The Week I Was A Vampire

by Brittney Dussault

  The Week I Was A Vampire

  Brittney Dussault

  This book is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents, and dialogue are drawn from the author’s imagination, and are intended to be fictitious. Yes, the author does draw their inspiration from real life, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that vampires, werewolves, and such are real.

  Any resemblance to actual events or people, living or dead, is entirely coincidental. Unless you’re my brother Kyle. Him being the inspiration for Kyle the Werewolf was 100% intentional. He never reads my books, though, so he’ll never know.

  THE WEEK I WAS A VAMPIRE Copyright © 2013 by Brittney Dussault.

  All Rights Reserved

  including the rights to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form.

  Also by Brittney Dussault

  Fiction

  The Founders Trilogy

  The Red Eisling

  Hale, The Liar

  Here Lies Charlotte

  Poetry

  Silk

  Skylark

  The Great Good Thing

  The Week I Was A Vampire

  Sunday Night

  The Road To Hell

  Sunday night, and Jude Carstairs was on her way to a party. She was pretty sure she was going to hell for this. In the passenger seat, rocking away to the blaring music on the radio that sounded more like white noise than anything, sat Lux, her long violet hair tied in two braids. With her multi-colored headband, fringe adorned jacket, and standard scuffed combat boots, Jude’s best friend looked like a punk Princess Tiger Lily, a comparison that made the girl laugh when Jude told her.

  “Only you, Judy,” Lux sang before launching back into the riveting discussion they’d been having before they’d left Jude’s house earlier in the evening.

  “If you dyed your hair red,” Jude started to say, but Lux cut her off.

  “Only natural redheads turn into vampires when they die,” Lux said. “Gosh. Did you not read that essay I sent you?”

  The look on Jude’s face said it all, and even if it hadn’t, both girls knew Jude never read any of the books or essays Lux sent her on vampire lore. Simply put, it wasn’t her cup of tea, while Lux would, if she could, mainline the stuff straight into her system. Assuming, of course, she hadn’t already.

  “That doesn’t seem fair, though,” Jude mused as she turned onto a long and narrow road that sliced through the forest. Towering trees grew dense on either side, huddling close for warmth as January’s chill swept through the town. Her silver Volvo kicked up gravel and she slowed to a speed that had Lux rolling her eyes.

  “Judith Carstairs,” she said. “World’s Slowest Driver.”

  “I prefer safest,” Jude said. “And you didn’t answer my question.”

  “Because you didn’t ask one,” Lux said. “You did, however, make a fairly neat observation. Maybe there’s a way for redheads to die without becoming vampires. Or maybe they just step into the sun or stake themselves.”

  “So they die twice.”

  “Exactly,” Lux said, purple braids swishing as she bobbed her head in time to the music. She’d cranked the volume significantly lower so they could talk easily, but a staticky, trancelike music was still filling Jude’s car. If she wasn’t used to Lux’s strange taste in music, she’d have been officially creeped out by now.

  “I think they should get to choose,” Jude said. “I think they should be allowed a transition period, where they can either transition into a vampire, or go back to being human.”

  “Or in their case,” Lux said, “go back to being dead.”

  Jude nodded and slowed further, pulling in behind a rusty red pickup truck before turning off the car and with it, Lux’s music.

  “It just seems unfair,” Jude said, “that some people who are turned into vampires don’t get a say in it. Theoretically, of course.”

  Beside her, Lux groaned and her head thumped against the dashboard.

  “One day, Jude,” she said, “you’re going to believe me when I say vampires are real.”

  Unbuckling her seatbelt, Jude zipped up her brown winter jacket and made sure her scarf was snug around her neck before opening the car door.

  “Show me a vampire, Lux,” she said, “and I’ll believe you.”

  Lux followed as Jude stepped from the car, the two girls weaving their way through a hodgepodge of awkwardly parked cars. The music from inside the lake house could be heard loud and clear outside and Jude tugged out a packet of earplugs long before they reached the door.

  “I know it’s a hardship to come down off Mount Olympus and mingle with mere mortals,” Lux said as she started to peel of her jacket, revealing the Aztec patterned leggings and loose top she’d worn to dance class earlier that day, “but at

  least pretend to have fun, okay? I know it’s your birthday tomorrow and this is not how you want to spend your last night as a juvenile, but this is our senior year and we need to have fun.”

  “I’m all for fun,” Jude said as they stepped through the door and joined the crowd of partying teenagers. “I just prefer my fun to be of the legal variety.”

  Lux sighed in defeat before handing over her jacket to Jude, who was always put on coat duty at parties.

  “Have fun,” Lux said, “and don’t drink the Kool-Aid.”

  “Take your own advice,” Jude said before shooing her friend away as she removed her own scarf and jacket.

  Outerwear slung over her arm, Jude navigated her way through the familiar lake house that acted as a small snack shop and game room during the summer, but was party central this time of year.

  Perks of being the owner’s son, Jude supposed as she found her usual spot, blessedly vacant, and settled into the window seat.

  It was chilly on the outskirts of the crowd, but Jude was used to sitting by windows this time of year, and had the forethought to wear a warm, dark sweater. Last time, she’d made the grave error of wearing something baby pink and ended up sporting a few questionable stains, so this time, she’d thought ahead. Dark clothing, head to toe, and her snow boots had hard plastic covering the toes. Paired with the large book she was reading, Jude gave off the perfect anti-party vibe that was tried and true when it came to getting people to leave her alone. Or well, at least most people.

  He must be new,Jude thought as she spotted an unfamiliar brunette boy making his way through the crowd, eyes locked on the vacant space beside her. She started praying he’d trip and fall, or that Sheila Olsen, from gym, would intercept him and get him to dance. While Sheila played into dumb blonde jokes, there was no denying the girl knew how to get what she wanted and she had a predilection for dancing with strange guys at parties. If the newcomer didn’t qualify as a stranger, Jude’s ship was sunk and her private retreat would soon be under invasion.

  “Baby!” shrieked a familiar voice and Jude watched with barely subdued glee as Sheila wrapped her arms around the dark haired boy and tried to sway with him. She was saying something, but thanks to the club music blaring at a level that should’ve blown a speaker, Jude couldn’t hear what new story Sheila was weaving to convince the newcomer to dance with her.

  Had Jude not watched it happen, she never would’ve believed someone turned down a dance with Sheila, but low and behold, it happened. The boy said something to Sheila, whose face went strangely vacant for a moment, before she nodded her head and released him, stepping away and finding someone else to dance with. Jude watched the exchange slack jawed, which is how the newcomer found her.

  “Is this spot taken?” he asked and now that he was standing much closer, Jude could detect the slightest trace of an accent. British, perhaps?

  “Um,” she spluttered, trying to figure out a p
olite way to tell him to keep away from her sanctuary, while also wanting to figure out what he’d said to Sheila.

  “No,” she said and gestured to the empty half of the window seat. “Please, sit.”

  The boy-no, guy,she mentally amended, because there was nothing boyish about him up close- smiled gratefully before settling beside her. The window seat had been small to begin with, usually the perfect size for the petite Jude, so the strange duo were forced to sit with their knees touching as they watched the other partygoers.

  “I’m Daniel-”

  “Are you new here?”

  They spoke at the same time and while Jude blushed, Daniel simply laughed.

  “I’m Daniel Ward,” he said, “and yes, I’m new. My family and I just moved here from the city.”

  “But your accent,” Jude said and Daniel smiled, a dazzling sight to behold as his dark brown eyes lit up.

  “Originally from England,” he said. “London, actually, but I haven’t been there in a long time. I’m surprised my accent has survived.”

  “Just a bit,” Jude said. “You don’t mind if I ask why you moved from the city? I mean, don’t get me wrong, Holden is a great town, but I doubt it compares to the city.”

  “I like it,” Daniel said. “I’ve never been much for big cities. My sister, however, is having a hard time adjusting.”

  “How old is she?” Jude asked, wondering if Daniel was older or younger. If older, by how much? She was turning eighteen tomorrow and while that meant she was legal, she didn’t want to start off her first foray into adulthood by dating someone too much older than herself.

  And now I’m thinking like Lux,she thought. Great. Just great.

  “Sixteen,” Daniel said. “She’s around here somewhere.”

  “Sixteen?” Jude said. “Isn’t that a little young for a party like this?”

  Beside her, Daniel shrugged.

  “I couldn’t convince her not to come,” he said. “Being homeschooled like she is, she feels she lacks a social life. I’m just thankful she didn’t protest when I said I’d be going with her, even if parties aren’t my cup of tea.”

  Jude smiled at his expression before waving to Lux who stood on the other side of the room dancing with a baseball player.

  “My friend thinks I need a social life,” Jude said, “which is why I’m here. Also, she needs someone to keep an eye on her things.” She gestured to the fringed jacket sitting in her lap and Daniel frowned at it.

  “That’s a jacket?” he said. “Did she raid an old Western film?”

  Jude laughed and shook her head.

  “No,” she said, “although, I will let her know you said that. I called her a punk Princess Tiger Lily earlier.”

  When Daniel frowned, she pointed Lux out to him and watched understanding flood his face.

  “I see what you mean,” he said. “Now I’m curious; is that a wig she’s wearing?”

  “Nope,” Jude said. “She’s been dying her hair ever since middle school. I think she’s naturally blonde, but I couldn’t be sure. It’s been years since I’ve seen her natural hair color.”

  “And yours?” Daniel asked, catching a fiery red curl between his fingers.

  Jude’s hair was wavy, not from any particular styling she did, but because she was always twisting it up into a bun she kept in place with a pencil. Lux had stolen her pencil earlier in the evening, hence her hair was hanging loose down her back tonight. She couldn’t object too much, since it provided a thick curtain to hide behind, but now, with Daniel twirling a lock of her hair around his finger, she found herself wishing it were up.

  “Um, yes,” she said and when Daniel looked imploringly at her, she realized she hadn’t given an actual answer. “All mine. All natural. I’m too much of a coward to dye my hair.”

  “Or you just appreciate a good thing when you have it.” His expression darkened for a moment and Jude pulled away, extricating her hair from his grasp. Daniel apologized, promising he wasn’t normally so forward with strangers, which prompted a very Lux-like comment to slip out of Jude.

  “I’m Jude Carstairs,” she said and held out her hand. When Daniel shook it, she smiled. “Now we’re not strangers.”

  “A pleasure to meet you, Jude,” said Daniel with a quirk of his lips. He was looking at Jude in a way that made her feel like she was missing something and with a nervous laugh, she called him on it.

  “Don’t tell me I have something on my face,” she said and Daniel assured her she didn’t.

  “Jude isn’t a name you hear often,” he explained, “least of all for a girl.”

  Jude nodded and gnawed on her lower lip when the look on Daniel’s face was clearly prompting for a backstory.

  “You have to promise not to laugh,” she said.

  Daniel straightened up and saluted her before giving his word that he would not laugh. Satisfied, Jude explained.

  “It’s short for Judith,” she said.

  Daniel, she had to admit, made a valiant effort at keeping a straight face, but it didn’t take long for his shoulders to shake, betraying the laugh he was desperately trying to conceal.

  “You promised you wouldn’t laugh!” she said.

  Daniel threw his hands up in surrender as she glared at him before huffing and crossing her arms over her chest.

  “In my defense,” said Daniel, “I didn’t laugh out loud. And your name is not why I was laughing. Judith is a perfectly respectable name.”

  “It’s the name of an eighty year old woman,” Jude lamented, but Daniel seemed to disagree.

  “There’s a Book of Judith, you know,” he said, but Jude clearly didn’t know, so he elaborated. “There’s debate as to whether or not it’s legitimate, but nonetheless, there’s a Book of Judith.”

  “Is that supposed to mean something to me?” Jude said. While her family made a show of attending church most Sundays, she didn’t consider herself particularly religious. Oddly enough, it was Lux who was the more religious of the two, a fact that surprised most people. Then again, Lux did have an alternative way of dressing and was convinced her mother had been a witch before she settled down and married a dentist. But still, Lux had a brand of faith that could move mountains.

  “Judith killed an Assyrian commander,” Daniel said. “Beheaded him in his sleep, if I remember correctly.”

  “Great,” said Jude. “Not only am I named after an eighty year old woman, but now I share a name with a murderer?”

  “Warrior,” Daniel supplied. “I think the term warrior is a little more politically correct.”

  Jude cocked her head to the side and stared at him drolly.

  “I know sometimes you can’t help the first impression you make on someone, but I doubt anything in the last ten minutes has even hinted at the fact I’m a warrior.”

  Daniel smiled and leaned against the window, angling his body so he could keep Jude in his line of sight. It pressed their knees closer together and forced Jude to adjust her position as well.

  This seat is definitely not made for two,she thought now that her legs were practically in Daniel’s lap. He didn’t seem to mind, though, so she wasn’t about to complain.

  “People change,” he said. “Teenagers especially tend to change almost overnight. Young people never stay the same.”

  “Young people?” Jude said. “Yeah, because you’re so much older than I am.”

  Daniel smiled.

  “What I meant was, you might turn into a warrior yet.”

  “I’ll let you know when I start beheading people.”

  He laughed.

  “You’re not going to let that go, are you?”

  Stubbornly, Jude shook her head.

  “It’s not everyday a cute English guy draws a comparison between me and a woman who killed an army commander.”

  Shoot. Jude ducked her head as she realized she’d called Daniel cute to his face. What a Lux move. Although Lux could pull off flirty comments like that because nothing in the world could c
atch Lux off-guard. Embarrassment was not something she did. She was, wholly and irrevocably, the most unflappable person Jude knew.

  “Hey,” Daniel said. He pressed a hand against her shoulder and she tilted her head to look up at him.

  She was struck by how dark his eyes were. Always a fan of brown eyes and the way they caught the light, she was a bit disappointed to see that Daniel’s eyes were matte and nearly black. Maybe it was the sketchy lighting of the boathouse.

  Jude reached up and grabbed Daniel’s hand, pulling it away from her face, but hesitating to release it. His fingers curled around hers and while they didn’t say a word, she felt as though they were having an entire conversation. So long as Lux didn’t hear her say something like that, she wouldn’t care how cliched it sounded.

  “Well isn’t this touching.”

  Jude released Daniel’s hand like it was a burning coal and looked up at the towering blonde glaring down at her.

  If that’s not the living definition of ‘if looks could kill’,Jude thought,then I don’t know what is. She briefly wondered if this was Daniel’s girlfriend, an idea she wasn’t overly fond of, but her curiosity was quickly put to rest as Daniel greeted the latest invasion to Jude’s sanctuary.

  Person,Jude told herself,not an invasion. You are not a country. You cannot be invaded.

  “Jemima,” Daniel said, “I was wondering where you’d disappeared to. This is Jude Carstairs. Jude, this is my sister.”

  Jemima, who would’ve been the epitome of a blonde bombshell had she still not had the slightly waifish figure of a sixteen year old, looked down her nose at Jude with a barely repressed sneer. Actually, if Jude was honest, that sneer was out in full force and looking to reduce her to a pile of ash.

  “Nice to meet you, Jemima,” Jude said. “Daniel said you’re homeschooled? I know I’m a little older than you, but if you’d ever like someone to hang out with, my friend Lux and I would be happy to show you around Holden.”