The year 1776
Rain fell heavily on the land of cryptlane, mud splashing everywhere; on carriage wheels, on passerbys and even on doorsteps.
In the room of one of the mansions on the highlands of cryptlane stood a red haired girl, no older than 6. Her emerald green eyes wobbling in anxiety as she grabbed the sides of her dress, staring unblinkingly at the broken vase on the floor.
She had done it again. She has broken her mother's expensive vase for the 5th time this month.
"Rosanna? Is that you?" A female voice that belonged to her mother called, but Rosanna did not answer. She bit her small lips as her grip on the sides of her dress tightened, it was too late to try and hide what she had done as her mother's footsteps were heard behind her.
"Rosanna, what are you doing here? Didn't you hear...." The voice trailed off as a tall beautiful woman walked gingerly past Rosanna to the mess on the floor, "My vase..." She mumbled in shock then turned to Rosanna who stood there without making an attempt to meet her mother's burning gaze.
"Rosanna!" Her mother's voice came out as annoyed, as the woman's red eyes met her daughter's flinching green ones.
"I'm sorry, mama" Rosanna said, "it was an accident, I was pursuing a butterfly and then I tripped and—"
"A butterfly? Really, Rosanna?" Her mother said, edging towards her. Frida didn't know what to do with her daughter again, Rosanna seems to find some kind of pleasure in breaking her expensive vases and this was most expensive of them all!
"This case cost me 50 gold coins," she said to hear the little girl gasp, it was not like she understood the value of money,50 was just a big figure to her.
"I'm sorry, mama" she repeated again.
"Just like you were sorry the last 4 times? " The woman grabbed Rosanna by the hands, "and what could you have possibly been doing back here, so late at night? Huh, Rosanna ?"
Rosanna gulped. What has she been doing here? She didn't quite know, but the urge to stand up from bed two hours after the whole mansion went to sleep and roam around was tempting, and in her roaming she had stumbled upon her mother's vase which seemed to beckon to her to touch and what happened next is an obvious fact.
"I...I went to drink water" she lied.
"I thought you were pursuing a butterfly?" Her mother said sarcastically.
Rosanna, obviously caught in her lie didn't know how to respond, "yes...but after I...the water—"
"Stop telling tales, you're going to be punished for breaking the vase, roaming around without cause and lying" Frida said before turning the little girl around and giving her 3 firm slaps on her little bottom.
"For an additional punishment, you will not be allowed to eat Miss O'Neill's Apple pie tomorrow, go to your room!"
And off she went, one hand on her aching bum and the other on her mouth as she ran into her room, hopping on her bed and forcing herself to sleep, the pain of loosing Miss O'Neill's pie more painful than the spanking she just got.
Morning came and along with it, a weak ray of sunshine. It was very hard to see a full day go by in cryptlane without rain or snow, as it was the coldest of the 4 lands.
Rosanna walked playfully down the stairs, her red hair braided in pigtails as it bounced on her head when she walked. She was wearing a pale yellow dress that stopped just below her ankle and matching shoes, in her left hand was a little stuffed bear that she had named Coco, because of it's brown color.
She was almost close to the hallway, walking towards the dinning room where she would have breakfast with the rest of her family when she heard someone call her name, turning around, she saw the approaching figure of her cousin; Lisa.
"Goodmorning Lisa" Rosanna greeted cheerfully with a smile as her blonde haired cousin smiled back at her.
"Morning, Rose" Lisa said, calling her by her nickname. Even as they were the children had been taught to greet anyone when meeting them for the first time in the day. "You're up early," Lisa said as she grabbed her little cousin's hands for a moment, stopping her from bumping into another vase!
"Usually you're the last to arrive at the table...I hope I'm not late" she added.
Rosanna said nothing, instead the vibrant 6 year old looked hard at her cousin before asking," you seem very excited today"
Lisa beamed a smile, she had been waiting for Rosanna to ask, "because today, I've been told very goodnews!"
Rosanna tilted her head, "what's that?"
"I get to attend my first soiree with aunt" Lisa swung the plaited braid from her shoulders as she nodded in returned greeting of a passing maid.
"What's a soi..... what's that?" The curious 6 year old asked her older cousin.
"It is a party for ladies and gentlemen" Lisa explained.
"I wanna come too!" Rosanna exclaimed as she ran in front only to be pulled back by Lisa.
"You can't!"
"Why...why not?"Rosanna asked, confused. If Lisa get to go, why can't she?
"Because you're too little" Lisa said with a smirk, "I on the other side just reached the age for my first Vampire Mark" she said with pride. The vampire mark was the age a vampire's physical growth halts for some time, a reason they look younger and live longer. The first mark is when the vampire becomes 10 years of age, their growth halts for 6 years and then halts for 9 years when they turn 19.
"I'm not little!" Rosanna argued.
"You're just 6, I on the other hand—"
"So what if I'm 6? That doesn't mean I can't come"
Rosanna interrupted as Lisa frowned at her, "you can't also come because...you don't look like a vampire"
Rosanna's green eyes frowned at lisa's red ones, "I am too!" She said, then proceeded to pull the sides of her little mouth to show a pair of white little fangs,"see?"
Lisa sighed as she pulled Rosanna to stand in front of a mirror in the hallway, "What do you see?" She asked.
"Me" Rosanna said cheerfully.
"Look closer," Lisa said as she stood behind her, "Look at your eyes"
Rosanna was confused,"what's wrong with my eyes?"
"Nothing. What color are they?"
"Green" the little girl answered.
"Now, look at mine" Lisa said.
"They are red" Rosanna said to see Lisa nod.
"All vampires have red eyes, Rose" she explained when the girl faced her," the eyes different us from other creatures. Only humans and mermaids possess colored eyes and your eyes are green not red"
Rosanna bit her lips, this wasn't the first time she was hearing this, "but I'm not human or mermaid, I'm a vampire"
"A vampire with green eyes, a darkblooded vampire at that" Lisa said walking away then she stopped and turned to see Rosanna dragging along behind her, "look Rose, you're a vampire...but—"
"But I'm strange," the little girl said, looking up at Lisa who couldn't meet her hurt eyes, "I know" she said, walking into the vast dining room.
"There, they are" a female voice said and Rosanna looked up to see the frowning face of her mother.
"Goodmorning mama, goodmorning papa" Rosanna greeted her parents and scurried to her seat.
"Goodmorning aunt, uncle" Lisa greeted to recieve a nod. Soon everyone was seated at the table; Rosanna, her parents, Lisa and their three other cousins—Orchid, Rhoy and Rhay.
"The flowers are looking dreadful today" Orchid the oldest of the children, who had reached her marrying age commented, she had her deep brown hair in a loose ponytail.
"Yes" Mr Catkins replied nonchalantly, "I thought we ordered for a new gardner?"
"Yes dear," Mrs Catkins replied then looked up at the butler who was trying his best to make the twin boys; Rhoy and Rhay sit quietly."What happened, Jack?"
"Madam, we did have a young man who applied, he is supposed to here by—"
Ding!dong!
The bell rang and Jack went to answer it, a few minutes later he came in with a young man with deep black hair and brown eyes.
"Sire, Madam..this is the man who applied to works as a gardener"
Mr Catkins glanced at the human who bowed while Mrs Catkins and Orchid smiled.
"What is your name?" Mrs Catkins asked.
"Jan Ryder, Madam" the man replied.
"Do you have any experience in gardening?" She asked again as she slipped a glass of blood.
As the man answered the questions, Rosanna's wandering eyes came to land on the neck of the man, there was a huge slash sewed with black thread.It was so visible, Rosanna wondered why her parents didn't ask about that.
What she didn't know was that they didn't see it, no one did. No one but Rosanna.
