Diary of a Vampeen

by Christin Lovell

He slowed down as we crossed the short, low bridge which acted as the official entrance to Folly Beach’s quaint village of shops, surf cafes, and gorgeous homes ranging from shacks on stilts to mansions that put Santa Monica to shame. He drove about a mile parallel to the beach before he found a parking spot along the road. He parallel parked perfectly in one shot.

  Thank God I wore my hoodie since the ocean breeze was chilling against my skin. We crossed a small wooden pier connecting the road to the sand along the ocean’s shore. It was high tide when we arrived, so we stayed close to the top end of the beach. We walked aimlessly along in silence for a solid ten minutes before I cracked. I couldn’t wait anymore – the suspense was killing me.

  “So you brought me out here why?” I prompted.

  “I wanted to talk to you,” he answered solemnly but didn’t look in my direction. He focused straight ahead on the scenery, his brows giving away his intensity.

  “And you couldn’t do that a little closer to home?”

  “I could have, but didn’t want to. When I lived in Seattle, if I wanted to think about something or escape life, I would go to the beach or ride the ferry for a few hours,” he explained. “I brought you here because I wanted to talk to you about me and you, but I need to get my thoughts together first.”

  “Okay?” My mind shuffled through thousands of possibilities but I shut it down quickly. I didn’t need to set myself up and undoubtedly I would since I was usually wrong…

  “I have a secret that I want to share with you because you share this secret too,” he riddled.

  “I’m completely lost.” That matched exactly zero of the scenarios I had pondered previously.

  “I want you to guess what I am because I can’t tell you until after your birthday.” His tone was mellow, but he was intrigued and it sounded like he was a bit amused by the prospect.

  “Guess what you are?” I repeated wrinkling my forehead in confusion. “I don’t get it.”

  “What have you noticed about me that is different compared to Mike?” he pressed.

  “Umm,” I thought, still not understanding his request. Why did he want me to guess what he was? No one asked that unless…no. It can’t be. He can’t be. That only happens in movies and fairytales! I gasped. “Are you trying to say you’re not… human?” I whispered feeling foolish in asking. I would be so embarrassed if I was wrong.

  “Guess what I am,” he reiterated, his lips lifting up at the corners confirming my amusement theory. Why was I not totally freaked out right now? I was confused but not afraid like before.

  “Well, you’re not a werewolf,” I stated confidently. “You don’t have enough hair.”

  He laughed. “Good observation.”

  “And you’re not a leprechaun; you’re too tall for that occupation,” I explained figuring I would go along with the game.

  “You are charming at times,” he said with a low chuckle.

  “And you’re not a vampire because well, you wouldn’t live where the sun shines a lot and Charleston definitely has that in spring and summer,” I rationalized.

  “And you’re sure about that?” he asked.

  “Well, every book and movie I’ve read or seen has them avoiding the sun…”

  “What if they’re all wrong?” he challenged.

  We kept walking along the sand in silence as I pondered this. Why was he persistent on this subject? I froze mid-step. The only reason he would press my rational was if I was wrong. Is he… could he… how? I stumbled to wrap my head around it.

  “Are… are you a…” I couldn’t say the word. “Are… you… an Edward?” I choked.

  “Who’s Edward?” he asked, turning to face me.

  “He’s from a book, but are you… a… you know?” I pushed exaggerating a biting movement with my ‘fangs.’ He was utterly entertained by this.

  “Am I a vampire? Yes,” he confirmed with a snicker.

  We started walking again a little closer to the water this time. A million questions swirled at once. I tried to zone in on the most important, but it was impossible. I started with the obvious. “How are you able to live here with the sun?”

  “It’s a myth, but I’m twenty-five percent human which would protect me from the general associations attached. Vampires still tend to avoid the sun though.”

  “So your parents are?” I prompted.

  “My mother is half human, half vampire, and my dad is a full vampire.” He offered this as if it was the score for a sports game; no big deal.

  “Are they your real parents?” I asked.

  “Yes,” he chuckled. “My mother is half human and was still able to conceive.”

  “How were you born?” I inquired.

  “Like any regular baby,” he replied.

  “Oh, of course.” It made sense I suppose. “What… do you eat?” I retracted to my earlier observation of his lunchroom absence.

  “I can eat anything I choose, but I prefer to drink blood.”

  “What kind?” I swallowed hard as I pressed for clarification.

  He looked at me studying my expression for a minute before simplifying his preference. “Human.”

  I recalled his earlier statement claiming he wanted to talk about me and him. “How does this involve me?”

  “Because you are like me, well, you’re going to be anyways.”

  “Are you going to bite me?” I abruptly stopped careful of my every move and his. His riddles confused me, but it was like he enjoyed having the upper hand despite how open he was to sharing. He burst into laughter.

  “What?” I insisted, irritated by his response.

  “I’m sorry; it’s just that you’re not appealing to me in that way.”

  “You mean I don’t smell good to you?” I was a bit saddened by the thought. - What was wrong with me?! I was sad that I didn’t smell appetizing to a vampire?! I was losing it. Forget it… I was over the edge already.

  “I’m not saying you stink, just that I don’t want to drink you,” he smiled wide calming my hysteria.

  “Oh, I’m sorry. I must sound completely crazy.”

  “No, you sound like a human who has just been told she’s standing next to a vampire whom, in theory, should desire her blood,” he outlined for me.

  “So why were you not supposed to tell me until after my birthday? I don’t see where my age would matter here.”

  “Well…” he hesitated. “Let’s just say you will be one of us in some form by then.”

  “What do you mean ‘one of us’?”

  “I can’t tell you that, but your parents will explain soon enough. At least they should be.” He riddled off another answer that didn’t answer anything. It was maddening.

  “My parents know what you are?”

  “Of course. They’re one of us, well your mom is anyways,” he corrected.

  “The eyes,” I gasped. “You have the same eyes.”

  “Yea, but that’s just a coincidence. You wouldn’t know a vamp by sight; only smell. And ironically, a human’s scent isn’t strong enough to detect them.”

  We reached the central fishing pier and stepped up onto the wooden planks. Silently we traveled out over the Atlantic Ocean. The further we walked, the colder it became. I broke the silence again.

  “Tell me the cool parts.”

  “Like what?” he asked.

  “Are the stories true? Can you run fast? Are you as strong as superman? Do you sleep? I know you don’t sleep during the day as history unveils because you’re here with me, but do you sleep at night?” He laughed and lifted his head in my direction. Smiling wide, beaming with glory in his features, he answered my inquiries.

  “I am much faster than humans or animals, but not like the speed of light. I am strong enough to incapacitate a lion, and I can sleep but don’t need sleep.”

  “Do you… you know… hunt for your food?” I wanted to know, but was fighting an internal battle as to whether or not I truly could handle knowing.

  “Yes.” I just n
odded staring out at the waves. He interrupted my meditation. “You’ve taken this very well, all things considered. I’m really impressed.”

  “Thanks,” I muttered. “I’ve always believed in, well, you existing; I just never expected to meet one.” I stared off into the great expanse of the ocean. The wind picked up and I involuntarily shivered. It reminded me though. “Are you cold?”

  He shook his head answering ‘No.’

  “I don’t mean with the wind or outside temperature,” I clarified. He had been leaning against the pier beside me but stood to face me now. He gently reached over and pulled my hand from my pocket. He guided my hand to his cheek and leaned into my palm. “Interesting,” I muttered.

  “What?”

  “You are definitely colder than a human but not freezing. And you don’t feel like marble, which is what I expected. Your skin is soft and feels kind of like a baby’s bottom, only cooler. You would be just right on a summer day and a winter night,” I described stroking his face. He locked eyes with me. It was dark out now, aside from the street lights along the pier. His eyes glistened as the bulbs reflected off his gaze onto me. It was a sweet moment. I felt all previous barriers disappear. I knew in that moment that he trusted me the same way I mysteriously trusted him.

  “I should get you home,” he spoke gently.

  “Oh… yea.” I dropped my hand suddenly nervous.

  He secured my hand in his and walked me back towards the sand. The beach was empty in the darkness; the only noise was the waves. I deliberated asking him some more questions, but decided against it. I didn’t want to ruin a good thing.

  It took twice as long to get back to his car. I didn’t realize just how far we had gone. He kept pace with me hand in hand the entire way.

  “Are you hungry?” he asked looking at his watch.

  “Kind of,” I answered sheepishly. “What time is it?”

  “Almost eight,” he answered closing the door behind me. He got in and we drove off back towards I-26 West. He took the long, scenic route this time through downtown, which looked alive despite the time. He stopped at Arby’s along the way.

  “What do you want?” he asked pulling up to the order screen.

  “I’ll be ok until I get home,” I insisted.

  “Either you pick something or I’ll pick for you and I can’t guarantee that you’ll like it, but I will make you eat all of it,” he swore firmly.

  “You can be very pushy sometimes,” I frowned. I settled for a jamocha shake. It’s not a meal, but it’s definitely filling. He raised a brow and stared at me for a bit before ordering the largest possible and insisting he pay.

  I sipped my drink slowly and sporadically on the drive. Once on the interstate he got me home in ten minutes when it should have taken twenty-five. He parked in the driveway and was promptly at my door opening it for me no longer hiding his speed.

  “Thank you,” I mumbled stepping out. He walked me to the door. “Are you going to come in for a bit?” I asked.

  “Sure,” he shrugged.

  “I’m home!” I yelled walking towards the family room where I heard the sounds of the TV.

  “Hi sweetie. Hi Kellan,” my mother greeted us.

  Given all I’d learned today, I stared at my mother for a minute before replying, “Hey.” My dad did a half wave of his arm but his eyes never left the TV screen.

  My mother locked eyes with Kellan having observed my hesitation. “You didn’t?!”

  “Only me,” he countered.

  My father finally peered over at the two of them taking everything in. I stood frozen between the family room and the kitchen suddenly panicked. The gleam in their eyes when they were locked was ferocious, as if they were debating attack.

  “That’s still enough,” my mother angrily bit out.

  “How long were you planning to wait?” Kellan demanded.

  “I don’t see where that is any of your business,” she roared.

  “I didn’t tell her about you; I told her about me.”

  “So you broke the rules then?!” she exclaimed.

  I decided it was time to jump in. “Mom, I guessed. He didn’t tell me, I guessed.”

  “Is this true?” my dad demanded.

  Kellan nodded confirming.

  I looked at my parents. “Mom, Dad, I want to know the truth. I’m ready to know the truth.”

  Chapter 8

  My dad responded by turning off the television. My mother patted the sofa and requested that I sit next to her. I looked up at Kellan for reassurance. He smiled in an adoring way that would melt even the coldest of hearts. I grabbed his hand and pulled him to sit on the other side of me, which didn’t feel odd or inappropriate in this moment. Any hesitation I held prior over approaching Kellan in this manner was squashed by our intimate conversation just an hour ago.

  My mother looked at Kellan briefly before moving her attention to me. “Honey, I know Kellan has told you, or you guessed, what he is, and well, you are going to become like me very soon. I am a vampeen, which is a cross breed of a human and a vampire.”

  She studied my expression momentarily before continuing, probably determining my stress level. “The first of our kind dates back to the 1200s in Basque Country, Spain. The language Euskara is a vampeenic tongue we introduced to the area, though most who speak it today don’t know its true origin. Our kind is different from a vampire. For instance both human food and blood can sustain us. While vampires don’t need sleep, us still being half or mostly human, we need a couple hours to replenish our energy. The largest difference between a vampire and a vampeen is a vampire is created with a bite, but a vampeen is genetically manifested after approximately sixteen years as a human. You will live as a normal human until the vampiric dna cells replicate enough times to out-number your human ones, which takes sixteen years from the day you are born.”

  “What happens when they take over?” I was thankful for Kellan; thankful that he softened the blow. I don’t think I could have handled this information had he not introduced me to the idea of him beforehand.

  “You won’t feel anything, if that is what you’re referring to,” she explained. “You will sleep from midnight to midnight; a full twenty-four hours on your birthday while your body changes.”

  “How will I change or what part of me will change?” I asked surprisingly calm. I didn’t feel the true impact of the concept quite yet.

  “Many changes will take place. They are all physical. Your senses will heighten; you can hear and smell over long distances. Your temperature will drop to an average eighty-eight point six since you are seventy-five percent human. Your heart will beat slower; it will beat forty times less per minute. Your skin has already begun to clear up; you’ll end up with a perfect, silky complexion. The most dramatic change though will be your figure.”

  “How so?” I was cautious, still absorbing everything. I don’t know what I was worried about; it wasn’t like my figure could get much worse. It already resembled the Pillsbury dough boy, or at least that’s how I felt.

  “You will, well, you will look like me size-wise,” she stated. I was stunned. Did she just say what I think she said?

  “Seriously?” I pressed. I couldn’t believe it. This was the best news ever! I would have a perfect figure without sacrificing to get it. No sweat sessions at the gym six days a week or eating lettuce and celery for breakfast, lunch, and dinner? I would have it all at the cost of nothing? This was too good to be true. There had to be a catch. You don’t get everything at the cost of nothing.

  …and then it came.

  “There is one catch to this lifestyle,” my mother warned. “You must choose.”

  “Choose between what?” I inquired, my heart beating a little quicker. Apparently I had spoken too soon.

  “Between a human or a vampire.” Her words hung for a minute, suspended in mid-air before she continued. “Once you have been… intimate with one kind, you cannot cross back over. The connection initiates something similar to
a defense system within you that prevents future experiences with the other species from being possible. It somehow alters your genes in a way to make you more like the one you choose. I obviously chose your father, whom is human, but not until I was one-hundred percent sure. You must be confident in your choice Alexa; you cannot change what you regret later with our kind.” Her tone was serious, ringing with finality. And the idea scared me a bit. I’d never heard of such a thing. No book or movie ever prepared me for this aspect.

  But, taking into account the fact that I only knew one vampire, who was still twenty-five percent human and had no interest in me, this didn’t seem like much of a choice. But I was still contemplating the information heavily. Was I wrong? Was I on the verge of having to make a choice?

  I exhaled deeply realizing that I was already torn – between Mike, the lovable human, and Kellan, the gorgeous vampire. Though the chance of Kellan being possible was slim to none, I still felt like I had to consider him in my decision. At least now I knew the truth, though I was confused on how all of it was even possible.

  “So I‘m twenty-five percent vampire, which makes me a vampeen, and Kellan is seventy-five percent vampire so he’s a vampire?” I wanted to ensure I understood the basics.

  “Anything over fifty-one percent vampire is categorized as that, a vampire, and less, like fifty-fifty, is considered a vampeen,” Kellan explained.

  “You said I can eat human food or drink their blood” – I shuttered at the thought – “but which one will I prefer?”

  “I can’t answer that because I’m not sure,” she replied, running her fingers through my hair. She was contemplative. I felt her stirring beneath her calm surface. “I personally prefer human food. I survive on things like raw steak saturated in animal blood. That’s why I never eat around you. But both Gran and Paps were vampeens; I am an even fifty-fifty. You are seventy-five-twenty-five; it will probably be the same for you, but I can’t guarantee that.”

  “Will I want to… kill… my friends?” I asked hesitantly. For me, this was the all-important question.

  She smiled at me warmly. “I don’t think that will be a problem since you are dominantly human, but, should their blood be spilled accidentally, the vampire within may surface.”