Reality Bites — Ronnie G. Anderson

Princess Ekaterina Marie Slognovia was the distant relative of King Igor and Queen Marie Slognovia, a brother and sister royal pair that brought genetic havoc upon their descendants in the form of a disease called Porphyria. Unable to maintain sufficient iron levels in the heme that make up the red blood cells, the sufferer takes on vampire like symptoms. Being out in the sun burns them badly, and yes, they are allergic to garlic; but worse than that was the genetic trait to grow fangs - not one set for front sharp curved teeth, but a second set behind it that when mature made perfect "sucking" tools for the removal of blood from their victims. The lower oxygen levels also led to insanity, some of which were hideous indeed! Couple this with epileptic fits, and the recipe for a miserable life is all laid out in gory detail. Ekaterina was one such woman. This is her story of survival and ultimate death as a real vampire - the first of the legends.