Truth be told, it sounded like a mistake. I completely understood where my brothers were coming from. Immortality could be a bit boring if you weren’t careful, and the smallest adventure often became something truly grand.
Unfortunately for me, I could never refuse Lorcan.
“How does that sound?” I asked Ciaran.
“I like Bob,” Ciaran said. “Maybe we could pick someone else.”
“No,” I said. “I don’t want either of you to hurt Selma, and I don’t want her scared either. In most cases, I applaud your violence and foul temper, but not with this girl. This girl is mine, and nobody but me gets to touch her.”
“If I can go a week without hurting Bob, can I have him afterward?” Ciaran asked.
“No,” I answered. “Bob has a purpose. Bob needs to be here in the daytime.”
“Something’s going on,” Lorcan said as if he could read my mind.
“I’m worried about the girl’s father,” I said. “We probably should have eliminated him after we got the keys to the house.”
“Why are you worried now?” Lorcan asked.
“He’s not around,” I answered. “I don’t like not knowing where he is. I also don’t like him knowing where we are. Staying in this house you love so much might be risky.”
“We can’t leave,” Lorcan said. “We won’t have a home anymore.”
“Let’s wait a bit,” Ciaran said in his sweetest voice. “It’s not like this house will be easy to replace.”
“We don’t need this house,” I said.
“What do you mean?” Lorcan asked.
“I just want us all to be careful,” I said, realizing my own hypocrisy as the words came out of my mouth.
Lorcan and Ciaran looked at one another. They both started laughing at the same time, and I couldn’t help but join them. Afterward, I went and checked on Bob. He didn’t look so good. His skin had gotten paler, and he was losing a bit too much weight.
“You need to take better care of yourself,” I said after looking into his eyes. “Stay away from my brothers. When they come home, you hide out in your bedroom until sunrise.”
“Yes,” Bob said. “No…no problem.”
“Make sure you eat,” I said. “If you need to buy food, then go buy food.”
“I’m sorry,” Bob cried. “I didn’t mean to upset you.”
“Enough of that,” I said. “Just do what I’m telling you.”
I had to leave the house almost immediately after speaking with Bob. His weakness and fear were overwhelming. If I lingered any longer, I would have torn him apart, and that’d make me look ridiculous to my brothers.
I was ravenous.
I had grown used to feeding regularly.
Stupid Bob.
I had his human smell all over my clothes. It was all I could do to keep myself from dropping out of the sky on top of the nearest would-be victim. I needed something. I needed someone special.
I flew over Bret’s house.
I once again sensed his sleeping form. He was having a nightmare. His mother was watching the television in her room, and she was using both pills and alcohol to calm her nerves.
A policeman sat in a parked car outside their home, and just a bit down the street. I ignored the policeman, and instead focused on the new presence inside the house.
There was a stranger in my territory. I hadn’t expected this. Could it be a police officer, perhaps it was a vampire hunter? There was no way to tell until I had a closer inspection. I landed on the roof and stretched out my senses.
It was an adult female, and her scent was vaguely familiar. I considered all the information and decided that the female was Bret’s aunt. That seemed to be relatively accurate—some sort of family connection, and nothing to be concerned about.
I entered the house through the back window.
Quietly I moved down the hallway until I reached Bret’s door. Once there, I stretched out my senses once again. Bret’s mother wasn’t likely to be a problem. She was too drugged and drunk. His aunt was sleeping comfortably in the guest bedroom.
Ciaran should be here with me. He would love this, but I didn’t want my brothers to see my lack of control after my lecture.
Bret was tossing and turning. I woke him up with a soft nudge on his arm. Bret opened his eyes, but he didn’t react. He was looking at me, but there was nothing behind his eyes. The poor boy had lost his marbles.
I sat down next to him on the bed in complete devastation.
“I had such hopes for you,” I whispered. “I’m so disappointed that you’ve become so uninteresting.”
I couldn’t believe my rotten luck. Surely Bob spoke something about the boy’s mental state. I just wasn’t paying attention. Bret was useless. I had no interest in his blood. I’d rather feed on a vagrant.
In a fit of temper, I stormed out of his room and crept into bed with his aunt. The middle-aged woman was lovely, and she barely stirred as I climbed into the sheets with her.
There was dirt on my shoes and clothes, and I was soiling her bed. The police scientists were going to have a field day with everything I was doing.
I popped a single claw from my fingertip and started stroking the woman’s neck as I whispered into her ear.
“Wake for me,” I said. “Open your eyes and see who shares your bed.”
The woman woke slowly; she’d been drinking with her sister earlier. I allowed her to turn and face me in the darkness of the room. I must have looked beautiful to her because she slowly and drunkenly wrapped her arms around my neck as if I were her lover.
I smiled as I opened up her neck and drank greedily. I had planned on being cruel, but her affections encouraged me to snuff her out quickly. When I finished, I rose from the bed and casually tossed the severed head into the closet.
I still wasn’t satisfied.
Bob had gotten me all riled up. I thought about feeding on Bret just to shake the urge, but it just didn’t seem right. Instead, I crept over to his mother’s room, opened the door, and joined her in front of the television.
“You aren’t the police,” Bret’s mother said.
I didn’t turn to look at her.
“Are you a friend of Bret’s?"
“I’m a friend of the entire family,” I answered. “Surely you’ve noticed how much your life has changed since I met your son.”
“I’m not…I don’t…understand,” Bret’s mother stammered.
“You haven’t handled any of this very well,” I said. “There was a moment or two where you really could have shone, but instead, you fell apart just like your child.”
“It’s you,” Bret’s mother whispered.
I had my hand around her neck before she could scream. After that, I damn near painted the room red. I was having so much fun.
When it was over, I lay down on the blood-soaked mattress and let the buzz of the blood wash over me like a slow-moving tidal wave.
I was giddy from the experience, and the urge to bite everyone and everything had finally vanished. Unfortunately, I was covered in blood, but that was no problem. I was in my territory, and I had everything I could possibly need.
I waited until the buzz began to wear off a bit, stripped down, and entered the shower. The blood washed off easily and quickly. The heat of the water left me feeling warm and just a bit less numb.
I walked naked through the house, entered Bret’s bedroom, and grabbed some clothes out of his closet. Bret watched me the entire time. His eyes followed my every movement, but he still didn’t register the slightest bit of emotion.
When I had dressed in jeans and a hoodie, I once again sat down next to him on the bed.
“I’m leaving you, Bret,” I said. “You’ve become uninteresting. Maybe someday you’ll wake up. If that ever happens, we can pick up where we left off.”
I left Bret’s house for the last time, but I didn’t have a destination in mind. I drifted on the air currents for a few hours, and then I began to stalk the beach
es, running into policeman after policeman until I got frustrated, and entered the city.
The police were out in full force in the city as well. None of this should have surprised me. I’d brought it all on myself with my carelessness.
The humans were afraid.
That didn’t keep them inside, it should have, but young people are often unintelligent. The urge to mate makes them take ridiculous chances. The bars and clubs were all in full swing, and I walked back and forth in front of the entrances in search of a way to spend my time.
Something was bothering me.
I just couldn’t put my finger on what it was, but something was scratching at the back of my mind. I wanted Selma. My thoughts were on her, and I was a bit angry that…
Was I jealous?
Is that what had me acting so strangely?
Jealousy was a human emotion. Still, I was alone, and Selma was with her friends. Who were these people? How dare they come between me and what I desire? How dare Selma allow them to interfere?
I was angry. I had been angry since I woke up. Hell, I had been angry since Selma told me of her plans. I just didn’t realize what was bothering me.
My brothers would be laughing if they knew. I was embarrassed. Worse than that, though, I was determined to correct the situation. A creature like me shouldn’t be kept waiting.
I took to the air, suddenly hungry again.
I flew to Selma’s house, crossing the distance in just a short amount of time. Selma wasn’t home. It was late in the evening, but she still hadn’t come home.
I chose a spot on her neighbor’s roof, near the fireplace, that gave me the best vantage point of Selma’s home. I waited there for two hours, and Selma and her friends finally returned.
I watched Selma exit the vehicle drunkenly, hug her friends, and then make her way inside. The male was driving the car, and the female next to him was laughing happily.
I could smell the alcohol and marijuana on both of them, and I followed as they drove off. Just a block or so away, the car pulled over, and the female exited.
I stayed with the male.
I followed him for another twenty minutes until he arrived at his own home. I hovered above his vehicle as he exited, and then I dropped on him. To my surprise, even though he looked like the boy-next-door, he fought like a demon. Instead of freezing up in shock, he started punching me about the face as if that would have some sort of effect on me. I grabbed at his head as he split his knuckles and forced him to look deeply into my eyes.
In just a few moments, I had him.
“Invite me into your home,” I said.
“Yes,” Jake said as the tears began to flow freely. “Please, come inside.”
I released the boy and followed him inside. Together we walked into the kitchen. Out of habit, Jake flicked a light switch, and the room was suddenly as bright as the sun.
I hissed, cursed, spit, and backed out of the room with burning eyes.
On my way out, I smashed my elbow onto the countertop and ripped off a large piece of granite. I threw the granite at the overhead light and extinguished my pain with an immense cacophony of sound.
Jake was standing there, stupidly in the darkness, when his parents rushed into the square kitchen to see what was happening. I watched from the shadows as his mother turned on a secondary light source that was nowhere near as bright as the one I destroyed.
Jake’s father began to shake his son and demand answers, but poor Jake was tongue-tied. I stepped into the dull light of the kitchen. All three of the humans looked upon me and saw the monster that stood among them.
My teeth began popping through my gums as I stretched out my jaw to accommodate them. Jake’s mother started screaming, but his father was every bit the scrapper his son was. I watched as he yanked open a drawer and pulled out a large knife.
I encouraged the man to give it his best shot with my clawed fingers, and Jake’s father shoved his knife into my chest right next to my collar bone. The two of us were frozen for just a few moments before Jake’s father realized I wasn’t injured.
He tried to back away, but it was far too late for that. I already had my fingers wrapped around his left arm. I watched as he struggled. I licked my lips as my sharp claws tore at his tender flesh. By the time his blood started dripping onto the white linoleum floor, he was underneath me, and his mangled arm was in my mouth.
Jake’s father started screaming, and his mother snatched up a skillet and started pounding me on the back of the head. Her strikes meant nothing to me.
Jake started making strange wailing noise as he stood off uselessly to the side. I looked into his handsome face and hated every ounce of him. He was handsome, probably very popular, and also rather tall.
I turned so that he could better see what I was doing to his father. Jake wailed and wailed, but he couldn’t break through the spell I had cast upon him. His mother, on the other hand, began pulling at my hair and trying to gouge at my eyes.
I slashed at her and ended up tearing her face open. Jake began wailing even louder after that, but I wasn’t paying much attention. His father had already stopped struggling.
I stood up, grabbed his mother by the wrist, and dragged her over to her son. Jake watched as I bit into her neck and drained her dry.
After that, I spent some time with Jake.
A few hours before sunrise found me headed back towards Selma’s. I was drunk on blood and at peace with the world. Very soon, I’d need to visit Betty, but that was for a different day and a different adventure.
I was happy.
I had encountered a problem, and I handled it quickly and efficiently. Selma would be better off without any distractions, and handsome, boy-next-door Jake was certainly a distraction. I started laughing so hard; I damn near fell out of the sky.
When I reached Selma’s home, I was still buzzing on all the blood I had consumed. Selma was asleep and snoring in the most adorable way. I crawled into her bedroom and perched myself on her dresser to look upon her.
I could hear her brother’s heartbeat, and if I wasn’t already so full of blood…no, I couldn’t do that. It would be wrong to take her brother away from her. Then again, the child could somehow interfere with my future plans. Perhaps it would be best to eliminate him quickly.
Selma moaned softly in her sleep and called out my name.
The idea that such a beautiful and tender creature would want me was a completely foreign concept. I didn’t know how to respond to her affections. All I knew was that my summer girl had become important to me.
I climbed into bed with Selma and pressed my cold body next to her. Her sheets smelled as if they were perfumed in her scent, and her warm arms wrapped around my neck.
“I knew you’d come,” Selma whispered.
“I bet you did,” I said.
“You feel so good in my arms,” Selma said.
“I want to take you away from this place,” I said. “I want you to come with me.”
“Where would we go?” Selma asked.
“I’ll take you anywhere you want to go,” I said. “Just name a place.”
Selma opened her eyes and pulled my face towards hers. She began kissing me passionately, dipping her tongue into my mouth as if she were searching for a taste of blood.
“I missed you tonight,” Selma said. “I should have stayed home to be with you.”
I didn’t respond.
“Come and see me tomorrow,” Selma said. “Can you do that?"
“I can do that,” I said.
There were more kisses, so many kisses, and then the darkness outside the window turned just the slightest shade lighter.
“I need to leave,” I whispered.
“Stay with me,” Selma said. “I’ll hide you in my closet.”
“I can’t do that,” I said. “It’s too dangerous. I can’t defend myself during the day.”
“I’d never allow anything to happen to you,” Selma said.
“There are peop
le that wish to destroy me,” I explained. “I wouldn’t want to risk you.”
“Your enemies are my enemies,” Selma said. “I’ll defend you, and I’ll save you just like you saved me.”
I held the little lamb tightly, and then I was gone.
The night sky was no longer a cool sheet on a hot summer day. Everything had risen in temperature to an uncomfortable degree, and soon my eyes would begin to water. I wasn’t worried though; I’d be long hidden before the sun could begin to harm me.
Still, I didn’t want to test fate by flying all the way back to our home. Instead, I went back to Jake’s. I entered his house once more and began searching for a suitable place to rest. In the end, I climbed up into a small attic in the ceiling of the upstairs hallway. It was pitch black in the room, but my vision was impeccable as I buried myself in the insulation.
Tomorrow Selma and I were going to be together.
Where should I take her?
What should I tell her?
I was excited, and I hadn’t been excited in such a long time. My limbs grew heavier and heavier as the sun rose outside, and my thoughts were on Selma as I drifted away.
Selma
I spent the morning in a daze. Tyler wanted to swim, and I sat by the pool, idly playing on my phone as my little brother splashed in the water. When he finished, I made him breakfast and sat him in front of the television.
Betty called, and she was hungover. We both assumed Jake was in the same condition because he hadn’t yet answered any of the messages Betty had been sending him. I wasn’t too concerned though. I wasn’t even that interested in talking to Betty.
Derry had all my attention. Where did he sleep during the day? How dangerous were these people that wanted to harm him? I had an infinite number of questions, but I doubted I would ask any of them. Things just didn’t seem to matter when Derry was around.
I smiled at the thought of his pale skin.
I wanted to feel his cold arms around me.
Tyler was trying to get my attention, so I smiled and waved in his direction. I was restless and went for a drive. That’s when my phone started to ring. It was my father.
“Where’ve you been?” Dad asked.
The Forgotten: A Vampire Story Page 11