It was the summer I would never forget. I woke up to the sounds of laughter echoing through our grand mansion. My two younger siblings, Lesir and Mary, had just arrived, and Malcom, who had been with us for four years, was already playing with them.
Malcom's story was a tragic one. Found by my uncle, he had been adopted after a harrowing escape from a life in the mortal world. His parents, both vampires, had abandoned him in the snowy winters, leaving him to die. His grandparents took him in and cared for him until they too fell victim to the cursed vampires of the Red Moon. Miraculously, Malcom survived by hiding, but the trauma stayed with him. My uncle found him and brought him to live with us.
Life was different with Malcom. Despite his haunted past, he had a gift — the power to detect people's emotions and memories by sucking their blood. He tested this ability on all of us, and when he tried it on Lesir, he was overwhelmed. Malcom sensed a deep, secret sadness in Lesir, a loneliness that none of us had known.
One night, the village was in uproar. A child had been identified as a curse bearer, destined for execution. Ignorant of the true dangers, we tried to rescue the cursed child and hid him in the ruins of an ancient vampire temple. That night changed everything.
The child transformed, his speed and ferocity unmatched. He attacked and killed several village kids, tearing their throats out with a vicious hunger. Mary screamed and cried, while Lesir stood in shocked silence. Malcom and I were the only ones who managed to stay conscious through the horror.
As the cursed moonlight bathed the ruins, Lesir began to change. He killed the fully cursed child but then turned on us. Tears streamed down his face as he lost control, driven by the curse. He killed Mary in an instant, her blood staining his lips as he cried through his actions, a part of him still aware and in immense pain.
Lesir attacked me next, but Malcom intervened, only to be pinned against the wall. With tears in his eyes, Lesir managed to speak. "Please, kill me before I kill you two... please, I beg you."
Before Lesir could do more harm, our father arrived. Using his flower curse magic, he decapitated Lesir, ending his suffering. The aftermath was a blur. Malcom was sent away to the mayor's house, and I was left to witness the burial of my siblings and the village children.
Present Day
Remi's eyes snapped open. The vivid memories of the past surged through her, but she felt a newfound determination. a determination of not giving up