Chapter Text
Being the oldest child had its perks. You were given the most say in important decisions, and the first pick on new weapons. But it also had its down sides, one being that you were responsible for your three younger sisters. Your mother expected you to take care of them, and be the most mature in every situation. You loved them of course, but you got frustrated with them sometimes, this was one of those times. Daniela had brought a maiden down to the basement to drain her and you were supposed to be watching her, it was her first time draining and not just killing and you were expected to teach her. However, you had made a deal to play with cassandra that day and completely forgot. Of course Daniela didn’t come to get you, being determined that she was old enough to do this on her own.
That is what led you to where you were now, freezing your ass off and attempting to close the window while Bela chased the maiden who escaped down. Your mother had heard the commotion from her study and you could hear the clicking of heels get closer by the second. “ Y/n, what is the meaning of this!?” you hear your mother's voice shout from behind you as you finally seal the window with boards.
“Mother, I am so sorry! I was playing with Cass and lost track of time, then Daniela attempted to drain the maiden by herself.” You explained. Your mother gave you a frustrated sigh and an aggravated look
“ You need to be more responsible Y/n, you could have gotten one of you killed. I expected better of you.” Your mother lectured, you looked down in shame and anger. You were always responsible, but every time they made a mistake you were yelled at for it. You gave a simple ‘yes mother’ before going off to find the maiden.
The maiden was found and dealt with in no time by you and bela almost silently. You had wanted to berate Daniela, to tell her all the things she had done wrong and how it affected you, but you were too tired. Winter had been rough, with very little to hunt and eat, and you were all dependent on your mother because of the cold. This meant that you had to start draining maids, as you were currently doing, but you had always let your sisters have their fill of the food first and eating whatever they leave behind. Your mother suspects this behavior stems from your life when you were mortal, but you have no recollection of that time so it will never be truly explained. This habit also means a lot of the time, you don’t get to eat. Your body couldn’t starve like you could when you were mortal, it could only get so hungry before you turned feral and got your food one way or another.
That was almost where you were while you were draining the maiden, the smell of blood had you fighting to stay yourself. Bela could see something about you was off, you weren’t your normal sarcastic but protective and sweet self. This energy followed you out to the dinner table, leaving your mother and sisters to look at you strangely. Your mother is the first to speak up about it. “Y/n, you seem…. Tired. Are you feeling alright?” You only find it in yourself to give a small nod and mumble confirmations under your breath. Your mother doesn't press you on it but has her suspicions on why you are acting this way.
She watches as you let your sisters eat all of the flesh and blood she has gathered for you. You wait patiently, watching her other daughters finish the food with smiles on their faces. She sees you crack a small grin at the sight of your sisters, an infectious thing she figures out when it slowly creeps onto her face as well. She notices your smile falter as you excuse yourself and head to your chambers. Your mother makes a mental note to come talk to you after she finishes her work in her study.
Meanwhile, you sit in your room curled up at the foot of your bed. You have been fighting your own body for control since the minute you entered your chambers. You knew that not eating today would send you over the edge but you didn’t really care. No matter how hungry or frustrated you got with them, you would always protect your little sisters.
You remember the first time you saw them on the tables next to you. You had only been awake a couple of days but you had learned so much from your mother. She told you of your new existence and showed you how to hunt. You felt a large, warm hand on your back and turned to see your mother smiling over your shoulder. “ These are your sisters. They will need our help to grasp their new existence. I need you to show them how to be a Dimitrescu.” You had nodded to her, promising to be the best big sister you could be right as bela opened her eyes.
You smile when you remember this, you had had this burning determination to protect them from the moment they opened their eyes, one harsh winter was not going to stop you. What you didn’t realize was that you had finally lost control and your rational mind was slowly fading. Your body acted on its own in a flash of flies, searching for the nearest maid. However, by this time the maids had all gone to sleep in the help quarters at the far end of the castle, meaning that it was Daniela who found you.
She looked at you with a confused expression, racking her brain on how one of them could possibly have looked like you at that moment. You were paler than you normally were, with large bags under your eyes and your eyes themselves glossy. You looked like her when she finds a snack after a long day. Then it hit her, you haden't been eating. You had gotten like this once, but your mother had brought you out of it. She needed to get you to mother. “ Y/n, mother said she wanted to see you in her study.” don’t even look like you could hear her. Normally you would have immediately swarmed off to your mother but you just stood there staring like you didn’t hear her. She reached forward carefully to grab you, only to be pushed to the ground. In your haze you thought she was attempting to attack you.
You both roll around on the ground for a while, she was only looking to restrain and pacify you with every movement, but it looked to be that you genuinely wanted her dead. She eventually escaped your grip and ran, booking it to your mothers study only to come to a stop when your other two sisters turned a corner. You look at them the way you looked at your youngest sister and they both immediately know what's going on. Bela yells at Daniela to go get your mother while Cassandra restrains your arms. You thrash wildly in her grip, making it difficult to hold you down, the brunette only barely managing it. Bela approaches, getting down to look you in the eyes as you growl and bite at her. “ Y/n, it's us, your sisters. Don’t you remember Cassie and I?”
Bela puts a hand on your cheek and you calm slightly before you hear a door open and a large, imposing figure that you can’t quite place stalks toward you with familiarity. The tall person picks you up by your hood as you thrash and grunt once more. “ such ferocity, little one. I do wish you were just a bit more selfish so you wouldn’t get like this." The voice of the figure instantly puts you at ease, placating you long enough for you to notice the fresh body in her hands. She sets you down and slides the fresh carcass over, watching your eyes light up. You dig into the body like a starved wolf, ripping chucks with your bare hands and covering your mouth and clothes with a thick layer of blood and guts.
You mother inches closer, and you let her, not fighting at all when she pulls you into her lap. She strokes your hair as your sister gather round. Your ferocity is slowly fading to regret as you realize what you have done. You attacked your sisters and eaten a whole body by yourself. Shame flashes across your face as you hear your mother tut “ Surely that frown is not for us child, you have done nothing to us.” You can feel tears peek in the corners of your eyes, you definitely did do wrong by them and they refuse to see it.
“ I attacked my sister's momma, I could have hurt them.” your voice is breaking as you speak. You have failed as a protector.
“ Your only crime was not telling us just how hungry you really were. I wish you had just an ounce of self preservation in your body darling.” Your mother chuckles. You frown further at the joke, but calm when your mother pulls you closer to indicate that she really means it and you are not going to be lectured this once. You can only find the strength to curl into her, your body having been spent on your quest for food. “ Rest now child, your sisters and I will watch over you.” You find solace in that statement, drifting off comfortably in your mothers arms.