“I was just thinking that it would have been nice if you were from some town where my family had lived, that way you might have been able to help me fill in some of the gaps in my research.”
“That doesn’t sound like homework,” he frowned.
“I finished a little while ago. I was just working on some genealogy stuff while you finished up.”
He sighed and said “I guess I might have been able to help, if I’d known them that is. None of them lived in Ulster County I take it?”
“No. In New York, mostly Allegany County. They emigrated there from Rhode Island back before you were born,”
“Rhode Island? It’s nice there. I’ve been a few times over the years.”
“I used to go all the time when I was a kid. My mother grew up there. Her family’s been living in the same area of Washington County since the sixteen hundreds.”
He looked up when I said that last part.
“Did you say Washington County?”
“Yes, the area around Hopkinton and Westerly mostly.”
“Humm …”
“You’re doing it again.”
“What?” he asked.
“Humm-ing.”
“Oh, sorry. It’s probably nothing. I’ll be done in a minute and then we can go if you’re ready.”
“Sure, no hurry. I need to make a few copies so I’ll just run down stairs for a few minutes and be right back.” I picked up my papers and headed for the stairs.
About fifteen minutes later I came around the corner to find Daniel sitting in my chair while looking at something on my laptop.
“I hope you don’t mind,” he said at my approach. “I finished my work and was curious to see some of your research.”
I came around the table to stand behind him and peered over his shoulder at the screen.
“I don’t mind, but genealogy is kind of boring to most folks if it isn’t their own family.”
“Well, they don’t have my – unique perspective on history, I guess you could say. I find it very interesting. You’ve got a lot of good information here, especially on your mother’s side, the Wells family.”
“They left a lot to find. They also made it easier by not moving around a lot. Are you ready to go?”
We packed up our things and walked out into the cool night air. For some reason, he didn’t say much of anything as we strolled along. Once again he seemed deep in thought about something. I was beginning to notice he had the tendency to be the brooding introspective kind of person. Not that I minded. I suppose I was kind of like that myself. Whatever he was mulling over under that head of his, from his facial expression I got the impression he probably didn’t want to talk about it. I’ll admit, I wanted to know what occupied his mind so fully at times like this, but I let it be.
Needing to hear the sound of his voice, I said “We’ve got some time now, how about telling me what happened to the Professor.”
He walked me over to a picnic table in the middle of the quad and sat down.
“I’m kind of surprised you haven’t asked me about him before now,” he started with.
“Why is that?”
“When I said I had a mentor who taught me how to be the kind of vampire I am, who did you think I was talking about?”
That was when it hit me.
“The Professor?”
My mouth dropped open as he nodded.
“You’re telling me that Professor Walker is a vampire?”
WHAT! How many of them were there roaming the streets of New Paltz?
“Yes. He found me right as I was being attacked by the one who made me and scared him off before he could finish what he’d started. The Professor took me in and raised me like a son. I think he was lonely; he’d been alone for a long while. We’ve been together ever since.
“I’ll be honest; I’m not exactly sure where he is right now. He took off suddenly that night and wouldn’t tell me where he was going. He calls me every now and then to check in, but he’s being very mysterious. And to be honest I don’t like it. I get the feeling there’s a lot more going on than he’s telling me.”
I could see he was worried. He was frowning. As he did, it created a small crinkle between his eyebrows. It fascinated me and I had to fight the urge to reach up and delicately trace it with my fingers.
“Wow. I’m sorry, but I still can’t get over that he’s one too. How many of you are there in New Paltz?”
“Usually it’s just the two of us. We have some friends that visit from time to time, but none have been around for a while now. – And then there’s the blood hunter.”
I was beginning to see that there was a whole other world out there that I’d never realized existed before. It was a world populated with mythical creatures that weren’t quite so mythical to me anymore. I had to wonder what else lived in this new world. If vampires existed, what else did? At this moment, I didn’t want to ask. I was afraid of the answer, afraid that even more of what I perceived of my world before Daniel had been an illusion. I knew he wasn’t giving me all the details of the story, that what he had said was its broad strokes at best, but that was fine with me – for the time being. I think it was all I could handle tonight. The rest would have to keep until I was ready to deal with it.
I looked at my watch.
“I should probably be getting you home. I think I’ve been keeping you out late and you need your rest,” Daniel said, rising from the bench.
He walked me over to the front of Capen Hall and stopped on the paved flagstone area in front of the entrance.
“So … your friend Ryan.”
“What about him?”
“He likes you.” There wasn’t even the faintest hint of humor in his voice.
“Of course he does, we’re friends.”
I was deliberately being obtuse and praying he wouldn’t notice.
“He wants more from you than friendship – much more.”
“What do you mean? He’s a buddy, I enjoy his company.”
“I mean, he wants you – in an ungentlemanlike manner and I don’t like it.”
I couldn’t help but smile.
“It’s not amusing, Sara. I have half a mind to – ”
“To what? And yes, it is kind of amusing. One guy might, and I stress might like me while you have most of the female half of the student body lusting after you. And you choose Ryan to be, I don’t know – jealous of?”
“Jealous?” He said the word as if he hadn’t considered it before. “Well, I don’t like it. I’ve seen the way he looks at you and I – well, I don’t like other men thinking they can have what’s mine.”
“Yours?” I practically choked out in surprise.
Again, he thought about his words as if they’d said themselves without his consent.
“I suppose so,” he finally answered as if he was coming to terms with something in his mind.
Now it was my turn to think about his choice of words. But my ponderings would take much longer than his had. He looked at me as if expecting some adverse reaction, but I just stared up at him blankly.
His? Is that how he thought of me?
Dating? I think we’d just left dating behind in the dust.
After we said goodnight, I walked over to the base of the stairs leading up to the second floor. A young couple standing off in the corner of the small lobby were saying their goodnights. They were kissing and didn’t notice how I paused to watch them for a moment. Standing there, I experienced a momentary flash of envy, but it didn’t last long. It was a trade off, and I think I was okay with that. I had Daniel in whatever way I could have him, and that was good enough … for now.
Chapter Nine
SARA
The week passed quickly. I saw Daniel everyday either in class or for evenings in the library. I’d rather have gone out in the evenings and done something different, but he wanted to make sure I kept up my grades. I had to assume that went part and parcel with dating a teacher, and really I didn’t min
d. It gave me unlimited hours in which I could observe him in silence, studying him.
Daniel, the man.
Daniel, the vampire.
Somehow I felt like he fell in-between these two descriptions of him.
On Friday evening he came by the Student Union cafeteria to pick me up after I’d eaten with my friends. When I first caught sight of him coming around the corner in my direction, I was really hoping we weren’t going to the library on a Friday night. Hard as I tried, I couldn’t tell what he was thinking as he approached.
He slipped down into the seat beside me and whispered in my ear “Hey, gorgeous.”
Oh, that smile …
I glanced around the room as if looking for the beautiful woman he was talking to, then looked into his eyes and whispered back “I knew you’d leave me for one of those blonde bimbos eventually.”
He frowned and muttered “As if.”
“Hi, Daniel,” Tabitha said cheerfully.
Looking up from their food, the boys also said hello, maybe a little less enthusiastically. Ryan was getting better. He no longer scowled at Daniel, but he still didn’t say much without a hint of sarcasm. It had only been a week so I wasn’t too worried. I think he’d come around to an acceptance of Daniel like the rest of them given enough time.
“Good evening,” Daniel said back to the table. “So what’s everybody got planned for the weekend?”
After going around the table, Daniel turned to me.
“What about you?’
“Well now, I don’t know. I’m game for anything as long as it doesn’t involve going to the library.”
“It’s supposed to be a nice night tonight, how about walking into town and seeing what’s going on?”
I agreed, but then again, I’d have agreed to anything he suggested as long as it meant spending time together.
We left them in the cafeteria then walked back to the dorm so I could drop off my things. As I approached my door, Daniel took my keys and opened it for me.
“That’s sweet, but I can open a lock by myself you know.”
“Sorry, old habits die hard,” he replied, handing me back my keys as he followed me in. He stood in the middle of the room and looked around.
“Oh, that’s right, you’ve never been in here before, have you?”
He didn’t answer, but looked at the disorganized piles of papers and books on top of my desk.
“Sorry about the mess. Some of us have to sleep for eight hours and don’t have that extra time to keep the place as neat as your house. Have a seat.” I gestured towards Darcy’s desk chair.
He sat down and watched me fish out a pair of walking shoes and my good jacket from the closet. After I changed shoes, I looked up from where I sat on the edge of my bed. He was smiling at me.
“What?” I asked.
“You’re very graceful to watch.”
“Putting on my shoes?”
“Yes, but also most every other minute of the day as well. There’s a fluidity to your movements – like a dancer, but maybe not so practiced. I can’t quite put my finger on it, but it will come to me.”
“That’s a compliment, right?”
“Most certainly,” he said, standing up to join me at the door.
As I pulled on my jacket, I tried to hide my discomfort with his compliment. It was meant kindly, but it only served to remind me of how I’d achieved that gracefulness and the secrets I was hiding from him.
Wandering in and out of a few bookstores browsing around, we walked down Main Street where most of the shops, restaurants and college bars of New Paltz were located. Slowly but surely, the streets started to over populate with college students looking to start the weekend off right by drinking far too much as was good for them.
“I could make a small fortune selling fake IDs in this town,” Daniel said, as we watched a crowd of obviously under aged students filing into The Gryffon, a popular bar at the bottom of Main Street. I’d heard people in a couple of my classes saying it was something of a dive, but a lot of fun as well. By the decrepit look of it, I tended to wonder how true that was.
“I was kind of wondering if you already had one,” I said as we started down South Chestnut Street back in the direction of campus. “A fortune that is. That’s um … quite a house you live in.”
He sort of laughed to himself.
“Yes, I suppose it is. It probably would have been more prudent to build something less grand, but we both love architecture too much to live in a box. Yes, the Professor and I both have quite a bit of money, more than we could ever spend. It’s not hard to acquire when you live as long as we do. It’s been my experience that our longer perspective on life allows us to spot the best long term investments early on. That, and learning the benefits of compounding interest when you’re young is always a plus.”
“The house isn’t the only thing that gives you away,” I said as we continued along.
“Really, what else?” His interest was peeked.
“Your clothes for one. You should probably inject a bit more Wal-Mart into your wardrobe if you want to appear less conspicuous.”
He rolled his eyes at this idea.
“And your car,” I continued.
“Alright, I get the point,” he laughed holding up his hands in defeat. “It isn’t easy you know. It’s like knowing the joys of first class and then being forced to fly coach for the rest of your life.”
“Is it really so bad back in coach? I’ve been living there my whole life.”
“No, I suppose not, but maybe I’ll let you see what first class is like some time. Perhaps then you’ll understand my perspective a little better.”
“Perhaps. So I’m left to wonder, why? Why, if you have all this money are you working as a teaching assistant?”
“Two reasons mostly. It helps us blend in. We’d be a lot more conspicuous if we were seen as eccentric millionaires living a reclusive lifestyle.
Ah, yes. Professor Walker. I’d almost forgotten about him.
“And the second reason?”
“Work keeps our minds busy. It helps to keep yourself focused on a specific task when you’re trying to constantly repress part of who you are. There’s also a lot of time to kill when you’re practically immortal. Plus we enjoy teaching, the Professor especially. I’d also add that being what we are, it would be very easy to slip into a perverted mentality, that we are somehow superior to humans. If we lived a life separate from them, it would just be that much easier to believe it. Keeping constant contact with them, helps keep us grounded in the reality that we aren’t superior, only different. Probably inferior really.”
As we walked along we reached the boundary of campus and entered an almost empty parking lot. Glancing over at the far corner, I spotted his car parked in the shadows.
“I really do like your car,” I commented.
He smiled with pride.
“It’s very shiny – even in the dark. How often do you wax it?”
He stopped short and looked at me as if that was the worst backhanded compliment he’d ever heard.
Lowering his eyes at me, he asked “Do you know how to drive a stick?”
I nodded.
“I think it’s time you tried some first class.” Then he began to steer me in the direction of his car.
“I’m going to try not to take this as an insinuation that my car is coach.” I smiled.
“I’m not insinuating it, Red, that’s a fact.”
I stopped.
Red? Oh, my hair.
“Hey now, don’t go knocking my baby. She may not be much to look at, but she’s never let me down,” I said feigning offense. Heck, I think I was a little offended at his disparaging remarks about my trusty sidekick.
“Humph,” was his only response. As we approached his car, he handed me the keys then opened the drivers’ door for me.
“What kind of car is this anyway?” I asked as I got in. “Is it just me or are there no markings on it to tell you.”
“It’s a Ferrari 458 Italia. And no, there are no markings. I had them removed in an attempt to be less conspicuous.”
“It didn’t work,” I said completely deadpan.
He smiled and shook his head.
“You’re going to need to adjust the seat.”
As he closed the door behind me I murmured “Something tells me you’re going to regret this.”
Ignoring my comment, he slid down beside me and pointed.
“Okay, now back it out slowly and take South Chestnut out of town.”
I did as he asked, driving very carefully. I’d already learned a few spots that the local cops liked to stake out on a regular basis. I drove slowly past them until we were outside the town limits and on the long strip of road that led up into the mountains.
For a moment he stared out the front window as if in a trance, then said “Don’t worry, there aren’t any police officers around.”
“How can you tell?”
“Humm … it’s hard to describe, but vampires can pick up on the emotional states of humans. It’s not like reading minds; you can’t tell exactly what they’re thinking. It’s more empathic. Cops behind a radar gun give off a certain vibe that you learn to pick up on after you’ve been pulled over a few times.”
“I would imagine so,” I muttered, trying to picture Daniel being pulled over by a lady cop.
I rounded a corner leading into one of the straight aways and floored it, effortlessly changing gears to get maximum speed. A few moments later, I looked down at the speedometer. It was moving past a hundred.
“Okay, I’ll admit,” I said begrudgingly, “it’s got a bit more pep than my Aveo.”
He just shook his head and smiled. I think he was holding back what he really wanted to say.
Approaching a series of turns I’d become familiar with, I slowed down only a little from the speed of a hundred and twenty that I’d reached. He didn’t look alarmed at first.
“You might want to slow down a little,” he finally said.
But I didn’t. I entered the next curve at just the right speed to help catapult me into the next curve and continued to do so for a series of turns. When we reached the next straight away, I gunned it again and went even faster.
The Purity of Blood: Volume I Page 22