Page 116 of Treasured

I hopped down the steps, taking them two at a time. “Coming!”

As the youngest, my job was sweeping the shop and ensuring everything was tidied. Lucien and François, my other brother, often took on the bigger jobs. One day, though, Papa wanted to pass things down to me.

“Hurry up, slowpoke!” Lucien yelled. “Lord Milanal is due to come in tonight.”

My heart squeezed, and fear ran through me as I jumped down the last few stairs.

The vampire’s business was important to my parents. The lord always bought the finest silks and other imported goods Papa procured specially for him. Because of him we always had food and a warm fire, even on the coldest night.

Still, I was nervous. Whenever the vampires came, Mama made us hide in the upstairs closet the whole night while our parents served them. She said the lord was dangerous, but I’d also overheard her telling Papa the vampire was so beautiful, he looked like a piece of art brought to life. That confused me. How could something deadly be beautiful?

I hurried around the shelves to where Lucien and François were talking behind the counter. They turned and stared at me.

“What is it, little brother?” François asked.

“I have a question,” I declared.

Lucien snorted. “You’re five. You always have questions. We don’t have time for them today.”

He thought he could boss me around because he was four years older than me. I did not like that. Besides, my brothers weren’t doing anything.

Puffing up my chest, I ignored Lucien’s tone and plowed ahead. “The vampires—”

The bell at the front of the shop rang, and Lucien clapped his hand over my mouth. “Don’t.”

Mrs. Cratchet, the town seamstress and well-known flirt, sashayed towards us. “Good morning, boys!”

Lucien returned the greeting as François glared at me. “We don’t talk about the vampires,” he hissed out of the corner of his mouth.

Mrs. Cratchet stopped in the middle of the shop, inspecting a bolt of fuchsia fabric. The moment her back was to us, Lucien shoved me towards the broom. “Start cleaning. If you keep asking about the vampires, Papa will send you to the castle and let the queen eat you.”

I shivered, the threat far too real in my five-year-old mind, and grabbed the broom. I swept as vigorously as my little arms would allow. That day, I made sure there wasn’t a single speck of dust on the ground when the sun set, and Mama shepherded us into the closet.

The memory dissolved like grains of sand, giving way to another.

My feet pounded over the cobblestones, and peals of laughter filled the air as Marie, Bruno, and I ran toward the obsidian waters ahead.

It was finally summer, those short two months of the year where it didn’t always snow, and the Black Sea was calling my name. Everyone knew only the bravest swam in there. It was dangerous since the midnight waters made it impossible to see the potential monsters lurking beneath the surface. It was an unofficial rite of passage in our village, and this year, I was finally old enough.

I couldn’t wait. I’d watched my brothers take the same dip in the years prior, and now, it was my turn. Being the youngest meant I had to do everything last. All I wanted was to experience life, to enjoy it. There had to be more than Brookton, right?

I’d find out soon enough. When I was of age, I planned to join the army. I was saving my money slowly, getting ready to buy a sword and leave.

“Come on, you two!” Bruno stripped off his tunic at the shore, and his breeches were next.

I pulled off my clothes, leaving them in a pile nearby. The wind was cold on my bare skin, and my undergarments were not doing much to protect me from the chilly weather, but I didn’t care.

I was finally growing up.

Marie kept her shift on, leaving her overdress and cloak in a bundle before daintily walking into the sea.

I wasn’t taking that approach. It might have been summer, but frost still covered the ground at night.

Lifting my legs as high as possible, I splashed into the black waters.

“It’s cold!” Marie squealed.

It was freezing. Still, I’d waited so long for this. The moment I was able, I dunked myself beneath the surface.