Mr. FreeCut tried to communicate with me again. I could tell by looking into the old man’s eyes how desperately he was yearning for me to respond.
“I’m okay,” I managed to say.
His pale face turned lava-like. Mine did as well, but not for the same reason. After all the sneaky things I’d done that he now knew about, I was ready for him to kill me. But he didn’t look mad. In fact, his face was suddenly split by a wide smile.
“Well, I do have a lot of questions to ask you,” he said. “But those will come later. Right now, I’m just so happy that you’re alive.”
As the degrees passed and more blood flowed into me, the pain eased further. It felt like someone was inside of me, taking my broken bones and putting them perfectly back together. What a miracle.
The doctor came in and removed the tubes from my body. “You can go home now,” he said. “Just take it easy for the rest of the day. Your interior wounds have all healed thanks to the additional blood. But your exterior wounds may take a few more degrees to mend.”
I stood up, wobbly at first but okay. I glanced in a mirror. Wow I looked trashed; there were cuts and bruises all over my face.
Following Mr. FreeCut down the lengthy central hall of the hospital, we exited back into the refreshing outside air and walked to his car. Shockingly, there wasn’t a scratch on it. He remained silent as he started the engine. Guess he got it fixed. God, I was in trouble.
I was dead silent most of the drive home, and for good reason. So was Mr. FreeCut. But despite my fear of him exploding at me, I asked the first question. My curiosity was too great.
“How did I survive the fall?”
“You were very lucky,” he said. “You broke half the bones in your body, yet you still survived. And you were also lucky that somebody found you before you'd lost too much blood.”
I thought about who that might have been. Could my stalker actually have felt bad over what he'd done and called for help?
Putting this thought to one side, I asked: “How did I heal so quickly?”
“Fresh blood can do wonders for a wounded vampire, Janice. It can heal the brain, bones, heart - you name it.”
Damn. Thank goodness for blood.
We came to the house. Once inside, he hit me with the obvious question. “What happened to you, Janice? Why did you lie to me?”
I couldn’t say anything at first because I felt so guilty. Gradually though, I got up enough nerve to tell him how I couldn’t stand being cooped up in the house for so long. I told him about the job, and my horrible date, though I didn’t make any mention of my stalker. Instead, I said that the storm was to blame for the crash, and for me accidentally stumbling into the canyon.
Predictably, he was not happy, though he did not raise his voice too much. “You stole my car and you lied to me. You could have died. How stupid of you.”
That should have been my cue to start apologizing, but I couldn’t stop thinking about all the crap I’d been through. Those horrible scumbags like my stalker and the horny date from hell. The rude girl at work too. And all the people who looked at me and simply decided that I wasn’t good enough. I hit boiling point.
“I hate this place!” I screamed.
With tears in my eyes, I ran off to my room and locked the door, deciding there and then not to come out for the rest of the evening. I spent what felt like a long time gazing into my mirror, focusing on the tears running down my bruised face.
A degree later, Mr. FreeCut knocked on my door and called out.
“If that’s the way you want to be, Janice, that's fine. But if you’re gonna live under my roof, you have to show me some respect.”
“Well maybe I don’t want to live here!” I shouted back.
There was a long silence before he spoke again. “I’ve left some blood by your door. You’re gonna need it if you want to heal up, so I suggest you come out and get it. And by the way, you’re not in a prison. You don't have to stay in there all the time.”
Though I did drink the blood Mr. FreeCut left outside, I remained in my room for the rest of the night, angry and pissed off.
When morning came, I somehow found the energy to walk around my room, even though I was still emotionally a wreck. I checked my face in the mirror. The new blood had taken away all of the bruising. I now appeared as pale and beautiful as ever. At least, I thought I did.
I pondered over my job for a while. I didn’t feel like going in, but eventually decided to give it a try anyway and see how I did. Besides, I'd see Kate. She was nice.
Mr. FreeCut had already gone to work and kindly left me fresh blood-eggs and a new cup of blood. He'd left a note next to the meal, which read: 'Sorry if I acted a little harsh, especially since you’re new to me. Let’s have a better night tonight. I’m proud that you found yourself a job. Have a good day at work, and remember that you really are a gift to me.'
I was glad to read his letter and immediately felt better.
The good mood did not last long though. When on the train I grew angry again as I thought about all the abuse I’d taken.
After making it to work, Kate told me hello and asked how my weekend had been. I tried to be friendly and play it off, giving her no signs that I had almost been killed. I went to the restroom and slipped on my uniform.
Back outside, I met Mr. Slicer.
“Work hard today, Janice,” he said. “The tables are filling up fast.”
It certainly appeared more crowded than a few days ago. But I was ready.
Three blistering cups of blood were waiting on the counter. I went to grab them, but the crafty Hannah beat me to it. She smirked while stacking them in her right hand.
“Well, looks like I got here first, Ms. Creep. You probably won’t be doing much anyway, seeing as how you move so slow.”
I frowned at her, but she just giggled. I so wanted to pound her, though that wouldn’t be too smart considering this was my first real day on the job. Instead, I got my hands on some very hot blood and stacked two cups like the last time, not daring to do three.
While delivering these to a couple of customers I heard whispers drifting across from some other tables about the way I walked, how my hair was done, and the fact that I wasn't wearing any heavy makeup. I ground my fangs and couldn’t wait to get away from them. It just seemed like the abuse was never going to end. I couldn’t take much more if it.
“You've got to move quicker,” the manager told me forcefully. “Stack more cups.”
I returned to the counter. More cups were ready - three to be exact. I thought I’d try to stack these. However, Hannah jumped in front of me.
“Still creeping along, huh? I bet I can menstruate more blood than you can get to the tables,” she giggled.
That was it. I’d had enough.
“Well,” I said. “If you’re gonna do that, you’re gonna have to lick it off the floor, bitch.”
I swatted at her cups. All three fell to the floor, splattering boiling blood everywhere, including a little bit on her hand. She’d live.
“You bloody BITCH!” she shouted.
Then a voice sounded from right behind me. “What are you doing?”
I turned and gazed straight into Mr. Slicer’s eyes, showing no emotion.
“Go change your clothes and then get the hell out of here,” he ordered. “You’re fired.”
FIREBALL
While changing, I should have cried over what had just happened. But I didn't. Somehow, I held my head high.
Storming out, I threw my uniform on the counter and didn’t look back. Kate came running up to me.
“Don’t let it get to you,” she said. “I saw the way Hannah was treating you. She deserved it. Anyway, there are better jobs than this out there.”
She gave me a piece of paper with directions written on it and told me that she and her friends were going to play a game called fireball. I was invited.
“Thank you,” I said.
Leaving hell behind, I very soon r
an into more of the same as Rob with his fiery hair appeared from almost nowhere. What a devil!
“Look Janice,” he began, “I just want to apologize for the way I treated you last night. You’re way too precious to be spoken to like that.”
Amazingly, I maintained my composure without popping him in the face.
“I have some time off tonight,” he continued. “How about me and you hanging out again? I’ll take you to another great place to eat. Or should we go shopping?”
I saw right through the fake smile engraved on his pretty face.
“Apology accepted,” I said, coughing over my words. “But I’m going to have to say…uh….no.”
Like before, he was not satisfied.
“That’s not a good choice,” he warned. “You’re gonna be crying blood to see me. Just you wait.”
I turned away and trotted down the hall, expecting him to follow. But he didn’t. And if he had, I’d have bitten him in the balls. That was, if he had any.
For the rest of the day I sat and thought about everything that had happened to me since arriving in Vampire World, right up to me getting canned. I should have felt my worst. But no. For some reason, I was actually feeling pretty good.
Mr. FreeCut arrived home from work looking tired and reeking of blood. In a bag he carried were two hefty burgers smothered with blood. Tasty!
“After the tough time we had last night, I thought I'd splurge a little,” he said.
I ate my bloodburger and downed another cup of blood. So refreshing. So good.
“I’m sorry for stealing your car,” I admitted.
“And I’m sorry for forgetting that you're a young lady who shouldn’t be locked up inside a house all day long.”
I giggled, knowing that we were both right.
He asked me how my first day at work had been. I’d had enough of the lies.
“I got canned.”
“Oh,” he said. “Well, don’t lose any sleep over it. Many vampires think losing a job is the worst thing in the world. But sometimes it gives us freedom from a job we don’t want and opens a door to better things. Did you really want to be a blood hostess anyway?”
“Not really. I just kind of picked it so I could find work.”
“So what do you really want to do then?”
I thought about this for a little while.
“Something with clothes,” I replied. “I’ve always been interested in fashion. At least, I think I have.”
He reminded me of the 'Help Wanted' sign at Vampire Supermarket. Yes. That would be an awesome place to work. I’d go apply there as soon as I could.
After we'd finished our meal I gathered the nerve to tell him the truth about the wreck, and how I was being chased by a stalker.
“There are bad people in this world who will try to take advantage of a pretty and innocent young vampire like yourself,” he told me. “But don’t let this scum bring you down. File a police report against him. Most importantly, you should learn how to defend yourself.”
He left the room and returned moments later carrying a small glass flask with a string attached. A brown substance was inside.
“This should help you,” he said. “It's called vampire urb. Inside are finely crushed seeds and grains. Just throw a tiny portion of it on any vampire troubling you and it will give them a quite painful but temporary burn. Try to aim for the eyes and mouth of your attacker.”
I thanked Mr. FreeCut and placed the flask around my neck. It sat there snugly beside the chain-like necklace.
The bond between us was growing. I was genuinely beginning to love Mr. FreeCut; he was starting to feel like a real father figure.
“I put twenty-five more Carns on your card,” he said. “That's as much as I could possibly afford right now. Please use it wisely this time.”
“Thank you. I will.”
“Oh, there is one more thing I want to give you, Janice. You’re a young vampire, so I got you on a cheap plan. Hope you enjoy.”
He handed me something palm-sized and oval shaped. Looking at it harder, it appeared to be a replica of a vampire mouth with fangs jutting out in both directions.
“Pull it open,” he instructed.
I opened the mouth, being careful not to stab myself. A screen appeared, with buttons and numbers sitting below it. I felt a surge of happiness. A phone!
“Use it only for emergencies. That is, until you get another job and can afford to put more degrees on it.”
I thanked him for the gift. Where would I be without him? Certainly not here. Most likely I'd still be locked up in that atrocious orphanage with that crazy Bitebitch woman.
After watching an exciting television show about a psycho vampire killer with Mr. FreeCut, I went into my room and called Kate on my new phone, telling her I would meet her at the Fang Recreation Center tomorrow. This was pretty close to downtown, so I’d be able to apply for a job at Vampire Supermarket at the same time. It was funny how a bad thing like getting canned could sometimes turn things around.
Before settling down to sleep, I remembered the letter from my secret stranger. It was still tucked away inside my desk. I read it again, then placed it deep inside my purse so that no one would find it, including Mr. FreeCut.
I felt so good as I stepped into my coffin. It looked like tomorrow was gonna be a busy day. On top of the other stuff, I’d also have to stop by the Skull Library to figure out whatever this secret was supposed to be. It may be nothing but bull. On the other hand, it might just be something important.
The next day, I woke up refreshed.
Wearing the somewhat fashionably decent shirt I'd bought for my disastrous date with Rob, I put Mr. FreeCut’s chain and flask of creep repellent around my neck. Then, holding my cute purse, I peered into the mirror. My eyes were instantly drawn to my baggy pants and ridiculous shoes. If I could find a job and hold on to it, the first thing I was going to buy was some sexy jeans. But at least I had the purse for now.
Using my card with a few more Carns on it thanks to Mr. FreeCut's generosity, I decided to head for the recreation center first. I checked my watch, remembering that Kate had said to meet her at seventy degrees before sunsets.
The train ride was pretty uneventful, but after arriving close to downtown and climbing up from the tunnel, I realized that I was lost. Everywhere I looked there were nothing but crumbling warehouses. I called Kate on the cell and asked her for directions. After more turns down uninviting alleyways, I eventually came to a large crimson building with a sign on it that told me I had at last found the Fang Recreation Center.
A crowd of raucous vampires were loitering in front as I passed by. I got stares, but they didn’t bother me when I saw Kate waiting for me. I ran up to her.
“Thanks for coming” she said gleefully. “Come this way. I want you to meet some cool people.”
Dressed in becoming dark clothes and wearing cute rubicund heels, she led the way inside. The place was massive; it was like stepping into another world. I looked for walls and a ceiling, but couldn’t find any. There were ruby stars all around me, lighting up the place with a hazy glow. Directly ahead I could see several groups of animated vamps ferociously hitting balls at each other.
“This is fireball, level one,” Kate said.
The vampires were in groups of four, spread apart on a black square. The square was divided into four sections by thin boundaries of flames that shot up about a foot off the ground. Each vampire grabbed a ball and hit it over the flames as hard as they could to the other player.
“I want you to meet my friends,” Kate continued.
She introduced me to April, a tall lanky vampire with a pretty face, multiple piercings including a double nose ring, and a fabulous hairstyle of knots and spikes.
Next I met Marsha, another scantily dressed vampire wearing a tight tank top and cute jeans. Though she lacked the piercings of April, she had some visually stunning glow-in-the-dark tats on her arms and shoulders. As she turned around, a remarkable
three-dimensional tattoo of a vampire’s mouth on her lower back flashed before me.
“Do you like it?” Marsha said.
I nodded my head to confirm that I did.
“Well, it cost me over three hundred Carns. Trust me, I’m not as rich as you think. It’s just something I really wanted. I sacrificed a lot of other things to get it.”
Next I met the guys. Kate introduced me first to Darren, a short stocky fellow with jet black hair and a glowing tattoo of flames that surrounded his mouth. Wearing a leather clad shirt decorated with jagged spikes, I reckoned he must have owned a hot motorbike.
Then I was introduced to a tall vampire called Brett. He had a muscular yet lean body, clear pale skin, and long, jet-black hair. For the first few seconds, while looking into his rather endearing face, I wasn't so very impressed. I didn’t see many tats on him like others, and absolutely no piercings. Dressed in a plain red shirt and forgettable dark pants, he was different. In fact, he was almost abnormal. But not in a bad way.
“Hello,” I said.
Brett told me hello back. And when he spoke, an icy cold flowed down my spine. Even so, I didn’t shiver. In fact, it felt great.
“Well, let’s go get our shoes,” Kate said.
I followed her and her friends to a bar shrouded in a dense mist. The clerk, a beefy guy with prickly lavender hair so sharp it looked like blades were edging out of his scalp, asked us what size shoes we wore. He then handed us pairs of nifty tennis shoes that glowed in the dark.
I couldn’t wait to take off my crappy shoes and put on something comfortable and cute. After Kate and the other girls had replaced their high heels with loafers, I was certainly now the tallest of us four.
Kate was several inches shorter than me. “Wow,” she said. “You really look great, Janice.”
Enjoying the attention, I grinned.
We made our way past a bunch of occupied game squares and seemed to walk a mile through the misty darkness before finally finding a free square.
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