It was now Wednesday morning. Evan’s parents, who had already missed 2 days' worth of work, were out till later in the day so it was just him with any of the other residents who were also ‘home’. It was so strange to call it that but what else could he call it. Surprisingly, quite a bit of people were already up and, oddly enough, they were hustling about with cleaning or cooking, even laundry being done in bulk. Is today some kind of festival? A birthday perhaps?
Finding himself in the kitchen once more, he was greeted by a familiar red-head, honey gold eyes reading a book in silence. Jason looked up from his novel and, having spotted his new friend, discarded it and rushed over for a hug. Not used to such displays of affection from people near his age, Evan could only freeze up where he stood.
“Oh, I forgot about your whole touch thing. I just got excited to see you. You probably don’t know what day it is, do you?” He received a no. “Lord Kas and his family usually come around the manor to check on us once a month. I bet you’ve noticed everyone’s been a little busy. One of the caretakers came in and told us today.”
This Lord Kas character and his family were like the vampire royalty here yet they take time out of their surely busy days to come to see some mere humans? No doubt you can see why one would find this highly suspicious.
“I saw your parents leave with one of the caretakers earlier. Work?”
“Yeah.”
“I don’t see the point in working. You get everything you need right here. You don’t have to step out of the house to get food or clothes or anything.”
“I guess it’s just human nature to do things you love. My mom loves being an accountant, for some reason, and my dad loves helping people in trouble so he became a lawyer.”
“I guess that makes sense. Anyway, we should go help out with the chores before they arrive. Come on.” The two walked to where they thought help was needed and worked alongside the others until the house was spotless. It seemed to glow somehow.
“You boys were a big help. Go freshen up before the-” A knock on the front door. “Oh no, they’re early!” The lady zipped past them to the foyer, taking a deep breath before opening the doors.
“L-Lord Kas, Lady Idati, welcome back.” Her voice quivered, though not exactly with ‘fear’. Nervous, maybe.
“Hello to you as well. May we come in?” His voice matched his face greatly. His cheekbones were well defined and his sharp jawline made him seem both strict and laid back. His streaked black and grey hair was shoulder-length, wavy strands framing his face at the sides. His wife had to be the second most beautiful woman Evan had seen, the first being his mother, of course, bless her. Skin as pale as snow yet smooth to look at, not a wrinkle in sight. Pitch black hair was done up in a tight bun, a flower-shaped ornament poking from the ribbon that held it there.
“O-of course sir. You and your family are always welcomed here!” She stepped aside, head still bowed as it was the second she’d opened the door.
“Lovely to hear it, dear.” The family of six stepped past the door. The exchange made Evan think of the vampire law he’d heard of in stories. ‘A vampire cannot enter unless given permission.’ Was that true or was Lord Kas just being polite? He’d be sure to ask Jason later. Speaking of which, the young boy that stood next to him a second ago was now nowhere to be found.
Instead of worrying for his new…acquaintance, he looked over at the family, their children now within his sight. The girl, Malara as Jace had called her, stood behind her parents, eyes focused on her phone as was the case with most teenage girls her age. Guess it’s the same with vampires then. She wore her hair in a ponytail though some of it laid atop her forehead in bangs. They seemed to bother a great deal by how much she blew on them to get them out of her eyes.
Behind her stood two of her brothers. They both had dark hair leading Evan to figure out they were the eldest two, Vonak and Alesh. Their eyes were set on the people around him, glancing over all the faces as though looking for someone. Not that he cared. Lastly, the one known as Mizak stood at the very back, pure white hair flowing in an almost nonexistent wind. The upper half of his hair was tied to the back in a sort of short ponytail while the rest hung over his shoulders.
He was stunning, all of them were but somehow, Evan found himself almost drawn to the albino male whose gaze flittered everywhere, blinking an excessive number of times. Having learned a bit on the topic of albinism, he assumed the bright lights of the manor were irritating the young lord’s eyes, so he silently tiptoed over to the lighting system, lowering it an almost unnoticeable amount. Peaking back in, his breath caught in his throat as his eyes connected with those beautiful, pale violet orbs, no longer hidden from constant blinking. He received a nod of, assumed, thanks and was henceforth ignored.
Or so he thought. The minute his eyes disconnected from the pale frame of the youngest Nolva son, violet hues locked onto his darkened complexion in curiosity. How had this human figured out something most of his own family had yet to notice? Was he familiar with the condition? Maybe someone in his own family was the same. Questions he would be sure to find the answers to once he returned to the castle.
This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.
Mizak did one more once over on the young man. He looked about 5’7 maybe even 8 with a dark skin tone, darker than most of the other humans here. Amber, doe-like eyes that shone with innocence and youth framed by long eyelashes. He’d have mistaken him for a man if not for his clothing and posture. His face was rounded with a soft jawline, a small nose sat above plump, soft, cherry red lips. His hair sat plaited into dreads, black fading into bleached, light brown. ‘Feminine’ or ‘Delicate’ were the first words that came to mind upon studying him. His name. He’d be sure to ask it before leaving.
The humans of the establishment treated the family as the royalty they’d come to know them as. Though a bit overwhelming if you asked him. The brown male was nowhere to be seen, the last time being when he noticed him searching the kitchen cupboards for snacks. He seemed to be searching for someone at the time.
“Mizak, pay attention. Father is going to be upset if you ignore the humans again because they’re ‘too boring’. I’m tired of being yelled at for YOUR wrongdoings.” Malara elbowed him in the side subtly, gaining his attention. From the corner of his eyes, he saw his father looking over, a displeased expression on his face before it quickly shifted to a soft smile when talking to some of the food…humans. Right, they couldn’t feed on those unwilling.
Where was that boy? Maybe if he asked…fine then. He stepped away from his sister and approached a few of the younger women in the room. This movement caused many heads to turn his way, of course, surprised at his actions. Never had the young lord taken any interest in people, especially humans. Why this was most likely a historical moment. The three ladies whom he was approaching now panicked where they stood, hurriedly straightening their clothing to make themselves presentable for the princelike man.
“Pardon me, ladies, but I’m searching for someone.” Their moods deflated having realized he wasn’t there to truly speak to them. Nonetheless, they ushered him to continue, willing to help in any way. “You see, I noticed him upon arriving and haven’t seen him since. He helped me with something and I would therefore like to give him my thanks.”
“O-of course young lord. Who is it that you’re speaking of? We’ll have him down immediately.”
“Yes yes! I wouldn’t know who in their right mind would leave in the presence of the Nolva family.”
“Ahem. He was a young man with browned skin. His hair seemed to be done in multiple braids, black with brown ends. Ring any bells.”
“It does. He and his family are quite new here. Arrived just yesterday. Can't say I remember his name though. Apologies sir.”
“Isn’t he friends with that Jason fellow? The one who’s-” A hand was slapped onto her mouth, silencing her in seconds. Her eyes widened, possibly from the pain of how hard the impact was, from having nearly disrespected vampire kind in front of the most important people in the room. Imagine how it would seem if she had blatantly spoken that Jason was an ‘addict’ or, as the none-friendly version, a ‘blood whore’.
“I-I’ll call him down for you sir.”
“I’d rather you take me up. I require a private audience with this boy.”
“O-of course.” She then motioned for him to follow her up 2 flights of stairs before stopping in front of one of the many wooden oak doors. Knocking lightly, the two waited, the shuffling of footsteps heard approaching slowly, then the lock turning. It was slightly pulled open, a familiar head peaking out of it. Amber-coloured eyes looked at the awkwardly smiling woman before travelling up to meet those alluring violet hues that stared down at him with slight interest.
“I’ll take my leave, sir.” Mizak nodded, waving her away without moving his gaze from the younger male. Her steps faded in the distance as they both stood there, neither moving an inch, neither making a single sound. Evan barely dared to breathe as he feared for his life. The man before him was practically a prince. Any wrong moves and he could be tossed under a guillotine.
“You are the one that helped me earlier, correct?”.....what?
“What?”
“The lights. Was that you?”
“Oh. Oh yes, sir it was I. I noticed you were blinking quite an amount so I assumed-”
“You assumed? How did you know of my condition? It couldn’t have just been a mere assumption.”
“I- I swear I speak only the truth. I admit I have not seen anyone with albinism back where I am from but the topic was brought up in Biology in my high school.”
“Albinism? Is that what my illness is called? Tell me more.”
“Illness. Oh, would you like to come in?” Mizak nodded stepping past the other male who opened the door wide enough for him to do so. It was then closed and the two sat, Mizak on the made bed with Evan on the chair by his desk. “What you have sir, is not an illness.”
“Are you saying that I am wrong then?”
“N-no sir I am saying-” His voice broke as he stumbled over his words, fear overtaking his character at the thought of death.
“Relax I was only teasing. You humans and your fickle fear of mistakes and death amuse me. Now, speak.”
“Ah, right. Albinism isn’t exactly an illness. It cannot be cured but it doesn’t mean you’ll die either. It’s caused by a lack of melanin production in your skin.”
“I see now. Are there others with this condition?”
“It’s quite rare for someone to be albino but yes there are others.”
“I see. Well, I offer my thanks to you both for your assistance as well as for informing me of this Albinism that I have. I will now take my leave…” Mizak looked at the shorter boy expectantly, watching in amusement as the realization clicked.
“Evan Daniels. My name is Evan Daniels.”
“Mizak Nolva, though I’m sure you already know of me. Thank you once more, Evan.”
He didn’t understand it then, but the feeling in his chest after hearing his name spoken by that beautiful man wasn’t his anxiety spiking.