On Saturday, Vanora reclined on her folding chaise lounge in a long, black, gauzy caftan while she huddled under a wide-brimmed hat and beach umbrella with her aunt. Vanora loved the sound of the ocean, the smell of the salt water, and the cries of the seagulls, but she was painfully aware of the sun shining brightly down on the sand. Her cousins splashed in the waves nearby, shouting and laughing as they played some form of football with an oversized beach ball. She found her uncle’s pale and overly hairy chest a bit embarrassing. Though he had a bit of a gut, he had no shame in his Speedo. Crystal liked to joke it was a European thing. It was hard not to envy Viktor and Felicia frolicking with their father in the surf. Vanora’s mental image of her father always blurred with that of Roman. She missed her brother and sister, but it was nice to be out with the extended part of her family.
Wearing prescription sunglasses (that she hated wearing), she flipped through fashion magazines while her aunt sipped margaritas and watched her husband and kids. Aunt Crystal had decided to go natural again in the last year and her soft afro was twisted into spirals around her head. Vanora loved the soft feel of the cloud of hair but refrained from running her fingers over it like she had when a child. She was sure her aunt would not appreciate it. Vanora couldn’t remember her mother’s face or the feel of her embrace anymore, but her Aunt Crystal’s warm smiles, tight hugs, and laughter filled a tiny bit of the void left inside of her by her mother’s death.
“You have to have a crush on someone,” her aunt teased, picking up a familiar conversation thread with her niece.
“Uh, Ryan Gosling,” Vanora answered studying a model made up to look albino in a fashion spread. She noted the eyes were wrong.
“I mean at school.” Her aunt side-eyed her, a playful smile on her lips.
“Nope. The boys at school suck!” Vanora flipped another page.
“But you’re so beautiful! There must be one nice guy after you.”
Vanora’s cousin, Felicia, always had a boyfriend, so her aunt was mystified by the fact that Vanora never did.
“Not one,” Vanora answered. She hoped her aunt would drop the subject soon.
“So a nice boy has never asked you out?” Aunt Crystal regarded her with great skepticism.
“Nope, a nice boy has never asked me out.”
Vanora didn’t feel like explaining that the last boy to ask her out had done so to be cruel. A group of the popular boys had decided to prank the ‘ugly girls’ in their class. Each boy picked one girl that was deemed undesirable – usually a girl with an obvious crush on the guy – and asked her out on a date. If the girl answered yes, she was given a mocking response before the guy returned to his friends, who howled with laughter. During lunch, Vanora had been approached by the most popular, good-looking boy in the entire school. He’d asked her out, playing it shy and sweet, but she had been bullied by him all her school career and promptly told him no, even though she was unaware of what they’d been doing. Embarrassed by her response and his friends mocking him, he’d been especially cruel. She hated that his words had stung.
“I don’t get it,” her aunt said, frowning slightly. “You’re one of the prettiest, sweetest girls I know, even if you do like those terrible horror movies.”
Vanora shrugged. “It’s an albino thing.”
“Ridiculous,” Crystal declared.
“Maybe. But they love hurling insults at me for being albino.”
“People are stupid,” Crystal groused and sipped her margarita.
Felicia ran up to them, long-limbed, and stunningly beautiful. She’d been asked to model on more than on occasion but turned down all offers. She was a freshman in college and intended to become an engineer. Though she was dark-eyed and golden-skinned, she resembled Alisha slightly. The Socoli family likeness was definitely mixed in with her mother’s features. Viktor looked more like his mother, but he had Roman and Nicolau’s heavily-fringed, brooding eyes.
Flopping down onto the hot sand next to Vanora’s beach chair, Felicia grinned. “So many fine men out here today.”
“And hairy Romanians,” Crystal said, winking.
“Gawd! Dad is so embarrassing!” Felicia groaned.
Uncle Nicolau and Viktor continued to play ball nearby. Vanora giggled watching her uncle with a mixture of horror and amusement. He looked like an older version of Roman, and it pained Vanora to know that Roman would never play with his son on the beach.
“Your cousin claims that she doesn’t have a boyfriend or any crushes,” Crystal said. “We have to change that when she comes to Austin, right, Felicia?”
Felicia gave Vanora a surprised look. “What about that Armando guy? Isn’t he still around?”
Vanora widened her eyes at her cousin. “Shut up!”
“Armando?” Aunt Crystal’s eyes brightened. “Who is Armando?”
“Some writer friend of Alisha’s that Vanora is all about,” Felicia said, ratting her out completely. “She says he’s totally hot and European.”
The spark went out of Crystal’s eyes. Vanora sensed she had figured out that Armando wasn’t just a friend of Alisha’s. “Oh, then he’s way too old for you, Vanora. Way too old.”
Vanora pulled the brim of her hat down over her eyes. “I don’t like him! I don’t like anyone!”
“Lies! You can’t stop texting about him! Plus, Mom, she’s seventeen and legal in the state of Texas! Older men are yummy!”
Aunt Crystal leaned over the armrest of her beach chair. “Oh, no. You stay away from those much older men. You come to Austin and find yourself a decent guy in your own age group.”
“Ugh, I hate my family!” Vanora cried out. “You’re all evil!”
“You like me!” Felicia grabbed Vanora’s hand and yanked her to her feet. “C’mon, let’s go play in the water.”
“Don’t you help her escape!” Aunt Crystal smacked at them with her magazine. “I’m not done lecturing her!”
Vanora tossed her magazine at her aunt and ran across the sand with her cousin while holding her hat onto her head. Laughing, they plunged into the surf.
* * *
Vanora was fairly sure if she ate one more piece of fried shrimp or one more hushpuppy she would explode, yet her fingers betrayed her stomach and reached for more of the food piled in the center of the table.
They were at her uncle’s favorite seafood restaurant enjoying the good food and the refreshingly cool night air wafting in through the doors that opened onto the deck overlooking the bay. Tucked into a booth, Vanora and Felicia bookended the semi-circle with Crystal sitting beside Vanora and Viktor beside his sister. Uncle Nicolau sat in the center, hemmed in by his family. They were all in good spirits and laughing uproariously as Uncle Nicolau told one of his notoriously tall tales.
Sipping more sweet tea, Vanora eyed the shrimp on her plate. It was too good not to eat, but her tummy was bulging. Being a slight girl, it was easy for her to get a “food baby” if she ate too much. Dropping her hand to her puffed out belly, she suddenly felt intensely morose. She couldn’t explain why, but she was filled with unexpected grief.
“No, no, really. It happened just like that,” Uncle Nicolau protested.
“Lies, all lies!” Viktor declared.
“Are you accusing me of lying?” Vanora’s uncle pretended to be insulted.
“Oh, yeah. You’re a total liar! You’re the one who told me that stars were God’s dandruff.” Viktor answered. “That went over really well in science class.”
“That was kindergarten!” Uncle Nicolau grinned.
“I keep a ledger in my head of all the stuff you do! You’re paying for my therapy!” Viktor grinned and munched on a hushpuppy.
“This is the classic younger male angling to dethrone the aging male of the pack,” Felicia said with a smirk.
“He’s eighteen! I’m a young fifty years! I’ll take him down with one arm tied behind my back!”
Aunt Crystal rolled her eyes and nudged Vanora. “They never grow up.”
“I don’t get it,” a voice said.
Vanora looked up to see a handsome young man with deeply tanned skin and raven black hair staring at her. Clad in Bermuda shorts and a souvenir t-shirt, he was obviously a tourist. A very drunk tourist. He swayed back and forth as his blue eyes skimmed over the Socoli family. With a bemused look on his face, he said again, “I don’t get it.”
“Can I help you, sir?” Aunt Crystal said flipping on her professional tone.
“Yeah. Yeah.” The young man ran a hand through his thick hair. “I get some of it. We have espresso right here.” He pointed to Crystal.
“Excuse me!” Vanora’s aunt exclaimed.
“And latte right over there,” the man continued, ignoring Crystal and pointing to Nicolau. “So that explains the cappuccinos.”
“Did you just call me coffee?” Felicia growled.
Viktor grabbed his sister’s arm before she could shoot out of the booth. “He’s drunk and stupid.”
Continuing to ignore the family, the drunk man pointed at Vanora. “But how did we end up with sweet cream right here?” He leaned over and stared at her face. “Your eyes are so weird. What color are your nips and pussy?”
“We’re taking this outside!” Nicolau roared and tried to climb over his son to get out from behind the booth.
Vanora felt the dark, nasty haze filling her go utterly black, hard, and cold. “Go away.” A sharp pain right below her heart sliced through her and it felt as if cold, yet molten metal exploded out of her.
The man’s eyes widened, he staggered back, and then fell flat on his ass. Out of the crowd of people gathered around the bar, two men came to claim their friend. Laughing at his antics, they tugged him away by his arms, dragging him so his bare heels scraped on the floor and he nearly lost his sandals. The drunk stared at Vanora in horror.
Breathing heavily, Vanora pressed her hands to her thighs, her head down. She felt empty and realized the mass of dark energy that had infected her was gone.
“It’s okay, sweetie. It’s okay,” Crystal said, her arm settling around Vanora’s shoulders. She pressed a kiss to her temple.
“Let me out, Viktor! I’m going to go kick his ass!” Uncle Nicolau kept trying to get past Viktor, who kept pushing him back into his seat.
“Dad, keep it cool!”
“He’s not worth it, Dad,” Felicia agreed.
“He insulted my family!”
“It’s Vanora’s birthday. Do you really want her to remember her seventeenth birthday as the one where we had to go to the jail to bail out her uncle?” Crystal pinned her husband with a glower. “Now, back your ass into your seat and calm your Socoli temper down.”
Nicolau slammed his hand down on the table, frowned, but relented. “Fine.”
“Now. Let’s change the subject and ignore the stupid ass drunk boys,” Crystal continued. “So, someone offer up a topic.”
Viktor gave his sister a slow, evil grin. “How about Felicia’s new boyfriend from Mexico?”
“New boyfriend?” Nicolau sputtered.
“Snitch.” Felicia poked her brother hard in the ribs.
“Okay, details on this new boy,” Crystal ordered before downing the rest of her margarita.
“His name is Juan Carlos, he’s blond with blue eyes and he’s from Mexico City,” Viktor answered. “His family is uber-rich.”
“Who’s boyfriend are we talking about?” Felicia said crossly. “Yours or mine?”
Viktor rolled his eyes. “If I was gay, I could do so much better than that mouth-breather.”
Vanora tried not to reveal how sick she felt and plastered a big smile on her face as she listened to her cousins arguing. Uncle Nicolau was still angry, but he was slowly calming down as his wife stroked his hairy forearm affectionately. Watching them, Vanora envied their love. Married for over twenty-five years, they were still madly in love with each other and best friends. Vanora wondered if it was possible for her to ever experience something so wonderful. It was embarrassing to have reached her seventeenth birthday without ever having a date or having even been kissed.
A whiff of familiar cologne caught her attention and she craned her head to scan the busy restaurant. The doors to the deck were wide open and she barely glimpsed a man slipping into the shadows. The profile had been familiar and she felt her heartbeat speed up.
Armando!
But why would he be here?
Watching the doorway, she waited to see if he would reappear. Her earlier despair was forgotten as her heart soared at the thought of Armando being nearby. Maybe she could speak to him alone. It had been months since their last private conversation.
Sadly, Armando did not reappear and by the time the Socolis departed the restaurant. Vanora wondered if he had even been there at all.
31
When Uncle Nicolau’s SUV finally pulled up to the Socoli Mansion in Houston early Sunday evening, the sun had just set below the horizon. He was always careful to arrive after sunset to allow Alisha time to prepare for company. He had even called ahead so that Alisha and Roman wouldn’t be caught by surprise. Vanora sometimes wished that her cousins knew about the vampires, but understood the need for secrecy.
On the way home she had dozed, her head on Felicia’s shoulder. She adored her cousin but sometimes felt a little guilty that she could share experiences with her that she couldn’t share with Alisha. As she grew older, she was increasingly aware of the divide that rested between her siblings and the rest of the world.
Alisha greeted them at the door. She was wearing her painting smock, giving the impression she had been working all day on her latest artistic endeavor. The usual round of hugs was followed by Uncle Nicolau declaring he had to go to the bathroom, but Vanora knew he was really sneaking off to greet Roman. In his absence, the family chatted, laughter echoing in the grand foyer of the house.
“You have to come to the ranch in Bandera,” Felicia insisted, one arm slung over Alisha’s shoulders. “It’s so cool! Uncle Keith always does this epic barbecue that will just blow you away!”
Alisha sighed. “I wish I could! I just agreed to a new showing in Amsterdam!”
“No! Alisha!” Viktor scowled. “You’re always working!”
“I know! It’s awful,” Alisha admitted.
Vanora loved the big sprawling ranch Crystal’s brother owned. After the Civil War, her family had traveled to Texas to be cowboys. They’d only had one horse to start with, but after years of hard work, the family had built a large working ranch. It had remained in the family over the years. Crystal’s brother, who always told Vanora to call him Uncle Keith, was the ultimate cowboy.
“We’re going in June, so you have to hurry up and finish before then,” Felicia insisted.
“I’ll try,” Alisha lied.
“Promise?” Viktor asked, his thick eyelashes fluttering at her.
Alisha nodded. “Of course.”
Crystal stood just behind her children and her expression was shadowed with sadness. There were so many lies in the family, Vanora thought. How could it possibly be good for any of them?
“Okay! Ready! Let’s go! We have a three-hour drive back home!” Uncle Nicolau said, hurrying to rejoin them.
“What were you doing? That was like twenty minutes,” Viktor teased.
“I’m a man. I have man-sized shits!”
Everyone groaned, which made Uncle Nicolau grin.
Another round of hugs, more kisses, more promises to see each other soon, then they were all gone.
Once the door shut, Alisha turned around, her eyes slightly widened. “Did you have an amazing weekend or what?”
“It was fun,” Vanora admitted.
“Tell me everything!” Alisha grabbed her hand, dragging her toward
the family room.
Vanora noticed how cold her sister’s fingers felt against her wrist. Far different from the warmth of her aunt’s touch.
* * *
Later that night, while brushing her long white-blond hair, Vanora watched her brother as he paced around her bedroom. He’d occasionally pick something up, not really looking at it, turning it in his hands, before depositing it back in the same spot he had picked it up from. Vanora listened to him prattle on but really didn’t take in the words. She was more interested in observing him. Roman rarely looked so flustered. Alisha was in shorts and a tank top, slouched at the end of the bed, inserting a word or two into Roman’s long discourse about Vanora moving to Austin and her first year at the University of Texas.
“So you’re on target to graduate early in December of this year due to the credits you received from doing those extra courses in the summer, which is good, but it has brought up some issues. Are you sure you don’t want to take summer classes and finish up early?”
“Rhonda and I want to graduate together,” Vanora said, annoyed. Her only friend was also going to be moving to Austin and they had been planning their early graduation since their freshman year of high school.
Roman nodded somberly. “Very well. Your trust fund doesn’t officially kick in until you’re eighteen, but Alisha and I can move money around to pay for your first semester of college.”
“Can it help me pay rent on an apartment?” Vanora asked hopefully.
Roman shook his head adamantly. “We discussed this previously. Living with your uncle and aunt is wise for this first year. You’re still young, even though you’re graduating high school.”
Vanora scowled. She had hoped he would change his mind so she could get a place with Rhonda. Most likely Rhonda would live in a dorm the first year.
Vampire in the Night: In Darkness We Must Abide, #1 Page 19