by Ariana Kenny
Chapter 11 The Present
As expected the door opened for us before I even had the chance to knock. My mother practically pushed past me to get to Cassie and pull her in the house. I sensed it was going to be a long night. My father and Anton were sitting at the table crunching breadsticks and talking about Uncle Theo and his latest extreme car purchase. They had been charged with the refitting and paint job before it could be sold. When he saw me, my father jumped out of the chair and came to greet me like he hadn’t seen me in a year. He hugged me, introduced himself to Cassie by kissing her hand – at which point I thought I might die on the spot – and I all of a sudden felt grateful for my brother’s simple punch on the arm and “Hey, nice to see you’re a real person.” greeting to Cassie. Evie came out from the kitchen, where she was helping out. She was bulging at eight months and strained to lean forward to kiss Cassie in greeting.
Cassie was remarkable, she blushed at my father’s greeting, and bad jokes he always liked to tell over dinner to new guests, she helped in the kitchen, and created this whole other pseudo life where she worked at an internet café while she was finishing a degree in modern history. My father, being convinced he was modern history in the flesh, shared a great conversation and bottle of wine with Cass, and eventually moved the conversation back to ancient Italy.
In the meantime, Evie and Anton told me about their wedding that they had planned to have at Town Hall in two weeks time, hoping to beat the baby’s arrival. My mother decided to help the descriptive process by showing me a picture of the dress and bouquet that had been ordered (Anton was not permitted to see of course). Eventually Anton and my father got caught up in an argument over what island King Arthur had been taken to after his death and they escaped to the section of the bookcase that held the history books my father hoarded.
While they were off investigating, Cassie came back to join our conversation. “What does it feel like?” she asked Evie of the baby. A human enough question.
“It is an amazing thing, a life we created. But scary as hell, and a bit like that scene from alien when she rolls around, but it’s wonderful. I can’t wait to hold her in my arms” Evie explained.
“Shame it’s a boy” Anton yelled from the other room. Evie grinned at him and it was clear they were going to make a great couple. Great parents. And make my parents happy in the process, with grandkids, a future. Cassie was staring oddly at her belly when Evie caught the look. Evie grabbed Cassie’s hand and placed it on her stomach. Cassie inhaled instinctively as if afraid and became rigid in response.
“It’s alright” soothed Evie.
“It is beautiful. We are blessed.” my mother sighed, clearing the table. Cassie continued to stare, though relaxed. The baby moved and she smiled at Evie, excitement gleaming in her eye.
Cassie turned to me. “That’s amazing, I’ve never felt anything like that.”
My Mother jumped on that of course: “I would welcome more than one grandchild Cassandra.” My mother meant well but Cassie, though smiling in response looked away and withdrew her hand respectfully.
The night came to an end naturally, and Cassie and I excused ourselves when Anton and Evie did. All together a decent evening. I had almost forgotten that Cassie was anything other than my normal girlfriend, coming to meet my family as anyone might have under regular circumstances.
Cassie strolled with me through the night, and I headed her towards a garden I knew to be her favourite in the city. We sat together quietly reflecting on the evening. “I think your family is great Matt. They are so happy, so together.”
“What was your family like?” I already knew how she had died, a few scattered memories, but there were still huge gaps. She sighed, a habit she and I both found amusing given she didn’t really have to breathe.
“They were stressed. I was sick for a while before…you know. There was work, and bills and worry. I was relieved to play dead for them so they could let me go at the end. My brother would probably actually still be around somewhere – I would hope. Maybe he had a family. I thought it would be best if I just left. You know what I mean?.I could have made a miraculous recovery for them, but then I would have had to explain the day sleeping, lack of eating. The possibility I would lose control crossed my mind, and then the tie to Belil through Violet of course….along with the risk if he decided he didn’t like them….well….” As soon as she trailed off though, Cassie brightened. “I could even have passed a nephew or niece on the street tonight and not even have known.” That was something I hadn’t considered. She could still have family around.
“How old are you?” I questioned.
“I was turned when I was 23. That was about 46 years ago” Cassie looked up at the sky, thoughtfully.
“I thought you were be older.” I laughed.
“Don’t laugh,” she retorted indignantly, “I could be dead and buried by now – you never know.”
“You are dead!” I joked. “Did you get buried?” I regretted the question immediately, maybe that was poor etiquette for conversation with a vampire. “I don’t mean to ….” I went to apologise, but she was unphased.
“That’s fine,” She stroked my face. “It doesn’t bother me to talk about those things. We don’t have to be buried, but it is kind of traditional. It shows respect as well.”
“That’s why Michael was covered in dirt when I saw him last.” I thought out loud. Cassie gave an acknowledging nod.
“Let’s go home. I still have time to ravage you before dawn.” Cassie had a welcome talent for distracting me.
“Race you there.” I mocked.
Of course Cassie beat me there in a heartbeat, but we were both laughing until we were halfway up the stairs when Cassie suddenly became serious. She raced to the room and pushed the door open. By the time I arrived a full blown argument was underway.
Cam was leading the yelling match, though clearly straining to keep her voice down. Cassie immediately moved to soothe them both and shot me a look. There on our couch sat Elias, pale and fascinated with his hands which he waved in front of his face as though he was on LSD.
“You can’t do that Violet!” Cam was stressing. “Missing people are nearly always noticed – we have to be careful who we change. You took his life. Don’t you understand how serious this is?”
Violet was indignant. “Don’t you lecture me Camille. You have taken out whole families over the years. Just because you haven’t chosen to change anyone yourself, don’t make judgments on me. You have Myria, Cassandra has Matt, I can’t be happy? Have someone to be with too?”
“And when the missing person posters crop up? Will you take responsibility for his behaviour – you know how the young are when they are first changed: reckless, irresponsible.” Cam hissed. Cam stood exasperated and Violet stroked Elias’ hair while she watched Cassie and I.
“I’ll take him away, we’ll go our separate ways and you won't have to worry” Violet responded defensively. “And it’s always such fun when they are new like that.”
“Violet, no one’s going to make you leave, right?” Cassie turned to me, and I nodded. Violet had a temper I knew I had not yet seen, and one I wasn’t keen to provoke. “We can help teach him and we can decide what happens over the next few days.” Cassie continued.
Cam gritted her teeth, but calmed. “Well we had better get him fed before it gets too late.”
Cassandra nodded then turned to me. “Matt I am going to have to go out with the others for a while. There’s not long before dawn. I’m sorry to leave you.” Cassie looked to be apprehensive and tense at the change in events, but all it did was feed my curiosity about what could make her nerves strained like that.
“No need” I said. “I’m coming with you”.
Before Cassie even had time to protest, Violet butted in, clearly testing me. “Best give him a pick me up if he’s going to catch up.” “No, he’s not going.” Cassie was steadfast, but I was clear on my task. There were a lot
of choices and I had to see what it was like, what it would be like when I changed, if I changed to stay with her.
“Yes I am” I forced her to look at me. “I need to see.”
“Then I won’t go.” She was serious ad it grated me. She would rather deny herself than reveal herself completely to me.
“We need you in case he goes AWOL.” Cam stated matter of fact.
I put my case forward again: “I want to see, I need you to show me.” I also felt like I had to keep up, but I wasn’t going to scare her off like that. ‘They share everything’ I thought as I considered at the newest member of our group.
Cassie paused for the longest while before responding. “Come with me” she said quietly as she led me in to our room. In the room she became more solemn and regarded me with a strange look in her eye. She paused again before saying “This could be fun, but just don’t be scared of me. If you were I just couldn’t bear it.”
“You can’t scare me Cass” I said. She bit into her wrist and offered it to me. It was the first time she let me drink from her directly. I accepted her wrist and she groaned softly as I sipped at her, unsure when enough was enough. She healed quickly however, and that solved the issue for me. This felt like a marker. I felt sorry for Elias who may or may not have had a choice in the matter but for me this was a chance to prove I could be part of the group on an equal basis. Or as equal as possible. I could also get a good look in to my lifestyle choices.
As we left the building that familiar sense of floating on air greeted me, and we moved as though we were one unit. The blood was binding, let us move in synchronous motion somehow and I welcomed the memorable feel. I wasn’t drinking it every day but at least two to three times weekly, and the effect was intoxicating every time. The more I drank though, the more I could manipulate the power it gave me to my advantage. Mainly I was stronger, which hadn’t really been too useful, but I was fast, and felt invincible.
We paced slowly until we approached an alley with Cam and Violet practically holding Elias back from breaking into a run. Watching him, the way he moved, and knowing what I did about how I felt just taking a few drops of blood in, I thought to myself that the energy he had coursing through him must be incalculable.
Cassie and I were walking slowly behind the others when Cam turned around, checked for anyone watching, and took off at a reckless speed with Violet and Elias. Cassie and I ran behind, through the alley, up the fire escapes and across the ledges and on to the rooftops. They darted and ran, and fast as I might be, I was no vampire. I did my best to keep pace, but Cassie slowed down to wait for me, and to help me with a couple of impossible jumps. When they came to an abrupt halt we were in the red light district. Cam and Cassie disappeared out in to the street.
“We stay here” Violet told us, holding on to Elias’ hand.
Cam and Cassie came back in a few minutes, and with them were three prostitutes. A $100.00 note was pressed in to each of their hands and Cassie came to my side gently pulling me away.
“We don’t have to stay for this part, lets keep back” she said, but I was curious. We stood close to Cam and Violet, with Elias further down the alley with a third prostitute. Violet had whispered in Elias’ ear to start softly and pull back after their heart beat began to slow. Now Cam and Violet were to demonstrate. They gently kissed at the necks of the first two girls, and Elias paced around the third clearly making her nervous. Violet moved behind one of the two, both of whom wore ridiculously tight mini-dresses, revealing flesh at the sides, one in red and one in black. They groaned in concert, as Cam and Violet slipped their fangs into them, and I saw a light trickle of blood slide down the throat of one as Cam met my stare.
“Come, share Cass.” Violet called.
“I’m fine.” Cassie responded.
“No you’re not, you need to eat more. You always look so pale lately, avoiding having a proper meal.” Violet sounded angered, pausing from her evening feast. She nodded towards me then. “At least feed from him. He takes your blood.” Violet remarked.
“Lets go.” she prompted me.
“No it’s ok. If you want to….” I couldn’t bring myself to finish that sentence. She pulled on my arm.
The third girl, blissfully unaware of our hushed conversation, only looked as if she was maybe 18 or 19 years old. She had a vivid shade of red lipstick, and knee high boots that were too big for her frame. She hadn’t seemed to notice her friends’ situation, too busy watching Elias as he paced nervously and out of character. Elias' behaviour furrowed her brow. The girl started to leave the scene, offering the $100.00 note back, when he grabbed her. She called out and he pulled her to him, crunching in to her neck, neither slowly, nor gently as instructed. No one seemed to hear from the street, but Cam immediately came over to Elias and pulled at him but he shook her off.
Violet grabbed the two other girls and looked deeply into their horrified eyes. “Nothing is happening here. Go back, keep the money and forget everything”. Violet wiped the blood from one of their necks with her sleeve, and brought her hair around to cover the marks on the other one’s shoulder. The two proceeded to stumble confused back on to the street.
Meanwhile, Cam was still struggling to pull Elias off and Cassie had run to help her, calling out to me: “Come help us,” and I was there, and pulled him away with little effort. He was furious and struck the brick wall near my head which promptly crumbled beneath his touch. Cam was trying to stem the bleeding from the girl and Violet was whispering to her trying to make her forget, relax, but the girl went limp in her arms. Cam and Cassie propped her up against the wall. She was unconscious, barely alive. Cam dropped some of her blood back into the girl’s mouth to help speed the recovery while Violet went to calm Elias.
“It’s alright, we all have trouble stopping the first time.” she reassured him.
What we didn’t expect at that moment was the big bulldozer of a pimp to come around the corner to see what was taking so long while the other two had finished up. He saw his girl on the ground and shouted out pulling a gun from his waistband, but Elias was already on him, feeding on him like an animal snarling, tearing at his skin. There was no way the pimp was walking away from this. I was horrified, and diverted my vision away only to see Cassie, her fangs protruding, watering at the mouth. She looked away.
Violet clutched Elias’ shoulder and he stopped, letting out a satisfied groan and Cassie turned to pay attention to what he was doing. Elias looked like a man possessed, gleaming eyes, wide grin, bloodstains streaked across him. He stretched out his body.
“I feel amazing. I can do anything” Elias said as he ran up to me. “This is amazing, awesome. I feel invincible.” He jumped up and hung from a metal bar on the side of a building. Violet followed.
“Don’t be so glum” Violet said to me. “That man ruined other people’s lives. Now Elias knows the difference between a feed and a kill he’ll be less likely to slip up next time, when it might actually count.”
“Some slip up.” I responded looking at the mess.
Cam ran up to us, surprisingly upbeat considering what just happened, but then I suppose this was more common than I thought – why Cassie had kept me away so long. “I do admit, I love this bit.” Cam said. “Come on…..” They ran again, but the feel was different.
I turned to see if Cassie was going to follow. She was standing over the man's body taking a deep drink from his throat. She let him fall down and was beside me in an instant. She looked embarrassed but pulled on my arm, as she wiped blood from her chin. She made an effort to smile at me “C’mon – you’ll love this.” she uttered as she took off to run with them, me following immediately.
We ran and they darted with more ease than I did. Eventually I fell behind and found myself alone in the dark. I closed my eyes, listened for them and heard the sound of their games as they ran up the side of walls, snuck up on each other, and tossed themselves about, like kids on a jungle gym. The city was their playground.
I finally found them, but I was out of breath and they were laughing while Elias ran up a wall and back over their heads. Cassie wasn’t even looking for me so even though I saw them, I didn’t go to them. I watched for a moment realising suddenly that I really didn’t belong. I wouldn’t unless I died. I caught my breath and slipped away and back home, and thought I saw Cassie look in my direction as I disappeared.