Launchorasince 2014
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Romeo X Juliet


~1~

Day 1. Monday. Year 51.

Time: 8:05 AM

Dear Confidante,

Today is a special day. I have successfully completed two years in Goodwill High (without any mishap) and today is the beginning of my third year. Of course, I don't know whether I'll be able to manage till the prom night, but I guess it's not gonna be difficult. The teens here have a moderate growth rate, so it shouldn't be much of a problem.

The smell of blood that lingers in my classroom is delicious. Its savoury, mouth watering taste always makes me hungry. But I've learnt to control my cravings. The last time I lost control over myself was four years ago, when I had seeped out all the blood of a ten-year-old boy named Carl. Stalking him down the parking lot, I had overpowered him easily. His death was really swift. I bit him once - and never let my teeth break my grip over him till I had drunk all of his blood. Finally I cut his wrist and wrote a suitable suicide note on his behalf. I stuck that note in his pocket and left him there.

Within a week the police had found his body. Investigations were done meticulously. I had committed the murder perfectly. There was no evidence whatsoever against me. But Julian wouldn't listen. He was fearful about our discovery. We had to flee the place within three months. After that incident, it took us an year to find a new locality in a new country to get settled comfortably.

Of course, I had to go through the penance rite again; After all, that was my 100th murder. Still my score was way better than Julian's - he reached his 2000th last year. It was a good thing that guy was a drunk beggar. No one gave a damn to his existence. Except Julian, of course. Even Julia and Jules have crossed 500. Surely that penance rite was too much of an exaggerated punishment for me.

The only member in our coven who hasn't crossed 100 is June. I don't know how she does it. She completed her 50th murder five years ago, and hasn't touched anybody since. I guess she must have been pretty much affected by the fact that her 50th kill was her step-father. Her mom at least was. She seriously loved that guy. June apparently didn't... that guy had poisoned her real dad just to marry her mom. Jeez.

I found myself licking the back of my right hand the umpteenth time. No wonder. The class teacher, Ms. Sandra, was busy scolding some guy at the last bench for the last three minutes. She isn't going to start the class until her '5-minute-lectures-of-perfection' don't get over. I smirk as the boy answers back rudely. He just earned himself another lecture from Ms. Sandra.

I can see Julian frown at me from the corner of my eye. I ignore him as I continue penning down my thoughts swiftly in my beloved diary (that's you, Confidante). I feel alive and human again when I write. It's my solace, my everything. I have been writing since the day I transformed. I understand Julian's concerns regarding our secret. If my diaries are found, it will be the end of our world, our kind.

We are vampires - the mightiest of all beasts ruling this land of humans. But without humans, we're weak and helpless. Humans are our health, wealth, everything. We cannot survive only on animal blood. Every vampire needs to have at least one dose of pure human blood every couple of years to stay healthy. And we're young vampires. We need it on a monthly basis. Only after the completion of one hundred years of immortality we can grow into our mature vampire stage. After that we can survive without human blood with ease. But for now, we have to feed, hunt and murder people till our thirst isn't quenched.

All this talk of human blood makes me thirsty and weak. I sigh as Ms. Sandra finally goes up to the blackboard and writes the name of our lesson in her neat handwriting.

Romeo Juliet

By William Shakespeare

Hey, I know that play... it's the love story between those two teens having rival families. It's a pity they died. That play has just one moral - Love happens at first sight. And it can happen at the worst time in the best place in the worst possible situation. Oh, and love is for everyone. Everyone has the right to fall in love. Yeah. As if a monster like me can fall in love. No. Love is a sacred thing that only humans can have access to. And maybe a few lucky vampires. Like June and Julian. Or Julia and Jules. Not me. Not Juliet, no. Juliet can never fall in love with any Romeo, be it a vampire or a human. She can never fall in love... with anyone. 'Coz if she does, then it means the end of vampire-kind... and mankind as well.