by K. A. Poe
“He will be fine, Alex,” Salem said quietly from behind me, resting an assuring hand on my shoulder. “If anything happens, we will know.”
“How will we know?”
“He’ll call us, like he said...or Kim will,” he didn't seem so sure, I could hear it in his voice – but for now it was enough to convince me to relax, a little at least.
Richard entered the room, which was a good distraction for the time being. He wobbled into the kitchen with one hand against each wall or piece of furniture he came across in order to steady himself. I had never seen him appear so fragile and it became clear to me just how old he was. Age had become less meaningful to me since I met Salem – especially since I became a vampire – and I hadn't taken the time to realize that my grandfather was well into his sixties or early seventies and didn't have many years left on this planet.
“Do you need help, grandpa?” I asked as I pulled myself away from the bothersome thoughts.
“It's all right, Alex,” he said with a smile that produced a row of wrinkles at the corners of his mouth. “I forgot to bring my cane with me, and I am not used to walking down so many stairs,” he laughed.
“Salem...could you?”
“What? Oh…yes, of course,” he nodded and I watched his eyes flicker for a brief second. An elegant, glossy cherry wood cane appeared in his hand. He passed it over to me and I offered it to Richard, who stared at Salem with his mouth wide and gaping.
“Did-did he just...” he froze mid-sentence and blinked his eyes really hard. “This boy is more than just a vampire?”
“Yes,” I said quietly. “He's actually a relative to the very first woman burnt at the stake for practicing witchcraft...”
Richard shook his head and hesitated to take the cane. “Is this some sort of magic trick? Or a joke?”
“It is no trick, Richard,” Salem said calmly, “if you can believe in the undead, surely you can come to realize that other unexplainable things are possible.”
“There are no coincidences,” I spoke quietly, recalling what Salem told me when I was just as doubtful as my grandfather. “It took me a while to believe it and accept it, but you’ll get used to it.”
Finally, the old man reached out and grasped the smooth wooden cane and limped over to us. He examined Salem closely, and to my surprise he smiled widely. “I knew there had to be more to this world. I’ve always been a believer, deep down...but after so many years without evidence, I began to lose hope.”
“It isn’t very common…well…not that I am aware of, anyway,” Salem explained, “Hannah has an ability of her own as well.”
“Does she?” Richard asked curiously. “Same as you no doubt? I mean you are siblings after all so it only makes sense that-”
“Half-siblings, actually. No, Hannah doesn’t share the same gift as I do. She has the ability to minds and manipulate dreams.”
“So, she can hear my thoughts, then?”
“Only if I touch you directly, so watch out,” Hannah said slyly as she entered the room, waving her hands around and making ghost sounds.
“You stay away from me,” Richard glared, “I still don't trust you one bit, mind reader or not.”
“You trust Salem, and you trust Alexis...what’s so different about me, old man?”
“You tried to kill my granddaughter!”
“And how many of my kin have you killed, huh? We’re just following the way God made us. He made you to feast on animal flesh, plants, berries…he made us to feed on blood.”
“God made you? Bah, Satan more likely.”
“Grandpa!” I interrupted, “just cut it out. You really need to give her a chance.”
Hannah directed a thankful smile toward me. “Besides, if I was going to kill you…I would have done it already. Probably old and chewy anyway, yuck.” She giggled wildly.
“Hannah! You cut it out too! How do you expect for them to trust you when you say crap like that?” I scorned.
“Oh come on, I was just having a bit of fun.”
Richard huffed and took a seat at the dining room table. “I’ll try…no promises though. Now, would someone be so kind as to make me some tea?”
“Any preference?” Salem asked.
“Earl Gray, if you have it. If not then just whatever you have will do.”
Salem, Hannah and I laughed as Richard stared with one shaggy gray eyebrow raised in our direction. Salem's pale blue eyes flashed violet yet again and a cup of steaming hot tea materialized on the table. “Enjoy,” he said with a wink, grabbed my hand and led me out of the room.
“Where are we going?” I asked as I was tugged along beside Salem into the clearing. The smell of fresh flowers caught my attention, as well as the wood of the surrounding cedar trees. A hint of honey, perhaps from a nearby bee’s nest, and then a wisp of something unpleasant yet delicious all the same – blood. I sighed and looked toward the ebony-haired vampire. “We are hunting, aren't we?”
“Yes,” he replied, “while I may be able to prevent myself from feeding frequently, you are still adapting to becoming a vampire and will need blood to sustain you. After a while, you might be able to ignore the cravings and maintain your strength without it, but if you intend to fight a vampire any time soon you are going to need to fill up. I am almost certain that is what was causing your exhaustion spells on the trip. Whether you like it or not Alex, you are going to need blood.”
I groaned. “Couldn't I just have a hamburger or something?” Ordinarily, that would have sounded delicious – yet I felt no craving whatsoever.
“Listen, Alex,” he said, and I did, expecting him to continue but he didn't open his mouth. The forest was silent besides the occasional chirp of a bird and rustling of leaves – that's when I realized my heart had stopped beating.
“Does this mean it is final?” I gasped, reaching my hand to my chest and resting it against my heart.
“You are officially dead or undead, I guess...” he answered remorsefully.
“Why didn't I feel anything? Shouldn't I have noticed?”
“I think you felt all the pain of transformation directly after I turned you, even though the actual change happened gradually,” Salem explained, taking my hand into his. “Are you scared?”
“No...” Maybe I was, I wasn't entirely sure. My feelings were jumbled and confused. I should be scared, yet somehow I felt relieved. “Not exactly. I feel a sense of relief now that it's all over.”
He smiled somewhat, although I knew he wasn't completely happy – this wasn't at all what he had wanted. “There's an elk lurking to the east.”
“Oh boy...” I mumbled with distaste, turning my head in the proper direction and taking a whiff of the air. The smell of the animal was intense and the urge I suddenly felt to kill it was overwhelming. Leaving Salem behind, I rushed toward the elk.
The creature was lapping at a small puddle of murky water, unaware of my presence as I watched stealthily from behind a tree. My feet moved quickly as I came closer to my prey, but I made no noise at all. I hunched over in a crouching position, mere feet from the elk and leapt onto it. The kick of the animal's hooves against my ribcage didn’t hurt, but it was hard enough to knock me back. The elk turned toward me and snorted, it was far larger than I had expected. As I stared into its eyes I could hear its heart racing. Unlike the rabbits, or deer…I knew this one wasn’t going to simply try to run away.
Before I had time to think, it charged at me. Within a fraction of a second I felt the horns pierce into my abdomen. The impact had doubled me over and my arms lay across the creature’s neck. The vampire instinct inside of me kicked in, and without thinking I snapped its neck with my arms. The elk fell over in a lifeless heap, and the heartbeat that had sounded so loud just moments before slowly ceased.
My fangs inched out from below my front lip and I sunk them deep into the beast's throat. The rush of fluid filled me with an unfamiliar joy as it sated my thirst, and I didn't stop despite feeling full. The want – the need �
� was overpowering. I grasped the dead elk tightly in my hands as I quenched my thirst until a noise suddenly distracted me.
I shook my head and dropped the poor animal. Gasping in shock, I backed away. My hands were dripping with fresh, bright blood and I immediately dunk them in the small puddle of water. The sound came again. It was somewhat of a faint, musical jingle.
My phone!
I reached into my pocket and plucked out the small black cell phone. Jason's name appeared on the screen. With hesitation, I pushed the talk button and said “Hello?”
“Alex!” he exclaimed, “How are you?”
“I'm...good. I think,” I mumbled, averting my eyes from the gory scene. There was blood soaking my pants and shirt and I shuddered with disgust.
“Where are you?”
“I'm out...” I replied, “With Salem. Do you need something?”
“I kind of wanted to introduce you to someone,” he said somewhat oddly.
“Who?” Could it possibly be the auburn-haired vampire? Was she after Jason?
“Her name is Eila,” he said with obvious enthusiasm. “I met her at Howard's last week.”
“That's a…unique name,” I replied, wondering what this could all possibly mean. I had to meet her, at least to know if she was the vampire or not. “When did you have in mind?”
“Anytime you're available. She'll be over in about an hour.”
“Okay, I'll stop by then.”
“Great! I can't wait!”
“Me either,” I said and hung up. I nearly jumped when I discovered Salem standing behind me.
“Jason?”
“Yeah,” I replied quietly, “he wants me to stop by the house later to meet some friend of his.”
“May I join you?”
“I don't see why not,” I smiled.
“Alex, your stomach!” He had finally noticed the wound from the elk.
“It’s okay…I think. Well…it doesn’t hurt at least.”
“That’s good, but you need to heal.”
“Heal? I thought that sort of, just happened. On its own…”
“It can, but it takes far longer that way. To heal as quickly as you see me or Hannah heal, you must concentrate on it.”
“Umm, okay…and how exactly do I do that?”
“To be honest I have not really thought about it in a long time. I am so used to it that I just do it naturally. Just try to relax, concentrate on the area that is damaged, and see it as well again inside your mind.”
“Sounds easy enough…” I closed my eyes and thought of the tears along my abdomen. I saw how it was now, I saw the scene of what caused it, and I pictured it well again. I opened my eyes and looked down, expecting it to have worked. Instead I saw the same gruesome mess as before. “Salem, why isn’t it working!?”
“You have to relax, Alex. Just like when you were shifting from bird to human, you have to put yourself at peace.”
I tried again. Again I put the focus in my mind on the healing itself, but felt nothing. I had to find something more fitting to calm me, so that it would work. Maybe it was because I missed him, or maybe because I had just talked to him...whatever the reason – I thought of Jason, and the healing came.
32. EILA
The house appeared as clean as last time from the outside. I still felt strange seeing the house where I had lived for so long. I could picture Janet's van parked perfectly in the driveway, where instead I found two cars – one of which was Jason's, the other I did not recognize. Salem and I exited the Alero and approached the front door. I knocked, although I knew they wouldn't have minded if I had just walked in…considering the place was technically mine.
“We're just here to make sure she isn't the vampire, and then we can go,” I whispered to Salem as we waited for someone to answer.
The door opened slowly to reveal Mitch, who appeared a little apprehensive. “Hey, Alex,” he said, “this is Salem?”
Salem nodded. “I am.”
“Wow, Alex. Karen didn't mention he had an accent. Where's he from?”
“Wales,” I commented, trying to peek over Mitch's shoulder to see inside the house. “Is Jason here?”
“Yeah, but he's kind of occupied at the moment,” he answered awkwardly.
I arched a brow and gently pushed him aside. The kitchen was surprisingly clean and tidy. Not a single dish sat in the sink, the garbage can was empty and the floor swept. As I turned into the living room, I gasped and looked away. Jason was sitting on my old loveseat, cradling some unfamiliar girl in his arms, their lips latched onto each other as if they were stapled together. Why did I feel a twinge of jealousy at this image? I didn't have feelings for Jason beyond friendship. Was it because now he would no longer be fawning over me? Shouldn't I think that was a good thing?
“Excuse us,” Salem coughed suddenly and I slowly turned back to look at the pair on the loveseat. They were sitting upright, separated from each other and looking somewhat abashed. Now that she wasn't tangled up in Jason's arms, I got a good look of the girl beside him. She had a slightly rounded face, with perky red lips and almond-shaped brown eyes. A flowing mane of wavy brunette hair with vibrant honey highlights settled against her shoulders, and she didn't look up at us. She wore a pale yellow sundress that perfectly contrasted to her hair. At least I had my answer – this was in fact not the vampire I was after. She wasn't a vampire at all. She smelled heavily of metal and sunflowers, which led me to wonder what brought on those particular scents.
“Hey Jason...” I said hoarsely, trying to find my voice. “Sorry...you told me to come over whenever.”
“Yeah, I'm sorry,” he said and stood up from the couch. “This is Eila.”
“I gathered that,” I replied, and entered the living room. The atmosphere was definitely awkward and uncomfortable. Salem hovered behind me, observing the scene from afar.
“I think I know you,” Eila said in a hushed voice, “You were in my music class!”
This didn't make any sense. Jason was with a girl from music class? Maybe it was just an elective she chose just to get it out of the way. “You were in music class?”
“She plays the flute,” Jason replied for her. “She is really good at it, too!” That explained the metallic scent, I guess.
I shook my head in confusion. “This is coming from the boy who throughout middle and high school teased everyone for being in music class – including me!” I nearly shouted.
Jason hung his head in shame. “I know...Eila scolds me for it enough, I don't need to hear it from you. I've matured since then, really. I understand that just because you are interested in music that doesn't make you a nerd.”
“That's good to know, at least,” I grumbled. “Was there any particular reason why you wanted me to come over here?”
“I thought you two might get along – considering you both like music and all,” he shrugged, “and I thought Salem might be more comfortable with you coming over sometime if he knew I wasn't going to try anything.”
“That is something that I hope never crossed your mind before,” Salem growled from behind me.
“I can't promise I never thought about it,” Jason replied and Eila stood and slapped him on the shoulder. “Hey, I’m sorry! I used to have a huge crush on Alex, but I promise you all of those feelings are gone. She’s just a friend. Just like Karen.”
What had this girl done to catch Jason's attention, and why did it bother me so much? She seemed friendly, if not a bit shy, and she was attractive...but what did they have in common? Then again, what did Jason and I have in common? I guess that was irrelevant.
“You two met at Howard's, you said?” I said, ending the silence.
“Yes,” Eila smiled, “It’s not the most romantic 'How did you two meet?' story, but it doesn't have to be. I was short a few cents and Jason told me not to worry about it, he would pay the extra. It was embarrassing at first.”
“Then I asked her out to eat, and things went from there.”
“
How long has this been going on?”
“A couple of weeks.”
“You two seem happy,” I said, wishing I could leave now that I knew she wasn’t any threat to my friends.
“Oh, we are!” Eila chimed in and grasped Jason's hand tightly.
I looked around the house, hoping to catch a glimpse of Mitchell hanging around somewhere. “Where'd your brother run off to?” I asked when I couldn't find him and didn't hear anything upstairs.
“He’s probably outside in his new car. He barely leaves that thing,” Jason laughed.
“I'm going to go talk to him, if you don't mind.” My question was directed at both Jason and Salem.
“Go ahead,” Jason said.
“I will wait here,” Salem replied, staring at Jason with distaste.
I headed out the front door. The lights were bright and shining almost directly in my eyes; however it didn't bother me to look straight into them. I could hear music roaring from the radio, smell the gasoline and oil from within the car. The vehicle was bright red and slick, much more appealing than my dull Alero. It was even more attractive than Jason's metallic blue PT Cruiser. I tapped gently on the driver side window but he didn't roll it down. As I prepared to knock again, I heard the doors unlock and walked to the passenger side and climbed in. The gray leather seat was comfortable and in just the right position to give me the perfect amount of leg room. My ears were overly sensitive to the sound blaring from the radio, so I covered my ears.
“Sorry,” Mitchell said as he turned off the stereo. “What are you doing out here?”
“I came to talk,” I replied.
He looked tense, tired and disheveled. Something was obviously bothering him.
“What about?”
“Well, first I wanted to congratulate you on the car!” I said and smiled, “I’m proud of you for keeping up with those hours for so long. I'm pretty sure I would’ve given up after day two.”
I was relieved to see his lips curve upward in a small, amused grin. “It was well worth it.”
“What kind of car is it?”
“It's a Mustang GT,” he replied, “I saved a lot to afford this baby!”