I lick my lips as I travel about the kingdom grounds. My heart is pounding, and my mind is starting to fog up due to the lack of blood. My fangs are protruding over my lips, and I can feel my claws extend out. 

"Fuck," I mutter quietly. The search for prey has rendered absolutely nothing; there are no drunk idiots sloppily wondering about like only weeks ago. I clench my fists as I stay hidden in the dark areas of the west sector; I know it is dangerous for me to be out in such plain sight, but I have no options. 

My eyes scan about the area as my nose picks up the faint scent of a human. My eyes widen, and I cannot help but let out a smirk. I walk towards the scent as my eyes start to adjust to the dark; I only awoke a bit ago, and it is fair to say that I am hungry, extremely hungry. 

My steps are hushed as the young drunk comes into my line of sight. He holds a bottle of rum as he stumbles out a dark alleyway. He is muttering some incoherent phrases as he continues to stray further from the bar he came from.

I dash from one side of the market path to the other, the wind brushing through my hair. I crack my knuckles, only to notice the black veins that stretch down my arms. I am so close to losing my sanity; I cannot hesitate. I approach the fellow; my fangs itching to pierce the skin and drain every little bit of life force out of him. 

He freezes for a moment, probably sensing my presence. I smile before lunging for him, my hands quick to cover his mouth so his screams are muffled. We stumble to the ground, and he cannot help but look me directly in the eyes. I let out a quiet laugh and open my mouth wide, revealing the sharp rows of teeth that can pierce the toughest skin. His panicked screams attempt to pierce the ear, but no one is coming to his aid.

My teeth sink into his neck, and I start to inject my venom into his body. He starts to thrash in my arms, the venom quickly causing seizures as every organ in his body shuts down. I drag the body over to a darker alley; his weight is light as a feather. 

I finish dragging his body over as I lift my claws up only to notice that the start of my arms is entirely black. I twitch for a second, any bit of self-control about to slip away.

My body lurches forward as my intentions are simple, devour every single piece of his body until there are just bones that remain.

---

My body shoots forward as my breath is heavy. I am gasping for air as my eyes instantly dart to look at my hands. There are no claws, no black veins, and no blood. I am shaking uncontrollably as my hands reach towards my mouth, feeling around for any sort of fangs. But there are none, just normal, human, canines. 

"Are you okay," I nearly scream as I turn my head to see the same knight as the evening before. He is looking at me, his head tilted to the side. I want to talk, but my breath is caught in my throat. In turn, I start coughing uncontrollably. My hands reach for my chest as I am quick to get it under control. 

I shake my head and look towards the knight, my face heating up a cherry-colored red. 

"What happened," my voice is a mere whisper. My eyes widening as fear drifts throughout my body; I am still shaking uncontrollably. He takes notice and gives a small smile. 

"A ghost was detected by the mage, Aiden, and we immediately rushed over as soon as we saw you climbing down the ladder. You got impaled before we got there, but it seems like you had no idea you were injured. It was probably adrenaline."

"Oh," it only takes me a moment before panic reaches my eyes. Oh, my goodness, my dress. What happened to my Gala dress? Mama is going to kill me; I cannot show up to Gala in my regular, tattered dress. My breath labors as I look back towards the knight.

"My dress --- where is my dress? Please, it was for Gala, I do not have another one," he lets out a laugh and shakes his head.

"It already got washed, please don't worry about it. You just need to rest. Some of the priestesses have been healing you over the past evening; you should be good to go before Gala. I'm Kyler, by the way," he holds his hand out, and I hesitantly shake it. 

"Alice."

"Nice to meet you, Alice. Do you mind me asking why you were traveling in the east grounds at the dead of night?" I grit my teeth slightly as my eyes shift towards the window. The skies are starting to show signs of sunlight, but it is still, visibly, cold outside. The outside of the window has icicles coming from the edges, and the screen has frost littering the exterior. 

"I couldn't sleep. I received some news, and it is rather dim," Kyler lets out a regretful breath as my vision shifts back towards him. His irises look appear more maple colored caught within the lights; they are truly beautiful, with the consistency of molasses dripping through them. Truth be told that he is a rather handsome young man, but my kind does not associate with --- his status. 

"What happened, Alice?"

"I rather not speak about it, Kyler," my voice is full of venom as he nods his head before reaching down towards a bag that sits at the foot of the chair he sits on. He pulls out a small pouch of oats and hands them to me. I try to resist as guilt drives through my skin, but he shakes his head, the word "no" not being an option. 

"Why are you treating me like this? You do know I'm just a peasant, right?"

"Is that supposed to matter? A knight's goal is to protect everyone in the kingdom despite status," a small smile lights up my face before I immediately put the mask back on, attempting to hide the small bit of hope on my face. He takes notice and lets out a smile of his own; it is a breathtaking grin. He has two dimples, and his smile could make any girl swoon at the very sight of it. 

"I need to alert Mama where I am. She surely must be panicking," I start to unwrap the blankets I'm tucked in, but Kyler is quick to sit me back down. He shakes his head and crosses his arms. 

"You are not fully healed, Alice. We can send a messenger out to your mother, but you are my responsibility until you are released."

"But, why? I'm healthy now, and Mama needs me," my voice is pleading as my eyes start to get teary. My hands clench the small bag of oats as my feet hang over the bed's edge. My mind is racing about Mama; is she okay? For the love of Gala, she must be terrified right now. Her last bit of family is missing, most likely presumed dead. 

"I will get in contact with a messenger to give your mother a note, making sure to alert her of your incident. Just take a few deeps breaths as your health still is not stable," I do as he recommends and starts to take in a few, shallow breaths. My lungs feel heavy as wheezes can only be released. My hands reach towards my chest as I continue to take deeper breaths until they are eventually clear, normal. 

"You really care about your mom, don't you," I look back at Aiden and nod my head. Mama is all I have in this world. She is all I have ever known, and I love her every single minute of every single day. I would gladly sacrifice my life for Mama as she would do the same for me. 

Aiden leans back in his chair and blows the bangs out of his face. He stretches his arms and gives me a pain-filled grin, "I lost my mom awhile back. You got to love 'em while they're around, you know?" 

"I'm sorry about that. I can't imagine losing Mama," I shiver with the thought of losing her; I couldn't imagine what I would do. She is my whole life. 

"It is life. As odd as it sounds, I can still feel her spirit with me. I can still hear her nagging me every time I do something wrong and be there for me when I am down. Despite her being gone, she is still with me right in here," He points to his heart where I can see a small locket hanging down. Its gold shines brightly in the light, and the small emerald sparkles in the middle. The edges are a bit rough due to its age, but it is a beautiful locket overall. 

"When can I leave, Aiden?"

"Probably the day before Gala, so I reckon in two days."

"Two days," I nearly shout, my eyes widen as I look back outside. I was knocked out for five days. Five? Mama certainly must think I am dead by now; she probably has asked every single soul in the entire kingdom where I am. I put my head into my hands and let out a choked breath; I should have never left that night. 

"Alice, the priestess is coming in a few moments. I will let you tell her where your mom lives, and she will send a report to her. Okay? I need you to lay back down as the stress isn't good on your healing wound," I shoot him a glare before hesitantly lying back down. I allow my eyes to close as I let out a long, exasperated sigh. Mama did nothing to deserve this dress; I am just simply a horrible daughter.