Elizabeth Kennedy is a seventeen-year-old girl who's lost her family and friends to a fire started by vampires three years earlier. She strives to hunt and kill Cletus Othonos and Myles Tsaoussis, the vampires who started the fire. Things don't go quite her way. Once she's met Damian Athanasiou, a gorgeous Crimson member who thinks what Elizabeth is doing is irresponsible. But Elizabeth and Damian find themselves falling for each other which is a big issue. Read to find what happens in this story about tragedy, love, and vampires.
It started out happy. My mom, my dad, my older brother, my three best friends; Sarah; Ariella; Zoe, and I went on vacation to my grandparents' lake house one summer weekend. We had planned this trip for months now and I had begged my parents to let me take my friends with us. After hearing a week of my pleading, my parents finally gave in.
When I told the girls, they did that funny thing where they let out a bunch of girly squeals and jumped in for a massive hug. I, being the tom-boy of the group, didn't like hugs very much but I let them have this one seeing as though they were too excited to even listen. It was all going perfectly. Once we reached our destination, we unpacked our tens of billions of bags and went to relax.
That's when it all went down. Bright flames, screams of terror, scorching bodies. My parents yelled for me to get out of there. Fearful for my life, I listened. I ran as fast as I could through the flames. I never once looked back. As a fourteen-year-old girl, I was scared out of my mind. Hell, any person would be terrified out of their damn minds if this were happening to them.
As I made my way to the door, a burning beam fell above my head and I would've died. I was convinced. I waited to meet my doom but someone pushed me out of the way. Cameron, my brother.
I shrieked. He was lifeless. He was gone. Tears streamed down my cheeks like a waterfall. Get out of here, my mind told me, get out or you'll die. I listened. I got out of there just in time to see two men dressed in black suits enter a limo.
They both had huge grins plastered on their faces. It made me sick. They had very pale skin. One had dark brown hair and black eyes with a red ring around them. The other was blonde with the same eyes. They both seemed to have an identical tattoo of a bird. I took note of this, for I was certain, they did it. They started the fire. They killed my family.
Having not noticed me, they drove off. I was sure I heard their menacing laughs from afar. I sat there, feeling helpless and weary. Even though it was night, the bright flames lit up the lake. And then, I blacked out.
~Present Day~
My dream ended. I sat up quickly in my bed, finding myself in a cold sweat. I'd had this nightmare occur daily. Only, it wasn't just a nightmare, it was my reality. My parents and friends had died that night three years ago and those men did it.
I rubbed my temples in an attempt to forget that night. News flash, it didn't work. Instead, I continued to remember the events afterward.
~Three Years Earlier ~
The sounds of sirens woke me.
"Hmmm," I moaned, slightly opening my eyes. I could see a woman, around the age of 40 in a paramedic's uniform. There were others in the front of–what looked like–the ambulance. The woman noticed I had regained consciousness.
"Miss, I'm so glad you're awake. Do you feel any pain?"
"Umm...no…"
"That's good. What is your name?"
"Elizabeth Kennedy but my parents call me Libby–wait–where are my parents?! And my brother and friends?! Are they okay?!"
The woman gave me a look filled with pity. Realization hit me.
"Oh my God, they're… they're d-dead. They're all dead. I have no one." I sat up. Not a good idea. My head started spinning like crazy.
"Miss Kennedy you need to lay down. It's a safety precaution due to you being unconscious earlier."
I lied back down, sobbing. I couldn't help it. Everyone I loved, was gone. All the memories we've shared, gone. I felt a mix of heartache and anger. What did those men have against us? Many thoughts raced through my mind. Where would I go?
The woman stroked my arm, trying to comfort me.
"It's going to be okay, Elizabeth. It'll get better, I promise."
But could she? How could things get better? I lost my family, my friends, my world. I still had my aunt and uncle but they lived on the other side of town. They were always sweet to me and Cameron. I'd rather live with them than an adopted family and I don't want to go to the same school again anyway. Not after my friends died.
"What about my aunt and uncle? They're across town from my home, but they're my only family…"
The woman put on a sympathetic smile and nodded her head. I took in her features. Amber-colored hair with strokes of gray in a bob cut and hazel eyes. She was quite plump and looked as though she hadn't slept in days yet, she still wore a nice smile. In fact, her smile was comforting like my...like my mother's.
"How old are you, Elizabeth?"
"Fourteen."
The woman made her pity-filled look again. I hated feeling helpless in a situation but this one was different. Even still, I hated feeling helpless but I felt like it was unavoidable.
I decided to put my thoughts away for a while.
"What's your name, ma'am?"
"I'm Caroline Tuffin but you can call me Carol."
Sadness came again. My mother's name was Carol. I felt like I was going to burst out in tears again but then I thought of something. I needed to be stronger. I couldn't cry. I don't want to feel weak and helpless anymore. I will find those men someday and hurt them. Just as they hurt me.
After that, my uncle and aunt went to court to become my legal guardians. They granted them this and I was sent to live with them. I knew, much like my father, my aunt and uncle used to work for an organization called The Crimson Hunt where they hunted down and killed vampires.
The members of this organization were called 'The Crimsons'. They weren't necessarily human and they were definitely not the undead. The Crimsons were trained their entire lives to kill off as many vampires as possible. They were strong, brave, smart, and hard workers. Many didn't know of them. The Crimsons couldn't have children with each other so they often mated with humans like my mother. My dad, aunt, and uncle quite a while back. My dad's reasoning was to raise my brother and me, my aunt and uncle's; unknown. They never had any children. They must've gotten tired of that lifestyle. It does sound tiring.
The board of The Crimsons is called 'Oi paratirités' or 'The Watchers' in English. They know everything that goes on practically everywhere. The creepy part is that they also know everyone's past.
Sadly, because their numbers have dropped almost entirely due to them all wanting to raise families, it is required for at least one member of each Crimson family to attend their school. Thankfully, once graduated, the student could decide whether they wanted to work for The Crimson or not. Since it was the end of the summer I was getting ready for my first day at my new school, Crimson Academy.
