I felt my illogical rage coming on. Mike was coughing out water. Stupid freaking car! Damn bridge! My temper was all I had left as I took my last lungs full of air. I held my breath and the water engulfed me.
The grayish brown water was hard to see through and smelled like wet earth. My ears filled with freezer cold water and the world became muted, as though I had stuck cotton balls in or something. Am I deaf now on top of everything else?
The sun filtered down like it had through the trees and played with the reflections coming through the water. It was peaceful- only it wasn't because I was pissed. I am not dying! Sure as Hell not like this!
And then, something changed.
Chapter Nine
Suddenly my ears could hear again. I could hear the flow of the lake and the fish swimming curiously nearby. Mike was struggling against this watery grave that could claim us at any second. My eye sight was clearer in the brackish water. I could see Mike's body tightening against itself. What the heck?
Then his left foot shot across the gap toward me- the shoe was gone and his foot was huge and hairy. Mike's foot doesn't look like that.
I tried to see more but everything was obscured by swishing auburn hair. I felt no need for more air, but I knew something was wrong with Mike. I must help him.
I licked my lips- a pointless action when completely submerged in water- and I tasted the blood that had stuck to my face. No. Not just any blood, my blood … my life source. The taste had changed from sharp and metallic to sweet and flavorful. I licked my lips again. Delicious. I felt all my bones in my body shift into place; like I had been a toy that was bent, broken, and disjointed and somebody came along and fixed it all at once. I could hear the crack of things setting, yet felt no pain.
Everything around me sharpened; I could see, hear, taste, and smell better than before. How can I smell in water?
I knew I had strength and that getting out of this would be a snap. Why hadn't it been a snap earlier?
I ran my tongue over my teeth as I prepared myself for my escape and felt the now lengthened canines that had grown instantly. I have fangs. Maybe I'm dead. A thought hit me. He had fangs. I hadn't made it up. Dom had fangs at my birthday.
Dom. I bet he's worried. I should go now. I pushed on the door and it came off easily.
Wait, Mike!
I swam to his side with an ease I never possessed before and saw to my horror an auburn wolf muzzle chomping on the door frame. I swam up and pulled it off. The wolf looked at me and pushed itself out of the crushed car. It was the real life version of Wolfman. I knew it was Mike. So, this is the change for us.
He put down his head, slightly reached out his hand, shook his head with a look of disgust on his wolfish features, and swam away. I watched as he morphed into an actual wolf. Whoa, so he can be both?
I felt sad that I had seen his dislike of my kind on his face, that I had brought out such emotions cut across my heart. But that was something I could do nothing about- he was a werewolf and I was now a vampire, and apparently there was a divide that even our love could not conquer, or could it? A vampire? Am I a vampire? Maybe this is all a dream and I still haven't woken up this morning.
Emma.
Whoa! Did I hear Dom in my head? Great! Now I'm hearing voices. Clearly something is wrong.
Emma. You need to get to shore. We're waiting for you. Dom's voice echoed in my head.
Dom? How can I hear you?
It all will be explained. You can't hold your breath forever. Please come to us.
I swam to the bank that I thought was on the side of the bridge my house would be on. When I walked out of the water, I was further down the lake then I knew where my Jeep sat. My family and Dominic waited for me. I saw the worry leave their faces and the excitement of my change replace it.
“So. Anyone want to explain stuff to me?” I thought the direct approach would be the best at this point.
I smiled wide and showed off my newly formed fangs. I received a welcoming return smile from each person in front of me with their own set of lengthened fangs. How had I never noticed before?
“We can retract them. That is how you never saw … well, all but once at your birthday party.” Grandpa answered the question as though I had spoken it.
“How is it that you know what I'm thinking?” I asked as I tried to wring out some of my wet clothes.
“We share thoughts. The closer we are the better we can hear each other. You will learn to shield your thoughts later, but, right now, we are glad you are safe,” my mother said as she wrapped me in a huge hug.
I pulled free as gently as possible; it wasn't like my mother to be so affectionate. I was instantly engulfed by Dom's warm arms.
“Mia bella, I was so worried. I was about to jump in after you when I felt you start to change. I knew it would come but I never thought it would be from this. I was so excited, I called your family.” He hugged me tighter.
I heard the call of several wolves and I looked to the other side of the lake. Dom still held me in his arms, but I managed to turn anyways. I saw them gathered around the auburn one I knew to be Mike. They were beautiful and he finally belonged with them. I felt happy and sad at the same time. I watched them and as I stared across the lake to Mike, I saw a dark one turn and nod its head at me. I nodded back- I mean, what was I supposed to do? - and then they galloped off.
They were graceful and it took all my will power not to run after them and find my Mike. No, he isn't my Mike. The change meant more than us just changing, but I still don't fully understand. I needed answers.
“Before you, Child, start to bombard us with questions, I believe it is time to return home and get you into dry clothes. We might be immortal, but we are still subject to illness. There is much for you to know, my dear girl.” Grandma's voice was calm and she kept her distance. I really appreciated her in times like this.
They escorted me to Dom's black mustang and let him drive me home.
“You think we'll be able to save my Jeep?” Being inside his fast little car made me miss my monster … that I had put so much effort into.
“Perhaps, but maybe you should get a new one. I mean we could get it customized like your old one, but then it would be new. Like your life will be now.” His words held so much meaning and I was suddenly afraid. What new life? I like my life just fine.
I snapped closed my mouth before I said something and started harassing him for answers, in doing so I sank my teeth into my lower lip.
“Ow!” I cried out.
“You will adjust to them, and it will not take long for you to be able to retract them. Until then your quick healing abilities will be able to fix any damage before it gets serious.” He didn't sound too concerned.
“Dude, you didn't even look. What if I need stitches or something?” I pulled gingerly on my bottom lip and realized that I had stopped bleeding and that the holes were almost shut. He made a gesture and I understood why he didn't fuss.
We drove through the tree lined road that went to my home and I was fascinated by everything that I had missed before. My new eyes were able to see in the brightest light and the deepest shadows. I could smell the small animals moving around. And I could hear everything; the trees and leaves, the car, Dom's breathing and his heart beat … everything. It was like I was waking up from a very deep sleep. I greatly enjoyed it all.
When we finally got to the house it felt like it was brighter than before. Dominic was quiet the entire time after I bit myself and now he watched me. He smelled really good and I wanted to stand next to him and just inhale, but I wanted to see everything with my new eyes as well. I went inside and up to my room. It was as though I had turned a lamp on even though my thick dark winter curtains were keeping all light out. Even my dark colors stood out. My sense of touch was bumped up as well. Everything felt so other worldly and different; the softs were softer and the hards were pliable.
I wandered back downstairs, sat in the dining room, and waited for the other
s to join me.
Dominic came in first and sat next me, then my parents and they sat opposite us, and finally my grandparents came in and sat at the heads of the table. I thought all vampires looked the same, or at least held similar features or something, but they did not seem like carbon copies.
My dad looked like the son of my grandparents, and I looked like the daughter of my parents, yet, other than that, we didn't look alike at all.
I sat still and tried to be quiet and not erupt into a billion questions. It was hard to say the least.
“Emma, we have discussed this and each one of us will try to tell and teach you about some aspect of your change. If you listen carefully, then it should go smoothly, please ask questions as you get confused. Afterwards, we shall begin discussing your change event and how you would like it to go. Any questions?” my dad asked.
I shook my head.
“Good. Then your mother will begin with a little history for you. Edwina, when you're ready.” My dad looked at my mom with adoring eyes.
“Thank you, William. Now, Emma there is much you must learn about your own people, so please do listen, honey. I know it will be boring but I will strive my best to make it understandable. Now, we have always been here. Our records indicate that vampires were developing alongside man and yes, we do separate ourselves from them. We have helped to create most of the advances in science, art, and technology today. We have been a part of every major civilization and eventually we manufactured their downfall as well. Power corrupts and when that has happened, as it has with all growing empires, we have intervened. Some examples of our hand at this would be Helen of Troy, Cleopatra, and Brutus. Unfortunately, we have gotten involved with people and allowed them to know our secret … and that is where many of the legends come from. For Bram, it was a beautiful woman vampiress that was his downfall. Many say that he was insane when he wrote Dracula, we, on the other hand, do not have to speculate about that. He wasn't the lackey in his story- no; he fell in love with one of us and wanted to remain with her. Unfortunately, she was mated and the beau played with poor Bram's mind.
Some say that we were the great makers of everything yet this is not true. But we did have a hand in Shakespeare's great works, and many of the artists used our steady hands to help with their perfect creations. Vlad the Impaler was not a vampire either, just a tyrant that got what he deserved in the end. Um ... let's see, what else is there? We have great political power but always try to be fair. If you could picture the world as a puppet show then what everyone sees are the puppets and we are the puppet masters. I know it can sound terrible, but it is a fact of life. We developed mentally before man and were thus able to dominate the weaker species. I do hope that you do not think less of your kind, or me, for the speaking the truth so frankly… but that is the best I can give to you. Any questions, my darling?” My mother's eyes were penetrating.
“That is like a lot to take in. Bram wasn't a vampire, just obsessed with one. We control all the important stuff and always have. But if that were true then what about the witch hunts and things like that. How did we let that happen?” I needed to understand my own people.
“Ah, well, those were dark times for us. We were the ones being hunted. Many of our kind have special gifts for healing and illusion. Our talents work on mankind. There are some that can work over the mind of both us and them, but it is generally looked down upon. We were hunted for our unique abilities. Man tried to knock us out of power, but many of us merely had to pretend to be human and we survived in our stations, untouched. But that left those that had flaunted to the hands of the trials. It was unfortunate that we could not get involved in these for fear of our own discovery. Many times the accused would try and negotiate with their captors by giving more names and hiding places, but this never worked and generally led to more death. Some went underground and hid from man- fear is a very powerful tool. But not all of us were so easily scared, so we were able to keep control over things afterwards … and soon the trials disappeared into history. Emma, I know there are many moments in time that you can recall where there has been cruelty towards other humans, they are generally not as they seem. The ancient Egyptian times are a clear example of when we got ahead of ourselves and enslaved humans. Or allowed them to believe us to be Gods and Goddesses. Times have changed though. Oh, I almost forgot one more thing about our history, one that involves your dear friend Michael … it was in the times of the druids when we first came into contact with our enemy- the werewolf. Their legends say that their people evolved to help destroy us from the world because of some great evil we had committed, I am certain that there was also a level of jealousy for the great things we had accomplished as well. That is the beginning of the hunt between our kinds. We have always outnumbered them and so they have not been a real threat. But now they hunt us as though we are game and it injures our numbers when we lose one. You see, we are only able to have one birth, oh, now I am getting ahead. Your father can explain that if you have no more questions for me.” She glowed with knowledge and I was shocked by what my mother knew.
I looked at my dad and felt the same sense of awe; I did not know my family at all.
“Ah, well I was going to get to that later but since your mother brought it up, I'll elaborate. Yes, you females are only able to have one birth; however, it is not limited to one child. You are capable of having identical twins, triplets, and so forth. The singular egg can split as many times as it wants, but, once you are pregnant, that is it. I don't really know all the workings of it, but I do know that you cannot become pregnant until you have performed the ceremony of life with your chosen partner,”- he eyed Dominic-“and then you will be able to conceive. Now, on to other topics. You are faster, stronger, and more capable than you were before. You also age slower. We haven't figured out exactly how slow, but I've never heard of a vampire dying of old age. Your knowledge will grow rapidly and you will absorb things better. In a few weeks your teeth will begin to retract naturally and then you will be able to learn how to do it by command. Unfortunately, until this is learned, as well as self control, you won't be able to return to school. This is already taken care of because you are currently checked into a hospital out of town. No arguments please. Your body has changed greatly. You now have a few new joints that will allow you to do things that your old self could never have dreamed of. All of your bones have hardened and thickened, but this won't weigh you down. This will cause you to be heavier if you were to step on a scale, but you will feel lighter than before. Your organs have altered as well. Your heart and lungs will move slower, thus causing the beats to be less and you will now require less oxygen. You will learn to speed up your heart rate when necessary later. Your breathing you will probably never stop doing as you did in your past life, unless it is absolutely necessary, like today. Your digestive system will take food, but that will not be your main source of nutrition any longer. Blood and raw, or very rare, meat, will take over what was normal for you. But do not forget that you can still indulge in whatever you want. It will probably taste different now and thus your favorite things will adjust accordingly. You can run faster than you can drive, but we drive to be less obvious. Every sense you had before is now heightened beyond anything you can imagine, this is something else you will learn to control later. It generally does not cause any problems. You are not sensitive to sunlight, but because your vision is so amplified, direct sunlight will hurt your eyes … nothing permanent though. You can get sick and you are susceptible to the elements. These things cannot kill you. The only true death that can claim you is when your heart is cut out and burned, or if you yourself are burned to death … something that was very common during the witch hunt days. Otherwise, you can heal, if the part can be found or regrown. That is to say that someone can cut off your head- which is very hard to do by the way- and take it with them, yet you won't die. Another person would have to bring back the head and then your body would repair itself. Your other systems will adjust as you develop
. Intercourse is something that is common amongst our people, but please do not fall into that trap. Wait for your life mate. We can't get STDs and all, but our name does hold something … and I would greatly appreciate it if you did not get involved with the wrong things. Before I forget, do not drink the blood of a human directly. It will affect you strangely because of all the things that they put into their bodies. You yourself cannot make a vampire, only through the ceremony of life can that occur, and going around biting people will only damage yourself. However, the blood of a vampire will be the sweetest to you. I don't suggest that you go biting them either though; as I am sure they would bite you back! Werewolf blood will make you sick. It is best to avoid them anyways.” My father looked at me with stern eyes. I can't believe my dad talked to me about sex and drinking blood. My world is upside down!
“Ah, one more thing… We can hear your thoughts. You can hear thoughts that are directed to you. Or, if you were to share an intimate moment with another, then you could hear their thoughts. But, until you are trained, your mind is an open book and everyone else’s is a closed, locked one. You will learn how to block out the thoughts of others and prying minds and you may even learn to pry yourself but, until you are taught, you must keep your mind empty unless you want someone to know something. Like your mother had mentioned, some of us do have special gifts. It is something that develops and we learn about as we grow, so you may encounter odd things for yourself. Just be aware that it's normal. Now, your grandmother will continue.” He looked to his mother and I could see the admiration.
“Child, you are one that is filled with fact and fiction from your cinema watching. I will attempt to distinguish between fact from fiction for you. There is much for you to learn and it is a misfortune that you will only learn some from us, but that is to come later. I will also speak with you about the society you are now entering into and the expectations that go along with it so please try and listen, closely. We do not burst into flames when we come into contact with the sun or ultra-violet rays. Our hearts still beat and we still breathe. We are not undead- merely another evolutionary change. We have reflections in mirrors and can be seen on film. A stake through the heart won't kill you, it will only hurt … terribly bad. We heal from almost all wounds, your father spoke of the ones that are fatal, but our healing time is slowed greatly when the damage is serious. Silver has no effect on us, unless you find it tacky, then it is merely an annoyance! You will now have great physical and mental abilities, but they will bring great responsibilities with them. We do not sleep in coffins and since we are not the risen dead, we do not need our grave dirt to stay alive. Some of us do possess the possibility to morph into animals, but it is a skill that is not easily learned and is one of the gifts your father spoke of. We certainly do not change into mist or fog and float around looking for our next victims. We prefer the night hours only because of our sensitive sight. If everyone saw things so well, there would be no daylight activities. We can eat as much garlic as we can stand, but it does come out through our pores like it would with a human. Crosses and religious symbols have no effect on us either- over time some of us have actually started to practice some of these faiths. We can't fly, but we run fast enough and jump high enough that it appears as though we are flying. Iron is another metal to us. We are colder than most living creatures, which are one of the things we have not been able to hide. We can enter any dwelling we see fit to enter, no exceptions. We could drink, bathe, or swim, in holy water without it doing anything to us. As your father said, we cannot turn people by a simple bite, nor were we created in such a manner. Many of us are subject to the call of blood and thus must remember to feed before we mingle with anyone. When the lust comes forward it is dangerous for anyone- not just humans. We have fangs, but hide them easily. Our speed, strength, beauty, senses, and, at times, our morality are heightened with our change. We are paler than most folks, but that could easily be explained away by climate.” She took a sip of the glass of water sitting in front of her.
Bella Notte Page 20
