I stumbled back to the velvet bed. My head was still pounding and my heart was still racing.
The room itself was what pulled me out of my almost panic attack. It wasn't a modern house like mine had been. This was almost medieval but with beautiful, luxurious fabrics. The walls were panelled in dark wood, and the curtains were so thick they seemed to absorb all light and sound. The air was cool even under the heavy blankets.
The clothes I was wearing felt like silk made from moonlight even though it was just a simple high-necked nightdress. Could such clothes even still exist in the U.S?
This wasn't a hospital or a normal home. This was something like a palace.
What kind of society was this? Was this a new world or I somehow went back in time?
I needed information. I needed to understand why I was here and why my soul was inhabiting this new body.
I forced myself up again. I needed to find a door. The room was large, and it took a long minute to find a subtle handle hidden in the dark wood paneling. I took a deep breath and pushed it expecting a hallway but instead, I found a small, richly furnished adjoining sitting room. Wow, this must be part of Lena's "chambers". At least that's what I think they are called.
And that's where I found the first clue.
On a massive mahogany desk sat a letter opener and a neat envelope bearing a crest which looked like a bat's wing over a thorny rose. Under it was a book. It was a heavy volume bound in deep scarlet leather.
The title, written in gold, was "A Brief History of the Nocturne Territories and the Valerius Dynasty". The subtitle was "Vampires and humans".
I snatched it up, quickly reading with my heart hammering. Vampires? Dynasty? My mind immediately began filing away information. This was no ordinary world.
I skimmed the introduction. It was written in a dry, formal style, but the content was breathtaking. The world was divided into human provinces and Vampire Territories, ruled for centuries by immortal monarchs. The Valerius family were the current rulers, the Lords of the largest territory, the Nocturne. Humans lived under their governance, providing labor, paying taxes, and... I swallowed hard... submitting to various laws established for the vampires' benefit.
It got weirder when I got to the part about blood law. Humans were citizens, yes, but their fundamental value was tied to their blood quality. Certain families, those with "cleaner, purer" lineages, were highly prized, usually for consort roles or high-tier servants. Other humans were merely tolerated.
I slapped the book shut. Vampires were real. I was in a vampire society.
What the fuck? Nah, it probably was a fictional story. Yes, that's what it is.
I looked back at the mirror. This body, this Lena Hale, belonged to this world. Before I could process the true horror of my situation, the main door to the outer chambers burst open.
The sight of the people who entered was shocking and surreal. They looked like humans but better. They were carefully dressed and had great posture but they radiated an energy that felt harsh and unwelcome.
They were Shane and Irina Hale, Lena's parents I guess. Surprisingly, I knew their names. Hmmm. I must still have some of Lena's memories somewhere.
"Lena! You are awake," Shane said, his voice held no relief, only irritation. He was a tall man, smartly dressed in a dark suit, his face filled with disapproval.
Irina, a petite woman with tightly bound blonde hair rushed forward towards me. I stepped back trying to avoid her but she grabbed my arm, her fingers digging in painfully. "Are you mad? You've been unconscious for nearly two days! The doctor said it was a severe fever that broke. You cannot afford this weakness, girl!"
Of course it was my luck that I would wake up in the body of another daughter who was considered a disappointment. Couldn't I get a reprieve?
"Fever?" I managed to croak out, my voice sounding shaky. I remembered falling into water, not a fever.
"Silence!" Shane barked, stepping into the room. "You were supposed to be ready. You are a disgrace."
I pulled my arm away from Irina. "What are you talking about? Where am I?"
Irina stared at me as if I had grown a second head. "The Hale Manor, you foolish child! Stop this pretense. We have a crisis. The Ball is tomorrow."
"The Ball?"
"Yes, the Sanguine Ball!" Shane hissed, leaning closer. "The Lord's annual selection event. Your sister, Rue, is supposed to be presented, along with Alice. But Rue is violently ill. Now, because you came of age two years ago, you must go in her place!"
He paced the room, running a hand through his hair. "It is a scandal! We told everyone we only had two eligible daughters! You are unknown, unpresented, and—" He looked me up and down with crushing disdain. "—utterly unprepared. You are our last resort to comply with the law. We must present the two daughters we claimed to have."
My mind raced. So, Lena Hale was the disliked third daughter they kept locked away, only to be dragged out as a contingency plan. My old life of rejection had merely been replaced by a new one.
"Why me? Why not just say Rue is sick?"
Irina wrung her hands. "Because the law is absolute, Lena! Every human family of rank must present every eligible daughter. Failure to comply means a loss of title, territory, and potentially, the Lord's displeasure. And you know what that means." She didn't have to finish the sentence. In this world, the Vampire Lord's displeasure likely meant death.
Shane grabbed my shoulders, his grip hard. "You will go. You will wear a veil. You will remain silent. And you will pass as a distant relative in Rue's place. Do you understand? Do not let your existence be known, and do not, under any circumstance, draw the Lord's eye."
He released me with a shove, leaving me reeling.
The irony was painful. I had chosen death to escape a life of being unwanted. Lena was being forced into a situation where she was unwanted and yet expected to risk her life to save her family's social status.
"I understand," I whispered, the words tasting bitter. I had no choice.
Tomorrow, I will attend the damn Ball.