walked towards the forest where my family's house was standing.
I thought about.
Demons, I thought. Demons must be really horrible. The way they are portrayed, they are true monsters, just as humans perceive vampires as monsters.
Their deeds are terrible, and the very thought of taking possession of them or even of eating them made me tremble.
But what, whispered a low voice in my head that I had never heard before. What if only hatred makes us invent such atrocities?What if demons, like vampires, are smart, and kind, and just creatures of the night?
What if you teach your children exactly such stories about vampires, believe them yourself?
What if that's all bullshit, and we're actually very much like you?
I couldn't answer the voice and thought about it for a while.
Yeah, what if it was like that?
What if it was all a huge misunderstanding?
What if the peoples fought because they were naive and stupid?
Wouldn't that be the most hideous thing that could happen?
That innocent people kill themselves because of rumors?
Myths?
What if demons were kind and wise, and needed blood as much as we?
Wasn't that why you were immediately worse?
What if we were related even to them?
The gravel and leaves rustled under my feet, somewhere far away an eagle owl called.
I closed my eyes and went on, listening to the wind, feeling the presence of the nocturnal animals.
Would I ever get the chance to answer my questions?
Would I ever meet a demon?
Would he attack me or would he talk to me?
Was there even a demon who asked the same questions about vampires that I asked about them?
Only one thing was clear to me: I didn't want to kill any more demons.
The resolve that had been in me since I was a little girl had disappeared, and instead a great thirst for answers had arisen.
At some point the path disappeared under my feet and I followed a game trail that led me on.
It took a long time as I was walking slowly, but I was in no rush today.
Again I listened to the animals for a while, and finally I was standing in front of the old brick house, which seemed uninhabitable from the outside.
Tiles lay next to the walls and the shutters hung on their hinges.
I opened the door and it creaked.
It was warm and familiar inside.
My home.The carpet beneath me did not breathe with my steps, but welcomed me with a strange cosiness. A fire blazed in the fireplace and the crumple old armchairs stood invitingly ready.
I sat down and put my feet on the cushion after removing my shoes.
Where was my family? Usually they always received me.
But nobody was there today, neither my father nor my mother, and not even my older brother.
I looked across the room.
There were dusty photos on the mantelpiece, pictures hanging on the walls, breathtakingly beautiful pictures.
They were drawn by vampires, making them so graceful and with such dexterity that one could believe they were oversized photos.
Some showed the sea, others mountains, some animals and one a young vampire lady with brown hair that went up to her waist. My mother.
It was always said that I was an exact replica of my mother, and it made me proud. Because while my father was like the vampires in the hall today, my mother was wise and a role model, like Elias.
My brother looked like her too, but he was taller and even broader-shouldered than my father. His hair was also blonde.
As I sat looking at the picture, my head slumped against the armrest and I finally felt completely relaxed.
I didn't have to sleep, we vampires never had to.
But there were phases in which we rested, and in this one I was apparently just now.
My head worked wonderfully, only my body was resting.
It was a kind of waking sleep.
At some point I started humming a song.
It was old and had an angry melody because it was a battle song. I had known this song forever and it had always been one of my favorites.
At some point I ended up again with the question of where my family was.
The three of them were never gone that long.
It happened that one of them went further afield to look for new people.But all three?
I got up, arranged the crumpled pillows, and went to the window.
It was getting dark outside, so the three of them should be on their way home.
I decided to go to meet them and left the house without shoes.
I felt the cool earth under my feet
The first birds were already singing, one or the other insect was hanging in my field of vision.
I smiled and quickened my pace until I reached an old tree that was bigger than the others.
Without any problems and without hesitation, I swung myself onto the lowest branch and continued climbing.
If anyone was around now, I would see him.
And indeed, on the main route - the game trail - to our house, a tall, white-blonde figure could be seen.
This figure wore a black coat that looked even darker because of the color of the hair.
It was a man, but a vampire, because his shoulders were very broad and he was moving swiftly and quickly.
I smelled the man's adrenaline and wondered.
That was my brother Jamil.
But why was he so upset?
Why was he hurrying like that?
I continued to watch him as the leaves rustled around me.
I was as good as invisible and I wanted to scare him.
Grinning, I swung from the branch I was sitting on to the next one who belonged to another tree.
As nimble and skilful as a monkey, I made my way from branch to branch, not taking my eyes off my brother, always concentrating on the direction of the wind so that my smell would not give me away.
I was only a few meters away from him, my grin bigger than ever, my hand tightly on the branch. A few more seconds and he would be right below me.
I jumped down, landed right behind him, and grabbed his side.
He screamed, turned, and pressed his hand to my neck.
I fell to the ground, he fell over me, his eyes murderous, his face pearly white.
Wait - what was going on here?Why did he do that?
That hurt!
"Stop it! You .. AU! Hey, JAMIL!"
His grip tightened, then loosened, and finally he dropped his hand. He handed it to me and helped me up.
"What was that supposed to mean?" I hissed at him, rubbing my neck and brushing the dust off my clothes.
He still looked startled, his gaze wild and strangely hasty.
I didn't know him like that.
His face was strangely slack without the sneering grin he always wore. He rubbed his hair erratically and his breathing was too fast.
"I'm sorry. I thought you were."
He didn't finish the sentence, but put his arms around me and pulled me to his chest like a vice.
"Hey! You're hurting me! Jamil, what's going on ?!"
And, to my horror, he began to sob.
My brother!
A vampire!
So mocking!
So unconventional!
He cried?
What had happened?
Fearfully, I leaned away from him to look at him.
He looked almost insane, much more childlike than usual. His face was so pale, his eyes red and his nose puffed out.
"I'm sorry, Felia ..." he muttered.
He stroked my hair and looked at me like only a big brother could look at his little sister.
"Shortly after you left the library - we heard the librarian shouting - there was a robbery.
There were. Demons. "
Now it was me who looked pale. Has anyone been hurt?
If so - who?
Who was hurt - I dared not think about it any further - that Jamil was so upset?
"How-how many ...?" How many were injured?
"Half of the audience at noon today .. And .. a few others ..."
"Will they get through?"
"No .. Felia ... you .. you are already dead."
For a moment there was silence - even the forest was silent.
Then I sagged to the ground and stared at the path in horror.
Fern hung from my face, but I ignored it.
I felt my brother drop down next to me and put an arm around me, very gently.And I had to ask him something that was awful but important ...
"Someone close to us?"
He was silent for a long time, but I didn't press him. It was just as difficult for him as it was for me. The wind howled and the rain began while morning finally came and the animals of the forest woke up.
"Mother," said Jamil simply.
And my head slumped on his shoulder, eyes empty and wide and I was unable to move.
"And .. father."
That was the end.
The demons had triumphed.
It was over.
My brother was crying quietly, and at one point I cried too, crying like vampires did. Without tears.
But the rain lent them to us, and at that moment two powerful vampires were just ... weak.

I hadn't paid attention to the time, the rain or the position of the sun.
I just knew that when I raised my head it was light. Was it the same day? Or is it the next one?
Or maybe even the next one?
There was emptiness in my chest, but also hatred.
Great hatred.
My brother was silent, so I finally had time to think.
How could I have thought that demons might not be as bad as they were always portrayed?
They were monsters.
Barbarians.
Scum.
And I clenched my fists.
"They will pay for that," I said softly, and got up.
My brother, still so weak, still so pale, looked at me.
His eyes were as empty as my mind was. My soul was
"Who?" He asked softly.
"These hell creatures. Demons, as they are called. They are supposed to die. And I don't care what Elias says, I don't care if I'm a fool and die for nothing and again nothing.
I will find our parents' murderer, and if I die trying I will carry as many demons with me as I can. "
Jamil's eyes were still blank.
I knew he wanted to say something, tell me I was too arrogant, too confident.He wanted to tell me I was going crazy, and not kill a single demon.
But he was silent, he was too weak, too paralyzed.
And I looked up to the sky and vowed to exterminate the demons as they deserved.