"I need a break!" gasped Caroline, completely out of breath.

"And I distance from you!" shouted Rebekka from about twenty steps above.

They climbed the north tower, the highest the castle had to offer. Rebekka had promised a wonderful view, but Caroline was beginning to get the impression the vampiress wanted to make her pay for her loose mouth.

It took forever for her to reach the top with burning muscles and wobbly knees. Breathing heavily, she dragged herself to the wall where Rebekka was already enjoying the view of the city, the harbor and the sea.

"You should start exercising. They can still hear you gasping for breath in the dungeons!" she mocked.

Caroline spared a retort and looked around, impressed.

"I can see the submarine down there! How the hell did you guys get it, anyway?"

"We bought it, like any normal person would," Rebekka grinned. "Well, it took a little persuasion, but we got everything we needed from the Russians as far as weapons and military equipment."

"And what do you need it for? Can't you just cover the windows of a ship?"

"There are other possibilities, but we use the submarine when the stations of a trip is spread over many countries and delays can pass. We are permanently protected from light and invisible."

"Then where did the speedboat come from that you used to kidnap Isy and me."

"That was ..." Rebekka looked down at her feet and seemed uncomfortable with the subject. "Well, the idea to follow the cruise ship was Jonathan's. Probably the last ... harvest disappointed him and he wanted to choose a new toy for himself in peace. He snuck aboard at your stop in Hawaii and when he found what he was looking for, he requested the speedboat that accompanied us for the last hour of the trip."

" Toy?" Caroline stared at Rebekka in horror. "You mean Isy?" She didn't have to wait for the nod to know she was right. "Where is she?"

"Down there." Rebekka pointed to a building just outside the castle wall. "And before you ask, no you can't see her!"

"But ...!"

"I'm not going to repeat that! We're here so I can give you the introduction that she also gets. You can see each other as much as you like after that. But you're not going to take away her chance to fully arrive here on her own!"

She pushed herself off the wall and walked to the other side of the tower, from which one could see into the interior of the island. The city faded into rolling green hills. Pillars rose every few miles.

"Are those actually photovoltaic panels?" Caroline took it upon herself to return to the subject of Isy later. She pointed to the dark shiny panels attached to many of the roofs as well as the pillars.

"Yes. They are all over the island, feeding the lasers. There is also a tidal power plant, and a second one is being planned. But the really clever thing is the storage options. Excess energy can be stored in the gigantic underground lithium-ion batteries, but more importantly, it can be stored in the rechargeable batteries of almost all electrical appliances and withdrawn again when needed. There are also a few classic diesel generators left, especially in the hospital, but it's extremely rare that they are used." Rebekka was visibly proud.

"What kind of electrical appliances are you talking about? I'm guessing not a toaster?"

Rebekka rolled her eyes. "I'm talking about the electric cars or the maglev gondolas."

“The what?" She must have misheard!

"Well, we do have horses, carts and carriages, mopeds, motorcycles, a few trucks and electric cars, but most people only use the railroad on a daily basis. See that network of narrow rails? It goes all the way through the city and the little glass domes are the gondolas."

The little glass spheres that moved casually through the city only now caught Caroline's eye. Sometimes they rode up, sometimes they hung below the rails.

"Depending on the time of day, they travel at greater or lesser distances. Vampires and their wards have separate boardings, so you'll never have to wait long."

"Awesome." Caroline stared open-mouthed after a small gondola that had just departed right next to the castle and disappeared steeply down into the city.

"Yes, New Blackburn is a nice place to live."

"New Blackburn?"

Rebekah looked at her entertained. "Did you think it is called ‘the town’?"

" Fair enough. What else does New Blackburn have to offer?"

"Everything other livable towns have. What it doesn't have here, we get from the mainland. Food specialties, machine parts, weapons, high-tech gadgets like laptops and smartphones, as well as luxury goods like jewelry, fashion and art."

The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

The boxes being unloaded from the submarine came to Caroline's mind. "And what about exports?"

"I'm not too familiar with that, unfortunately. But mainly we sell medical and anti-aging products based on an enzyme that we produce."

"Please WHAT are you doing?"

The vampiress couldn't help but laugh in the face of this response.

"Where do you think the billions come from that all this costs? And there are a bunch of billionaires to whom it's worth a lot to live a few years longer" She pointed to Caroline's wrist. "Or spending those little years in good health."

"That balm you ..." Caroline stroked along the bright lines and Rebekka nodded.

"And what role do we humans play here?"

"You mean apart from the fact that we need your blood?"

"Yes. You can tell me a little bit about that, too." Caroline nervously stepped from one foot to the other.

"Well, we need an average of a little over a pint every week to keep functioning. For you guys, that means giving about half a liter of blood each month. A little more or less depending on your stature. Children under sixteen, pregnant and nursing women, the elderly and the sick are exempt."

"And what happens if you don't drink blood?"

"You don't want to know."

Caroline wanted to prove Rebekka wrong, but Rebekka continued "And I don't want to talk about it! You just need to know that no one wants to experience it."

"Okay understood. What else do we do all day long besides give blood?" She watched the busy ants bustling through the alleys of the city.

"Oh, there are many tasks and occupations. Garbage disposal, farming, cleaning jobs and stuff like that."

"Wow, the really exciting stuff."

Rebekka ignored her sarcasm "Some made it to exciting positions like IT experts, artists or even scientists because of high talent. The white coats, by the way, work in the big lab complex on the other side of the harbor bay and developed mainly products for export, armament or energy supply." She pointed to a massive glass complex.

"You know, many people were born here and know another life only from stories. It's only difficult for the newcomers, especially from the Western world."

"So why do you bring us in?" Caroline asked this question more out of spite than because she wanted an answer. She knew how important it was to prevent inbreeding-like consequences on an island. So new genetic codes were needed regularly.

"Well, for example, when the island's IT environment was created, four dozen experts worldwide disappeared in a very short time. Similarly, when we built the maglev train or innovated the energy efficiency." Rebekka looked up at the sky and squinted her eyes.

"Whenever new technologies come along that we need. Besides, we don't force anyone to have children here. The positive consequences are incentive enough for most women. But there aren't enough offspring to ensure maintenance of the human population by that alone."

The thought had not even occurred to Caroline. That this consideration had even existed was appalling. The idea of being abused as a human broodmare made her freeze. Rebekka didn't seem to notice and chatted on.

"Typically, we seek out young people under the age of twenty, especially those who have been in trouble. They have less problems fitting in. Except for alcohol, by the way, we don't tolerate drugs on the island. So if withdrawal is necessary, as it was for the two girls you came here with, it usually works fine. Often people are grateful to be here at some point."

Did Rebekka realize what she was saying? How absurd this lie was that she herself seemed to believe? Caroline was grateful for all the information she had received, but if she listened any longer, she would be at that woman's throat. Somehow she felt that such an attack would take their relationship down an unpleasant path.

"I'm cold, I'd like to go back," she pressed out.

"Yeah, it can get windy up here," Rebekka sighed and began the descent.

At the end of the day, Caroline sat alone by the pond in the castle garden and recapped the day. She was surprised in many ways by what she had heard. In particular, the topics of economics and energy supply had impressed her.

She became somewhat more uneasy when she thought about the social aspects of her new home. She had read a lot of things before the trial, but it was different to hear from Rebekka in detail that humans were basically only here to make life more comfortable for the rulers. And, of course, because their blood was needed.

Primarily her thoughts circled around how she could argue to get Rebekka to let her see Isy. Her friend continued to be isolated with the others in a building just outside the castle gates. Influence beyond the tested instructions were forbidden, because the preparation for the introduction to society was not to be disturbed. Rebekka had been extremely clear again on the way back.

At Isy's introduction day, anyone who ran an institution or wanted a ward was allowed to come. They would talk to the newcomers, test them for ability and aptitude, and try to come to an agreement with them. Humans who refused to do their part ended up in extraction. The thought of her friend having to deal with all of this alone and afraid drove Caroline crazy.

"Who do we have here?"

The hairs on the back of Caroline's neck stood up. She knew that voice.

"Are we settled in yet?"

"Thanks for asking, My Lady. I'm still at it and was just getting ready to head back to the west wing," Caroline replied, trying to get up quickly.

"Don't be in such a hurry." Maria held her by the arm and effortlessly pushed her back onto the bench. Caroline looked around, hoping to spot someone. What had seemed peaceful a moment ago now seemed deserted.

"I wanted to pay my respects to you. What you did in your trial was absolutely outstanding and unprecedented." She smiled coldly. "Killing one of our own and walking away with a reward. Tsk, tsk."

She let go of her arm, but stood so close to Caroline that she would have had to push her aside to get up. She was sure Maria wouldn't have let that happen.

"Not only did you get away, but you are now under the protection of the king, making you untouchable to us."

Her words were so soft that Caroline had to concentrate to catch them before the sea wind atomized them.

"My dear, I think I have come across something I'm sure will interest you." She leaned down and Caroline now understood every word crystal clear.

"There is someone. A sweet little innocent girl crying her eyes out for you." Caroline jerked her head around and looked angrily into the cold eyes.

"And your lovely, delicious-smelling friend is quite unlike you easy to be touched." She had barely breathed the last word before she straightened up and strolled leisurely along toward the main house.

Caroline remained sitting, completely frozen. How had she known about this? Who had told her how important Isy was to her?

It would be easy for someone like Maria, perhaps even in collaboration with Domenic, to get Isy to accept her as guardian. Through false promises, blackmail, or some mind games she didn't even want to imagine.

She didn't care what the rules were, she had to get Rebekka, Damien or even the king himself to let her talk to Isy.