Dhampir

by J. H. Hutchins

  “Rude!” Mallory spoke up for the psychic. The female reader smirked. She gently touched Jayce’s second card.

  “The Hierophant,” she named the priest card. “This card usually means that you are strongly religious — a future in which you fall behind tradition instead of going against the grain. But yours is reversed. You will challenge the status quo and feel restricted for doing so.”

  Jayce and Mallory turned to each other. The psychic continued.

  “The Ace of Pentacles,” she said. “Your only non-reversed card. This card represents new opportunities that will grant you prosperity, growth, and wealth. You will manifest everything you dream of, but only if you take advantage of these opportunities without falling to your stubborn recklessness.”

  “Lucky!” said Mallory. Jayce set his head down. He was beginning to like tarot cards. “My turn!” the princess beamed.

  Mallory’s cards were all pentacles. Her first was the same as Jayce’s last. Her second card showed a man sitting on a slab of stone with a vibrant city of some sort lingering in the background. The man looked to be in a hoarding posture while holding four large, golden coins with pentacles within each of them. The first was balanced on his head, the second clutched between his arms, and two directly beneath each of his feet. Mallory’s third card showed a young man etching a pentacle onto a coin while seven other finished coins surrounded him.

  “Your first card is the same as your friend’s,” the psychic told the princess. “The Ace of Pentacles. Just like him, you will manifest everything you have been dreaming of. However, it would’ve come easier had your final cards not been so harsh.

  “The Four of Pentacles,” the psychic continued while touching Mallory’s second card. “But it is reversed. Instead of conserving your wealth or having control over your destiny, you will be prone to taking greedy actions. Something in your life will transform you from a fun-loving, free spirit into a material girl desperate to protect everything you love at any cost.”

  “That makes me sound like a monster,” Mallory said to Jayce. He smirked.

  “Your last is the Eight of Pentacles. This reversed card represents isolation to an extent. There may come a time in your life when you separate yourself from the world you know and love to craft yourself into a more perfect you. Think of it like this: you are currently a caterpillar, this phase will be your cocoon, and you will transform into a butterfly after you accomplish what’s needed to master yourself. However, this means that you will lose control of everything you love. Your absence could be fatal if your transformation takes too long. Though you will strive for perfection, you must know when to believe in yourself, give in, and give up everything to the Universe. It will be the only way you will return without wishing you hadn’t left in the first place.”

  Mallory was playing with her gloves again. The psychic’s prediction had potential, but they were grim! She began to wish she hadn’t taken the opportunity to have a reading at all.

  “Are you a couple?” the psychic suddenly asked.

  “No,” said Jayce.

  “Yes,” Mallory lied. “May we have a love reading?”

  Jayce sent Mallory a strong glare.

  “My pleasure,” the psychic said. “I’ll take it that you two may be in love, but haven’t decided to take the next step yet.” Jayce was noticeably annoyed. The psychic winked at him. She shuffled her deck and had them both choose one card. This card would determine how each of them would approach their future in love.

  Jayce got the Knight of Swords again, but this time it wasn’t reversed. Mallory’s card showed a white glove revealing itself from a cloud. The glove held a sword to the air that had a crown hovering above it with a light shining down from the heavens. A barren wasteland of mountains sat far below the glove.

  “Another Knight of Swords,” the psychic smiled at Jayce. “Unlike your reversed one, the way you will deal with love is in a rushed, arrogant way. Despite this flaw, you will be very communicative about what you want and how you feel. You will also make sure you are putting forth the effort to get things done in your relationship. This could go well for a future lover who is looking for marriage and a family.”

  Mallory turned to Jayce and blushed. He shook his head.

  “Absolutely not.”

  “And yours,” the psychic looked at Mallory. “The Ace of Swords can be a tough card. When reversed, it means that you would bring chaos and confusion into your relationship. However, as it isn’t, you have a greater fortune. You will bring clarity and power to your relationship. Though the mountains below represent challenges, you will break through anything and be victorious in all your endeavors if you persevere with your partner.”

  “Do both,” Mallory asked the psychic. “I want a reading that represents what happens when we’re in love — as one.”

  “I’m done,” Jayce stood up. Mallory grabbed his wrist.

  “No,” she pleaded. “Do me this favor and I’ll help you.”

  Jayce had no choice but to sit back down. The wand was more important than these eerie futures. His future was looking bright until he had to think of relationships — especially one with the quirky princess.

  The love card the pair chose showed a royal sitting under a chariot’s canopy decorated in six-pointed stars. The chariot was being driven by two sphinxes — one black, one white — but neither had reigns to control them. Jayce’s eyes widened. Within the royal’s hand was a wand!

  “Lovely,” the psychic grinned. “The Universe has granted you a card of great fortune. This card represents determination . . . power . . . victory. The six-pointed stars say that the Universe will bow beneath your ambitions and work for you. This card is all about spiritual evolution, as you two will take a grand adventure and turn your back on civilization, materialism, and other outwardly items to look within. People will work for you — and they will be loyal, even without you needing to reprimand or control them with reigns. Nobody will have the power to defeat you together — only separately. If you stick together, you will rule the entire Universe.”

  Both Mallory and Jayce were beside themselves in glee. The psychic had become their best friend. However, Mallory wasn’t used to getting this lucky.

  “Again,” she asked the psychic.

  “No,” Jayce protested. “What the hell are you doing? This is great.”

  “It can’t be true. Just go again so we can see the truth.”

  “Are you nuts!?”

  “Don’t run away from your destiny,” the psychic warned. “If we choose another card then it could hurt your future. It will either mean nothing, as the first is the truth — or it will change your future forever. The cards could intersect with each other, or your next card could overlap your first. The Chariot is a great card for you two. You will rule the Universe unless your enemies and obstacles are able to split you apart.”

  “It’s bullshit!” Mallory pouted. “Just go again.”

  “This is ridiculous,” said Jayce. He stood from his seat. “If this isn’t a good card then I give up. We can still be friends, but fuck you for ruining our future.” It was funny how much control the psychic’s cards held. Jayce now believed God had bestowed the psychic to give the pair a message and Mallory was shunning the reward by losing her faith.

  The final card was interesting. It showed a half-man, half-goat sitting on a podium. He had the eyes of a demon and the wings of a vampire bat. Beneath him were a naked man and woman chained to the podium with horns on their head and tails made of fire. They were chained by their neck, though the chains were looser than one would expect from normal prisoners. The creature on the podium rose his right hand up and lowered his left hand down. He was holding a large torch in his left hand as it pointed to the ground. A pentagram sat between the creature’s long, curved horns. Behind the trio was eternal darkness.

  The psychic gasped. The princess immediately stood.

  “The Devil,” the psychic said. Tears began to form in her eyes.
/>   “Bats!” Mallory screeched.

  The Angelic Vampire tripped from her seat and bolted away from the Food Court. The psychic stood and began packing her things hastily. She was crying and shaking as if she had been assaulted. Jayce slammed his hand on the two final cards before the psychic could take them away. After gritting his teeth in anger, he crumbled The Devil and put The Chariot in his pocket.

  “Thanks,” he said to the psychic. He threw her two hundred bucks and went to go find Mallory.

  But the situation was dire. The homeless psychic wouldn’t dare touch the money. She was so shaken by the moment that the two hundred dollars were left on the table for a group of kids to fight over.

  The Gothic storm had met a homeless psychic. Though their readings were mixed, their future would surely involve interesting trials and tribulations. Jayce went from not believing a word the psychic said, to believing everything that she said as “the word of God.” From despising the thought of a relationship at a time in which The Enterprise were now threatening lives, to hoping he’d win over Mallory’s heart so that they could conquer the world. He knew she was special, but these new “revelations” sent his fantasies over the moon. She became cuter, hotter, and much less haggard than the girl he once saw her as. But the princess had possibly ruined that fantasy. Hopefully, the mistake didn’t cost them everything. If the final card became true, a shot at love would be their downfall.

  22

  The Church

  Mallory left the mall entirely. Jayce found the princess across the street. She was speaking to a pastor in front of a large line of people filing their way into a church.

  “Come on in,” the pastor said to her. “We can use all the help we can get.”

  Mallory turned around to find Jayce. She was relieved to find him right behind her. The princess looked like she had been crying.

  “There you are!” she exclaimed. “They’re giving out food to people. Let’s go help!”

  Before Jayce could protest, Mallory grabbed his hand and pulled him inside. The massive building had an entire dining hall next to its main lobby. The hallway on the other side of the front lobby led to the church’s main auditorium.

  The pair helped the pastor and his volunteers serve an immense amount of hot food to those in need. The event was sponsored by a children’s initiative group. A few other groups — like West Gatsby’s Stop The Crime initiative — were in attendance to offer their services. This monthly event brought together the community’s needy like few others, so it was natural that some had even traveled an hour by bus, train, or car to attend the giveaway. The Spirit Fellowship Center was already two hours behind schedule and needed everybody to hustle so that the children could leave by ten. They had school tomorrow.

  Despite the rush, Jayce took any pause they had to talk to the princess.

  “What was that all about?”

  “Nothing,” she swerved. After five minutes of handing out food, smiling, and skipping away from Jayce, Mallory was caught again.

  “Just tell me.”

  “I’ll tell you later.”

  When Jayce caught her the third time, he was serious.

  “You can’t give up like that!” he yelled at her. He pulled The Chariot from his pocket. “You’re lucky I saved us.”

  Mallory flushed. She grabbed the card and twirled it between her glove’s fingers.

  “Do you believe in God?” she asked him.

  “You already know I do.”

  “But don’t you have your doubts?”

  Jayce took a moment to let her question sink in. Of course, he did. How couldn’t he after last year?

  “Sometimes,” he admitted. “The shooting was too much. I think anybody would have lost faith.” He studied his wand box. “But everything happens for a reason.” He then looked her directly in the eyes. “And now I have you.”

  Mallory blushed so hard that her nose burst. Tiny specks of black blood hit Jayce, but he didn’t mind. He wiped it off and licked his glove. Out of the side of his eye, Jayce caught a glimpse of the pastor. He sneered.

  “Okay,” the pastor said to him. He pushed the teen toward the exit. “You’re done! I’ll pray for you, son.”

  Jayce waited outside for ten minutes before the event was done. When Mallory arrived, he noticed that she had cotton balls in her nose again.

  “What happened?” her voice muffled to Jayce.

  “I was kicked out,” he laughed. “The pastor didn’t like me licking your blood.” Mallory held her nose again.

  Why was he being so sexy all of a sudden!?

  The princess went over to a bush and replaced her cotton balls. The old ones couldn’t stop droplets of her blood from dripping from her nose. When she returned her cheeks were cherry red.

  “I don’t know what to believe.”

  “About what?”

  “God. I want to have faith like the pastor says, but I can’t.”

  “Why not?”

  Mallory paused.

  “May I tell you a story?”

  Jayce sat the princess down in the grass in front of the church.

  “I’m listening.”

  The princess told Jayce about her foster mother’s grandmother — Victoria Vice, mother of all Victorian vampires. She’d already told him about how she ruled over the First Age of modern Avalon, but she’d never explained the details that led to Avalon’s Second Age. She didn’t go into much detail now either, but she informed Jayce that the public turned on Victoria. She was betrayed by her own followers, assaulted heavily in the process of her capture, and then burnt at the stake by Avalon’s male Governor, Geovanni. Jayce didn’t understand what being male had to do with anything, but Mallory told him that males and females were on the verge of an all-out war just before she left for the Human World. It was one of the reasons why Kassandra was okay creating a portal for them, despite the many Gothic laws forbidding such acts.

  Beyond this, Victoria’s death didn’t come as a response to anything but looking for peace. As soon as Governor Geovanni was informed of her attempt to unite the Vampires with the Lycans rebelling against their own people’s throne, he leaked the news to the Avalonian public. Illegally, Victoria was snatched from her throne and burned to death. The Black Congress stepped in to ban all females from ever holding power over a King. Even a prince was stronger than a queen in their new system. The Governor was also successful in blocking all females from their rightful privilege to vote. These conditions all lingered behind the fact that “The Universe made females too emotional, and it was a man’s duty to protect his people in a logical, unemotional manner.” This gave more control to Governor Geovanni, though Victoria’s son, Diablo, held central power after his mother’s death. Diablo was caught orchestrating one too many assassination attempts on the Governor, stripping the King of his power. He was forced to choose a successor since he only had one child — a daughter.

  Diablo chose Mary Vice’s new husband, Natas. Though he was a creature from the Old World, he proved himself by rising against the intense racism spat towards non-Vampires and becoming a killing machine for Diablo and the Pixie Godfather. After Natas held the throne, he made peace with the Governor and Diablo refused to speak to him or his daughter ever again.

  Mallory was stuck in the middle of the drama. There were rumors that the Black Congress was deciding whether to allow females to take the throne again. Natas having been made a King, despite his bloodline, didn’t settle well with anybody. Plus, the Governor was confident that both Mallory nor her foster mother would be able to handle the throne. After their failure, the throne would be abolished and he would assume full control over Avalon. This would be a nightmare scenario for all females living under the Dome. So bad, in fact, that The Handmaid’s Tale style dystopia would force many to ask the Spirits to escape the Dome. The only problem was that Victorian vampires were hated by nearly every other species of Spern. The Dome was protecting them from certain death. They had stayed protected and refused to
implement a proper immigration system as the Werewolves went wild beyond the Dome.

  Mallory’s trip wasn’t a simple vacation — it was a safeguard from death.

  “If God was real, peace would’ve worked,” she told Jayce. “Now people look to me as some sort of savior. I’m not cut out for it. I just want to have a Dhampir and live as far away from Avalon as possible.”

  Jayce wanted to say something, but he kept his mouth shut. He couldn’t blame her for wanting to run away. Avalon was fucked. He planned to assess the power of his wand and speak to her about it later. For now, the situation was too deep.

  “Have faith,” he said, grabbing her hand. “God is real. And if he isn’t, we’ll make him real.”

  23

  The Arcade

  “Jayce!” came a yell. “Jayce!”

  The pair’s attention was diverted toward a group of kids down the street.

  “Come on,” Jayce said to Mallory.

  “You know them?”

  “Yeah.”

  Kyle, Emmett, and Peter had been Jayce’s friends since elementary school. Kyle was dark-haired and one of those kids who seemed to fit in wherever he went because he was too shy and quiet to bother anybody. Emmett was blonde with the attitude of a typical jock. If not for being bound to a wheelchair, his loud mouth and brash attitude would’ve attracted even more enemies. He’d gained nearly a hundred pounds since last year, and Jayce knew it was his core weakness. Lastly, Peter was a happy-go-lucky “geek” with red hair, freckles, and large, goofy glasses. These three were the only ones who’d stuck with Jayce after the incident last year. All the “popular” girls and boys moved on. Placing the blame solely on them would’ve been a mistake though. Jayce had a large part to do with it because of his new, defensive posture when it came to trusting others. He either ignored them or flat out cursed them out if he became too annoyed with their constant flurry of text messages and call requests. The group of friends embraced each other with fist bumps and smiles.