Charlotte POV
A year ago, my life was a meticulous countdown. My mother, a woman of sharp edges and sharper ambition, was consumed by preparations for my birthday. The day, she declared, I would finally embrace my destiny – my transformation into a vampire of the Serpent Clan. We lived by the creed: "Destroy anything that stands in your way." Power was the language of our family, a family of monsters where love was an unknown dialect. I had always believed love was a weakness, a vulnerability we couldn't afford.
"Charlotte!" My mother's voice cut through the house, a blade of impatience. I hurried downstairs, the carpet feeling like cold scales beneath my feet. "What?" I replied, already braced for her displeasure. "Why did you reject the suitor I chose for you?" The question hung in the air, thick and suffocating. I froze. The truth was a viper coiled in my chest: I was drawn to girls, a preference I feared would earn me her utter contempt, perhaps even disownment. I met her gaze, choosing my words carefully. "I… I felt exposed around him. We can't afford to be vulnerable, not as Serpent vampires." I watched her face, a landscape of shifting emotions. She seemed caught between her ingrained belief's and my unexpected rebellion. She merely nodded, her attention already returning to the endless planning. I retreated to my room, the weight of suppressed truth pressing down on me until sleep claimed me.
I was ripped from slumber by someone shaking my shoulder. My eyes fluttered open to the sight of my mother holding a dress, black as a raven's wing with a deep, suggestive slit. The fabric shimmered under the light. She thrust it towards me, then turned and left, leaving me little choice. After a brief, hurried shower, I slipped into the dress, each movement feeling strangely ritualistic. As I descended the stairs, I saw the full congregation of my family. Each member was adorned with the serpentine tattoos, except for three unfamiliar figures. Approaching my mother, I felt a strange sense of inevitability. She presented me with a vibrant green serpent whose scales glinted wickedly. As I felt it coil around my neck, its fangs pierced skin, draining my blood and pulling me into a black abyss. The world dissolved into oblivion.
I still hold no memory of what transpired next.
Now...
I burst from the janitor's closet, a smile stretching my lips. I just shared my first kiss with her, the most beautiful girl in the entire school. The euphoria was a drug, but a dark current tugged at the edges of my joy. I shouldn't have kissed her at all. The reality of who I was, who I had become, was a bitter taste in my mouth. I settled into class, the minutes agonizingly slow, each second a heartbeat away from seeing her again. The final bell was a cannon shot. I bolted from the room, the urge a primal force, a dark whisper in my blood. The serpent bestowed upon me that night, now a part of me, craved destruction, blood, the raw power of greed. Different serpents for each member of the family, each dictating a unique monstrous nature. I fought to push back the urge, the darkness that was becoming increasingly dominant. It felt as though my body was rebelling, screaming to unleash. I slipped into the bathroom; took what I needed from the students there, their blood staining my throat. I cast a hypnotic spell over them, erasing any memory of the violation and then I waited.
I spotted her making her way toward the gate, a figure of radiant light compared to my own encroaching shadows. When she caught my eyes, a blush bloomed on her cheeks like a rose opening to the sun. She quickened her pace, soon joining me. Walking side-by-side, she kept her gaze fixed on the pavement. "Hi," I said, hoping to cut through the awkwardness. "Hey, Char," she replied, her voice soft, but then a strange tension entered her posture. The blood rushed to her cheeks, making them glow a deeper shade of red. And then it clicked. "Did you just call me Char?" I asked, a smirk playing on my lips. Her face was a vibrant canvas of embarrassment. She finally turned to face me, and my gaze was caught by the fullness of her glossy pink lips. The thought of kissing her again ignited a flame within me. I gently brushed a strand of hair behind her ear, the simple action sending a jolt through me.