• My name was Ana once. That was so long ago, though, that I do not ever give that as my name now. Some call me Tera. Others call me Thief. But the one they use the most is The Hunter.

    I live here in the forest of Wisconson, hidden deep in the trees and far from most prying eyes of the humans. They occasionally stumble upon my humble abode in the core of a hollowed out tree next to the tired stream that struggles over the rounded stones.

    It all started five hundred and sixty-two years ago. That's right, 562 years ago. I know, I know. I'm pretty old. But not too old for a vampire. I wanted to be a rich girl when I was human. It could be expected from my era.

    My father was a moderately funded man with six children, of which I was the eldest. And as for me, I favor my mother's appearence. I am short, even for a woman trapped at the age of nineteen. My hair is the color of black silk, my eyes the color of a lagoon's clean, crystal waters, and my skin the shade of a new ivory pendant.

    We lived in London.

    Enough said, am I right? I was often jealous of the fancy dresses of the rich girls. Their ribbons and their shoes. And when I met the new man in town, I was struck, just as a hundred other doting females were.

    The man moved into a house across the river from me. He was beautiful. Kendel was a tall, extremely striking figure to see just walking down the street in his black clothes, knee-high boots, and his heavy coat. He was rich. Of course. And I was not.

    I had no money.

    He paraded around the city with his menservents, his sister Caroline, and his usual following female residents, whispering into their silk shawls and their gloves.

    And yet, Kendel, with his perfect, golden skin, black eyes, sharp nose, muscled arms, and curly amber-colored hair, came towards me that day. Me of all people.

    It was a cold, snowy day in my hometown. I was chasing my youngest sister, Peggy-Sue and trying to hold onto my second youngest sibling, my brother Collin. She ducked between women that were clutching babies.

    Peggy-Sue ran for her little life through the deepening drifts of white. Collin told me that he would catch Peggy-Sue and I agreed after many of his complaints and protests. He vanished after the six-year-old as soon as I released his grubby hand.

    My feet ached, my shoulders were burdened with my damp cloak. I was wearing a thick, dark blue petticoat over my light blue skirts and thin, worn-out shoes that hurt my toes.

    I sat down on a creaky bench and pulled off my shoes to see the painful blisters on the back of my thin heels. They stung and pain rolled, prickling, up my shins, making me grimace. When he spoke, it made me jump.

    "Those are some terrible blisters, miss."

    I looked up at Kendel and crammed my torn feet back into my shoes, despite the pain I was in. I leapt to my feet and curtsied to him politely. He simply nodded in reply. "Miss Ana Durhamm, sir."

    "Ana? What a lovely name. I am Sir Kendel Willams," he said with a broad smile, gesturing to himself. The sun made a halo around his head in the snowflakes.

    "There's no need to put those shoes back on," Kendel told me with a slight frown. "Let me get you some nice, new boots so that you can walk," he said.

    I blinked with surprise when he offered me his hand. And I took it. He beamed pleasantly at me and I smiled tremulously, uncertain if I should be so comfortable around this man.

    And so my heart was stolen by the twenty-year-old stranger. And with it, all hope of a normal life. I fell in love with my Kendel Willams and I fell hard. We were engaged to be married within six weeks. My father was all for it, too.

    Then came the night of the rain storm. I was alone, trapped on the wrong side of the bridge and the river.

    The river was too swollen for me to cross safely. So I stood beneath the porch and huddled away from the flooded streets. I nearly wept with joy when I saw Kendel headed towards me. He was anxious, I could tell.

    "Ana, my dear, what are you doing out here?" he cried.

    I fell into his embrace and he kissed me warmly, as he always did. "I was worried, Kendel. I can't get home!" I said with fear. "How will I check on my family?"

    "Don't worry about them," he told me calmly. "I'm sure they will be fine, Ana. Come with me," Kendel said softly and soothingly.

    I hesitated, torn between my father and our family and going with the man I loved. So I chose the easiest option. I went the easiest way. "Alright, I'll come with you. But can we check on them in the morning?" I asked slowly.

    He kissed my hair and laughed quietly. "Sure, Ana. We can check on them as soon as we get up and are through with breakfast in the morning," he assured me.

    I smiled weakly and nodded. "Alright."

    Kendel wrapped his arm and coat around me, sheltering me from the drive of wind and rain against our backs as we scurried up the road and towards his good-sized home. It had all white walls, inside and out, and beautifully crafted windows, doors, and a roof.

    He took me indoors and I shivered when one of the maids strode past with a tray in her hands and then she vanished.

    "I hope father is okay," I commented softly.

    Kendel sighed and shook his head. "Please, Ana, stop worrying about them! They will be just fine, I promise," he told me.

    But I never did see them again. Instead, I was trapped forever in the horrible fate.

    Kendel took me to one of his guest rooms, and there, I discovered what he was. But I was far too late for my own good.

    His sharp, cruel fangs buried into my throat after he locked us alone in the room and then my world was taken from me. After that, I never saw him again either. Because I killed him.