If you would have asked me a year ago what my plans for the future were, you would have gotten a very different answer than if you’d ask me that same question today. So much has happened. Life threw me a curveball that I never saw coming. If I had, knowing what I know now, I might have done things differently.
For centuries night-dwellers were a thing of fiction and fabrication. Some stories depicted them as living in coffins or having no reflection, whereas others made them out to be vulnerable to silver or having magical abilities. No one actually knew if they existed or where they came from, but everyone wanted to be like one.
On January first in the year two thousand and forty-two the first night-dweller stepped out of the shadows to make it’s race known. His name was Vladimir Dorchaidhe. He convinced others to come out of the darkness, and when they did, the world was shocked. There were millions of them living amongst us.
Shock turned to fear, and then fear turned to hate. The night-dwellers only wanted peace but were met with hostility and anger.
Somewhere along the lines the humans of the world decided they posed to big a threat to go unchecked…ungoverned. The night-dwellers assured us they were no threat to our way of life, but after an increase in murder, which many believed were because of our new foreign dwellers, the government initiated Martial Law over the night-dwellers to keep them in line.
This decision was met with mixed feelings on both sides, but the night-dwellers allowed it to take place. They wanted to show us humans that they could coexist with us. And they had for the thousands of years we never even knew they existed amongst us.
That wasn’t enough. There were some amongst us who felt that their existence amongst us was unfair. There were some who felt that their power, strength, and speed was an unfair advantage. Night-dwellers were deadly, lethal creatures, which could influence your thoughts and behaviors. In short, they were too powerful for the mortal men of our world to leave alone.
The night-dwellers only wanted peace but were met with hostility and anger. The human government began learning the weaknesses of night-dwellers who thought nothing of sharing their weaknesses with us as a good gesture. Unbeknownst to the leaders of the night-dwellers, our government began to construct weapons of mass destruction for the sole purpose of keeping them in line. At least that’s what they told the Lords of the night Dwellers. They actually used the words ‘harmless unless provoked,’ but after President Trump’s election in 2017, the world went to hell.
Our human government passed unfair laws in an attempt to minimalise the night-dweller threat. Night-Dwellers were being slaughtered by the hundreds because of these unfair laws. Then there was the media portrayal of these creatures. Wealthy men who often backed government officials financially owned the media.
The media would always portray it as nasty night-dwellers being put down justifiably, but after years of experiencing this torment…after years of being degraded in the media as savages, demons, and criminals…lesser, weaker, unintelligent creatures…they struck back.
Like thieves in the night, the night-dwellers came and took out every government official and every crooked politician across the Globe. Come the next morning, Vladimir held a news conference telling the world his plans for a new world. A world where humans and night-dwellers coexisted under segregated factions.
All this time we thought they wanted to be like us, to BE us. But it turns out they wanted nothing we had, except for equal rights and civil liberties. They separated themselves from us because we were the vile creatures incapable of coexisting with them.
Vladimir separated the world into factions and assigned lords of his own choosing to each continent, but all answered to him. Beneath Vladimir, all night-dwellers answered to Viktor Draven. He was the chairman of all night-dwellers and the oldest living one known to man.
Night-dwellers were not only at the top of the food chain but they became the majority and humans were now the minority regardless of color. Night-dwellers held positions of power in every country and used their power to invade Cuba, Korea and other countries where a peace treaty could not be established. They killed anyone that opposed them until every country was inhabited and under the control of a night-dweller.
Stripped of our power, the human population began to dwindle. Many of the world’s wealthiest families lost their fortunes when the night-dwellers took over. They confiscated land, businesses, and whatever else they wanted and left us the scraps. Only a select few families who were given titles and positions in the human government, all who answered to Viktor, were allowed to keep their wealth.
Viktor Draven was the chairman of all night-dwellers and the oldest living one known to man next to Vladimir. They’re brothers.
During the transition from human to night-dweller rule, traditional American customs were no longer followed. There were no more holidays and there was no more war. People weren’t classified by race or social stature. They were classified by species only.
A committee of night-dwellers overseen by a Lord now ran each State. No decision was made without the approval of the Chairman, and in order to appease them the Chairmen were often given human offerings. Thousands of humans opted to become a night-dweller in order to escape becoming an offering.
In order to maintain their wealth, the remaining few wealthy families had to make an offering to their Chairmen. These human offerings were used for their blood. Offerings were the currency night-dwellers thrived on. Our money was no good to them.
Night-dwellers would feed on offerings daily, and these human offerings would become their slaves…their livelihood. Depending on the Lord, these offerings were either slaughtered or enslaved. But some very few lucky ones who won their owners favor were turned after a few years and given a position of stature.
I’ve heard nightmares about what the night-dwellers are capable of. How deadly and lethal they are.
My family is one of the last wealthy and powerful families in America. My parents have old money that goes back centuries and we have close ties to the Chairman Viktor Draven. Silas Mason, my father, was given the position of overseer of the human faction under Viktor’s rule. He and my stepmother Elizabeth Mason together had three children. There was my brother Lucas Mason, my little sister Eliza Mason and then there was me, Giselle Mason.
My family’s notoriety is what gained them favor from their Chairman Lord Draven, who for many years held my family under his protection from other rivaling families. For a long while we made out well during the transition. Our wealth held up, sustained by Viktor’s generosity. He loved my father like a brother.
Eventually civil wars between the night-dwellers fighting for positions of power began to break out. Knowing Viktor’s love for my father, our family became a target. And then one day my father vanished. All that was left was a pool of his blood. I could smell the metallic tang as soon as I stepped into his office. That was a few years ago and they never found his body.
Leaving us no choice, my father was pronounced dead in order for my family to continue to survive. My stepmother Elizabeth took over our finances and in less than a year, she’d run us into the ground. Slowly everything my father built was taken away from us. Now his creditors have come to take our home. The home I grew up in.
“Lucas is that you?” I asked. I focused my ears to listen for his heavy footsteps and his shallow breaths. He always smelled of old spice too. He smelled good.
“Yes,” he placed his hand in mine, “I have good news for you.”
“Is it a party for my eighteenth birthday?” I asked, excited.
“No, I’m afraid not.”
He sighed and his breathing shuddered. Something was wrong. I felt my way from his hands, to his arms, his shoulders and then eventually his face. I allowed my fingertips to map out the contours of his face and could feel that his expression was solemn. Then came the warm drops of liquid on my fingertips.
“What’s wrong?”
“Mother has arranged for you to go to a girls home where they teach girls like you to live on their own and be more self sufficient,” he told me.
“Elizabeth is not my mother,” I told him, “But that is good news, not bad news.”
I smiled hoping it would make him feel better and kissed him on the forehead. His skin was clammy and sweaty, but it wasn’t warm out. He’s worried about me.
“I’ll be fine father,” I assured him, “When do I leave?”
“Tomorrow evening.”
“Wonderful,” I smiled, wrapping my arms around him.
Lucas was apprehensive when he hugged me back. Everything from his breathing to his embrace showed how worried he was about me being out in the world without him. But that’s the point of my going to the institute. I need to learn to be more self-sufficient and I wanted him to stop holding me back.
“Lucas!” My stepmother shouted for him.
“I must go,” He spoke quickly. He kissed me on the forehead and I listened as his footsteps sounded further and further away. My attention then went to the music I heard playing at the end of the hall where I knew Eliza slept.
I walked towards my sister’s room. It was exactly thirty footsteps from where I now stood. I memorized that fact.
“Giselle!” Eliza shouted, running over and wrapping her arms around me.
“Whoa, you almost knocked me over,” I smiled. Or at least I think it’s a smile.
“Don’t leave,” Eliza began to cry, “I don’t want you to go!”
“I’ll come by to visit El. I’ll try to come back every weekend if I can.”
Even though Eliza was my half-sister, I never treated her that way. My stepmother Elizabeth on the other hand treated me like I was a disgrace and an embarrassment to the family. Whenever they would go out somewhere I would always get left behind because my stepmother didn’t like it when people stared at us. She didn’t like the fact that I was blind. It wasn’t my fault though. I was blinded in an accident when I was born. That accident killed my birth mother.
“No you won’t,” Eliza sobbed, “The night-dwellers are going to get you.”
Eliza had heard horror stories about the night-dwellers and she was afraid of them. I’d never left the comfort of my father’s home and had never come into contact with such a being. I’d heard people talk about night-dwellers when they thought I couldn’t hear, but that was the good thing about being blind. Everyone automatically treated you as if you’d gone deaf too.
Worried, I calmed Eliza down by agreeing to tell her a story. Since I couldn’t read Eliza her books, I’d always make one up and Eliza loved it. She looked up to me and I made it my responsibility to make sure she didn’t grow up like her mother.
Halfway through my story I heard the floor creak beneath the weight of someone else in the room. I could tell who it was by the loudness of the creak and how hollow it was. It was my brother Lucas. “Don’t be a stranger Lucas,” I smiled.
“I can never seem to sneak up on you, can I?” He chuckled.
“Not in those shoes. Are they new? They sound new.” I laughed.
“Yes, they are.”
“Come to me,” I requested, holding my hand out for him to take.
Lucas hesitated at first then walked over and took my hand. He and Eliza were worried about me, but if years of living with me should have taught them anything, it’s that I always overcome whatever obstacles are thrown my way.
“You barely go out in the front yard and now you’re leaving,” Lucas sighed.
I hugged them both. I knew my goal would be challenging but I was ready for it. I wanted to learn new and better ways to survive in this new world of ours. At this institute they taught you how to detect night-dwellers according to my stepmother. Now, more than ever I needed that kind of training.
That night when I went to bed I was restless. I couldn’t sleep knowing everyone was worried about me but I eventually fell asleep from exhaustion.
The next morning Lucas and Eliza went off to school. I always stayed home with my stepmother whose idea of home schooling me was to shout and degrade me in front of our servants for not being able to do what normal seeing children could do. Yet, the moment my siblings returned home she would change and put on this act like she cared.
Elizabeth began ordering the servants to get my things ready and to put them by the door and panic shot through me, “Wait, Lucas and Eliza aren’t home yet for me to say goodbye,” I protested, “Besides, I thought I was leaving this evening.”
“I called the school and they’ve agreed to accept you early,” Elizabeth replied. Of course she did. She couldn’t wait to get rid of me as fast as she could. I dared not protest. The last time I did that my stepmother struck me in the face and told my siblings I walked into a door.
I never thought for one second they would believe that, but they did. They believed every single lie that came from her mouth.
As Elizabeth helped me get ready to leave, I wanted to try to make amends with her. I wanted the two of us to get along. It saddened my heart that I wasn’t close with her. She’s the only mother I’ve ever known.
“Will you tell Lucas and Eliza that I love them?” I asked.
“Sure.”
Elizabeth escorted me from the comfort of the only home I’ve ever known and into a car she that was waiting for me outside. I had no idea where I was going and how far away this school was from my home. And now that I was leaving I had knots in my stomach.
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