Crimson Born - Amy Patrick Page 0,25

need to prepare and mobilize for what they considered an inevitable war between the species.

I didn’t join in those discussions. It was hard for me to get into the us-against-them mentality when I still felt so human.

Life got immeasurably better when I met Kelly and Heather. Both were about my age and fellow newcomers to the Bastion.

The two were standing together in a corridor when I left one of my classes, talking with my instructor. As soon as he left, they said hello.

“I like your accent. Where are you from?” Kelly asked.

“Are you from Europe?” Heather asked eagerly. “I’ve always wanted to go to Europe.”

“No. I’m from Pennsylvania, actually. I grew up speaking Dutch at home, though.”

“Oh my gosh, you’re Amish?” Kelly asked.

“Used to be. I guess I’m not really anymore.” I looked down at my English clothing, which had been provided for me here.

It was a bit of a thrill to realize I was no longer instantly recognizable as someone so far removed from the rest of society.

“My family didn’t... react well,” I explained.

“Mine either,” Heather said. “I’m from a small town in Alabama, and my parents are like, totally religious. They kicked me out.”

“I’m sorry,” I said, and I meant it. “I know how you feel.”

Heather told me she’d driven here on her own about a week before I’d gotten here. She’d heard about the place from the vampire who’d turned her, a guy who’d claimed to love her and convinced her to let him bite her, though he had no interest in sticking around to educate her himself once she’d turned.

He’d simply thanked her for a good time, given her directions to the Bastion, then hit the road himself in the other direction.

Kelly had been picked up by the Bloodbound, like I had been. She’d turned after being attacked by a nomadic group of rogue vampires.

They’d probably meant to kill her but had moved on without determining that the deed was fully done.

After awakening alone, afraid, and very sunburned, she’d pieced together what must have happened and had been hiding out, unsure of where to go and what to do next until the Bloodbound rescued her.

Kannon said she’d been on the verge of starvation when they’d found her.

While we were from completely different backgrounds, the three of us had one thing in common. None of us had ever planned on our lives turning out like this, and unlike the others who lived here at the Bastion, none of us had much interest in vampire politics or our warfare training sessions.

The three of us sat together in all our shared classes. Having gotten here earlier, Heather was ahead of us in her studies, but we did have survival class together.

Our teacher, Eudora, seemed an unlikely expert in the matter. She was the least robust-looking vampire I’d seen since arriving at the Bastion.

Unlike Imogen and most of the others who had elegant posture, vibrant coloring, and beautiful complexions, Eudora was tiny, hunched, and pasty.

Then again, she was about four hundred years old, so she must have known what she was talking about on the subject of survival.

“When you travel, it’s critical to be aware of the local rules and regulations,” she said as she lurched from one side of the classroom to the other. “The courts have given state and local authorities some wiggle room under the Crimson Accord, and the last thing you want is to arrive at a hotel in the middle of nowhere just before sunrise and find they don’t accept vampire guests. And when you travel internationally, do your research ahead of time. Some countries, like Russia and Mexico, forbid us to feed directly on humans—even with permission—and some, like Transylvania, deny our existence altogether.”

Looking around at my classmates, it seemed impossible to imagine anyone in this day and age could deny the existence of vampires.

I’d learned we numbered in the millions worldwide, and there were vampires working in just about every industry as well as in local, state, and national government jobs.

“We’re lucky in this country that leaders like Sadie Aldritch and President Kennedy were able to make such progress in vampire-human relations and ensure the protections we enjoy under The Crimson Accord,” Eudora said. “Trust me, you would not have wanted to be around before that treaty was enacted. It was a chaotic time—dangerous for humans and vampires alike. If only Sadie and her group of pacifists weren’t so determined to prevent us from feeding in the natural way, we could have called