by P. Mattern
“I think I found the brakes” she giggled. ”But it tickles like a slight vibration - like being tickled from the inside out.”
Floating beside her Lux and Celeste smiled knowingly. Lux said ”That’s how the pent up energy feels. Now can you let up on the brakes and release the energy slowly? See if you can, Mitzi.”
Mitzi nodded and concentrated on approaching the ground slowly in a controlled drift. As soon as she touched down Charley scooped her up in an enthusiastic bear hug.
“Great job, mom! Who’d have thought you had it in you? I bet you’ll never be afraid of flying on an airplane again!”
Mitzi sniffed, ”Only if they let me in the pilot’s seat.” She turned to Celeste and Ariel. ”How far can we fly like this? Is there a limit?”
Ariel answered her. ”We can usually travel at high speeds, at least as fast as a commercial jet. Any faster and we’d burn - like space capsules do when returning to earth. But, alas, with all the highly sensitive radar around we could be detected as UFO’s or something… flying is not usually an option for that reason. That’s why Vamp-net set up the portals - it’s a much simpler, easier way to travel.”
“Whoa “Charley interrupted.” Are you talking about some sort of teletransport device?”
There ensued a brief argument between Fress and Cass concerning who would answer Charley’s question. Fress won by placing her hand over Cass’s mouth.
“Well not exactly. We didn’t actually create portals… it’s more like we discovered them over time and mapped them. There are 116 of them just in the continental United States. Worldwide - I haven’t a clue. Anybody?”
Ariels clear, high voice chimed in. ”1,211 by last count. They discovered the ones to Motuo County China, the Kerguelen Islands, Pitcairn Island, and LaRiconada, Peru within the last decade. There are both land and sky portals, you just have to know where to find them.”
Charley looked thoughtful for a moment, then snapped his fingers. “Bermuda Triangle, right?”
Cass pointed at Charley, ”Yes! Actually there’s a cluster there. Kind of like a revolving door situation and they are huge - stretching from the sea well up into the atmosphere. Historically planes and boats manage to stumble into them from time to time. And disappear… or so it seems. Portals are actually a sort of ‘bending’ of the time - space continuum - as well as being a convenient way to travel. Is that clear as mud?” he teased.
Mitzi shut her mouth, realizing that it had been hanging open as she listened to the others discuss wonders that she never realized existed-probably because they were inconceivable for the human mind to fathom. Turned out it was a truly strange and wonderful world - and being connected to this eclectic group of people was like rebooting a life of dismal resignation. A life where the days trudged by heavily like a train of grey elephants holding onto eachothers’ tails…
Suddenly a flood of gratitude overcame Mitzi.
“Thank you,” she gushed uncharacteristically, looking around the group so that everyone was included, ”For everything.” Her gaze paused to rest on her son Charley - Charley’s head was tilted back slightly, a triumphant smile on his face. He seemed completely confident, ebulent in his newfound manhood-dazzling in comparison to the shy, simple, shuffling awkward boy – in – a - man’s - body that he had been for years. Much of the gratitude she felt was for his transformation, but that would, for Charley’s sake, go unmentioned here.
As her gaze shifted away from Charley her eye caught Fress’s. Looking into the younger woman’s eyes she knew instinctively that Fress had been reading her mind. With a smile, Fress mouthed, ”You’re welcome.” Mitzi’s vision shifted downward and she saw that Charley and Fress’s fingers were once again firmly entwined. Finally this felt completely right to her, as if they had been meant to be together from the beginning of time - and, after all, who was she-even though she’d given birth to Charley - to question their destiny.
* * *
Chapter 15: Odd Duck
Cass and Lux were involved in a discussion of the newcomer to the group, Byron, that was about to get heated. The were having a cup of coffee in the diminutive kitchen of the cottage - Cass, lover of all human food and imbibements and willing to pay the price for indulging in them-was actually drinking a French pressed caramel macchiato with whipped cream and wallowing in the decadence of the beverage. Lux had a cup of Ethiopian coffee served black-he enjoyed the aroma of coffee but was drinking very little, although he was stealing tiny sips of it from time to time. Fress was out of earshot, which was fine with the twins.
“So do you still think that there is something” off” about Byron?” Cass asked casually, taking another sip of his coffee confection and letting his eyes roll to the back of his head to indicate the extent of his pleasure.
“SO dramatic, Cass, you drama queen-you will not tempt me further into coffee bondage - black is fine. I actually appreciate the aroma more than the taste. ”Lux commented. Then, ”I’m picking up some weirdness from Byron, not sure what to label it - not sure if it SHOULD be labeled, even.”
Cass sat up, somewhat sobered at his twin’s serious tone. ”Is it a smell? Or a sense you get? What is it?”
“More of a sense that he is somehow … different. Like the odd duck in the crowd. Did you notice he never hovers? When I say never I mean even in circumstances when any vamp would - like if he was trying to reach something. When we were playing “horse” the other day out back - of course we said no cheating with vamp skills, that’s true, but everyone was cheating a bit trying to outdo each other - all except Byron. I swear I’ve never seen his feet leave the ground.”
“Aw cut the guy some slack, man” Cass said between voracious bites of a blueberry Danish. ”He might be shy - he hasn’t known any of us that long. Also, maybe he’s extremely bad at it, some vamps are you know. It’s rather an acquired skill, like driving a car.”
“Okay I’ll give you that” Lux answered, frowning, ”But he is new in town, and very evasive when asked where he’s from. He told Fress he’d been living in the Western states, most recently Colorado. He told me he’d been traveling up and down the East coast for the last few years - just doesn’t add up. And then there’s this: What are the two things male vamps talk to other male vamps about when they’re getting friendly?”
“That’s easy”, Cass answered, chewing. ”Their first sexual encounter, and when they transformed from human to vampire.”
“Exactly. Guess which of those topics has never been broached by our new friend Byron? And don’t try to be cute, brother!”
“I’m ALWAYS cute-adorable actually - and I get your drift. He never talks about the “change.”
“Never. Sexual escapades - that’s his favorite subject. Even for a vamp he has to be the horniest guy I ever met. He’s been around also. Rather a heartbreaker, I hesitate to set him up with any of our acquaintances for that reason. And very good looking in a blonde’, pretty boy’ kind of way. Love his ‘stache.”
Cass straightens up in his seat giving his brother a ‘struck dumb’ look.
“Why, brother, that’s the most metrosexual comment I’ve ever heard you make!” he chortled, dodging a cuff from Lux. ”Anyway, are you getting to your point or do you plan to torture me with more details of your ”man crush”?”
“I have made my point SEVERAL TIMES ALREADY” Lux retorted, his face reddening. ”I don’t think he’s a vampire. Period.”
Cass was paying attention again, ”You think he’s… human?”
“Not at all… I think he may be a Dhampir.” Cass whistled. ”Okay… may I state that I think you are WAY off the grid on that one.“ Lux learned forward. He could hear Fress stirring upstairs and didn’t want her to overhear their discussion. ”Not only that, I think he’s been infected.”
“Infected how? Oh - you mean with a demon? To what purpose? So he can spy on us?”
”Exactly”, Lux hissed, aware that Fress was now in the next room.
Cass jumped up from the t
able, saying ”Well, brother - NO MORE COFFEE FOR YOU - obviously you’ve lost it. That’s the meanest, most ridiculous, paranoid accusation that I’ve ever heard you utter in your entire life. I’m actually ashamed for you!” By the time Cass was finished he was practically shouting.
Lux jumped up, glaring, ”DAMMIT CASS! We could have a situation going on right under our noses- and you wouldn’t recognize the facts unless they gave you a lap dance!”
“You had me at ‘DAMMIT’ “Cass quipped, pushing in his chair angrily. ”You wanna go, pretty boy? Cuz we can go if you wanna go!!” It had been awhile since the brothers had been in an actual physical fight, long used as a pressure release between them, and Cass was in the mood to get a few punches in - and, besides, he thought, it would feel really good to rub Lux’s too - handsome face into the kitchen floor.
In an unanticipated instant Fress was standing between them, looking angrier than they’d seen her in a very long time.
“I don’t know WHAT you two are arguing about - and I don’t care. Stop it right now. Cease and desist. Go play soccer or basketball or get laid or something.
“You have been polluting my cottage with vampire testosterone - AAAAAKK! Both of you are EXCUSED.”
Knowing Fress always meant what she said, Cass took off angrily through the back door and Lux went out through the front, starting his SUV with a roar and leaving amid a squealing of tires.
Fress looked up at the ceiling and counted to ten. “It will be okay” she told herself. ”It will be okay or I will personally kill BOTH of them before they can kill eachother.”
* * *
Approximately an hour and five minutes later Lux summarily showed up on Mitzi and Charley’s doorstep. This was after shifting gears like a maniac, going 80 on the freeway and switching lanes like someone possessed, and finally after he’d cooled down just a smidgen, getting a new haircut. He glanced in the rearview mirror at his reflection and decided that there was therapeutic value in getting shorn. And it was really no one else’s business that he had decided to trim it from its knight errant pageboy style to an edgier, razor cut anime hero look, no one else’s business how he wore his hair, and it especially shouldn’t matter whether anyone else liked it or not.
Except he kind of wanted Mitzi and Charley to like it anyway. Just because.
Charley yanked the front door open with his characteristic unbounded enthusiasm – a characteristic of his that had remained unchanged irregardless of his transformation from human to vampire.
“Hey!” he greeted Lux,” Great cut man! ”He grinned, and followed that with a chuckle. ”Welcome to the 21st century!”
“I know, right?” Lux smiled back conspiratorially as he stepped through the ivy covered open doorway, ”Tell my brother-he’s two centuries overdue for a makeover!”
Mitzi emerged from the kitchen and smiled in delight. ”I LOVE it! What prompted the style change?”
“I had an argument with Cass. Big one. And then I decided to get my hair cut.”
“Oh right” Charley said, bemused, “That just NATURALLY follows. Anyway its great on you.”
“You’ll have to carry TWO bats to beat the girls off with now” Mitzi teased. ”Why don’t you join us for a snack? I know you’re not big into human food-but I’m a pretty good cook you know.”
Lux followed Charley and Mitzi into the kitchen-it seemed that he’d spent most of his day in kitchens, and being in yet another one reminded him of the argument with Cass, and how good it would feel to punch him in the gut and watch him projectile vomit up junk food in a cascade. It was unfair and disgusting that Cass could scarf down human food until his stomach was distended and paunchy - and then get up in the morning looking like a GQ swimsuit model - just because he was a vampire. It was Lux’s opinion that becoming a vamp carried with it responsibilities as well as privileges, and Cass as a rule overindulged in privileges without ever considering the “noblesse oblige” end of it. And there WAS one.
Well he was glad to be away from Cass. Being in Mitzi’s house was always relaxing. “May I ask what you were arguing about?” Mitzi said, curious. ”Everyone is used to your bickering but I’ve never seen it escalate. For brothers – twins - you seem to get along shockingly well.”
Lux sighed. ”I think Fress has a lot to do with that - she’s rather a harmony freak which adds balance to our little family. Today happened because Cass thought I was attacking Byron - which of course, if he had LISTENED to what I was saying he’d know I wasn’t.”
Charley and Mitzi exchanged a look. Mitzi said slowly, ”What about Byron? He seems nice enough. Polite, quiet. And he and Charley enjoy hanging out, watching sports, discussing politics or eighteenth century literature. He’s become kind of a fixture here lately.”
Lux shrugged. ”I like Byron. Dude has never done anything shady that I’m aware of - but he HAS fibbed about where he hails from – he told me East coast and told Fress West coast. Little inconsistencies like that. I’m just leery. He - he doesn’t FEEL right to me. Like he’s hiding something, or has a hidden agenda. I’m sorry to say that I don’t trust him. And even sorrier to say that I’m usually right when I pick up stuff about individuals - you can ask Fress. It’s because of my track record I’ve learned to trust my instincts over anyone else’s.”
Mitzi looked sad. ”Well Charley and I will certainly stay on the alert. I hope Byron turns out to be fine; maybe he’s just a bit odd. He is certainly very friendly toward Charley.” Mitzi was working hard at keeping her voice level, because she had a little Byron anecdote of her own that she had experienced but didn’t feel like sharing yet. Although Byron spend most of his time interacting with Charley it had become very apparent that he was also interested in her, and it made Mitzi feel very uncomfortable. When Byron was over it wasn’t like being around Fress or the twins. It was hard to articulate - the ‘vibes’ that he gave off when she caught him staring at her at odd moments. She almost felt as though he were tracking her, hunting her, waiting for a moment to pounce.
And the last time he’d been over he’d hugged her as he was saying goodbye and she could have sworn that he’d fondled her in an inappropriate way - only so lightning fast that she wasn’t sure whether it had really happened or not. But all her enhanced vampire senses left her with the definite impression that it HAD happened.
Timing, however was everything. And now was not the time to share that particular nugget of information.
Charley was speaking, and as deep in thought as she had been, she had missed part of what he and Lux were discussing.
“I think he’s all right.” Charley recanted. ”But I DID notice he doesn’t fly - at all. Seems very gravity-bound for a vampire.”
“Cass would kill me for agreeing with you-but I noticed the same thing!” Lux said excitedly. ”Charley I’m not trying to kill a friendship man. Just be cautious - and I know you will. You are a smart and observant dude. And thanks for sharing-now I don’t feel guilty for being suspicious of Byron - or like I’m going crazy. Because I’m noticing these things and I’m not the only one… it’s a relief!”
Charley patted Lux on the back. ”Let’s keep this discussion between us for now. I know you’re mad at your brother - but if something is up he’ll catch on… even if he has to admit you were right in the first place. Cass blusters a lot but he usually does the right thing - that’s what I’ve learned.”
* * *
Chapter 16: Confessions
“I love you.” His voice was low and husky as he spoke against her neck.
Mitzi turned around in her huge four posters to face her lover-this time they had made it to the bedroom. Charley was gone with Fress and wouldn’t be back until later-if at all, so the lovers had had absolute privacy to spoon and nest.
Even in the half light of a small lamp she could read the sincerity in his earnest face. His pupils were huge and liquid. And though her feelings welled upward at his tenderly spoken words, she knew she had to be cautious.
“I have
feelings for you as well. I haven’t felt so connected so anyone since… well, you know - since Sam. When we’re together I feel an absolute sense of peace and well-being that’s so complete it feels surreal, I feel as if our – connection - has given me new life… and I know how unmodern and male - defined that sounds and I don’t care. But it’s much too soon for us to declare ourselves - to each other or anyone else. I’m just not ready to go public…”
“We are vampires my love. We CAN spoon and make love for eternity if you want… it’s all I think about when we’re apart.”
“I’ll bet it is,” Mitzi answered wryly, but flushing slightly in a way that aroused him. She had such a young, fresh spirit, this woman. Like a wellspring of passion that only HE was permitted to tap into…
“You know you make me crazy, don’t you?”
“It wouldn’t feel so good if we didn’t make each other crazy. It’s getting harder and harder to contain myself and act ‘normal’-like nothing salacious is going on between us” He laughed. ”How easy do you think it is for me? The other day you accidently brushed against me and I had to excuse myself and leave the room for a few minutes.” ”Maybe it wasn’t an accident”, she teased. ”Wish I could have helped you with that.”
“Seriously Vivi,” he whispered using his private pet name for her and brushing his lips over her throat. ”I don’t know how much longer I can keep a lid on this. If we wait too long to ‘fess up’ I might end up taking you on the kitchen table in front of a crowd. A man can exercise only so much restraint-even if that man HAPPENS to be a Vampire!”
“Stop talking”, she commanded, her voice low and silken, ”It will be soon, I promise - but right now you’re making me want you again. And you promised me I would never be denied. ”She traced his lips with the tip of her index finger as she spoke.
“Nor shall you. ”He answered, acquiescing to her demands once more.
It was midmorning on the weekend – Mitzi had kissed her secret suitor goodbye earlier in the morning. He felt uncomfortable about staying longer, afraid of running into anyone else from their group. After he left she tried to go back to sleep - sleeping in was one of the few indulgences she allowed herself, and even at that she only ‘slept in’ from time to time - but she found she couldn’t go back to sleep, so reluctantly she gave up, showered, and started her regimen of Saturday morning household chores. There was always plenty of laundry, after all Charley still lived there - and stray dishes to pick up and deliver to the kitchen as well as trash cans to be emptied. She felt sprightly, well rested and well loved.