Norfolk, Virginia, Dan-Y-Lan Avenue
Has it ever bothered one that a man keeps African artifacts in his home?
Aleigha frowned at the vamp chained to a crucifix. A figurehead of Jesus Christ behind him. He took in a deep whiff of the air. Vampire blood had a scent, a hint of cherries. His pink hues flashed at the odor. "Do it." Mayor Growden gestured to the vampire. "You were eating your fucking hand. You damn vamps are so gluttonous you'll eat yourselves." he threw his head back. "Which I say is a hundred percent bad. It's better than seeing a bunch of no-talent singers wearing fake gold chains."
Aleigha stood motionless, his bottom lip covered in blood. A large bandage wrapped around his right arm. He thought back to the boiler room. His hand twitched; he grabbed the limb fighting almost telling himself not to do it again.
But he wanted to.
Growden pulled out a cigar from the top drawer. "What's wrong with you kid?"
Aleigha aimed his view at the vampire on the rack. Red dripped down the side of his face, fangs missing and whip marks across his chest. Growden lit the cigar and got up from his desk, "Vampires in Virginia are throwing riots." Growden began moving to Aleigha's position. "I don't know what it is about you foul ass demons. At first we had Mexicans smuggling--that's typical. Then the Arabs are dropping bombs--predictable. African vampires, you are the worst. Who the fuck said any of you could walk in the day?"
He bent to Aleigha's level. Aleigha leaned back, trying not to smell his musk. "What's wrong? Don't like my cigar?"
What happened to the vampire? That was his main thought. Is he alive? "That woman who we got in the jail cell. She's your mother, right?" Growden circled him. Aleigha couldn't take his eyes away from the vampire. This happened, not all black people or others were vampires. It was truer than ever given Virginia stood as a slave state with its bold anti-vampiric laws. Aleigha knew he was in no position to argue; he had to listen. Constantly his mind questioned him, Why did you eat your hand?
Vampire blood smells like cherries but tastes like rot. It wasn't even that good. He sucked his fingers as if he went to the food joint. He bit his bone yet his mind never said stop. "Are you paying attention? Stupid little nigger."
His eyes glazed over at his potbelly. Stripe orange shirt with tan pants. Growden placed his hand on Aleigha's head and turned it to the vampire. "You'll be the first little nigga to witness slavery." he got closer to his ear, "Again."
Aleigha rolled his eyes, not at the statement but his breath. The punishment was the scent of death escaping his jaws. "Do you eat ass?" Aleigha claimed. "I've seen your wife... I didn't know the sold whore on the black market. She must have costed you a pretty penny... or a dust bunny."
Growden sneered and gripped the child's afro. Aleigha's hands flew to his aching head. He didn't understand why. Acknowledging the size of his body. He couldn't stop him. Growden lifted the child, his feet dangling above the carpeted royal red floor. He swung him to the right, knocking over a mahogany drum table.
"You best mind that tongue!" Aleigha rubbed his head against the carpet, flickering his eyes to keep conscious. "Where's my mother!"
The mayor's hands traveled to his zipper. Letting the zipper down, Aleigha's eyes widen. He wouldn't; of course, he would. His mother didn't raise him to believe in nice people. Everyone has a wicked side. "Did you know, Pedophilie has two definitions?" said Grownden unzipping his pants and taking out his meager manhood. He wiggled it in his hefty hands, "You see this boy? You ain't got this yet. You still a little girl; all boys start off that way."
The contradiction was humourous. He had already reached puberty, but that was beside the point. "Are you a pedophile?"
"A pedophile is a man that loves fucking with kids. But I'm not the sexual kind. I like putting you little motherfuckers to work! Sell em at the orphanage, I just bought one yesterday. Cute little thing is the daughter of a gangsta." he smirked, he allowed the cigar to rest between his lips. He eased a bit closer, Aleigha turned his head away and yelped at the warm fluid hitting his face.
"Ah--shit!" Aleigha put his hands in front of him, shook his head, and crawled to the window. Growden caught his leg and pulled him back. He growled, beating the floor with his fist and screaming. "I have a plan. You and the other little nigger would make a cute ass couple. I got an idea..."
"Let me fucking go!" His mother always told him that Virginia was against vampires. Didn't matter where, people didn't fear vamps anymore. They were seen as a nuisance. "Babies making babies! That's a money maker!"
Growden sealed his pants, leaving Aleigha soiled. "You see, now that people know vampires sailed on the ship and came from Mexico all the way through India. No one cares about the N-word especially when it's a bunch of foreigners. I swear--"
"I'M NOT FOREIGN!" Aleigha shrieked. "I live here!"
"No you don't," Growden directed to the vampire in the background. "You are a creature. Just like him. His name is Barasa Oyenusi. I noticed him in the store, he passed by a mirror and didn't have a reflection."
"THAT'S A MYTH." Partially. The rule is if your reflection doesn't show, your soul is gone. You traded it in. The other tale for a vampire not having a reflection is saying the realm is not open to you. His mother reminded him that some vampires had to buy a reflection. A Trik from a shop in the Ghytto. In fact...
"How you know what a myth is? Huh? Did your toothless mother teach you--Dear God, they're learning." Growden pinched the bridge of his nose. "You know back in the day, we didn't let you niggers read. Actually, we didn't think you could. So, we said, don't let them read they can't appreciate words of a fine poet."
"Fuck you!" He held himself up against the desk. Using the bottom of his shirt, he wiped away the piss. "Where is my mother!"
"Not here," Growden motioned to Barasa. "Let me explain to you, how slavery works. Vampires are dangerous. They can kill people! But white vampires want romance, you niggers and bombers are sucking everything, as usual."
"Are you fucking kidding me?" Clearly, the man was deranged. "You do the same to white vampires, this isn't even a race debate! Last year, 30 innocent clear-skinned vamps had their children stripped from them. Vampires have to pay 50 dollars for their own children in custody!"
"Well, we can't have you bloodletting the capital and surely not the country." But the real question in Aleigha's head, why vampires specifically? "What do you have against us! We barely get an education! My mother gave a speech downtown. We're sick of hiding!"
Growden stared at Barasa, "We're jealous? I don't want to die..."
"What?"
"Your mother is a witch, isn't she?" He picked up Barasa's chin, hearing a groan from him, he let it back down. "Good, still breathing."
Aleigha circled the desk in the office. He went through his pockets. Nahita Badge, an amulet of Illusion. His thumb rubbed across the two overlappings Ls and H on the side. In his head, he called the chant. "Barasa is going to be sold to the Baroness Hunt's Teeth and Gnash Circus. You'll be famous." his arms spread out. "That's what all you niggers wanna be is famous. So, I'm going to let you be famous. You and that pretty little spooky in the basement."
___________
"Get down there!" spat the guard. He tossed Aleigha down the stairs, snitching at the grunts of hitting the steps. "I'm not scared of vamps!" He shut the door, blocking the much-needed light.
"Are you ok?" called a meek tone. Pitter-pattering feet reached his ears. She bent down and put her hand on his neck. "Good. You're still breathing. Aleigha held his eyes shut for a moment. When spread his lids, a brown-skinned girl with light pink eyes and blood in the corner of her mouth. He scurried to sit up straight. "Hi," she said. "Are you eating yourself?" he gasped and wiped away the blood. "Don't do that! Are you starving?"
"No," she shook her head. "I'm Mokiri. What's your name?"
He got to his feet and she did the same. Her clothes had holes in them and an open bullet wound. "I'm Aleigha Omehia... what happened to you?"
"They shot me." She grinned wildly showing her sharp teeth. Aleigha looked at them with astonishment. Two big fangs in front side by side, "I like your dogs." referring to her canine teeth. "I only have two single ones."
"I got more in the back of my mouth." She opened her maw and pointed down her throat. "But they took those out. Did you get put up for adoption?"
"No," the truth burned him. He rehearsed the incident in his head. He could hear his mother yelling at them to round the ramparts. /Stay out of sight!/ His brothers and sisters rushed to the basement of the house. Going down the spiral staircase and hiding away in the coffins below. "Can I ask you a question?" she titled her head. Aleigha examined her stance, her shirt came up to her belly enough to see her belly button the skin wrinkled, "C-Can I bite you?"