Dawn of Love
(c) 2017
Haylee V

Matthew and Dawn had been friends for ages; ever since they first met at preschool. Very little could separate them. They did practically everything together and had sworn to each other to be best friends forever. They even shared the same birthday. Both would be thirteen tomorrow, and both would find out secrets that would alter their young lives drastically. It would cause a rift in their friendship that only the Gods would be able to fix.

Matthew stared at his father in disbelief. He had just turned thirteen and had just been informed of the family secret. As if he didn't have enough to worry about, with puberty running roughshod all over him. Now, he also had the full moon to worry about as well, and the possible implications the transformation and his actions (while underneath its spell) would bring.

"It'll be alright, Son," his dad had tried to soothe. "Being a werewolf isn't all bad. The myths of hunting people at night are just that. For the most part, we're harmless and live fairly normal lives. Besides, you may not even transform. It has been known to skip generations."

"Oh, joy!" Matthew exclaimed, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "And if it does skip me, I'll still have the 'curse' to pass on. How can I possibly be 'normal' now?"

"Well, Son, most people won't even notice, especially those not 'Fae-born'. The only problem you'll ever have is with the 'Wyrmspawn'. They can sniff out 'Werefolk' for miles. They've been our hated enemies for millennia."

"Wyrmspawn?" Matthew asked, completely bewildered.

"Yes, or as they're more commonly called, the 'Undead'. Vampires."

"Vampires? Get real, Dad. You really expect me to believe all this? That you're a werewolf, and vampires exist? This all sounds like a horror film gone wrong. Anyway, thanks for the laugh. Just what I needed, to ice the cake, on my birthday."

Matthew turned to walk away, chuckling under his breath and muttering about his father wasting his precious time. Suddenly, his father's arm reached out, grabbing him, which caused him to spin around.

Matthew watched, with a mix of awe, shock, surprise, and abject horror, as his father transformed before him.

"Now do you believe me, Son?" he growled gruffly, before quickly changing back.

Meanwhile, on the other side of town, Victoria steeled herself and made ready to have "the talk" with her daughter, Dawn. It would not be easy, she knew, but had to be done today; before the 'change' took hold.

"Dawn, honey, come here a minute," she called.

"But Mom!" Dawn cried, "I'm getting ready to go out to the mall. Can't it wait?"

"Unfortunately not, dear. We really need to talk. Now.", Victoria insisted.

"Alright," Dawn sighed, begrudgingly. "Be there in a minute."

Dawn entered her mom's room, only to see the distressed look on her mom's face.

"Please, sit. I need to tell you of some very important things. Now that you are thirteen, you'll be experiencing some... changes. Changes that will impact your life forever."

"Oh, Mom," Dawn giggled nervously. "If this is 'the talk', don't worry, I already know about periods, pregnancy, and stuff. I know puberty, acne, and all those other things are coming, and I know I'll develop breasts soon. Anything else?"

"I said SIT!" her mother commanded. "This is important and concerns your heritage. You are not like the mortals here. You are Wyrmspawn - a Vampire. In Particular, a 'Day Walker'. Get prepared to be surprised, though, as nothing you thought you knew about vampires is true."

"You mean like sucking blood, garlic and wooden stakes, and turning into bats?"

"Well, we don't actually suck blood. We are essence feeders, gaining our strength from the strength of a human's aura. And we can eat all the garlic we want (but who'd really want to?), and ANYONE would die if someone thrust a sharpened piece of wood through their heart. That's just common sense."

"So, what is a vampire, really? And why wait, until now, to tell me?"

"Vampires gain their powers upon reaching puberty. Until then, the Wyrm within lies dormant, and they are, for all practical purposes, indistinguishable from any other human."

"OK. Let's say I believe this fairy tale, Mom. What PROOF do you have that all this isn't just some sick joke?"

Dawn watched as her mother evaporated in a puff of smoke; only to appear on the other side of the room a moment later.

"Any more questions?" her mother asked, smugly.

"Umm...", replied Dawn, lost for words.

"And something else... very few things can harm us once the transformation's complete. But, you must always be wary of werepeople. They are our sworn enemies, and can harm us with their claws or bite. When your transformation begins, tonight at dusk, you'll feel a little strange at first; like you're catching the flu. But that will quickly pass, and your transformation will be complete before daybreak."

"Gee, thanks," Dawn muttered, almost unheard.

"Oh, and dear? Happy Birthday!"