Vampire World (11 page)
I
got dressed, putting on the black shirt that I bought at the supermarket. Once
again it was not much, but it was decent. At least I had my charming purse and
my phone. But I frowned at my pitiful shoes. If I got the job, I was
getting a new pair pronto.
Anyway,
if he liked me…well…appearances wouldn’t matter. Y
eah right
. I remembered Sally complimenting me on how pretty I was,
but that was back in the orphanage. I was in a much bigger, wilder, crazier
place now, with a lot more beautiful vampires around.
Astonished
that Mr. FreeCut was kind enough to let me borrow his car after I had wrecked
it, I thanked him several times, said goodbye, and headed off to the party at
April’s house.
Passing
over Slice canyon, downtown loomed in the distance. But I took a sharp right
and came to an iron gate leading into an exclusive estate. A heavy-set guard
walked out of a station.
He
gazed at me with an ugly scowl. “Show me your Carn card.”
I
handed it over and he scanned it with some sort of machine. Then he stared at
me angrily. “What the hell? Can’t you read? You need proof of ten thousand
Carns to get in here. You've only got thirty. Get the hell out of here you
cheap, blood-sucking rat.”
Although
I was tempted to punch his fangs out, I really just wanted to get to the party.
“I
know someone who lives inside,” I said. “I’m invited to their party.”
“Do
you actually think I'd believe someone who has only thirty Carns on them? Why
would you have any friends anyway?”
Growing
quite irritated, I dialed Kate’s number and told her about the jerk guard.
“I’m
going to have to hear from your friend,” the guard snapped.
I
forcefully handed him the phone.
Moments
later I passed through the gate and left the ass behind. He did not look happy.
I
cruised through an impressive neighborhood of Gothic mansions, some three or
four stories high. Several of the mansions had castle-like spheres rising from
them, while others had elaborate decks decorated with lavish statues of beasts.
The lawns were spacious and beautiful, their dead grass twinkling brightly
around trees with sparkling leaves.
Turning
right on Skull Street, I saw cars parked on the side of the street and all
along a wide driveway that led up to a scarlet, three story house. I parked Mr.
FreeCut’s car. This must be April’s house, or April’s parent’s house. But the
distinction was pointless. Either way, she was quite rich.
Walking
over the dead grass, I passed a statue of a three headed dog with gargantuan
fangs. I called Kate to tell her I had arrived. She met me by the front door
dressed in a cute outfit and strutting tall ruby heels.
“Glad
you made it, Janice. Hey, I've got that cute shirt for you – the one I
told you about. Follow me to April’s room.”
Inside,
the party was hopping. Shrieking music with heavy bass beats had the living
room floor smoking with avid vampire feet. Adding to the atmosphere, machines
were sending glowing mist swirling around in the air. Following Kate, I crossed
through a crowd of sexy vampires, all dressed to impress. Everyone was downing
cups of blood. I stared up at the ghost-like ceiling for a moment. A humongous
chandelier shaped like a skull with spikes jabbing out of it hung above me.
This was one damn cool place.
We
arrived in a bedroom where a glow-in-the-dark coffin that was much larger than
mine was positioned in the middle of the room. Three dimensional posters of
muscular vampire models littered the walls, each one showing off vivid tattoos.
Kate
smiled and handed me the sexy red shirt she'd told me about earlier. I went to
the nearby bathroom and put it on; it fitted me perfectly. Looking into the
mirror, I felt like a new vampire, although I still had to deal with the crappy
pants and shoes, and my hair too. But the crimson shirt showed off my skinny
figure well, and even sparkled a little.
“Hey
Janice,” Marsha said, surprising me. “Love the shirt. You look great, gal.”
She
appeared stunning as well.
“So
let’s go out and enjoy the party.”
“Wait,”
I said. “Do you all think that I walk kind of funny?”
Kate
laughed. “Don’t worry about how you walk. Just enjoy yourself.”
I
explained to them how I was drawing stares all the time. I wanted an honest
answer.
“Well,”
Marsha said. “All vamps twist their hips slightly when they walk. Sometimes I
see that you look a little stiff.”
Kate
set off in front of me, slightly swaying her hips and appearing relaxed. I
tagged on behind her.
“Looking
good, looking good,” she said, glancing back. “You’ll have hot guys drooling
all over you. Now let’s go have some fun.”
I
tried to remain relaxed and loose while following Marsha and Kate into the
crowd. There was still no sign of April yet, even though this was her crib.
I
didn’t see any other girl vamps wearing their hair straight down, and received
a plethora of dirty looks from those not otherwise occupied in sucking fangs or
peeping at some guy's showy tattoos.
Then
I did spot April. She turned away and concentrated on the hunk vampire she was
dancing with. I knew she'd seen me because our eyes had met. Why hadn't she
said hello? Hmmmmm…just like at the recreation center. I had the feeling back
then that she didn’t like me.
I
tried not to think about April because I was already being grabbed and groped
like a piece of bloody meat. I backed off momentarily before continuing my
search for a decent guy in this kennel of vamp horndogs.
Just
when things seemed to be going from bad to worse, I at last spotted Brett. He
was dancing with a dashingly tall, tattoo-covered vamp with amazing hair; in
other words, someone who didn’t look anything like me.
I
looked away, even though I didn’t want to. Although there were tons of
attractive guys around me, I walked off the dance floor and sat at a bar where
blood was being served. I was thirsty. Not only for blood, but for Brett.
While
waiting to get served, I began feeling weak and knew that I really needed some
of the red stuff. Then someone brushed up behind me. I turned around, and
suddenly the weakness was gone.
I
was energized simply by gazing into the gorgeous eyes of Brett.
“Janice!”
he said. “How are you?”
“Fine,”
I replied, but in truth as nervous as hell.
“Glad
you could make it. Are you having a good time? You’re shaking.”
Damn. I was blowing it
.
“Oh
yeah….just kind of cold, that’s all.”
Damn
he was so beautiful. With his flawless ivory skin, muscular body and long black
hair, it was no wonder I appeared messed up.
“Well
hey, I was just wondering if you want to enjoy a drink with me.”
“Sure,”
I said.
We
were both given a tall glass of blood with dark fruit sticking out of it. Brett
squeezed his fruit into the blood.
“It’s
laquisha,” he said. “Try some. It makes the blood taste tangy and really good.”
I
did as he suggested and took a sip through the large straw. “Hmm, delicious,” I
said.
We
walked through the crowd and found two chairs where we could sit facing each
other. My heart pounded as I looked at him. Sure, this might not have been the
most romantic or private place in Vampire World, but I didn’t care. Right now,
I liked where I was.
“You
played awesomely at fireball the other night,” he told me. “Especially seeing
as how it was your first time.”
“Thanks,”
I replied, though it was hard to talk much with all the commotion going on
around us. But as I continued to admire Brett, words become worthless anyway. I
wondered if he knew about my accident. Had Kate told him?
“Hey,
you wanna go dance?” he asked.
“Yeah,
I'd like to,” I said.
We
made our way to the floor and danced very closely. His porcelain skin felt
smooth; in a strange way pleasurably both cold and hot at the same time.
Everything around me became a meaningless blur as I held him tightly. Feeling
safe in his protective arms, I was in another world.
After
several dances like this, things became more casual when we were joined on the
floor by Marsha, April and Kate, along with some other guys I didn’t know.
We
sat down as a group. When Brett went to get more blood, Kate gave me a look.
“So
I see you and Brett are getting a little close there.”
I
blushed.
“Well,
I got good news for you, girl,” she said. “He’s single!”
After
that, Marsha introduced me to her boyfriend, Curtis. He was dark and handsome
with thick chains around his wrists, shoulders and neck. Each chain locket had
an individual fang attached to it.
April
said hello to me but little else. She spent most of the time chatting to her
boyfriend, Marsha and Curtis. Again, I sensed that she had a problem with me.
Later,
I danced again with Brett, this time even closer than before if that was
possible. As the party started to wind down, I realized I just couldn’t get
enough of him.
“Hey,
I really don’t want to go home just yet,” he said. “I was wondering if you’d
like to hang out somewhere tonight.” An awkward look appeared on his face. “I
understand if you don't want to. I know you don’t know me very well, but...”
“Sure,”
I fired back before he changed his mind.
“Well,
I don’t get paid until next week, so I can’t take you any place fancy,” he
said. “I only have about ten Carns to my name right now. Isn’t that pathetic?”
I
burst out laughing. “So do I,” I told him.
“Well,
looks like we have a lot in common already. So where will you feel safe with a
stranger like me?”
I
thought about this quickly. Didn’t want to blow it.
“Bitemore
Cemetery,” I said.
He
grinned. “Never thought you would have said that. You got good taste.”
I
never thought I would had said that either. But with a guy this gorgeous, I
didn’t care about my secret messenger telling me to go search for the secret
alone.
After
saying goodbye to all the others, Brett and I snuck out of the house.
I
drove along behind his black car. It wasn’t fancy; in some ways it was actually
quite similar to Mr. FreeCut’s. After many winding turns, we finally made it to
Bitemore Cemetery. We stopped and parked at the tall fence dividing the
graveyard from the outside.
“Here
we are,” Brett said.
“Isn’t
this where Dracula’s gravesite is?” I asked.
“Yes.
In fact, it’s one of the best graves here. I'll show it to you.”
I
thought about the secret that was supposed to be behind the grave. But only for
a moment.
We
walked through the gate and entered a mysterious land. The soil under the
graves looked as if it was soaked in blood. The gravesites came in many
different shapes and sizes, but most of them were black in color. Some of the
larger ones had intimidating statues of gargoyles and other freakish creatures
perched on top. A few were actually as big as houses, with skulls and jewelry
decorating them. Others were simply plain and flat, like drab squares rotting
in the ground.
“So
what do you think?” Brett asked. “Pretty cool place, huh?”
I
tripped on a small grave shaped like a pyramid. Just before I fell, Brett
grabbed my hand and steadied me. Damn, his smooth touch felt great.
“So,
onto Dracula’s grave,” I said, trying not to show how perfect it felt holding
his hand. I didn’t want to make it too obvious.
“There
it is,” Brett said, pointing to a colossal pyramid draped in bright rubies. It
was by far the largest and most impressive grave in the cemetery, its magnificence
lending it the appearance of a grand mansion incongruously set in a town of
otherwise hastily built shacks. A huge, fearsome looking gargoyle statue with
gold talons was perched on the very tip of the pyramid.
A
simple epitaph read:
'Here lies Dracula. The greatest vampire that ever
lived'.
“It’s
so cool,” I said.
“I
learned in school that Dracula gave freedom to our country,” Brett said. “He
really did a lot of good.”
“Yes
he did. But I wonder what happened to him? I mean, why did they never find his
body?”
He
peered at me funny. His eyes were perfection. “So you mean his body is not
here? I never knew that.”
“Well
that’s what my dad…I mean my caretaker….told me,” I replied.
He
asked me what had happened to my real parents. I decided to tell him
everything.
“That
makes you different,” he said after I finished. I didn’t know if I should take
this as a compliment or an insult.
“There
are so many bitchy, stuck-up vamp girls that are all the same,” he continued.
“It’s nice to know someone like you exists. And you look so good with your hair
down.”
Oh,
he
must
have been lying.
“Thanks,”
I said. “But I want to look better. I want to be able to afford things. I hate
being poor.”
He
wanted to know more about Mr. FreeCut. I told him that my caretaker didn’t have
much money, but that he loved and cared for me.
“Well,
that’s good,” Brett said. “A good relationship with parents can mean the world
to any vampire, even if other stuff is not going their way.”
I
told him about my possible job. He said I must have a good chance of getting
it. He was so sweet - almost too sweet. But after the way I had been treated by
Rob, I needed someone who was genuinely nice and sincere.
Brett
said little about himself or his parents, which was a touch disappointing. I
was interested to know about his family and background.
He
took my hand again. “Hey, let me show you some more amazing graves.”
He
tugged on me gently, and I wanted to be pulled by him into his magnificent
world. But as I gazed at Dracula’s grave, I remembered the secret clue. I had
to discover it. NOW.
“Hey,”
I said, pulling him back. “I know this may sound kinda crazy and stupid, but….”
“What?”
“I’ve
always wanted to play hide and seek in an amazing graveyard like this.”
How
stupid and immature of me. He was gonna think I was a little girl.
“Sure,”
he laughed. “But I’m warning you, if I catch you, I might have to pick you up
and eat you for dinner.”
I
chuckled as he turned around and began counting, then dashed behind Dracula’s
grave as fast as I could to search for the secret.
It
didn't take me long. Buried in the lifeless grass behind the grave was an
envelope. Looking closer, it had my name written on it. I quickly shoved it
deep into the pocket of my pants so Brett wouldn’t see it.
Hearing
footsteps, I turned around and peered in the direction they were coming from.
Nothing. But as I swung back the other way I crashed smack dab into Brett's
juicy body. He jokingly picked me up, then set me down gently on the muddy
ground.
“When
I was younger,” he said, “I used to be a pro at hide and seek. Sorry, you can’t
hide from me.”
We
moved on, passing more fascinating graves in the shapes of Gothic castles,
swords, and even metal stakes. Next, we came to a section of low, flat graves
that seemed to stretch forever.
“Looks
like we’ve come to the end,” he said. “From here, it’s like this all the way to
the fence.”
Something
distracted me from Brett’s magnetic attraction. I spotted a couple standing
beside one of the flat graves; they were holding hands. The young guy then took
off his shirt, revealing a chest filled with moving, 3-D tats. Next, the
attractive girl laid down on her back right over the grave. The boy got on top
of her and they started kissing passionately.
“Oh
my god!” I said. “Are they having sex there?”
Brett
laughed. “No. They're just doing something very romantic. A kiss on a grave is
the way vampires officially become boyfriend and girlfriend.”
“But
on a grave? Isn’t that disrespectful to the dead?!”
“Wow,
you really don’t remember anything,” Brett said.
Wow.
What a jackass.
Right away, he could
tell I was offended.
“Sorry,”
he said.
I forgave him. How could I not?
“Anyway,
it’s not at all disrespectful,” Brett continued. “Vampires hold a great respect
for the dead, and we believe that those departed are overjoyed when a couple
kiss on their grave.”
In
spite of his words, it still felt so unnatural and disrespectful to me. I
couldn’t explain why. It just did.
After
a lengthy kiss, the blissful couple left the grave, smiling and with their arms
around one another. I couldn’t help but feel glad for them, even if they had
just done something weird. They were so happy together.
“Aw,
isn’t love the best?” Brett laughed. “Just wait 'til they go through the
Separation Ceremony.”
“What
is that?” I asked.
“It’s
the most important part of any romantic relationship.”
I
could not stop staring at Brett. I wanted to look at him forever, especially
when he mentioned anything to do with romance.
“That
ceremony occurs when the couple agree to leave their parents and live together.
It’s a beautiful thing, though it can also be difficult because vampires have a
specially close relationship with their parents.”
I
explained to him how my relationship with Mr. FreeCut was growing.
“It
will continue to get better as long as you both love each other,” he said. “I
have a really good relationship with my parents, and I love it. They are the
most meaningful people in my life right now, together with you of course.”
We
chatted throughout the lovely night. We discussed fireball. Brett said there
was a major annual contest coming up soon.
“The
winner receives ten thousand Carns. But it’s tough. You have to practice a lot,
and you have to be the best.”
“You
should do it,” I said. “You kicked my ass. You can kick anyone’s ass.”
We
laughed together. Our hands locked tightly, then he put his arm around my back.
His cold and warm touch was a pleasant surprise, like a soothing, blood soaked
lotion.
“So
why don’t you have tattoos and piercings like everyone else?” I whispered.
“I
choose to be different. And I don’t care. Besides, I like to show my skin off.
Can’t do that if it’s covered in tattoos.”
“It’s
sexy,” I said, rubbing my hand on his left thigh.
“You’re
sexy,” he returned.
We
put our arms around each other. I didn’t want to ever let go; it felt like I
was holding a slice of heaven.
I
looked into his eyes one more time and couldn’t contain it any longer. We
kissed, deep and hard. Our tongues and fangs intertwined into the hottest
freakin kiss of my life. I felt a slightly painful poke, but didn’t care
because it also felt wonderful.
Truly,
magically wonderful.