Well, it looked like I'd discovered another great date idea for tomorrow night. And the good news was that entry to the observatory was most probably free. I fell comfortably asleep in my coffin, dreaming of Brett and ready for an exciting first day at work.
The next morning I fixed my hair the best I could, wore my pretty shirt Kate gave me and made my way to the train.
It didn’t take me long to get to downtown. Within a few degrees I was outside the splendid Vampire Supermarket. I knew it was going to be challenging, especially with my disability. But I had to hold my head up and try. Besides, it couldn’t be worse than the blood café. And I loved working with clothes. Maybe I’d even get a good staff discount so I could afford some decent vampire wear.
Inside, Mrs. FangCut greeted me.
“Well Janice, I'm glad to see you could make it. You’re gonna love it here. For the next week I’ve assigned you with Mira. She’s going to guide you through our sales procedures and help you deal with the customers.”
Mira, a tall and attractive vampire with a typical knotty hair style and ruby red lips, smiled a hello at me.
“I’ve assigned you to the women’s department,” Mrs. FangCut continued. “Don’t worry about any sales goals this week. Just learn the ropes and relax. You’re going to do fine.”
After she left, Mira directed me to my department. At first I was intimidated by her, what with her wonderful hair and tight shirt laced with impressive 3-D artwork.
“You look nervous,” she said. “Just relax. You'll be okay.”
Surrounding me were the canyon-like shelves stacked with shirts and other clothes. Some of the shelves towered way up out of sight. Long ladders were needed to reach the upper sections.
“The hardest part is learning the inventory,” Mira continued. “We stock so many different shirts that women vampires like. I’ve been working here forever and I still don’t know everything we keep.”
She handed me a heavy book from a nearby table. “Here is the inventory for this section. Whenever a customer asks you about an item and you don’t know where it is in the store, use this to help you find it.”
I flipped through the book. The listings were endless – everything from glow-in-the-dark tank tops with blood-drenched spikes on them, to bikini tops with miniature skulls attached. There were so many different shirts, I was both amazed and overwhelmed at the same time.
Two customers approached us.
“Just relax and watch,” Mira said. “I’ll handle this.”
Two teenage vampire girls, each with jet black hair tied in knots a mile wide and sporting triangular shaped nose rings, stood in front of us.
“Can you find me the shirt with the bloody vampire head bashed in?” one of them asked.
“And I’m looking for the shirt with the bloodsucker on the front,” her companion added.
I heard the bloodsucker girl whisper to her friend. “I like it because it makes my boobs look bigger.”
“Boobs? What boobs?” the other replied. “You’re only thirteen, girl.”
“The bloodsucker shirt is on a display shelf in aisle two,” Mira said to me. “As for the bashed head shirt, I’ll have to look that one up.”
She rapidly flipped through the book, telling me to pay attention.
“You see, it’s right here in section 6-G-32. The number six at the start of the reference means six levels up. Follow me.”
Mira pushed one of the super tall ladders that rolled against the shelves. They were so tall, I couldn’t even see their tops. I hoped I wasn’t scared of heights. If I was, this job was bloody toast.
She advised me to watch her as she climbed the shelf. Soon Mira was so high that she vanished into the dark red ceiling.
I noticed the two young customers checking me out and could hear what they were saying.
“I can’t believe that cheap bimbo wearing her hair straight and down is actually working here.”
“Yeah, just look at her pants. And they expect her to sell clothes? What a joke.”
I was tempted to tell those little bloodsuckers a piece of my mind. But I remained strong and kept my mouth shut. Besides, I couldn’t let two immature vamps ruin my day.
As Mira made her way down the ladder, I told myself to block out any negative thoughts that might hurt my job performance. I was gonna do well at this job. And I wasn’t gonna let anything stop me.
Mira gave the shirt to the bratty teens and thankfully they departed. After that, I watched her help several more customers before lunchtime came around.
“After lunch, it’s your turn,” she told me.
Sitting in the empty lunch room, I was too nervous to eat. I thought of Brett and decided to call him on the cell, even though I only had limited credit. Now would be a good time to ask him about meeting up at the observatory.
His voice resembled an angel’s. He accepted my offer, though he did ask why I had chosen such a destination.
“I’ve always wanted to see what’s beyond those patches of green in the sky,” I told him.
He laughed kindly and told me they were called clouds. I said I had to let him go because I didn’t have many degrees left on my phone. I wished I could have chatted with him all day long.
I was more than ready to do a fine job when I faced the second half of the day. On the floor, an aging vampire with flaky green skin embraced both Mira and me.
“I’m going to a death party because my mother passed away,” she said. “I’m looking for the black dress with live beating hearts imprinted on it.”
Mira glanced at me. “Okay, you’re on your own.”
She handed me the book. Where did I begin? I flipped through it, confused.
“Let me give you a hint,” Mira said. “Start at dresses.”
Okay, that made sense. I found the dress tab and started searching. I knew I was taking too long, but there were so many dresses of different sizes and colors. Some carried 3-D images, while others had objects like skulls, stars, and bloody bones imprinted on them. There were also some others with pretty freaky things I didn’t want to think about. Eventually, I found the black dress I was looking for.
“Section 9-E-36,” Mira said. “I’ll help you with the ladder. But you’re the one who's going to go up there and get it. That’s all the way to the top, by the way. You’ll be fine though.”
She pushed the ladder to the right section. I gulped and began to climb, completely unable to see the top. As the height increased, so I started to feel a bit dizzy. I peered down and could barely make out Mira or the customer’s face. My hands were sweating from where I was gripping the ladder so tightly. I could feel myself shaking. I felt like climbing down and saying the hell with this job.
But I couldn’t do that. Pushing myself as hard as possible, I continued to climb past hundreds and hundreds of outlandish shirts, dresses and nightgowns. I finally reached the top and tried not to look down. Seeing the dress I was searching for, I immediately grabbed it.
Something moved, making my hand jump away again. I was stunned to see what looked like three very real beating hearts attached to the dress. Jeez, was that sick. I thought it would just be artwork. Blood from the thumping hearts had trickled onto my hand, making it more slippery and harder to grasp the ladder.
Taking a deep breath, I picked up the dress again and made my way down out of the clouds back to the freakin planet. After my feet touched the ground, I felt an incredible burst of confidence when handing the lady her dress. She thanked me profusely before leaving.
“Wow,” I said, feeling good. “It’s so much higher when you’re up there.”
“Yeah,” Mira replied. “You did good, girl. We’ll work on your speed.”
I helped a few more customers before the end of the day. I was scared shitless during every climb, but on each occasion I did it a little quicker and gained a touch more courage.
Mira said I was doing well, and I felt pretty good as the workday came to a close.
“Tomorr
ow, you should be able to start on your own,” Mira said. “If you run into trouble, I’ll be close by.”
I left my job feeling fabulous. The day had gone well. Now I could focus solely on Brett.
That evening I told Mr. FreeCut about my first day at Vampire Supermarket, and about my date that night. He seemed proud.
“Stay safe tonight, and have a good time,” he told me.
I waited for Brett outside on the porch and watched Garlic Moon. It was so nice of him to pick me up, not to mention romantic.
He pulled up in his shabby, uniquely sexy car and opened the door. Our arms were all over each other before we'd even climbed inside. In his midnight-dark jeans and a tight T-shirt that clung to his chiseled abs, I wanted to melt into him.
“Let’s go have some fun,” he said.
We laughed together.
On the way, Brett looked into his rear view mirror a surprisingly high number of times.
“What’s the matter?” I asked.
“I don’t know. I have a bad habit of thinking someone is following me. I need to stop it.”
I peered behind and saw a sporty car with flames along its side. I couldn’t make out the driver.
“You’re gonna love the observatory,” Brett said, starry-eyed. “You’ll be able to see the ten thousand foot canyons and craters of Garlic Moon up close. And there are some really cool planets to check out.”
After passing through downtown, we took a sharp left and climbed a ridge. Then I saw it. A dark granite dome shaped like a skull rising magnificently out of the ground.
“There it is,” said Brett. “Bloodmore Observatory.”
SECRET AT THE OBSERVATORY
I clutched Brett’s hand as we approached the remarkable dome.
He seemed apprehensive. I asked him what was the matter, but he was a bit evasive.
“Like I said at the cemetery, I need to tell you something. But let’s go check out some planets first.”
We entered the dome. It was gloomy inside and not very crowded, though there was a small line of vamps standing behind an imposing red telescope.
A voice spoke over a loudspeaker. “Step right up and see the beautiful landscape of Garlic Moon.”
I put my arms around Brett’s waist while we waited in line. Then it was my turn to look. I climbed the spiral staircase that led to the telescope and gazed into the lens. Garlic Moon was breathtaking up close. Though the light bothered me at first, my eyes adjusted. I could make out mountains, canyons, and fascinating mile high craters.
It was hard to stop looking, but I pulled back and headed down the steps. When Brett climbed up to take a look, I realized that this might be my chance to search for the secret.
I spotted the bookshelf against the wall and stealthily moved over to the left side of it to see if a hidden doorway existed. I couldn't find one. Then I remembered the note telling me that I had to press against the wall. But there wasn't time to find the right spot. Brett was already heading back down from the telescope.
“That was really cool, huh?” he said.
“Yeah,” I told him. “I felt like I was actually there, floating above it.”
The telescope operator made an announcement.
“Now we will be viewing three planets called the vampire trio. They get this name from their vampire-like colors. One is blood-red, another is green, and the largest one is black.”
I could tell Brett was just as excited as I was when the roof rotated and the telescope adjusted.
Soon it was my turn to take another look. The view was fang dropping. I discovered that these planets, just like Garlic Moon, were circular in shape. The red one really did resemble a huge rock covered in blood, which was quite fitting. I climbed back down feeling awestruck.
But this feeling quickly passed. The secret was what I'd really come here for, and it was time to make my move. As soon as Brett climbed up to take another peek, I headed back to where the bookcase was.
I pushed hard against the circular wall in several places, using all of my body weight. Suddenly, a door swung open and I tumbled through. It slammed shut behind me.
I found myself in a rectangular room with a low ceiling. There were no windows or other doors, just a podium in the center. I already wanted to get the hell out of it. For some reason I imagined that the walls were slowly moving inward, intent on crushing me.
Sitting on the podium was a sealed letter. I opened it and saw the third clue to my first major secret. It was another transparent circle, this time bearing patches of brown and green, though I had no idea what they were meant to represent. Instead of wasting time trying to work this out, I read the message below.
'Very nice Janice. You’re extremely close to discovering your first major secret. Put all three transparencies together and you will see a new message appear.'
I did as instructed, but despite my efforts, it was still hard to figure out what exactly the round thing was meant to be. After the first two clues had been put together it was mostly blue with patches of white mixed in. Now, after adding this third clue, there were also some green and brown parts making up a small section. But it still didn't tell me anything.
At least the promised new message had appeared. I read this, hoping it would make things clearer. 'Excellent job. Take a careful look at the image and use your mind. What do you see? If you’re confused, press the button on the back of this podium.'
I found the button and pressed it.
In response, the wall in front of me lit up to display the round image I held in my hand. But this time it was on a much bigger and brighter scale, especially the patches of green. In fact, I could now make out mountains and canyons, just like I'd seen when viewing Garlic Moon. Wow! This must also be a moon or some kind of planet. But what did it have to do with me?
I figured I’d better get going because Brett would be wondering where I was. My excuse was ready – I'd got lost trying to find the bathroom. Simple. He would believe me.
I tried to remember where it was I'd come in, but couldn’t see any tell-tale cracks in the wall. I pressed hard against section after section, but nothing gave. With a rush, I realized that I was trapped in this miniature room with no one knowing where I was.
I knew Brett must be worried about me - I was now worried about me too! My hands frantically kept pressing at parts of the wall where I thought the door might be.
“Is anybody there? Can anyone hear me?” I hollered out while hammering on the wall with my fists.
Still nothing.
Now really panicking, I went behind the podium and literally threw my body against the wall. This time a section immediately opened. All of a sudden I could feel the outside air on my face. I had fallen through into a field of prickly, lifeless grass outside the observatory. Glancing up, I saw that the parking lot was now teeming with cars.
But there was no time to waste time with sightseeing. I instantly recognized one of the parked cars: a very sporty one with fire down its side. I had been inside that vehicle.
Standing in front of me was the biggest loser in the world - Rob. Behind him loomed three of his friends.
“Well, how are you Janice?” he said. “I see you’re with another guy. Is he your boyfriend?”
I frowned at the ass. His devilish hair and eyes did not scare me at all. “Why are you spying on me?” I snapped.
He grinned. “Because I still think we’d make a good couple. Besides, I bet your little vampire boyfriend can’t give you the things I can. Looking at him, I doubt he could afford a coffin to rot in.”
I clutched at the grains wrapped around my neck.
“What, you gonna throw that at me?” Rob snarled.
I turned around and ran, not because I was scared, but because I was wasting time. I wanted to see Brett. Rob and his friends laughed, but I didn’t care.
I moved rapidly into the observatory, searching for Brett. But I couldn't see him anywhere. Maybe he'd already gone to the police or something, I thought. But t
hen something worse popped into my head. Maybe he thought I'd ditched him?
Shaking, I went back outside, looking frantically for a vampire who meant so much to me.
Just as I was getting really desperate, I ran right into him – literally. So hard in fact, we both fell over from the impact. But after quickly recovering from the shock, we stood up and threw our arms around each other.
“Where were you?” he asked. “I was worried sick!”
“I’m so sorry…the blood from lunch didn’t go down well so I had to find a bathroom fast. On the way back I got lost.”
“It’s okay. I’m just so glad to see you,” he said, letting out a sigh of relief.
He kissed me on the lips. Hot. Then cold. Nice.
He gently took my hand. “I know a really nice place not too far from here. It’s a little hike up a hill. Wanna go?”
That was the stupidest question he’d ever asked me. Of course he knew I wanted to go.
After hiking up the steep ridge, we sat down on a bench at the top. The view of the valley below was spectacular - a glistening lake of green surrounded by tall trees with radiant leaves.
“Do you like it?” he asked.
“Yes, it’s so pretty.”
I gave a contented sigh. “You know, it’s funny. I never thought I would make it in this world. But now for the first time, I really feel like I can.”
“You just have to believe in yourself,” he said. “I believe in you.”
“Well, if I'm honest, you’re a large part of why I feel so happy.”
We converged for another juicy kiss. But just before our lips touched he stopped and pulled back. “Look, I need to tell you something.”
“What?” I said, frustrated.
“I come from a very poor family. My parents mean a great deal to me and I do everything I can to support them. I’m not going to give up on this. You need to know that I won't be able to buy you expensive things like some other vampires could. You’re beautiful. You’re amazing. But don’t expect a lot of fancy presents and stuff, not if you still want to be with me. Sorry.”
Vampire World Page 10