Lith's Place

"Return once you have spoken with her. And bring her should she make the change."

"I will speak to her about it soon."

"Think carefully. Would you wish upon her immortality?" Lith asked. "There have been times when I have cursed my immortality; times when I have cursed it and wished to die, but never enough to act upon it. I am careful. I am concealed. I was given a choice. I thought for three years as my Creator mentored me in my writing; he was a writer, although never well-known. And at the end I decided. He trained me to lead, taught me the religion, the beliefs of the coven, and how to lead it. He taught me how to hide my tracks and those of the coven. And he made me powerful."

She looked him in the eyes.

"You were not given a choice; I was and the girl should be as well. Let her think-as long as need be."

"I can turn her into one."

"An outsider?" she asked. She raised her eyebrows. "You know what we are. You know there will be rumours. They may try to kill her. That is, if we start up a coven."

"Well, if i go and learn by your side, i want to bring hitori with me."

"I could," she said, "but why would I want to? Castles are big; they grow lonely. I much prefer being a part of society. I have had many different names over the years, and many different statuses, many fake deaths. I prefer it-despite the difficulties it may cause, and the pains I have to go to-but then again, I like people; after the Coven disbanded-if we hadn't've disbanded, I would be with them, in an abandoned castle-I grew a new name, a new life, and repeated it. I prefer to be within society, some sort of society. I wouldn't mind if it was a coven, if one started up again, but I do not like to be alone."

She walked to the back porch and looked onto her over-sized yard.

"Trust me, it is... interesting... to be one of Us. And it can become very lonely."

"Can't you just hide away in a castle that is 'abandoned'?"John asked. "For your whole eternity no one will know you live there, just 'rumors'."

"Keep?" she asked, laughing, "what do you think this is, boy, the golden age? We have to keep our suspicion minimal. There's no 'keep' unless you're actually rich under your current name. Which means you work for your riches each 'life.'"

She looked out the window.

"Now, once upon a time-in the golden age, sixteen-hundreds or so-we did have a keep, a huge keep. My father's, you see. I was turned and I became a vampiric queen with little instruction from my Creator. All he truly told me was 'be wary, and lead'. I was left to discover my new self on my own. For this I must say my Creator knew what he was doing. It is better to discover yourself."

She looked at him, meeting his eyes for a moment.

"You must only feed off of those who have no names, seemingly. And you must hide them well. My basement has a secret door leading to a crypt. I know what I am doing. Those I feed off of go there. You are welcome to use my space, but I think perhaps one of your own is necessary. Until you get one, use either my space-or bury them somewhere else."

"Well wouldn't you have a special keep to hide them?" John asked.

"How to hide the bodies," she said matter-of-factly. "I don't bother with the religious crap anymore."

"Well whats the first thing that im to learn?"

"Exactly; you have been left without a trainer and I without a fledgling. It works."

"He took off when he bit me."

"I have not trained a fledgling in many years," she said, "besides, do you know where your creator is?"

"Ok." John closed his eyes. "Why would you want to train me? Doesn't my creator usually train me?"

"So then you are new. There are a few things you must know. The first is to trust nobody outside yourself; every once in a while, a few years, ten at most, move somewhere else and give yourself a new name. So that you don't seem quite so suspicious," she said, "and with the feedings? Be cautious."

She looked out a window, turned, and looked back.

"I have decided to take you under my wing; it has been a long time since I met a fledgling. This will be just like old times."

"I was bitten in an alleyway, I don't even know who my master is." John sighed. "I wish that vampire would of explained this and met me."

"You're looking at one," she said, "I was a vampire queen in my day. I ruled over nearly two hundred all throughout France and Italy. I trained many and created many. You're new to being one of us, aren't you?"

John stalled. "I don't get it, there is more of my kind out there?"

Lith opened the door carefully so as not to set off her security systems. She pressed the 'off' switch and walked into the living room.

She turned to face John.

"You're one of us," she said quite simply. "I'm going to cut to the chase. I am one as well. Do you understand your power?"

/Perhaps I may come to lead another coven here.../

Lith walked in the door. It looked like an almost-ordinary house. Apart from the rather large flag of skull-and-crossbones. She was known as 'that goth girl' in her neighbourhood, since she wore nothing but the finest quality black leather or denim.

Today her black hair was done all in braids. She looked at the place. It was a bit of a mess, but not a bad little place. The floors were hardwood and the walls were crimson-painted. She had a leather couch leaning against one wall and the TV against another. The kitchen was a smallish unit.

Not the riches she could have, but then again, the last thing she needed was suspicion. She had once been a vampire queen, rich beyond belief. Now she was just a mysterious girl with a French accent. She had downsized since her days in the mansion.

She walked up to her room and flopped onto the bed. The walls were black and covered in posters.