Please allow me to introduce myself. My name is Claudia, I am the vampire daughter of Lestat de Lioncourt and Louis de Pointe du Lac. I was but five years of age when I was made by Lestat in the lovely city of New Orleans in 1794.
I am forever cursed in a child's body. Now let me tell you the story, from my point of view, of how I became The Vampire Claudia.
It was a cold, dreadful night in the city of New Orleans. Especially in my plagued part of the quarter. I was cold and in pain. I huddled close to my mother for warmth. I did not know at the time that my mother was dead, after all, I was only a mortal five-year old. And I was weeping. I begged my mother to wake up so we could go to the ship to escape the plague ... my father was waiting for us. I suddenly noticed that there was someone else in the room with me. I turned to find a dark-haired man standing by my window watching me. I went hysterical. I began to beg him to wake my mother and take us to the ship before the plague came. But he just stood there, silent as the night, watching me. I started to cry. I steady flow of tears flowed down my cheeks. Then he bent down and took me in his arms. His embrace soothed me. He was so beautiful. But suddenly I felt a sharp pain in my neck. I began to feel woozy and lightheaded. I lost consciousness.
When I finally came to I was being carried by a man with a woman at his side. They were taking me to a children's hospital. They had obviously found me laying there unconscious. When we reached the hospital, the man handed me over to a doctor who then placed me in a bed where I drifted off to sleep.
I awoke to the sound of feet hitting the wet street. I was being carried in a blanket by an attractive blond-haired man. He carried me to a room and placed me on another bed.(I know you are thinking: She sure gets carried and placed in a lot of beds. I am sorry but that's the way my story goes. ) I looked drowsily around the room and I noticed the very same dark-haired man, Louis, watching me as he did in my home.
He and the blond-haired one, Lestat he called him, were speaking with one another.
Louis approached the bed and once again took me in his arms and I felt the same sharp pain in my neck. I felt as I felt the last time we embraced, woozy and lightheaded, but this time a managed to stay conscious. Louis released me from his embrace and walked away from the bed. Lestat approached the bed next. He sat down and put his wrist up to his mouth and bit down, letting droplets of blood fall on my lips. I rolled my tongue over my lips tasting the blood, sweeter than life it's self. Ah, blood ... how lovely, I thought. I pulled his wrist down to my mouth and began to suck the blood out of the opening on his wrist. I short while later he pulled it away. This was so disappointing. I wanted more, and more blood.
Of course after that I had my first kill. Every night since then I have been a creature of the night... a vampire. I survive off the blood of mortals and have been for 204 years and plan on doing just that for the rest of eternity. I have had many adventures and I am sure you want to hear about them. Like the time I tried to murder Lestat and the time I almost died. They are all exciting and told from my point of view.
����
Character copyright � Anne Rice/Random House.
Graphics copyright � 1998 Le Jardin Sauvage/LJS Design.