Nightmare

I followed Zacky down many hallways and staircases, not knowing how I would ever be able to find my way through this mansion that he had here. I took in my surroundings, seeing that the place was of Victorian-Goth styled, and was absolutely beautiful. I stared in awe at the structure of the house.

"This way," Zacky said.

He led me through a door, where I found myself in a large kitchen, where three other guys were sitting around with a few bottles of what looked like beer to me. They all looked up when they saw me enter.

"Guys, this is Starr," Zacky said to them. "Starr, these are my friends."

I was introduced to the three men seeing that they were much like Zacky, including the sharp pointed teeth of a vampire. First, there was Brian, the tall, attractive, yet a bit arrogant and egotistical at the same time. Then there was Johnny, the short and youngest of the boys, seeming to be a real comedian. Then there was Matt, the muscular sweetheart that looked like he could kill a guy in one punch.

"Whoa…" I let my eyes run over each of them.

"Nice to meet you," Brian said with a smirk, looking me up and down.

"Hi," I said softly, wishing I could shrink away, not sure what to make of me being in a room full of vampires.

"Do we scare you that much?" Matt chuckled from where he was sitting.

I gave him a questioning look.

"Your hiding behind Zacky," he explained.

I only then noticed that I had shrunken behind him, indeed hiding behind his body slightly, as I clung to his arm, my long blood-red polished fingernails resting on his bicep. I whispered a sorry, stepping away from him, but only smiled warmly at me.

"Guys, Starr's the one we've been searching for," Zacky said.

The moment the guys heard this, all emotion left their faces. All they did was stare at me as if they had just seen a ghost. I suddenly became very uncomfortable.

"You?" Brian asked in disbelief, moving closer to look at me. "It's you? You're the one?"

I quickly held onto Zacky's arm once more, not sure if I should be afraid or confused.

"Brian, you're scaring her," Zacky told his friend. "We need to tell her."

I was about to ask what he meant, but I was quickly ushered through another set of doors, up another staircase, and along sets of hallways. Then, I found myself in a library. It was gorgeous, with many bookshelves filled with books, as well as a large glowing fireplace, blood red sofas, and a Persian rug. Zacky sat me down on one of the sofas while the guys dispersed around me.

"Who are you people?" I asked. "What is going on?"

Matt came and sat down next to me, studying my face for a moment. "Do you know what we are?"

"I…" I blinked a few times, realizing how crazy I would sound with the next sentence. "Zacky told me he was a vampire… so I would imagine that you all are as well."

Matt nodded. "Yeah, we are vampires… does that bother you, Starr?"

I thought about that for a moment. "No… I guess not. I was just always taught that vampires don't exist… finding out that's a lie, and that there is a fantasy realm that I am in, well… that's just a bit different… but why am I here? What have I done to be taken here?"

"You are not in any harm right now," Matt told me. "We won't harm you… we are here to protect you."

"Protect me? From what?"

Matt thought for a moment before answering me. "Starr, you are very valuable to our realm, in more ways than you could ever know… Prince Tristan, the Vampire Prince, wishes to meet with you. You see, you are very valuable to him as well. We have been personally selected by Prince Tristan to protect and care for you until the All Hallows Eve Ball in which you will be presented to him."

"Prince Tristan? Valuable?" I repeated those bits and pieces, not understanding. "What do you mean I am valuable? Valuable to this realm? To Tristan? What do you mean?"

"Prince Tristan is the ruler of this realm, having control, just as royalty does back on your earth," Matt explained. "But he had a brother, Prince Vega, who wishes to have control over the realm as well, and has been fighting his brother for the crown for some time now. The entire realm is divided between these two brothers. You choose to side with one, and hope that he will be victorious in the end.

"Now, the only way for this fighting to be finished, for good, is through what we call a blood-fusion. This is when the blood of one of the Princes is fused with one person, who will then be his mate for all eternity, and they will rule over the land.

"This mate, the one that everyone in this land has been searching for, is the most powerful Necromancer ever known to walk. They are the key to all of this. Their blood is so precious that when fused, or joined with one of the Princes, they can restore the peace that once rested here. They can end the evils that have been unleashed by Prince Vega. The Necromancer can restore the Spirit World."

"I understand that," I said. "I do, I understand what you mean by that, but… what do I have to do with any of this?"

I shifted my gaze to Zacky who was leaning against the mantel, staring into the fireplace. His eyes met mine instantly, the flames reflecting in them, and I suddenly knew the answer to my own question.

"Starr…"

I turned my attention back to Matt.

"Starr, you are the Necromancer," Matt said to me.

Before I could say anything, Brian was on the other side of me with an old book that was bigger than his head, resting on his lap. He opened the book, flipping to a page, then holding it out for me to see. I peered down a the page, and felt my breath leave my lungs.

"It's you," Johnny said from behind me, leaning over the back of the sofa to look with me.
On the page, I saw the image of an old painting of a girl with long flowing black hair, smooth, creamy skin, and dark eyes, surrounded by symbols of death and the underworld.

"Oh my God…" I whispered, staring at the picture.

"This is Sorcha," Brian said. "The most powerful Necromancer ever known to us… this is you."

I looked from Brian to Johnny to Matt, then over to Zacky, who hadn't taken his eyes off of me, at a loss of words. The looks on the guy's faces before me was enough for me to realize that they weren't kidding. They truly did believe that I was this Necromancer Sorcha and that I was going to bring peace to their world.

"No…" I shook my head, slowly standing up. "No, you guys have it all wrong… I'm no Necromancer, far less the most powerful one ever known to your people. I'm not… this isn't me."

"Starr…" Zacky was suddenly beside me, holding onto my arms, as if to keep me there. "You are our Necromancer… you are Sorcha… she went missing years ago, and that was when this war first started. It had been rumored that she had taken her own life, to escape the treacheries of this realm, and when she did, she was reborn as you, in your world… this is you, Starr, you have to believe us."

Looking into his eyes, I could see that he was telling me nothing but the truth-- his entire body seemed to radiate it off of him, he was so desperate for me to understand all this.

"Starr, please," he begged, holding onto both sides of my face. "Please…"

I wanted to believe him. I wanted to believe Zacky, about the realm, the vampires, the civil war taking place, the necromancer. I wanted to believe that I was the person they were looking for. I wanted to believe that I was this all powerful necromancer that could save their realm, bringing back peace to their land and people. I wanted to believe that I was the one who they needed to restore happiness.

I truly wanted to believe in this…

I placed my hands on top of Zacky's, gently bringing them down from my face, all the while staring into his eyes. A slightly confused look crossed his face, as well as a hopeful one, as he noticed me moving his hands.

I held his hands in front of me, letting my eyes fall on them, shaking my head. "I can't," I whispered before dropping his hands, turning around, and running.