Young Forever

by Lola Pridemore

  I stared back at her, then at the deer, which was fresh with blood and guts. The smell of blood, of flesh, overcame me and before I could stop myself, I had scrambled over to the deer and was quite literally—and quite disgustingly, I might add—eating him. It only took a few seconds of that, of swallowing wild animal blood for my empty and tiny stomach to rise up in revolt, resulting in a purge. I vomited it all up, all the blood and meat and whatever else I’d managed to swallow. It was quite ghastly. And a little humiliating.

  I fell back and breathed heavily, trying to catch my breath. Then I realized something. I was actually feeling the deer’s blood in my veins. I had managed to keep a little of his blood down. I could feel my strength returning. I wanted more and was about to go back to the deer when she stopped me.

  “Halt, child,” she said and held me back. “You will be even sicker if you continue.”

  She held firmly to my arm, not allowing me to move. I knew I was weak but even so, I could tell that she was strong, probably even stronger than my father. I stared up at her, noticing that two of her teeth were slightly longer than all the others. Maybe I was hallucinating from hunger but they looked like they belonged to an animal or a reptile of some sort. Perhaps a snake? Was she an animal? Like a wolf? What was she? Maybe my first impression had been right and she wasn’t a human after all. Her odd teeth confirmed my suspicions. They looked like fangs as they caught the light of the moon and glistened. Without thought, I reached over and touched the bottom of one and it pricked me, drawing blood. That’s how sharp they were.

  She laughed a little at me and said, “No, no, lovely, do not touch.”

  She gently removed my hand and forced it into my lap. And, just like that, her fangs shortened and she looked normal. It was the oddest thing I’d ever seen but I couldn’t comment because I was almost out of breath.

  “Are you by yourself?” she asked.

  I nodded.

  “I come to these woods,” she said. “And find many children like you. Starving, without a home.”

  I looked away. I had a home. I was just lost, that was all.

  “Families are breaking apart,” she said with a touch of sadness. “It is terrible when this happens. One day, though, the sun will shine again and bring warmth and bounty.”

  I couldn’t imagine that, not after all I’d been though.

  “Are there many of you in your family?”

  “Three brothers, one sister and me. There are five of us and I am the youngest.”

  “Five children in these times,” she said and pushed the hair out of my face. “Are five too many.”

  She was right about that. I had to give it to her.

  “Such beauty,” she said. “You could have been sold instead. Many sell children now instead of abandoning them. You could have been sold into servitude.”

  “My family was once wealthy,” I said, closing my eyes. “They would not think of selling me like that. They would rather I die. We once had servants or so I am told.”

  “They would rather leave you for dead in the woods than have you clean pots and pans for others?” she asked.

  I thought about that. Was that what they had done to me? Left me to die? No. No, no, no. And no. No, that couldn’t be true. Even as I vehemently denied it to myself, I had a feeling she was right. And cleaning pots and pans would be a lot easier than this. A lot.

  “No more,” she responded and sighed lightly. “Now you are facing death. I am surprised that you actually bit the beast. You are a little beast yourself, are you not?”

  “I was hungry,” I said and opened my eyes, looking away from her.

  “Most children do not fight like I saw you fight,” she said. “They welcome death.” She stared into my face. “Will you welcome death, also?”

  I turned back to her and said, “No, I will not.”

  “You will not,” she said and stood, walking circles around me. “You will not! And why not? You have nothing. Unwanted. Abandoned by your own flesh and blood. Why not welcome death, little child?”

  “Because I have to get back to my family,” I said, sitting up.

  She stopped and stared at me, fully understanding what I still wanted to believe to be true and what she knew was a lie. “Your family has abandoned you here,” she said.

  “No, they haven’t,” I told her. “I am just lost, separated from my father. We went looking for berries! He will return with others to find me soon. We need to berries for a pie.”

  She threw her head back and laughed. “Berries? Oh, berries. Oh, yes, I remember their sweet taste, too. I can still indulge sometimes, but not often. No. Berries are something I remember more than I savor now.”

  “He’s coming back for me, my father is coming back,” I told her.

  She looked sad for a split second, then shook it off. “No, child, you have been left to die. Do you not understand that?”

  No, I didn’t. Not only did I not understand it there was no way I’d ever allow myself to believe it. Me? Abandoned? My father loved me best! I was his favorite; he had told me so himself. Of all people to abandon me, it would not be him.

  She bent down in front of me and said, “Listen, you are not lost. You have been abandoned deep in this forest for a reason. They could not feed you. And soon, your siblings will follow.”

  I stared at her as the weight of her words sunk in and when they did… Well, I was enraged. How dare they do this to me? And they were going to do it to my siblings, as well? That wasn’t very nice. So, where did that leave me? Well, I guess it left me dead, didn’t it? But I would survive, at all costs, in any way I could. I would not just surrender my life like that. I couldn’t. It goes against human nature and human nature is to survive at any cost.

  But what of her? This woman or witch or fairy or whatever she was. What did she want? What did she want of me? “Are you a witch?” I asked.

  She laughed. “No, I am not a witch. I am a vampire. Have you heard of vampires?”

  She wasn’t a witch? She was a vampire? I shook my head, trying to comprehend this.

  “We are much, much worse than witches,” she said, bending down in front of me again. “Unlike witches, we do eat little children left alone in the woods.”

  I just stared at her, thinking that if someone were to eat me, it might be best that be someone like her did. She was so pretty. I liked that about her. And she did look a little hungry.

  “You’re not the only one who has been going without,” she said. “The cold affects me too. People are not as plump and good as they once were. Their blood is quite thin.”

  I really didn’t understand what she was talking about but I nodded like I did.

  “You, too, are very thin. There is not much of you left. You are so starved, but I am not after your meat or bones,” she whispering in my ear. “I am after your blood.”

  I didn’t understand that. What? What could she do with my blood? I didn’t understand but then I was tired, so tired. “What will you do with me?” I asked.

  She stared at me, considering my words. “What would you have me do with you? Would you fight like that for me? As you did with the beast?”

  “I will fight always,” I said, my eyes beginning to close. “I will always fight.”

  “And why would you do such a thing when it is almost impossible to survive?”

  “Because it is not impossible,” I said and felt myself fall into sleep. I jerked awake then stared at her. In an instant, she was at my side, bent down staring into my face.

  “Yes, rest child,” she said. “That is the only way to survive.”

  And so I rested.

  * * * * *

  When I awoke, I could immediately tell I was in a large home of some sort. I was lying on a leather couch in a dark-paneled room. What was unusual was that the room was a library, something I’d heard of but never seen. Books were a rarity but the whole room contained shelves that were piled high with them. Some were very old and some were newer. I had only seen a sm
all amount of books in my time and the whole place mystified me, probably more than Gerta did.

  She was sitting in a large arm chair watching me. I turned to her and she smiled and said, “You are awake.”

  I nodded and said, “You have wealth.”

  “Yes,” she said. “I took it.”

  “Why?”

  “Because that’s what vampires do,” she said and smiled again. “We take what we want. For survival. And because we can.”

  I nodded, trying to understand what she was implying. I got up and tried to cross the room but then fell to the floor. She rushed over to me and picked me up in her arms as if I were a rag doll.

  “You rest,” she said and laid me down on the couch. “I will be back soon enough.”

  I nodded and she left the room. I listened for her to open, then shut, the front door but there was no sound. Without thought, I closed my eyes and attempted sleep but it would not come. Even though I was still very weak, I forced myself up and left the room and began to wander around the house, even though I had to stop several times and rest. It was large, a mansion or a manor house of some sort. Whoever owned it had traveled a lot and had many artifacts from many countries. However, I didn’t know that at the time. I was a young girl who had never left her village. I just thought they were silly looking sculptures and furniture.

  I finally made it to the kitchen and was startled to see Gerta there, putting out a feast on the old, handmade wooden table. She looked at me and smiled, then spread her hands out across the large array of food. There were all kinds of things to eat, even pies. There was lamb and potatoes. I had never seen that much food at one time before.

  “Not everyone is starving, no?” she said and winked at me. “Some are still eating quite well.”

  “Where did it come from?” I asked, in awe.

  “I assume the wealthy lord bought it somewhere, the animals and wheat, all that,” she said, then shrugged. “But who cares? Now, come eat.”

  I didn’t have to be told twice. I sat down in one of the chairs and grabbed a leg of lamb, biting into it with total abandon. I had never tasted something so delicious but, as soon as the taste of the meat hit my taste buds, they rose up sharply and overwhelmed me. That’s how long it had been since I’d eaten.

  “Slowly,” she said and held my hand back from a cherry pie.

  I nodded at her and grabbed a piece of bread which was covered with the most delicious butter. After I took a big bite and chewed, I asked her, “Where did you get the food?”

  “If I want something, my child, I take it,” she said and pointed at her eyes. “All I have to do is tell them what I want and I usually get it.”

  I stared at her. What was she talking about? Later on, I would realize she was talking about mesmerizing, something vampires do to humans to get them to… Well, let them do what they want to do. All you have to do is look into their eyes with just the right amount of intensity and… Well, then they give you whatever you want and don’t cause a fuss. It’s like mind control or hypnotism or something like that. Gerta never used it on me, that I know of, but she did teach me how to do it later on. It’s one of the coolest things about being a vampire.

  “It’s just a look,” Gerta continued. “I give them a certain look, and they bend to my will. I usually get what I want, but if there is any trouble, I just take it.”

  I understood that. I smiled at her until she smiled back and ruffled my hair a bit, then I stared at her face. She had something red just below her lips. I pointed to it and said, “You have something on your face.”

  She licked around her lips with her tongue then sighed with satisfaction. “You were not the only hungry one, my child.”

  I didn’t get what that she meant but later on I realized she’d probably killed someone to bring me this food. “Eat with me,” I said.

  “Oh, no,” she said and patted her stomach. “I am quite full.”

  I nodded, thinking I understood what she meant. I stared at all the food then, for a moment, I thought of my siblings, still hungry while I had all this food, much of which would go to waste as I couldn’t eat it all. I felt bad, really, really bad then. It overwhelmed me and I almost started crying. I couldn’t think of it then; I had to push it from my mind, so I turned to the woman. “What do they call you?” I asked.

  “I am Gerta,” she said. “And you are?”

  “Isotta,” I said.

  She nodded. “Beautiful name.”

  “It was my grandmother’s,” I told her. “My father’s mother.”

  “It is nice,” she said.

  “Thank you,” I replied.

  “Just eat,” she said and stood. “I will find you some more suitable clothing and be back quickly.”

  I nodded and she left the room. I began to eat and eat and eat. It was fabulous, that food, so tasty. But then, out of nowhere, I felt someone behind me, close behind. I looked over my shoulder expecting to see Gerta but it was a man who was there, staring at me and smiling. He was handsome with dark hair and dark blue eyes. His lips were full and red. He wore a very stylish outfit of the time, with all the trimmings. I’d seen men around my village like him, passing through on their way to somewhere else. I, at once, knew he was a person of wealth and dignity. Of course, I couldn’t have been more wrong.

  “Oh, child,” he said, drawing near. “How long I have waited to see you.”

  I didn’t get his meaning, of course. I didn’t realize at the time that he was hungry and I looked as delicious to him as the food in front of me looked to me.

  He bent down behind me and took hold of my neck, massaging it this way and that before he pulled my head to the side so that my pulsating jugular vein was in front of his face. I was terrified, obviously. I quickly figured out that here was someone else who wanted to eat me. But I didn’t make a move. I didn’t make a move because I really didn’t know what to do.

  Gerta suddenly cleared her throat. She’d just come back into the room carrying a stack of clothing. I stared at her, then at the clothes. He looked up at her and grinned. She did not smile back.

  “Oh, Gerta, I see you are fattening her up,” he said. “Good idea.”

  Before I could blink, she was on him and had thrown him across the room. His body hit the wall and fell to the floor. Another blink and she was towering over him, hissing slightly.

  “Gerta,” he said, holding up his hands. “What have I done to offend you?”

  “She is mine, Aloiki,” she spat. “Do not touch her!”

  He sat up, still holding out his hands and said, “Yes. No, I will not touch her. I just thought she was a gift for me.”

  “And why should I give you anything?” she asked, glaring at him. “I have not seen you in two years.”

  “I’ve been busy,” he said, then looked around her at me. “But not as busy as you. I’ve not seen a child in a while. Everyone is keeping them hidden indoors. And they are not having as many as they once were. The population has seemed to drop. The starvation is really getting to me.” He paused and studied me. “Have you been eating many children of late?”

  “She is not to eat,” she said. “She is my new pet.”

  He stared at her for an instant and then laughed. He laughed so hard he had to hold his belly. “A pet? Will she sleep at the bottom of your bed?”

  “No,” she said. “She will not. She will have her own room here. Touch her and die.”

  He nodded, as if he was considering this, then turned to me. “From where did she come?”

  “What business is it of yours?” she asked, rolling her eyes. “And what do you want? Why are you entering my home?”

  He sighed and sat down in one of the two wing chairs that faced the fireplace. “I have landed into a bit of a problem,” he said. “I must vanish for a while, as it were.”

  “Not here,” she said. “You are not allowed here. Now leave.”

  He shook his head. “I cannot. I must stay.” He paused and gave me a hard look. “Are you
sure we cannot eat her? I am famished.”

  “Try and die quickly,” Gerta said and walked over to me, smoothed the hair out of my eyes and smiled. “I have brought you some clothing. It will keep you much warmer than those rags.”

  At that point, anything would have kept me warmer. Even so, I didn’t care. I was eating and eating was good. I smiled at her and felt safe in her presence, even with Aloiki there.

  He stared at me and smiled, then laughed a little at my behavior. He turned to Gerta and asked, “Is there more where she came from? Perhaps I could find one?”

  I stared at him and decided to just ignore what he was saying. I mean, I got that they were vampires, though I didn’t fully understand what that meant. It would take a while to get used to the idea but, for the time being, I would ignore it. I needed time to acclimate. And more food in my system.

  “You can have a look,” she said. “They seem to be taking children into the woods more and more often. The village she came from will be deserted soon at this rate.”

  “Oh, I see,” he said. “In the woods, then?”

  “Yes, in the woods,” she said.

  He nodded and stood. “Very well.” He turned to go, then turned back around. “Gerta, she is very nice. But she would be nicer still if we eat her. It is not wise to keep a human child.”

  She shrugged. “I like her. She reminds me of my sister, Adora.”

  “That was a long time ago,” he said quietly, sadly. “She is better forgotten.”

  Gerta turned to me, studying me. “True. But this one has fight, Aloiki. And this world is lonely. I tire of it and she reminds me of my old life and of why I continue.”

  “And why is that?”

  She turned to him and said, “Because of the hunger.”

  “Oh,” he said. “Yes, the hunger. It never leaves.”

  “No,” she replied. “It does not.”

  * * * * *

  The next day, I awoke in a beautiful bedroom befitting a princess. It was a big room with lots of nice, feminine furnishing in soft colors. The bed was large, had a soft pale green canopy and was painted gold. Gerta had brought me there the previous night, tucked me in and made sure the fire was burning. I lay there and stared at the smoldering embers, wondering how long it would last. I got up, raced across the cold floor, threw on another log, then raced back to bed.