by Willow Rose
"You're all dressed up, Mom?" I said and looked at her gorgeous black cocktail dress. Looking at her made me feel chubby in my PJs. Her skin was so perfectly smooth, and her eyes glowed like nothing I had ever seen. She wasn't even wearing any make-up. She didn't need it.
She's a vampire, for crying out loud. You can't possibly be jealous of her. Get a grip.
"Are you going somewhere?" I asked.
"Oh, it's just for a few hours."
"But, Mom. It's almost midnight?" I asked.
"We have a thing at the church, a midnight mass, hence the time. We'll be back in an hour or so. You should be asleep anyway, why aren't you asleep, Robyn?"
"Well…I was just…watching some show on Netflix."
My mom snorted. "Well…I'll be, you should be sleeping, honey." She let her cold hand caress my cheek, then ran a finger across my chin, causing my entire body to shiver.
"You need your beauty sleep, remember?" She studied my face carefully. I hated when she looked at me like that, like she was just looking for a mistake, faults she could nag about.
"It would help with those circles underneath your eyes," she said, still holding my face by my chin. "Remember to stand up straight. Don't slouch."
I straightened my back and my mother smiled. "There you go. That's much better. Now, get some sleep before those dark circles under your eyes become a permanent part of your face. You really should be more careful in the sun too. You are way too tan and have several sunspots."
"It's not like I’m out much in it," I said.
My mom scoffed. "Well…no. But still. Those rays of sunlight can be an absolute killer to your young skin."
I sighed, and she let go of me. "Your brother is coming with us tonight."
"To church?" I asked, surprised.
"Yeah, he…needs it."
I nodded. I felt like she could read my thoughts by looking at me. I thought about Jayden and my heart started to race again.
I forced a smile. "Have fun." She looked at me like she didn't understand. "At church," I explained. "Have fun at the service. Say, isn't midnight mass usually for Catholics? I thought we were Lutheran. Not that we have ever been to church."
My mom stared at me, her piercing green eyes scrutinizing me. "Yes, well. This is a special event."
I nodded.
"Now, you will be home alone. Can I trust that you won't get yourself into any trouble? You know I'll find out." She ran her sharp nail down my face, scratching it but not so hard it would leave a mark. Then she smiled as her nail reached my lip and lingered on top of it.
"I can trust you…can't I?"
I swallowed hard, then nodded. "Of course. I learned my lesson."
"I sure hope so," she said, licking her lip. I couldn't see the fangs, but I knew they were in there somewhere and that was enough to scare me.
My mom turned around and hurried to the door. Then she stopped and sniffed the air. She turned on her heel.
"What's that smell?"
My heart stopped. I felt how the blood left my face.
Jayden. Can she smell him?
"What smell?"
She squinted her eyes like she was focusing. "It smells like…like…" I blinked my eyes and she was right in front of me, her nose close to my face, her nostrils flaring against my skin.
"It's on you. You smell…different. You smell like…like…in here it smells like…"
"Teen spirits?" I asked, trying to be funny.
My mother didn't find it amusing. I knew she got the joke since she had been a hardcore Nirvana fan back in the nineties. But it made her stop her sniffing around at least for a few seconds. She stood in front of my bed, shifting on her feet. I could see a part of Jayden's fingers that were sticking out beneath the bed and felt my heart-rate go up, rapidly.
If she looks down, she will see them too. If she looks down, we're doomed. We're done.
My mom sniffed the bed.
"Yeah, I should probably change the sheets soon," I said. "And take a shower maybe."
My mother turned around to face me. "Maybe I should stay home. Your dad could take Adrian there alone."
"No."
I received a look.
"I mean, you shouldn't on account of me. I’m fine, Mom. I’ll go to bed and sleep. I don't want you to miss out on anything so important just because of me. Seriously, Mom. I'm fine. I promise."
My mom sighed, then touched my cheek again. She leaned over and placed a kiss on it, her icy lips almost hurting me as they touched my skin.
"But you be good now, you hear me?"
I nodded with a small whimper. One of her fangs had started to show. The clock had struck midnight.
"Mom?"
"Yes, dear?"
"You're gonna be late."
She looked at the clock, then felt her teeth with her hand, snapping her mouth closed.
"You're right. I must go now. Sleep tight."
"See you in the morning, Mom."
As I closed the door after her, I slid my back down against it, slowly regaining my breath and getting my heart rhythm back to normal.
Chapter Fifteen
You do know what they're going to do, right?"
Jayden crawled out from underneath my bed. He was sweating, his hands slippery as I pulled him out.
"What do you mean?"
He got up and breathed heavily, wiping his hair away from his face. "At the church."
"No. I don't know, Jayden," I said tiredly. "What are you talking about? What about the church?"
"That's where they’re keeping the refugees, their prisoners, the humans they keep for feeding on."
I almost tumbled backward. It suddenly got very real. I knew they fed on humans from time to time but, somehow, I had pushed it away, tried not to think about it. It felt so distant and maybe I didn't want to face the fact that my parents did such an awful thing. But suddenly, it became very real to me. My family was going to kill humans, people that they held captive. They were going to drink their blood till they dried up.
"I heard my mom talk to your mom about it," he said. "That they keep them there. Apparently, your mom knows the pastor or something."
"Yes," I said. "She does bake sales and charity stuff with him. At least that was what I always believed it was."
Jayden rubbed his chin. His eyes rested on me. "What should we do?"
I shrugged. "What can we do?"
"Nothing, I guess. I hardly think I can take down an entire flock of vampires myself. Who knows how many there are?"
I sighed. "But it's not right. No matter how weak we are. We should at least do something, shouldn't we? We can hardly just sit here and wait till they come back, bellies full of blood, letting those poor…poor people suffer like that just to satisfy their thirst."
I stared at him and felt the anger rise inside of me. Yes, these were my parents, my family we were talking about, but it still wasn't right. I was, after all, still human with human emotions and compassion, something I feared would leave me the day they turned me into a vampire, leaving my human nature behind.
"So, what do you suggest?" he asked.
I grabbed my phone and found Amy's number. "I say it's time to gather the gang. Just the two of us might not be able to do much, but all of us together can do amazing things."
I wrote. U UP?
The answer came promptly. YES. WHAT'S UP?
I answered: COMING OVER
He smiled. "You do realize we didn't exactly save Melanie Peterson, right? She saved herself. We just watched and then gave her a hiding spot. She was the one kicking their…vampire butts."
I nodded while sending the text, then looked up at him.
"Exactly."
Chapter Sixteen
Melanie felt sick to her stomach. The blood she had been drinking didn't agree with her. As a matter of fact, it seemed to make her very sick, and she had thrown up several times since she started drinking it. Now, she was sitting in the shelter feeling completely empty and hungry. Oh,
the deep nagging hunger in the pit of her stomach made her miserable.
Amy had made her some lamb and she had eaten it with great joy, but after throwing up…well, not much of the meat had actually made it through her system and now Melanie was hungrier than ever. She so badly wanted meat, more meat, and then more meat. Just the thought of that lamb she had tasted earlier in the night made her drool.
They had left her after she threw up. Amy and her friends had helped clean up and then left Melanie, telling her they couldn't stay since they feared she would suddenly turn into that awful creature like she did at night, a vampire they said it was, and suck their blood. The very thought made Melanie feel sick again. She had to be the worst vampire in the world since she didn't crave any blood and the very thought of it made her so sick.
Am I supposed to feel differently? Am I supposed to want to drink blood?
Melanie didn't really worry about what she was supposed to do, but it had her concerned. If blood was necessary for her survival, then how would she stay well without it? If she couldn't even stand the smell of it?
Maybe it'll get better. Maybe you'll get used to it in time. Like a child growing up to eat adult food. Your body probably just needs to adjust to this new food group, if you could call it that.
Melanie let out a long deep sigh. She was sick of being locked up inside this shelter day after day, night after night. Amy would let her out now and then when her parents were out of town during the day. She would cook for her and even let her sit in the kitchen, but lately, it wasn't enough for Melanie. She fantasized; no, she craved the great outdoors. She would catch herself walking to the big windows in Amy's house and scraping her nails on the glass, staring at the yard, dreaming about running through it, rushing through the snow, and feeling the fresh air in her nostrils. And the smell of pine trees, for some reason she craved that smell insanely.
She looked at her reflection in a small mirror on the wall of the shelter. Her hair was tousled and wild. It had been a while since she had last brushed it. Her muscles seemed to have grown, much to her surprise. Her torso was a lot bigger than it had been. Was that normal when becoming a vampire?
Wasn't she supposed to be pale and skinny and want to live in a dark cage and sleep in a coffin or something like that?
Geez. You can’t even do this right.
Melanie laid down on the bed, staring up at the gray ceiling above her as she felt the tingling in her fingers that she usually felt at this time of night when the clock approached midnight. She prepared herself for another night of pain and desperation, as she watched her claws appear. Her gums started to itch and soon the fangs grew out. Melanie knew the drill by now and it didn't hurt as bad anymore like it had to begin with. She didn't feel like she was about to die anymore either when it happened. The transition was a lot smoother and she had begun to be able to remember stuff as well. She didn't always black out, at least not all the time. It was like a dream where she could remember bits and pieces the next day. She wondered if she would ever get to a point when she could control herself while she was transformed. That would make everything a lot easier to bear. But, alas, she wasn't there yet.
Melanie exhaled and let the transformation begin when suddenly she heard the sound of the door to the shelter unlock.
Not now. Don't open the door now.
The door was pulled open and Amy and her friends peeked inside. They all looked shocked when they laid eyes on her.
"What the heck are you doing?" Melanie asked. "Are you crazy?"
In her hand, Amy was holding a chain as thick as her foot. Her friend, Robyn, stepped forward:
"We need your help," Robyn said. "It's urgent."
Chapter Seventeen
We wrapped the chain around Melanie's neck and tightened it. It was our theory that we could hold her down with it should she try anything and maybe even chain her to a tree or something if we couldn't control her. It was risky and very stupid of us, but it was the best idea I could come up with. Melanie had shown that she could beat the crap out of my family once and I knew she could do it again if necessary.
As soon as we had explained everything to her, Melanie had agreed to help us the best she could. She told us it actually made her feel good that she might be able to help someone for once. She was sick of feeling like a beast and she liked the idea of getting out of the shelter for a little while.
So, we took her out. So far, she was still very much herself. Her fangs had grown out, her claws were visible, and she seemed bigger and a lot more muscular than before, but she was still Melanie, and we were still able to communicate with her normally.
We hoped it would last.
We put her in the back of Amy's pick-up truck, then drove off, Jayden sitting in the back with her, keeping his eyes on her in case she suddenly changed character and got out of control.
We drove toward the church, no one saying a word most of the way. Jazmine was sitting next to me, staring out the window, seeming distant.
"You okay?" I asked her as we left the neighborhood. I enjoyed seeing something other than the inside of my room for once.
She shrugged. "I don't know. Something is off with my mom. It’s been going on for quite some time."
"Not you too," Amy said. Jayden had told them about how he believed his parents might be vampires too as soon as we got to Amy's house. "Am I the only normal one on this street?"
"No. It's nothing like that," Jazmine said. "Not like your parents, Robyn. I just fear she is…I don't know, going crazy?"
"She'll fit right in then," I said, chuckling.
Jazmine didn't seem to find it amusing. She stared at the church rising on a small hill in the distance. We parked between a row of trees and decided to walk the rest of the way. Lots of people—if you could call them people—were emerging from the parking lot, walking toward the church entrance, the pastor greeting all of them at the door.
"Are they all vampires?" Amy asked me, a slight shiver in her voice. She grabbed my arm.
Jayden walked behind us, holding Melanie by the chain. She was letting out a low growl from the back of her throat.
"I have a feeling they might be," I said.
We stopped and watched as several others approached the entrance. "That's a lot of vampires," Jazmine said, gulping. "Aren't they supposed to be afraid of crosses or something like that?"
"Apparently, not this type of vampires," I said.
I stared at the church in front of us, then back at Melanie, who suddenly didn't seem very threatening at all. At least not enough to deal with all these vampires.
"You sure you want to do this?" Jazmine asked me. "We can still turn back. It's not too late."
I nodded, biting my lip, thinking about the poor people who were about to be devoured in a feast for vampires.
"I have to. I can't possibly live with myself if we turn back now."
Chapter Eighteen
The door to the church was closed when everyone had come inside. We all stood by the trees and looked at the old building, not quite knowing what to do. Light was glowing from the windows onto the snow outside.
We walked up to one of the windows and peeked inside. What we saw looked mostly like a ball, a party, where people stood in groups, chatting with each other, making polite small-talk, all wearing clothes worthy of a cocktail party.
"So, is this sort of a party…for vampires?" Jazmine asked.
No one answered her question. Jayden stood close to me. I could feel the warmth from his body. There were days when I wished I had done as he suggested and run away when I found out what my parents were. He said he would protect me, but I didn't dare to. I was scared. But at least I would have been with him somehow. And he wouldn't have been with…her. I looked at Jazmine standing on the other side of me, peeking inside, gasping lightly as someone was brought in. I turned to look as well. A man with a terrified look on his face was carried inside the church room by two men wearing suits, and then something happened inside the church, some
thing that made all of us pull back. A sort of loud scream emerged from all the spectators as the man was presented to them. The look in their eyes changed, fangs popped out everywhere, fangs and claws and snarling sounds emerged from them as one of them stepped forward, encouraged by the others.
It was Adrian.
The pastor said something to him, but we couldn't hear what it was, then he pointed at the terrified man who had been forced to his knees. Adrian then snarled and jumped the man, turning into this bat-like creature with wings and everything, sinking his fangs deep into the poor man's skin.
I shrieked and clasped my mouth as I watched my brother suck blood from the poor man, who screamed for his life till the color disappeared from his face and his eyes turned white. In a matter of seconds, Adrian sucked all the blood out of him and the deflated version of the man fell lifeless to the ground.
All the vampires broke into a loud cheer.
Seconds later, five more humans were brought in. Just at the sight of them, all the vampires turned into the bat-like skinny creatures, then attacked them.
"Oh, dear God," Amy said and pulled away from the window.
Suddenly, all their eyes were on me. I could tell how appalled they were. Jayden was standing behind me.
"This is not who Robyn is," he said. "These are her parents and her brother, but not her. We are not who our parents are. We don't get to choose our own family, remember?"
Amy swallowed and nodded. "Of course not."
"Jazmine?" Jayden said.
She shook her head and stepped back, away from me. "I…I just need…time…"
"It's okay," I said to Jayden. "It's a lot to take in."
"No," he said. "We are your friends. We should be supportive of Robyn no matter what."
Jazmine nodded. "Of course."
I could tell she found it hard. It was no wonder. I did too. It was one thing to suspect them of being vampires, but to actually see it. It shook me to the core. Watching my parents turn into these…monsters and do…that? It was simply too much, too disgusting. All my life, I thought I had known who they were, who my family was when in reality I had no idea. I had absolutely no freakin' idea.