I stared blankly at the opposite wall while I rest my back on the other as I was sitting down on the floor. Who would ever think that I’d have to let my mind suffer on the eve of my 18th birthday? Maybe it was just me. The whole town knows the decision that I need to make since the day I was born—or should I say since every person in this town was born.
I’m never having kids. I thought as I stood up and grabbed the long black cloak that my grandmother handed me this morning.
I squeezed the material before throwing it on my bed. I walked about before giving up and threw myself on my bed just beside the cloak. A few seconds later, I heard knocks on my window created by small pebbles being thrown from the outside. I stood up and opened it before looking down to see my best friend Promise smiling along with her boyfriend Lion.
I quietly climbed out of the window and slipped out before using the tree to help me climb down.
“I’m gonna get in trouble because of you!” I whispered as I looked at our front door which was close and the lights are off.
“I’m sorry, I just have to see you before your birthday” she smiled and I saw her shiny new fangs glimmer against the light.
“Advance happy birthday” Lion smiled and his fangs glimmered as well and it made me swallow. Promise’s 18th was last week and she decided to be a vampire so she could be with Lion for as long as they live.
In this town of ours, people here are either vampires or werewolves but no, they don’t fight each other to death. We all live in peace just like normal people do. We don’t have sheriffs though, the sheriff lives in another town, he just visits sometimes but he never knew the town’s secret. We live near the mountains and people seldom come. But humans are safe from vampires; they don’t suck people’s blood. They feed on deer’s blood—strictly deer’s. And no one gets scared of them because they’re just like normal people, they don’t burn in the sun, and they don’t glimmer. They just look normally pale like someone who never gets exposed to the sunlight. And their fangs only appear at night and their fangs don’t look like those in the movies—it’s just like normal human fangs, just a bit pointier—which I find cool.
The first two families who lived in this place years ago were werewolves and vampires seeking refuge from people who hunted them down to extinction. They decided to lay low and settle at the place. They changed their diets to deer’s (vampires) and bear’s (werewolves) blood and it was passed on ever since so when someone tries a different blood, they throw it up and most of them are scared to try something new because they might be tempted to just try and look for something new other than the traditional one.
Going back to history, so the two families lived in peace and one day, the werewolf’s daughter and the vampire’s son fell in love. It caused the both of their families to worry because they’ll never know what happens to their offspring, if it might be something dangerous or whatever. But because they treasure their children’s happiness and their friendship, they decided to let them be. But they promised that if the child would be dangerous then they’ll kill it and they’ll never reproduce anymore. But what they got as a child surprised them. It grew up normally and looked normal like humans. Thought the kid’s senses were keen like both species. They watched it grow until it stopped aging the night of his 18th.
The two grandfathers then talked about their legacies and came up with a decision because the young man’s parents are arguing if he should be a vampire or a werewolf. They decreed that from that day forth, their children would have the right to choose what they want to become on their eighteenth birthday by choosing a color—red for the vampires and white for the werewolves. Since then, children would grow up like a normal human being and choose once they turn 18. But then you’ll have to live with same species of your choice from then on. You’ll live on the east side of town if you’ll be a vampire and west if you choose to be a werewolf. But of course, you can still mingle with everyone in town and you can marry whoever.
“Hey,” Promise waved her hand on front of me “you’re daydreaming again!”
“Sorry” I shook my head. “I’m just thinking about history and the decision making at hand.”
“Whatever your decision is, I’ll still be your best friend.” Promise smiled and I smiled back.
“Guess you’re having a hard time” Lion chimed in. “If only you have a boyfriend, it would be easier” he teased.
“Yeah” Promise said. “If only your best friend wasn’t in love with someone else.”
“What can I do? You know we’re bound to love one person only. What she felt for him was just a crush; she’s going to fall in love with someone someday.”
“Guys, I’m right here” I waved at them and they both smiled apologetically.
“Sorry. But then we’d leave you to your decision. See you at midnight. Happy birthday sis!” Promise smiled as she hugged me tightly. A few seconds later, they vanished and I was left alone to climb back up to my room.
I sat on my bed and looked at the clock that said 11:00pm and sighed. I walked out of my room and found my brother standing. I hugged him tightly and breathed in his scent.
“How’s being a dog?” I teased.
“That hurts” he feigned and I laughed. “Refreshing but I still miss my sister” he chuckled and messed with my hair. “How’s being a human?”
“Just an hour left” I answered.
“Right” he said. “Have you seen mom?”
“She’s by the cliff with the others. She misses you too.”
“I know, she calls me often while I’m at work, makes the boss scold me.”
I chuckled and playfully punched his arm. “So how does it feel?” I asked.
“Feel what?”
“Jumping off the cliff to finally be claimed.”
“A lot of adrenaline rush and nerve. Don’t be scared, once the moon shows, you’ll feel nothing but pure adrenaline and joy” he smiled and his old blue eyes that are now white-like glimmered. “We’ll be there to watch you emerge from deep down below.”
“Great, thanks for mentioning deep. You know I’m scared of heights.”
“You won’t be after it. Here,” he said and handed me a small box “Happy Birthday. See you later.”
“Thanks” I smiled and walked inside the bathroom.
After taking a bath, I dried my hair and wrapped a stood on front of the mirror while staring at myself. After tonight, this normal body would change to one athletic built or one graceful model. Be a vampire and stay here on the east side or be a werewolf and move west. Either way, I won’t be able to live with mom since a coven would claim me. And I can’t live with brother unless his pack leader claims me.
I stared at the two dresses hanging in front of me. A white dress with see-through sleeves and goes just below the knees with shiny ornaments that almost looks like a wolf’s eye located just about my chest. And a blood red dress with sweetheart neckline that would hug my body before falling down on the floor. I sighed and raked my fingers through my hair as I thought things through.
I’ve lived my almost eighteen years watching vampires move around and admiring their grace. Gathering with their covens every night and staying mostly around until they feed. My brother chose to join the wolves because he’s this carefree person and would want to run around and explore the lands. I want that too, but I’m afraid I would be too graceful and conserved to be a werewolf. But I’m scared that if I would be a vampire, then I might not obey them all the time and go running off whenever I want to.
I took a deep breath and touched the fabrics of the dresses in front of me.
“Even if I don’t decide, I still make a choice.” I mumbled and took one of the dresses before fixing myself and after slipping on the sandals that my mother gave me, I opened my brother’s gift and found a diamond teardrop necklace and wore it after admiring it for a few seconds. I took another deep breath when the clock downstairs chimed to midnight and I wore the black cloak around me before pulling the hood up.
“Happy Birthday Chosen” I whispered to myself and walked out of the house. I noticed the red candles that were lit along the road and smiled at the kids who were watching me as I walked by. I remember watching people walk the roads at midnight whenever someone turns eighteen. When the candles ran out and all I can were woods with some lamps on each side of the trail to the cliff, I couldn’t help but hear my heart pound inside my chest. I held onto the cloak and swallowed when I soon walked out of the clearing where the leaders of each coven and pack waited. They all greeted me a happy birthday and I thanked them as I passed by.
I saw my brother stand by our mother’s side and I smiled at them. I saw my mother’s fang glimmer as she smiled and it helped me a bit with my nerves.
The two oldest elders of town stood by the cliff and their arms encircled me while they chanted something ancient that I’ve never heard before and I couldn’t help but look at the two huge stones that hung around their neck—one was a huge ruby and the other one was a huge diamond. The thing that secured the two stones looked old. Those must be the two things which helped the firstborn of the two creatures decide—or maybe racked his brain as well.
I noticed that it ended when they turned me to face the crowd and both of them removed the hood and I looked at each of the faces of every leader in front of me. I shuddered as I felt the strong wind against my back and one of the elders smiled at me and patted my shoulder for comfort while the other made his speech. Right, they all went through this and they know how I feel. I was looking at my mother’s face when I noticed something glimmer and I turned my gaze from where it came.
At the middle of the coven where Promise was claimed, stood a tall guy with dark satin black hair and he stood perfectly still and listened. Right, he's the only leader without a mate. The moon began to peek against through the clouds as the elder ended his speech and the vampire smiled and I smiled back. The two elders walked away from me and joined the others as they watched.
I took two steps backwards and stopped when I felt the edge of the cliff and removed the cloak at the same time as the moon shone down at me and I made myself fell. I wanted to close my eyes but I watched the moon before everything went black.
I grabbed my brother’s hand as I climbed back up and saw his smile.
“Welcome to the pack” he grinned and mom hugged me. My heart pounded as I stared into the vampire’s eyes and watched as he smiled at me and I smiled back as my heart pounded differently towards him unlike towards other men.