Eternally Blue (Sunset Cliffs Vampire #1) (Paranormal Teen Romance) (2 page)

At the words ‘burnt up’ I gave myself a quick and frantic once over to make sure there were no blackened or burning spots on me, and let out a sigh of relief when I realized she didn’t mean literally burnt to a crisp. And that is how I spent my next week - laying around in the sun, listening to excited nurses, and pretending to try to conjure up some memory of my past. At that point I didn’t care if I didn’t get to leave the hospital the entire six months I was changed; the sun was experience enough for me.

“
Never before has nobody stepped forward claiming to know a person with amnesia in our hospital or even in California” the nurses all kept saying. They pitied me, sure, but they were also thinking how exciting I have it, to start over.

A few responses came in, people not claiming to know me but claiming to ‘think’ they have seen me in this location or that. They were mostly correct in their sightings of me, my former self still got out and about plenty at night, but seeing me at a beach or on a trail hiking in California, really gave no clues except that I may or may not be local and that I liked to be outdoors, which they could have already known from watching my daily routine of laying outside, and my lean physique. I did hear them chattering about my lack of tan for someone who liked the outdoors and was possibly from California but I was working on that.

The bench I’m presently laying on would ordinarily be too hard to be comfortable, but like a cat in the sun, it hasn’t made me move in hours. After hearing that last part about my tan, I flip my sunglasses up, (I really need to thank my favorite nurse Sue again for those, my eyes are really sensitive), and give myself a look over. It was hard to compare myself to the nurses around me in their baggy scrubs, but from what I can see, I measure up ok.

I'm almost a head higher than most of these nurses and my limbs which seemed overly skinny to me before, now seem to attract jealous looks from them. There’s an obvious lack of freckles or sun spots, which is making me feel slightly self conscious, and I make note to create some with eyeliner later.

Yes I know what makeup is, I just wasn’t exactly given the chance to bring any with me which is probably a good thing considering the severe style impairment these humans have. I can see every blemish up close in spite of their attempt to cover them, which I never bothered noticing before; when I was that close I was generally hungry, or averting my eyes so I didn’t feel their stares.

The same nurse, Sue, that gave me sunglasses has become my favorite, and gave me makeup to freshen up and feel more human, go figure, and judging from her reaction when she saw the intricate designs that lined my eyes, that was not an acceptable 'human look', in my culture when we aren’t trying to blend in with our prey we line our outer eyelids to our hairlines in elaborate swirling, colorful designs complete with fake jewels; we have a flair for extravagance I guess.

I sigh and lay back on my bench, smiling as I recall that look of surprise, amusement, and awe she had. I quickly realized my error and laughed as I started removing it from my face, struggling to think of an explanation for what I’d done, she stopped me before I could remove too much and leaned in for a closer look. “It’s beautiful” she breathed. She was close enough that I could smell her. Not that I hadn’t smelled other nurses leaning over me but she smelled different now. This was a smell I was used to; the excitement of humans after catching a glimpse of the old me in all my other worldliness, right before I ended their life.

I knew I didn't have that hunger anymore and even if I did, I’d already tested out my teeth and realize that they are relatively harmless to her now, but I liked this lady and didn’t want her to have me committed for testing that theory, so I stepped away, and busied myself with scrubbing the makeup off. She looked at me with a semi frown and pondered more to herself than to me, “It’s a wonder you can make such beautiful art but can’t remember anything prior to coming here”.

I grinned up at her then from my washcloth and shrugged. “No sense in fretting over what you don't recall, imagine my possibilities now”. My voice took on a sad tone and I finished softly with “It couldn’t have been that good if nobody has come forward”.

I walked out of the bathroom, leaving her there to think about that.

After more tests my doctors had what they believed was worrisome and confusing news. my teeth let them estimate I am 17, but there is an extra mineral there that hasn’t been used in dentistry in many years, a great mystery to them making them ask if maybe I spent some of my childhood in a third world country where medicine isn’t as advanced, and perhaps still used the tooth bonding agent that caused that mineral. I of course had to say that I didn’t know. I suppose I could have told them that when I was a tot, some seventy years ago, I broke one of my fangs play fighting my brother and needed dental work, but that would probably do more harm than be helpful.

Technically as far as appearances go, I am about 17. Born vampires do age obviously, but at a slower rate. It’s generally around five to one human years but is variable based on how much blood you drink and from what source (animal or human), and genetics. You would think that would be great for those few precious years when you actually like the way you look, but think about all the awkward and bratty years.

Our elders therefore are a combination of what appears to be teens, all the way up white haired wizard looking vamps. You also can’t tell how old a given vamp is because if they’ve ever spent time as an immortal, their aging freezes for that time period. Convenient, if you are worried about declining with age, but hazardous since you are more susceptible to injury and death.

There were still undecided what to do with me, and I had become more of a hospital live-in now that I was awake and seemed healed of all but my failed memory, than an actual patient, and the hospital was working out with their lawyers whether to push me into the system as a foster kid or whether I was old enough to be released to do whatever it is I saw fit. Considering I had no money I knew the latter option would end up with me on the street. Let’s just say I suspected that the nightlife of a street person would more likely end up with me being drained by one of my own kind than experiencing life as a human, or rather the type of experience I was hoping for here.

It was obvious something had to be done when my favorite nurse Sue came to sit with me outside asking what I wanted when I got out of there. Without thinking I shrugged and responded “To go to school”.

She seemed shocked and laughed “School?! That’s not something you hear every day”.

Quietly I replied “I want to try to remember or re-learn all the things I’ve forgotten”.

She sighed sadly and patted my leg seeming at a loss for words to comfort me. I didn’t want her to feel too bad; I liked her after all, so I got the subject back to its purpose by asking why she asked.

Looking at me nervously, and fidgeting with the seam of her shirt, my heart started hammering in my chest. This was it; I was going to find out where I was going to spend my next few months. I wiped my suddenly sweaty palms on my shorts and waited for her to break the news.

Instead she said “Your allergy tests came back negative for dog allergies. Do you like dogs?”

I squinted at her in the sun, frowning, confused, but couldn’t help but answer “Yeah, I mean, I think I do”. Where was she going with this?

She looked relieved and smiled and with more confidence she continues ' well Blue, I have a dog, and a husband and a daughter about your age, and they would really like to meet you since I can’t stop talking about you, and um, I had a meeting with the board today and your psychologist and they say on a trial basis your ready to leave and if you like you can come home with me, but you'll have to come back occasionally for tests, but if you don’t want to come with me, we can wait and find you a home you think would be more fitting...' she said all that in one breath.

Family and home; two things I haven’t let myself think about too much in my time here. Of course my family was opposed to my decision to come here and take my turn at being human for a short while, but they are family and in the end they backed my decision. That doesn’t mean my goodbye was all cheerful waves goodbye and good luck wishes. Memories of my last night, me reciting my instructions from Elder Victoria, my hand shaking as I held my elixir and looking fearfully at my family and the elders, my mom’s sobbing and my brother holding her tightly while glaring at me. He loves me and I find comfort in that, but he also knows I’m prolonging the inevitable by running away to play human temporarily instead of answering Nikolai's marriage proposal. I frowned on that last bit of memory, and I guess I took too long in my own thoughts because Sue patted my knee and sighed as she stood, “its ok dear, we all have our decisions to make”.

Oh no, she thinks I don’t want to go home with her. I grab her arm to stop her and stand up myself, shoving my feet in my sandals in one fluid movement. “I’d love to come meet your family.”

“
Really?” She almost squealed and judging from the reaction of a group of nurses I’d missed noticing nearby earlier, I was the last to know about this offer - they were trying to muffle their excited chattering and clapping.

“
Of course,” I nudge her and say “anything to get out of eating this food”.

She laughed in approval before turning more serious and saying “You have it pretty good here, my house is nothing special, you'll get to go to school, I know you want to and I’m sure you mean that, but my daughter is impressionable and I need you to be a positive influence if you’re going to stay with us, understood?”

She suddenly sounded more parental, and I could only nod enthusiastically before she continued “luckily for both of us, you look like a Barbie doll, and all the nurses have pooled together a shopping fund for you”.

Clothes were the last thing on my mind but I let her continue on excitedly a few more minutes and when she stopped for air, I asked “great, when can we leave? When can I start school?”

I didn’t need school, the vampire community prides ourselves on education, but it’s not as impressive as it sounds considering how long we have to learn everything (forever). No, what I needed was people, and experiences. That IS what I came here for after all.

She started walking and talking with me keeping pace easily. “Well now, I have to tell everyone the good news, mainly my family, I was hoping you would say yes so my husband has started doing our guest room over for you, do you have any idea of what type of theme you might like for your room? Well I suppose it doesn’t matter yet, when we go shopping you can pick something you might like, oh! That reminds me, I need to ask off the next few days to get you home, comfy, enrolled in school, get you clothes. Of course that won’t be a problem”.

Next few days, I let that sink in. “leaving today?” I gasped. I was suddenly afraid. This was the extent of my new world so far.

She stopped to turn and look at me, “well, no, I think I’d better go home and finish things up with my family, and I suppose they’ll want to do paperwork here and all. Is that ok? You look kind of pale”.

I snorted, pale was my middle name. At least it was before; now thanks to my dedication to the sun, I like to think I have a little color in my cheeks.

“
No, I’m very excited; tell me about your daughter, do you think she’ll like me?”

Now it was her turn to snort, only it wasn’t so much a snort as was a sweet hiccupping noise and she tittered, covering her nose, embarrassed. She was so poised, and caring, she reminded me a lot of my mom.

She recovered and said “How could she not!? You are so laid back and”.

I cut her off. “Enough about me, what is she like, what does she do for fun?”

“
Well she is on the cheerleading and pep squad at school so she spends a lot of time when she is isn’t cheering doing arts and crafts with friends for rally’s and bakes sales, but if you ask me I call it a socializing club. She keeps her grades up and comes home when we ask so we give her a lot of freedom” She paused, thinking for a moment then continues “maybe you girls will be in the same grade. She is 17 also, I talked to the school once already, they are going to treat you as a home school transfer student and have you test into a grade. We can talk about getting you tutoring first if you like. Your evaluations have all come out exceptional but I know how tests can scare the answers out of some people”.

“
No, maybe I can see some of Stacey’s books to see what they are teaching in her school”.

She seemed satisfied with that answer and so was I. I had been warned about testing too high. College would be a good experience but who would pay for that? Better to look over her books and prepare to dumb it down slightly.

We walked in silence, each in our own thoughts until we got to my room.