Green eyes

Prologue
I sat in the library with a wide chapter book in my hands. The people around me stared in amazement. I was use to the staring though. It has become an accepted factor of life. The stupid people kept staring. Little children would point, high school students would laugh, and the grown up women would gossip about me in the far back corner of the library were they thought I couldn’t hear them.
” She will grow up to be a beautiful woman” They would say.
I finished the newest book to my collection and paused a few seconds to think about what I was to do that night. A smile crept to my face and I listened to the thoughts of the mortals around me. I chuckled lightly as I listened. There choices were so easy, so innocent. I was faced with the more difficult sort, the kind that no one wants to make. I listened to the nearest mortal thinking what she and her family was to have for dinner that night.
“What should I have for dinner?”
I was stuck between the choice of a personage I found here (maybe one of the gossiping grown ups) or one I found out on the street. I usually went for the older type but tonight I decided to treat myself, especially with it being my birthday.
“Young and fresh; sweet and innocent” Will-…I wouldn’t think of him now. I closed my eyes a few seconds before opening them. A lonely tear trailed down my cheek.
The humans of course would never see there fate coming. There sad fate. I chuckled lightly, all the sadness forgotten. A little girl walked past and she reminded me of a more solemn, ‘innocent’ version of me. I had been no saint. That had been for sure.
“What a horrible little girl I am.” I thought. My mind flashed back to familiar memories of ‘family trips’. I smiled and the people around me stopped in there tracks to stare at my dashing smile. A few more joyful tears slide down my cheek. This to, I was also use to. If I had still been human I would have blushed and been embarrassed.
But I am not a little girl anymore, nor am I a human being. It was at least 490 years ago that I even thought like a child. Nor have sense then liked dolls and beautiful play things a child, with the looks of my age should like. I had been born in… what was the date? 1503? Yes that was it. Times were much more different now then they were now. I looked around at my surroundings. Music players, computers, cell phones, endless new electronics.
“I am at least 500 years old.” I thought. My mind was flashing back to the date, which seemed so long ago
For 500 years I have had the looks of this 5 year old child, a child with the adult knowledge in my sad eyes. 500 years ago, I was born into this darkness. Darkness which was forced upon me at such a young age and which I at first feared but now have learned to cope with. For 500 years I have acted the way I should sweet, loving, and innocent. For 500 years I have been a vampire.





~ Chapter 1: The Man ~
I was born in 1503, to my parents Abraham Barker and my mother the former Maria fleur. I was named after my grandmother, my mother’s mother. They named me Lucy, short for Lucinda, because my grandmother had found my mother, my father. I was told before my mother met my father she had gone into a depression because she had lost someone so dear to her, but I never really believed my mother had been madly in love with my father, although he was the ideal man. He had Shoulder length black hair that was slightly curly and hazel color eyes. He had the type of smile that showed he was confident in his plan and that he loved his family. My mother on the other hand was quite a beautiful creature. She looked frail and breakable, with her pale skin, and she had straight brown hair. She also had brown eyes which twinkled when her wide friendly smiled stretched across her face. They had been the perfect couple. I had noticed though, they had never shown affection towards each other around me and they never spent much time with each other alone. This just led into my suspicion.
I had been much closer to my father then my mother. He had helped me with my first steps and had taught me how to read at a young age. He had also played childish games with me, and the memory of playing hide and seek had always remained with me. It was silly how he would hide behind the living room tapestries and would jump out and startle me. There is only one time he had actually scared me. I remembered him throwing back his head and letting out a hearty laugh as he scooped me up in his arms. I had only been about 3 or 4 at the time. He would then carry me up the stairs and we would play a long game with my dolls and have little tea parties. I would sometimes invite mother, but at other times she wouldn’t want to come or tell me she didn’t want to bothered at the moment. I wished I would have spent more time with mother because after the New Year, my life would never be the same again.
The year was 1508. An epidemic had spread threw out London quickly and unluckily my parents would be some of the people to suffer the unfair consequences. ‘The Sweat’. A deadly disease brought to London by the foreigners which made its victims die usually within 24 hours of catching the disease. My mother was the first to catch it. Her frail body laid on top of the bed sheets calling out random peoples names until they would come to her. I was the last one she had called. As I had entered the room she stretched out her hand for me and she whispered my name once more. As I approached the bed I felt tears making there ways to my eyes.
“Baby,” she said to me.” I want you to know that I love you. Alright?”
I nodded my head and laid it down in her lap. She patted my head and picked my chin up with her finger. She wiped my tears away with her thumb and had someone come and take me. That was the last time I ever saw her.
There was not much time for mourning because my father then had caught the disease. He had requested to lie in bed on top of the sheets as my mother had done to feel her one last time. This time though I was the only person he had called into the room. He had me lie next to him that night and hum me to sleep with my lullaby so that I could still hear it in my dreams. I woke when I had heard the humming stop and I new then my father had joined my mother. I looked at him lovingly for a few moments before I got up and told anyone he had died. I could not believe my father, so strong, would die. I had a feeling deep in my stomach telling me somehow he would live, but, I was wrong.
The funeral was long and dreadful because we didn’t bury them. The committee decided to burn them. They told me that this way people wouldn’t get the disease. I never fully understood why. The only people who might have caught it would be the ones who handled them. I was sure they were waiting for me to catch the sickness but luckily I was immune.
I had arrived home and mourned for hours the next few days. What was I to do now? Who would take care of me? Would I go to a orphanage? These thoughts raced threw my mind as I sat on the loveseat in the living room. I looked over at the tapestries were my father would hide and I giggled a little and let a few tears run down my cheek. He was so silly and I knew that I would miss him the most. As the tears cleared, there was a faint knock at the door. The majority of the maids had all been sent away after my parent’s death and the only important one left was my caretaker her name was Cecilia and she was very strict. I guess she hadn’t heard the door because she didn’t get it or even bellow at me like she sometimes did, so I approached the door cautiously. We had had many guests lately and I just suspected it to be another one of my parent’s friends.
I peeked threw the crack as I opened it.
“Lucy Barker?”
“Yes?” I answered shyly for I have always been shy.
“I am Edmund Todd.”
I opened the door more to see him and I overlooked his features. He was very tall, thin and very pale. His hair was a long chestnut brown and at certain spots it waved. As I looked at his face I saw his mouth was closed in a straight line. He looked to be about 25 years old. The most extraordinary thing I noticed of him though was his Bright green eyes. They glowed against his skin like a light in the darkness. All and all he was a very handsome man, this about him made me feel comfortable. I noticed his clothes. They were much like an Englishman’s and his seemed to be of high quality. Much more expensive then I had ever seen. They were the type of clothes a man invited to one of my mothers dinner parties would wear. As soon as I thought this I knew I was mistaken. The tears started to stream down my cheeks and quickly I wiped them away.
“Lucy Barker?” Edmund said. “I said my name was Edmund Todd. I am your new guardian.”
I looked at him once more and said
“How is this so?” I had never seen this man before. How could he be my new guardian?
“Well child,” he started, his green eyes glistened, and for a second they made him look hungry. I stiffened and held the door handle more firmly.
“I am your godfather,” he said,” I was your mother’s best friend.”
“I’ve never heard of you.” I said quickly.
I moved quickly to close the door, but somehow it was impossible. Edmund had moved faster then me and put his foot in the door. I glanced at the foot for a second and then glared at the man. He was smiling a dimpled smile that took my breath away. My grip loosened on the doorknob. He took a deep breath and once again his eyes looked hungry. He got down on one knee and looked into my eyes. I couldn’t possibly look away.
“May I come in Lucy?” he said “I think I should explain myself.”
Those brilliant eyes of his hypnotized me in a way and I let him in.
For some odd reason he didn’t need to be led to the living room, so I guess he had been here before. He went and sat down on the loveseat and patted the seat beside him. I approached him cautiously and sat down hugging the edge tightly. His silk like voice calmed me as he spoke.
“You look so much like your dear mother.” He said. “That straight brown hair and those adorable brown eyes.”
“Thank you.” I whispered blushing slightly. I knew that I wasn’t as beautiful as my mother so I didn’t necessarily believe him.
“How old are you Lucy?” He asked me.
“5” I simply replied and looked away.
He whispered something under his breath I couldn’t hear.
“Alright then” He said quickly. “I will go tell your former caretaker I’m taking you now. You should go pack some things.”
With that he walked out of the room. He never explained anything to me.
I raced upstairs to my room to start packing. I’m not sure why. I didn’t want to go with this man. I couldn’t stop myself though. I took my favorite floral bag out from under my bed and packed my clothing. I decided to take only two dolls with me, and I chose my favorite Victorian one with beautiful blonde curls and blue eyes. The second one I chose was the one my mother had made me. It wasn’t all beautiful because I had had it sense infancy and it was very worn. It use to look similar to me though. It also had straight brown hair and brown buttons for eyes; I put the dolls in my bag and tried to lift it but nearly stumbled over backwards. Before I fell down, Edmund was right behind me and caught me. He was very cold like ice. This startled me in a way and I sort of let out a small screech.
I blushed hard at this, and kept my head down hoping he didn’t see the red flush to my cheeks.
“You alright there Lucy? He asked me.
I nodded and he put me down. He picked up my bag, took me by the hand and lead me down the stairs. I wondered why he was so cold. A small shiver ran down my spine but he didn’t notice.
I was quite surprised to see know one at the bottom of the stairs to tell me goodbye even though there were few people left in the house.
Edmund must have seen me look around the house because he said,
“I will leave you to saw goodbye to your home.” And he strolled outside to the carriage gracefully. How I envied him. I was usually very clumsy and hurting myself and the people around me. I sighed and looked around. The high ceiling room, with a small bookshelf to the left of me and a loveseat on the other. I remembered mother and her reading to me a book from that bookshelf. Then I remembered father and me sitting on the loveseat and him humming my favorite lullaby to me. I took one last look at the tapestries and my chest started to swell. I closed my eyes and toke a deep breath. I wasn’t going to cry again.
“Goodbye” I whispered, and I walked towards the carriage nearly tripping myself down the stairs.