Chapter One
~Exile~
This must have been the longest train ride in existence. Sure, it may have seemed longer than it should, seeing as she was being led to exile, and every passing second took her further away from home. She watched as the scenery blurred passed, taking in everything she could about the landscape that she could before she was never allowed to see it again. The Romanian country side had always been Alina's home, even as things changed and evolved, more people came to inhabit the land, and cities and towns were formed in between the various farmlands. Things had never really seemed to change over the past four hundred years, but looking back, it seemed as if everything had.
Laurence caught her eye, though Alina had been trying hard to avoid it since they hadleft. Deep inside she knew that it wasn't his fault that she was being exiled, but the logic battled with her emotions which had been rubbed raw over the past several days. He have her a sympathetic smile, trying to show her that he understood how she felt, but he didn't, she knew, for he had lived here his entire life as well and had never once been exiled. She no longer had any tolerance for dealing with sympathetic glances, she just wanted to be gone and have it all over and done with. There was no changing her sentence so long as Alexander sat high and mighty in the throne.
Alexander and Laurence were Alina's adoptive brothers, in a way. Laurence was the tall blond type and had crystal blue eyes that were tainted with flecks of green and gold. Alexander had light brown hair and nearly black eyes, but his face shape and features matched those of Laurence enough to be told that they were indeed brothers. Alina was considered short in comparison, but she was once the average height of any woman four hundred years ago whereas Laurence and Alexander had always been strangely tall and lean, even now when there were other boys and men closer to their size. She had ebony hair that held a slight curl and violet eyes that always grasped people's attention. They had always been that colour, too. Even before she had been turned.
In any regard, she looked nothing like her brothers, adopted or not, and whether it was because of this or just because she wasn't blood relation to the family, she was never truly one of them. Even when Vasile, their father and lord had been alive. The three of them now, though, were considered royalty among the clans because they were few of the last remaining pure bloods. Pure bloods ruled and protected all other vampires because they were the strongest, the most knowledgeable, and the most respected.
Alina had been turned by Laurence, though his original intention had been to feast on her blood and leave her body for the wolves. But he had seen the determination in her eyes, her will not to die, her will for him not to see her beg for life, or so he had always told her, and had pitied her then in a way that only a brother could. He had basically raised her from a new childhood, showing her the ways of being a vampire and how to survive in the shadows of the human world. He had told her the story many times over the long years of how she had taken such an interest to their world with hardly any signs of fear. She doubted if that part was true though, for the abundance of her few, faint memories of her early days of being a vampire consisted namely of fear and confusion.
Alexander was their father's successor. He was Laurence's brother by blood, and the eldest of the two. Vasile had been killed by rogue werewolves nearly a hundred years ago. As the eldest son, Alexander was required to take the throne. All had been good for a while, and the clans were running smoothly. But something in Alexander had changed, and he was no longer kind to her in any way, like the way he had been when he realized that she she would be around for a while. He had even protected her once or twice from those certain few who thought it to be all in good fun to see her suffer under the burn of silver. But as far as Alina was concerned, it was his fault now that her family was being ripped away from her so brutally that it nearly stung.
Now, as the train rattled on towards the Constanta station, Alina felt more and more nauseous. A squirming, twisted feeling in the pit of her stomach. Homesickness? Already? She hadn't even crossed the Romanian border yet and she already had homesickness. How was she supposed to live out the rest of eternity with these feelings twisting in her gut? She felt pathetic and weak.
Laurence saw the traces of distress on Alina's face and gave her an apologetic smile.
“I'm sorry Alina, truly. I had no idea that he would go this far.”
Alina glared out the window and the blur of trees. “Yes, well, you've never had to put up with him the way I have. He hated me from the start, and hated me more because of Anthony.”
“Alina, please. Anthony has been gone for several years. You can't keep dwelling on the past like this. It's not healthy for you.”
“Healthy? Laurence, we're dead. I don't think health is much of a concern for us anymore.” Alina retaliated. She was in no mood to cooperate with her brother, even if she was never going to see him again.
“And what of your mental health? Vampires have been known to go insane, Ali dear. I don't want you to be one of them.”
Alina rolled her eyes at him. “Yes, master. I'll be a good little girl from now on.” Master was the term that younger vampires used towards their turners. It was meant as a sign as respect, but Alina had always abused the term greatly, ever since the day she learned she could get away with it.
Laurence frowned. “Alina, don't go there again. I know you're upset, but acting like a child won't make anything better for you. I told you I will try my very best for however long it may take to get your exile lifted off your shoulders, but until then you have to cooperate as well. And that means no more killing for sport. They will be watching your every move Alina. You can take no chances.”
“If they can find me, they can watch me. I hold no further terms.” And at that she looked back out the window and the silence between them stretched on.
***
The train pulled to a stop at the station, and Alina stepped onto the platform with a graceful step, but a resentful one. She looked around at the trains, the buildings, the platforms, the people. She remembered a time when all of this land was made up of trees and the occasional farm. Now, it was a breeding ground for humans to cover with their filth. All they were really good for was food. The vast majority of them anyway, for there were few who captured her attention, that fascinated her. It was rare, but it did happen. Not today though. No, today she had no tolerance at all. She wanted to kill them all right here and now, but if what Laurence had said was true, then there was no chance that she could get away with one before she was slaughtered.
She adjusted the collar of her black leather trench coat to cover her neck and let her long black hair fall over her eyes while she glared at the world. She wanted to look menacing and unapproachable at the moment, and looking like a serial killer was one of the best ways to go. Laurence shook his head and hailed a cab for them to get into. Alina despised this idea. Human transport was slow, and after several hours on a train all she wanted to do was run, stretch her legs, go home. No likely to happen.
The cab smelled of cigarettes and vomit, and the fake leather covering the seats was ripped in several places, some of it held together by duct tape. Laurence sat in the seat gracefully and calmly, and informed the driver of their destination. Alina, however, made a fuss. She adjusted her coat several times, and picked at the rips in the seat. She wrinkled her nose when the cab driver lit up a cigarette, which she could have sworn was illegal among the humans now. Obviously the cabbie didn't care. She refrained from touching the seat too much after seeing a stain on the floor that she didn't want to identify, but could be said that certain things had been done in this seat that she was sure some God or another wouldn't approve of.
It didn't take long to reach the air port in Constanta. Both vampires stepped out of the car gratefully and stood in front of the large doors that were marked as the entrance. Alina pondered running into the street and ducking in along the alley ways until she was sure Laurence wouldn't find her. But there was sure to be guards and other wanna-be mafia vampires just waiting for her to do just that. If she was being forced to leave, she would leave with as much dignity as possible. A trace of a memory flitted through her mind, and she remembered her attitude on the train, and in the cab. Dignity from here-on out, it was decided.
Laurence put his hand at the small of her back, as if expecting her to try and run, and led her into the air port. It was still nearly an hour until her flight left, but it was clear that he was taking no chances with her at this point. She almost felt like she was being kidnapped with the opposite objection. He led her to the food court and tried to convince her to eat something, knowing it would distract her for a little while. Even though she no longer required food, she still craved it, like a smoker to nicotine. He got her Chinese food anyway, knowing she would pick at it if it was there for her to do so.
He sad at one of the two person tables and gestured to the seat opposite him. She sat and glared at the Chinese food steaming in front of her. “Alina, please listen to me. I know you're hurting right now, and I know that you're pissed as hell at Alexander” Laurence said, trying to reason with her. Alina's lips twitched. It wasn't like Laurence to swear. He must really be trying to make her feel better to any remote degree. “But honestly, Ali, you have to fight through this. Moping won't get you anywhere further than being a solitary exile.”
“I already know that Laurence. I know the rules, I know the conditions, I know that Alexander thinks the sun shines out of his ass, but that doesn't change anything right now.” Alina informed him. Now it was Laurence's turn to smile.
“Same old Ali, same old humor. I'll be sure to pass on the message.”
“Oh good. And while you're at it, tell him I love him dearly so and will miss him greatly.” Alina said, being mockingly dramatic. “Actually, if you tell him that part, I'll probably kill you myself if he doesn't do the job for me.”
“Oh woe is me.”
Damn straight, she thought. An announcement came on, saying that it was time for her flight to board. “Well, that's you.” Laurence said and stood up. Alina looked at the Chinese food that was now remarkably cold for how warm the air port seemed to be, and picked up the fortune cookie that had been places on the side of the foam plate. It dripped with soy sauce and parts of the cookie were soft from where it had absorbed the liquid. She cracked open the cookie and took out the small slip of paper, discarding the cookie on her plate again. Alina unfolded the paper and read her fortune.
'A journey is in store for you'
She rolled her eyes at the paper and couldn't help adding 'in bed' onto the end in her mind.
