Cian BlackRose
Cian was born in a lavish mansion belonging to members of the BlackRose Coven. Usually such a birth was A joyful celebration. Cian's birth was barely noticed by more than her own mother, the midwife, and the one who recorded Cian's birth. Simply her name,the date,and the notation, life time servitude. A punishment taken out on the child for her mothers dalliance with one of the guards. Such was the fate of children born to indentured servants.
Life at the mansion really wasn't too terrible, save for the lack of freedom and a life time of serving Kindred masters and mistress's. For some that life time would extend well past a normal human life span. Ghouled to the powerful vampires, between the world of life and un life. They roamed during the day, watching over the humans that kept the mansion and the grounds well maintained and running, protecting the slumbering kindred that resided there in the daylight hours.
The servants, guards and ghouls were well taken care of, fed, clothes, their basic needs were met. As long as one kept their head down and worked hard they were treated with at least more respect than one would give a true slave. The fanged residents of the mansion did not feed to kill on their own servants, usually. It was generally not spoken of when one of the servants number just.. vanished. This was the world that Cian was born into.
Cian's mother worked in the kitchens, one of the better positions in the mansion,and one that took place in daylight hours and not far into evening. Cian grew up in the kitchens and the servants quarters starting just days after her birth, kept warm in a corner in a cradle and out of the way. Later she would be kept in even when other servants children were allowed to run and play for one or two hours of the day
As Cian had grown and learned to walk, and run and even help out on light tasks in the kitchen, it became apparent there was something wrong by the time she was five. She grew at the same rate as the a healthy child should,but she tired easily and sometimes had spells where she was out of breath and dizzy. Infrequent at first, but increasing as she aged, as well as complaints that sometimes her chest hurt and 'felt funny'. The servant, who also served as midwife, tried certain human folk treatments. Sometimes Cian would respond and seem to get better, but it never lasted long.
Afraid, her mother kept Cian as hidden as possible, and none in the kitchen would betray the secret. Cian was sick, and the symptoms all pointed to the sad fact that she would be lucky to see adult hood. Rumors that the masters had been known to quickly kill sickly children to save all the time and misery, that fear kept everyone quiet, for Cian was a very bright and eager to help, happy child, not seeming to let her reclusive life get her down. They thought her oblivious to her own condition. She wasn't. She had heard them whispering at times. Cian simply accepted it as she did everything else. Or at least she seemed to.
Cian appeared docile, and she learned to keep quiet and hide the pains and weak spells as they got steadily worse. She even ignored it the few times she thought for sure she was going to get caught sneaking around the mansion late at night. Fear definitely caused her heart to race,and at times seem to hiccup with an added searing pain. A pain so familiar to her by the time she was seven that she could endure it without crying out. Cian really could not wander far without tiring, but her destination every night she could manage to sneak out of the servants wing, was the smaller library of several in the grand mansion.
The servants were not well educated, but Cian's mother could read and write, and she taught Cian as she often taught others at night. She didn't know how they got them, but occasionally a servant would get a book to pass around and Cian was very quick to learn. It was like a bright light had opened up in her dreary world. With books so few and far between, it forced her to creep to the library where she would find something to hide behind or under, and struggle to read the books, many of which made no sense and were a bit above her skill level without an adult to help.
For an entire year,Cian managed to go undetected, and increased her trips to the library until it was nearly a nightly trek. The then eight year old knew she was pushing her luck.She also knew she didn't have much time left in her soon to be short life.
When she was discovered, she never heard or saw it coming. Cian had figured out where the story books she could read easily were, and she was captivated in a story about damsels and dragons. She had never been close enough to any of kindred to realize that they could move with silence. Hiding under the desk, she suddenly realized, she wasn't alone, and she looked and saw a pair of red shoes with moderate heels, then an elegant red gown as she looked up, then the pale face of a dark haired beauty who appeared to be in her early twenties.
The woman didn't speak at first, studying Cian who could only look up frozen in place, amber eyes opened wide with a deer in head lights look. Her heart raced and she winced from a sudden pain as panic threatened to overwhelm her. The woman looked more curious than angry, and finally she spoke.
"I was wondering what little mouse was running around the library late at night."
Cian panicked even more as she noticed the slender ivory fangs as the woman spoke softly. She did the only thing she could at that point, although unwillingly.
Cian fainted.