Prologue: monster

"Sometimes I think evil is a tangible thing,"- the Most Dangerous Game

She was a monster.

That had always been clear to Aria. Ever since she became a vampire, she had known that. it was the last thing her father had screamed at her before she ripped his throat out.

"si demonio! corre il male attraverso youre vene! tu sei figlio del diavolo, non mio!" you demon! Evil runs through your veins! You are the devil's child, not mine!

Aria still shuddered at the memory. She hated herself for killing her father. But even when she was a human she had anger issues. That was amplified when she became a vampire. She wasn't surprised that he had said that, though. Not even then. Aria had grown up in a small village in Italy in the 1500's. she was very catholic and her father had strong ties to the church. Even she was convinced that she was a demon. She considered suicide during her first century as a vampire because of it.

But Aria's natural instincts to stay alive overrode those feelings. Besides, she was sure that death was too kind for her, after everything she had done, all the lives she had taken, all the lives she had ruined, all the children who were orphans because of her, and all of the parents who had lost children at her hand. The worst punishment Aria could give herself would be to live within the hell she put herself in.

Even after she got better, stopped killing, turned her life around, Aria still felt the guilt that plagued her. 488 years later, Aria was stronger, wiser, and jaded. She wasn't the scared little girl who fled from her house after feeding on her father. Nor was she the predator who reveled in killing. She was simply a 488 year old vampire stuck in a 22 year olds body, living just to live, just because it was her instinct. She hadn't killed since the 1700's, only taking enough blood from humans to survive on. She liked to think that she was the perfect example of moderation.

Still, Aria could still see the faces of every single one of her victims. She could see the pain in their eyes as the light left them, hear their hearts stop beating, smell their blood. no matter how many years Aria went without killing, Aria would never make up for the years she had killed.

Aria was monster. Always had been and always will be.

A/N: this originally was a oneshot, but it was a very, very long oneshot. It was about 10,000 words and I wasn't even half way done with it. So I decided to turn it into a mini-story. this won't be a very long story, less than ten chapters, I think. Aria is portrayed by Jennifer Lawrence.

Review! I would love some feedback for this story!

~Abby :)