by Rachel Lenna
fu…”
“Savannah I need you to have an open mind…” I interrupt before she says anymore. Her skin has become flawless, slightly lighter than it was but she still has the deep tan that makes her eyes just stand out.
“About?” She looks at me confused.
“Do you remember anything at all?”
“Why?” She frowns.
“It will help me understand how to help you.”
“I was meant to go to the party with Sophie. She made me wear this,” She gestures to her dress. “Which made me so uncomfortable. Kind of like a cheap ass whore.” She sucks in a breath as memories flood her. “Oh my god! We did go to the party! I danced with you…”
“Savannah…” I say gently as I see her go from confused and frightened to angry in a nano second.
“Don’t you Savannah me you two timing twat.” She barks at me.
“Did she really just say twat?” Sam laughs quietly.
“Sam.” I warn just as her angry gaze flies to him and he shuts up instantly.
“Just thought it was cute is all!” He says defensively, raising his hands in surrender.
“Now’s not the time.” I remind him. “Sav you need to...”
“Go on, tell me what to do.” She says harshly, cutting me off. “I dare you to. Then we will all see how you like being kicked in the nuts.” She snarls, shooting a look at a snickering Sam too. “You too pretty boy.”
“We are just trying to help.” I remind her.
“After getting me in this mess in the first place.” She counters and my mouth hangs open.
“Yeah Dominic, I remember now.” She sighs as a sad expression flows over her. “I remember the jacket you gave me, and dancing with you for ages! I remember needing to get a drink and telling you to stay there.” She looks at me with sad eyes and I would give anything to make that look go away. “I went to the bar and then the girl… I wasn’t even gone five minutes and you were already dry humping her!” She hops off the table, standing tall and straight. She is a little wobbly and Sam reaches out to steady her. She shoots him an evil.
“Only trying to help Sav.” He says, holding his hands up in surrender – again.
“Don’t you Sav me either.” She hisses, taking a deep breath in. “You think this is funny.”
“No Sav-annah I don’t.” Sam says all silliness gone. “I was just trying to make the mood a little less sad.”
“What the hell has happened to me?” She says after eyeing him for a moment. “Why am I here in this dingy hole with three bo… Oh my god what is that smell?” He eyes grow large and she starts sniffing the air frantically. “I need it. Oh my god that smells fabulous. I need it now. Where is it?”
“Savannah what your wanting? It’s what’s called your thirst talking.” Tyson says, plucking a cup out of nowhere. “Drink this,” He hands her the cup. “It will take the edge off ‘til we can get you under control.”
She snatches the cup out of his hand and practically devours cup and all in seconds. “More.” She says, searching the room. “More now.”
“There isn’t any more here.” I reply.
“Don’t lie to me.”
“I’m not.” I say defensively.
“Yeah okay.” She says rolling her eyes at me.
“Sav you need to listen to me.” I say splaying my hands out like you would to a frightened dog. “You can have more but you need to learn to control yourself first. You need to know what happened to you too. What you are and what that means.”
“What I am?” I ask him looking at him like he’s crazy. “What do you mean what I am? I am a girl. Who, might I add now that I think about it, is in a dark and dingy – place with three males and I only remember sketchy moments. Did you drug me?” She gasps looking ready to pummel some boys.
“No!” We all yell in unison.
“Well what the hell is going on?” She shouts.
“You’re more than just a girl now sweetheart.”
“Don’t call me sweetheart you nincompoop.”
Tyson and Sam stifle chuckles and I shoot them a look. They shut up instantly. “Do you remember…”
“I don’t remember shit beyond seeing you at that girl practically doing it on the dance floor.” She hisses at me as she sniffs the house like a dog. Her head snaps back to the empty packaging Tyson had thrown in the bin. “More.” She repeats.
“Savannah…”
She shoulder barges past me, ignoring me completely, as she flies for the empty plastic. She crashes into the wall and goes right through it. That doesn’t stop her though, as she practically jumps back inside and pounces on the plastic like a ravenous wolf. Attacking it with such aggression I have no doubt she is going to be a strong vampire – quickly.
“More.” She demands again when she licks it all clean, her eyes are crazy. Dealing with reborn vampires is always tough. Their thirst is all they care about for the first twenty four hours. We can usually tell when one has been created because the human news channels often report a mass in unusual animal like attacks on humans all located in a particular area.
“Savannah you need to listen to me.” I say firmly, knowing this has to end well – for everyone. Savannah being in control is important. “Your thirst is calling you but I’m calling you too. I need to talk to you. I need to win over the two because in the long term it will be better for you.” She looks at me suspiciously but stops pacing around. She stands there staunch, hands on hips and toe tapping. If she wasn’t so dangerous right now she would be cute.
“We will get you what you need but right now I need to teach you how to move so you don’t let the secret out of the bag.”
“Pfft.” She scoffs. “Why the hell should I listen to you? What secret? You started hooking up with the nearest vagina the moment I disappeared.” She doesn’t bother to hide her pain and it stabs at me.
“It was a setup.” I reply. She is about to protest again but I raise my hand to silence her. “I know you don’t want to believe me but I am telling you the truth.”
“Righto.” She says, not bothering to hide her sarcasm. “And I see pigs fly.”
“Savannah I really was set up.”
“Right.” She nods, sarcastically clearly humouring me. “And I’m a tooty fruity fairy.”
“No, actually you’re a vampire.” Sam interjects.
“I’m sorry what?” Savannah says spinning her full glare on him. “Did I hear you right? Did you just say I’m a vampire?”
“Yes.” Sam says holding her gaze with a fake bravado – I know it’s fake. His aura is telling me so. She is scary. The only person not scared is Tyson.
“That’s stupid.” She laughs. “You people are crazy.”
“Savannah it’s the truth.” He insists.
“You’re all crazy.” She squeaks, marching for the door.
“Think about it.” He adds. “You just went through a wall and didn’t even flinch.” Sam points to the hole she made. She stops, but doesn’t turn back to him. “You just drank blood and practically ate the plastic too.”
“That wasn’t blood.” She denies, although she doesn’t sound so sure now.
“Then what was it?”
“It wasn’t blood.” She repeats after a moment.
“Yes Savannah it was.” Sam says. “We are sorry to kind of just drop it on you like this but you got turned into a vampire because one bit you.”
“That’s the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard!” She says, although she looks nervous now.
I shoot Sam a look that says I will take it from here. “Savannah, baby…”
“Call me baby again.” She says, her eyes flashing angry again in a moment. “I dare you.”
“Ohh,” Sam grins at me. “Dom got told.”
“Dude?” I pull a face at Sam as if to ask what he is doing. He just shrugs and grins some more.
“I am not a vampire.” Savannah butts in, completely ignoring Sam and I’s moment.
“Yes you are.” Sam says.
“No I’m not.” She snorts back.
“Yes you are.” Sam says again.
“No.”
“Yes” I say.
“No.”
“Yes.” I repeat.
“Is that what the girls scream when you fu…” Savannah’s eyes are starting to glow real bright.
“Stop.” Tyson orders, cutting her off. I know where she was heading with that and I’m glad he stopped her. “All of you.” He directs a pointed look at Sam and I. “You two are the more mature vampires. You should know better than to torment a reborn. Savannah, Dominic was indeed set up, you are indeed a vampire and no it’s not a dream.”
“You be angry at Dominic all you want but right now we have to help you get your first proper feed okay?” He holds her gaze when she looks about ready to protest. He raises a hand real quick. “No. no buts. You need to learn to control yourself and it’s our job to teach you. I know it’s a shock and you probably don’t believe it but you will soon enough and you have about three hours before the thirst consumes you, so you need to listen and listen fast. Got it?”
Savannah’s mouth goldfishes before she finally whispers, “It’s really not a dream?”
“No.” Tyson says a little more gently. Thank god one of us has a brain!
“I really am a vampire?”
“Yes.”
“And you three too?”
“Yes.”
“But vampires are in the movies and books and stuff.” She says, still stunned. “Not real life.”
“Sweetie look at the hole you put in the wall because you attacked the plastic I put the blood in.” Tyson points to the wall and Savannah gasps. She looks down at her hands to see completely flawless, undamaged skin.
“Oh.” She says before her expression becomes sad. We wait,