Bitter Sweet

by Lennell Davis

  I smiled to myself. "I know. I wish I would have seen that sooner. But I know now."

  "He is also the sweetest and cutest boy I have ever seen," Sam chimed in, a little dreamily.

  "You’re only saying that because he bought you a car," I told her.

  "Why he did it was more sweet than you will ever know."

  "Why did he buy you the car?" asked my mother. She went to whisper in my mother’s ear so softly that even I couldn’t hear what she told her. They both giggled and looked at me like I was the luckiest girl in the world.

  "What?" I shouted.

  "Nothing," they both replied at the same time and laughed. I sighed. I made another mental note to stare Alik down until he told me in detail why he bought Sam that car.

  Sam then went on to become a little moody because I was leaving her in America while "I go off and have an exotic New Years with Alik" as she put it. Also to complain about why I hadn’t introduced her to any of Alik's friends. Did he have friends I could introduce Sam to? Or even that I could be introduced to? I didn’t know. That was the third mental note for that night, but I knew that she was just joking and didn’t mean it as she smiled the whole time while she complained. The idea that I would be going to Africa didn’t really settle in until I was talking to Sam. I had never left America before despite having a passport. My mom made me renew it every few years, she claimed it was ‘just in case’ I’d need it, and for once, I’m glad she was right. She just had to rub it in before I left.

  "So, do you have your passport?" she asked smugly.

  "Yes, it’s safely in my purse mother," I sighed.

  "That’s good, so what are you and Alik going to do in Africa?" she couldn’t help herself from asking any longer.

  "I’m not completely sure; all I really know is that his mother is throwing some kind of opening for a new resort she just had built."

  "You don’t know how lucky you are, dear. You’re only 18 and you have a boyfriend who truly loves you. He whisks you all around the world to exotic locations and drives you home in expensive cars,” she said dreamily. “When I was your age, the farthest place I had ever been taken by a boy was the noodle place in downtown Seoul. That was until I meet your father over here. Still, the farthest he had ever taken me was Long Island and home in your grandmother’s old Civic. Well that was true until the money and deals came in."

  "But you loved him," I teased with a smile.

  "Yeah, I did and still do,” she sighed, reminiscing about a past memory. “I can remember one night so very well... That night was magical.”

  "Was dad an old romantic?" I asked in a ‘that’s sweet’ kind of voice.

  "Oh, he had his moments, but I was talking about when we got back to his apartment," she said with a smile.

  "Oh mom, come on. I don’t want to hear about that," I stated, my smile turning to disgust.

  "Really?" replied Sam, as if she was interested.

  "Have you and Alik ever... I mean, you spend enough time alone to have..." she had a smile and now was on the offensive.

  "Mom, do you have to bring this up now?"

  "Actually I’m interested in that myself," Sam agreed, even more interested. I gave her a dirty look.

  "Well, you will be a few thousand miles away in a few hours, so yes, I do," replied my mom.

  "Well, no we haven’t. Up until four days ago, I had another boyfriend, remember?"

  "I don’t think Phil really counts," Sam said.

  "Why not?"

  "Because I was never informed about him by you, nor have I met him, so no you didn’t. Anyway, you spent more than enough time with Alik before that," my mother remarked.

  "You know, shouldn’t you be telling me to take it slow and avoid sex until after marriage?" I asked as I zipped a suitcase shut.

  "So you’re already thinking about marriage," she stated happily, taking everything out of context.

  "Don’t start twisting my words."

  "Well, you’re mature and Alik is as well. I don’t see why you two should only enjoy half of your relationship."

  "How did you ever raise me?" I asked her and she smiled, looking proud.

  "I’m good at what I do," she said smugly, then I heard a ding.

  “I think your roast is done,” I let her know.

  "Oh my, the roast; I almost forgot. Your hearing is amazing. You two finish up here and come down for dinner."

  "Alright," we both said.

  I zipped my last suitcase shut, sat it next to the door, and then I went down with to dinner with Sam. We talked about how my father and mother met, a story I had heard a million times, but strangely I couldn’t remember it very well. My new memory and senses allowed me to absorb the story more completely this time and I appreciated it a little bit more in the context of Alik's and my relationship. It was my cue to leave when they got to the sex or ‘when we made you’ part as my father put it. I dragged Sam out even though she wanted to stay for the juicy details.

  I walked Sam out and she gave me a hug before speeding

  down the street. I took a shower to wash that mental filth from my body and mind. In the morning, I woke up nervous about where I was about to go, but it was a good kind of nervous. Kind of like when you get to the top of the hill on a roller coaster and are about to drop. Alik got to my house bright and early and carried my bags to the car. He then had a quick talk with my mom and dad before we left, where I’m sure my father slipped a box of condoms to Alik. I called Sam on the drive to the airport and she also gave me her best wishes to 'get laid'. Everyone was so involved in my sex life. The check-in and boarding went by smoothly and as we had first class seats, we were seated soon.

  "So, what are we going to be doing while we are there?" I asked him on the flight.

  "Relaxing mostly; even vampire enjoy that sort of thing. Then on the night of the 31st, there will be the gathering: a collection of the most influential vampire in the world will be there. Most will only be there for the day however; they don’t like being in the same place all at the same time. The resort staff was told this is a soft opening for the resort before we allow others to visit," he said, not bothering to whisper.

  "Shouldn't you keep your voice down?"

  "It doesn't really matter as I'm crazy to anyone who overhears me, or talking about a book."

  "I thought you were crazy when I first met you," I mumbled and he gave me a smile.

  "Well, you see it works."

  "Well, what do you mean by these vampires don’t like to be in the same place at the same time?"

  "Coven leaders, the wealthy, and other vampire like me who keep the peace have all lived long lives and keep long memories. Our very nature as vampire makes us suspicious of each other, especially some of the oldest. Vampire have a bloody past apart from our meal times, so they have very good reason to watch their backs so to speak. There have been a few cold wars, where young vampire of

  some covens have been the victims of assassinations, blame never being placed even when the circumstantial evidence against one or another is so great. These destructions act as warnings or threats. As well as attacks on the interest of other covens dating back thousands of years even more so hold sore spots. Some of those acts still ripple out from the past into the present where cash or precious metal flow is concerned. Of course, most members of these covens are just young and know very little about the wars of the past. But the young are the most dangerous as they will believe and do whatever their masters tell them even if it is to destroy or be destroyed for them if need be. So we limit the attendance to only coven leaders who know the full gravity of what an unprovoked attack would mean."

  "This may sound stupid but are you saying that there are active wars going on dating back generations and you’re bringing the leaders of these wars into the same place?"

  "Try and think of it this way: when the human race was young and defining itself, what was valuable and what was not was established early on. To a human at that time, that might have
been food, shelter, or a mate. Vampire didn't have to fear the cold or starvation, we could devote ourselves to other trinkets that man grew attracted to later on, around the time kingdoms, dynasties, empires and such were created. This idea of unity was us; vampire populations have never even come close to one perccent of that of humans. Our mistrust steaming so deep, even of those we create. We were in the shadows controlling the ideas and actions of human leaders. As if it were a game of chess, if one vampire were to swing a human’s vote or opinion one way causing another vampire to lose out of something, that could mean a lot for the potential business aspects for years to come. We were thinking much farther ahead." He saw my look of confusion and smiled. "I will try again. If vampire had not been whispering in the ears of a few influential people of the time, the belief that the world was flat could have held out much longer and the exploration of the world by Europe could have resulted in a lot of lost revenue untapped and unexplored land held. To vampire, the gentle nudge in the way of the America's, China, and such was a way to get a work force to move itself. Many of my kind find value in the humans for much more than just food and know who might be working against one or the other; it is these suspicions that have led to bad blood between the covens. Some have taken to killing a young vampire to put another in his or her place, others just threats. The Elders do this gathering

  mostly to watch and count those who show, to make sure connections and ties they hold to the others are tight, and to see where they have grown weak."

  "Are cars your wealth?" He laughed at that.

  "You want to know what I have collected over my time?"

  "Not entirely, but do vampire only care about wealth?

  "Not at all. Like I said, much of what vampire value is much the same for humans: money, and power are big, but land and religion are high on the list as well. When a human is changed, they are still the same being they were before. The transformation adds and enhances things that were already there only, but what makes them vampire is to what degree the changes control their new existence. You have to think when a human becomes vampire, they feed off humans. Basically they are given the instinctual right to control the life and death of those who used to be their equal. Their new strength, senses, and indestructibility even make killing easy, not mentally, but physically. Your instincts tell you to feed and while you might not want to, it’s hard not to lose yourself just a little. Once someone actually becomes vampire, it’s easier to experience the sensation that would have lead the first vampire when they were young to pick fights they might not have been able to when human.”

  "I kind of understand that. So what about the gathering itself? You said one of the reasons for fighting was religion. I have never heard of Aaliyah until you told me that story. Wouldn't it be a bad idea to have those against her existence to be there?"

  "If you told a young vampire that name, they would think you were talking about the singer. If you mentioned Aaliyah to an older vampire, they would merely think that story the Elders tell. Finally, to those who are devoted to the Elders, Aaliyah is merely a historical figure they devote themselves to as she is a stronger power than the Elders, like a lost coven leader. When I said vampire had a pseudo-religion, I merely meant that there is a being that we all supposedly originated from, very much like God to the Christians. To be given purpose as a member of Aaliyah's demonic army meant being on standby for her return to rule God and the humans. We control the

  human race even if they do not know it in not only wealth, but political strength, and even editing of holy books to suit the desires of those who still buy stock into those religions even in this existence. Most wars between humans are run and profited off of by vampire, exploiting their need to believe or own something. Aaliyah is just a name, an a unprofitable name at that. Very few vampire see it worth their existence to start a problem that would reach the Elders concerning the existence of another vampire, let alone in front of them at their own gathering, which has changed from a legitimate service to a more political posturing to see who is and isn’t in control all at once.”

  He explained more about vampiric culture and history, and the motivations behind major events in recent and distant past human conflicts and discoveries. My attention was his, but I kept thinking about what he had said, “very few vampire see it worth their existence to start a problem that would reach the Elders concerning the existence of another vampire”. He had done that very thing to save my life even though he had so many other options he could have taken.

  Once we got to Africa, it took another three hours on a personal plane, a boat, and two cars before we reached the base of Mt. Kilimanjaro. As we approached, I saw the building slowly emerging out of the horizon. It was a sleek and modern resort in what had to be one of the most beautiful middle-of-nowheres in the world. The resort was about two stories tall; black glass lined with polished steel snaking its way around the building’s footprint. The angles of the walls gave a beautiful reflection of the surrounding area and I could see our reflection as we approached in the walls. Once inside, the lobby stunned me with its beauty and simplicity. Its floors were a white stone, but it looked tiled as some areas of stone were polished and others not. The walls were a mix of frosted, tinted, and clear glass, all lit by white light. The receptionist stood behind a black stone and glass desk with chairs and tables spotted neatly around it. She smiled as Alik told her who he was and she handed him a key card. We dropped our things off at the room, but didn’t bother to unpack. The rooms were massive; again, making liberal use of glass, stone, and aluminum. Alik had me change into swimwear and we headed to the pool. From the outside of the building I couldn't decide what it was shaped like, but as I walked around in the interior, I decided that it was shaped like a large collection of Tetris tiles, except in the center, were there was a large

  indoor pool under a retractable roof. It was completely different in this room; the metal was changed to unfinished wood and the pool was lined in a white sandy tile with a course stone lining the pool’s edge. Sand, stone, and earth lining the walls of the room, where the sunlight came in from the roof, plants and vines flourished as they crawled along the walls.

  "Alik love, you’ve made it," came a voice I recognized. Memories of her smile as I lay dying surfaced, fuzzy and unclear in my mind. I shuttered slightly. A small girl in a pink one piece swimsuit had her arms around Alik’s waist, hugging him.

  "Alisa, please let me go," Alik said calmly, peeling her from himself.

  "Oh, you’re no fun," she complained, standing back and then looking me up and down. "So you’re still playing with this human? When will you realize that a vampire is the only one for you?"

  "When vampire like you no longer exist," he stated with a grin.

  Alisa stormed away at this comment and went to sit next to some guy who began to rub her shoulders. We walked around the pool to where Lilith lay in a black bikini, her hair glistening in the sun. She leaned her head over and I saw my reflection approach in her oversized sunglasses. She raised her stunning purple eyes to bore into me.

  "Vanessa dear, you and Alik have made it," she said, delighted.

  "Hello, Lilith," I greeted.

  "Have a seat, Vanessa; Alik, you go play with Alisa or something. Shoo," she hissed, pointing out the chair next to her and waving Alik away. Alik gave Lilith a cold look and then jumped in the pool. "This must be strange: vampire sitting around a pool sunbathing," she said in a smile.

  "That thought had crossed my mind, I must admit."

  "Do you like the place? We had it built just for this occasion."

  "It’s very nice; I like the modern take on an old Japanese style, with the connecting gardens and covered walk paths connecting the buildings. That’s what I'm assuming this is."

  "You noticed that, did you? Alik told me you chose Architecture as a major in college. If only you had found him two years ago you could have done the major design outlines” She then sat up and turned to me, all serious. “You never c
alled me after I explicitly asked you to," she said sadly with a pout that made her look like a little girl.

  "I’m sorry, it’s just that a lot has been going on with school and I’ve been a bit lost in my own thoughts also."

  "I know the feeling dear, believe me. A few millennia of thoughts are a lot to sift through. I do miss forgetfulness at times.” She grinned, her pout vanishing. “You know, you make him happy. Even if you didn’t choose him, as long as you included him in your life, he would have been happy."

  "He told you about Phil as well?"

  "No, June did."

  "I wouldn’t have expected that.”

  “She is very protective of her brother; she thought it would help."

  “Is she here by the way?"