No answer.
“I’m going to turn the light on in the kitchen,” I said. “I’d like to grab a drink. If you wait here, I’ll be right back.”
No response.
The light clicked on with a harsh brightness that almost made me recoil. Instead, I squinted my eyes, and pushed forward until the cool bottle of alcohol was in my hand. I poured a glass, and started drinking.
When I turned around, I saw that Ciaran had entered the room behind me. The bright light brought out the worst in the boy before me, and seeing him like this was almost worse than seeing him with a mouthful of fangs.
In the harsh light, he was no longer an adorable boy. The monster in him was revealed. Ciaran knew this; he was trying to scare me.
I did my best to not react.
“Can I get you something?" I asked.
No response.
“I only pour about three fingers into the glass,” I explained. “After that I add three ice cubes. It’s a simple drink, and it’s certainly not for the faint of heart.”
Ciaran watched everything I did, but he never said word.
“It helps to have a bit of liquid courage around you guys,” I laughed.
“Liquid courage?" Ciaran asked.
I could barely look at him, and I’m sure he noticed.
“It’s just an expression,” I said. “It means that I get braver when I’ve had a drink or two.”
“That’s not what drinking does to me,” Ciaran said.
“What does drinking do for you?" I asked.
Ciaran looked me in the eyes, and decided on whether or not he wanted to answer my question.
“Drinking blood makes us feel complete,” Ciaran explained. “All desires are fulfilled in the blood.”
“Well,” I said. “I also need to be careful about how much I drink. Otherwise I can go from having the time of my life to being sick in a matter of moments.”
“Blood won’t make a vampire sick,” Ciaran said, “but too much blood is intoxicating to us.”
“Well I wish you could try my drink,” I said, “but I guess you don’t have much interest.”
No response.
From somewhere inside the mansion I heard an outside door opening and closing politely, and I knew that Lorcan had arrived.
“Shall we read?" I asked.
The next few weeks went by in an alcohol induced blur, every week or so we moved locations. Sometimes the previous occupants of the homes we took over were kept around for a few days, and other times I never even saw them.
I started sleeping throughout most of the day, and when I wasn’t sleeping I was normally drinking. Lorcan and Ciaran almost always showed up before Derry. Every night they wanted me to read, and every night I did so readily.
I was their entertainment, and eventually they stopped hiding in the shadows as I read. Lorcan began sitting at my feet close enough that I often felt his cold skin against my leg.
Ciaran was different.
It took him a bit longer to emerge from the shadows so to speak, but when he finally did, he started sitting on the arms of my chairs. His close proximity made me nervous, but he meant no harm.
When Derry finally arrived, he often told fabulous tales of what he had been up to. Derry liked to cause trouble. It wasn’t one of his more endearing qualities, but boys will be boys.
“I know of a party,” Derry said. “It’s in the desert, would you like to go?”
“Is it safe?" I asked.
“Of course it’s safe,” Derry said with a bright laugh.
I couldn’t see him beyond the circle of light I was using to read, but that’s something I had to get used to when speaking with vampires.
We were off, and Ciaran and Lorcan were with us.
I was worried.
I didn’t want to say anything, but I felt like I’d be noticed, and therefore stuffed my long hair under a baseball cap. That coupled with the oversized hoodie I was wearing would hopefully keep my identity hidden.
The world was looking for me.
Every day I did my very best to avoid the news, but I knew what was going on. They were looking for me, and they were looking for my accomplices. Bodies were still turning up. The killers were still on the loose, and they enjoyed mocking the police.
I had been around so many corpses, that they no longer caused me fear. What could a body do besides rot? The vampires ignored corpses completely, often stuffing them in an unused room.
Occasionally, I wondered about my father and brother.
Were they still with the vampire hunters? Or rather were they still with what was left of the vampire hunters? My father had money, he could replenish their ranks, but would he? Had he already forgotten about me? What were the police saying to him?
It didn’t matter. Those were thoughts that came to me only in the daytime. Nighttime was different. I came alive after the sun set. My vampire lover and I painted the town red each and every night.
In Derry’s arms I experienced a true happiness.
I loved him deeply, and I knew that he shared my affections. I felt that in his gentle touch. Together, we explored all that Southern California had to offer, and when we were bored with the people we vanished to the most remote places I could think of.
Distance meant nothing to a vampire. The only thing we ever avoided was large crowds. Derry never let humans surround him. He and his brothers preferred to exist on the fringes. That way they could easily grab a victim and vanish before anyone ever knew they were there.
I disliked the killing, but the subject was one that I never dwelled upon. Was I becoming cruel? Was I becoming inhuman? I didn’t think so, but I really didn’t understand why death had so little effect on my psyche.
I lived life in a bubble that couldn’t be pierced.
Once upon returning home late at night, Derry immediately took me to my bedroom. We were staying in small house right by the beach, and I could hear the waves lapping against the shore.
“We’ll stay here,” Derry said.
“I’m hungry,” I said. “Let’s go to the kitchen and see if I can find something to eat.”
Derry turned on some music, and raised the volume.
“I’ll grab you something,” Derry said.
“What’s going on?" I asked.
“Stay here,” Derry said as he left the room.
I turned the music down as soon as he closed the door. At first I only heard silence, but after a few moments I could hear the poor girl crying and pleading for her life. Ciaran had once again brought someone home with him.
An icy fear gripped my heart, and I quickly turned the volume of the music back up as Derry came back into my bedroom.
“I can hear her,” I said.
Derry froze by the door.
“I can hear her.”
“I’m sorry,” Derry said. “I’ll speak to Ciaran tomorrow.”
“I can’t be in the same house with them,” I said.
Derry opened his arms, and I damn near collapsed in his embrace.
“It’s okay,” Derry said as he rubbed my back and shoulders.
I was shaking terribly.
“It’s not okay,” I said. “It’s not at all okay.”
The poor girl started screaming, and I did my best to cover my ears in an attempt to block her out. Derry remained calm. His cold hands sought my face, and when he found it, he gently forced me to look into his eyes. The panic dripped away from my body instantly as a soft buzzing began at the base of my skull.
“It’s okay,” Derry said. “You’re very tired, and you’re hearing things. Tonight you need to sleep. You’ll feel better when you wake up. All of this will just be a vague memory, and it won’t bother you at all.”
“Carry me,” I said as I felt my legs go out underneath me.
I woke up the next day, and somehow knew to avoid the master bedroom. I no longer wanted to stay by the beach. I no longer wanted to linger in the beach house. It was only a few hours before sunset,
but I couldn’t wait for Derry.
I grabbed a hoodie, a hat, and some sunglasses, and I ran to the beach. There were still tourists walking on the boardwalk as if they were trying to absorb the last few rays of the sun.
I knew what that was like.
I found a spot on the beach, and made myself comfortable. All around me I saw families, and friends. They lived a life I was no longer a part of. Why was that? What was wrong with me?
My memory was hazy. There were gaps as if I had been drugged. A girl had been murdered in the beach house. When did that happen? Everything was fuzzy.
Derry approached me quietly.
When had the sun set?
Even though he lacked expression, I could see the worry in his eyes as he picked me up, and carried me back inside the beach house.
“You’re cold,” Derry said. “And I don’t have the ability to warm you.”
“I just need a blanket,” I said.
“What’s wrong my love?" Derry asked.
“I don’t know,” I answered honestly. “I don’t feel like myself.”
“You’ve been inside her head too much,” Lorcan said from the shadows. “She’s not meant for this.”
“Quiet,” Derry said. “She’ll be fine.”
“This is my fault,” Ciaran said.
“Yes, it is,” Derry agreed. “We need to be more careful.”
“You should turn her,” Ciaran said.
Derry put me in my new reading chair, and Lorcan covered me in thick blankets. I wrapped myself up comfortably, and rested my head against the chair as the brothers argued.
“I’m not ready to turn her,” Derry said.
“What are you waiting for?" Ciaran asked. “A human will have a difficult time with us, but a fellow vampire will fit right in.”
“How would you know?" Derry asked. “We’ve destroyed just about every other vampire we’ve come across.”
“Stop fighting,” I said. “I’m fine. There’s nothing to worry about. I just need…I just need something to drink, something with alcohol.”
“I can get that for you,” Ciaran said.
“I’d like to stay in tonight,” I said to Derry. “Is that okay?”
“Of course,” Derry said.
Ciaran pushed a room temperature drink into my hand, and after my first sip I realized it was pure vodka. I coughed only a little bit, thought about it, and said nothing. The vodka would work nicely.
“Will you read tonight?" Ciaran asked.
“Of course,” I said.
Why the reading meant so much to Ciaran, I couldn’t say, but when I read I held his attention completely. He truly loved the different stories, and even began bringing me books.
Derry watched as Lorcan and Ciaran made themselves comfortable near me, and I began to read. He didn’t linger, instead he was gone the moment I took my eyes off of him. That was okay. I was enjoying the vodka and the warm blankets as I listened to the sound of the waves lapping against the shore.
Ciaran pushed his worn out copy of Peter Pan into my hand. It was by far his favorite book, and we’d already gone through it a number of times. Lorcan didn’t mind. He rarely complained about anything.
“Mother,” Ciaran whispered from his position on the arm of my chair as I cracked open the book.
Was it a term of endearment? Was he using words from the book? I had no idea, but I was amazed when he lowered his blonde head, and snuggled into my shoulder.
I read, and drank vodka for the better part of three hours before I grew tired enough to let the book slip from my fingers. I made a drunken effort to keep it from falling, and Ciaran reacted to my quick movements just like a playful cat would. He snatched at my arm with his claws fully extended.
I only felt a slight stinging sensation, but I bleeding profusely. My arm was in ribbons from my wrist to my elbow.
“Oh dear,” Lorcan said as my blood poured all over my blankets.
“I didn’t mean it,” Ciaran cried.
“It’s okay!" I said. “It was an accident. There’s nothing to worry about.”
I was lying.
My arm was a mess, and I was quickly bleeding to death. Already the room was beginning to swim around me. Lorcan had backed away from my chair, and Ciaran began trying to staunch the flow of blood with his bare hands.
“We need to stop the bleeding,” I said.
“I don’t know how!" Ciaran said.
“I don’t feel good,” I said. “Maybe we should call an ambulance.”
“A what?" Ciaran asked. “How do I do that?”
“Just hand me the phone,” I said.
“Derry is going to be so mad,” Lorcan said from the shadows.
“Derry,” I said as Ciaran squeezed the dangling skin on my arm. “Find Derry, he’ll know what to do.”
“I’m so sorry,” Ciaran whispered. “I didn’t mean to hurt you.”
“I’m not mad,” I said as I began to hyperventilate.
“Tell me what to do,” Ciaran said.
I couldn’t answer him. My reading chair was wet with blood. The blankets around me were soaked and stained, and I was having a difficult time keeping my eyes open. I’d never felt so tired and afraid before in my life.
And then Derry was there.
His reflective eyes were shining brightly as he ripped free a strip of blanket and tied off my arm before lifting me off my feet. Ciaran was next to him. He was trying to keep my wet blanket wrapped around me.
“Idiot!" Derry snarled at his younger brother.
“It was an accident,” Ciaran said.
“What now?" Lorcan asked.
“Well we certainly can’t help her,” Derry growled. “She’ll need a doctor.”
Within moments we were airborne.
I could sense both Lorcan and Ciaran with us, but neither of them said anything. Even Derry was unusually quiet as we touched down in the ambulance bay of the nearest hospital.
“They’ll know who she is,” Ciaran said.
“We can’t help that,” Derry said as he carried me into the hospital.
As badly injured as I was, I could still feel people recoiling from my hoodie wearing boyfriend. Something about him made everyone uneasy. Fortunately for all of those people, Ciaran and Lorcan chose to remain outside.
Derry carried me to the front desk.
He didn’t say a word, he simply stared at the nurse lady until she jumped into action. Without ceremony, I was taken from Derry, placed on a gurney, and wheeled into another room.
After that, I remember being blinded by all the lights, but eventually I either passed out, or they gave me something to knock me out.
When I woke up, I found myself in a hospital room with a thick cast around my left arm. I felt horrible, but I was elated to still be alive.
“We almost lost you,” A nurse said as she entered my room. “Do you remember anything about what happened?"
“A mountain lion scratched me,” I answered.
“The young man that dropped you off didn’t stick around,” the nurse continued. “And for some reason he doesn’t show up on our security cameras.”
“Why am I handcuffed?" I asked groggily.
“You’re handcuffed because the police have some questions for you, Selma,” the nurse answered.
My heart dropped into my stomach.
I was hung over. I was on pain medication, but I still freaked out with the mention of my name.
“The police are just outside your room,” the nurse continued. “I’m not here to judge you. I’m not here to do anything but make sure you survive, but you really do deserve the worst after what you and your friends did to all those people.
“I’ve never hurt anyone in my life,” I said.
“I guess you can tell that to the police,” the nurse said. “And the judge.”
“That’s enough,” A man said as he entered the room.
“Yes Doctor,” the nurse said as she made a hasty exit.
I managed a
chuckle at her expense.
“You really were touch and go there for a while,” the Doctor said. “I’ve managed to keep the police away from you, but I won’t be able to do so forever.”
“You won’t need to,” I said. “I won’t be staying here very long.”
“I don’t think you understand,” the doctor said.
“I do understand,” I said as I rubbed my eyes.
“Perhaps you should call your father,” the doctor advised. “I hear he’s a rather important lawyer.”
“He’s probably already on his way,” I said. “What time is it?”
“It’s early afternoon,” the Doctor answered.
“Do you know what happened at the police station?" I asked.
“Of course,” the Doctor said. “It was all over the news.”
“The same thing is going to happen here,” I said.
The Doctor grew pale at the information.
“Are you sure about that?”
“If you care about anyone on this floor, you should get them out of here before it’s too late,” I said.
“You can’t be serious?" The Doctor mumbled. “There are policemen all over this floor because of you.”
“They’re all going to die,” I said.
“I’ll warn the police,” the Doctor said.
“That won’t do a damn bit of good,” I said. “Think about what they did to the Police Station. They’ll kill anybody that gets in their way.”
Twenty minutes later a team of lawyers showed up outside my door. I heard people arguing, but I was still too weak. I couldn’t keep my eyes open.
A few hours after that, I opened my eyes and saw my father sitting in the chair next to my bed. He had a stack of papers before him, and his reading glasses were perched on his forehead.
“Hi Dad,” I said weakly.
“How are you feeling?" Dad asked.
“I’m just tired,” I said.
“Can you focus?" Dad asked.
“Yes,” I said. “I think so.”
“I have a people camping out on this floor in order to keep the police from questioning you,” Dad said. “At this point I’ve already crafted a narrative in which you were held against your will. Right now you need to keep quiet. Don’t speak to anybody but your lawyers.”
“You can’t be serious,” I said. “You know what’s coming for me.”
The Forgotten: A Vampire Story Page 21
