Bag of Blood - Vampire Mystery Romance

by J. O. Osbourne

Elliot met her gaze, sorrow glowing in his luminescent eyes. Although he was never particularly friendly with Gabriel, they had been pitted together for years. When they weren't allowed to go to school, before the bills passed, the two had been homeschooled together by Gabriel's mother. This had to be hitting him pretty hard.

  "If anybody knows anything about these events, I have set up a way to speak anonymously to a police officer. Please contact us in the front office at this number." The screen behind him flashed a phone number, and Officer Metcalf finished the assembly, releasing the students to return home.

  "I'm driving Leslie home," Elliot told Lena as the two stood from the stiff wooden chairs. "Or, if what happens this morning repeats itself, she'll swipe my keys and drive me home after speeding around the neighborhood a few times."

  Lena laughed. "Yeah… that sounds like her. Hey, did you talk to her about Gabriel? Does she know anything that she didn't tell the police?"

  Elliot's face darkened. "I tried. She just dodged my question before sticking her head out the window and shouting 'yee-haw.' I'll try again but I got the feeling she didn't want to talk about him."

  Robert bumped Lena with an elbow. "C'mon; I need to take you home now. I have… plans."

  At Megan's blush, Lena rolled her eyes. "You don't have to hide whatever it is; I know you're dating. Sorry I'm the 'third wheel'."

  Megan pouted as Robert quickly towed the two girls to his car. "You're not a third wheel, Lena! We love you! You're so cute! Isn't she cute, Robert?"

  He rolled his eyes, grinning despite his attempt at gruffness. "Yeah, yeah, she's adorable. Get in the truck. Where's Claire?"

  They glanced around for the freshman, eyes peeled, but all Lena saw was Hannah Miller walking off in the distance, feet dragging as she made her lonely way to her house.

  "Robert, we need to give her a ride home," Lena pointed to Hannah. He shook his head.

  "Oh no, we? Who's truck is this? Who had to work for two straight summers as a lifeguard to afford it? Who pays for gas money and maintenance and…"

  When both girls glared at him, he gave in reluctantly. "Fine. You're crazy, but fine."

  "Crazy?" Lena heard Megan ask as she slipped from the truck interior. "Not only are we not supposed to let people wander around alone, but she's sad! Some sicko killed her friend and her other friend is missing…"

  Robert grunted, and out of the corner of her eye, Lena thought she saw Megan lean in for a kiss. Oh, yuck…

  She hurried to Hannah's side. "Hey, Hannah," she said, feeling strange as she tried to keep her voice gentle. Sad as Hannah appeared, she was still not on Lena's good list. Hannah turned to face her, and Lena nearly cringed. Hannah looked even worse up close, her lips were dry and cracked and she now had skin blemishes where it had once been perfect. It wasn't so much that these things were terrible, but on Hannah who was always so glossy and pristine, it just felt weird.

  "Oh, it's you, Blood Whore," Hannah greeted, with no malice in her voice. It sounded as if it were an effort even to speak. "What do you want?"

  Lena tried not to growl. "First, I wanted to tell you that my name is Lena. Two syllables—Lee-nuh. And second, come let Robert give you a ride home. It's not good to walk by yourself right now."

  Hannah rolled her eyes. "Hey, they got my friends; why shouldn't they get me?"

  Lena stared at her, struggling to think. Hannah was clearly slipping into a depression fast, and now wasn't a safe time to do so. Finally, she settled on the gold nugget her mom always spouted: "Because I said so." Glaring at Hannah in the eye, she turned. "Come on."

  It actually surprised her when she realized that she was being followed, but she felt pleased nonetheless. Because I said so actually worked on people other than herself, who knew?

  When she led the girl back to the Chevy, Claire was already in the front seat, and so Robert dropped her off at his home first. Claire looked like she wanted to run off the moment she was out of the car, but Robert honked the truck horn loudly, pointing at the door. Looking gloomy, she let herself in. Hannah was next; the girl sat in the backseat silently, knees tucked to her chest, murmuring instructions and looking incredibly young and lost. Her house was just as large and fancy as Lena had imagined, but looked foreboding and intimidating as the small girl stepped through the door.

  Lena didn't like going home either, dreading yet another night alone, with her mother and sister at the hospital with her father. For the millionth time, she cursed her age; were she eighteen, she would be right there with them. Megan must have gathered this from Lena's poignant sigh, because there ensued much whispering with Robert. Finally, Megan turned.

  "Lena, hun, do you want to go to the movies with us?"

  Yes, screamed Lena's heart, but she laughed and said cheerfully, "Nah; you two would probably get all smoochy and gross anyway. I'll just stay in tonight." Megan tried to argue, but it was fairly obvious; she wanted a night out alone with her man. Being the third wheel really felt lonely.

  It had started to drizzle with rain when they pulled up to her house; it had been getting steadily colder and the clouds grew gradually more dark and heavy for the past few days; she supposed it had to happen someday. Even Robert was cracking under the pressure of the oncoming storm; he too was bundled up in a thick, soft-looking hoodie.

  "See you later!" Megan called as Lena pulled her hat over her face and hustled to her door; fat droplets sprinkled on her, speckling the light fabric of her outfit with dark spots. Lena waved, then slid open the door to her house. Aah. At least the heater still worked. Starting to relax, Lena stretched, her spine cracking. Feeling hungry, she made her way to the kitchen where the tinkling of a bell caught her attention. The heck?

  A small gray ball of fluff rested in the sink. When Lena had walked in, it lifted its head, causing the bell tied around its neck to ring.

  "Um… hi, kitty," Lena greeted, feeling confused. It yawned and fell back to sleep.

  "Like my new cat?" Vanessa's voice behind her caused her to jump.

  "Ness! I didn't know you were home!" Lena was pleased, though taken back; she really had been dreading spending the whole time by herself. She must have hustled inside from the rain too fast to see her sister's motorcycle.

  Vanessa dipped her hands in the sink, fishing the cat out into her arms. Lena noted that it wasn't entirely gray; dark blue streaks marred the fur. Its orange eyes blinked sleepily at Vanessa's face, as if sizing her up.

  "Yeah; my boss called me and told me if I didn't show up for work again I'd be fired." She ran her fingers gently through the fur on the cat's back.

  "What?" Lena glared, indignant. "They can't do that!"

  Vanessa rolled her eyes. "Yes, they can. And they weren't mean about it; it's just business. So I went to work today, but I figured I'd wait to go back to school till Monday. Gah, I'm running behind…"

  Lena waited for Vanessa to say something else, but when she didn't, Lena instead stuck her hands into the pantry.

  "Graham cracker?" she offered the box to her sister, who waved it away. "Actually," her sister smiled cheerfully. "I've heard from a certain source that you've had after-school tutoring."

  "What?" Lena nearly dropped the box. "Who told you that? And it was only the once!" she could feel her cheeks rapidly coloring. Vanessa did have a point, though; the help had actually made a significant impact on her understanding of her two most difficult subjects.

  "A little birdie," her sister grinned, "named Megan. She also informed me that you turned in your sewing project a few days early, she helped you finish an essay, and she actually caught you studying a few times at lunch."

  Lena was incredulous. "You're… stalking me by interviewing my friends? Why?" Vanessa frowned. "Not stalking," she pouted. She held the cat out to Lena, letting its legs dangle above the ground. It mewed in dismay. "She called me and told me she had found a cat underneath her porch, is all; she knew how much I missed Harley. So we just began chatting about the only thing we have in common, which woul
d be you." Harley had been Vanessa's Siamese cat, and Lena did recall telling Megan how distraught Vanessa had been after her loss. The situation still seemed a little odd, but she reached out a hand to scratch its head.

  "So what're you going to name…" Lena glanced down. "Him?"

  Her sister smirked. "I was thinking Kawasaki," she said, "but it seemed too flashy. He seems more of a simple, humble type." Lena had no idea how you got that idea just from looking at an adult, undersized feline, but she just shrugged it off. "So I settled on Yamaha."

  Wow, you're weird, Lena mused with a smile. But I love you. Vanessa put the cat back in the sink.

  "Anyway," Vanessa groused, emphasizing each syllable, "The point is, we had a bargain. So, you want to get some early dinner?"

  Lena pointed to the window. "It's pouring outside." The grumble of thunder emphasized her point.

  "So?"

  "You drive a motorcycle."

  "Uh-huh?"

  Lena rolled her eyes. "You're right. Let's go."

  She regretted it the minute the engine started to roar. She'd never been a fan of the two-wheeled ride; even regular bicycles gave her a bad feeling. She always felt much more coordinated on her own two feet. Now, blinded by fast-landing droplets and balancing awkwardly while gripping her sister around the middle, her heart began to race.

  "Is this safe?" she was forced to double the strength of her hold when The Beast lurched forward, burying her face in her sister's back. It was absolutely freezing, even underneath the layers she had added before going out, her knit hat covering her ears underneath the helmet. Maybe if I keep my eyes closed I won't puke all over her, Lena hoped miserably. She could feel every turn shaking her insides viciously. How does she stand this? She knew it was only due to Vanessa's oversized goggles that the older girl could see anything at all.

  Finally, finally parking in front of a restaurant, she practically fell off the vehicle. "Ugh! Remind me to never do that again!" she fumed. The two entered the nondescript-looking restaurant appearing more like half-drowned rats then like human beings. The two were assisted to a table, their shoes squishing loudly on the tile floor, by a kind-looking waitress, who took their drink orders immediately and left them to decide on their food.

  "I've never been here before," Lena muttered, flicking through the pages of her menu. It was no Howie's, that was for sure. The food looked bland and characterless, but from the kitchen wafted a fairly enticing scent. If nothing else, it was warm. Lena decided on some apricot glazed chicken with a spinach salad, wanting to up her iron count before the first December donation in a few days.

  "So how you holding up?" Vanessa asked seriously, pushing her sodden hair from her eyes. Lena eyed her sister.

  "Sis, not to be rude, but I've been stuck home alone for a really, really long time. A girl at my school was murdered, a guy I've known for years is "missing", my two best friends are dating and I'm the third wheel, I've been stressing about my father who had a heart attack and went into surgery who I am still not allowed to visit, and I had to spend Thanksgiving day completely by myself eating a Lean Cuisine. No, I'm not exactly peaches and roses at the moment."

  Vanessa frowned hearing Lena's rant. "Jeez!" she muttered. "Lena, it hasn't been easy for any of us, you know; it's not all about you. Think of dad; he had to spend Thanksgiving in crippling pain while doctors continuously woke him up to make him walk laps around the building. You think you'd be doing so hot if you had your ribs and sternum snapped open and a piece of metal shoved into your heart?"

  Lena blanched. Daddy… Theoretically, she knew what had happened to her father during the surgery. However, she had not experienced the full reality of the situation, being too young to be allowed as a visitor in the emergency rooms.

  "They make him walk laps?" she asked, surprised.

  "Yeah," Vanessa replied. "The day after his surgery the nurses dragged him out of bed. They go really slowly around the floor, one of them pushing a wheelchair behind him and the other holding on to him just in case."

  "Why do they do that?" Lena had never heard of such a thing.

  "It's somewhat new," Vanessa explained, smiling at the waitress as she dropped off their drinks and took their orders. "They learned that lying in bed actually slows down the recovery process; immediate, slow exercise jump-starts it. It helps him heal a little faster."

  Lena nodded, liking the idea of healing faster. She sipped her milk meditatively before glaring at Vanessa's soda, wanting it.

  "So, a boy went missing?" Vanessa asked, chewing on the tip of her straw. "Who? Anyone I know?"

  "Yeah," Lena replied. "Gabriel." She had complained many times of the vampire's antics to her family; to be honest, they had probably gotten quite annoyed with it all. "He's been missing for over a week now."

  This clearly startled her sister. "Wow… another girl from the area's been missing, too. Some redhead; she's in her twenties so they couldn't declare her "missing" for a while. But she's been gone for over a week, too."

  Lena shook her head, incredulous. This was crazy. "How do you know this?"

  "Newspaper," her sister replied. "You get bored quickly in the waiting room."

  A woman's voice calling nearby interrupted them. "Leslie! It's your turn to clean the bathrooms!"

  To Lena's absolute astonishment, Leslie Metcalf slowly walked by her table, looking gloomy and wearing the uniform of the staff at the restaurant.

  "Alright, alright!" she shouted back to whom Lena could only assume was her boss. The maroon-haired vampire cursed underneath her breath and, grabbing a mop from the supply closet, entered into the back bathroom.

  "What's the matter with you?" Vanessa asked as their waitress brought them their food. "You look like you've seen a ghost."

  "I might have," Lena replied ominously as her salad was set next to her chicken plate. "I need to go wash up." Hustling from her seat, she followed Leslie into the bathroom. "I'm working, I'm working!" the girl shouted, assuming it was her boss behind her, but turned instead to face Lena.

  "What are you doing here?"

  "Eating," Lena replied. She squeezed soap onto her hands, scrubbing slowly. She tried the same words Vanessa had used to get her to open up. "How are you holding up?"

  "Oh, just swell," Leslie hissed bitterly. "Marvelous. My parents can't "deal" with me anymore after I got so hungry I practically bit the throat out of some girl. I couldn't help it; I was starving! Nobody understands how hungry I can get; not even other vampires." Dunking the mop into a bucket of dingy-looking water, she scrubbed at the floor, the thick muscles in her arms showing clearly with her effort. "And now my cousin, who may be a jerk but who did help me out a lot, has now disappeared off the face of the planet."

  "Do you… know where he might be?" Lena asked. Leslie threw the mop to the floor, looking disgusted.

  "Are you nuts?" Lena considered mentioning a certain phrase about the pot and the kettle, but figured it was best to keep her mouth shut if she wanted answers. Leslie continued, "Don't you think if I knew where he was, I'd go drag his sorry butt out of whatever hole he managed to dig himself into? He's not perfect, but he's a good guy; he gave me more of your blood."

  "He did?" Lena was surprised, recalling how ravenous Gabriel was the last time she had seen him. It had looked like he'd drink the whole half-pint and still have room for more. Leslie picked the mop back up and began once more to clean.

  "Yeah. But why should you believe me? Everybody's saying I killed him. Why would I? Me and him—we don't really like each other, but we get each other. His parents don't get him; they just baby him, afraid somebody'll try to hurt him again. Well, looks like somebody did."

  "Again?" Lena was confused.

  "Duh! When he was born there were people hammering at the door wanting to shove him in a fire or stake him through his heart or whatever. His mom really got hurt trying to protect him. Did you know they ripped her eyeball right out of the socket?"

  Lena swayed slightly on the spot, feeling sick.
Leslie rolled her eyes. "Doesn't matter. Cops have my prints to compare it to any evidence if any turns up. Said it wasn't my prints on the dead girls, so at least I'm in the clear on that."

  Lena blinked slowly. "They have prints on the dead girls?"

  Leslie snorted. "You don't watch many detective shows, do you? There's always evidence." She began spraying cleaning liquids onto the mirrors, scrubbing them with vigor using the rough brown paper towels.

  "Well, then why haven't they caught the killer yet?" Lena's voice rose in pitch. With incriminating evidence like that, the monster should be behind bars as they spoke!

  "You really are dumb, huh? But I guess I'd expect that from a girl who charges into a bathroom behind a vampire who once bit her while in a bathroom. How's the neck?" she grinned, then added "they can't take the fingerprints of every person who lives in Philadelphia, or even everybody who goes to the school. They need evidence and a warrant first. It's just not practical."

  Lena nodded slowly. It made sense, but something didn't hold up.

  "So if you didn't take him, and you don't think he just ran off, what do you think happened?"

  "I don't know for sure," sighed Leslie, taking a can of powder into the stalls, armed with a scrub brush. "But I'd check out that green-eyed boyfriend of yours if you really want answers."

  Lena's heart skipped a beat. "Elliot's not my boyfriend. What are you talking about?"

  "He's a vampire. He's over six feet tall." Leslie ticked off on her fingers.

  "So are you!" Lena insisted. "So are most of the vampires at our school!" Leslie ignored her outburst. "Do you know where he was during any of the attacks? Because let me tell you, on the first day I came to school when that chick was killed, he was supposed to take me on a tour. He was a no-show. And on Halloween when that other girl died? He disappeared off with Gabriel when I tried to make them trick-or-treat with me. He also seemed a little too eager not to talk about my cousin with me when he drove me home that day. Things add up, blondie." She stuck her scrub-brush into the toilet, swirling it around fast enough to send droplets of water flying everywhere.