The Afterlife of the Party

by Marlene Perez

  “I’m okay,” Vaughn said. There was blood running down his face, but I ignored it in favor of cornering Travis.

  “P-please don’t hurt me,” Travis said.

  I made a mistake when I hesitated. Vampire fast, he reached Granny and backhanded her so hard that she flew against the wall and lay there.

  I ran to her. She was awake and breathing okay but dazed. Her arm was at a funny angle, and I was pretty sure it was broken.

  “You are going to pay for that,” I said.

  Before I could wrap my hands around his throat, he snapped his fingers, and a woman came into the room. I recognized her—but it wasn’t possible.

  Even though I hadn’t seen her since I was five, I immediately knew who she was.

  Granny had given me a photo of my mother and me. I’d been sitting on her lap; she was looking at me, but the expression wasn’t one I’d ever seen in the eyes of a young mother.

  I hadn’t liked looking at that photo. Whenever I did, something cold and dark rose up in my mind. A memory just out of reach. Why did I hate looking at that moment in time?

  Granny seemed to realize the picture distressed me and relegated it to the guest bedroom, which she used as her office.

  Looking at my mother in the flesh gave me that same cold, dark feeling.

  She had red hair like my own, but it was darker. Her eyes were hazel, not green, and she was slender.

  Apart from her bloody fangs, she didn’t look that different from those old photos. She wore nicer clothes—the kind of stuff a high-end clothing executive might wear. Tasteful jewelry. Her ageless beauty wasn’t due to the miracle of Botox but to something much darker.

  My mother was a monster. And not a cute made-for-TV/Disney version.

  “Meet the Executioner,” Travis said.

  “The Executioner?”

  He didn’t know who she was to me. I wondered if she’d told Jure that I was her daughter. Or maybe she didn’t even know who I was, but I was certain she knew my grandmother by the way her eyes sent laser beams of hate at Granny Mariotti.

  “You told me she was dead.” I whispered the words to my grandmother, but the betrayal was clear in my voice. I’d already known it, yes, but now the proof was right in front of me.

  When I’d first come to Granny’s, I hadn’t talked much. Until Skyler had fought with me during that library story time, I don’t think I’d said more than two words.

  Granny had always said that Skyler talked enough for the both of us back then.

  “Technically, I am dead,” Vanessa said flatly.

  Travis snickered. “The old woman is a liar.”

  “The old woman is my mother,” the Executioner said.

  Travis laughed at the way Vanessa said it. “Really? Since when?”

  She shrugged.

  “Are you a striga vie, too?” I asked Vanessa. Might as well know what she was working with.

  She didn’t answer me, but a flash of some emotion crossed her face—embarrassment, resentment, embarrassed resentment. Finally, she said, “Teenage witches are the absolute worst.”

  I sneered at her. “Worse than dumping your baby daughter and pretending you were dead?”

  Travis replied, “No, your mom isn’t a striga vie.” He gave Vanessa a mocking glance. “But she wanted to be.” Underneath my mother’s icy composure, I caught a glimpse of emotion. She hid it quickly, but Travis saw her reaction. “She didn’t have what it takes.”

  “What it takes to be a vampire?” I didn’t hide my contempt.

  “Again, I am dead,” Vanessa said. “There’s nothing wrong with it.”

  “You’re not dead. You’re undead.”

  I wanted to ask her who my father was, but before I could get the words out, she looked at me with her bright, wicked eyes. “He didn’t want you,” she said. “I didn’t want you.”

  “Don’t listen to her,” Granny said.

  I shook my head slowly. Nothing could protect me from this.

  “I wanted you,” Granny said. “From the moment I saw you, you were mine to take care of.”

  “I know, Granny,” I replied. I knew she loved me, but I didn’t know why my mother didn’t. It didn’t matter, anyway. The woman she used to be was gone, and only the monster remained.

  “Leave it to your reckless son to screw up,” Vanessa said to someone behind me. I hadn’t even realized Jure had arrived. Maybe I was getting used to his vampire stench.

  “Enough, Executioner,” Jure snapped. I sucked in my breath when I realized he had Skyler by the elbow. Her eyes were wide and frightened.

  There was a lump of something fleshy caught in one fang. I gagged, and he smiled wide.

  “Tansy is my daughter,” Vanessa replied.

  “I’m not your daughter,” I said. “You may have given birth to me, but that doesn’t make me yours.”

  That shut her up, but only for a second. “Travis goes around biting girls without a care,” she said. “How many Sundowners did he create unintentionally? He needs a muzzle.”

  I really hated that I agreed with the woman who gave birth to me, but she had a point.

  “Make sure you get her face,” Jure told Travis. He ran a hand over his pustule-marked cheek.

  Travis sent a ball of flame toward me. I’d been so naive; I’d underestimated Travis and his love of vampire fire. I darted out of the way, but I wasn’t quick enough, and fire licked up my cheek. My nerve endings screamed, and I had to bite my tongue not to do the same. What kind of mother would let this happen?

  My biological mother caught me staring at her. “Just wait until the first time you drain one of your little humans dry,” she said. “There’s no thrill like it, when you feel their heart slow and then stop.”

  “I won’t kill anyone,” I said. “Else. I won’t kill anyone else.”

  I’d killed, but I hadn’t drank any vampire blood—especially not Travis’s. Rose had told me that it was possible to reverse the effects of vampirism as long as I hadn’t had my maker’s blood. I really hoped it was true. And I really wished there was a better term than “maker.”

  “Bloodsucking predator” had a nice ring to it.

  She snorted. “You are a vampire. Vampires are predators who drink blood.”

  “I won’t drink human blood.”

  “You won’t be able to help yourself.”

  “I’m not you,” I said.

  She turned her back on me, ignoring me. “I’ll kill the old lady first.”

  “If you even breathe on her, you’ll be sorry,” I said.

  She looked at me over her shoulder, not even bothering to fully face me. “Oh, I’m so scared,” she mocked.

  “Oh, I’m so scared,” Travis echoed her.

  “Shut up, Travis,” I said. And he did.

  Too bad Rose and Thorn weren’t here. They had the worst timing ever. I could have used Thorn’s pointy dagger to stab Jure in the ribs or Rose’s vials of perfumed poisons to shove down his throat.

  I realized a second too late that Jure had chosen not to believe me and had lost patience. He jerked his chin once and turned. I ran toward him and Skyler, but it was too late.

  Vanessa grabbed Granny by the hair and bent her neck back, which exposed a vein in her throat. She made the same sound I did when I saw a triple scoop of Baseball Nut ice cream.

  “Don’t!” I shouted. I ran forward, but Jure’s voice stopped me. He put a single finger on my arm. His flesh felt spongy and moist. I shivered.

  “Tansy Mariotti, do not move.” His eyes. I’d looked into his eyes. A mistake that might cost Granny her life.

  I tried to force my feet to obey me, but I was rooted to the spot.

  “Do it,” Jure replied.

  “Vanessa, I— You can’t kill your own mother,” I said. For a moment, I thought I’d gotten thro
ugh to her. She hesitated, and the red left her eyes.

  “I command you,” Jure said. And she sank her teeth into my grandmother’s throat.

  When Jure’s attention was on my mother, I was able to inch forward, but Travis grabbed me by the arms and stopped me. I clawed and scratched at him, but he held me tight. I tried to summon my powers but failed.

  Jure smirked at me. “You’ve never been compelled by a truly powerful vampire.” I hadn’t looked into his eyes last time.

  My mind was a blur. I struggled to think, to override Jure’s command. My brain settled on one thing: love. I loved my grandmother, and I wasn’t going to let her die.

  And then he made me watch as my mother fed on my granny.

  Vanessa turned and smiled at me.

  I was starting to understand why Granny had lied about her being dead.

  Something built up in me, and I sent a howl of rage her way. It manifested as a lightning bolt, which went through her body. I knew it had to hurt like hell, but she barely even flinched. She took a step forward and then another before she crumpled. I sent a second bolt Jure’s way, and it caught him in a sideways blow but didn’t slow him down. I’d brought my drumstick and a can of soda, which I shook up and then popped the top. He screamed as the soda splattered his skin.

  “Let’s go,” I said.

  Granny’s dress was slick with her own blood. She looked like she was sleeping, but I knew better. Vaughn picked her up. “We need to get help.”

  As we ran out of the restaurant, Skyler sobbed beside me. “I’m so sorry, Tansy.”

  I didn’t know what I would do if my grandmother died. She was all I had.

  I couldn’t speak, but inside, I was howling, screaming, enraged. But Opal Ann was dead, and Granny was dying. I knew it in my bones. I could feel her spirit slipping away from me.

  Chapter Thirty-One

  When I woke, I was in my own bedroom, lying on top of the covers. I was sticky with blood. Granny’s blood. My shirt was coated with it.

  For a brief second, I thought it was just a terrible dream. But then Vaughn entered the room, and I could tell by his face that everything I remembered was true.

  “Granny,” I said. That was all I could say. I couldn’t ask the question.

  “Tansy, you’re awake,” Vaughn said.

  “Where’s my grandmother?” It hurt to talk. My face felt hot, the skin tight.

  “She’s okay,” he replied. “What do you remember?”

  “He tried to burn me,” I said. “Jure tried to…” I put a hand to my cheek. It felt smooth, except for a ridged spot near my jawline. If I hadn’t turned my face, the ball of flame would have hit me straight on. “He told Travis to aim for my face. Where’s Granny?” I didn’t care about how I looked right now. I needed to see my grandmother.

  “When you fainted, I called Edna and Evelyn. They’re in with Granny now.”

  “Help me up,” I said. “I need to see her.”

  “Tansy, maybe you should wait,” Vaughn said. “You’re still healing.”

  It must be bad if he didn’t want me to see her.

  “Please,” I begged him. “Please.”

  “What do you remember?” he asked.

  “I…I sent out lightning bolts. They hit Jure and Vanessa—”

  “They survived,” he admitted. “Jure and Vanessa and Travis—they’re still out there. But we managed to get Skyler out safe. She’s here.”

  I couldn’t think about that right now. “I want to see my grandmother.” I threw back the covers and stood, but dizziness hit me, and I fell back on the bed.

  “Later,” Vaughn said. “You need to rest. So does your granny. She’s lost a lot of blood.”

  “Will she be okay?” I tried again, closing my eyes against what I might hear.

  “She’s resting,” he said.

  Resting—not dead. It took a minute for the news to sink in. The crushing weight on my chest lifted. She was alive.

  Granny was alive.

  “Please, Vaughn. I need to see her,” I said.

  He must have heard the conviction in my voice, because he said, “In her room.”

  I started to get out of bed, but Vaughn scooped me up.

  “I’ll carry you,” he said gruffly.

  I wrapped my arms around his neck, and he took me to my grandmother’s room. She was in bed, covers to her chin, her eyes closed. Edna and Evelyn were watching over her.

  “Granny,” I said softly, but she didn’t move. “How is she?” I asked, but I already knew.

  “She’ll live,” Edna said. “I’m not sure, but I think your mother held back.”

  “Maybe,” I said doubtfully.

  Evelyn nodded. “I think so.”

  “If I kill Jure, we’ll all be free,” I said.

  Her lips set in a thin line. “About your mother…”

  “I don’t want to talk about her right now,” I said. “I might never want to talk about her.”

  I would kill Vanessa, too, I knew, for what she’d done to my grandmother.

  Edna gave a short nod. “I understand.” She stood and then said, “I’m going to see if I can rustle up something for your grandmother to eat. She’ll probably be hungry when she wakes.”

  I paced for an hour, only stopping to check on my grandmother.

  “It’s not working,” I said. “She doesn’t seem any better.”

  Vaughn smoothed a hand over my hair. “Give it a little more time.”

  …

  Granny woke up with a groan.

  “Can I get you anything?” I asked.

  Edna came into the room, carrying soup. “She needs to eat.”

  “I’m not hungry,” Granny said.

  “It’s your favorite,” Edna coaxed. “Homemade chicken noodle.”

  “It smells good,” she said. “I guess I could eat.”

  That had to be a good sign.

  “You need your rest,” I said. “We’ll come back later.”

  Edna fed my grandmother because she was too weak and my hands were still shaking. Evelyn went to open the curtains and let in some natural light. I saw Granny looking intently at my face.

  I immediately tried to hide it from her sight. She didn’t need another thing to worry about right now.

  “Don’t,” she said, her voice scratchy. “Tansy, you’re beautiful to your very soul.”

  I couldn’t answer because my eyes were leaking tears. “I haven’t looked in the mirror yet.”

  I wasn’t the vainest person in the world, but I was nervous to see what damage had been done.

  I thought about Jure’s face and what I’d done to it, and then I felt a little better.

  Edna handed me a heavy antique hand mirror. “Tansy, it will fade.”

  “That sentence isn’t reassuring me,” I replied. I took a deep breath and then looked.

  The scar was ugly and deep—melted-looking in some places, raised and angry in others. I sucked in a breath. There were worse things than a scar, but right now, I couldn’t name them.

  “Edna tells me she’s working on a skin cream,” Granny said. “But wounds caused by vampire fire are tricky.”

  I nodded before her friends started shooing me out of the room.

  “She needs her rest,” Edna said. “And so do you.” She herded me back to my room and tucked me in.

  There was a new charm necklace by my bed. She helped me put it on, and then I slid into sleep.

  …

  When I woke up, the house was quiet. The shades were drawn in my bedroom, and it made me wonder if I’d be stuck inside until dark—alone. Most vampires couldn’t walk during daylight hours, and Vaughn hadn’t been turned. Would I be forever banished to the night while he led a normal life? And how would I manage my senior year?

  When
I turned over, Granny Mariotti was sitting in a chair by my bed.

  “You didn’t eat dinner,” she said.

  “I’m not hungry.” There was an acid pit in my stomach, so there was no room for food. “I want to be alone, Granny.” I turned on my side and kept my eyes closed.

  Sometime later, Skyler tiptoed into the room.

  “What were you and Opal Ann trying to accomplish?” I demanded. “Did you suddenly develop superhuman strength when I wasn’t looking?”

  She didn’t say anything.

  “No? Super hearing, then? The ability to compel someone to do what you want them to do? Vampire fire?”

  “We were trying to stop a predator,” she finally said. “We failed.”

  “Opal Ann is dead, and this is your fault,” I said, the words vicious and unfair, but I couldn’t stop them.

  Skyler went still. “You’re right.”

  “Opal Ann wouldn’t have died if it weren’t for you,” I continued. “If you hadn’t gone back to Travis.”

  “I wanted to help you,” she said. “I wanted to make up for getting you involved in all this.”

  “You could have told me the truth,” I said. “But you didn’t. Again. Instead, you snuck off on your own, and now people are dead, and it’s your fault.”

  Skyler looked like I’d put a stake through her heart, but then she nodded once and left the room.

  I stayed in my bed a long time, thinking about the mistakes I’d made. I was pretty sure I’d just lost my best friend, too.

  I didn’t know how they explained Opal Ann’s death in a way that anyone would believe, but the news story didn’t mention vampires once. I felt like it was a secret I should be shouting at the top of my lungs. Vampires exist! Run!

  Those good-looking guys with fangs? In reality, they’re vicious predators who kill for something to do on a slow Saturday night.

  Jure wasn’t the real problem. Silence was the real enemy. Indifference was the real enemy. But that didn’t mean I didn’t have to kill him.

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  Opal Ann was dead. Granny almost died. For a week, I sat in the living room, brooding, while the Old Crones Book Club members fussed over Granny’s amazing recovery. I was relieved she was better, but I had places to go and vampires to kill.