by M. Cheykota
Grudgingly, I make my way to the mini-fridge. I take out a bag of blood and slam the door shut. I toss the blood in the microwave on top of the mini-fridge and press the 30-second button.
I hate blood when it is cold. It is drinkable, but I like mine on the slightly warmer side.
The microwave beeps. I take the bag out, shaking it a couple of times to mix the blood and extend my fangs.
I see Instructor Lee acting as if he is not watching me, but I can tell he is. I turn slightly so he can’t see me pop the bag onto my fangs. I suck the blood through my fangs straight from the bag. Normally, I would drink the blood from a cup, but I am all out of niceties today.
After the bag is empty, I remove it from my fangs and toss it into the trash. Retracting my fangs takes a little more concentration, since I have only had them come in about a couple of years ago. I close my eyes and think, Retract. I can feel them go back into my gums.
My instructor apparently decides that I have had enough time to recover. “Feeling better? Maybe now you can lose the attitude and we can get back to work.”
Have I had an attitude? I wonder to myself.
“You know, I have been feeling a little more moody lately, but I was thinking it was due to the black, blue, purple, green, and yellow bruises all over my body. Maybe a day or two of rest to allow my body to heal might change my attitude. What do you think?” My voice is dripping with sarcasm.
Since my aunt rations my blood, I am unable to heal as fast as I could, than if I were able to drink as much blood as my body needs to heal all the damage inflicted on me by my trainers.
“I think you ought to stop complaining, suck it up, and get back to work.” He demands. “Come over here.”
I walk over to him obediently as he reaches into his bag and pulls out two daggers the size of my forearm.
“Your aunt wishes that our training accelerate to include more deadly weapons. You will be learning to use these daggers and I will be teaching you attack moves from now on, instead of defense.”
“Why?” I ask.
“You may ask her, after our training is over. For now, I want you to concentrate on the moves I will be showing you.”
Aunt Maddy must want to make sure I have completed all of the fight training listed in the will. The lawyer has told me that she will not receive the remainder of my parents’ estate and will be required to pay all the money she has received from their estate to me, if I haven’t learned everything I am supposed to by the time I am eighteen. I have no doubt that she has every intention on kicking me out on the street after she receives the last check from the lawyers. I speculate internally.
Hours later, now cut, harboring more bruises on my body, sweaty, and tired, I watch my instructor leave my basement. He is happy with the progress we have made today. I can tell by the pleased expression on his face.
Crawling with exhaustion, I climb into the shower using hot water only. Steam fills the room as the water from the powerful showerhead assaults my body, stinging my new cuts. When the water begins to cool, I turn off the shower, dry off, dress, and return to the mini-fridge for more blood to heal most of the punishment I received tonight.
Three bags of blood later, more than my allotted daily amount according to my aunt, I fall on to the bed in the corner of the room. I am asleep before my head hits the pillow.
Chapter 2
My mind shuts down. It is only when I am completely exhausted can my Guardian Angel enter my dreams. Any other time, my active mind prevents her from entering my dreams, or so she tells me.
My Guardian Angel is a beautiful woman. She has dark brown eyes; long, straight, dark brown hair, and mocha skin. Her features resemble mine. She looks taller than my teenage, 5’7”, slender frame, but I often think of her as my mother since I do not remember her. The only thing my aunt tells me about her sister, my mother, is that she was beautiful but stupid for getting involved with a vampire. Seeing how my aunt is around 5’8” and about 300 pounds, I can imagine her being jealous of my mother if she was beautiful. That could even account to why she is so cruel to me.
My Guardian Angel’s urethral body floats over to stand in front of me. I notice my dream body is still in my basement room and in my pajamas. My physical body is lying in the bed.
She smiles brightly at me. “Hello sweet Jessica. The time is coming soon when I may not be able to guide you anymore. You’re almost ready to begin your life as the unique woman you are.”
“Yeah, yeah, so you keep reminding me. What is it today? Are you here to tell me it’s my responsibility to save the world?” I mutter sarcastically.
“No, that is not your responsibility, but it could be.” She replies ominously.
“What could be?” I ask, surprised by her reply.
“You could take on the responsibility to save the world if that is what you want to do. If you do decide you want to save the world, your life will be in much more danger than it is right now.”
I give her a puzzled look. “Why do you think I am in danger?”
“You are a special child with special gifts. Many beings of all types would covet your gifts. I am here to teach you about yourself and what you are capable of becoming.”
“What do you mean?” My frustration is growing.
“You are half-angel, half-vampire. Because you are half-angel, you have all of the abilities that come with being an angel. You are truly immortal. You will age until your body reaches maturity, usually around age 25, then you will no longer age.”
“Cool. I guess that’s good to know.” I admit.
“You also have immunity to all human diseases. The angelic blood in your body can also cure any disease in humans.”
“You mean if I give a blood transfusion to someone with cancer, I could cure them?” I am skeptical, but I listen to her anyway.
“Yes you could, but it would not require a transfusion. A pint of blood or less would probably be sufficient.” She answers confidently. “But you must be careful because the humans cannot know what you are. We angels have found that humans can be cruel and relentless when it comes to something they do not understand, despite our good intentions.”
“That is something I can believe. Just look back into history regarding the Salem witch trials.” I murmur.
“Exactly!” She agrees.
“What about the vampire half of my blood? Won’t that make me change someone into a vampire?”
“Your angel half overrides your vampire half. You will not be able to create a vampire using your blood. If a human receives your blood, they will not become a vampire. You could consume blood to accelerate healing, as all vampires do, but the blood that runs through your veins has all the properties of an angel.” She explains.
“Oh, okay.” I nod in understanding.
“Angels are capable of shape shifting. As an angel, you will have the ability to shift your shape to any animal you can think of, but angels have only one human form. Also, when you change your shape, your animal form will always be white.”
Seeing the confused expression on my face, she begins to explain in further detail.
“For example, if you change shape into a wolf, you will be a white wolf.”
“What if I change into something that doesn’t come in white? What if I change into something like a bear or a squirrel?”
She smiles patiently. “There are such things as white bears. They call them polar bears. As far as squirrels, you would become a white squirrel.”
“Right, so don’t change into any animals that aren’t white. Would I become a huge squirrel or would I shrink to size?” I ask.
She chuckles, clearly amused. “You would become the size you imagine in your mind, only the color would stand out.”
“Does it hurt to change shape?” I am becoming more curious as she continues her explanation.
“No, the change happens quickly and seamlessly. You will only need to adapt to the animal’s sight, hearing, and movements.”
I
sit quietly, unsure of what I should say.
My Guardian Angel continues. “We don’t have much time left today to talk about shifting, because I must tell you about your vampire half. As you already know, you will have the thirst for blood as all vampires do. Your aunt should be able to help you find blood if your thirst increases. A vampire’s blood thirst depends on how badly damaged their body is, their age, and how much power the vampire uses. As half-vampire, you have the ability to heal any wound made to you, except the removal of your head or heart. Any limbs or extremities will grow back if removed. This process will be painful, no doubt, but the information is valuable. As half-angel, you have the ability to go into the sunlight. Not all vampires are able to go into sunlight without accumulating power that comes after hundreds or thousands of years undead. You do not have to wait or accumulate power to have that ability given to you from birth. Your eyesight, hearing, strength and speed will continue to increase until you have fully matured.”
I stare at her, eyes wide in shock.
“Surely you have noticed you have the ability to see at night just as well as you do in the daytime, regardless of how much light is available?” She continues without waiting for a response. “Eyesight enhancement is just one of your abilities. You should also be able to see body heat or sense it. Jacob never really explained that sense to me well enough that I truly understood what he meant by that.”
Caught off guard by her comment, I blurt out, “Did you say Jacob? That’s what my aunt told me my father’s name was.”
“Oh.” She pauses. “Well, yes, I did say Jacob. He is the one that told me what to expect from you being half-vampire.”
“You knew my father?” She has my full attention now.
“Yes, but we don’t have the time to discuss him right now. Anyway, along with enhanced eyesight, your hearing should be superb. Your father could hear an animal’s heartbeat almost a mile away if he concentrated hard enough.”
“How well did you know my father?” I ask, curiosity getting a hold of me.
She looks thoughtful for a moment before replying. “Well enough. Please stay focused, Jessica. We do not have much time left before you wake up and we still have a lot to discuss.” She continues with her explanation as if I did not interrupt her. “Your strength and speed will continue to increase, as I have said before, but you should already be stronger and faster than most humans.”
“How fast and strong will I get?”
“Strong enough to lift a car easily and fast enough that a human would think you disappeared and reappeared.”
“Wow, I guess that would be like superhero powers.” I say mockingly.
“Listen, I know this is a lot to take in and a lot of it is unbelievable. You need to focus on what I am saying and believe what I am telling you. The faster you accept your abilities, the faster you will be at mastering them, and the safer you will be.”
“Again, why do you think I am in danger? Aunt Maddy never allows me to leave the house, so who even knows that I exist?”
“There are those who feel that your kind should not exist and will do anything and everything in their power to make sure you do not survive.” She explains.
“Quit speaking in riddles. If you want me to understand, just say what you mean.” I growl out between my teeth.
She sighs. “There are groups of beings, some are vampires, some are not, that feel your existence threatens theirs. Normally, the only way to create another vampire is to sire one. As half-angel, you have the ability to create a natural born vampire, such as yourself. Any vampire that is a direct descendant from you will have no mandatory ties or loyalties to the vampire community. As half-angel, you will not age after your body reaches maturity or die, so you could have your own bloodline of vampires that are loyal to you regardless of the Vampire Council’s permission. As your children mature, they will also receive all of the same angelic abilities as you. They will also have the ability to produce natural born vampires with no ties to the Council, shape-shifting abilities along with vampire abilities.”
I think about all she has told me for a moment before responding. “What is the Vampire Council and why would they care if I exist? Why does it matter that any children of mine exist? What does any of that have to do with me? Regardless, I will just not sleep with any vampires. Wait a second. I thought vampires could not reproduce?”
Ignoring my first few questions, she answers my last. “A vampire cannot normally reproduce naturally, but when a vampire joins with an angel, the healing properties of an angel revitalize the vampire’s sperm once inside her body, therefore allowing reproduction.”
“Again, if I don’t sleep with any vampires, why is it a big deal?” I reason.
“Not all vampires that want their own bloodline would bother asking you, would they?”
I open my mouth to respond then close it when I understand her meaning.
“That is one of the reasons why you must learn to defend yourself. You must take your training seriously because they are coming for you.” She says warningly.
“Who is coming for me?”
“The ones that killed us on the day you were born. We were lucky they did not find you then, but they are getting closer to finding you. You must be prepared.” The urgency in her voice is alarming.
After thinking about what she is saying, tears fill my eyes at the implications of what this means. I ask her softly. “Are you my mother?”
She smiles sympathetically. “Yes sweetheart, but we don’t have time for that discussion right now either. There is one last thing I need to tell you before you wake up.”
“But wait! I mean, you tell me that you are my mother then expect me to let it go. All of these times that we have spoken, you never thought to mention that little tidbit to me?” Tears are now streaming down my face.
“Shh, sweetheart. I know how hard this is for you, but there is no more time.” She tells me softly.
“But…” I try to interrupt.
She holds up her hand to stop my interruption. “Remember to focus on the task at hand as your trainers are always reminding you. You have always suspected that I am your mother. You need to understand why there are not many angels left in the world.”
The change of subject stuns me into silence.
Taking advantage of my silence, she continues. “Another property of an angel’s blood is that it is highly sought after by vampires for the power it wields. Our blood gives a vampire the ability to gain power, unlike human blood, which is only sustenance. Our blood does not change properties once it is outside of our bodies either. Vampires used to use angels as blood donors until they could no longer keep control over their blood thirst. Vampires find our blood very addicting.”
“I’m confused. Are you saying that they want our blood, but they become too addicted to it to keep us alive and milk us like cows?”
“Interesting comparison, but the analogy does seem to fit.”
“Alright, is there anything else I need to know?”
“A vampire cannot use mind control on you because of our angelic blood, but it also means you cannot use that vampire ability on them for the same reason.”
“Mind control?” I ask in confusion.
“As you become stronger, you will be able to enter someone’s mind and control their movements with only a thought. The person would behave like a puppet with you holding their strings.” She explains in further detail.
“Vampires can’t turn me into a puppet and I can’t control them either. Got it! Is there anything else? What about humans? Will I be able to use mind control on humans or will I be unable to control anyone at all?”
She ponders the question as if she is listening to someone speaking in her ear. “I am not sure. As an angel, I did have the ability to enter a human’s mind and implant suggestions.”
I shake my head at the wealth of information my mother is giving me. “I think I have been able to read the thoughts of my aunt and her guests if they are
close enough to me. I am not sure though. Unless I ask them what they were thinking, which isn’t likely, I won’t ever know for sure. Is that something vampires can do too?”
Her mother nods. “Telepathy is an ability you will need to investigate more on your own. I have similar powers as an angel as your father did as a vampire, so I have no idea if telepathy comes from your vampire or angel abilities. It could be a combination of both. I wish I had a better answer for you. Unfortunately, you are the only child I know that is half vampire, half angel. There are no answers I could give you that I am completely certain about.”
I nod in understanding.
“I will return later to teach you how to shape shift once you come fully into your powers. Take care of yourself, my beautiful daughter.” She fades away before I can say anything else.
I wake from my dream and I am lying on my bed, staring at the concrete ceiling thinking about everything she has told me. Little did I know that tomorrow my life would change more than I could ever expect.
Chapter 3
I wake to the sounds of dishes rattling noisily on a tray as my aunt comes down the stairs with my dinner. I groan my disapproval of the early hour of evening and pull the sheets over my head.
“Get up! There is a lot of cleaning that you need to do today and I have dinner plans. I expect you to have the house clean by then and the laundry done. Make sure all of the curtains are closed so no one sees you and the sheets on my bed are changed too.” She rattles off in a shrill tone.
“Planning to seduce another poor sucker into your bed tonight?” I snap at her, lowering my blankets.
She glowers at me. “Just get the shit done, stay the hell out of my way, and out of my business.” She stomps out of my basement room, slamming the door at the top of the stairs on her way out.
