Charlotte's POV
A year ago, my life was a meticulous countdown — every second edged with tension and expectation. My mother, a woman as unforgiving as polished obsidian and as sharp as the serpent tattoos that marked our clan, obsessed over my upcoming birthday. That day, she said, I would finally embrace my destiny: my transformation into a vampire of the Serpent Clan.
We lived by one brutal creed: Destroy anything that stands in your way. Power was the language our family spoke fluently. Love? That was an unknown dialect, foreign and dangerous. I had always believed love was a weakness, a vulnerability we simply couldn't afford.
"Charlotte!" My mother's voice sliced through the quiet house like a whip.
I hurried downstairs, the carpet beneath my feet cool and scaled like a snake's skin. "What?" I replied, already bracing for her wrath.
"Why did you reject the suitor I chose for you?" Her question hung heavy in the air, thick and suffocating.
I froze. A viper coiled tight in my chest — the truth I'd buried deep. I was drawn to girls. I feared this revelation would only deepen her contempt, maybe even exile me from the family.
I met her gaze, the weight of years of silence pressing on my tongue. "I… I felt exposed around him. We can't afford to be vulnerable. Not as Serpent vampires."
Her expression flickered — confusion, disappointment, something I couldn't name — before she turned back to her endless scheming.
I retreated to my room, the burden of a secret pressing down like a stone until sleep mercifully claimed me.
I was jolted awake by a sharp shake on my shoulder.
My mother stood over me, holding a dress black as raven's wings, its deep slit both dangerous and alluring. The fabric shimmered in the dim light. Without a word, she thrust it toward me and left.
I showered quickly, slipping into the dress with a strange, ritualistic feeling. Descending the stairs, I found the whole family assembled — serpentine tattoos winding over flesh like dark rivers — except for three unfamiliar figures.
Approaching my mother, a tense inevitability settled over me.
She presented a vibrant green serpent, its scales gleaming wickedly. As it coiled around my neck, its fangs pierced my skin, siphoning my blood and pulling me into a void of black oblivion.
What happened after that remains a shadow, lost to time.
Now…
I burst out of the janitor's closet, a smile tugging at my lips. I just shared my first kiss with her — the most beautiful girl in the entire school.
The euphoria was a drug, intoxicating and fierce — but lurking beneath was a dark current tugging at the edges of my joy.
It thrilled me in a way I never expected, but beneath the rush lurked the shadows of what I was — and what I could never be.
I settled into class, the minutes grinding to a halt. Each second stretched, every heartbeat a countdown to seeing her again.
The final bell sounded like a cannon blast. I bolted from the room, the urge rising inside me — a primal force, a dark whisper in my veins.
The serpent etched into my skin demanded destruction, blood, power — raw and insatiable.
Each family member bore a different serpent, a monstrous nature unique to them.
I fought to hold back the darkness clawing its way up from inside me, but my body rebelled, screaming to be unleashed.
I slipped into the bathroom and took what I needed from the unsuspecting students — their blood warm and sweet against my tongue.
With a practiced flick of my will, I cast a hypnotic spell over them, wiping the memory clean.
Then I waited.
I spotted her approaching the gate — a radiant light beside my encroaching shadow.
When our eyes met, her cheeks flushed a rosy red.
She quickened her pace, falling into step beside me. She kept her gaze fixed on the pavement, shy and uncertain.
"Hi," I said, hoping to break the awkward silence.
"Hey, Char," she replied softly.
A strange tension pulled at her, her shoulders tight, the blush deepening.
"Did you just call me Char?" I asked, a teasing glint in my eyes despite myself.
Her face turned a vibrant canvas of embarrassment.
She finally met my gaze, and I caught myself staring — drawn to the fullness of her glossy pink lips.
The thought of kissing her again sparked a fire inside me.
I gently brushed a strand of hair behind her ear, the simple touch sending a jolt through me.
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