by Megan Duncan
Chapter 6
Fox led me back to the main room where I had met the entire vampire family just the night before. To my surprise, Edgar, Robin’s dad was eagerly awaiting us. His pale skin seemed to glow as the frantic flames of the fireplace cast an orange light throughout the room. He looked much like any father would, or perhaps what I had always envisioned what a father would look like, since I never met mine.
Edgar was speedily setting up one of the oversized tables with books, papers and pens among many other subjects of study that I mentally described as his “torture devices.” I was never particularly fond of school or studying, and Robin blatantly pointed it out, judging by my lack of vampire knowledge. However, now that I was going to become a vampire, hopefully, studying about them would be much more interesting. Especially since I already liked the teacher.
“Oh, Claire, this is going to be an exciting evening!” Edgar bubbled with enthusiasm as he rushed toward me in a flash of speed. He stopped in front of me suddenly and with a slow movement, he held his hand out for mine.
I smiled at him and offered my hand. Edgar shook it calmly this time without jostling it at all and winked at me. Then, in another flourish of speed, he was suddenly back at the table he had set up for me and I couldn’t help but laugh at him. He looked like an excited hummingbird.
“Wow, you’re fast,” I said as I walked toward the table. I could hear Fox stifle a grumble as he followed behind me. I had almost forgotten he was there.
“Yes, thank you. That is but one of the many talents we vampires share. Some are speedier than others.”
Edgar pulled the chair out for me and I seated myself as I grew increasingly interested in this crash course of vampirism that I was about to receive.
“The king has asked that I instruct you as quickly as possible, so that you are prepared for the changes that are soon to befall you. As you are well aware, and I’m sure Robin has told you, we will be hosting a coronation ball in your honor to celebrate your adoption into this family. However, there are many things you must prepare for other than what you will be wearing.”
Edgar smiled at me as he walked back and forth across the room. I got the feeling he was a bit nervous and I first thought that it might be because of me; but then I saw Edgar’s eyes frequently steal a quick glance toward Fox, and I realized I wasn’t the only one who Fox made uneasy. He was certainly an ominous figure, even when he wasn’t talking.
Fox just stood behind me silently, obviously supervising that I was taught the correct information. I wasn’t sure how I felt about it. Was Fox there because Nicolae didn’t trust Edgar to tell me everything he should? Or because there were things that Edgar shouldn’t mention? I decided that any information was good information, considering I didn’t know much at all. Maybe I could even shock Robin or Dmitry with my limited knowledge of vampires.
“In order to attend the coronation ball, you must be completely changed into a vampire,” Edgar paused to watch my reaction and I only stared at him vacantly.
I knew he was going to tell me, at some point, what I really wanted to know, which was, how it was going to happen. Robin wouldn’t tell me any details and I was curious if her dad was doing the same.
“Now, I cannot tell you exactly what will occur as the transformation is performed, but I will tell you what to expect afterward, so that you can prepare yourself. To begin…”
I interrupted Edgar as he began to explain. “Why can’t I be told how the transformation is performed? Isn’t that something I should know?” The fact that they wouldn’t tell me was worrying me. It had to be an even more horrible experience than I could imagine, if they wouldn’t speak of it. I expected it would be painful, in fact, I was definitely certain of that. Otherwise, everyone would be vampires.
“The ceremony of transformation is a sacred tradition and only those who perform it or have experienced it are allowed to speak of it. We have also found it can be a… far less pleasant experience for those who occupy their time dwelling on what will take place,” Fox said with pride. I almost expected him to add that I should be honored to be able to undergo such a magnificent event.
Edgar cleared his throat, clearly rattled by Fox’s description. “Yes, thank you, Foxworth; although I may have worded it a bit differently, that is correct.”
Robin’s dad steadily walked toward me and placed a comforting, yet cold hand on my shoulder. “Do not let this trouble you, Claire. Think of it as a rite-of-passage to an honorable and tremendous journey you are about to embark on.”
His words comforted me, even if only a little. “Now, let’s move on to what I can tell you.”
I found that I became fixated on the way in which Edgar’s eyebrows seemed to dance atop his forehead as he spoke. “Are you listening, Claire?”
“Yes, sorry. It’s just a lot to take in, that’s all. I haven’t really had a lot of time to process everything.” It was the truth. Everything felt like it was moving at lightning speed. One day, I was an average teenage girl, celebrating my eighteenth birthday and the next day, I was being chosen by the Vampire Royal Family as their princess.
“It is not the typical way we do things, but times like these call for… adjustments in protocol, so to speak.” I thought for a moment that Edgar had almost accidentally said more, but he continued. “As I was saying, after the change, you will find yourself ill for a day or two. I found these two days to be the most unpleasant part of the entire transformation, but as my wife would say, I am a vambaby.” Edgar laughed whole-heartedly until he made eye contact with Fox, and his laughter sounded more nervous. I joined in the laughter with him, hoping to ease some of the tension, and became truly annoyed with Fox. I really felt like this whole night would have gone better if he weren’t around.
“Once that subsides, you will immediately notice changes in your body and in your senses. It is a very exciting moment, I must say. Queen Evilyn will be by your when you awaken to your new vampire life, as tradition demands. She will help you balance yourself and provide you with your first taste of blood. Then comes the fun part.”
I was comforted by the fact that the queen would be by my side when I woke up, but a little nervous about drinking blood; although I knew I would probably change my mind later. “What’s the fun part?”
“Being a vampire, of course!”
After sitting through an hour or more of a somewhat embarrassing discussion about the changes my body would make in the next few days, I nearly ran out of the room when Edgar finished. Luckily, Fox allowed me to leave, but only after he informed me that the queen would be calling on me later in the evening, so I should be prepared to expect her.
I tried my best at walking back to my room from memory and I truly thought I was getting close, when Dmitry suddenly appeared at my side.
“Where are you going?” he asked in controlled amusement.
I gasped in surprise at his unannounced emergence. “Geez, Dmitry, you scared me. You shouldn’t creep up on people like that.” Vampires apparently enjoyed sneaking up on me.
“I didn’t creep. You probably wouldn’t have noticed me if I hadn’t stopped. Besides vampires move too quickly to creep up on a human,” he said as he kept in step with me, smiling all the while. “Please do tell, where are you going?”
I wanted to sound as confident as possible. I knew if I showed even a trace of doubt or unease, Dmitry would tease me. I was quickly learning that was something he loved to do. “I’m going to my room.”
“Hmm,” Dmitry thought my comment over for a moment and I tried my best not to appear to be waiting for his reaction. “I hear you got the talk this evening. How did that go?”
“Well…” I wasn’t sure how to explain it. The changes Edgar described, although they were commonly things every vampire went through, made me a little too embarrassed to repeat, especially to Dmitry. Talking about changes happening to my body, no matter what their nature, were not things I like to discuss with a guy.
“That bad, eh?” Dmit
ry nudged me with his elbow as we continued walking through the maze of hallways that comprised the palace. “Don’t worry, Claire. We’ve all had to listen to that talk. I’d say it was just as terrible as the birds and bees talk I had with my parents when I was human. You should consider yourself lucky though.”
“Oh, really? Why is that?”
“At least you had Edgar to counsel you. You’ve met Fox, right?”
“Mhm,” I answered, trying to disguise the visible disdain in my tone, but apparently, I failed when Dmitry let out a small laugh.
“I really am going to miss having a human around; you’re so easy to read.” I huffed at his comment. I hated knowing vampires could read me like an open book! It was a terrible feeling to think you didn’t have any privacy, even in your own mind.
“I didn’t mean any offense. Vampires are just hard to read. You can never tell what they are thinking or feeling, or if they are being honest or duplicitous. It takes centuries of knowing a vampire before you can understand their character and mannerisms well enough to be able to read them, and even then, you can only guess. But with humans, there are no secrets, no disguises.” Dmitry glanced over at me and his expression was genuine, which softened my temper.
“I don’t always like to be so easy to read,” I admitted. “I guess I can see where you are coming from though. Sometimes, it feels like I don’t have any privacy.”
“I guess I’ve never thought of it that way.” Dmitry pondered on the thought for a moment while we continued our walk in silence. I thought I noticed a few paintings that looked familiar, and worried for an instant that we may have been going in circles, but I didn’t want to admit it.
“Well, Claire, I had better get going. There are many things to be done in preparation for your coronation. We can’t have a princess with an unfinished ball, now can we?”
I giggled at Dmitry as he made a grand bow and took my hand in his. He planted the gentlest of kisses there, which caused a wave of electricity to prickle over my skin. “Adieu, Princess Claire.”
Then he vanished in a flash, sending my hair aflutter as if a strong breeze had just blown in through an open window. He stopped at the end of the hallway and grinned broadly at me. “Oh, and Claire? Your room is four hallways that way, second door on your left,” he added, pointing in the right direction.
I rolled my eyes as he vanished in a flash. Dmitry was the most charmingly irritating guy I had ever met, but he was starting to grow on me. “Unfortunately,” I mumbled to myself.
When I finally made it back to my room, I was sad to see that I wouldn’t be alone. As much as I liked Robin, I wanted some time to myself just to think about things. This was going to be my last night as a human and I was quite honestly feeling a little sad about it.
“There you are!” Robin smiled as she flew to my side with the amazing speed and grace of a humming-bird. “How did it go? I hope my dad wasn’t too eccentric for you? I gave him a stern talking to beforehand.”
“No, no your dad was great. Probably the best teacher I have ever had, even though it got a little embarrassing at some points.”
Robin giggled, “I can imagine. Normally, a female vampire would have instructed you, but my mom had to help make preparations for your… well, for tomorrow night. She’s much better at it than my dad. Anyway, I won’t keep you long, I’m sure you have a lot on your mind and I know the queen wanted some time with you, but I have a present for you.”
I gaped in surprise as Robin pulled a small box out from under a pillow on the sofa. It was wrapped in shiny ruby-red paper that had a metallic sheen as it reflected the glow from the lights in the room. On top, sat a silky black ribbon.
She handed it to me with her childlike enthusiasm and practically vibrated with excitement as she waited for me to open it. I was still so completely shocked by her generosity that I simply stared at the small package in my hand. “Robin, you didn’t have to get me anything. It’s not even my birthday.”
“I know that. Technically, tomorrow night will be your new birthday, but tonight is going to be your last night as a human. It is customary to give gifts to new vampires; and even though you haven’t changed yet, I wanted to be the first to give you something. Open it! You’re going to love it.”
I smiled at her with a heavy sigh and gently unraveled the ribbon on the package. Robin’s words hit me hard. Not in a negative way, but they truly laid out what fate had designed for my destiny.
As I lifted the lid from the small crimson box and saw what lay inside, my knees buckled and I fell onto the sofa behind me. My heart dropped into my stomach and the pillar of strength I had been trying to erect came crashing down on top of me. Tears flowed freely and I wept into my hands as they fell into the box on my lap.
“Oh, Claire, I’m sorry! You don’t like it. I shouldn’t have, I’m sorry,” Robin fumbled in her unvampire-like manner and quickly tried to snatch the box from me.
With unnatural speed, my hand flew to her arm and I squeezed her cold wrist. “No Robin. It’s perfect.” I looked back into the box and gazed at two familiar faces framed inside a tiny, gold locket. A picture of my mom and a picture of Liz smiled back at me.
“I can guess how much you miss them. I thought you’d like to have something to remember your human life. We believe… well my parents and I, believe that even after you change, that life can never be washed away. You’ll carry your humanity with you for all eternity.” Not wanting to burst into another fit of tears, I leapt into Robin’s unsuspecting arms. Her cold embrace seemed to calm the fire of emotion flickered to life inside me.
Almost breathlessly, Robin released me and smiled at my obviously flushed and snotty face. “I had better get going before you start me crying! You should probably clean yourself up before the queen gets here.”
I grabbed a tissue from a nearby table and started to wipe the tears from my face. As I pulled the tissue away, I saw the black smears of my mascara and realized I must look a mess.
Robin winked at me with her boundless dark eyes as she started to exit my room. “Hey, Claire.”
“Yeah?”
“We’re all going to watch a movie later… The new Johnny Sky flick. If you’re up to it, you’re welcome to join us.”
I wondered whom she meant by everyone. I was certain Ana would not want me hanging out in the same room with her; but not being there would give her too much satisfaction. The thought of making her night that much less enjoyable was suddenly very tempting.
“I’d like that,” I said as I smiled through my subsiding tears. Robin displayed her angelic smile and swiftly left after shutting the door with such speed, I thought it would surely slam loudly, but I barely heard the latch click.
I stood in the room for a long moment, breathing deeply and holding the locket tightly in my fist next to my heart. I was grateful to finally have another moment alone, even though it made me feel terribly isolated.
Emotional exhaustion started to kick in so I made my way to the bed and saw Louie patiently waiting for me. He meowed at my approach and lazily rolled over, begging to be petted. His presence was at once comforting and I curled up next to him, listening to his steady, deep purr as I scratched his head.
“Oh, Louie, I’m glad you’re here with me. You won’t be scared of me after I change, will you?” He meowed at me in response and turned his head so I could scratch under his chin.
We lay in bed for a while and I saw that someone had set up a small sleeping area for Louie. He had crystal feeding dishes and a fluffy cat bed. I made a mental note to find out the responsible party and scolded myself for being so negligent.
I dragged myself out of bed and finally found the courage to look in the mirror. Dark tracks of tears ran down my red face. I knew I couldn’t meet with the queen looking like this, so I quickly did my best to clean myself up. I dug out my favorite sweats and camisole from my bags, relishing the familiar comfort they provided. After changing, I tied my auburn hair into a messy bun and washed m
y face thoroughly, with the coldest water I could stand.
I stared at myself in the mirror for a while, trying to decide what I would look like after the change. Would I still look like myself? Or would I not even recognize my reflection? My light eyes would be lost to the infinite darkness that all vampires shared.
Thinking of that made me recall something I heard a protestor say once during a news report. The man’s name was Tony something and he was well known for his abhorrence of vampire rule. He always argued that the eyes were the windows to the soul, and since vampires’ eyes were empty pools of pitch, it was proof they had no souls.
“Am I going to lose my soul?” I whispered to myself. I wasn’t sure if I believed it, but it was a scary thought. I sifted through the collective memories of my recent experiences with vampires and concluded it held no weight. There was no way Robin and her family, even Dmitry couldn’t have souls… Was there?
I didn’t want to spend any more time on such thoughts. It would only make the transformation that much scarier. Dwelling on things that I couldn’t change wouldn’t help me at all. What I could do, however, was undergo the change and fulfill Nicolae and Evilyn’s legacy.
Feeling relieved after having slightly organized some of the worries on my mind, I curled up on the sofa in my sitting room with Louie. I flipped on the television while I waited for Evilyn to arrive. I purposefully avoided any news programs and settled on a campy sitcom.
I was starting to drift off to sleep when the sound of my bedroom door opening startled me. The queen, regal and poised as always, took two gliding steps into the room.
“May I come in, Claire?” she asked sounding very proper.
“Of course,” I said as I quickly sat up and tried to fully awaken myself. Louie ran under the bed angrily after I scooted onto him to make room for Evilyn on the couch.
She took a seat beside me and seemed to relax her posture a bit more than usual when I smiled at her. “Tomorrow night will be a big night for you.”
I didn’t answer for a moment. We just sat silently, watching the program on the television, ignoring the slight feeling of awkwardness that hung between us. The queen spoke suddenly as if no time had passed. “I remember the night before I was turned. Although, I, of course, didn’t know ahead of time that I would be changed. Now when I look back on it, however, I remember it as a very happy night in my human life.”
I wanted to ask her what it was like, but I felt that was probably a very personal moment for her. I wasn’t comfortable enough with her to feel free to ask her whatever I pleased. With no allowance for my mental deliberations, the queen continued.
“I would like tonight to be very special for you. Although of course, we will be celebrating shortly after you are formally adopted into our family, we want your last night as a human to be a night you cherish and remember fondly. It is important to Nicolae and me that we make this as uncomplicated a transition as possible.”
“I think I am handling it alright. Well, as well as I possibly can, I think,” I said with a feeble smile. My weak attempt at confidence did not fool Evilyn’s keen perception.
“I know we are asking a lot of you, Claire, and there are no words I can ever say to express the gratitude we share for the sacrifice you are making. In a way, you are our savior. Our symbol of strength, loyalty, tradition and honor. If you had chosen not to be with us, our world, and that of the humans, would fall to ruin. You may not realize it, but you and I have more in common than you think. Unlike the younger vampires, who were given adequate time to incorporate the change into their lives, you and I have both been thrust into it, with little or no warning.” Evilyn rested her hand on mine, squeezing it gently.
“I guess I never thought of it that way. Even if it doesn’t show, I really am happy about my decision. I imagine it will take a good long while for me to fully grasp my new life, but I am already looking forward to it.”
“I am glad to hear you say that. You are displaying such strength and courage and I am very proud of you. Now, how did your discussion with Edgar go earlier this evening? I trust you learned what you needed to?”
“A lot, actually. He was a very good teacher,” I said. My cheeks blushed in slight embarrassment as I recalled how Edgar nervously explained the changes I could expect my body to go through.
Evilyn sensed my embarrassment and smiled kindly as a sweet laugh escaped her. It was a beautiful, soft whisper of a sound and it made me want to hear her laugh more just to hear its loveliness. “Oh, Claire, you do remind me of myself when I was young. I assure you Edgar is as good a teacher as any, although it is customary to have a female vampire instruct you with the transformation. I am here now to answer any questions you may have.”
She waited expectantly and I could barely catalog the multitude of questions in my mind fast enough. “Edgar said I would immediately recognize changes in my body, but he did not go into very much detail. Do female vampires go through different changes than the males?”
“Every single vampire undergoes a slightly different transformation as everyone’s abilities vary in strength and weakness. It all depends on your disposition before the change takes place. For instance, some become faster, some will be better at charming, and some can sense others’ emotions more astutely. Like young Robin Willow, she is extremely attuned to others’ emotions. I haven’t seen anyone quite like her in a long time.”
“Where do you think my strength lies?” I had wondered this myself. I feared that I was worrying less about my actually becoming a vampire and more about whether or not I would be as great a vampire as they all hoped and seemed to think I would.
The queen stroked my head as a mom would a small child and smiled warmly at me, her porcelain fangs sparkling behind her ruby lips. “You will be excellent at many endeavors.” I sighed and silently prayed that she was right.
“Now, Claire, what can we do to make this an amazing night for you?” Evilyn asked excitedly. I couldn’t help but feel slightly infected with her enthusiasm.
“Honestly, I think I would like to just hang out with Robin and Dmitry and watch a movie. I don’t need anything special. Besides, we are having a big coronation ball, right?” I probably sounded silly, but I truly did love to dance; and I didn’t dare ask what I really wanted, which was to see Liz and my human mom.
“Anything you wish, my dear. You will be the most beautiful vampire princess there ever was at a coronation ball. There have been many young vampire men already discussing your unparalleled beauty,” the queen said as she winked at me, her dark eyes sparkling.
My jaw dropped in response and I wasn’t sure what to say. I tried to think of all the different vampires I knew of in our region. There were so many lords and ladies, dukes and duchesses, that I always found it hard to keep track. They each had their own “children” and their families slowly grew in size over time. I did vaguely recall Liz commenting on the brutal hotness of a vampire duke’s son in the southern part of our region.
I saw the queen smiling at me as she, no doubt, could feel my heart fluttering with emotion. “Don’t you worry, there will be plenty of time to think about men later. You will have many new duties to keep you busy. There is still much you need to learn, and once you are turned, you may begin.”
What Evilyn said raised a question and I couldn’t help but ask, “Are there things I can’t learn until I am turned?”
She nodded at me and her expression resumed to the emotionless vampire mask. “Very perceptive, Claire, perhaps you are more gifted than you realize. Yes, there are some traditions that must be fulfilled, but such secrets can be discussed only with vampires, no matter what the circumstances.”
She rose then and walked toward a large vase near the entrance of my room. She sniffed the flowers and relished their fragrance before addressing me again. “Go now and enjoy your night. I don’t want to keep you any longer. Please rest your mind tonight, so that you may enter your new life with a clear head.”
With
that, Evilyn exited my room. I felt a little miffed at her departure. She completely evaded my question and almost seemed eager to leave after I asked it. My anger quickly deflated, however, as I thought I might have offended her. She was very attuned to emotions; maybe she felt my fear when she answered me.
Not wanting to let myself get sucked into my thoughts again, I gave Louie a hug before I exited my room in search of Robin and Dmitry. They were my only hope of having a relaxed evening in what were essentially my last hours as a human.
It took some wrong turns, but I eventually found the media room and everyone was waiting for my arrival. Even Luka and Ana, who both openly sneered at my entrance.
“No one said the stray was coming,” Ana spat.
“Didn’t think I needed to.” Dmitry flashed a wicked grin at me and grabbed the remote to get the movie started.
I hopped on the couch next to Robin and she lifted the blanket so I could snuggle in beside her. Dmitry soon plopped down beside me and his presence made my skin tingle again, even though we were barely touching. I started to get nervous that he might be trying his charming trick on me again, but then I realized we had to be looking at each other to do that and he was intently fixated on the preview trailers.
Even with Luka and Ana present, the night was enjoyable. At times, however, I felt I could almost feel the heat of Ana’s hateful stare trying desperately to make me spontaneously combust. The heat disappeared instantly when she and Luka quickly slipped out, obviously not caring to spend any more time in the same room with me. They blatantly groped each other as they exited. The rest of us sleepily made our way out of the media room after several more movies, as dawn seemed to be quickly approaching. I was shocked that I lasted two more flicks after Bruno sent in a steaming plate of lasagna for me.
“Claire, would you like me to walk you to your room?” Dmitry asked politely.
I was caught off guard by his suggestion and wasn’t sure what to say. I looked at Robin and saw her eyes widen in surprise, then she smiled in her childlike way, displaying her perfect fangs and answered for me. “She would love you to!”
I glared at Robin but she seemed to fly down the hallway. I twisted my first finger around the gold chain from which my locket delicately hung along with the ruby pendant Fox gave me as a token from the Vampire Royal Family.
Dmitry grinned at my obvious nervousness and my determination not to make eye contact with him. “Shall we?” he asked, holding as he held his arm out to me.
I couldn’t resist taking it. It was such a rare occasion that a man acted like such a gentleman, even if he were a vampire. I tried to focus on my breathing so that Dmitry couldn’t sense the emotions that were coursing through my body.
“Relax, Claire. I’m not going to charm you. Unless you want me to?”
“Not particularly, and that wasn’t very nice, by the way,” I decided I wasn’t going to let him get off the hook.
“Oh, come on, after tonight I won’t be able to have so much fun with you. You’re going to be off limits when you become this big, bad vampire princess and all,” Dmitry teased.
“Well that gives me an idea, since I’m going to be so all powerful, I believe I may charm you and see how you like it,” I teased, trying to sound as proper and poised as he did.
“Dear Claire, I truly hope you do not change,” Dmitry said as we stopped outside my bedroom door. “At least not on the inside.”
I watched as Dmitry lowered his perfectly-styled blonde head to kiss my hand. My body exploded in electricity at the instantaneous sensation and when his body stiffened, I realized he felt what I was feeling although I quickly tried to hide it.
We lingered for a moment, just staring at each other, frozen in time. Then with no warning Dmitry, smiled and disappeared without a word. I was left breathless outside my bedroom and completely in shock. Incapable of thinking of anything else, I dragged myself into my bed and snuggled up with Louie as I welcomed a deep and dreamless sleep.
~