapped state of his lips. "Your mind seems elsewhere lately," she stated flatly. Following his gaze, she asked, "What's bothering you?"
His rugged features bore the weight of exhaustion. Astraea felt a pang of concern. David could have chosen to side with Astrophel and live a quiet life, but he had stayed with her instead. "Lay back," she urged, but he resisted.
"It's a command." David reluctantly reclined against the pillow, stretching his legs out.
Surprised, he looked on as Astraea kicked off her shoe and crawled up beside him. Wrapping her arm around him protectively, she whispered soothingly, "Sleep," and began to pet his hair like a mother soothing her child. Her voice alone was comforting, coaxing him toward slumber, and he hoped to avoid the nightmares that had plagued him the night before. As David's eyes fluttered shut, he quickly drifted off next to Astraea.
"Wake up!" Ophelia's voice rang out, jarring both of them awake. They exchanged a glance before turning to see the door closed and Ophelia nowhere in sight—another one of her witchy vanishments.
Astraea glanced at the clock on the wall, noting it was 11:30 p.m. She had only thirty minutes left before she became a vampire. Panic surged through her as she jumped out of bed and glanced in the mirror, horrified by her disheveled appearance. After apologizing to David, she rushed to her room.
The first thing she noticed upon entering was a white nightgown draped over her mattress. She approached it and picked up the note resting atop it.
*Put this on.*
As she scanned the simple garment, Astraea felt a mixture of curiosity and apprehension. Changing into the nightgown felt like a tradition she didn't fully understand, but she complied, then made her way outside to the designated ritual spot at the back of the cabin.
Before her lay a six-foot-deep hole in the ground, the stones she had helped purchase arranged around its edge. Astraea approached Ophelia, her curiosity piqued. "What's the purpose of the stones?"
Ophelia's expression, as always, was inscrutable. Yet she replied, "Vampires exist all over the world." Ignoring Astraea's shocked expression, she continued, "However, those vampires possess fatal flaws and cannot learn magic. Once they lose their humanity, the protective mana granted to humans vanishes."
Ophelia gestured to the stones. "I'll tell you more once you've mastered magic, but for now, these stones will grant you immunity to all vampire weaknesses."
Astraea frowned at this revelation. A thought occurred to her. "My mother used to say, 'There's always a price for tampering with nature.' Isn't this a form of tampering?"
Ophelia smiled briefly before her expression hardened again. "Yes, there is a cost." Astraea's eyes widened in anticipation. "You will lose more of your humanity than normal vampires."
"And what do I gain in return?" Astraea asked, her heart pounding.
"You will become faster, stronger, and develop heightened senses—hearing, sight, and smell. Those are the rewards for normal vampires. But with this ritual, you'll gain the ability to transform others into regular vampires, creating an army that will never disobey your commands. You'll be stronger and more agile than typical vampires, devoid of their usual weaknesses, able to wield powerful magic thanks to your bloodline."
As Astraea considered this, the offer began to sound increasingly appealing. One nagging question remained. "You said I would lose my humanity. Does that mean I'll lose touch with my emotions?" Emotions were vital to her; without them, she feared becoming a monster.
"You won't lose control of your emotions. You'll shed dormant ones, while the dominant ones will intensify."
"Can you tell me what my dominant emotions are?" Astraea asked, her eyes pleading.
Ophelia hesitated, weighing her response, but ultimately relented. "You have only one dominant emotion." Astraea's curiosity deepened—this would be the sole emotion she retained if she chose the path of vampirism. "Attraction."
*Attraction?* Astraea's mind raced. *Do I have feelings for David?* She didn't have time to delve deeper into her thoughts. The clock Ophelia had brought chimed 11:59, leaving her with only a minute to decide. With resolve, she nodded at Ophelia, prioritizing the protection of her country over her humanity as the clock struck midnight.
In a heartbeat, Astraea felt a sharp pain pierce the flesh at the back of her neck. She sensed her blood leaving her body as the world around her faded to darkness.
When she awoke, exhaustion weighed heavily on her. She surveyed her surroundings and saw the hole she had noticed before was now filled with dirt. *What purpose could that serve?* Looking around, she noticed Ophelia watching her with a blank expression. Yet, there was something in her gaze—pity.
"What happened?"