One
Brenna
What am I even doing here anyway? This is crazy. I pull at the hem of my little black dress, feeling completely out of place.
Of course, I suppose Iamout of place. I'm in a huge ballroom full of vampires. There are some other humans here too, but they are few and far between.
I scowl when I feel the hem of my dress lift back up to mid-thigh. I don't know why I'm even trying. The fabric is just going to pull back up. It's not like I can stretch it down any farther.
Olga, my bestie, helped me get dressed for this occasion, and I know she was right that I couldn't just show up here wearing my typical ripped jeans and tank top, but I'm feeling like such a fish out of water in these ridiculous clothes.
Olga brushed my long, wavy, dark hair out until it shines. I catch a glimpse of myself in one of the many mirrors lining the ballroom, and I have to grudgingly admit that I do look pretty—something I never really thought of myself as since I've always been more of a tomboy. I wasn’t the girl who played with dolls as a child. Instead, I was the girl getting into fights with the boys and climbing trees.
And yeah, don't even ask me why they have so many mirrors in this vampire's castle. It's kind of weird seeing all the vampires passing in front of it and having no reflection, but hey, I guess they just like the opulent look of them.
And all these mirrors certainly make my task easier. I can easily discern if someone is a vampire or not by seeing if their reflection shows up.
Of course, it's pretty easy to pick vampires out anyway based on their appearance alone. Most of them have pale skin and almost blood-red lips, and of course they have that look of near-constant hunger in their eyes.
But for what I have in mind, it's better to be safe than sorry.
I don't want to waste this kiss on a mere human.
At least I don't have to worry about running into any werewolves here. The vampires and the werewolves don't get along very well.
Still, I don't much savvy the thought of kissing a vampire, but I'm so eager to come into my power that I can get over the thought of anything. Even kissing one of these deadly bloodsuckers.
I feel a flutter of excitement in my belly when I wonder what my power will be like. Oh, it's not like I plan on doing anything nefarious with my power either. It's just if I have some untapped source of power, I would like to have access to it. Plain and simple.
It'd be nice to use it to help with some of the chores around my house. It'd be nice to have it for protection when I'm walking down the city streets alone. Simple things like that. That's what I plan on using it for. I won't be looking to alter the course of the universe or anything.
How did I find out I have to kiss a vampire to unlock this untapped potential? Well, last Halloween when Olga and I attended one of those carnivals, we stopped by the fortune teller's tent, and I usually don't put much stock in those things, but what she predicted for Olga has already come true, so I'm revisiting her prophecy that said I have to kiss a vampire to unlock my hidden potential.
Hey, it doesn't hurt to try, right?
I never would have thought I was one of those humans who would have hidden powers within me. Of course. I never knew my parents. I've been an orphan for as long as I can remember. I'm not even sure how they died or anything.
I grew up at the local orphanage until I became friends with Olga in school. Then, her parents so kindly adopted me and made me the sister she always wanted.
Yeah, they're really great people, and I love them as if they were my real parents. I don't go so far as to call them Mom or Dad, though, because I was a little too old for all that whenever they adopted me in.
But still, they're my chosen family, if not by blood.
Christ, this is like something out of the Victorian ages. They're not playing modern hip-hop music. Instead, the gentle strains of a violin quartet—a live one at that—floats throughout the crowded ballroom.
Of course, I suppose this is more of the vampire's speed since many of them were grandfathered in from the Victorian era.
My eyes scan the room. While most of them aren't wearing Victorian clothing, there are a few who are turned out in full Victorian dress. Most of the men are wearing modern suits and the women modern dresses, though.
I continue to scan the vicinity, glancing in the mirrors to double check potential candidates for a kiss. I have to pick my target and soon because it's nearing midnight.
I suppose I could just walk up to any random stranger and lay one on him, but I purposefully chose tonight—New Year's Eve—to do this because it's considered a little more socially acceptable to kiss a stranger on this night.
When the clock strikes midnight, almost everyone is willing to receive that New Year's Eve kiss for good luck, even if it is with a stranger.
I chew on my lip thoughtfully. There are so many choices. I don't even know where to begin.
It's not like I'm looking for the hottest or sexiest vampire. On the contrary, I'm looking for one who looks relatively unthreatening. I don't want one who's going to rip my throat out for my impudence. At the same time, a shiver of disgust passes through me when my eyes light on some of the older gentlemen with balding heads. They might be more agreeable to getting a random kiss from a random young woman, but I'm just not sure I can stomach that.