Vampire 01 - Daughter of Darkness

me, for everyone, I thought, Ava was the loneliest person I knew.
    Was that what awaited me, loneliness? If ever I had wanted to talk with Daddy, to hear him say comforting, wonderful things, it was tonight. Every once in a while, I looked out toward the stairway, expecting him to come down, but he hadn’t by the time I decided to go to my room to finish up what work I had left. Marla lingered behind me for a while. I heard her go to her room. All three of us had our doors shut, each of us locked away as if we enjoyed solitude. I knew I didn’t.
    Although I wasn’t tired enough to sleep, I went to bed and just lay there staring up at the ceiling, listening for any creak in the floor above, any sign that Daddy had awakened. The house was so quiet. I was reminded of so many nights like this when I was much younger. Marla wasn’t here yet, and Brianna was still with us. Neither she nor Ava would spend many nights doing anything with me. Now that I thought about it, I had never realized how lonely I already was back then, how much I depended on Daddy to come by or ask me to do something with him. No wonder he had become my whole life. Our talks, the gifts he gave me, the clothing and jewelry, the books he told me to read, all of it made up the foundation of what I had in the way of family events and pleasure. Later, when I attended school and saw and heard how much other girls my age were doing and enjoying, I did feel my isolation more, but Daddy seemed always to be there to help keep me from sinking too low.
    Could he help me now, now that I was older and needed him even more? At least, I thought I did. According to Ava, I would soon be so independent I would need no one and nothing I didn’t get for myself. There wasthat moment coming for her, the same moment that had come for Brianna, when she would break away, leave us, leave Daddy. Brianna had not come back for even a day. Would that be true for Ava as well? Could I do that, leave and never see Daddy again? Right now, I didn’t see how.
    These depressing thoughts weighed heavily on me. I grew tired.
That’s good
, I thought. I wanted to go to sleep and forget. Mornings always made things look better. Tomorrow, I hoped, would be no different.
Good night, Daddy
, I thought, looking up at the ceiling.
    Just as I reached to turn off the lamp on my side table, I heard what sounded like scratching on one of my bedroom windows. At first, I thought it might just be the branch of an untrimmed bush caught in a twisted wind, but when I looked, I saw the clear outline of someone standing in the shadow just outside. He was in darkness, so I could not make out anything else about him. Was he a ghost or one of those young men I had once seen in a nightmare? When he tapped on the glass, he brought himself closer, and I gasped.
    It was Mark.
    How had he found out where we lived? I had told no one at school, and Marla certainly wouldn’t have told anyone. It was one of the most forbidden things to do. He tapped again, much louder this time. I got out of bed quickly, fearful that he would draw someone else’s attention. He stepped back as I opened the window softly. He was wearing a black leather jacket and black pants to camouflage himself in the darkness. I looked past him and didn’t see any car.
    “How did you get here?”
    “I walked, miles.”
    “Why? What are you doing here?”
    “I was rereading
Romeo and Juliet
, and I thought I’d come to plead at your balcony, but you’re on the first floor,” he said. “How can I be dramatic if you sleep on the first floor?” He looked up as if we had a balcony and reached toward it. “Lorelei, Lorelei, where art thou?”
    “Shut up, you idiot. How did you find out where I live?”
    “A determined lover would find ways,” he replied. “Come out with me for a little while.”
    “Are you crazy? You’re going to wake my family and get me into big trouble. Go away, Mark.”
    “I can’t,” he said. “Your beauty has paralyzed me. I can’t even move, especially now that I see you in your nightgown, your face glowing with the starlight.”
    “How did you know which room was my bedroom?”
    “The heart knows exactly where to go, Lorelei. Lorelei. Your name is magical, melodic. I’m drunk on the sound of it. Come out with me. Just for a little while. Give me a chance to win your heart.”
    “No,” I said. “You’ll get me into very big trouble now. Please leave before it’s too late.”
    “It’s already too