Today's society is governed by a very clear kind of belief, mostly we talk about sciences, morality and even religion, things are governed that way and the established balance is mostly manageable, but within this established law there are details that are never revealed and are more than well living in the shadows and anonymity.

Thousands of years ago, many more than that in fact, when the first traits of the human race were just beginning to be glimpsed, a species highly adaptable to their environment and the difficulties they faced; they learned, they developed, they practised, they had an ever-improving intelligence and that was sheer genius, of course they were not going to be the only ones to want to survive. Another characteristic of mankind's ancestors was that they liked to mate with other similar species, so all that evidence of extinct species that didn't amount to much may not be as extinct as you might think.

For the sake of survival they mimicked each other so much that right now if you pointed at someone they were most likely fully human, there were so many species that no one was going to count them, let alone discover each other, you just dwelt in tranquillity hoping to get on with your dull and unremarkable life. The first to desire this were the vampires, one of the not-so-mythological species most well known and acclaimed, but who were so intent on not standing out for survival that it seemed to be a defining trait.

If we are going to blame anyone for the existence of monsters and creatures, we must point to vampires. Their main hobby was writing, and they were so long-lived that they were very reliable in their narratives. If you want to know an era you should look at a vampire's diary, they are very detailed and so selfless that they were not going to record their thoughts, they were just scribes of the passage of time. To no one's surprise, many are currently hiding in publishing houses, there is a specific one that seemed to attract all of them and let them exist freely.

'Moonlight', the leading publisher of vampire novels, has been around as long as the printing press itself, and as soon as it became even remotely possible to publish stories for leisure, they appeared to sweep the market. Always current, always with the best to work with, but in recent years there always seems to be someone reluctant to move at the same pace as the rest.

Vail was the one who refused as much as he could, it was a lot of work to be with him, but it was also the biggest source of sales that allowed him some slack. Even he had to report to the new boss, so he shuffled into a boardroom at an hour when he should be asleep.

“You're always so radiant” a girl with hair so curly she could have a copper-toned afro so neat it would be the envy of every person, slim, full lips and green eyes that were amused by every thing within reach, but with white lashes that revealed the natural colour of her hair.

“Just shut your mouth, in twenty years you're going to get tired of grooming yourself so much” Vail rolled her eyes as she sat down, she had white hair so long she had to push it out of the way when she sat in one place, you could run your fingers through it and not be able to get them out again, it was totally tangled and matted, but clean inside all the same.

“Kayla's just kidding though, that's when we'll meet our boss, maybe you should put some effort into your clothes” Dylan was someone who looked to be in his late thirties, a bright smile, semi-casual clothes and a rather noble brown gaze, his hair dyed brown and his red hands betraying that he had exposed his skin to the sun for more than a single moment.

The two of them were the ones I saw most often, I could call them friends because they certainly got along in that playful, sharp, slightly rude way, just enough to recognize that there was trust between them. Clearly, they weren't lying about Vail's outfit.

A long-sleeved T-shirt that seemed to be the man's favourite, somewhat worn black trousers and grey trainers that looked like they had seen better days. He was no better than a teenager going through a rebellious stage of neglecting his grooming and limiting himself to the absolutely necessary and hygienic. He was a man in his ‘forties’ with a baby face that made him look younger than that, and yet he seemed a refusal to wear anything more presentable, he didn't even wear a polo shirt and didn't think he even had one in his wardrobe.

It was a room of fifteen people who shared two characteristics, a pale skin that looked almost sickly and a physical charm that made them objectively attractive to many people. Vail could be one among a few in the place with dark circles so noticeable that they were blue in their skin, a tired look and still be no more than a misaligned version of a model and that objectively speaking was not being a disaster. They needed to look attractive to reproduce, it was a nice form of evolution and survival.

“Thank you all for coming” a noticeably old man greeted everyone with a smile, that man was sixty-two years old and finally decided to retire, his once black hair was now grey and mostly greyish, he still maintained a firm demeanour and an attentive look “It's been good years, for some it's not new to say goodbye, for others it will be their first time, but so much for my story with you”.

They all gave a round of applause, some more energetically than others, but Vail smiled wistfully. He had seen the man introduce himself, wave, smile and be someone in his twenties, now he was inches smaller and much more frail than the first time he had seen him walk through the door. The man went on with his speech while he could almost superimpose the image of Dan's father, so before he even made a gesture, he was already looking towards the door.

“So I leave my children in very good hands, I trust them so much that I don't have any worries with my departure, so I hope they can give them that trust and accept them as they did me.”

Two young boys appeared through the door, clearly in their twenties and as tall as Dan was when he first introduced himself. Both were brunettes, but one had brown hair and a totally relaxed and friendly brown look, his hair in a book cut to the middle of his ears. The other had quite striking navy blue eyes, short black hair and looked much more serious and cold.

“This is my son Anatoly” and he held the brown-haired man, “He is the eldest of my sons and will take over as head of the entire publishing house”.