Aunt Jen and Camilla knew what Hank had done to me. She was aware that his bite had left me in somewhat of a vampiric state.
I say 'somewhat' because the night Hank bit me, something happened, something I can't exactly explain.
When his razor sharp teeth pierced into my skin, pain tore through my entire body, but then something else happened. It began at my core, a burning sensation rising up my body, getting hotter and hotter until suddenly a beam of light threw Hank and I to opposite sides of the room, causing my head to hit the bricks that surrounded the fireplace. Whatever happened that night, whatever occurred inside me, made me different from Hank and any other vampire that I know of. I could go out during the day and still have my normal appearance, except for the two bottomless, cold black eyes, which were easily passed off as contacts. I was weaker than other vampires, a lot weaker. If I ever fight another vampire, it would be like sending a toddler to fight a lion.
“It isn’t too late to cancel the party, if you’re not feeling up to it.”
“I'm fine,” I assured her, forcing a fake smile.
I really wasn’t in the mood for a party. It was, after all, Camilla’s idea.
Her expression made it obvious she didn’t believe me when I said I was fine, but thankfully, she didn’t elaborate on anything.
Camilla’s incessant honking pierced through the house, forcing me out of it. There isn’t a day that goes by she doesn’t honk that bloody horn. I walked out the door, stepping into the morning sun. Although I couldn't feel its warmth pierce my ice cold skin, it was nice knowing I was the only vampire that could appreciate it, despite its irritation to my eyes. I approached Cam's pink Barina in the driveway.
Oh god. I could feel my face cringing like it always did before I climbed in.
“Do you want your breakfast?” Camilla asked, pulling a bag of A-negative blood from her purse that was sandwiched between two ice packs. The red liquid gushed around as she handed it to me.
I stared at the bag. Any other teenager would be sitting down to a nice big bowl of cereal, not me. I want to be normal, like other teenagers, but no matter how much I beg and cry, I'll always be a bloodthirsty monster.
Donated blood was a personal choice and the only way I could lessen the burden on my shoulders. I don't drink human blood directly from the source; I did previously, but stopped. I guess you could say that not taking blood unwillingly from a human was my way of protesting against what I have become. There was nothing I could do about my previous mistakes, they have already been done, but still, it made me feel more human. I guess I was lucky; Aunt Jen was a nurse at Bridgewater Hospital and knew a guy who would provide her with free blood without it being recorded on the system. Unfortunately for her, in return, she had to see a movie (with said guy) on the first Friday of every month. Aunt Jen didn’t mind; she figured seeing one movie a month was better than me slaughtering her and Camilla in their sleep.
I squeezed my eyes shut and bared my fangs. They slid through the plastic with such ease. I glanced sideways at Cam; she was staring at me wide eyed like she always did when she saw me eat.
“I’ve been watching you do this for a while now and I still find it creepy.” She shuddered.
I threw the empty bag into the glove box.
“It could be worse,” I said, contracting my fangs and concealing them with my upper lip. “You could watch me munching on humans whilst they scream a couple of times a day.”
Camilla shifted uncomfortably in her seat. Shit. I probably shouldn't talk about munching on humans in front of a human.
“That was a joke.”
“What does being bitten feel like?” she blurted out.
My mouth dropped a little and my stomach followed suit. So did my heart. I didn’t have to think about how it felt to be bitten. I haven’t forgotten what it feels like. Instantly, I was taken back to the night it all happened. Hank’s face, so white and translucent. His eyes were so piercing and cold. I remember him staring into my eyes with such hate before he bared his fangs and sunk them deep into my neck. When I thought about it, excruciating was such a weak word to use when it came to describing the pain of his teeth sinking deeper and deeper into my flesh.
“Ruby?” urged Camilla, her voice pulling me from reliving my nightmare.
I felt her warm hand tightly grip my forearm. I reached for a tissue out of the glove box as a single tear pushed itself out of my eye. I would have left it if it was a normal tear, but it wasn't; vampires cry blood.
“I'm sorry, I didn't mean…”
“It’s okay,” I said, interrupting her apology. “Let’s just get to school.”
I wasn't mad at Camilla, it wasn't her fault. I was caught off guard; the question came out of nowhere. No one has ever asked me anything about that horrible night. I forced a fake smile at Camilla. I was so used to being depressed that the fake smiles came easily. Camilla’s pink Barina roared to life and she drove us to school, neither of us uttering another word.
We arrived at school in the nick of time. The bell hadn't rung yet, thank god, and students were still making their way around campus.
Cutting across the quadrangle was the quickest route to the science room, where my first class was, and I wasn't in any mood for hanging around.
“Hey Ruby, you’re looking fine this morning.”
I threw a sharp glance to my left; no surprise there, it was Darren Jolter.
Darren is your typical jock who thinks he’s god’s gift to, well, everything. Darren, especially, took a shine to me when I enrolled at Bridgewater High. His hooded brown eyes were always watching me, evaluating everything I did. It wasn’t just Darren that unnerved me regularly at school. Day in and day out, boys slung obscene sexual comments at me, hit on me and stared at me. Not one single boy at this or any other school has interested me romantically or physically, ever, ultimately keeping me a virgin. Don't get me wrong, I have wanted to have sex, a lot, it's just the boys I'm surrounded by are destroying any sex drive I'm trying to develop. I thought being a vampire increased your libido, but I guess the boys I know cancel that perk out, or maybe I’m just one pathetic excuse for a vampire— which wouldn’t be a surprise.
“Ruby, wait!” a puffed voice called.
I exhaled in frustration but didn’t turn around.
“Ruby!” the voice shouted again.
I spun around abruptly, to silence the annoying name shouting. It was Kyle, the only boy in this school I could tolerate, even though he was crushing on me, evident by the way he followed me around. Unlike the others, he hadn’t hit on me. He didn't have the confidence, which I was thankful for. I was also thankful because Kyle was a larger guy and not my type. I’d hate to hurt his feelings.
Finally he caught up to me.
“Do you want to walk to science together?”
I glanced around awkwardly, if I said no, we would have to walk together anyway, we have the same class, which means we’re going to the same place.
“We’re—” I stopped; I wasn't in the mood to pick out the floor in his logic. “Sure.”
Kyle was taller than me and a lot wider. He had dark blonde hair and freckly skin. It matched his shy personality and all around goofiness perfectly.
“I’m so excited!” he declared.
“Me, too, it will be good for you.” I smiled.
Kyle had never been to a big party with other students. He got picked on a lot for his size; he wasn't exactly Mr. Popular.“Give up, Kyle,” Darren said, interrupting our conversation. "She would never sleep with you. Me? It’s inevitable, no woman can resist this."
Kyle dropped his head to stare at the ground, feeling insecure. Anger rose in my chest and my calm demeanour disappeared as Darren slung an arm around my shoulders.
Usually, I could put up with Darren's childish antics and sexual harassment but today was different; today I wanted to rip Darren to pieces. I shrugged him off and fiercely shoved him backwards. Not hard enough to send him to the other side of the school, but just enough for him to get the hint. The shove was harder than I intended and Darren flew a metre before hitting the ground.
He stood up and brushed the dirt from the cuts on his hand and then shook the dirt from his mousy brown hair.
“If you ever touch me again I will rip your throat out,” I growled.
His eyes met mine. Anger fuelled my relentless stare, but something I hadn't expected spread across his face, a smirk; and not just any smirk, one that had satisfaction written all over it. He narrowed his eyes at me before turning and walking away. Darren didn't panic or cry; he didn't call me a freak or run away screaming. My mind went rampant, maybe I was reading too much into it?
Kyle was staring at me, fear filled his eyes. I grasped each side of his face with my hands and I kept eye contact until his face relaxed and his expression turned dopey.
“Darren never approached us,” I spoke softly.
Kyle nodded slowly and I let go of his face. I stood staring at him nervously, hoping that the lure I used on him worked and the recent memory was successfully erased from his brain.
“The party will be good for you,” I told Kyle, continuing to walk towards the science block.
“Yeah,” mumbled Kyle, still dazed by lure.
Lure was another perk to being a vampire. It works like hypnotism, in a way. Once I have someone’s full attention I can plant thoughts and memories into their brain, whatever I want. In the beginning I only used it to attract prey. Now (since I don’t trap and eat humans) I use it to get out of assignments and any other situation I don’t want to be in.
“Maybe you’ll meet a girl at my party,” I chuckled, hoping Kyle would catch on and add to the conversation.
Some humans have a stronger will than others, which means Lure takes longer to settle in.
“I don’t want to. I have the best standing right next to me.”
“Ha! Please, I’m too pale,” I joked.
“Are you kidding?”
I exhaled a breath of relief, he was back on track.
He stopped walking.
“You’re perfect; do you even know how beautiful you are?”
If I wasn’t dead, blood would have rushed to my cheeks in embarrassment. I glanced around awkwardly, hoping no one else was near enough to hear the speech that was inevitably coming.
“I didn't intend for the conversation to go down this road.” I chuckled, nervously.
“Any guy would die to have you on his arm, you look like…like… like beautiful.”
“That doesn't even make sense.”
“Sorry, did I offend you?”
“No, you didn't offend me, it just doesn't make sense.”
Kyle didn't laugh. Instead, he went all doe eyed.
“And your smile, so innocent; and your eyes, the strangest eyes I have ever seen… dark… it’s like staring down a tunnel…” He leaned forward, like he was going to kiss me.
My body was using lure on him, it does by itself occasionally when it craves human blood from the source. More experienced vampires know how to control it; I don't.
Vampires are the ultimate killers. We don't have to work very hard to get our prey, all we have to do is smile and they follow. Kyle was so caught up in lure right now, I could tell him to burn down the school and he would do it, no questions asked.
“I'll meet you at the science block, Kyle. I need to use the bathroom,” I lied.
I walked away, heading in the direction of the ladies room. I glanced back; Kyle was looking around confused, but then the bell rang and he began walking in the direction of the science block.
I reached the girls’ toilets and sat on the steps before the entrance, breathing easier now. Venom trickled into my mouth rapidly; I inhaled deeply as I picked up a strange scent. A scent so sweet and delicious, it immediately took me back to when I was a child. Every Saturday, Mum would take me to the bakery on the corner, down the road from our house. The smells of the fresh bread and sweet pastries came rushing back to me. I found myself inhaling deeper, trying to absorb as much of it as I could. It was coming from around the corner of the building. I couldn't resist, I stood up and followed the scent.
This is a bad idea, I thought.
I would have to kill whatever was hiding around this corner. I didn’t have the strength to resist whatever it was. Something so delicious smelling wasn't going to get away from me. I pondered the taste and more venom gushed into my mouth. I neared the corner, and even though instinct in my body told me to ignore it, I turned the corner anyway. I needed to taste it. Every urge in my body had been defeated and I was left alone with the unavoidable appetite to feed, to bite into its body, and drink away at the sweetest blood I had ever had the pleasure of smelling. It was a scent like no other, taking control over every aspect of my thought. I was left with nothing else but to act upon the urge to drink the deliciousness that was flowing through someone’s heated veins.
I put one foot onto the concrete and turned around the corner.
“Ugh!” I grunted.
My head hit the brick wall, hard. A scream pierced my ears; it was mine.
“No!” I yelled, as I thrust my body forward, rebounding off the man’s torso.
“Quiet!” he boomed, wrapping a thick silver chain around my wrists.
My face slammed hard against the wall as he spun me around, pinning my torso against the building. I screamed in pain as the chain seared my skin. It wasn't Hank; this guy was tall and muscular and his skin was too warm to be dead. I fought against the solid body that had me captured but I couldn't. His strength was too great.
“She’s weak.” The man snickered.