I approached my simple apartment that was just a few blocks away from Nate's. No one would ever find me. I could feel the peace just oozing out of me when I looked at it. It was a quiet neighborhood with old humans. All wrinkled and balded with like an army of cats. They are still way younger than me but its easier to live with them, though I may have compelled the original owner to give it to me, it was homey enough for me. Old furnishings hanged on the wall, screeching floorboards, a fireplace, seats that had a permanent cigarette smell. I loved it.
Finally, I could live alone and do whatever I wished. After whatever had happened at school I knew Lisa would be on my back. We had a deal, vampires to keep their fangs to themselves. But of course, I stuck mine into Nate and now a series of drama was just unfolding. Just as Lisa and the rest of the witches thought it would.
I had a bag of groceries clasped in front of me so it was hard to pull my keys out of my pocket, bet I looked like the magician who would lock himself up in chains and try to unlock them underwater, whatever his name was. What made it was worse was the chill breeze blew around swirling my hair around my head so I almost couldn't almost see. When I finally plunged in the key into the keyhole, the door swung open, which definitely meant someone had entered my house. Someone with a death wish.
I walked in to see my worst nightmare, all wearing black with deadly glares thrown on me. My family. Spread out on all my chairs with our eldest Emrick holding a hard-covered giant book with tattered pages I recognized perfectly well. Athan, the bully and wildest who am sure I hadn't missed after a half a century of not seeing each other was literally stretching out, just in case I answer had to be beaten out of me. I gulped down to help out my throat that was cracking literally drying not believing all the three of them were back. Well, it wasn't so bad seeing Draven, you have to piss him off for him to snap.
"It wasn't hard to find you, Alvah." Emrick's deep voice vibrated through my ears, his eyes still fixed on the book which would be an album with photos of vampires that have ever existed.
"I wasn't hiding..." He snapped his head up, pinning me his signature stare that knew how to rip the truth out of someone without trying. I nervously raked my hand through my hair and matched to the dining room table, trying as much as I could to act natural but all they could all see me, the real me...they are all centuries older than me but we're also well fed with blood so their sense shot over the roof.So before them I humble."...from you. What are you guys doing here? What's up with the book?" My hand gestured at the massive book held in Athan's big hands. I hoped to rise above my obvious nervousness. I really didn't think the book still even existed.
"That is really no way to talk to your family members..."Draven hissed, his feet flew up to my table. "...however we'll be taking fresh blood and raw internals for apology. "
"You know I don't drink blood. Secondly, this is really no way to welcome yourselves into my life. I thought I made myself clear, I want to live my own life."
They had been here for just a few minutes and I could already feel them creep under my skin. Emrick was still glaring at me from across the room, waiting for me to drop the act and admit that I had turned a human being. Being the only female sire-vampire or as we like to call ourselves ,as if that makes us fancier beasts, super-vampires. It is a struggle. Believe me, I think the term is absurd too. We are different from the other since we were actually born with the curse of bloodlust. Legend has it witches and humans disagreed and started cursing all pregnant moms to giving birth to things like us. Our families renounced us the minute we grew fangs and somehow found each other. Am also the youngest which means I rarely get a say. In anything. But every vampire that exists, one of us sired. If one of us dies, so does the entire sireline
" Emilio's photo just blurred." Emrick announced before I could say more and my face instantly mirrored their angry. Am a terrible actress. Vampires don't know so much about acting and there is only so little humanity in me. But am working on that. I shook my head, it couldn't be. I was in trouble, we all were.
By now you're wondering what the deal with the thick leather bound album having blurred pictures. Especially since it's ancient . Considering the quality of ink and the photo development facilities were not at their peak in the 1500's ,it shouldn't have been an issue right. But in this case it meant the vampire was alive, in a different body. Which meant one of us had to have done it. Also, I don't drink blood because I don't want to end up like Emrick's twin Emilio. He and I are the only vampire's with that thing going. We are compulsive feeders. He went savage and I almost did too. He loved a person who loved someone else and acted out. And then continued to lose tou children with his human side which is never good with us compulsives. Then the person had to end him. Because the brothers made her.
"He is out of completely out of control and needs this," they said " you get to do it because you're his weakness." they went on. I am the person. Story of my life. Remember when I said when sires die the whole sireline goes? It wasn't always like that. But Lisa and her fellow witches did us dirty. And that there, is how I lost my life: Brendan.
You see, Emilio and I were close. Really close.But we have grown to know each other as family so I didn't think much of it. But all of it started to shift to a dangerous path the first time he caught me and Brendan lip locking. Brendan was once a human who Emi turned because of his feeding habits. Matter of fact, he had the longest sireline. Every step og my relationship with Brendan broke off the human piece of him till it was almost invalid.He became destructive. Avampire cannot survive unless its in two kinds of mammals, a human being or a bat. When the human side is just a shell, it gets ugly.
After one of my evening walks with Brendan. I was feeling spiritual and was walking on clouds. I arrived home to a dagger sitting on my bed. It had a note that said, the dagger had to be plunged into one of the compulsives by the crack of dawn. I staked him with one of those daggers Lisa made. In those times, Lisa was one of the most powerful witch who somehow Emrick managed to hold hostage. I Always thought there was something there but what do I know? You may understand now why Lisa didn't run up to me with open arms in our earlier encounter, interrupted by Nate.
I lost Brendan. Anyway, you can guess what happened, its in fact why Emilio and I got along so well. But after his death, they gave me a warning, so I had to behave and not get all dark.And the best way was to not entertain my bloodlust. Well, that and the fact that every next vampire is stronger than the last. The measures taken to ensure that didn't turn out like Emilio had left deep scars in my soul.
"That's crazy!! Why would you guys turn someone? You are big boys, you can feed on people and not turn them!" I told them in a matter of factly tone. Too high pitched for the situation. Me acting human is too unconvincing, especially in front of vampires that know me too well and are about to determine whether or not I brought Emilio back through another human, and are basing the answer on my reaction.
"Of course. Its because we are always hunting. We are used to it. We have done this longer than someone. Is someone back to drinking blood again?" Draven pushed. Of course, he should know his name literally means Hunter. Emrick's name means Immortal and so to Athan. Emilio means Rival and my name means Evil. Believe me, I don't even know who named me but I always make them proud. I gulped, he couldn't be wrong.
" You guys got up and savaged most of the neighborhood! There is this kid Nate,a nice guy clinging onto the last bits of his life. Was depressed and had lost everything. He has been orphaned thrice. You guys did it the third time. I just wanted him to have a helper. He was committing suicide!" I explained, my voice came out with a strain of desperation of them to believe me, which I hated. I hated being vulnerable and being that little girl but before them, that was all I would ever be. Its why I had been trying to run away from them each time we were put to sleep and got back up. The sleep is usually long, like the one we had woken up from, was five hundred years. I understood their thirst.
"It was half a century sleep! And we actually have control over it," Athan argued holding a fist for Draven to bump but Draven let it dry. They really went there.
" So you are taking blood again." (Em)Rick's jaw clenched. He is the eldest which makes him automatically the boss. He has the qualities but I think its bullshit, we all should have an equal chance. Am not saying I can manage, am saying at least they would have asked me. They're all just demeaning assholes and God knows the world didn't need three of them. Three because I left out Draven. He's not that bad. They wouldn't let us females to be called vampiresses!He rubbed his palms together, staring down at them, eyebrows thickened. I wondered what was going on in his head. I knew it wasn't good.
"It's not like that. I just..."
"But you turned kid Nate, am I right?" His words chopped mine right off the conversation. He had a thick accent. And a deep scruffy voice that always buzzed through me when he spoke. His eyes were blazing ,so I could tell he was mad. But human mad. In his eyes, I could see his vampire struggling to take the light and he would if I didn't act humble.
"Yes. I didn't know or think Emilio would come back! I wasn't trying to bring him back. "
"Who were you trying to bring? Brendan?" Athan spat out.
Great. Just great, literally just moments ago I was celebrating my independence and the beauty of private life and the other, I was explaining myself to a vampire I didn't invite, overreacting in my premises. I noticed the packed bags by the couch, I mean, they obviously didn't need five bags stuffed with whatever to carry that stupid snitching book. Which means they were moving in. How dare they? But to be very sincere, yes...yes I did think I would bring him back.
"I wasn't trying to bring Emi(lio) back! Are you not listening." I repeated.
"Well, he is? That's what's up. He is not going to spare any of us." Draven shifted his weight on the couch on which he sat as if that punctuated what he had just said. The nerve always is getting into trouble and breaking rules and rebelling against almost everything. It was a miracle I was the one in trouble, not him.
" Can we just skip to a part where I choke her when she's lifted high in the air, its been long since I did that to someone." Athan was seeking for Rick almighty's permission. He had already dashed towards me and stopped in front of me, with an evil grin so wide I thought it was going to tear his face. The only thing between being and not getting choked was Rick's mood.
"Leave her be. But if Emi tries to hurt any of us..." He didn't finish. He didn't need to. He slowly got up, grabbed a suitcase, and began to drag it upstairs. Yaaay!!! You go on and make yourself at home. This is everything I wanted. It's literally why I didn't move to the woods where I knew you would find me. Because I wanted you to find me.
Fuck my life.