“Oh my god, I can’t believe this is happening!” The teenage girl sitting next to Elly squealed with delight. The photographer in front of them took several pictures before leaving the lavish Victorian-themed parlor.

“I love you so, SO much. Elsa used to be my favorite, but that was like before you happened. I mean, like, before your whole big reveal that vampires are real—and that they’re, like, nothing like the movies.” The girl rambled on without pause, not wasting any breath in the five minutes of allotment she has with the newest member of this fairytale castle.

Elly clasped the girl’s trembling hands and smiled at her. The girl, who introduced herself as Sam, looked as if seconds away from fainting. Her heart pounded like a steam locomotive fed with too much coal and endangered from flying off the rails.

“Calm down, Sam. Breath. I’m not going anywhere,” Elly said.

“I’m sorry, I’m just so, so excited to finally meet you in person,” Sam said, attempting to calm herself down. “I’m acting like a total dork, aren’t I?”

Elly chuckled. “Hey, that’s not a bad thing. I acted the same way when I met all of my idols for the first time. You should have seen me when I met with Lenka.”

“Oh my god, you listen to her too?” The girl gasped. “She’s like, my favorite singer and she’s so underrated. I wish more people listened to her music. They’re so good, I love her too. What’s your favorite song?”

“The Bright Side,” Elly said.

“Oh my god, that song is so, SO you!” They both giggled and continued on with their idle chatter until it was time to switch to the next adorable fan waiting outside Elly’s parlor.

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

Before Sam left, she asked one more question.

“Elly, you like…lived forever, so you probably have a lot of hobbies, but do you have a favorite?”

Elly tapped her chin and looked up at the ceiling before looking back at Sam.

“Gardening.” Elly pursed her lips in that coy smile immortalized in posters and screenshots all over the world, exemplifying her alluring demeanor.

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Elly never expected that her first job, outside of being an ambassador, would be so well received—the living embodiment of a fairytale princess, employed by the premier entertainment conglomerate in the world.

She had all the qualifications that fit her job: fair skin, bright lips, full eyebrows, perfect height, eternally youthful, and above all, staying in character at all times—the character of Elly, the first vampire heroine who, against all odds, found the courage to step out of the shadows to fight against the stereotype placed upon her kind. Come to think of it, she was more of a product than an employee.

In a sea of make-believe princesses born from prose and the silver screen, Elly was the real deal, and the happiest place on Earth eagerly built a parlor for her own inside their castle once the contract was signed. It didn’t take long for them to flood the market with her image. Take a backseat, Twilight. Vampires aren’t just for angst Goths and Edgelords—it’s all about loving yourself and not being ashamed of being different.

For the low price of two hundred dollars, a customer could spend five minutes with her in private along with receiving five complementary photos, a signature, and approval to have one Instagram picture. Once per night, for the price of one thousand dollars, and if the customer was an adult, they could have the privilege of donating their blood to Elly directly, receiving her kiss and being inducted to the list of her honorary stewards. The next available spot in that queue for that was November of 2019—and growing.

Elly walked along this microcosm of capitalistic fantasy and watched the myriad of attendees take pictures, enjoy rides, eat exquisite meals, and make wonderful memories. She skipped along with a radiant smile, basking in the light exuding from the streetlamps, the decorations and, more importantly, the joy of everyone around her. Who said that one needed to bask underneath the rays of the sun to live? She smiled proudly and danced.

Ah, what a beautiful garden.