Shadow  (My version of vampire)

 
Who are we on this weird sphere we call Earth? I walk among all of you in complete shadow and observe, what seems to me as being alive, if you can call what I seen, as being alive. You wake up in a cloud of complete delusion that you are doing what needs to be done to survive. You have no purpose in life. Your hopes and dreams seemed to be crushed around the age of twenty-one. If not crushed, then the innocent hope of getting your dreams to come true. Falls from your lips to these decrepit sidewalks and trampled on.

I may sound jaded and lost. On the contrary, I see things in its entirety.  No emotion is involved in my perception of the world. I have been watching for centuries and with every new generation there may be one born with the strength to change, what is engraved in your human psyche.
I watched you cry over lost love and recover quickly when a new love arrives in your life. You know nothing of love, and for that matter neither do I. I observe to learn, and what I have learned is that you take selfishly and throw it away with no remorse. You breathe free air, yet you charge for water. You shed tears and behind every drop is a hidden agenda. I choose not to embrace your human imprints to life. I chose my own.

My name is Sloan Shadow. I am what my people call the mist. I go into the world in mist form and watch to see if the human race has evolved into an accepting society, if my people deem the human species worthy. They will reveal themselves and bestow on them the knowledge of immortality. I have yet to deem them worthy.

I have noticed the blue jays call to return home. I do dread going home. In some sense, we are what you humans are, full of ourselves. There is a celebration for my parents’ wedding anniversary. I was told I must attend and put a smile on my face, even if it pains me to do so.
My parents have been joined since the dawn of time and they have many children, but I had the good fortune of being first born. I feel the thickness in the air. It is warning me that this ceremony is more than a celebration and I do not wish to disrespect my parents and not attend. I will just have to observe and see how this unfolds, not that I don’t trust my family, let’s be honest I don’t trust my family.

I have borrowed a beautiful silver gown made by an unknown designer; it shimmers in the moonlight I know it would be up to my parents’ standards. I will return it before it is even missing. My black hair that looks as if it was created from the darkness itself has never known a pair of scissors. We do not cut our hair until the day of our joining. It is cut as short as you desire it, but it is not allowed to grow as long again. The length is a sign that the woman is unattached. I purposely have let it grow wild. I still held up tradition and at the same time showed my independence from high society. By letting it grow as it please but there is a loophole in my independence. I must tame it before the celebration. As defiant as I want to be I will not humiliate my family in front of their entire friends. So that alone has forced my hand to return home sooner than I desired.

In mist form, I travel faster than any other form of transportation. I drifted into a burning building and went into the room with the most flames. My people have strategically placed dimensional doors all over the earth for easier travel and to do their grocery shopping, mainly human’s. I drifted over to the closet and into my realm.

Once I arrived I should not have expected a sit-down dinner at my parents’ house? No this celebration had exceeded even what I could ever dream up. It was so magnificent even the trees bowed in reverence to the festivities. Or could it be the gigantic glistening crystals hanging from their limbs? Especially since the majority of them were put on the top of the trees.

I walked inside the ballroom and everything was shimmering. Everything was either gold or silver. The flat wear was made out of crystal and the utensil was created from a alloyed that my family had for centuries. That should clue you in that I do not have a clue what it’s made out of.
The musicians had their own station in the ballroom, and they were very proud of it. I turned and went upstairs to my chambers and noticed that not one thing was out of place. I do tend to overreact if my things are touched. I went straight to my bed and flopped face down into it.

"I do like my women face down. It tends to show off one of many beautiful aspects of the female forms." A male voice said.

"Cana I cannot believe you stayed put in that position since I left. Awe you deserve a dog treat, very obedient." I said as I turned my head in his direction.

Cana is a cousin, on my father's side of the family. He is always a dog when it comes to the ladies. So hence the name Cana, short for canine. We thought it to be funny.  Later he proved to deserve the name.

"Why are you in my room?" I asked.

"I was told to inform you that the time has come. Your intended has come of age, and you are to be presented to him at tonight's celebration." Cana said with a devilish smile.

"Oh, hell no, I'm not going to be joined to anyone. That is final." I said as I went to my bathroom and started to undress to take a shower. I did not care if my cousin saw me. We never looked at each other any other way than family. I consider him more like a brother who likes to inform you of all the juicy gossip.

I missed my room and my personal things. But I do not miss being treated like a piece of property.
I am older than some of the dirt we walk on and yet I am being given to the highest bidder.

"Cana, I will not be joined and if forced into it. I will have to kill my husband on  our first night together." I called out.

"So that's, that huh?" Cana asked.

"Yes, now hand me my towel on the bed. I have to get dressed in a hurry. Don't you hear the hairdressers are almost here?"

Cana laughed and threw the towel at me. He is the only person that can put a smile on my face. I dried off as quickly as I could before the hairdressers came barging into the room uninvited.
"Sloan, Oh my unneeded breath. Look at you. A human sheepdog has more control of its mane than you. Let's get to it. I cannot wait until you join. Then I can cut this hair. It's supposed to entice men into wanting you. All it does is entice the local shipbuilders to use it for rope." The lead hairdresser, Nanage informed.

"Nanage, your one step into that eternal sleep you’re so dying to meet, one more condescending word that falls from those tattooed lips of yours. I will put you to rest. Got it?" I said, staring at her.

"Oh, I love this new you, very commanding. Ok, that was short-lived. Let's get to it.” Nanage said to her assistants.
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'"Father, I do not want to join with Sloan. The woman is colder than even our people are naturally."

"Son you will join with her and our family will be one of the strongest once united."

"How do we know we are a suitable match? You never told me that we were to be joined until today and that is uncalled for. Father, I know that I must follow tradition, but all this secrecy?
Why?"

"All will be revealed at the announcement, son."

"Father, I will tell you this. I do not wish this union and I will kill her on her on the night of our joining."

"Your choice, as long as you do it after the ceremony."