Melabeth the Vampire

by Hood, E. B.

  I understood what he was trying to plant in my head. For a little bit of something gross, he would pass me. He didn’t think I could make up my grade, and he was probably right. I had no idea how to do any of this math, and I had a strong F to prove it. Yep, this is going to be my worst nightmare, all over again. I took a deep breath to calm my nerves; I don’t think that really helped.

  It was only about a three minute ride to Devon’s house. We didn’t really talk, but I noticed he checked me out a lot as he drove. He had looked me over before we had gotten into the car; at first it made me nervous. I thought that maybe he was remembering me, but then I realized he was just checking me out, and then it just made me sick. He obviously had plans for tonight, and I already knew what they were.

  His house was nothing special; it was a ranch style home, but, then again, that's the only kind of house I saw in this town. He opened the door and went into his house; I started to follow when I felt something push me back.

  Oh, crap, he has protection. Of course he does; how on earth could we have not thought about that. I would put money that every member of The Order has spells protecting their homes. I had to think fast; I had to get him to invite me in, but he wouldn’t want to do that.

  I took two steps away from the door, then I half turned as if I were thinking about leaving, I had to play this right. “I don’t know; I don’t know if I should go in.” I said this very quietly but still loud enough for Devon to hear me. I tried to sound nervous.

  Devon had stopped walking and was looking at me. “Don’t stand at the door; it’s rude, and we have work to do.”

  That wasn’t an invite; I bet he never invites out of habit. I hope that the thought of getting lucky outweighed his good habits. “Well, Mr. Wright… I just don’t know if I should. I mean, do you think it will be ok if I come inside?”

  I could see the impatience in his eyes; he then said. “It’s fine.”

  Oh, come on, what do I have to do, to get an invite? “You’re right; I shouldn’t come in…thank you for your honesty. I will see you tomorrow then?” I hoped I could confuse him enough to invite me.

  A look of confusion came over his face, so far so good. “No, that’s not what I said… I said you can come in.”

  I hoped that worked. “Oh, I misunderstood you.” I slowly headed toward the door, I hoped he thought it was because I was nervous, but I didn’t want to be thrown back by the wall.

  His invite had worked; I walked right in. Wow, that was a close call. Let’s just hope nothing else goes wrong with Plan A, now part 3. The best part is that, when I walked by Devon, he didn’t even realize that he had invited me in. Devon closed the door behind me; with my hearing, I could hear the lock click.

  We sat on the coach. He had a math book, paper and a pen sitting on a coffee table. “Let us talk about how we can get that grade from an F, to a B, or maybe even an A; it’s all up to you.”

  “Whatever it takes,” I said, but I was thinking, over my dead body. He wasn’t going to waste any time, neither would I, “Can you excuse me for just one second? I need to use the restroom.”

  Devon smiled, and said, “Of course you can; it’s right down the hall. I should have asked before we sat down.”

  I got up and walked down the hall he had pointed at. I went into the restroom, shut and locked the door. Plan A is stupid; there was a little window toward the top of the wall, above the bathtub. It was one of those windows that you couldn’t open, or see out of.

  So now for Plan A, part 4, I hope we have thought out Plan B better than this. I hid the stone between the floor and the wood trim. I wedged it in there pretty good; there was no way you could see it, and you would have to pry it out. There was no way the vacuum cleaner could suck it out; boy, I hope that’s good enough. Now I needed to get out of here.

  I started to gag myself, making the sound of throwing up. After about two or three minutes of this, Devon came to the door. He knocked lightly then said, “Is everything ok in there?”

  I didn’t answer him; instead I made a loud throwing up noise. After heaving a few more times, I said. “Sorry, I guess I am sick.”

  I flushed the toilet, and then went back to heaving; after a minute or more of doing this, I flushed the toilet again. I came out of the bathroom with my hand over my mouth.

  “I think I need to go home.”

  Devon looked disappointed, but it’s not like he wanted to fool around with a girl that was puking.

  Devon said with disappointment, “We should do this another time. Let me grab a trash can and some trash bags for the car, and we will go. We can do this when you feel better.”

  He said this as he headed into the kitchen; he came back carrying a small white trash can, and some trash bags. We had just pulled out of Devon’s driveway, when the next problem arose.

  “Where do you live?” asked Devon.

  I couldn’t take him to the White’s house without time to think about it; I just pointed, and Devon started to drive. We were now headed toward the residential area of Beaumont. I had no choice; I would have to pick out a random house and then hope no one was home.

  “That’s my house; just drop me off here.”

  “Ok, will you be alright?”

  “Yes…” then I put my hand over my mouth as if I was about to puke all over his car. I jumped out and then yelled back. “Thanks for the ride.”

  I headed toward this house using my second sight; I was watching for Devon’s car to pull away, but it didn’t. If I hadn’t of known what a creep he was, this would have been nice of him. He was waiting to make sure I made it inside the house ok. I decided on change of plan.. Plan A, part… I can’t even remember.

  Crossing the lawn toward the side of the house, there was a wooden gate. Like a lot of houses in this area, the backyard was surrounded by a wooden fence. I reached up and grabbed the latch; finally, a bit of luck; it wasn’t locked. I went in, half turned around and waved bye at Devon’s car, then shut the gate. Devon would just think that I used the back door.

  As I looked through the crack of the slats in the gate, Devon finally pulled away. Then I heard the sound of growling. Oh great, I turned around only to see three giant Rottweiler’s growling at me.

  I was standing in front of the gate, but the gate swung inward, and, when I tried to move forward, the dogs’ growls intensified. One of the dogs snapped at me; I guess I was about to be in my first dogfight.

  As I got ready to fight, the dogs suddenly stopped growling. Then the dogs started barking; they started to bark what sounded like a song. They were barking Beethoven’s Fifth; they were barking and howling Beethoven.

  I opened the gate to find Michael with the biggest grin. “Hurry up, before these dogs attract any more attention.”

  As Michael and I hurried down these people’s front yard, I could see Ezra sitting in the passenger seat of Michael’s Jimmy. “I knew that you could control animals, but that was amazing.”

  We both jumped into the truck; Michael tossed the truck in gear, and we were off. “I can show you how to do it if you like. Some vampires are better than others.”

  Ezra said, “Animal control is difficult for most to learn, and few ever get as good as Michael. Don’t let him tell you how easy it is, or how in one lesson he will have you making dogs sing. Did you accomplish your mission?”

  “Yes, I put the stone in a safe place, but this Plan A was not planned very well.”

  Michael laughed, and so did Ezra; then Ezra said. “You handled it well. You will learn that there is no such thing as a perfect plan. You did well; you made it work, and you figured out what you needed to do and made it happen. I was extremely proud about how you tricked him to invite you in.”

  “I just hope that our plan for David isn’t so… haphazard.”

  Michael said in a very reassuring voice. “David’s part is the easiest part; he doesn’t have to deal with anyone. The only thing that could cause irreversible damage is if Devon found out about David’s involv
ement, and that is why we cannot let Devon go home until David is safely away.”

  Ezra added. “Things still could go bad, Melabeth. If things go bad, Alice and I have set up for departure. We can’t have The Order coming after us in force. We will be ready to leave at a moment’s notice.”

  I couldn’t believe that they all were willing to do this for me. “Thanks, I don’t know what to say. Sorry, I didn’t mean to drag you all into this, and I hope it doesn’t come to you leaving your home.” Michael and Ezra laughed. “What's so funny?”

  Michael answered. “Vampires don’t have homes; we have pit stops, places where we lay our heads. We are always ready to leave at a moment’s notice. We are hated, feared and hunted, and most of all…” both Michael and Ezra said at the same time. “We are family.”

  It felt like a hundred pounds were taken off my shoulders; now that I had done Plan A, I could relax. I had stressed so much about my time with Devon. The stress came back by the time the truck pulled into the driveway. Now I was full of worries for David; there was a part of me that said, let’s just call off David’s part. I could figure out another way to collect my movie from Devon.

  I pushed that thought to the back of my head; I knew he could do this. When he finished his mission, I would be one step closer to getting my revenge. I was also one step closer to saying goodbye to David. I was getting ready for bed; tomorrow would be a big day.

  I lay on the bed, and a knock came on the door. “Come in.”

  Ezra stepped inside and then shut the door behind him. He came over and took a seat at the end of my bed. “You are different than most vampires, so young, but so strong. I, we, forget that you are new to this life. Most vampires that are as strong as you, remember what it was like a hundred years ago. There were no special contacts that blocked the light and made your eyes look normal. In fact there were no sunglasses, so even if you wished to risk going out in the day, you would be blind.”

  I said, “You treat me well, I am not complaining. In fact, sometimes I wonder why you have taken me in.”

  Ezra smiled. “Why have we taken you in? If you could see yourself through my eyes, you wouldn’t ask me that. What I was trying to say is that you still don’t understand the vampire lifestyle. For example, the sun just went down, so, it is morning. This is the beginning of the day, first thing in the morning. The day does not end until the sun rises, and this is the daytime, and that’s when we would celebrate a birthday.”

  Before I could say anything, the door of my room flew open. Alice, Charlotte, Michael and Lea flashed into my room. Charlotte was holding a cake with sixteen candles on it; Alice and Lea both had arms full of presents. Then they all started singing Happy Birthday; as they sang, Michael lit the candles.

  Charlotte put the cake in front of me, and, as the song came to the end, Alice yelled out, “Make a wish.”

  I didn’t know what to wish for, so I simply gave thanks instead. Then I blew out the candles; Charlotte took the cake away. Alice said. “I want a piece of cake.”

  Charlotte laughed, then said; “how about cake in a bottle?” With that, she pulled out a big bottle of wine.

  Ezra brought out some glasses, while Charlotte poured. Ezra said right before he sipped the wine, “This is a real treat, blood wine; it’s hard to find. Wine is one of the only ways to preserve the blood, for vampires that is.” After he took a sip, he added, “ah, delicious, time for presents.”

  The wine tasted wonderful; I could drink myself stupid on this stuff.

  Alice and Charlotte had bought me a lot of clothes. I loved them; Alice had even bought me more clothes that went with my new look. I had mixed emotions about always dressing in black.

  Charlotte bought me a leather jumpsuit; she told me that it was more comfortable than it looked. Ezra added that it was really good for combat, and that is why Charlotte had gotten it for me.

  Ezra had bought me a beautiful set of knives. He told me they were made out of a new metal, titanium, light and strong. The handles had a good feel; the blades were only sharp on one side with a slight curve. They were both six inches long, including the handle, and they would be easy to hide.

  Michael had bought me a pair of sunglasses. They were special, he said. Tougher than most, and also darker; they fit me perfectly. They were tight enough that they would not come off easily. I gave Michael a big hug that got me a dirty look from Lea. Charlotte and Alice both hooped and hollered at my hug with Michael. Ezra shook his head back and forth in disgust with the whole thing.

  I pulled back from my hug; Michael gently kissed me on my forehead, and then said, “Happy Birthday, but you’re still not even one, in vampire years.”

  Lea handed me a small box. Inside was a necklace with a half of a heart charm attached to a chain. She had the other half. She showed me that, when you put the two necklaces together, they said Best Friends Forever. “Thank you, Lea… and I don’t half heartily say that,” everyone laughed.

  I really hoped she didn’t expect me to wear this. Best friends, I wasn’t even sure we were friends at all. I didn’t say anything; I didn’t want to give Alice and Charlotte anymore ammo to tease Lea with, but, from the smirk on Charlotte face, it told me that she knew exactly how I felt.

  I would have loved to drink the night away, but thank goodness I wasn’t the only one who had to get up for school.

  Michael was on his third glass of wine, when he announced. “Alright, I am sure Melabeth is grateful, but I… and, when I say I, I mean we, we have school tomorrow. So goodnight all, and happy birthday again…see ya in the morning.”

  He left, with Lea in tow.

  Lea yelled back, “See you tomorrow Melabeth.”

  She was really trying to be my friend, even if I was a threat to her love, Michael. In the future I would have to remember to be nice. Charlotte and Ezra excused themselves, and then left my room hand in hand. I lay back on my bed. Alice finished her glass of wine, and then she lay next to me. It was kind of strange as we both lay in silence.

  “Goodnight birthday girl,” Alice whispered, as she closed her eyes.

  I cleared my throat, “This is my bed.”

  Alice giggled, and then turned her head to look at me. “No one should be alone on their birthday. I am not Charlotte; I don’t know what you are feeling, but I am sure of how I would feel after a day like you have had. Plus, I have wanted to have a sleep over. We could build a fort if you like.”

  “No fort, I am tired…’night Alice.” I closed my eyes and turned onto my side. I felt Alice put a blanket over me.

  She was right; I was glad she was here with me.

  When the alarm awoke me, I was alone in bed. When I thought about it, the only ones sleeping at night were me and Michael. Alice was sweet, even if she hid behind crazy.

  * * *

  The first two classes flew by, and, before I knew it, I was headed to brunch with Lizzie in tow. I couldn’t wait to see David; I was already worried about him, and he hadn’t even left today. As soon as I saw David, I ran up and gave him a hug.

  He whispered in my ear. “Easy there, you’re forgetting how strong you are.” I laughed and loosened my grip, but I didn’t let go of him. “It’s going to be fine, Melabeth; I can feel your worry across the whole school. I can do this; we can do this.”

  I nodded my head. Lizzie stuck her head really close and said, “P.D.A. you two.”

  I ignored her. She and Michael started talking; I was getting a little uneasy about that relationship. I hadn’t said anything to David about it, and it wouldn’t have worried me if it were just Lizzie, but Michael smiled more and stared just a little bit too long. Michael glanced my way; I gave him a dirty look. He just winked at me and went back to talking to Lizzie.

  I had enough to worry about, and now I had one more thing. Brunch was only fifteen minutes, but it felt like two, and then it was like I had traveled into the future. It was lunch time.

  I didn’t have much time to talk to David; he needed to go. The plan was
that he would walk off campus; there were some orange groves in a field across the street from the high school. There he could teleport without anyone seeing him.

  I gave him a big hug, but I made sure I didn’t squeeze too hard. “Be safe, and hurry back. If you don’t find it, don’t worry about it. You are important. I don’t want you getting into any trouble.”

  David smiled at me. “You worry too much; I will be back before you can say, ‘You love me’.”

  He kissed me. Then he started walking; he looked back over his shoulder and gave me one more smile, then he rounded a corner and was gone. I said to myself. “Love you.” If anything happened to him… I couldn’t say it to his face, not when I knew I was going to leave him.

  After that, time went from, so fast I couldn’t stand it to so slow I couldn’t take it. In fifth period, October was worried about me. In the last week, October had been getting steadily more aggressive. She touched me whenever possible, and she talked about me and her having a sleepover. If it wasn’t for the fact that I was trying not to bring any more attention to myself… well let’s just say October would understand how I felt. Still, as annoying as her unwanted advances were, there was still something I liked about her as a person. If that hadn’t been true, I would have already put my foot down.

  I was full of emotions, so I was glad to get away from October before I said something I would regret. I don’t really do regret. Sixth period was a horror from the moment I walked into the room.

  Devon asked me, “Do you feel better today?”

  I put forth my best pretend smile, “yes sir.”

  Then I had to listen to him speak for forty-five minutes, and he gave us the next fifteen minutes to work on an assignment. It was only eight minutes before class let out. I was about to tear all my hair out when, over the loud speaker, they announced a phone call for Lizzie.