Written by **EYRAM**
Maybe it was because things happened too quickly, or because she was unprepared for such a massive change, but she was caught completely unaware when the Vampires and Dhampirs decided to duke it out, when it all came down to a battle that both sides were preparing for, and her sister Seraphina was against her father in the war.
But when it came down to it, what broke her was the fact that she was led to believe her mother was dead; she went through so much pain due to it, and now she comes back, a completely different person, hungry for revenge.
Anne was not the only one who changed. Serena was not the softhearted, neighborhood girl she once was; her fangs and claws also began to show after she was forced to be tough, but it was totally unexpected that her mother would become so vengeful.
Maybe it was because her pain was silent, she began to feel resentment, maybe it was assumptions from the times her visits were no longer consistent because she had to keep up with the bills, which were just rising with inflation. Either way, it was illogical to blame oneself for the way others behave around them.
But the question was, how did she get the doctor to announce her dead? And how did she get better all of a sudden? If this were possible, why did she have to work since she knew how to do anything worth putting her on a payroll for? It was painful and hit her hard.
She knew not what side to take, the difference between right and wrong, some might be on the side of the Vampires, while some might expect her to go with her Kin, the dhampirs, driven by only and nothing but Vengeance.
But for her, for Serena, she saw it not as a racial divide; on one side was her sister, her mother, stepmother, and half-brother, and on the other was her father, and probably more ancestors, and asking a child to choose between their parents was just unfair.
Moreover, adding more family members, though a bit more distant, made it so much more difficult for her leaving her in disarray, her family, was torn apart, her father one day woke up a twisted person, but she knew he was also dealing with his inner demons, and her unpredictable sister was beyond understanding, she was just too much, too complicated, unpredictable to truly connect to her on a sisterly level.
And how she found out about all this, the very half-brother who confessed to her, then she confessed to him, but they both turned each other down, and she was grateful that she had not let her emotions get the better of her and stop following logic.
Lance once tried to ruin her, or maybe it was friendly fire, but she managed to prevent herself from facing any real damage from that, but what really made her sad, was that she expected summer to be great, planned on visiting the beach while the sun was up along, eating good BBQ, but all those plans were buried, as very soon at any moment the war would start, and the Vampires, they detested her especially their king, and she knew he would see Seraphina, and maybe trace that back to her.
It was just too much, and she did not know if she was ready to be on the receiving end of it, but she could not stand idle; she had to take a chance, but did not know which side to take. And that was when she got an idea, that was either most bravest thing she planned on ever doing or the stupidest.
She would try to use her close connection with both sides to make her a peacemaker, yeah…, the stupidest thing she ever planned. But it might be worth a shot, and have no fruit, or it might kill her; either way, she would not achieve anything if she walked on to the battlefield with that idea.
When an ambush happened, humans thought it was the end of the world. Now that an all-out war was being staged, it was probably going to be worse for the human race, who would be extremely shocked to find out they were all pawns in the game.
Their lives spared only because of the blood running through their veins, and it's use to Vampires, the Keepers of light seemed to have a great goal, seemed to be the hero, but on the side of the Vampires, who were deemed unholy, these very same Dhampirs were the villains.
It was shocking the insight one would get, being in the background and not really going biased, and seeing things from both sides.
It just seemed like too much of a grudge these people had harbored, and they just did not know how to forgive. Now, people who did not even know the reason this conflict existed were fighting passionately, based on things from the past.
Just imagine being punished for something done by one of your ancestors, for something they may or may not have done, without any facts, evidence, but just passionate words of the mouth spreading lies, to create conflict. Or they may be the truth, for all we know. But how can we tell, without proof?
And if one side decided to back down, the other would gnaw at them and be hailed as the winners. It all seemed like societal conformity, but Serena went to the war, readied her armor, in case she would need to fight, and boldly went to present the chance to strike peace to the opposing team.
She was going where she would not be deemed an apex-level threat upon sight, the Light Mansion, or in other words, the Vampire Base, and there she would take action, the first step to reignite, the last trace of unity, the human races, and the Blackwood family's last hope.
She stopped, knocked at the gate, and said, enhancing her voice, her throat turning luminous yellow, but this time the runes looked much more acutely formed, like they were refined, and she began to say,
"Elaine, I am here, right in your territory, vulnerable to anything you do right now. At least let me in." Then she heard Elaine's voice over the intercom.
"How do we know you are not a spy?"
"Well, for starters, my dad attempted to murder me last time we met. I think that would be a benevolent reason to side with him, in the time he needs most."
"How do we know you are not lying?"
"I guess you don't, but we both know how much you need me." Then she revealed the pattern of the four-point star, laced in intricate, small woven patterns, that seemed to glow on her hand, and quickly her hand became as smooth as silk. Then the intercom was turned off, and Lance opened the door and asked.
"I told you a war was happening, and you should stay away from it."
"Well, I am sorry, but for me this is not just a war to settle some score; my family is involved."
"And I can't risk losing you, I won't let you in, escape, I'll tell her I could not stop you."
"Lance, if I wanted to leave this place, I would be able to do it under the tutelage of ten of you."
"Just stop teasing me and come in." Serena looked at him and said,
"Lance, let go of any feelings you had for me, we are half siblings, and I want you to know that I am in your debt, for rejecting me when I stupidly asked you out" Lance felt his throat constrict, it felt as of her words were a sharpened hot knife used to directly pierce him in his heart, unwilling to just let things end, his possible last chance slip b, he pulled her directly to him and kissed her square on the lips.
It was a long, French kiss, and Serena, though capable of breaking it up, just stood there, shocked. Still reeling from the fact that her head spun into overdrive, this was just too much. After getting a grip on herself, she pushed him away, breaking the kiss, and without exchanging words, created distance between herself and him.
Leaving Lance, completely heartbroken, before it was like she liked him, but was hesitant, like she actually wanted to be loved but at that moment it was clear that was far from her priorities, it looked like they were both growing up and she had more responsibilities, while he would soon be left with pressure, so much so even if she kissed him back they would not last through.
While Lance tried to comfort himself by saying the outcome was best, for every party involved, for Serena she was trying to get a wrap on her thought process, it was all too much, why ruin something as special as a first kiss like that, now she could not even dream about her sweet sixteen and summer romance, cool night next to a campfire on a cliff with a waterfall under the stars, her perfect first kiss.
Organizing her priorities never seemed more difficult, on one side was this hot guy who would one day throw himself at her, then another become an entirely different person, and there was this whole war, which would either make her, or break her, why did she have to make peace in the war, for a family that treated her the way they did, but considering how moody he could get sometimes she wondered if she'll live to regret going with him, or she'll regret going to the war. Leaving her torn. Undecided.