by P. Mattern
Byron looked at her tiredly, ”True. But I didn’t agree to bring you here. He infected me - you KNOW he infected me, Mitzi. I didn’t know he was planning to take you, and I never agreed to be infected to accomplish it. It could have killed me!!”
Mitzi looked at him, something akin to pity in her eyes replacing her anger. ”What ARE you Byron? You’re not a vampire… Are you something else?”
“Mitzi I’m a Dhampir. Do you know what that is? I’m the lowest caste of creature in vampiredom, the offspring of a vampire father and a human mother. That’s the truth. I don’t think you’ve been in the V-net long enough to understand the stigma attached to being a Dhampir. It - it isn’t something you admit to - or tell anyone. Not if you want to have any friends.”
“Oh,” Mitzi responded, nonplussed. ”I didn’t realize that. Lux was picking up on your – uniqueness - you know. He discussed it with Charley and me. And I do remember that the demon told me he had taken over, and that you were sorry. How could you be so moronic as to work for Adrastos in the first place? Who does that? He is KNOWN Byron… I don’t think you can claim ignorance on that one.”
Byron grimaced. ”I thought it was an opportunity that might get me where I wanted to go. I’m not in the habit of making friends, or caring about anybody else. Generally vampires are put off by my Dhampir - ness. It’s something they sense and then steer clear. I’ve never had any vampire friends - just humans who weren’t aware of what I am and thought I was good looking and phenomenal at sports.“
“There has to be others like yourself. Law of averages. You can’t be the only one. ”Mitzi commented indifferently, still guarded, trying not to get taken in by whatever ‘poor me’ story Byron had to tell.
“That’s probably true”, Byron said, ”Though, if I’ve ever been introduced to one I wouldn’t know it. Because of our collective shame we try to pass ourselves off as humans or vampires. NOBODY introduces themselves as a Dhampir. Believe that.”
“Fine. But what now? Adrastos is ancient and patient but I’m not, and I’m not staying here to find out what happens next.”
Byron lifted an eyebrow.
“Don’t you know Mitzi? He wants to turn you again to a thrice - bitten. There is a 66% chance that that whopping dose of venom will make you forget your own mother’s name - or that you ever HAD a son named Charley. You’ll be here forever. That’s what he’s counting on.
Even Charley won’t want you back after he sees what you’ve become.”
Mitzi recognized the truth in his sobering words, and it galvanized her in her determination to leave as soon as possible. What she hadn’t told anyone - and didn’t trust Byron enough to share at that point - was that she had concocted her OWN escape plan that didn’t involve anyone else. She had been practicing hovering at every opportunity, thinking that she might escape from Fauquier Hall by air and get far enough away to find a portal or, if she couldn’t, find her way back to the American Midwest. She knew that she had several factors going against her: She had no sense of direction, she had only half paid attention when the others were discussing portals and where they were located, and she wasn’t sure if she could fly all the way since she was relatively new at it. Her worst case scenario was losing her concentration and careening into the ocean or, even worse, into the open mouth of a volcano to be consumed by fire and never found.
That, she thought to herself, would REALLY suck.
Her anxiety level recently had taken off because she sensed that Adrastos was growing impatient. As smitten as he seemed to be with her - or the “idea” of her based on her ancestor - he left her alone for hours at a time. Mitzi suspected that this was because his control was weakening. He had let her know he wanted a physical relationship - did he think she would come to him?
With a physical pang in the area of her heart she allowed herself to think of her lover. He must be going through hell now. She missed him with a deep aching that felt almost like a wound in her spirit and soul. The unexpected joy of discovering that she could love someone again after losing Sam had been an epiphany, a hope that she couldn’t let go of.
Byron was still staring at her, waiting for her response.
“We HAVE to trust each other. He is not watching me that closely now. You just delivered the goods – me - and I’m sure he trusts you. We need to figure out how this can work. Can you fly?”
Byron shook his head regretfully, ”Nope.”
Mitzi frowned, making a furrow appear in her otherwise smooth brow.
“I might be able to carry you, but I’m not sure, I’ve never tried carrying someone… but if we can get back - wait! Do you know the portal web?”
Byron nodded, ”Expertly. I’ve been in and out of quite a few in my time.”
Mitzi felt like clapping her hands, ”Excellent. We can get home then!”
“But he’ll follow you Mitzi. He’s absolutely obsessed!”
Mitzi blew air upward from her bottom lip in frustration, ruffling her bangs.
“But if we make him fight on our own turf, we have a better chance! Surely you can see the logic in that!” As soon as the words came out of her mouth her chin began to tremble with unwelcome tears.
“I just want to go home!” she sobbed wiping her tears away angrily, though many more continued to fall.
Byron felt something he had rarely felt since a child - a feeling of compassion and empathy for another being. Quickly he pulled Mitzi into the shelter of his chest and arms.
“SSSSSShhhhhhhhh! You don’t want him to think anything is amiss. I promise you, Mitzi we will do this. And don’t count your family out. They will return for you. I’d bet they are planning to return as we speak. But if they don’t come soon, we’ll make a backup plan.
“You have my word.” He finished.
Mitzi disengaged and wiped her eyes with her lacy sleeve. ”Thank you for coming to see me. To know that there is a little hope…” Her voice trailed off and Byron feared she might start weeping all over again, but she cleared her throat, squared her shoulders and recovered to finish. “I will trust you Byron Chance. Even though you think a lot of yourself. And you are impossibly good looking…”
Byron perked up, stood up a little straighter, and smiled disarmingly, ”So I’ve been told.”
“And have probably lived a life of wantonness and debauchery up to this point - I feel that there is goodness in you, and I will count on you to come up with something fiercely brilliant, strategy - wise!”
Byron left Mitzi’s chamber hastily, wheels turning in his fertile brain. The canniness that had here – to - fore kept him from paying the price for any of his reprehensible personal conduct he was determined to apply to securing both Mitzi’s release and his own.
* * *
It was the day after the Cavern outing and Cass felt hangover lousy - he wasn’t sure if it was an overindulgence in his fine type A negative blood consumption, his alcohol consumption (he vaguely remembered several trays of whiskey ‘neat’ that had graced the table at the club at various intervals) or the quantities of Chinese food that he’d consumed - or all of the above. All he knew is that he had a splitting headache and felt like he wanted to hurl.
As a vampire, and in spite of his many human indulgences, he had never actually vomited. But he didn’t trust that it was impossible. He wondered if Fress had any calmatives for his digestive system in the medicine cabinet.
As if she’d been reading his thoughts, Fress appeared at the end of the couch he was lying on with a small glass of a pink liquid that she proceeded to hold out to him. “Here, my extreme partier - a cure for what ails you.” She had a slight smile playing around her beautiful lips. ”You’ll want to recover as soon as possible because Charley is in the kitchen mixing up a batch of French crepes!”
As soon as the words were out of her mouth Cass could smell the hot butter and frying odors emanating from the kitchen area, as well as coffee, bacon and eggs. Wordlessly he shot past Fress and ran for the downstairs bathroom, barely
getting the door closed in time.
And, once and for all, settling the issue of whether vampires could vomit.
A few minutes later - 15 to be exact - he was sitting at the breakfast table feeling like a new vampire and Charley’s kitchen efforts were smelling as delicious as they had seemed repugnant earlier. He was determined to take it easy though. Especially since Lux was smirking across the table at him, very aware that he’d just paid a price for the wretched excesses of the evening before.
Also sitting at the table were Merilee and her escort Daniel, the son of Mitzi’s best human friend. Daniel and Charley were talking football, and Cass was taking notes, determined to get the scoop on how the young man had been changed. At a break in the conversation, as Cass nonchalantly stirred cream into his French Roast coffee, he asked Daniel, ”So how long have you and Merilee known eachother?” The couple exchanged smiles - both had mouths full of breakfast crepes but Daniel swallowed first.
“I met Merilee the FIRST time when we were going to the same High School - the same one Charley and I went to. She’s actually a local. She was a Senior when I was Freshman.”
“She deflowered me!”
Merilee went off into gales of laughter as Lux choked a little on his coffee.
“DANIEL YOU ARE HORRIBLE!” She complained, pretending to choke him but continuing to giggle.
Blushing, she regulated her manner and voice to mimic a more sedate demeanor. “We dated a while ago. Then kind of drifted apart. I was the jealous type….”
“VERY JEALOUS TYPE”, Daniel agreed. ”The’ throwing things’ jealous type.”
Merilee continued, ”It didn’t help that he was in a grunge band and had groupie wannabees hanging around all the time. So we drifted apart. In the meantime I was ‘turned’. And ran into him doing volunteer work at the Blood Storage warehouse. Turned out he had been turned also. And was brand new to the V-net. And fairly clueless. So, out of the goodness of my heart I decided to mentor him.” She finished with an affirmative nod. ”And we’ve been friends ever since.” Charley took a seat by Fress after placing a steaming blue ware platter of crepes in the center of the oblong table. ”It’s good to see you man.” He said to Daniel.
Daniel nodded. ”And yourself - it’s sort of a miracle to get to know you now. I feel like I need to apologize for not trying to know you when you were… were…”
Charley smiled graciously, ”Hey man, no apologies necessary! Retardation is off - putting. I completely understand. On the few occasions when our moms would get together and we’d be in the same space I pretty much ignored you anyway. I was kind of in my own little world.”
Daniel stuck his hand out for a soul handshake. ”Glad to see you doing so well man”, he said earnestly.
Two cell phones went off at once at that point. One was Daniel’s and he excused himself to take a call. The other was Lux’s text alert. After looking pensive Lux retired to the sun porch. Cass turned his attention to Merilee. “Did you turn him Mer?” He asked pointedly.
“Damn Cass!” she replied, surprised, ”I’m not sure that’s anyone else’s business!” “Sorry.” Cass said quickly, not looking the slightest bit sorry. ”Just being protective, as a big brother should. And paranoid - because of the Byron fiasco. I’m committed to doing a bit of screening because of the current situation. I hope you understand. I care about you, girl.”
Reaching over, Merilee patted Cass on the arm. ”I know. And you ARE my big bro’. But I don’t think there is anything to worry about with Daniel. He seems to have his head on fairly straight for a nubie vampire. Trouble at home though - he’s been living with his mother since he graduated from High School and she’s VERY nosy and overprotective. The impression I get is that she thinks he’s too good for me. Or maybe she’s prejudiced, I have no idea…”
Cass looked sympathetic. ”Well, she’s still a mother - all mothers are prescient when it comes to their children. She probably senses that there is something” off ”and doesn’t know what it is. Just be nice to her. Because she IS a mother.”
* * *
Feck, the demon that had recently inhabited the body of Byron Chance, was becoming impatient. He was waiting on Adrastos for his ‘reward’, and felt that he had earned it. After all, taking possession of a Dhampir was more difficult than possessing a human and a hell of a lot less enjoyable. For one thing you couldn’t shut up a Dhampir and it was distracting hearing them rant and rave in the background while you were trying to work. They were impossible to kill, being half vampire - and anyway a condition of his killjoy assignment had been that he wasn’t to harm Byron - that had been a tall order. Also, having a dhampir extracted after possession was painful - he had been told the pain was akin to the pain a human woman experiences during a human birth. Feck wasn’t used to discomfort, much less pain – and it made him despise humans even more, especially female humans - they must be positively moronic to voluntarily go through that kind of pain just to squirt out a bald miniature of themselves.
Well the damn dhampir was sitting in a cell somewhere and he had been told to wait patiently in his quarters for his Master to give him an audience. He knew better than to disobey - Adrastos was a thrice - bitten, the highest order of vampire and had immense powers. Fecks biggest fear was to be disincorporated. From what he understood, all it took was a barrage of a certain radio frequency to blow a demonic entity apart, and ‘Master Adrastos’ had a special chamber that he’d constructed for just that purpose. Feck involuntarily shuddered just contemplating extermination, and then dismissed the thought. With any luck he’d be around for eons more to meddle in the affairs of men.
Waiting for Adrastos he contemplated what sort of human he would ask for as a reward, because his greatest pleasure was to possess and destroy humans - it was his manifest destiny as a demon. He smiled in anticipation of his’gift’- choosing the type of human he wanted to ‘play’ with was like looking upward at the menu of a Nationally - Franchised ice cream shop, there were so many choices it was hard to make up his mind.
But he would probably ask for his alltime favorite - a young girl, a virgin if he could get one - and once he got into that body he would have as much fun as he could for as long as possible. That sometimes involved a bit of restraint in order to keep the body alive as long as possible while he tortured and defiled it in a thousand imaginative and depraved ways. He chuckled with delight contemplating the pleasures to come. He wondered what the other demons that served the Master were doing right now - including himself there were 7 altogether,the names of the others were Libel, Kulon, Smear, Rant, Lowendus and KriI. He was the strongest and most dependable and because of his savvy and skills was chosen the most often for important work his employer needed to have performed.
He sighed. While he waited he would plan what to do with his ‘reward’ - he thought he’d start by offering her tender body to be defiled by as many guards as he could interest in a salacious group effort - that would do for starters.
* * *
Chapter 25: YAYA
The evening of Yaya’s arrival everyone was rushing around in a tizzy, trying to figure out how best to accommodate Yaya Wiscievisc like the visiting dignitary he was. In the world of V-net Yaya was as close to nobility as anyone could get. And being treated as nobility was only, after all, what Yaya was used to.
Lux had gotten the first call from Yaya confirming that he had arrived in Fort Hunt and asking Lux to arrange to have his specialty Kosher meals delivered from the only local caterer that offered that specialty. Lux had already made the arrangement and after a 5 minute check in call Yaya’s evening meal, plus snacks were delivered to his hotel room at the V in town, which constituted the only 5 star accommodations that Fort Hunt had to offer. Fress was relieved as she had developed high anxiety at the idea that Yaya might be staying with her and the twins in the cottage, even though Lux assured her repeatedly that he would likely be staying at the hotel.
Charley had also offered Mitzi - and his, although he’
d been refusing to sleep there recently - home for Yaya’s accommodations. Charley couldn’t bear to go there more than once a day - to gather a few things, change the laundry and check on the house, and usually he made Fress accompany him. The house was soul - less without Mitzi there as far as he was concerned and being there made him all the more anxious about his mother’s situation.
The bearded gentleman with side curls and glasses, dressed in a dark three piece suit replete with a dark hat made of rabbit fur, aside from his unusual attire, was NOT what any of the vamps expected a world - reknowned Troubleshooting Icon to look like, but they followed Lux’s example of sobriety and respect when introducing themselves. Legends abounded when it came to Yaya Wiscievisc - one of the most prominent was that he could see through men all the way to their souls.
Being in the presence of The Great One was especially influential on Cass’s usually irreverent conduct. Gone were the jibes, the jockular attitude and off color humor Cass was know for. Cass was unusually quiet and attentive.
After being seated, Yaya asked to hear Lux’s appraisal of Mitzi’s situation, inviting the others to add information as appropriate. Lux gave a succinct synopsis, with occasional input from the others.
After hearing the basics, asking an occasional question during Lux’s heartfelt rendition. Yaya became very quiet. When he finally spoke, all present were hanging on every word of his tutorial.
“I know Adrastos,” he began in his quiet but authoritative voice. ”He has been in the world, as a Vampire, for many centuries. He is one of the most ancient of these creatures.”
“Since the creation of the V-net, he has lived in virtual seclusion in one of the world’s most remote regions. He is viewed as an eccentric, almost as a crackpot, given his penchant for an anachronistic lifestyle. But, since he keeps to himself, stays out of world politics, and seems content to stay ensconced in his little kingdom like a spider in its corner web, he has never been a concern.”