I woke up before my alarm.

  For a few seconds I stayed still and looked at the ceiling above my bed. The room was dim, the early morning light coming through the thin curtains near the window. My apartment was small enough that I could see almost all of it from where I was lying down. The bed sat against the wall. Across from it was a dresser with a cracked mirror hanging above it. A small table near the window held a lamp, a stack of folded laundry, and my identification papers.

  Today was the day.

  I already knew I wasn't going to fall back asleep. My stomach felt tight and uncomfortable, like I had eaten something bad the night before. I pulled the blanket off and sat up slowly.

  The clock on the wall said 6:12 AM.

  My appointment was at 8:00.

  Two hours.

  I rubbed my hands together and tried to warm them. My apartment always felt cold in the mornings, especially in early winter. The building heating system only worked properly at night, when most people were home. During the day it barely did anything.

  I stood up and walked across the small room to the window. Outside, the street was quiet. A few people were already walking toward the main road, coats pulled tight around their bodies. Most of them were probably going to work.

  Or to registration.

  Everyone turned twenty-two eventually.

  Everyone ended up there.

  I pressed my forehead lightly against the cool glass and closed my eyes.

  It was stupid to be this nervous.

  People did this every day.

  It was just blood.

  Just a donation.

  That was what the government called it.

  Still, my hands were shaking a little.

  I stepped away from the window and went to the small bathroom. The light above the sink flickered before it fully turned on. The mirror showed exactly what I expected. My hair was a mess from sleeping, long blonde strands sticking in different directions around my shoulders. My eyes looked tired, and the skin under them was slightly darker than usual.

  I splashed cold water on my face and dried it with a towel.

  "Get it together," I muttered quietly to myself.

  My voice sounded small in the empty room.

  I brushed my hair slowly, pulling it over one shoulder once it was straight again. It fell past the middle of my back. I kept it long on purpose. It made me feel a little less exposed in public. Sometimes I could hide behind it.

  I chose simple clothes.

  Dark jeans.

  A plain gray sweater.

  Nothing noticeable.

  Nothing that would attract attention.

  The last thing I wanted today was to stand out.

  Once I finished getting dressed, I walked back into the main room and picked up the folder from the small table. Inside were the papers that had arrived in the mail three weeks ago.

  Mandatory Blood Registration Notice.

  The words were printed in large, official letters at the top of the page. Below that was my full name and birthdate.

  ALLYsia Rowan. Age: 22.

  My appointment time was listed underneath.

  Failure to appear would result in legal penalties.

  I had read the notice at least ten times since it arrived. Every human in the city received one eventually. There wasn't a way around it.

  I slid the papers back into the folder and took my identification card from the table. The plastic felt cold between my fingers.

  Before putting it in my bag, I hesitated.

  Then I glanced toward the dresser.

  The bottom drawer was slightly open.

  I walked over and pulled it out carefully.

  Inside were normal things at first glance. Socks. A few folded shirts. A pair of gloves.

  Underneath them was a small wooden box.

  I lifted it out slowly and opened the lid.

  Inside was a small silver cross on a thin chain.

  Just looking at it made my chest tighten.

  Religion had been illegal for as long as I could remember. The official teachings in schools said the old human religions were dangerous and outdated. Vampires recognized the ancient gods instead. Temples to them existed in almost every district.

  Most humans went along with it.

  Some even believed it.

  I never stopped believing in something else.

  I picked up the cross and held it in my palm for a moment.

  My grandmother had given it to me when I was sixteen. She told me to keep it hidden and only wear it when I felt like I needed it.

  Today definitely counted.

  I slipped the chain around my neck and tucked the cross under my sweater where no one could see it.

  The metal rested lightly against my skin.

  It made me feel calmer.

  Not safe.

  But calmer.

  I closed the box, put it back under the clothes, and shut the drawer.

  Then I checked the clock again.

  6:41 AM.

  If I left now, I could walk there slowly and still arrive early.

  Part of me wanted to wait longer.

  But sitting here alone would just make me more nervous.

  I grabbed my bag, put my ID and papers inside, and slipped on my coat.

  Before leaving, I looked around the apartment one last time.

  It was quiet.

  Still.

  Normal.

  I had a strange thought that things might not feel normal again after today.

  I shook it off quickly.

  It was just a registration appointment.

  People went every day.

  Nothing special about it.

  I turned off the lights, stepped into the hallway, and locked the door behind me.

  The cold morning air hit my face the moment I stepped outside.

  I pulled my coat tighter and started walking toward the main road.

  The blood registration center was only fifteen minutes away.

  I had passed the building many times before.

  Today was the first time I would be walking inside.

  Winter had settled into the city early this year, and the sky above the rooftops was a dull gray that made everything look muted and flat. The streets were already busy though. People moved quickly along the sidewalks, collars turned up, hands buried in pockets. Some were heading toward work. Others, like me, were heading toward the blood centers.

  You could usually tell who they were.

  The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

  Most of them walked a little slower. A little quieter. Some held the same pale envelopes I had received weeks ago, the official government notice that meant the same thing for everyone who turned twenty-two. Registration. Blood classification. First donation.

  I joined the slow stream of pedestrians moving toward the main avenue. The city was waking up around us. Cars rolled past in steady lines, their engines humming low against the cold air, and storefronts were beginning to open their metal gates for the day. The bakery on the corner had already unlocked its doors, warm light spilling out onto the sidewalk while the smell of fresh bread drifted into the street. For a moment I thought about stopping inside, but the tight feeling in my stomach reminded me that I probably wouldn't be able to eat anything anyway.

  As I walked, the buildings began to grow taller and more elaborate. The older part of the district had been rebuilt years ago when the vampire houses took control of the area. Their architecture was impossible to miss. Tall stone facades, dark glass windows, heavy iron gates in front of private courtyards. Some of the larger buildings displayed banners hanging from the upper balconies, each marked with a different crest belonging to one of the ruling vampire families. The symbols were meant to show power and ownership, and most people avoided looking at them for too long.

  I kept my head down as I passed beneath one of them.

  A black carriage was parked near the curb a little farther ahead, sleek and polished in a way that made it stand out among the ordinary vehicles on the street. Two humans stood near the open door, both dressed in matching coats that were too expensive to belong to anyone working a normal job. One of them laughed at something the other said, the sound light and practiced, the kind of laugh people used when they wanted to be liked.

  Behind them, leaning casually against the side of the carriage, stood the vampire they belonged to.

  Even from half a block away it was obvious what he was. The way people moved around him made it clear enough. Humans passed quickly on the sidewalk without making eye contact, while others slowed down just slightly, curiosity pulling their attention before caution forced them to look away again. The vampire himself didn't seem concerned with any of it. He looked relaxed, one arm resting across the roof of the carriage while he spoke to the two humans beside him.

  They were part of his harem.

  You could usually tell that too.

  Humans who lived in harems looked different from everyone else on the street. Their clothes were better. Their hair was styled carefully. Most of them carried themselves with a strange combination of comfort and tension, like people who had secure lives but knew that security came from someone else's control.

  I watched them for a moment longer than I should have.

  The vampire reached out suddenly and caught one of the humans by the wrist, pulling him closer with an easy motion that made the man stumble forward. The human laughed again, softer this time, and tilted his head slightly to the side. The vampire lowered his face toward the exposed skin of his neck.

  No one on the street reacted.

  A few people looked away quickly. Others kept walking.

  The vampire's fangs slid into the human's neck with practiced ease, and the human's shoulders tensed before slowly relaxing again. It lasted less than a minute. When the vampire finally pulled back, he wiped a small line of blood from the corner of his mouth and said something that made both humans smile.

  It was an ordinary morning for them.

  I forced myself to keep walking.

  Scenes like that weren't unusual anymore. Vampires feeding in public had become common after the blood laws were strengthened. Technically, vampires were supposed to use regulated blood banks, but most of the powerful ones did whatever they wanted. The rules didn't apply to them the same way they applied to humans.

  A loud voice up ahead pulled my attention back to the street in front of me.

  Two women stood near a row of street vendors, speaking loudly to a tall vampire who examined them with open interest. Their dresses were bright and tight against their bodies despite the cold weather, and both of them wore thin scarves tied loosely around their necks. One of them noticed me looking and smirked slightly before turning back to the vampire.

  Blood whores.

  They operated all over the city, especially in the districts closer to the vampire houses. Unlike the humans in harems, they didn't belong to anyone permanently. They sold blood directly to vampires willing to pay for it. It was illegal in most areas, but enforcement was inconsistent, and the demand was high enough that the practice never really stopped.

  The vampire handed one of the women a folded stack of bills. She counted them quickly, then stepped closer and brushed her hair aside without hesitation.

  I looked away immediately.

  The blood registration center came into view at the end of the street just as the exchange began behind me. The building was impossible to miss. It was large, modern, and surrounded by tall metal fencing that directed visitors toward a single controlled entrance. Several uniformed guards stood near the gate, watching the growing line of humans waiting to go inside.

  My chest tightened again as I approached.

  The line stretched halfway down the block.

  Most of the people waiting looked about my age. Some stood quietly with their hands in their pockets, while others shifted nervously from foot to foot. A few talked to each other in low voices, probably friends who had scheduled their appointments together.

  I took my place near the end of the line and tried to ignore the uneasy feeling building in my stomach.

  This was it.

  My first registration.

  My first donation.

  Somewhere inside that building, vampires were already waiting.

  And in a few minutes, I would be walking in to meet them.

  The line moved slowly, but it never completely stopped. Every few minutes the metal gate at the entrance opened just wide enough for a small group of people to pass through before closing again with a dull mechanical click. The guards standing beside it barely spoke. They checked identification cards, compared faces to the digital scanners mounted near the fence, and waved people forward without expression. Most of them were human, though I could see one vampire standing farther back near the security booth, watching the process with quiet interest.

  I tried not to look at him.

  Standing in line made the waiting worse. When I was walking, at least my body had something to do. Now all I could think about was the building in front of me and what was happening inside it. The structure rose three stories above the street, made almost entirely of gray concrete and dark glass. It looked more like a government office than a medical center. The windows were tinted heavily enough that I couldn't see anything through them from where I stood.

  The only color on the building came from the large red symbol mounted above the entrance.

  A drop of blood inside a circle.

  The official mark of the donation authority.

  A girl standing two places ahead of me shifted nervously and adjusted the strap of her bag. She had dark hair pulled back into a loose ponytail and wore the same stiff, uneasy expression that I probably had on my own face. When she glanced over her shoulder and caught me looking at the building, she gave a small shrug.

  "First time?" she asked quietly.

  Her voice sounded almost apologetic, like she didn't really want to start a conversation but needed the distraction.

  I nodded.

  "Yeah."

  "Same." She exhaled slowly and rubbed her hands together. "I heard it's not that bad. My brother said the first one just takes longer because they have to test everything."

  "That's good," I said, though I wasn't sure if I believed it.

  She hesitated for a moment before adding, "He said some people faint, but that's usually because they panic."

  I gave a small nod again. I didn't tell her that hearing that didn't make me feel any better.

  The line moved forward another few steps, bringing us closer to the gate. I could see the guards more clearly now. They wore dark uniforms with the city crest stitched onto their shoulders, and each of them carried a small scanner device that glowed faintly when it was activated. The vampire standing behind them leaned casually against the wall near the security booth, his arms folded loosely across his chest.

  He looked bored.

  That seemed to be the default expression for most vampires when they were surrounded by humans.

  His eyes moved slowly across the line, studying people without much interest. When his gaze briefly passed over me, I felt a cold knot tighten in my stomach even though he didn't stop looking there. Something about being examined like that made it impossible to relax.

  A few minutes later, the gate opened again.

  The guard nearest to us gestured with two fingers.

  "Next five."

  The girl ahead of me stepped forward quickly. I followed close behind her, my boots scraping lightly against the pavement as I moved toward the entrance. The guard held out his hand without looking up.

  "Identification."

  I pulled my card from my bag and placed it in his palm. He scanned it quickly, then looked up just long enough to match my face with the information on the screen of his device. His expression didn't change.

  "Allysia Rowan. Age twenty-two."

  He handed the card back.

  "Proceed inside."

  The gate slid open beside him with a soft mechanical hum.

  Crossing that threshold felt strangely final.

  I stepped through the opening and entered the fenced pathway leading toward the building doors. The sounds of the street faded almost immediately once the gate closed behind us. The fence on either side stood at least ten feet high, topped with thin strands of wire that glinted faintly in the gray morning light. Security cameras were mounted along the walls at regular intervals, each one following our movement as we walked.

  The girl who had spoken to me earlier glanced back once before continuing forward. Neither of us said anything now.

  At the end of the pathway, the glass doors opened automatically.

  Warm air rushed out to meet us as we stepped inside.

  The lobby was larger than I expected. Bright white lights covered the ceiling, reflecting off polished floors that made the entire room feel sterile and cold. Rows of chairs filled the center of the space, arranged in long lines facing a reception desk that stretched across the far wall. Digital screens hung above it displaying appointment numbers and instructions for new donors.

  Humans filled most of the seats.

  Some leaned forward with their elbows on their knees, staring at the floor. Others sat rigidly upright with their arms crossed tightly over their chests. A few whispered quietly to the people beside them. The low hum of nervous conversation filled the room, blending with the occasional electronic chime from the screens overhead.

  Behind the reception desk stood several nurses dressed in pale uniforms, moving efficiently between computer stations and stacks of paperwork.

  And behind them, scattered along the back wall, stood the vampires.

  There were four of them that I could see immediately.

  They were easy to pick out even in a crowded room. Their posture was different from everyone else's. More relaxed. More confident. Each of them wore dark clothing that looked expensive without being flashy, and none of them seemed particularly interested in the anxious humans filling the chairs.

  They were supervisors.

  Overseers.

  Making sure everything ran smoothly.

  My chest tightened slightly as I watched them.

  One of the nurses near the entrance looked up when our small group approached.

  "Registration?" she asked.

  We nodded.

  She handed each of us a thin tablet and gestured toward an open row of chairs along the wall.

  "Fill out the forms and wait for your number to be called. When the screen displays your number, report to intake room three."

  Her voice was calm and practiced, like someone who had repeated the same instructions hundreds of times.

  I took the tablet and moved toward the chairs she indicated.

  The seat felt cold when I sat down.

  The tablet screen lit up automatically, displaying the first page of the registration form. My name and identification number already filled the top line. Beneath that were dozens of questions asking about medical history, medications, allergies, and previous injuries.

  I started filling them out slowly.

  Anything to keep my hands busy.

  Every now and then I glanced up at the room around me. The humans sitting nearby all looked as tense as I felt. A boy across the aisle tapped his foot constantly against the floor while staring at the tablet in his lap. A girl two seats away rubbed the inside of her elbow repeatedly like she was already thinking about the needle.

  The vampires along the back wall barely moved.

  One of them spoke quietly with a nurse for a moment before turning away again. Another leaned against the wall with his arms crossed, scanning the room with casual disinterest.

  I tried not to look at them too often.

  But eventually my attention drifted to the far corner of the room.

  Someone else was standing there.

  A vampire I hadn't noticed before.

  He stood slightly apart from the others, near a tall window that overlooked the street outside. One hand rested loosely in the pocket of his dark coat while the other held a thin glass container filled with deep red liquid.

  Blood.

  He drank from it slowly while watching the room.

  Not in the same bored way as the others.

  He looked... amused.

  Like the entire scene unfolding around him was mildly entertaining.

  Even from across the lobby, I could see the faint curve of a sarcastic smile at the corner of his mouth as his eyes moved from one nervous human to the next.

  When his gaze finally shifted in my direction, something in my chest tightened before I could stop it.

  For a brief second, it felt like he was looking directly at me.

  Then he lifted the glass to his lips again and looked away.

  I exhaled quietly and returned my attention to the tablet.

  I told myself it was nothing.

  Just another vampire watching the room.

  But for some reason, I couldn't shake the feeling that I had just been noticed.