Bag of Blood - Vampire Mystery Romance

by J. O. Osbourne

  "Thanks for that self-esteem booster!" a voice behind them caused Megan to jump guiltily, releasing her grip on her friend. Much to Lena's surprise, the German vampire shoved his plate consisting of a hamburger and tater tots alongside her own plate, only stopping to ask "Mind if I sit here?" after he already was doing just that.

  "Hey, Franz," Robert smiled, reaching from his spot at the table to do an odd male fist-bump that appeared to be something only the ‘world of the Y chromosome’ could understand. Feeling edgy with her "client" by her side, she stuffed a wad of noodles into her mouth. Megan's shriek caused her to look up, startled.

  "Eew! Robert's putting candy corn in his sandwich!" Megan howled, entertained beyond all reason. Elliot quirked an eyebrow. "Interesting…" he commented mildly. Robert wordlessly passed the rest of the bag of seasonal candy to the blonde male, who, shrugging, added some to the toppings on his burger. Despite herself, Lena felt the beginnings of a smile spread across her face.

  Not one to miss a chance to flirt, Megan leaned across the picnic table to smile at Elliot. "Hey, Franz! It's awesome that you're sitting with us today! For any reason, or are you just here for Robert's Halloween weirdness?"

  Taking a bite of his hamburger concoction and wincing at the flavor of waxy candy and ground meat, he again shrugged. "I just needed to get away. You people seem saner than… my people."

  At their quizzical faces, he grimaced. "Don't ask. You really don't want to know. You have no idea how much you don't want to know."

  Megan held up two palms. "Okay, okay! I'll change the subject. Are you really German? I thought all vampires were American."

  At this, Elliot smiled. "I'm both; my parents eventually became American citizens, but they were in Germany when I was born. We moved back to America when I was four, so we all have dual citizenship. My parents, my little sister, and I."

  Despite Lena's intense desire to get away from him, her "a male is near, so escape now" senses tingling every time his shoulders brushed hers, uncomfortable to the maximum, she couldn't help her interest in what he was saying. This explained his accent, his unusual manners, and how it was possible that he was a vampire. All interest vanished, however, when he turned in his seat to face her.

  Instinctively crossing her arms in front of her chest though his eyes never strayed anywhere near it, she looked steadily back at him. He gave her a sad face, his green eyes seeming impossibly glassy; she was reminded of a baby chipmunk begging for food, or something equally pathetic.

  "You always look at me as though you hate me," he sighed. "If I ever did anything to hurt your feelings, I am sorry!"

  Lena was stunned at his words. Opening and closing her mouth several times before words would properly come to her brain, she exclaimed, "You're sorry?"

  Megan patted his hand. "This is one of those times when it's not you, it's me is actually a true statement," she told him kindly. "Lena doesn't like men very much. She had a hard time with them and hasn't really ever gotten over it."

  When Elliot's eyes flicked questioningly to Robert, Megan continued explaining. "Robert's okay, because he's been around long before the bullying started; she trusts him. With Lena, you need to earn the trust."

  Face burning a fiery red, Lena scowled embarrassed. "Megan!" she hissed. "Stop it!" Understanding, and was that… that couldn't be… pity bloomed in those unforgettably green orbs.

  "That's it," Lena grumbled. I'm out of here." Standing to throw her nearly-full plate away, she slammed, nose-to-sternum, into the solid body of Leslie Metcalf.

  "Lena!" the girl squealed perkily, expertly grabbing Lena's plate before it dumped spaghetti down her sparkling black top. "Where are you going, ma fifille?" Spinning Lena around and gripping the girl's elbows in her impossibly strong grip, she forced her right back into her seat. Sputtering angrily, Lena stared in bewilderment as Leslie perched on the edge of the bench by Elliot's side.

  "Leslie!" Robert sounded equally surprised. "What are you doing here?"

  Curiously, Lena turned to her friend. "How do you know who Leslie is?" she asked.

  "I was reassigned to be her permanent donor," Robert explained. "I'm not donating for Cole or Myles anymore, because she needs blood way more often than they do, and I'm the only donor big enough for the extra donations not to harm."

  Beaming, Leslie pinched Robert's cheek in her fingers. "He's such a cutie!" she cooed, stretching out his skin. "And so tasty, too!" she added, with a conspiratorial wink. Risking to look at Megan's face, Lena saw the petite girl fuming, her eyes virtually screamed “don't touch my man!”

  Elliot gave Leslie an exasperated sigh, which really struck Lena as odd considering she had never seen him even frown before.

  "What are you doing here?" he grunted, giving Leslie a glare. "I came out here to get away from you and your mood swings." Leslie pouted.

  "I just wanted to see my babies!" she insisted, leaning her head against Elliot's shoulder. He promptly shook her off. "Wanted to make sure Lena wasn't scarred for life or anything."

  "Scarred for life?" Megan questioned.

  "Now, darling, don't be jealous," Leslie cooed sweetly to Robert. "This was before I knew how delicious you were." Gripping Lena's dress collar between two manicured fingernails, she tugged at the dress until it revealed more of Lena's skin, including the now scabbed-over mark she had left on Lena's neck. "Tried to take a chomp out of this little chicky," she explained. Lena struggled from the girl's grip. "Stop!" she cried, but Leslie only smiled, the fabric beginning to tear in her iron grip. She rubbed a thumb over the scab and Lena shivered from the sensation.

  Elliot's hand slammed down on top of Leslie's, peeling it away from Lena. "Stop. Now." Go back inside or… just go away. Please."

  Giving a very strange smile, the vampire slowly rose from her seat. "Whatever you say, mon sucre d'orge." She ran a hand gently across the spiky tips of his hair, sauntering in the general direction of the library. "Since you said please."

  Once she was gone, a stunned, Elliot let out a huge sigh. "You have no idea how annoying this past week has been. She's completely crazy."

  "She is a bit on the nutty side," Robert agreed. "Did she really bite you, Lena?"

  Adjusting her dress so that it properly covered her scab once again, she resumed shoveling down her spaghetti.

  "Yeah," she said around a mouth of pasta. "A little. Gabriel saved me."

  She felt the trio stare at her as she gazed purposefully at the garlic bread.

  "Does anybody else want to eat this? I don't really want it…" she mumbled, trying to change the subject. Elliot took the piece and chewed meditatively at the end.

  "I don't like that she bit you," he told her as he stood up to dump his empty hamburger plate. "But I wish I had been there to save you instead." Relieved that Leslie was no longer in the cafeteria, he made his way through the doors towards his old friends.

  "Ooh!" Robert and Megan cooed teasingly once the blonde was out of earshot.

  "Has he got it bad for you!" Megan taunted. "Lena and Elliot, sitting—"

  "Will you shut up!" Lena hissed, face darkening once again. "There's no way…"

  "Whatever you say, Lena," they mocked in the most annoyingly knowing fashion.

  …

  "Gyaaah!" Megan threw herself backwards on the couch, popcorn flying in every direction from the bowl she held on her lap.

  "Megan! Ssshh!" Lena whispered for what felt like the fortieth time that night. "Don't wake my parents up; this is the first time in forever that my mom actually got to come home from work early. Let them sleep."

  Megan glared at her friend. "Well, you suck at picking out good scary movies, then!"

  Lena smirked. "Why? They obviously work."

  She was rewarded for her sarcasm by getting about a third of Megan's water bottle dumped in her hair, and had to stifle a shriek so as not to be a hypocrite.

  The two were sitting outside with Megan's portable TV, a bowl of candy underneath Lena's lawn chair for the fe
w Trick-or-Treat-ers that bothered to show up at her place. The youngest Thresh girl had rented several horror movies from the library and was enjoying Megan's extreme reactions to every jump scare probably more than she should have.

  "Well, at least you look somewhat cute," Megan conceded. Lena had stuffed herself into a costume from two years ago; a gaudy, red and black witch dress with a matching pointed hat.

  "Oh, well, thanks," Lena replied, rolling her eyes. "I'm somewhat cute. Fantastic." Megan was also dressed for the holiday, in her black dress with the fuzzy cat ears clipped into her hair and a long tail dangling underneath her chair.

  When Megan continued to glare at Lena, the blonde finally gave in.

  "Oh, all right! If you don't like the movies I picked out, try to find something on TV worth watching." Megan grinned, diving for the tiny set.

  "And no Disney channel," Lena growled sternly. Megan pouted, but then cheered up some when she began flipping stations as her best friend popped the DVD back into its case.

  A disturbingly sweet tone rang across the grass.

  "Hi guys!"

  Oh dear Lord, it can't be… But it was. Leslie Metcalf danced onto the grassy lawn, her white skirt fanning out around her. She was wearing a white nurse's dress absolutely covered in bloodstains, gleaming wetly around her chest, underneath her arms, down her ribcage. Small droplets were everywhere, even smeared expertly on her face and dotted around the hem. A small pillbox hat rested primly on her maroon hair, which she wore in a bun.

  "What do you think?" she giggled sweetly, grabbing handfuls of the skirt and twisting from side to side like an overexcited five-year-old. "Zombie nurse! Cool, huh?"

  Franz is right, Lena mused, alarmed. It's like her personality changes every time I see her.

  "You got any candy?" Leslie continued in her sugary-sweet voice. Megan wordlessly handed out the bowl, obviously not any fonder of the girl than she was at lunch. Note to self; Megan doesn't forgive when you hit on Robert, was Lena's amused observation.

  All amusement was forgotten when they watched Leslie start to stuff handfuls of candy down her bra.

  Trying to lessen the awkward tension that had quickly surfaced, Lena forced a laugh.

  "So, what'd you do, Zombie Nurse? Join Jason for a slashing good time?"

  Slowly, Leslie met Lena's eyes, her brown ones gleaming sweetly.

  "No way! Besides, there are way better ways to kill people than with a chainsaw," she said with her nose wrinkled.

  Oh yeah, she's definitely cuckoo for the cocoa puffs, Lena had decided.

  Skipping down the street, her shiny black shoes clip-clopping down the pavement, Lena looked up and down the street. It was eerily dark; her neighbors had turned in already, not too surprising considering most of them were retired. Leslie's presence cemented the creepy sensation chilling her spine, and she leaned closer to Megan.

  "It's cold," she murmured, watching Leslie disappear around the corner. "Let's go inside. You can sleep in my—"

  A sharp male voice interrupted her.

  "Breaking news. Tonight at 23:01 hours, a dead body was discovered at the corner of Harley and Fifteenth Street . After police investigation the body was identified as Valerie Johnson, age twenty-one, who was last seen leaving a Halloween party barely two yards from her discovery point. Experts say she appears to have been strangled with bare hands. No suspects have been apprehended."

  He lost his professional manner for a moment, his disturbed eyes boring into the camera. "Parents; get your kids inside. That's all I can say on that for now; stay tuned for more information." Even seconds before the camera was taken off his face, he was seen nibbling on his lip, looking upset, no doubt planning a call home after his own young ones.

  Their eyes glued to the fading screen, Megan and Lena slowly turned to stare at each other.

  "Harley and Fifteenth?" Megan squeaked. "That's less than a mile from here."

  Quickly gathering her candy bowl and chair, Lena gestured for Megan to follow.

  "We can't be out here anymore. Get inside."

  Chapter Seven

  "Brothers and sisters, we are gathered here this day to mourn the death and celebrate the life of Rebekah Marie Knight. Rebekah was a bright young woman, loved by all; her untimely death leads many to ask, 'why, Lord, did she have to leave us so soon'? I invite you to remember the words of David in the book of Psalms: "though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me." Though Rebekah's death was an untimely tragedy, it must be remembered that the Lord is in control of all things; He has a plan, and He has a purpose for this young girl."

  Clad in a thickly warm black dress, Lena lowered her head respectively as the Minister spoke at Rebekah's funeral. She felt somewhat like an imposter, but had felt restless; she couldn't miss it. She had no love for Rebekah in life, and even in death her opinion of the girl hadn't changed much, but she felt compelled to say goodbye, anyway. Trying to remain inconspicuous, she slipped into a pew near the back of the large, well-lit building.

  Noticing that others had their eyes closed, some of them with their lips moving in a silent prayer, Lena hastened to do the same. Feeling a bit awkward, she crossed herself, murmuring forehead, chest, left, and right, to make sure she did it correctly. Wanting to be sincere, she tried to compose a prayer, which felt more like a note in her mind.

  "Rebekah…" Lena spoke in her mind. "If you can hear me, I hope you find happiness." She received no response, but she hadn't expected one. However, a bit of peace settled over her.

  Having asked her sister about funeral etiquette a while back, she had carefully purchased a small bundle of white roses and baby's breath, to be tied with a green ribbon, and had it sent to the service, unsigned. She was unable to see her particular purchase, however, what with the table alongside the coffin being absolutely covered with flowers of all different sizes and colors practically causing the table to sag underneath their combined weight. Pale blues and soft pinks, vibrant oranges and yellows… it seemed as if it were a rainbow sent for Rebekah's last goodbye.

  The coffin itself was simple-looking, white with silver details. It was closed, presumably to conceal Rebekah's disfigured body, the disturbing postmortem bruises that spoke the tale of her violent death. Up front, a woman with Rebekah's fiery hair and delicate features sat next to a sobbing man in a dark suit. No tears touched the woman's face; she looked resigned, as if she knew she had to be the strong one. Rebekah's parents.

  A presence at her side caused her to look around; Elliot Franz gave her a demure smile before sitting himself down.

  "Mind if I join you?" he whispered once he was settled, in the annoying habit of his. He looked nice; a dark jacket and pants over a white button-down shirt and a black tie. For once there was no gel in his hair; it was combed down flat. "Wow, it looks like the whole school's here," he looked around idly.

  Lena shrugged, not sure it was appropriate to talk during a funeral service, especially when a minister was speaking.

  He ended with a prayer, and when he stepped aside, another man took his place.

  "Rebekah is my darling niece," the man said, dry-eyed and red-haired as his sister. "I say is, because, to me, she is not gone. She is no longer living, but her soul continues into the eternities."

  The man went on to explain experiences with Rebekah, and when he spoke of her love of riding horses, his stoic demeanor cracked, and one tear, quickly followed by several more, began to slide down his face.

  "She's my girl," his voice began to crack. "My precious niece. I loved her like she was the daughter I never had, and to me, the world will not be as bright without her in it. To me, and to the horses, she was sunshine."

  Huh, Lena mused, feeling moved for the man despite herself. I suppose everybody has somebody who loves them. She felt guilty at the thought. She's dead, you idiot! She berated herself. Try to be a bit nicer.

  A nastier voice in her mind couldn't help but
argue. She was a princess brat and you know it! Her being dead didn't change the things she did or said.

  But looking at the now openly crying uncle, something in her heart tugged sharply. He sees her differently; she's wonderful to him. She was worth quite a good deal; all people are.

  The tension in the room picked up the moment the strikingly beautiful woman took the stand. Her jaw was clenched tight, eyes blazing.

  "Rebekah," she growled. "Rebekah was my only child. My baby is dead." Everybody's eyes shot to her face at her sharp tone; she was practically on fire, her fury was so tangible. "My teenage, cheerleading, horseback riding daughter is dead and there is nothing in the world that can bring her back."

  Even her husband's face was squinting in confusion and alarm; clearly, this was not the planned speech.

  "And you can say what you want about the Lord's plan and it being her time and whatever the hell you want, but that is complete and utter bullshit. My baby is still lying in that box with her eyes bugging out of her head because some monster tried to squeeze her head off."

  The minister began to stand from his chair, but she stopped him by pointing a manicured finger sharply in his direction as if it were a dagger.

  "Sit!" she boomed powerfully. He sat. A child in the audience, looking no older than four years old and no doubt a cousin of some sort began wailing in alarm; her mother gathered the girl up in her arms, rocking her back and forth.

  "And now he's out killing other people's babies. Don't pretend you don't know. He could be here right now! That girl on the news, Valarie Johnson? Yeah, he killed her, too. And you all know; it's a fucking vampire. We never should have let them in our world; we should have killed them the moment those abominations were born! We-!"

  Her brother, Rebekah's uncle, hastened to his sisters side, wrapping his arms around her and trying to steer her away while whispering into her ear.

  "Don't "calm down, Rose," me, Steven!" she screamed, raving now, into the microphone. "There's a killer out there. None of your babies are safe. Not at school, not at parties with their friends, nowhere. If we don't do something, this is death to all of your daughters."