I waved off my irritation. There were plenty of vampires in Sharra. They all drank blood, just like me, but only the blood of animals and the vampires never killed them. It was one of the first laws the new Vampire Queen decreed when she became ruler.
As the only Original Vampire, I required more than the others. In order to grow and thrive, I required the blood of magical creatures. It powered my magic and kept me healthy.
Early morning sunlight broke through the clouds, basking the land in orange and pink hues. Warmth tickled my skin and I lifted my face toward the light.
“Can you hang out today?” Sabrina asked, interrupting my thoughts.
“I’m sure I can.” I held out my hand. Sabrina flew forward, landing on my palm. “I’ll find you—”
“Jasmine!”
I jerked back at the sharpness in my mom’s voice, knocking over Sabrina. She tumbled through the air for the briefest moment until she righted herself.
“Coming, Snow,” I retorted with sarcasm.
Sabrina giggled. “You’re going to be in big trouble for that, princess.”
I gulped, knowing my mom didn’t like it when I called her by her first name. “Nah.” I lifted my chin. “But I’d better go.”
“Yeah, you should.” She waved and then took off toward the forest.
I watched her until she’d nearly reached the other pixilettes. Then I flew to my window ledge, folded my wings at my back and jumped inside.
“Hey, mom.” I rushed past her toward the bathroom.
Mom was standing near my bed, her hands on her hips, looking ferociously beautiful. Her sleek black hair was the exact color of mine. It was pulled back and in a bun at the nape of her neck. She wore a bright yellow gown trimmed in red and blue. On her head was a crown befitting the Vampire Queen.
“How many times have I asked you not to call me Snow?” She followed me, her skirt swishing with each step.
Ciana, the vampire who’d helped raise me, sat in her rocking chair, knitting something. She looked to be in her early twenties, but from stories she told me of when she was human, she was probably three hundred, give or take a decade. Ciana wore her long blonde hair in a bun on the crown of her head. Her dress was long and looked confining. She owned the same dress in three colors, brown, gray, and navy blue. The dress accentuated her tiny waist.
When I was younger she was so full of life. We always had fun together doing little things like chasing butterflies, planting crops, and digging up worms. Of course I never ate the food, but my dad did and I’d enjoyed doing things for him with Ciana.
In the past few years, her demeanor had changed. She’d grown despondent. At first I tried to make her happy, but nothing seemed to help, so I stopped. But she was loyal, a rare find in Sharra, and I wouldn’t dismiss her.
I shrugged. “It’s your name, isn’t it? You’re Snow White, the Vampire Queen.”
When I was seated at a chair in front of the vanity, she came to stand behind me. “Most importantly, I’m your mother.”
She leaned down, our heads side by side and she squeezed my shoulders. Her eyes sparkled with love. I studied our reflections, once again astonished by our similarities. We both had black hair, though mine had a streak of teal in it; and the shape of our faces and our high cheekbones were the same. Our lips had the same sort of thickness and we were the same height.
There were differences too. Her eyes were an unusual color, reflecting the various hues within the spectrum of the seven magics while mine were always violet. My skin was naturally tanner than hers. And then, of course, there was the huge difference between us. I had wings, obnoxiously large wings that protruded from my back like those of a giant black bird.
Although they weren’t my parents in the traditional sense that I didn’t come from my mother’s womb, I still considered them my mom and dad.
I was born of a gem created by their blood and the combination of the seven magics. My parents told me that their love for each other and their love for me brought me from the gem.
Sometimes, especially when I assisted my mom with the birth of an animal, it made me to sad to realize I wasn’t born the same way, that I was different from every other known creature. My mom and dad always tried their best to make me feel wanted and loved, and most of the time I did. But sometimes I got lonely.
“There are several meetings you must attend today so hurry, please. I want to make sure you’ve fed before we start.”
“Okay.” I dabbed some perfume Heathcliff brought for me from the human world. The smell was warm and sweet and I loved it. Almost as much as I loved getting the magazines and music that Uncle Sebastian gave me. It was always my favorite day when one of my uncles or Professor Pops visited.