At the ball

Her foster parents were so good to her. Her foster father, James was one of the human dukes in the kingdom. They treated her like their own daughter.

Athena slowly climbed out of the bed. Her body slightly trembled and beads of cold sweat broke on her forehead. She moved slowly to the door and went to the living room.

Just as she was about to open the door, she heard her parents talking in hushed tones.

"James, Athena's situation is worsening. What can we do? The physicians can't detect what her illness is. I don't want her to die. Athena is my daughter just like Viola. I can't let her die. I can't..."

Rebecca broke into heartbreaking sobs. Athena heard her father sigh heavily. He then said grimly. "Rebecca calm down. We will think of what to do..."

"What to do?!" Rebecca yelled. "What is there to do? James save my baby. Please save my baby!"

Athena closed her eyes and sighed. Her heart ached. No one can save her...

She turned and left.

On her way back to her room, she bumped into her sister, Viola.

"Athena, where is mother and father? We have been invited by the king to his masquerade ball!" Her lovely blue eyes were filled with excitement. "It's said that he is looking for a wife. I am going to be the Queen."

Athena's lips twitched when she saw the determination in her eyes. Queen? You?

However Viola didn't notice her strange look and waved a letter. "I am finally going to meet that mysterious king! Oh my gosh!" Her tone then turned sad. "Unfortunately, you can't come because of your incurable illness." Athena's lips twitched. She could see ridicule and mockery in her eyes.

"I am going now. See you later." With that, Viola strode past her with her head held high.

Athena rolled her eyes and went to her room.

. . .

At the dinner table...

Everyone ate in silence.Viola broke the silence.

"I am going to see the mysterious king at last. Oh, I am so excited."

"Calm down, Viola" James laughed. " There are three days left."

"I am sure that Viola will get many rich and powerful suitors there," Rebecca said teasingly. "Or maybe she will capture the king's attention." She winked at Viola.

"Of course, she will." James said rather proudly. "Viola is one of the most beautiful girls in the kingdom."

Viola smiled smugly and shot a provocative look at Athena. Athena ignored her. Viola bit her lip and glared at her secretly when Athena ignored her.

Viola gave her a sinister smile before she said sweetly, "Father, how can you say that? Little sister is much more beautiful than me." An awkward silence followed. Yes, Athena was beautiful but was frail, thin, feeble and too pale making her appear way too inferior to Viola who had a voluptuous body and a bright face.

Viola's eyes always contained mischief drawing anyone's attention. She had countless rich suitors, both vampires and humans. As for Athena, not many people knew about her existence in the Carter family. She never left the mansion and spent most of her time sleeping.

James cleared his throat awkwardly and swiftly changed the topic. "Athena you always wanted to see the world, right? Would you like to go to the ball too?"

Athena looked at Rebecca and James in bewilderment.

"Yes, your father and I decided to let you see what it is like outside because... because..." Rebecca lowered her eyes.

'We don't know when you will die...' Were the unspoken words...

Athena felt touched. Despite her hopeless situation, they still try to do their best for her. Sadly, they were not her parents. She sighed softly. Although they treated her well, they would never be able to fill that void...

Only her real parents could but she did not know a thing about them. They had dumped her after birth. She clenched her fists and squeezed her eyes shut, trying not to cry.

"Yes, I would like to," she said quietly but her voice sounded a little bit shaky.

"No, she can't go!" Viola shouted.

Everyone turned to look at her. She gritted her teeth secretly before saying with a sweet fake smile. "Little sister's health is not stable. How can she go to a place that will be filled with vampires?"

Rebecca and James fell in deep thought. Rebecca finally opened her mouth, "Do you want to go, Athena? If you want to go, we can protect you... Is that right James? James?"

James snapped out of his daze and nodded absent- mindedly.

Viola opened her mouth to protest but Rebecca shot her a stern look. "End of discussion."

Viola pouted but did not say anything. She stood up abruptly and stomped out of the room. Rebecca sighed and said to Athena, "Please, don't mind your sister's behaviour. She is just worried about you." She played with her fork and internally scoffed but still nodded. She really did not mind.

After bidding her parents goodnight, she went to her room. She climbed onto the bed and did not bother to close the window. She toyed with her emerald pendant absent-mindedly.

"Where are you mother? Why do I keep dreaming of you?" Time slowly passed and the day soon arrived. Viola could hardly contain her excitement. She dressed up into an eye catching red dress and red heels. Her chestnut hair was let down. She even wore makeup making her appear more alluring especially with that dark red lipstick. What caught Athena's eyes was that black diamond necklace. Her thieving instincts suddenly kicked in. Her eyes sparkled as she stared at it before she quickly averted her gaze. She frowned. "Not now," she told herself.

"Oh, my daughter looks so beautiful!"

Rebecca smiled before looking at Athena. She was wearing a black simple dress with her hair tied into a simple pony tail. Her pale face was bare of any makeup. Her upper face was covered with a black mask with golden lines.

Rebecca's eyebrows furrowed. "Why didn't you help your sister to dress up?"

"She never asked for my help," Viola shrugged nonchalantly before walking away. Viola never hid her hate and contempt for Athena. Right now she was focused on winning the king's affection and was confident that she will capture that mysterious king's attention.

Rebecca shook her head helplessly before grabbing her pale and tiny hand. "Let's go."

The Carter family got into an expensive and eye catching carriage and took off.

Soon they arrived.

The castle looked luxurious. Athena looked around curiously. This was the first time she stepped out of the mansion. Her curious eyes swept around the place before landing on the vampires that stood not far away from them. They wore expensive clothes and many jewels. She felt her hands itch at the sight of those priceless jewels..

She bit her bottom lip and looked away. Not now... Soon all these jewels will be hers. The ball had begun.

Music played and people chattered endlessly. Many beautiful maidens were present and they all were dressed up ravishingly. Only Athena looked like an old ugly duckling among beautiful swans. Viola's outstanding beauty drew many men's attention. They did not hesitate to try to initiate a conversation with her. James and Rebecca greeted countless people with Athena.

When she noticed that her parents were engaged in a conversation with a rich vampire couple, she did not hesitate to slip away and looked for somewhere to sit. All women wore bright colours except for her making her an exception. She even looked paler in the black dress. She observed her surroundings slowly...

Where was the king?

The ball had been going on for a while but the king had not yet arrived. Did he have any manners? The ball was about to end after all. People began to dance. Viola danced with many handsome men but no one asked Athena for a dance, not that she minded. Right now, she was thinking of how to steal those lovely jewels. Yes, this feeble looking lady was a thief goddess. Her thieving skills were unrivaled. The real reason why she agreed to come here was to get some beautiful jewels for her jewellery collection. She turned to look at her parents. They seemed to be discussing something important with that vampire couple. They all looked serious...

Her lips curled up into a cunning smile. It was time. In a corner, a good looking man wearing a black mask could be seen be seen. His dark red eyes scanned the place lazily. He was leaning against the wall with his hands in his pockets.

A fat short man came up, panting. "Greetings, Your Majesty" the man said with a low voice and made a little bow.

The black masked man gave the fatty a nod.

"Have you found anyone who is to your liking, Your Majesty?"

"No," the man answered flatly. "I don't think that she is even here."

Fatty, "..." Can you be serious, Your Highness?

The man's dark red eyes landed on a pale looking black haired girl. She looked so lonely and out of place. She walked with her head bowed. Her black dress seemed too ordinary and there was nothing special about her. She bumped into someone.

"Watch where you are going, commoner!" the woman yelled. "Who has let commoners enter this place anyway?"

The black haired girl appeared to be frightened and she stammered, "I am so... rry..." Her eyes turned watery.

The woman scoffed and walked away.

The man's eyes narrowed slightly as he stared at the woman's neck...

Where was the emerald necklace she was wearing just now? He then looked at the black haired girl's disappearing back.

Could she be a thief?

The man shrugged his thoughts off and said nonchalantly, "I am going out for a walk."

The fatty looked confused, "But Your Highness, aren't you going to announce your presence?"

"No," the man answered and left.

The fatty looked at him in confusion. Why did he actually throw this ball if he wasn't going to let the people know about his presence? What was he up to? The fatty scratched his chin thoughtfully.

After getting satisfied by the amount of her newly found 'treasures', she thought of exploring the castle. She walked out of the hall slowly and entered a corridor. She could see strange old portraits that were hung on the walls with the dim light.

"These portraits..." Athena murmured with a frown. They looked familiar yet unfamiliar at the same time... The more she looked at them, the eerier they became. She could feel goosebumps all over her body.

It seemed like they were telling a story.

She subconsciously touched the portraits. They felt rather rough under her fingers. Athena could not understand single a thing at all.

Her eyes then fell on a huge snake that was in a tree. It looked so real... Its eyes were staring at her...

She felt the hairs on her body stand and quickly diverted her attention, and looked at another portrait.

However she did not know when she turned to look at that snake again.

Athena swallowed softly. Something about this portrait was strange...

She subconsciously touched the portrait again. She suddenly felt a sharp pang of pain.

Suddenly, everything began to spin and she passed out.

When she opened her eyes, she was no longer in that passage.

"Where am I?" she muttered as she looked around. It seemed like she was in some sort of a garden. There were many fruit trees and flowers...

Everything looked so beautiful and unreal...

"Is there anyone here?" she shouted but there was only silence. Athena shrugged and decided to check out the place. She walked slowly as she looked around. The green grass felt so soft and many colourful butterflies hovered around her.

Something suddenly caught her attention. A huge tree stood in the middle alone.

A beautiful woman stood there while holding a red and tempting apple. She seemed to be talking to something that was in a tree.

Athena narrowed her eyes. "That snake.."

Isn't that the same snake from that portrait?

It looked so scary in real life! The woman raised the apple to her lips.

"Don't eat it!" Athena shouted. However it was too late. The woman bit the apple and things began to spin again.

The environment changed again. This time the woman was talking to a man. Their lips were moving but she could not hear anything. It seemed like the woman wanted to give the bitten apple to the man but he was refusing.

The woman seemed to become angry as she began to wave her hands angrily. The man said something before taking the apple and bit it. Everything began to spin again and the environment changed again.

This time the woman and the man were being chased out of the garden. Then the environment changed again. She was back in that corridor again. Athena blinked her eyes in confusion. She felt dumbfounded. Can somebody tell me what happened just now?

She looked at the snake again and suddenly felt a chill down her spine and gulped. Something dawned in her mind.

"This is Lucifer leading people to hell!" she exclaimed as she examined the portrait before looking at the snake again. That means... The snake is Lucifer!

Athena did not dare linger around and walked further into the corridor.

Her heart was now beating loudly for some unknown reason.

She could only hear her pounding heart and her light footsteps.

She stopped at a portrait that looked old but was still in a good shape. There was a woman and a man standing behind a small serious looking boy. He looked so adorable. They all looked happy.

"It must be the previous queen and king," Athena mumbled as she looked at the smiling vampire couple.

Athena scratched her thin thoughtfully. The little boy was the current king of course. The death of the previous king and queen was mysterious. It was said that they were killed by the current king for the throne.

"Such an ungrateful child," she mumbled as she glared at the boy. The previous king and queen were kind and did not look down on humans. They treated their people well unlike the current king who was ruthless, cold blooded and arrogant. To him, humans were nothing but ants that he can crush with his fingers.

She touched the portrait and she began to feel dizzy. The environment changed drastically. Now it seemed like she was in the king's chamber. She hid behind a closet and peered at the woman who was yelling. It was the previous queen.

It seemed like she could not see her. Even the previous king seemed to not see her. The previous king and queen... What are they doing here? Aren't they dead? Could it be that she was seeing things that happened in the past?

"Don't kill my son!" the previous queen shouted at the king who was holding a dagger. She held a boy protectively.

The previous king laughed like he was out of his mind. He staggered up to the queen with the dagger. He seemed to be drunk.

"Let me kill that bastard!" the king shouted. "Let me end our misery. He doesn't deserve to live!"

"I won't let you!" the previous queen yelled. She picked up a vase and threw it at the king. Everything began to spin and she was back in the corridor. Athena stepped away from the portrait, her face pale. Her whole body was drenched with cold sweat. What did she see just now?

The king wanted to kill his son? But why?

Why was she seeing all these things?

She turned to leave. She felt so weak. It was like she had used all her energy.... She staggered a few steps before she collapsed and fainted.

Back in the hall.

"James have you seen Athena?" Rebecca said as she looked around worriedly. Where did she go?

James frowned and shook his head.

"Where did she go? Let's go and ask Viola." Rebecca said as she pulled James and went to where Viola was standing with a handsome man.

One could tell that he was rich from the expensive clothes he was wearing. Many maidens were casting Viola many envious gazes. "Oh my gosh, am I seeing things?" one of the maidens whispered. " Lord John is actually talking to a woman? A human too!"

This made Viola feel superior but she kept an innocent and friendly smile on her face.

"Greetings Lord John," Rebecca and James bowed at the vampire lord. The lord gave them a nod and did not look at them. His eyes were glued on Viola.

Viola said smilingly, "Can you give me a few minutes to talk to my parents?" The lord frowned but then nodded and Viola walked away with her parents. "Um.. Viola have you seen Athena? We can't find her anywhere." Rebecca said.

"Maybe she has been attacked by some hungry vampires," Viola answered rather indifferently.

"Viola! Athena is your younger sister. How could you say that?!" James frowned.

"She is an outsider to me," Viola answered. "She is trying to take you away from me!"

"Viola!"

"All you care about is her,"Viola snapped. She had had enough. "What's so special about her? She is not even your real daughter!" Many heads turned when they heard her outburst.

"Calm down Viola," Rebecca said when she noticed that many people were now looking at them. "Let's focus on looking for Athena."

Viola looked irritated. Why her again?

"I am not looking for her! I don't care if she even dies!"

Slap!

James slapped her. Viola held her cheek in shock. "You slapped me for that bitch?"

Slap! James slapped her again. "And I will slap you again if you say another word."

Viola burst into tears and rushed out of the hall.

"Viola," Rebecca tried to stop her but James shook his head. "Let her be." He then looked at everyone apologetically. " I am sorry for my daughter's behaviour. She is not feeling well."

At the same time, a bell rang. Everyone stopped talking. A fat and short man said, "His Majesty did not find anyone who is to his liking so you may all leave. The ball has ended."

"What? But he did not show up at all," somebody said. The fatty smiled awkwardly and turned to leave but was stopped by Rebecca. " Greetings Lord William. We are looking for our daughter. We can't find her."

"You are looking for Lady Viola?"

"No," Rebecca said hurriedly. "Her name is Athena. She is my second daughter."

Lord William looked surprised. "You have a second daughter?"

Rebecca nodded. "She is wearing a black dress. She is thin and her skin is very pale."

Lord William scratched his chin. "We will do our best. You can go home. If we find her, we will send her."

Rebecca thanked the lord and they left with their heads lowered in depression. "We promised to protect her James," Rebecca cried. "But... But..." We failed...

"I am sure that Lord William will surely find her,"James said grimly.

They just hoped that she had not run into some bloodthirsty vampire....