Changed

I groaned as I got up off the floor. My head still felt a little fuzzy and I rubbed at my eyes to clear them. I then realized that I had use of my arm once again. I looked down at it and saw that it had healed. More or less. There was still the scar of a bite mark and my skin around it was dark due to damage from the poison. I flexed my fingers and moved my arm around. Everything seemed to be working like normal so I didn't worry about the scar. I was just glad my arm was still there.

"I see you have finally woken child. How do you feel?" Rin inquired. "Any pain at all?"

"I'm alright." I replied. "My head feels fuzzy but my arm is working fine. Is there a washroom I could use?"

Rin smiled. "Of course. I will get you a fresh towel. I'm sure you will want to at least freshen up after that ordeal."

Rin bade me follow them and got me a clean towel from a cupboard. They showed me the washroom and left me on my own. I closed the door behind me and took a few deep breaths. My head had finally started to clear and memories of floating in the void came back to me.

"Am I still me?" I asked the empty room.

The washroom was small and smelled of cleaner. There was a toilet and a counter with a sink and mirror. I placed the towel on the counter and turned the water on. I cupped my hands and took a drink of the cool water to get the nasty taste out of my mouth. I wished I had my toothbrush with me too. My breath probably smelled like something died in there.

 I then turned the hot water on and wet the cloth then almost dropped it when I saw my reflection in the mirror. The person staring back at me was not familiar. She had pale luminous skin, and delicately pointed ears. Her chestnut hair was soft wavy, and there was a slight red glow in her eyes. I slowly raised my hand to my face and placed it on my cheek.

"I really am someone else now."

A sob escaped my lips but the noise was caught in my throat as I saw small sharp fangs peeking out of my mouth.

"No!" I shook my head. "What happened to me?" I opened the door and ran back through the small shop to the back room where Claude and Rin were still sitting.

"What did you do to me?!" I demanded.

Both Claude and Rin looked at me before Rin pat the chair beside them. "I think it is best that you sit down."

I reluctantly sat down beside Rin and looked over at Claude expectantly. He took a deep breath before he started.

"Before I start explaining I need to say that there is still a lot I can't tell you yet. I don't want to you be in any more danger than you already are. Your parents came from a very prestigious family. Your father was meant to be the leader of our bloodline but was killed because of it." Claude paused as he tried to collect his thoughts. He was my Father's brother after all, and I'm sure he missed him more than I did.

"You were very young when all of this happened and your Mother named me your guardian and protector. The safest place for us was to hide amongst the humans and lock away your powers until you were 17."

"But you looked like a normal person too." I was getting very confused by all of this.

"Yes and in a way I was just a normal human. I had my powers sealed to make sure nothing could track us. The question is who was it that sent that darkling?"

"Ok so you confirmed that our family isn't human. So what exactly are we?" I asked.

"We are what humans call vampires. Our kind has been around long before humanity. Some say we are kin to the winter fey."

I didn't really know what to say. I had a suspicion that was the answer but didn't want to believe it. I then took a good look between Claude and Rin. There were some similarities, but Claude had normal human shaped ears, while Rin had pointed fey ears.

"Wait, why are my ears pointed like Rin? Also do I have to drink human blood because that is gross and I don't want to kill anyone."

Claude looked puzzled as he moved my hair to get a better look at my ears. He was going to say something but Rin interrupted.

"I do not want to cut this conversation short but it seems like we have run out of time. I can sense there is something trying to get through my protective barrier. We have to go now!" Rin looked serious as they grabbed a couple of blankets and threw them at us.

"The sun is still up and I don't know how well the two of you can handle it. The transportation won't be at the meeting spot until after sundown. We will have to take the basement and then run."

I watched as Rin slid open one of the bookshelves to reveal a door behind it with stairs going down. Clutching onto the blanket I followed Rin and Claude was right behind me.

"The basement connects to old prohibition tunnels. We will take the tunnel to the building across the street. It's one of the only exits that I know is unlocked." Rin was explaining as I walked through the dark, and damp space. I noticed that none of needed a light to see where we were going. It made me wonder how bad stepping out into the sunlight was going to be.

Rin led us over to a small wooden door. Behind it was a small tunnel that smelled of dirt and stagnant water.

"Oh gross. I hope we don't have to be in this mud hole for long." I complained.

Claude poked me in the middle of my back to get me moving. "This is not the time for your attitude. We need to move quickly."

Thankfully the tunnel only spanned the street and ran under the building across from the herb shop. Once we were out of the tunnel and up the stairs I took a deep cleansing breath. I really did stink in that place.

Rin cautiously peeked outside and looked across at their shop. "Familiars, and hobgoblins." They stated. "They must have been stationed close to be able to sniff you out so soon."

"Hobgoblins? Do you think the winter court is behind all of this?" Claude was surprised by who was sent after them.

"I am not sure, but we have to get out of here before they notice we left my shop. Do you have a phone Claude?"

Claude fished around in his pocket for his cell phone and passed it to Rin. They cringed as they took it as human technology and the fey didn't mix well. Rin dialed a number and put it on speaker so they didn't have to put the phone to their face. It rang a couple of times before a male voice answered.

"You've reached Berry." He said in a cheerful tone.

"Berry it it Rin. We need you to get to the extraction point as fast as you can. They have sent hobgoblins and a few wolf familiars after us."

"I'm on my way boss."

Once the call was finished Rin gave the phone back to Claude. "Wrap those blankets around you and cover your heads. Now we run."