Dhampir

by J. H. Hutchins

“Huh?”

  “I want to end my life, dear. When midnight strikes it will be Valentine’s Day. I will end the suffering that accompanies loneliness by becoming one with the universe.” Mallory paused for a bit. “I don’t want to commit suicide. It would look too terrible on my death resume to leave that way. I want you to kill me, Jayce.”

  “No.”

  “Yes. Promise that you’ll kill me and I’ll open the wand for you and the world is yours.”

  “You’re an idiot.”

  “I’m serious. I can’t take any more pain. I was forced to sit in a castle by myself after Daddy left. I’ve been plotting my journey to the Old World ever since. The thing is, I can’t even handle the Human World.”

  “I don’t know about all this Gothic mumbo-jumbo, but I’m not doing it.”

  Mallory grabbed Jayce’s arm.

  “That was thirty years ago, Jayce! Thirty years of planning has been wasted in just a few weeks! Do you know what it’s like to wait thirty years to do something and then to fail miserably?”

  “No. But I do know what it feels like to think suicide is the only way out.”

  “You do?”

  “Of course. I’ve been living that way for a year now. I’m sick of it.”

  “Then what will we do?” Mallory asked. “If suicide isn’t the way to salvage our struggles, how do we move on with the burden of our failures?”

  “Move on. That’s it. You just answered your question yourself. We move on and make the best out of the cards we’re dealt.”

  Jayce found that his words were beginning to inspire himself.

  “Nobody ever promised you that everything would be perfect,” he continued. “And if they did, then they don’t love you. The only thing that’s promised is that you’re dealt a fighting chance. That’s what life is. Maximize your ‘fighting chance’ and then you win. It doesn’t matter if you’re born with no arms and no legs — if you master yourself and be the best you that you can be, then you’re going to Heaven. Period.”

  Mallory threw herself on Jayce. She squeezed him in a bear hug.

  “I wish I could cry,” she admitted.

  “Please don’t cry. Just pick something else and I’ll do it. I’m not killing you.”

  “Is it because you like me?” she whispered seductively in his ear.

  “Huh? No.”

  “You find me attractive, don’t you?”

  She shifted her entire body so that she was sitting on Jayce with her arms wrapped around him. The other passengers found it hard to mind their business.

  “No,” he said, pushing her to the side. “Just tell me what I need to do.”

  Mallory grabbed his hand with both of hers.

  “Spend time with me.”

  “Like a date or something?”

  The princess blushed. She went to cover her nose but remembered that she had cotton balls there.

  “Sort of,” she admitted. “But I want it to last until midnight.”

  “Midnight!?”

  “Midnight. And then I bite you.”

  Jayce backed up.

  “What? No. I’m not turning into one of you freaks.”

  Mallory slapped his arm.

  “Don’t call me that!

  “I’m not getting bit. Period.”

  “You won’t be able to wield the wand unless you do, silly.”

  “Why not?”

  “Only Gothic beings can wield Gothic items. That’s why you can’t open the box and I can.”

  “But earlier it did the same thing to you.”

  “I stopped on purpose,” she assured him. “You must believe me. Become my Dhampir and you can use the wand.”

  Jayce sighed.

  “There’s always something. . . Does it hurt?”

  “I’ll tell you later. Let’s get off.”

  Mallory pointed. The Gatsby Mall — one of the largest malls in America — was directly beside them.

  “Why the mall? That place makes me cringe.”

  “I’ve never been to a mall before. Do you accept my deal?”

  “What’s the deal again?”

  “You spend the day with me and become my Dhampir when midnight arrives. In exchange, I’ll open the box for you afterward.”

  “That’s two things you’re making me do!”

  “And your wand is rumored to be the strongest weapon the Gothic Realm ever had. Your point?”

  Jayce grinned at her statement.

  “Fine,” he admitted, shaking his head. He reached for her nose and took out the cotton balls. “And take these off your face before I lose my mind. Anyway, I’ll be your dhampyre and—”

  “Dhampir. Pir like a pier, not pyre like fire.”

  “Dhampir. I’ll be your Dhampir. Okay?”

  “Maybe if you treat this gal right we could be more,” Mallory winked, slapping Jayce’s shoulder. He shook his head.

  “Let’s go.”

  “You’ll think about it?”

  “Maybe.”

  “Good. Now carry me.”

  “Carry you?”

  “This is my day, Jayce. Carry me at once!”

  Jayce sighed. He picked Mallory up and excused himself from the bus.

  “This is so embarrassing.”

  “Oh, shut it. I’m just testing your love. I doubt it hurts these juicy arms of yours anyway.”

  Jayce had become her love servant. If not for his expectations for the wand, he would’ve dropped this hundred-year-old teenager and went back home. He didn’t mind returning to Abby and the safety of his room amidst the amount of drama he’d witnessed in the past couple hours.

  Here lies the moment the wizard courted the princess. She wanted to end her loneliness by crowning a Dhampir, and he wanted to wield the power of the greatest weapon the Realm ever spawned. The Gothic storm had begun.

  17

  The Mall

  In under five minutes, Jayce had learned to hate the mall. Too crowded. Too goofy. Too distracting. Just a year ago things were different. Jayce was too popular to care about any sales or having fun. His focus relied on keeping him at the top of the popularity totem pole through performing stunts, dares, and pranks that resulted in him getting banned from the mall. He couldn’t remember how long the ban was for, but he was so different now that he didn’t care. He was only reminded of the issue because Mallory drew so much attention to the pair. From her loud voice to her unchecked curiosity, shopping with the princess was a nightmare!

  “Ooh!” she said, pointing at a steak posing on a poster. “That looks tasty. Let’s eat.” However, as soon as they were forced to wait in a line, her mind wandered off to another subject.

  “That jewelry looks gorgeous! I love diamonds. Would you like to buy me some?” Jayce knew he couldn’t afford diamonds with the little he brought, and he wasn’t about to extract money from his savings to feed the habit of a girl he’d just met. He expected that confrontation to go about as well as the wand.

  And then Mallory pointed out another store.

  “That suit would look tremendous on you! Let’s go try it on.”

  And another one.

  “Bats! Ice cream! Come on, dear, let’s hurry before a line forms.”

  Finally, Mallory stood still enough to survey the menu like a little kid. But Jayce wasn’t paying attention to Mallory’s struggle of what to get. It was too complicated — as she liked everything — and something else caught his eye. After taking a moment to look away from the kiosk and shake his head, he noticed a familiar face. Myron Banks. He graduated Lampburn High last year. He’d always attempt to barge into Jayce’s circle of friends by bragging about how he was connected to The Enterprise. They knew he was lying, and whenever Jayce tried to accept him anyway, he always challenged if Jayce was “being nice to him on purpose.” Of course, he was, and Myron wasn’t having it. It was sad.

  But boy, had times changed. Myron was now laughing with a pack of his own friends. They were all wearing sharp suits that were a little too casual f
or their age. To top it off, it seemed that Myron was the leader. Jayce could tell by the large group of girls ogling him and the fake laughs of confirmation his friends provided his ego after he said anything. They couldn’t even talk to one another without turning to see if Myron accepted their behavior. It was sickening.

  Myron and Jayce caught themselves peering at one another. At first, Myron tried to play it off. But, after seeing how much power he held in this new position, he decided to head over to Jayce. He tapped his buddies to join him.

  “Fletcher,” Myron laughed. “You finally decided to leave that cave of yours.” Myron extended his hand for a shake. Jayce didn’t reciprocate.

  Did he just call me by my last name?

  “You’re in The Enterprise now?”

  “Told ya,” Myron grinned so wide you would’ve thought he had sixty-four teeth.

  “Sorry to interrupt,” Mallory interjected, “but I’ve cut my decisions down to Rocky Road, mint, or cookies and cream.”

  “Who cares?” Jayce asked the princess. He gave her the hundred dollar bill. “Pick whatever you want. Don’t forget the change.” Mallory was flabbergasted at his disrespect at first, but soon enough became too distracted to care. This moment would be her first currency exchange. She giggled in joy as Jayce glared at Myron.

  “You’re fighting for the wrong side,” Jayce warned him. Myron’s friends looked confused enough to fight for those words.

  “Why do you say that?”

  “You’re the footsoldier of an evil organization whose sole reason for existing is to suck the soul out of this country.”

  “We save lives, bro.”

  “Save lives? Who do you think you are — the police?”

  “Nah. We keep them and everyone else in check.”

  Jayce laughed.

  “Your rank is so low you probably don’t even know what you’re doing. You just take orders.”

  “You gettin’ loose with those lips, Jayce,” Myron warned him. He and his friends stepped to the teen. “I’m giving you a chance because you’ve been gone for awhile.”

  “A bunch of Enterprise slaves jealous because I’m my own master,” Jayce smirked. “How interesting?”

  Myron and the others threw out threats and rolled up their sleeves. Mallory interrupted the confrontation again.

  “Here,” she said, handing a vanilla ice cream cone to Jayce. “I figured you’d like something plain. It suits your indecisiveness.” Mallory was struggling to handle three ice cream cones — Rocky Road, mint, and cookies ‘n’ cream.

  “You need to take a look in the mirror.”

  “You’re so silly,” she laughed between her back and forth licks between the cones. “That would be terrifying.”

  “It would give you a wake-up call on your hypocrisy.”

  “No, dear. I wouldn’t see a thing.”

  “Whatever.”

  “Goths have no reflection.”

  Between Myron and this new revelation, Jayce became stressed.

  “We heard a lot about your girlfriend,” Myron made clear. “Mallory Vice — Princess of Avalon.”

  “At your service,” the princess mocked. She tried to bow before Myron and his friends, but Jayce wasn’t having it. He pulled her up before she lost any more of her dignity. This caused her to drop her mint ice cream.

  Oops!

  Jayce was about to buy her a new ice cream until he saw her next move. The princess didn’t mind picking up the dropped cone and beginning again where she left off. He ripped it from her glove and thrust it at a trash can.

  “Hey!”

  “That’s disgusting!” he countered. “We can just buy you another one.” As Jayce went to buy her another, he remembered something. “Where’s the change?”

  “What change?”

  “I told you to get change . . .”

  “It was a big moment for me so I decided that the nice lady deserved the extra.”

  Jayce spun around in disbelief.

  “Mallory — that was a hundred dollars!”

  “Money is temporary, dear. Exciting moments last forever.”

  Jayce laid his head on the kiosk. He didn’t care that Mallory went back to the trash to salvage her ice cream, and he nearly forgot about Myron.

  “You gonna own up to those words, Fletcher?” Myron smirked. “Or are you just gonna run back to Florida like the rest of your family?”

  Jayce whipped his head towards Myron.

  “What are you talking about?”

  “Your uncle and his friends ran away after hearing what we were gonna do to Y’all.”

  Jayce stormed over and stared him in the face.

  “You’re not doing shit but shaking people’s hands.”

  “Oh, really?”

  “Yeah, really. You’re a pawn. What else could you do?”

  “Send you to Lily.”

  Jayce had to take a moment to register Myron’s words. That and the fact that he flashed a gun proved that Myron had grown up from being a liar. He was now a true bully.

  “Don’t worry about him,” Mallory advised Jayce, whisking him away from the scene. “We have a date, remember? You can get him back when you get your power.” The way Jayce looked down at his wand box made Mallory worry. “I was kidding, by the way. Unless you want more Sperns the size of Bernardo chasing you then you’d better never use magic in public — and never on someone.” Jayce broke his stare at Myron and his friends laughing to turn back to Mallory.

  “What use is a weapon if it can’t be used to defend yourself?”

  “Jayce, please listen to me when I speak. That’s not just any weapon. That’s The Death’s Dawn. It’s like comparing a pistol to a tank.”

  “It’s that strong?” Jayce nearly smiled.

  “That and beyond. It’s hard to measure its power because so few have had the privilege to see its true power.”

  “Tell me more about its power.”

  Mallory sighed. She finished the last of her four ice cream cones. Yes, she took Jayce’s during his temper tantrum.

  “I’ll tell you after our date,” she promised. “Truth or Dare?”

  “None. I hate that game.”

  “Boo-hoo!” she whined. “You hate everything but that bloody wand!”

  “You would too if you lived my life.”

  “Maybe. But I don’t, so let me teach you how to live. First lesson: learn to love, not hate. It is the key to knocking misery out before it kills you.”

  “Listen, if this is how it’s going to go for the next few hours then I’m done.”

  “Few hours? I sad midnight, mister.”

  Jayce checked the mall’s enormous clock.

  5:19. Fuck! This is torture!

  “I just want to know more about you,” Mallory continued. “Truth or Dare?”

  “Truth,” Jayce conceded. Mallory lit up.

  “Have you ever had sex?”

  “You lack subtlety.”

  “Just answer!” she shouted with wide eyes.

  “Not yet,” Jayce admitted. “Now it’s my turn. Truth or Dare?”

  “Dare!”

  Jayce looked around. Mallory jumped when he thrust his finger toward the Food Court. Myron and the other boys were still laughing at him from the distance.

  “There. Dance on one of those tables.”

  Mallory had no qualms performing the dare. Jayce smiled as she danced to the mall’s music: Smash Mouth’s I’m A Believer. She drew a crowd who clapped after her embarrassing, but brave dance-off with herself.

  “Your turn,” she breathed heavily when she came back over. “Truth or Dare?”

  “Truth.”

  “Why not?”

  “Huh?”

  Mallory giggled.

  “Why haven’t you had sex yet? You’re seventeen and handsome!”

  Jayce’s grin disappeared. This girl made him more nervous than anybody he’d ever met in his life. But telling the truth was better than doing an embarrassing dare, so be it.
>
  “People are boring,” he admitted. “Truth or Dare?”

  “Dare!”

  Jayce surveyed the area.

  “Kiss someone.”

  “Anyone?”

  “Actually . . .” grinned Jayce. He pointed toward a group of kids who wore glasses and were back into playing their fantasy card game after being distracted by Mallory’s dancing. “Them. Kiss anyone in that group.”

  Without hesitation, Mallory skipped over to the table. She laid on a chubby boy’s lap, leaned over, and pulled his neck down to give him a passionate kiss. Jayce was genuinely shocked — it was one of the first times he’d been this way in a positive direction in a long time. It was a double-edged sword since he knew she’d just eaten from the trash. The boy she kissed was so red in the face Jayce thought he’d have a heart attack. Mallory bowed toward the crowd as they clapped again. When she returned, she let it be known that . . .

  “I threw a bit of tongue in there. Your turn. Please pick dare.”

  Jayce was disgusted.

  “Truth.”

  “Aww. We’re doing a dare.”

  “Truth. No exceptions.”

  “One moment,” Mallory thought. “Okay, you promise to be one-hundred percent honest with this next one?”

  “Sure.”

  “Have you ever been in love?”

  This one was easy.

  “No,” said Jayce. “Truth or Dare?”

  “Seriously!?

  “Yes.”

  “Yes, you have?”

  “No, I haven’t been in love — and yes, I’m serious.”

  “Lame! I pick dare again.”

  Jayce rolled his eyes. Now Mallory was playing on one side. He needed to win before he was forced into a dare, so he pointed at the coin fountain.

  “Take a dive.”

  Mallory ran so fast toward the fountain she didn’t hear Jayce calling her name and saying that he was “just kidding.” She jumped in, causing gasps around the mall. When she popped out, she bowed again. This time, another set of applause was showered upon the princess — even if it was a tad delayed due to the nervous energy she brought.

  “Your smiling from ear to ear!” she laughed when she returned. Jayce tried to hide his laugh, but it was too hard. She was drenched. And if only Jayce knew how much she despised water, he would’ve known how much she cared for him.