The sunlight reflected off of the blacked-out windows of the Cadillac that had been waiting outside of the manor to bring me to the registration for the Awakening. My father had told the car to be here at promptly 5 PM, although the sun would not be setting for another couple of hours, because the earlier I was, the sooner I could come back. As we approached the front of the massive manor that housed the council meetings, I swear I saw a flash of red hair run across the lawn.
The car lurched around a back entrance and drove into a cement lined garage. The door closed behind us, blocking out the sunlight. My driver immediately got out of the vehicle and came to my door to open it for me. I smiled to thank him and stepped out of the car, gently shutting the door behind me. We were in a large basement, filled with cars of the candidates who put their names forth. I nodded to the parkade attendant and made my way to the elevators, which would bring us up to the principal building.
A beep chimed as the elevator doors opened, and I straightened myself and stepped inside, grunting as I felt Alec shove himself into the elevator behind me. The wall of the elevator was a full-length mirror. I admired my reflection in the glass, the casual black business cut dress that ended just above my knees, black pumps, and a beige light jacket over the dress. I straightened my hair nervously.
"You'll be fine." Alec's voice soothed from behind me. I sighed and nodded.
"I'll be fine." I repeated, trying to convince myself.
The elevator doors opened into a maze of hallways lined with mahogany wood everywhere. Candle lanterns hung from the walls, illuminating the pathways. Alec and I wound our way through the halls until we approached a grand ballroom. Vampires already milled about, some holding glasses of rich red liquid, and laughing happily with each other. Alec stood beside me, his gaze alert. He scanned the crowd, his hands resting on the hilts of his daggers tucked into his belt.
An older woman rushed toward us as we entered the ballroom. She wore horn-rimmed glasses, and someone hastily pinned her hair back into a severe bun. Wisps flew out from the sides. Her hair was gray, and her eyes were a deep copper red. She placed her hands on my shoulders.
"Are you here for registration, dear?" She appeared to be in her early 40s, showing she was likely a turned vampire. I smiled and nodded at her.
"Your friend will have to wait with the others." She pointed him toward a door on the other side of the hall. His face fell in a grim line and he glowered. Nodding, he sighed and made his way toward the door.
She guided me over to a large table set up in the room's corner with a pile of documents on it. A few other ladies sat behind the desk. The lady walked around the desk and sat down across from me.
"Name, dear?" She asked.
"Elysia Areklides" I answered. Her pen paused and her eyes widened a fraction. I rose a brow, but she shook her head quickly and went back to writing.
"Age?"
"19 years old."
"Parents?" She asked.
"Ares and Mnemosyne." She nodded and wrote something on the document.
"Powers?" She poised her pen ready.
"So far memory manipulation." She sucked in a breath and wrote on the sheet. Then she signed the bottom and turned the paper toward me to sign.
"Sign your soul away, and you're officially in the registry." She smiled. I nodded and signed my name at the bottom of the paper. She gathered the documents and straightened them, looking at me from over her glasses.
"Now, enjoy some refreshments and mingle. We will have some announcements about the ceremony soon. Your friend can rejoin you later." I nodded and stood from the chair. Turning towards the large ballroom, I bristled. There were crowds of people gathered around. They gathered the heads of the families on the stage, holding glasses of blood and laughing with each other. They were going through paperwork on the tables in front of them. I'm sure examining the candidates for this year's registry.
With Stygian black hair pulled up in a severe ponytail, golden eyes stared out over the crowd. Flames simmered beneath the eyes of the gods. The registrants tittered and stared, admiring the power that had gathered in the room. Athena stood tall in her form fitting maroon dress, a blood red ruby at her neck. Her appearance was deceptively young, her full, red lips and sharp cheekbones made her seem as if she was in her early thirties, yet we all knew she was millennia old. Her lips quirked up in a smile, and she touched the arm of the male next to her — Hades. With his long black hair that fell in curls around his face, a jovial glow lit his golden features.
Belen, the current head of the Hermaeids family, stood imperiously. His brown curls hung loose around his face, his eyes shimmering bright gold. I was told they were once blue. He was a former hunter who joined the ranks of the vampire clans by beheading Hermes, the original Olympian god. Feared amongst the other vampire families, he stood next to a voluptuous blonde woman, who dressed in a revealing pink dress that clung to her like a second skin. Her blood-red nails trailed along Belen's arm. Her golden eyes shimmered in a shared joke. Aphrodite — the head of the Pontia family, appeared enraptured by the man. Belen licked his lips in desire, enthralled by the goddess' power and beauty.
Silence fell over the crowd as Athena stood at the center of the raised dais. They were all on. She opened her arms and smiled, addressing the crowd.
"Welcome, initiates." Her voice was deep and sultry. "The awakening is upon us. This is a time of brokered peace between our families." She nodded to the gods seated around her. "In two days, you shall all drink from the chalice, and be awakened into our society. It is a time of celebration. Any violence during the awakening celebrations is strictly prohibited." Her voice took on a stern tone. I tried not to laugh; her family would be one of the first to break that rule.
"Now, for some explanation on how the ceremony will take place…" Athena spoke, but something distracted me. Something red caught the corner of my eye.