always and forever alone
Born as the middle child to Evangeline and Mark van Doren in the 1800s, James grew up to be a bit ignored by them. His parents’ attention was mainly on their eldest or their youngest, but not their middle child. Because of that, he would try his hardest to gain their attention and approval by being the obedient son.
As he grew older, he became more and more handsome. James used this to his advantage, though it would one day become his downfall. Lots of girls in the town were hoping that he would be the one to ask their father for permission to court them, but to their dismay, he never did. He was never the type to settle down, always wanting to be a free spirit.
One day, James made the mistake of using his charms on a woman named Genevieve. He had assumed her as one of the naive, innocent girls whose secret dream was to have the bachelor be their husband. He easily managed to get Genevieve under his spell, and truth be told, he enjoyed spending time with her. But when it became clear that she wanted him to marry her, he bluntly said no and left her, not knowing that he had just angered someone who would forever change his life.
That very same evening, as he was walking home by himself, James was ambushed by Genevieve, and though he had tried to fight her off, it was clear that she was stronger than he is. Much stronger. She began to rant about how he was selfish and cruel, insensitive to the feelings of others, and more. James was terrified when her face began to change when she spoke and without another word, she bit her wrist and forced him to drink her blood, right before she snapped his neck.
When he came to, there was a burning sensation in his throat. He craved to drink something, though, when he tried to drink from the nearest lake, he found that it did no good to satisfy his thirst. James then began to look around for something to drink, anything to sate the burning in his throat.
Smelling something so sweet, he found himself running fast (faster than an ordinary human that is) towards it and stopped when he saw one of the girls who would surround him and flirt with him. Without even thinking, he sped to her and put a hand on her mouth, forcing her to tilt her head. He felt sharp teeth protruding from his mouth and his teeth pierced her skin and he began to greedily suck on her blood.
After he was done, he disposed of her body, only to realize that he had become a monster. Something that was only a legend, a myth. He was a creature with enhanced senses, but a thirst for blood. He was now a vampire.
Knowing that the villagers would want him dead for being a monster, James fled town immediately, leaving them to assume that he was missing or dead. He sought refuge in forests, and came upon an older vampire who taught him to control his thirst and taught him the ways of being a vampire. That very vampire also directed him to a nearby town; Newcrest, telling the newborn vampire how it was a safe haven for creatures like him. James, wanting nothing more than to say safe, moved to that town and has lived there for over a century and a half.
Of course, he seeked to travel the world and see its wonders, and he did just that, but making sure to return to the place that had been his home for more than half his life. Despite it all, being a monster did make him lonely but knowing how monsters always hurt those they cared about, kept to himself and never let anyone in.
