My aunt approached me with a drink in hand. "I hope you approve of everything."
"It's gorgeous Aunt Claire. More than I imagined."
She smiled. "We incorporated red into your color scheme for your drink. Here is your extra special 'Luscious Lex'," she winked.
I took the chilled martini glass shimmering with a red liquid. I sipped to taste and discovered it was blood. "Thanks."
"Of course. You know you are the closest I will ever come to a daughter. That's why I go overboard with you sometimes. I want to give you everything I would have given my own child had I been blessed with one. I'm proud of you Lexi, and I love you as my own."
"I love you too. And you do go overboard and spend way too much but I appreciate it all," I said giving her a one-armed hug.
"You ready to get this party started?!" Mel chimed in beside me.
"Absolutely," I beamed eager to mix amongst the gathering outside rather than stand out.
"Mr. Hustle, hustle on over to your booth and start the music!" Aunt Claire hollered to the DJ.
"Ok. That was super elementary corny," Mel laughed. My aunt just shrugged and walked towards the guard at the door.
"Do you know if Kellan's here?" I searched the visible areas for him.
"Umm. I saw his parents talking to yours in the lobby," she said.
"How do you know his parents?"
"Your mom introduced me on my way in after you."
"Oh. Ok."
"Come here. You have to taste this," Mel grabbed my hand and pulled me towards the food tables. I hadn't noticed the table of plates and monogrammed napkins on the wall beside the door. It came to create an L-shape of precise flow.
I also hadn't noticed the huge ‘L’ monogram blue ice sculpture standing solid in the center of the room. It was at least six feet tall and showed exquisitely amongst the décor. Everywhere I turned I noticed tiny details my perfect vision seemed to overlook prior.
"You have to try the spicy pineapple wings," Mel gushed. "They're delish!"
Just the thought of it sent the serum soaring into my throat. I took another sip of my cold bloody-mary-esk drink. "Maybe later. I don't want to endanger my dress right away."
The music pumped into the walls of the room. I heard a herd of footsteps and chatter approaching the doors. I knew they were piling in when I heard the first exasperated, "Oh my God."
Within minutes the room filled with buzz, motions, and swirls of bodies over the floor, in the seats. It wasn't like prom. There were no stragglers; no one-off exclusions huddled in a corner despite the obvious cliques. Nerds, drama-geeks, goths, preps and jocks all filtered together at one event yet each was adorned in their own slightly dressy attire appropriated to their group.
Several girls approached me, cheerleaders to my surprise, exclaiming, "Cool party Lexi. We love the vibe."
I muttered a polite, "Thanks. Have fun," before moving past them giving a shocked look at Mel. She just shrugged.
"Let's dance. I see Caleb over there," she tugged me in that direction.
I passed my drink to my mom on the way with a guarded, "Don't put this down."
Along the way we ran into Justin and Sasha sashaying to the music.
“Great party Lex! You look good too,” Sasha yelled over the music.
“It’s awesome! And she’s right. You’re gorgeous,” Justin agreed.
“Thanks guys. Have fun!” I was yanked away from them towards the dance floor once again. Did I mention Mel is quite impatient?
Caleb met us on the dance floor twisting and moving to the edgy hip-hop beat. He greeted Mel with a smile and a kiss on the cheek fawning over how beautiful she looked tonight. He was dressed in khakis and a blue button-up shirt that was undone several buttons down at the top. It complimented his dark curly hair and hazel eyes.
No sooner had Mel turned her attention to Caleb that I felt a light tap on my shoulders. Expecting it to be Kellan, I spun around and froze… in front of Mike. My heart sputtered erratically as my serum held strong in the lower levels of my throat.
"Hey Lex. You look gorgeous. I would envy any guy you belonged to. I'm glad your mine."
My skin crawled at his words. "Mike, I don't want to fight. It's my birthday party. But be clear, I'm not yours anymore."
I wanted to placate him, avoid any eruptions of fighting amidst the faces I would see daily at school. The last thing I needed was more rumors surrounding me.
"Oh, but you are, unless you want me to announce your little secret to everyone," he grinned devilishly.
"What are you talking about?" I questioned cautiously, though anger still filled my tone.
"I think we should take this somewhere private," he said motioning towards the door.
I hesitated, scanning the room. After careful weight, I decided to go. Everyone, including Mel was distracted, but should I lose control, I’d rather it be in private. He guided me out with a firm hand on the small of my back. He carried himself with an egotistical, annoying, nose-up grin. Out in the hall he grabbed my hand but I jerked away heading down away from the ears of any attendants.
"Now what are you talking about?" I demanded.
"Does the name Keira ring a bell?” I didn’t reply, didn’t move or give any indication of recognition. “Ok, how about the word vampire?" he pressed arrogantly.
"I'm not a vampire Mike," I defended with technicality. I corrected myself mentally. I'm a vampeen. I felt the serum rise with my sudden panic of apprehension and anger. Keira got to him, but how?
"That's what your little friend said. After I left your house, she followed me and spilled you and Kellan's secret. Now, if you don't want to cooperate with me I'll call her right now and hand you over to her. Of course, I'd rather not do that. You really are very sexy now. I would like to touch you a few more times before you're destroyed," he smirked running his hands up and down my arms, repeating the motion with his eyes on my body.
I pulled back. "Mike, you have no proof of this obscenity. You've lost it. You're crazy."
"Then explain this!" he yelled holding up a photo. I scanned it quickly. It was a picture of Kellan, obviously taken from afar, perched over a man – gulp! - teeth barred and inches from the man's neck.
“That could easily be faked with a photo editing software. No one will believe it’s real,” I argued. I was proud for thinking so quickly on my feet. It was true though. I didn’t believe people would take it at face value.
"I don't take threats quite as mild as your ex-girlfriend."
My head flew up to see Kellan and his father standing twenty feet down the deserted corridor.
"Ha! You can't touch me!" Mike whipped out his necklace - a silver cross. Kellan, his father, and I burst into unified laughter. This angered him. "What's so funny blood suckers?!" he yelled.
"Those are myths. Vampires can enter churches, say God's name, and even wear crosses," Al stated displaying his own gold cross around his neck.
Mike stood flabbergasted, unexpectant of the response he received. "I'm still going to tell everyone. You can't stop me," he announced with a satanic edge in his voice. "Isn't that right Keira?"
"I already prepared the announcement to post to their networking sites which were quite easy to hack I must say," the girl beamed, startling me in her surprise presence from around the back corner. Where the heck was my supersonic hearing when I needed it?!
Caught between Mike and Keira, I made a quick bolt towards Kellan but was apprehended before I could escape. Keira's cold hand clenched my upper arm.
"What a pity it would be to die the night you announce your true self to the world," she teased in sarcastic pity. My fury having been initiated by Mike now boiled with Keira.
"You either release her or I will be forced to take her. Either way you've broken the law in telling a human. You will be punished by death," Al insisted.
"You have to catch me first," she laughed an evil cackle that sent chills down my spine. Her grip tightened around my arm; had I still been
human, it would have snapped in half by now.
"You better let go of me," I hissed. "You better start running."
"Or what? I'm not afraid of you or your so-called friends. In fact, Kellan and I share a past, don't we sweetie? He wouldn't lay a finger on me."
My rage overflowed with her remarks. I hit my breaking point. Everything drew to my surface. My past embarrassment and torment over my size and affiliations faced as the beginning to my overflow. The animosity I felt towards the popular crowd mingling within my party now spiced it up. My internal battle over my life being ripped from me to be a vampeen produced relentless resentment within me. The agitation I felt with my parents for holding out on my fate scratched deeper into the surfaces. Losing my remaining childhood bridged to the forefront of my mind, but losing Gran to a vampire just like Keira filled me with a hatred only the devil himself could hold. Being forced to consume human blood for survival produced a slight animosity within me. Mike's stunts from earlier, his random threats and disrespect of me all infuriated me, pushed me towards the edge little by little.
Keira's insult smeared in by Mike’s egotistical presence was what demolished my apprehension. It all flowed together, meshed, pushed, pressed into me over time, yet her snide remark was what propelled me over the edge. I knew only bits of who Kellan was before because I saw it in his mind, but I loved who he was now. Just as my past didn't matter, his didn't reflect in my feelings towards him. "I don't care if you HAD something! We HAVE something and I'll be damned if you're going to mess it up! I'm tired of your crap and his crap and AHH!" I yelled breaking free and attacking Keira at a speed I could barely keep up with.
We tossed and turned at the speed of light; no human eye would have been able to keep up with our commotion. I didn’t let up though. I was relentless in my pursuit of her. She was the culmination of all the things I disliked and sought to destroy.
Her long nails scratched at me, clawing my dress as she attempted to launch me, but failed with my final, powerful pin. She hissed, growling with barred teeth below me. I can't explain what came over me; a rush of harsh adrenaline curdled in my blood. I punched her repeatedly, was crushing her bones with quick knee jabs, and had bit her wrist when she flung her hands with the purpose of shredding me.
Al was at my side in seconds with a steel blade engraved with symbols. With one swift move Keira's throat was cut, blood pouring onto the floor. Though she still fought me, she weakened slightly with the acknowledgement of defeat. She could never win against both Al and me.
He rested his hand on my shoulder as Keira began to silence below me. "Lexi. That's enough. I'll take it from here."
I froze staring down. She was still jolting, though I felt no flinch of resistance. After a moment of hesitation, I gracefully dismounted myself. I stood backing myself into Kellan who had moved beside his father as backup. Looking around, I realized the hotel was empty of activity in this area because we were in the housekeeping section of the hotel.
Kellan placed his hand on my shoulder. "Lexi, are you okay?" he asked cautiously.
I watched silently as Al dragged Keira out the back exit like the criminal she was. A wave of emotions overwhelmed me, shock setting in. I didn't know what came over me. I felt like I erupted into a monster all of a sudden. Now I know why people snap; they can only take so much. But I almost killed someone. I tried to kill someone. How could I ever bring peace like this?
Granted Keira was evil. She murdered many of my kind, but I will encounter many more replicas of her in the vampire world; they’re filled with the same hatred. If I attacked them all as I did her, I would be no better than them. Worse. I would be one of them.
Taking this into account now, could Dr. Zhan have been wrong? A vengeant vampeen paired with an impatient, withdrawn vampire did not equal tranquility amongst hostility. The opposite would transpire in our actions - amplified war.
"Lexi?" Kellan spoke again softly.
He gently tugged me back towards him. I spun around. Looking into his usual bright green eyes, I saw a flare of surprise, of weariness in them. Staring at his expression of guarded concern, I realized he was leery of me, almost frightened. It slammed the realization into my mind: I really did transform into a monster.
"Are you okay?" he pushed again.
"I'm sorry," I gasped clutching my arms around him, officially ruining his outfit with blood as tears welled in my eyes.
"It's ok Lexi. You didn't do anything wrong," he reasoned.
"But I attacked her."
"You defended yourself. She attacked you first," he argued.
"I… I don't know what came over me. I… I just lost control..." I did my best to retain the water threatening to overflow.
"Listen to me Lexi," Kellan stated firmly pressing my shoulders back so he could look into my eyes. "My heart stopped when you pounced her. I was scared for you. But you took down a two-hundred year old vampire in one blow. She couldn't even defend herself. I’ve never seen a vampeen overpower a vampire like that. I need to train you more in fighting, but you did a damn good job without me. I'm impressed. You should be proud of yourself. I know I am."
"Really?" I blubbered losing the fight to hold back the waterworks.
"Yes, really," he kissed my forehead wiping my tears away simultaneously. The salty tears burned along my cheeks as he swept them away from the new wounds Keira inflicted on my face with her nails.
"Thanks," I muttered. I looked down to see my arms scratched and bloody but beginning to scab and heal already. My dress on the other hand was ruined.
"Oh no. My aunt is going to kill me," I whined stepping back to peer down at the ripped lace and frayed bow. There was a long gash across the entire front of the dress baring my thigh below.
“You still look gorgeous. I had to keep myself from pouncing you when I saw you. No one has looked more beautiful than you tonight.”
“Thanks, but she’s still going to kill me.”
“Your shoes are fine,” he smiled.
I still heard blaring music behind the closed doors down the hall; buzz still hummed loudly in the background. Looking around the halls, I realized Mike wasn’t there.
“Where’s Mike?”
“He ran off.”
“And you let him?” I pressed baffled.
“I saw his face. He was scared shitless when you attacked Keira. He threw the picture at me and took off. Coward,” Kellan scoffed with amused disgust.
“I guess I did look pretty scary. I even shocked myself,” I acknowledged.
“Scary? No. Sexy? Absolutely,” he grinned, displaying his dimple and melting my heart in unison. Something about his trademark was irresistible.
“Lexi?” my mother called stepping out into the hall searching for me. “Lexi! What happened?!” she yelled at my side in half a second despite me being a minimum ten yards away.
“I’m fine, Mom. Keira showed up with Mike. I sort of attacked her and Mike ran off,” I explained.
“Attacked her? Lexi, you could have been killed!” she freaked.
“No, Sharon, I don’t believe she would have been,” Al stated strolling casually in the same door he exited.
“What do you mean?” she pressed.
“Sharon is everything okay?” my aunt called rushing over with Beth and my dad when they caught sight of me.
“Lexi, what happened?!” my dad exclaimed. He got down on his knees and began examining me as he did when I got hurt as a child.
“Lexi attacked and single-handedly took down the vampire radical,” Al announced.
I grew nervous with the new awed, wide-eyed glares I received from everyone in unison. I began fidgeting with my hands.
“Um, Lexi, why don’t I take you to clean up a bit so your parents can talk to Al,” Aunt Claire prompted.
I nodded in agreement. Kellan kissed my forehead, “I’ll see you in a little bit.”
I smiled slightly and followed my aunt back to the lobby where the elevators stood. She pushed the button as
the front desk attendants stared on in horror, no doubt attempting to guess my shaken fate. I didn’t even want to guess the terrors sprawled out in their minds.
Once inside the elevator, Aunt Claire pulled me in and squeezed me with all her might. She didn’t say anything probably realizing that I needed comfort, reassurance without words in this moment. And I was grateful for that moment.
Chapter 25
“Well, we can’t salvage the dress, but I do have a backup I bought just in case of a blood shed emergency,” she smiled encouragingly.
Inside the closet of her suite, Aunt Claire retrieved a red mini-dress. It was a strapless dress that fell mid-thigh on me. The bust was overlaid with matching red lace and ended empire with a coordinating red ribbon lining it, below the ribbon, a layered chiffon type material merely grazed my skin to my hips where it fell into the perfect A-line design.
Luckily Ryan had made an appearance at the party and fixed my hair and make-up. Oddly he didn’t ask a single question regarding the event that lead to my disheveled mess of cuts, tears and dress destruction.
Once I was all cleaned up, my wounds healed, revamped to return to the party, I was finally able to return the smile my aunt lovingly projected.
Mike was gone, I’d killed Keira and Al dispensed of her, Jason’s jaw dropped over me, Jenny turned green with envy, Mel still loved me as her best friend, my dad was beginning to accept the new me, I was learning to love my previously absent aunt and, best of all, I had a boy – no, scratch that – a man named Kellan whom, though he lied about Keira, clearly cared about me in a way no one ever had, and I was anxious to return to him now all tidied up.
“Let’s go Miss Fierce,” Ryan called. “You look like a sexy cougar in this dress. I’m loving it, and I’m guessing everyone else will too.”
As I re-entered the party, Mel ran up to me exclaiming, “There you are! I’ve been looking everywhere for you! You had me scared to death that something happened to you!”
Diary of a Vampeen Page 28