The Homecoming Masquerade

by Baum, Spencer

  The Farm was ten acres of land in South Florida where new slaves were raised to feed the growing family of immortals in America. It was a strange creation, absolutely unique in the world of the ever-living, but it had become necessary. Since Coronation had been instituted at Thorndike, Daciana’s clan had grown to the largest in the world. They needed to be fed, and they couldn’t rely on simple hunting alone. These were respected members of high society now. They couldn’t just go around eating the innocent.

  In those early years of Daciana’s reign, the clan feasted on the prison population, on the villains who deserved to die, on the troublemakers who needed to be removed from the streets, and the world thanked them for it. But there were only so many rapists and murderers in the world, and very few that were healthy and ripe.

  Fearing that her clan would get greedy and too many innocent people would be missed, Daciana created a farm where young people could be born and raised in totally anonymity, the sort of people who could be eaten when ripe without anyone missing them at all.

  Murderers, rapists, and thugs would still be removed from the world, of course, but no longer would Daciana’s children be forced to eat them. A murderer who had over-ripened would become a father or mother on the Farm, a parent brainwashed to reproduce and give its babies up for slaughter. No one would miss the parents; no one would miss the babies. The Farm was a way for humanity to look the other way while the immortals got their fill of fresh blood.

  Shortly after becoming immortal, Melissa Mayhew proved herself exceptionally adept at the high level mind control that was necessary to run an operation like the Farm. Together with a young auto mechanic named Dominic Volcker, whom Melissa had chosen for her first immortal bond, Melissa turned the Farm into a machine of mind control, where the detritus of society came in, had their memories erased, and became eager, servile livestock.

  As headmistress of the Farm, Melissa had a standing invite to Renata’s Homecoming party, and when she came, she always brought a horse trailer filled with eight young slaves. Those eight would replace an equal number that Renata had hand-picked from her collection. The eight most sumptuous, delicious, ripe slaves Renata owned, offered up as a gift for the nine immortals invited to join her for a Homecoming gathering in the woods outside her mansion.

  Nine immortals; eight slaves. The discrepancy was no accident. In a moment, Renata would send her slaves running into the forest, and her guests would hunt them down. With only eight slaves for nine immortals, someone would go hungry. It was a race, a game where these most gifted of predators could test their skills against one another.

  Melissa, Dominic, and Renata were three of the immortals in attendance. Alexander Chapman and his bond, Ansel Gregory, were numbers four and five. Lena Trang with Thomas Byrne, and Bernadette Paiz with Mark Spinoza rounded out the total.

  Present on the property, but off somewhere hiding, was Sergio Alonzo, the reclusive immortal who showed his face only a few times a year. Sergio liked to come to Homecoming to view the girls wearing black, but he never partook in Renata’s slave chase rodeo.

  Also invited but not present was Daciana herself, and her long-time bond, Aaron Defazio. Their absence was the topic of conversation as the evening got started.

  “Did Daciana say anything to you about coming or not coming?” asked Lena Trang.

  “No,” said Renata. “I haven’t spoken with her in over a month.”

  Melissa didn’t like the way Renata spat the words from her mouth. In over a month, as if it were Daciana’s responsibility to check in with Renata, as if the mention of Daciana’s name was somehow an affront.

  “Me either,” said Bernadette.

  “When is the last time anyone spoke with her?” asked Lena.

  Melissa said nothing as her peers chattered away like gossipy schoolchildren, even though it was all a charade. Daciana and Aaron had broken their bond and were in separation. It was obvious. No one had heard from either of them for weeks. Still, these cowards danced around the topic, hoping someone else would be the first to say what they all were thinking, that the queen of their clan had broken a bond for the first time in nearly a century.

  No one knew what it meant that Daciana and Aaron might have broken up. It was rather like they were children in a large family whose parents started fighting and then disappeared.

  “As far as I’m concerned, Daciana’s absence merely means the best meat will go to someone else,” Renata said. “If we’re done speaking of her, I’d like to show off what I have for you tonight. It is the tastiest line-up I’ve prepared in many years.”

  “Yes, please,” said Alexander.

  Melissa was as anxious as anyone to hunt the slaves, but she wasn’t able to just blow off Daciana’s absence like Renata did. For Melissa, the great appeal of being immortal was the constancy, the way that some things changed slowly, and other things (like your body) not at all. This past year—the notable tension whenever Daciana and Aaron were around – it made Melissa immensely uncomfortable. Now they were at Homecoming, a night steeped in tradition, practically a holiday, and Daciana was missing. It was almost too much to bear.

  Not that Daciana was some calming presence or something. Far from it. Daciana was intimidating and intense, demanding the best of “her girls” in behavior and appearance at all times. On a normal night, Melissa would be thankful for the opportunity to play a game while Daciana was gone.

  But this wasn’t a normal night. This was Homecoming. And Daciana’s absence ran headlong into decades of nostalgia, creating an unfamiliar mix that seemed like a bad omen to Melissa. It was the end of something. The end of something good, something sinfully good. And with the end there would be consequences. There were always consequences.

  Renata led them deeper into the woods, where eight of her slaves stood in a single file line.

  “Edgar, come forward,” Renata commanded.

  A tall boy with curly brown hair stepped out of line and towards Renata. He stopped right in front of her, standing still with his chin up.

  “Edgar turned nineteen last February, but has only begun to ripen in the past month,” Renata said as she stroked his cheek. “He was born at the Farm, but his heritage is Slavic.”

  This was another change. Traditionally, Melissa would be the one to speak of the lineage of the slaves. After all, it was Melissa who knew these things best. And while it was true that Edgar was born to parents who had been kidnapped in the Czech Republic, it wasn’t accurate to say his heritage was Slavic. Edgar had two older brothers who had already been consumed, and their masters described them as tasting a bit more Mediterranean, suggesting that Edgar’s parents or grandparents were not born in the same place they were found.

  Melissa would have liked to tell all of this, but she didn’t want to be rude. These were Renata’s slaves now. Just because Melissa knew more about their lineage didn’t give her the right to interrupt the hostess.

  But in years past, Renata would have invited Melissa to tell them more about Edgar. In years past, Renata and Melissa were tight, the two favorite daughters in the clan. But last year Renata’s bond with Chad went sour and everything changed. No, not everything. Just Renata. She changed. She became distant. She started keeping to herself.

  Breaking a bond was a nasty process. Melissa was thankful for the strength of her bond with Dominic. While all bonds broke eventually, good ones could last a century or longer. Melissa was certain she and Dominic had one of those bonds. She still loved him as much as the day she made him.

  She used to love Renata too. She had such fond memories of spending time with her, once.

  Melissa and Renata. Within the highest caste of high society, these were the chosen daughters. These were the two girls that Daciana favored among all her children. It was beautiful. It was everything Melissa had ever wanted.

  You become the prom queen, Sergio visits you in the night, you become immortal, you join the clan, you find your bond, you live forever. Melissa was twelve years old whe
n she decided this was the path she wanted to take. But no one told her what happens next. No one told her that bonds come to an end, that love for the ever-living ends with as much passion as it started.

  At the time that Daciana kicked off the Coronation contest, she and Aaron had been bonded for going on forty years. By the time Melissa won, there were twenty girls in the clan ahead of her, including Renata. Not a single one of them had broken their bond. It was only natural for everyone to assume this was how it always was and always would be, that immortals found a bond and stayed with them forever. Only the immortals themselves and the rebels who studied vampire lore had any inkling how bonding really worked.

  Then Renata’s bond disappeared. Neither Renata nor Daciana said a thing about it. No one knew if Renata killed him or if he fled, and Daciana made it clear to the entire clan that what happened between Renata and Chad was Renata’s business. Renata became cold and distant to her sisters in the clan. Melissa felt like she had lost her best friend, and when she turned to Daciana for some motherly love, Daciana and Aaron began to unravel as well.

  It was all very unsettling to Melissa, and the fact that Renata was now changing the rules at Homecoming, that Melissa was no longer allowed to talk about the slaves, only made it worse.

  “Mmm..I’ve had some delectable Slavic kids from the Farm over the years,” said Mark Spinoza.

  No you haven’t, thought Melissa. You’ve had Edgar’s oldest brother and three of his cousins, and we don’t know their heritage.

  “You’ll like this one if you enjoy them a bit green,” Renata said. She turned to Edgar. “My guests would like to smell you now,” she said.

  Without any hesitation, Edgar walked past Renata and to the crowd of immortals behind her, standing in place while they gathered round and sniffed at him like dogs. Melissa stepped forward and put her nose to his neck, not because she wanted to, but out of respect for tradition. She didn’t need to smell Edgar at all. She’d been smelling him and his family for years. To her, the scents of cherry and oak that emanated from his skin were reminders of better times, when it seemed she had many centuries of unchanging wealth and privilege ahead of her.

  Renata gave them all a minute to get a good whiff, then called for the next slave.

  “Nellie, come here,” she commanded, bringing forth an unusually broad-shouldered girl. As Nellie approached, Edgar returned to his place in line in well-rehearsed fashion.

  “Nellie was free raised, landing on the Farm when she was thirteen,” Renata said.

  “She’s a big girl,” said Lena.

  “I’ve already decided this one will be mine,” said Bernadette.

  The others laughed. At just over five feet tall, Bernadette was the shortest immortal at the party, but probably the one with the biggest appetite.

  One by one, Renata called over her slaves, introducing them each with a little bit of history then allowing her guests to check them out. The slaves didn’t mind at all that these immortals spoke openly of eating them. That would change in a moment. To heighten the fun and improve the taste, Renata would release the slaves from her mind control. As soon as they were released, fear would begin coursing through their veins. Fear made the blood taste sweeter.

  “I must warn you on this last one that if you find her intriguing, you’ll be competing with me for a bite. I’ve been imagining how this one would taste since the day she arrived six years ago. Aurora, come over here.”

  The eighth and final slave approached. She was a petite thing with thick black hair and milk-white skin.

  “Aurora came to me when she was only ten,” Renata said, putting her arm around the girl, leaning close to her hair and taking in her scent. “I knew right away that she was something special.”

  Came to her? As if this girl just dropped out of the sky and landed on the mansion. Now Melissa was getting angry. Couldn’t Renata at least acknowledge the good work that was happening on the Farm? Couldn’t she mention that under Melissa and Dominic’s tutelage, the breeders there were making better and better specimens?

  “Oh Renata, you’ve outdone yourself with this one,” said Mark. “So vibrant she is. I bet she’d live to a hundred if allowed.”

  “You all can have her,” said Lena with a laugh. “I learned last year not to go after Renata’s favorite.”

  “That’s right. You went hungry last year,” said Renata. “Well, I’m sure you’ll find something tasty to pursue among my treats, even if it isn’t lovely Aurora.”

  Renata put a wide, hospitable smile on her face as she spoke, and in that moment, Melissa decided that she would have Aurora this night. She would go head to head with her former best friend, her speed against Renata’s, and she would take the prize meal of the night for herself.

  “Gather round, my children,” Renata said as she escorted Aurora back to the line. All eight slaves formed a circle with Renata in the center. “I have something to tell you.”

  Renata started with Aurora, looking her in the eyes, probing the activity behind them, making a hypnotic connection.

  “You are released,” Renata said.

  The words, spoken in Renata’s voice, with Renata’s gaze doing the rest of the talking, had an immediate effect. All the commands that had been put in that girl’s head since early childhood were released at once, and Aurora’s eyes woke up to what was really happening around her. That first look in the eyes was one of Melissa’s favorite parts. A kind of recognition showed in the girl’s face. It was the realization that she had been duped.

  Poor girl. Poor beautiful, delicious, sumptuous girl.

  “Aurora, we’re going to eat you now,” Renata said. “But there’s a whole forest behind you. I suggest you run.”

  A murmur, some trembling, and off she went.

  “She’s fast,” said Bernadette.

  “Another strike against her as far as you’re concerned?” asked Renata.

  “I like it when the meat on their bones slows them down,” Bernadette said, following her comment with a cackling laugh.

  “Let’s do yours next, shall we Bernadette?” Renata said. She turned to Nellie, looked her in the eyes, and released her from enslavement. Nellie didn’t wait for any encouragement to turn and run. She lumbered into the forest, moving as fast as she could. The girl wasn’t built for running. Bernadette would take her down in seconds.

  The next five were released in rapid-fire pronouncements, each of them sprinting away the instant their minds were freed.

  “And Edgar, I’ve saved you for last because I expect your long legs and skinny frame will make you the swiftest runner of the bunch,” Renata said. She turned to her guests. “Tell me, which of you has your eyes on this one?”

  Lena and Mark both raised their hands.

  “Do you see them, Edgar?” Renata asked.

  “I do,” he said.

  “One of them is going to eat you in a few minutes.”

  “I understand.”

  “Are you frightened?”

  “No.”

  “But you will be once I set you free.”

  “I understand.”

  “If you got to choose, would you rather be eaten by Mark or Lena?”

  “Lena.”

  “How come, Edgar?”

  “She reminds me of you, Madam.”

  “Oh, how sweet,” said Bernadette. “Now I kind of want to eat him.”

  “You stay with the one you already picked,” said Lena, her fangs now showing in her smile. All of them were ready to eat, but, according to tradition, none got to go until Renata gave the word.

  “You are released, Edgar.”

  He bolted into the darkness. Melissa saw Mark lick his lips as he watched Edgar go.

  All the immortals stood still for a moment, listening to their prey push deeper into the woods. On another night, Renata might have let the humans run for ten minutes or more, just to make it more interesting, but she was due inside the mansion shortly. The dance was on intermission right now. The immor
tals had to go join the party once intermission was over.

  “How do you suppose things are going inside?” Dominic asked.

  “Who cares?” said Renata. “This will be the most boring contest we’ve ever held. The Renwick girl has had it wrapped up since birth. Is everybody ready to race?”

  The hungry monsters roared in response.

  “Take your marks,” Renata said.

  The immortals lined up in a row, all of them being careful not to cheat even by an inch. Doing your best in this race was a courtesy to the hostess, even if you ate the human she wanted, as Melissa intended to do. But cheating was not acceptable.

  “Get set…..go!”

  With that, Melissa and eight other immortals blazed into the forest after the humans now running away. Bernadette reached her target first, dropping onto Nellie like a bird on a mouse and felling the girl with a single bite to the neck. Ansel was next to break off in pursuit of his prey, then Mark and Lena. Dominic went off to the left, chasing one of the boys. Melissa wasn’t surprised. Dominic loved the taste of a young man. Alexander had gone in the same direction, just a few steps behind Dominic.

  Melissa and Renata ran alone now, side by side, weaving in and out among the trees, hurdling obstacles on the forest floor, both of them chasing Aurora’s citrus scent. As they ran, Melissa felt an understanding pass between them that they both were after the same target, that they were competitors now.

  That the relationship they once had was over.

  Her own body bubbling with the chemistry of the hunt, Melissa no longer felt anxious or sad about all that was changing. She felt angry. She felt an anger that was suitable for a chase such as this, an anger that would drive her past her former best friend and make the kill that much more delicious. A part of her knew that the anger was temporary, a byproduct of circumstance. But a larger part recognized that her anger was not only justified, it was overdue.