by Amy Mah
Like a drug, wonderful pictures filled Amy’s mind. Not that I know what drugs are like, apart from that tainted blood I had from some druggie that left me seeing flying pink mice for several days.
The vision was of a strange winged creature covered in short, white fur tinged with blue, and it was flying effortlessly over a winter white landscape of ice and snow on large, white leathery wings. Amy watched as it landed on a craggy edge of a wall of ice and folded its wings back, showing a delicate female form that almost caused her heart to stop when it looked in her direction. Snow was in the air, which it ignored as it searched for any signs of movement below.
A-Me
A-me liked this game of play fighting. How long had it been since she had played with females? She could not remember, but she now knew why her other self liked this creature. It was fun to be with and strong, and its true shape was soooooo pretty as she stepped into the creature’s blood memories.
It struggled under her, so she let her go and watched as she spun about to face her.
“What the! That is just frigging disgusting! And just how am I going to explain the frigging bruises? NO! Don’t bite there!!!”
A-Me held the pretty thing down and licked her. So strange a sensation on the tongue, licking a place without a nice covering of protective fur. It was making sounds again, so she moved up to look into its eyes.
“Okay, I’m sorry for trying to bite you; you are right. It was rude of me to go for your neck: the arm next time, okay? And only with your permission. I just wanted to know you better, okay? I thought you wanted to blood bond, but we can just use wrists, okay?”
Ice age in 3D
Wow, and I mean wow! That was better than any 3D film! Amy thought as she opened her eyes. She could still feel what it was like to be flying over an endless white landscape. I can remember how it all happened. But she now realized that she had Ice’s wrist to her lips, and Ice was lying next to Amy with her eyes closed, gently sucking on Amy’s wrist.
“Wakey, wakey, Ice. That’s enough for now, or we will both look like dried-up oranges.”
Amy did a lick seal on where she had been sucking, and the pin points vanished. Ice did the same and gave Amy an extremely odd look.
“I’m going back in the pool; you coming?”
Amy slid back into the water and headed for the warmest part of the pool. I am not sure what Ice has been seeing in my blood memories, she thought, but I’m sure I have mermaid somewhere in my ancestral past, as I could so get used to this hot spring bathing!
“Look, are you coming back in? Or are you just going to sit there sulking that I bit your butt?” Amy asked her.
She watched as Ice skidded her butt over to slip into the pool next to her. Ice winced as she did.
“I have some Arnica lotion at home. I can send it up to you; it’s very good for bruising, I’m told.”
The strange thing with Ice was that her eyes burned blue, unlike Amy’s, which turned red and made her look like she needed to get more sleep. Ice’s looked like deep pools of water.
“Amy, I have seen you: the real you. I have never seen a blood memory so clear. Sorry for the neck thing; I will never try to do it again, if you promise not to bite my butt again.”
She put her arms around Amy and hugged her. Amy was not sure if it was all still part of the bonding thing or an extra.
“Amy, I have never seen anything like you before, and you are so ….just so ……..red and black are so your colors!”
Okay, Amy thought. So bonding can help sort out one’s wardrobe? Well, that’s good to know. Amy hugged her back, and it felt nice. Shut up! We are vampires, so I expect it is normal. Heck, if ripping heads off humans is normal, then I don’t see why two girls can’t hug naked in a deep underground hot pool! It’s not like we are kissing or anything.
Of course, Amy had seen this kind of thing a lot in the anime films, which always show Japan covered in so many hot spring pools full of naked people that it made her wonder why their birth rate was not higher.
At that point, Amy hoped that naked hugging could lead to more intimate things. With luck, those things might include back scrubbing and long talks on what Max has been saying about me.
Home and bed
When Amy finally got back to her floor, she sneaked into her room in case her aunt wanted to know how the day went. Bambi was already back, and her wounds had almost gone. Amy was so sleepy she just peeled her clothes off, left them where they fell and crawled into bed. The last thing she remembered doing was telling Bambi not to wake her the next day for anything less than an earthquake, as she felt like she needed to sleep for a week.
Sometime during her sleep, she was aware of Bambi trying to wake her by licking her face, but it was only a dream like the lovely dream she had of stretching out large, bat-like wings and dropping off a cliff to soar into the sky. It was oh-so-obvious! Of course vampires could fly if they had wings. When you had very powerful leather wings and a body with little or no weight, flying would be simple. Amy could almost feel the air around her and the thrill of playing in the air currents.
A-Me
Amy did not open her eyes when Bambi tried to wake her, but A-Me did. Bambi was offering her wrist as a snack, and A-Me refused and smiled as she wrapped her arms around her to pull her near. A-Me did not like to think this poor creature had been nest turned. No, she did not share with others this creature. It was going to be hers and hers alone. Cutting a small blood vessel on her wrist, she offered it to this creature who showed her so much affection.
Bambi just stared at the offer of blood and knew it was against all the rules. She loved her life here in the vampire world; it was so much better than when she had been human. Being turned meant you were always drawn to obey full bloods; you were reborn to serve, and Amy was very easy to please. Bambi had grown to love her.
Full bloods never offered their own blood, as it would make a turnling very powerful and break all the years of training; plus, it would create a new bond between them, as her mistress would also be her sire. An act so personal that maids only ever whispered about it, it was all a rumor. But the one thing that did come through with all the stories was that if any maid was found to have done it, she would be killed and the mistress badly punished.
What the rumors did not say was the power of the blood being offered and the smell of the blood calling to her. She was a creature of blood and could not resist this offer a second time. Bambi could no longer care if death was to follow, she had to…
A-Me smiled; this creature loved her, and now she would show it that she loved it as well. It was going to be bound to her alone and not the nest, as she did not like to share. A-Me held the creature carefully so not to cause it pain as for the second time in her life, Bambi died.
Bambi
Bambi reborn
Amy awoke late. What with the fighting and fun in the pools afterwards, she could have definitely gone for the idea of sleeping in a coffin. Look, think about it: all modern and fitted with cable TV, surround sound and draught proof.
Amy wondered if perhaps she fixated too much on being cold, but she really was cold a lot. I am sure my aunt makes my bedroom extra cold just so that I always take lots of hot baths. She suspected that she was perhaps the cleanest vampire in history, but then again, she also probably had the same distinction of being the only vampire in history with a hot water bottle in the shape of a bat. Don’t you dare say that it’s cute! If I was 9, it would be cute, but it’s not when you are 16 going on 100. Amy thought she could get away with it if it had been black; black would be cool in a nice, hot way instead of dayglo pink to match the pink stuffed bats hanging from the ceiling. What I have as a bedroom is a modern day chastity belt! Inviting boys back to my bedroom? Like, what do I want to do, die of shame!
“Bath is ready mistress.”
“Thank you, Bambi.”
Okay, Amy thought. Now just how the heck is that going to fit into my Girl’s Guide to Being a Vampire? She reasone
d that she would have to put a new section in the book for Stark Raving, Loony, Insane Things that had happened to her, as she had now just heard Bambi tell her that the bath was ready. She spoke in my mind!
“Bambi, where are you?”
“I am in the bathroom, mistress”
Amy went into the bathroom, and there she was; like all good maids, she helped Amy in and then got in herself to help wash. Yes, that is also normal in our society; why do you think girls don’t run away from home, leaving these oh-so-difficult living arrangements? Now shut up and get your own maid!
Amy felt like no one ever told her anything; when did this being able to talk to one’s maid without speaking happen? She expected that it was just another odd body function, like smelly underarms and odd places for hair to sprout that no one ever mentioned.
Does anyone know how claws and fangs slide in and out of sight? Amy thought. No, they don’t! Or if they do, they have all made a point of not telling me! Half the time I think that having boobies means being a mushroom; they keep us in the dark and feed us crap.
Well, Amy was determined not to be the first to say anything about it.
“Could you please rub the left shoulder some more? Oooooh, that’s so nice! Sorry, I forgot to ask, but are you all right now, what with all that nastiness with Desney and her gang yesterday?”
“Yes, mistress, I am wonderfully well thanks to you and your love for me. Thank you for last night; you will never regret it. I am yours eternally.”
Okay, that does not help, Amy frowned. I sometimes worry about what my inner vamp gets up to when I sleep, but at this point, I am not even going to think about it. It’s not like I can get Bambi pregnant… And no, no, no, I’m definitely not going there.
“Thank you, Bambi.”
Bambi
Chapter 17
Hygiene Matters
Ice dropped by the next day, took one look at Amy trying to hide her block of wood, then burst into such a fit of giggles that Amy thought she was going to wet herself. Amy didn’t care so much about Ice’s personal hygiene, but she only had one place to sit in her room, and that was on the bed, sooooooo I rather think I do have a say in this hygiene matter, okay?
Ice was not her real name, but she had never said what her real name was. Everyone called her Ice, and Amy thought that it was perfect. She was so very, very pale; not albino, as she had blue eyes, but her hair was white, and she liked to wear white with a touch of blue. If she had been fat, her friends would have called her glacier, or if she were tall and thin, then she would have been called icicle, but no. She is fantastic-looking, so if she wasn’t my only real friend here in the nest, I would hate her on sight (but that I think is normal, isn’t it?) Amy still couldn’t help seeing Ice’s blood image of short white fur with lots of teeth.
Anyway, back to her visit and her storming into Amy’s bedroom.
No, of course no one ever knocks! It is like sleeping in a corridor by the number of people that use my bedroom as a short cut!
Amy had complained about her lack of privacy, and all she got from her aunt was that if a girl was doing anything she did not want others seeing, then she shouldn’t be doing it at all.
Ice had been shopping and stopped by to give a fashion show. Yes, we do have shops somewhere, on some floor I have never been on, and one day, I may even be allowed to visit them!
Amy used the block of wood to play piano on. You know, I use it to exercise my claws and build up finger and toe strength by lying on my back and clawing it with all four sets of claws. NO! It’s not odd! Just how do you think we vampires keep sharp claws? A pact with the devil or something like that? Don’t be so stupid! Like everything, keeping your claws sharp was all hard work, and the best way to do it was to practice clawing at lumps of wood. You should see what I do with my fangs-err, well, no, perhaps not.
Back to the laughter. Apparently, Ice was giggling so much at Amy’s efforts to hide the block of wood under the bed due to the wording Amy’s aunt had used when sending her up to my cave room:
“Yes, go on up. All Amy is doing is just lying on her bed playing with herself!”
Ha ha, yes. Very funny; I don’t think!!!!! If I said something like that, my aunt would have me in front of the ruling council, and I would be flogged or de-fanged. Is this fair? No, it is not!
Oh, yes! Ice’s new dress looked great. She had gone for her usual colors, which were always gorgeous on her. And of course, the dress fit in all the right places to show off her perfect shape, which just made Amy her usual color of green.
On me, I know it would just look like it is draped over an ironing board! Like, why do humans ever think a vampire’s life is exciting?
Ice puts on a fashion show
Council meeting
Eek! Not again! I am sure she does it on purpose! Like I can’t hear her booming voice echo in the caves, and what a thing to say to a Praetorian Guard here to act as an escort to take me to the council.
A Praetorian Guard was not something to get all hot over, as it was mostly a fancy title attached to some big male with more size than thinking ability. If he were bright enough to use a computer, Amy reasoned that he must already have had her down as a sex fiend if he had ever looked her up on Fangbook. How was I to know the guards would have taken photos of me biting Paige? Who lets them carry cell phones on duty, anyway?
So much for the vampire image. Amy pictured them acting all bat-out-of-hell-like, then someone’s phone would go off with a ringtone that sounded like something from Sesame Street.
And besides, how many times do I have to tell people that she was the one getting excited, not me? Amy thought. And there is my aunt telling the guard that I am on my bed playing with myself! Like that does not have another meaning! Amy preferred to call it “exercising her fingers,” and sometimes her toes, as she was very flexible.
Some girls liked to do it lying on the bed while they watched some hot guy on TV. Me? I do it while watching a good wildlife film showing lions attacking wildebeests and dragging them down in a mess of blood, guts, and gore. Yes, that is normal. I’m a vampire, now shut up.
All vampire girls did it, and it was good for them. Amy’s block was made from seasoned oak. It was smooth and polished to stop her from getting splinters.
Look, I have said this all before. Yes, I play with wood. Her preferred ritual was to lie on her back and place the block of oak on her tummy. She struck it with her claws, and when she had a good grip, she would bring her toe claws up to try and pull it away, or to just lash out with them to create nice score marks in the wood. I expect you have seen pet cats do it, but have you seen them take a man’s head off with a single strike? No? Well, I could!
Amy found old, mature oak to be good and strong, but she could still rip good-sized chunks out of it, and wow, does it feel good! She always vacuumed up the chippings before she slept. It was such a nice feeling to stretch one’s claws in this way, and Amy always appreciated the exercise the next time she found herself hanging from a ceiling by her fingernails. Physical exercise classes at vampire school called for some very odd training.
And ceiling hanging was so important when you wanted to surprise your prey by dropping on them from above. Something dropping on top of you from a great height with four sets of very sharp claws was normally a terminal type of surprise.
Amy wished that her aunt wouldn’t tell people that she was playing with herself. She just knew that she was going to get a very funny look when she came out to greet the overgrown errand boy. If he dares to ask if I have washed my hands, I will stick my claws in a place that will make his eyes water!
She also didn’t particularly want this so-called honor of appearing before the council, let alone getting the more dubious honor of being an alpha, which for a vampire of the female gender sounded like nothing more than more pain and being pushed higher up a breeding menu to be on the appetizer list for very hungry male alphas than last on the list with the hard-boiled mints to help with beta male di
gestion.
Her aunt and uncle somehow fixed this meeting to raise Amy to alpha status, and Ice had forcibly pointed out that without it, Max would be a no-go area of male vampire real estate. Not that Amy was planning to build a future on him. All she really wanted was to just rip his clothes off and bite him all over, which was as normal a need as any female vampire could have.
Amy wore a new white, ankle-length nightdress. It was very old style and in linen. Amy had put a cactus juice gel remedy on a cut on her inner thigh, but since all vampires had a keen sense of smell, she was now worried that she smelled cactus-ish (or rather, succulent-ish). She sprayed some Lily of the Valley up inside her nightdress. Yes, it is normal! Okay?
Her human auntie had always smelled of it, and the smell of Lily of the Valley reminded Amy of her. She found it relaxing, and now it had made the linen of the nightdress damp and more creased-looking, but at least it was not see-through.
It had been laid out for her, and Bambi had received firm instructions that one piece of underwear was the maximum Amy was allowed to have on under it, and no socks: not even the ones with pink bats on them!
By the time Amy and her parents had reached the council room 27 levels and 52 ice-cold, stone-floored corridors later, she was less inclined to want a fancy gold circle placed anywhere on her body but far more interested in a fur-lined pair of walking boots.
Amy’s idea of a council room was a large table containing bottles of mineral water and cookies surrounded by old guys that no longer had teeth and therefore could not manage anything but the softest cookie. What she saw instead looked like it had come from some old movie set on the Roman Empire, as rows of stone seats formed circles around what could be called a stage (or flat talking area, or as they were politicians, a showing-off area). Amy decided that it was more of a showing-off area, as the top boss (whatever his name was) was standing there.
