"Bast, wake up, sweetie." My mother said, shaking me out of my deep sleep.
"Hmm? Mommy? What's wrong?" I asked her, looking at the clock on my bedside table; the big bright letters read 3:45 am. "Why are you waking me up so early?" I asked her, trying to wipe the sleep out of my eyes as I sat up in bed and looked around the room.
"Get up and brush your teeth and hair, then come downstairs, Bastet." my mom said as she walked out of my bedroom. I couldn't help but notice a weird look on my mother's face like she was doing something wrong. 'She never calls me Bastet unless I'm in trouble. What could I possibly have done that deserves to be woken up so early?' I thought as I got out of bed and did as my mother asked, my heart pounding from worry. 'What reason would my mother have for waking me up like this? And why did she look so upset?' I tried to calm myself down, but to no avail, as I brushed out my long hair, much rougher than I meant to, causing myself to wince in pain.
When I finished, I walked down the stairs. I had to hold the railing to steady myself as my legs were shaking so terribly, I could barely stand without the help of the rail.
"Mommy?" I called out once I reached the bottom step, looking at the living room to my right, where I saw a dim and flickering light, which only worried me more, for some reason unknown to me. Something about the living room atmosphere told me that something terrible was going to happen, although I didn't quite understand what that meant.
"Come on in here, Bast." My father called from the room. Hearing my father's firm voice made me feel better. My dad always made me feel safe. Having heard my father's voice, I felt my worries fade as I walked into the living room. My mother and father sat on the couch next to each other, and across from them, I could only see the back of a stranger.
From behind, I could tell this man was tall and strong. I slowly walked towards where my parents were, keeping my eyes on the man, taking in his appearance. He wore a black 3-piece suit with a dark purple tie; his hair was black and short. I could tell he was a powerful man, one that it terrified me to be in the same room as.
As I was about to sit next to my father, he stopped me and motioned to the stranger. "Sit next to Damien, Bast."
I turned towards the man and couldn't hold back the shudder that went through my body. Underneath that black hair were the most shockingly electric blue eyes I've ever seen. His facial structure was strong and handsome, with a short and well-groomed beard. The way he sat perfectly still as he watched me was unnerving and gave me the feeling that this man was not human, or at the very least, not a very pleasant person to be around, especially when he was in a less than friendly mood, though I couldn’t for the life of me picture a smile on his brooding face.
I told myself to do as my father said, but found I was glued to where I stood, staring at the man. I don't know why, but this man made me want to run and never look back. Looking at his face, I felt like I was looking into the face of the Devil.
"Do as your father told you, little girl," Damien said, his blue eyes showing a hint of anger as he spoke. His voice was deep, so deep I felt everything inside me tremble the moment he spoke. The way he looked at me made me feel like he was looking right through me, down into my soul.
I did as the man said and sat next to him, as far away as I could on the small couch. Sitting next to this man made me feel like a glass doll, small and fragile.
Damien chuckled as he watched me, cowering away from him, but said nothing to me as he looked back at my parents. "I accept your payment," he said, then stood, holding his hand out to me expectantly.
"What? Daddy, what is happening?" I asked him as I scrambled off the couch and into a corner of the room, as far from Damien as possible.
"Bast-" My father said, but stopped once Damien held his hand up, silencing him.
"You are mine, little girl," Damien said as he sauntered towards me confidently, his electric blue eyes alive with amusement as he watched me. 'What does he find so entertaining about this?
There is nothing about this situation that is in the least bit funny!' I thought when I saw the look in his eyes as he closed the distance between us.
"No!" I screamed and tried to run away, but found that I couldn't run any further away as I already pressed my back against the wall.
The man came closer and stopped once he was a few feet away, "Bast, do you want your mother to die?" He asked me, his voice low but still terrifying as he towered over me, his eyes searing into me.
I couldn't help but be taken aback by his words as I looked past him and at my mother, "No, of course, I don't." I whimpered as my eyes darted back to the man.
"Your mother will die if you aren't mine. So, be a big girl and take my hand. I will explain everything." He said, holding his hand back out at me. "I promise I will not steal you away." He added after seeing my hesitance.
I reluctantly took the man's hand and allowed him to lead me back to the couch. Once I sat down, I tried to take my hand back, but he gripped it, refusing to let it go. "Your mother has cancer, Bast. And she will die soon if she does not receive treatment. Your family is poor and cannot afford to pay, so your father offered you as payment." He said as he cast a menacing glare at my parents, the venom in his voice making my parents look down in shame, refusing to make eye contact.
"But I'm twelve!" I cried out but didn't dare to move again in fear of what he would do.
"Don't fret, little one. You will become mine on your eighteenth birthday." He said, looking into my eyes. I saw a twitch in the corner of his otherwise emotionless face. Was it a smile forming? No, it couldn't be.
I couldn't hold back my tears anymore, as everything that was happening was too much for me to accept. I yanked at my hand again, surprised when he released it as I pulled my knees to my chest and wept. "How could you give your own daughter away?" I cried to my parents through my tears.
"Bast, don't be selfish!" My father suddenly yelled as he stood, "Your mother is dying, and this man will give her the treatments she needs to survive. Do you think I would choose you over my wife? I never wanted you to begin with!"
Damien stood up and placed one hand on my father's chest and shoved hard. The force caused my father to go flying over the couch, and land on the ground behind it. "You will not speak to her in that way. Understood?" He said in a growl, his once soft voice now hard as steel.
"Yes, Mr. Edge." My mother whispered, not moving to check on her husband as she continued to sit, looking at the ground.
'Why does that name sound familiar?' I thought, then the realization dawned on me as I looked at the man through my tears 'this is Damien Edge, the billionaire lawyer!' then another realization hit me like a freight train "Are you really a vampire?" I asked him.
"Yes, little one. I am a vampire." He whispered as he sat back down next to me.
Then it all became way too much for me to handle as I started hyperventilating, looking at him, then at my mother. I was gasping for breath but found I couldn't breathe.
"Bast?" my mother called, her voice filled with worry as she came over and tried to comfort me.
"No, get away from me!" I screamed and kicked her in the shoulder. I wasn't sad or upset anymore; I was beyond pissed as I curled into a ball on the couch. "Please, just leave me alone." I sobbed as the tears started falling again.
Damien wrapped his arms around me and carried me back to my room, setting me down softly on the bed before tucking me in. He stayed with me until I'd calmed down, not caring how much I kicked and screamed at him. Once I was too tired to fight anymore, he kissed me on the forehead and stood. "I will be back for you, little one," he whispered in my ear before turning and leaving, shutting the door softly on his way out.
The last thing I heard before succumbing to sleep was him speaking to my parents: "I will be back for her. If I find that you have harmed my little one in any way, shape, or form, cancer will be the least of your worries."
