Chapter 2
Sleep eluded me that night. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw Damien Ashford's face as I remembered it from the novel descriptions, he was breathtakingly beautiful, with pale skin, and dark hair, with eyes that looked almost grey. The tragic vampire prince who was supposed to kill me in two days.
When dawn finally crept through the heavy curtains, I was already sitting at Elena's writing desk, a piece of parchment before me. I'd spent the dark hours trying to piece together what I remembered from the novel together with Thomas's disturbing revelations.
In "Blood Moon Chronicles," the story began with Elena's death, a beautiful, tragic scene where Damien, overwhelmed by his newly awakened bloodlust, killed the innocent girl who'd shown him kindness. The heroine, Lydia, discovered the body and spent the next thirty chapters "saving" Damien from his dark nature through the power of pure love.
It was supposed to be romantic.
But if girls had been disappearing for fifty years, then Damien's "awakening" was a lie. He was already a killer.
"Think, Elena," I muttered, using the name since I'd have to get used to it. "What did you miss?"
I tried to recall every detail from the novel. Damien was seventeen in appearance, though actually much older. His father, Lord Ashford, was ancient and mysterious, he was described as a loving parent trying to help his son control his nature. Lydia was the pure-hearted daughter of a merchant family, whose innocent love supposedly redeemed Damien's soul.
But what if none of that was true?
A soft knock interrupted my thoughts. "My lady?" Martha's voice was hesitant. "Your father wishes to speak with you about the ball preparations."
"Of course he does," I sighed. "Send him in."
Lord Blackthorne entered with the enthusiasm of a man who saw his dreams within reach. He was a small, nervous man with thinning hair and ambitious eyes, the kind of minor noble who would absolutely sacrifice his daughter for social advancement.
"Elena, my dear!" He beamed at me. "You look much better. Martha tells me you're recovered enough to discuss the ball."
"Yes, Father." The word felt strange, but Elena's memories guided me through the appropriate responses.
"Excellent! Now, I've had your gown altered to be more... fashionable." His eyes gleamed. "Lower neckline, tighter bodice. You must make an impression on the right people."
My stomach turned. He was literally dressing me up as vampire bait.
"Father, I've been thinking. Perhaps I'm not ready to attend such a grand event. Maybe I shall go next year..."
"Nonsense!" His face flushed red. "Do you have any idea what an honor this invitation is? The Ashfords are one of the most powerful families in the region. If you happen to catch young Lord Damien's attention..."
I'll be dead by midnight, I thought, but managed to forced a smile. "Of course. I'm just nervous."I say
"It's natural for a girl your age. But you must overcome it." He leaned forward, his voice dropping to a whisper. "Elena, this could change everything for our family. One advantageous marriage, and we could join the ranks of true nobility."
The casual way he discussed selling me off made my skin crawl. "And if Lord Damien isn't interested in marriage?"
"Then you'll make sure he becomes interested." His smile was sharp. "You're a beautiful girl, Elena. Use that."he said as he stormed out.
After he left, I sat staring at the closed door, fury and desperation bubbling in my chest. In the novel, Elena had been portrayed as willing, and excited, she dreamt of attending the ball. But now I wondered if she'd had any choice in the matter.
I needed more information. Elena's room wasspacious with a small library tucked around one corner of the room. I searched through the books, looking for anything about local history or the Ashford family.
Most of the volumes were romance novels and poetry, but tucked behind a collection of sonnets, I found something interesting: a leather-bound journal in Elena's handwriting.
My diary was boldly written on the cover, Elena's memories stirred as I opened it. She'd been keeping a record of the strange occurrences in town.
October 15th - Mary Sinclair disappeared last night. Her parents say she ran away to the city, but she left all her belongings behind. Quite strange.
October 18th - Visited the church today. Father Benedict seemed troubled when I asked about Mary. He mentioned other girls who've vanished over the years, always after social events.
October 22nd - Thomas told me his grandmother remembered similar disappearances when she was young. Always during Ashford gatherings. I'm probably being foolish, but something feels wrong.
October 25th - I dreamt of a man with pale skin and dark eyes. He called my name, said I was special. When I woke, there were muddy footprints outside my window. I'm frightened.
The original Elena hadn't been the naive girl from the novel, rather she'd been investigating the disappearances. She'd suspected the Ashfords.
And Damien had been visiting her in her dreams.
I flipped to the last entry, dated three days ago.
October 26th - I can't sleep. The dreams are getting stronger, more vivid. The pale man says he's coming for me soon. I tried to tell Father about my fears, but he just patted my head and said I was having maiden's fancies. I feel so alone. Sometimes I wonder if I'm going mad, but the evidence is there. I have record of all the girls that disappear. And they occur after Ashford events always And now they've invited me.
I'm scared,but I'm also angry. If someone is hurting these girls, they need to be stopped. I've hidden this journal and my research in the loose floorboard by the window. If something happens to me, I pray someone will find it and continue the investigation.
I won't go quietly into the dark. If I must face whatever is coming, I'll face it with my eyes open.
The last line was underlined three times, the ink blotted as if she'd been crying while she wrote it.
"Oh, Elena," I whispered, touching the page. "You were so much braver than I gave you credit for."
I searched the floorboard she'd mentioned and found a small collection of documents, ranging from newspaper clippings about the missing girls, to rough maps marking where they'd last been seen, and a list of names dating back decades.
Fifty-three girls. Fifty-three young women who had vanished right after attending Ashford social functions.
The novel had lied. This wasn't about a vampire prince's tragic awakening. This was about a predator who had been hunting for half a century.
And now it was my turn.
I sat back on my heels, Elena's research scattered around me, and felt something shift inside my chest. It wasn't just fear anymore, it was rage. Elena had died trying to expose this. All those other girls had died unknown and unavenged.
But I wasn't the original Elena. I had advantages she didn't have, knowledge of the supernatural world, understanding of vampire weaknesses, and most importantly, I knew what was coming.
"Alright, Damien Ashford," I said to the empty room. "You want to play games? Let's play. But this time, your meal is going to bite back."
I had two days to prepare. Two days to turn from victim into survivor.
It was time to rewrite this story.
But first, I needed allies. And I knew exactly where to start.
"Martha!" I called, rising from the floor with new determination.
She appeared almost instantly, she probably have been hovering outside my door. "Yes, my lady?"
"I need you to send a message to Thomas. Tell him I want to speak with him privately this afternoon. And Martha?" I met her eyes. "I need you to trust me, even if what I'm about to do seems strange."
Her worn out face creased with worry, but she nodded. "Of course, my lady. Whatever you need."
If I was going to survive this story, I couldn't do it alone. Elena had tried to fight this battle by herself and failed. But I had something she didn't have,I knew the ending,heck,I wrote this book.
And now, I was going to change it.