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He had piercing, sharp blue eyes that seemed to see straight through to your soul. Seti could make anyone uncomfortable with a look, and often, it was hard to lie to him. Not that I’m saying we lied to each other, but did I wonder how he fell for Maurick’s betrayal about the Great Experiment.

Despite his white hair, Seti wasn’t elderly. His skin was still smooth and unlined. Seti was also an intensely private but sociable man. He loved to mix with people, but nobody can say they knew him well. He made me feel a little awkward at times. As if I was overstepping the mark, and yet I did not make personal comments towards him or his life. Seti just had that aura about him.

To Seti, we appeared youthful; after all, he was among the eldest. Seti held humour and good moral conduct in high esteem and would completely ignore people who did not meet his expectations. Although I do admit, he did tend to make excuses for the Vam’pirs.

Seti believed we’d eventually learn what was acceptable behaviour and what wasn’t. He did not put himself on a pedal stool. He was a normal person who loved a joke just like the rest of us, but as I said, he had standards.

Seti did have a temper, though, but he didn’t lose it often. Only when he felt that the situation warranted it. Seti was a passive soul who hated confrontation but wasn’t afraid to face it. Bluntly put, he wasn’t someone to be challenged. We all regarded him with great affection and respect.

Now you know all the Vam’pirs. The twenty-four first born.

You don’t know much about them, just some bare facts. I’ve fleshed out a little history as I think this is necessary to understand us.

This was the first Coven; sadly, not the last. And truthfully, religion didn’t mean shit to us, not like it affected the later Covens, devil worship, and such nonsense.

Rubbish! Sheer ridiculousness idiocies of the modern vampire.

Chapter Six.

Ican’t say that we were ecstatic about our position in life, but we coped and were moderately happy. Our circumstances had changed, and we were definitely treated differently by our families. Naturally, they tried, but it was the little things that mattered.

One time, I licked my lips, and Taran jumped; when I caught his eye; he blushed guiltily. I waved away the guilt and apologies with a smile, but his thoughts had been as clear as a bell. Taran had questioned whether I was satisfied or if I craved more.

Another time, Father raved about a wonderful dish that Pari had cooked. Then asked us for our opinion, not remembering that our bodies no longer needed food. Little Stefan, Diana’s son, questioned his mother endlessly, in all innocence, about where she went during the day. Stefan demanded answers about his father’s departure and his inability to return home. Questions Diana did her best to answer, but she got so tearful at times that one of us would talk to him instead.

It was Maryn who understood what had happened. She was a quiet, solemn little thing, and people often forgot she was there—or they did not care. Maryn had heard the rumours and worked the truth out for herself.

My father ended up explaining in detail when she was found beaten and bleeding. She had been assaulted by some older children who had attacked her for simply being a Vam’pir’s daughter. The fact that she wasn’t one didn’t mean anything to them. We couldn’t understand the mentality of these individuals.

Vam’pirs had never gone after anyone or threatened anybody physically. Yet the perpetrators attacked a child. Although it had been children that had carried out the beating, the adults were at fault for their scandalous whispers and rumour spreading. We may’ve warned people, but that was only after they turned against us. Why shouldn’t we protect ourselves from them?

Fear always makes people wary. Just having someone different living next door was frightening. But having blood drinkers in the community was some people’s worse nightmare. We had not given them any reason in which to be scared. None of our actions had caused them to have nightmares.

It turned out that our simple presence was enough.

We all went to the Council when my father took Maryn.

Out of consideration for us, they gave the courtesy of holding the Grievance Procedure at night. Maryn had been able to identify the youths, and the Council had taken them into custody.

The community was shocked by the unprecedented event that had not occurred in millennia. Of course, the rumours claimed the four teenagers weren’t to blame. The Vam’pirs’ children should have been placed available for adoption. Especially Cleo and Mihal, as they were just babies.

So a few idiots said.

In fact, more than a quarter of the population, to be entirely honest. The dissidents were growing. The spread of malicious gossip was increasing among listeners. Of course, there was no smoke without fire. Rumours became fact and truth, despite noevidence. The majority of individuals, although not on our side, ignored us as a whole. They tried to treat us normally, but the gossip was expanding and, as I said, so were the dissidents.

Maryn’s case opened a box full of mischief.

The boy’s parents blamed us; we pointed the finger at them. Even Julius was aghast at such blatant sheer thuggery. Enraged enough to leave his study and come with us to the hearing.

The majority of our families were present to support Maryn and Diana too.

The families questions were simple. If Maryn lost the case, would they also face bullying and violence without repercussions? Our council needed to act swiftly on this matter. The only remaining question concerned their willingness to act.

The boys, their parents, and their supporters packed a quarter of the Main Hall. Vam’pir’s, our families, and those interested in justice being done, filled the remaining spaces.

Most people were shocked and distressed at the mindless violence inflicted on a fifteen-year-old girl.This incident happened four years after the change.

Especially since those who had committed the crime were four eighteen or nineteen-year-old boys. Between them, they had broken several of Maryn’s ribs. Her left tibia and her right wrist had several fractures. Every finger on her left hand was broken by the teenagers, along with three on her right. Maryn had also suffered a fractured skull and countless cuts and bruises. They had left her unconscious and bleeding on the ground.