Bitter Sweet

by Lennell Davis

  "Oh," I was glad at the change of subject. "I just don't like crowds and it’s very warm inside. It was my friend’s idea to come here. She had to talk me into it as I don’t really like night clubs either. My agreeing is my graduation gift to her, at least in my head. Still everyone should try it out once or twice, and as I did it once, I'm on the ‘or twice’ now."

  "Congratulations, how does it feel?"

  "I haven’t really thought about anything feeling different. I'm just trying not be lost in the ether, just like during high school; there will just be a lot more people now."

  "I don't know if I can save you from that," he said after checking three others and doing the same glow stick trick with them. Two of the girls in the group giggled and one brushed up against him as she passed. Then silence rose and hung in the air for a moment.

  "I was wondering, why a club way out here away from the lights of the city?"

  "Masteria is... unique. I don't think we could maintain the sort of atmosphere we do here in the city."

  "I think I know what you mean, how it’s the female that chooses who she dances with, the men having to be almost formal..."

  "What Masteria has meant to some in the past is very much like what we do here, and certain traditions follow the name," he said coldly with a glance over his shoulder.

  "Traditions?" Intense curiosity was telling me to find out what his eyes truly looked like behind those glasses and to do that I had to keep him talking. When he spoke again, I didn’t register what he said at first.

  "Your friend can explain. She could use your intervention. The guards will do nothing to stop a consensual couple or group."

  "What do you mean?" I asked, and it felt like I was snapping out of a daze.

  "Just get Sam away from the the guy she’s with."

  “How did you…”

  “I’d hurry,” he urged, turning to card a group of four. Whatever spell he held over me faded completely and I turned.

  I headed back inside and the heat of the room showed me just how cold I had gotten outside. I pulled Alik's jacket closer to me and then remembered that I was still wearing it. Right when I was about to turn around and return it, I spotted Sam sitting with the guy in a booth not far from me, glued to him so tightly that it was a wonder that she was able to back away just enough for him to kiss her neck. I thought everything was fine until he opened his mouth wide, as if he was about to bite her. I yelled "Sam!", slipping around a small group.

  "Nessa, where have you been? This is Jordan; he is an Art major at Cornell." I cursed that he would be in the same department as me in the back of my mind.

  "Hi," I said quickly. "I have to get back, my mom called," I lied.

  “But it’s just getting fun," she whined, smiling at him with her hand on his cheek.

  "Come on Sam, we have to stay on her good side just a few more months until we are free at Cornell.”

  "Cornell? So you’re freshmen? You didn't tell me that, Sam," he said, tickling her, and she giggled like a little girl on his lap. He slurred some of this words slightly and I wondered if he had a speech impediment. "I hope I will see you there, I will be a junior in the fall," Jordan stated, but I didn't care.

  "Well, we will see you when school starts then. Come on, Sam."

  I took Sam's hand and pulled her off of the guy’s lap and he smiled at me. For a second, it looked like he flashed a bit of fang in his smile that wasn’t there when I first saw him. Sam turned and did a “call me” face to him as we headed toward the door.

  "Whose jacket is that??" Sam asked, but I didn't answer her as we got to the door. Alik was looking back up at the stars and I took off the jacket and he looked at me and Sam.

  "Thank you," I said.

  "Don't mention it," he said with a smile and I couldn’t say anything until Sam gave me a little tug.

  "Bye," I said, and Sam and I started to move away, but I whispered "Thank you" again. He simply gave me a smile. No flash of gold attempted to trap me this time as Sam led me away.

  The next day, Sam woke me up early and forced me to the mall. She knew I wasn’t a morning person and this felt like retribution for making her leave Masteria so soon. We spent the first hour in and out of stores bikini shopping for our trip to Hawaii. Despite my protest that I was hungry and needed to eat, she merely said, “with no food in you, you will fit into the bikini better.” But that was when her stomach made a low rumble and she finally gave in and we had lunch in the food court.

  "You know, I’ve been wondering: what was Joe, no... John doing to you yesterday?" I finally asked, biting into my pizza. After not having breakfast, it tasted like absolutely the best thing I’d eaten in a long time, the hunger took over and I couldn’t even be annoyed at her when she tried to wiggle out of the question.

  "You mean Jordan?" she asked hesitantly.

  "Yeah, was he just a bad kisser or what?"

  "What do you mean?" She didn’t look at me when she said this.

  "Come on Sam, he nearly ate your head; he had so much lip on your neck. Also, the way he talked sounded strange."

  "Oh, you noticed that, too." She averted my gaze.

  "Sam..."

  "Well, it’s this new thing that’s been popular lately. He had caps over his teeth to make him look vampiric..." Her last words trailed off, I was sure something she thought I’d disapprove of was coming.

  "So he was wearing fangs?"

  "Sort of, and he was going to bite me... a... little..." was said in an even softer voice.

  "You’re funny," I laughed harshly.

  "Seriously, it’s really fun and feels great. They call them Nightcaps," she said, louder, glad I didn’t tell her she’s stupid. At times, she associated my reactions to what she would expect from her mother. I don’t know why she did this, I wouldn’t intervene unless there was an imminent threat, yet I couldn’t help myself from reaching over and sweeping her hair back to check her neck for marks; there were none. Sam was a big girl and could for the most part take care of herself.

  "Looking for fang marks?"

  "Kind of."

  "There are other places where blood flows freely, Nessa," she hinted, with a wink and a smirk.

  "So let me get this straight, you’ve let some guy bite you and drink your blood?"

  "Well, it’s not really drinking, more like tasting, but you know Steve from our old fifth period Chemistry?"

  "I thought you didn’t like any of the boys at school."

  "Well, I decided to try a sample, and well...”

  I gave her a look and she smirked. "Oh, it’s not like we had sex or anything, just a little licking and blood. I always thought girls who said guys were 'yummy' were sluts, but I guess they meant it," she said airily.

  "You know, that’s a little sick right, not to mention unsanitary," I said in a conversational way, even when I had a few more choice words I’d like to call that act.

  "We were just playing," she explained, more relaxed after knowing for sure I wasn’t going to yell or overreact, even when I should have done so in this very public place.

  "You know you’re a slut for that, right?"

  "Am I? Oh well, you still love me though," she said, picking up a french-fry and leaning back in her chair, smiling. So I threw one at her and she caught it, laughing.

  Blood drinking foreplay...

  After we left the mall, I sat at home for the rest of the day and was about to go to sleep when my phone rang, the screen blinked at me through my closed eyelids; it wasn’t a number I recognized.

  "Hello?" I answered, faking a sleepy voice, hoping whoever this was would take the hint.

  "Vanessa, this is Alik from Masteria; do you remember me? Sorry if I woke you." His voice was soft and creamy even on the phone.

  "Yes, I remember you. I wasn’t asleep,” I said, my little acting routine vanishing, but a question in my mind sprang out. “How did you get my number?" I was stupid enough not to give it to you, I thought the last part only.

  "
Your friend Sam is here; I found you in her phone. She needs a way home and I don’t think a cab or her mom would be the best choices."

  "Why? What’s wrong, is she okay?" All thoughts were now centered on Sam.

  "She just overindulged is all; I will keep her safe until you get here."

  The line clicked and I grabbed a jacket. I raced back to the place where the tent was and ran to the front opening, still in my SpongeBob pajamas. There was a different person at the door this time. Nothing like Alik, he was much more like a bad guy’s sidekick in a bad action movie.

  "Umm, excuse me, but…"

  "ID," he grunted in a rough voice, cutting me off.

  "Shit, I think I left it at home," I said, patting my pockets.

  “No ID, no entry."

  "Please, Alik called me about my friend Sam..."

  "No ID, no entry," he repeated, folding his arms with authority.

  "Jean, it’s okay; she is a VIP here," Alik interrupted, sweeping back the opening to the tent. "Please, this way Vanessa." He gave the guard a look that made him shiver as I passed and a chill ran down my back as I passed him as well. Jean was nearly half a foot taller and twice Alik’s size, yet Alik clearly scared him and it wasn't a fear of being fired.

  “I’m sorry about that, this way,” he motioned and a feeling of calm replaced the chill. We walked along the wall and I looked out at all the people dancing and wondered how many of them might be wearing Nightcaps. I actually saw one girl invite a guy over and he put his hands on her hips, going right in to bite her. She looked like she was in bliss and I could hear her giggle across the room as he sucked on her neck. "And history repeats," sighed Alik.

  "Huh?"

  "But these kids, biting each other like this." A sort of anger was in his low tone and my ease at which I accepted Sam enjoying this new ‘trend’ felt idiotic.

  We walked up a small set of stairs hidden behind the bar where a small room sat over the crowd below. Not too far away was a small girl who must have been the DJ; she had on large headphones covering her ears and her long black hair swayed as she bounced to the beats and rhythms she was mixing live on a set of turntables with surprising speed. Alik opened the door for me and Sam was lying down on a thin black couch. The entire office space was black, silver, and glass, and the interior designer and architect in me had a brief moment until I saw Sam again.

  "Sam!" I cried, running and dropping to my knees. "Is she going to be okay?" I asked as I looked at her; she was pale and her normally rich, creamy skin was now a pale milky color.

  "She will be fine," he said, tossing me a small bottle from the doorway that rattled when I caught it."What’s this?"

  "Vitamin B12; it will help her replace all the blood she has lost; she got a little overexcited and fainted after an exchange, that’s all."

  I moved her head over and saw the marks on her neck. Two bubbles of blood congealed over the opening of two small marks, then she twitched. "Nessa, is that you?"

  "Yeah Sam, it’s me. Come on, let’s get you home," I said, trying to pick her up.

  "Don’t move her just yet, she should stay still for a little longer. Please take a seat at my desk while I get you a drink," Alik offered.

  "Umm, thank you," I said, laying Sam back down and sitting down. His kindness was something I liked more than I should have. He returned faster than what should have been possible.

  "Strawberry, I believe it's what you drank last night."

  "Thank you again, really. Sam is a handful and you didn’t have to do this." How did he know what I had drank, I thought.

  "Losing too much blood isn’t safe; she should watch herself. There are far worse things than boys taking advantage of an unconscious girl." A small silence followed that statement.

  "Can I ask you a question?"

  "You just have, but I’m guessing you have another."

  "Yesterday, you mentioned that traditions follow Masteria, and you called what the teens wearing Nightcaps was doing a horrible tradition. What did you mean?" I asked and he took a long sigh.

  "Well, Masteria has always been sort of a club, but it dates back to the early 1200s where any place that flew the Masteria name as I do outside has been a safe place for Night Children."

  "What do you mean?"

  "Masteria were always a taboo that the low born would stay away from and the high born would flock to. The low born feared the shroud the Night Children, “vampire” cast within the place, not that the low born could afford to be the play things of the Night Children. Unofficially, it was one of the only times that Night Children and humans tried to live together somewhat in the open in some parts of the world. Patrons of Masteria would only talk about the great sense of pleasure they felt behind the closed doors. Whether they really were bitten by Night Children I do not know, as it was said that not only money passed hands but a rumored ‘exchange’ of blood was paid directly to your host. Eventually, near the 1600s the Masteria were burned to the ground for being places of unholy and dark practices. However, over the years, Masteria have resurrected in places and the practice of biting or blood drinking had come with it. So history repeats and I guess it has come back to haunt me in my goal of resurrecting this cursed place."

  "Haunt you?"

  “As in I own this Masteria,” he seemed to be looking for a reaction from me.

  "Why use the name if..."I started to say when Sam sat up.

  "Nessa, I feel a little light headed, can we go home?" groaned Sam, half leaning up on her own.

  "Yeah Sam, come on." I got up to help her.

  "I will walk you two out," offered Alik, and he accompanied us to the opening, past all the teens who were still swaying to the music that the young girl mixed overhead. When we made it to the door, Alik slid the entrance back and we walked out into the dark. I walked Sam to the car and buckled her in, all the while, I noticed Alik watching us next to Jean at the door. When I drove off, I saw him walk inside in the mirror. It wasn’t until we were nearly back to Sam's place that she started to make any real sense.

  "You know I think I might be anemic," she said, rubbing her eyes.

  "Here, Alik gave you these. Take one a day to keep your blood levels high."

  "You seem to be getting along with him rather nicely."

  "He might have just saved your life, of course I’d be grateful. You’re my best friend, although I don’t know why."

  "No, apart from that. You talked to him yesterday and he let you wear his very expensive Armani jacket, too."

  "How do you know it was Armani?" I asked.

  "I know designer clothes on sight when I see them; your SpongeBob pj’s aren’t very attractive."

  "Damn it Sam, I was trying to ignore the fact that I didn’t change, but I didn’t know what had happened to you, but whatever." I don’t know why my cheeks blushed red; it was a good thing that it was dark. "Anyway, what are we going to do about your car? Your mom will go mental."

  "I don’t know," she sighed. "I guess I can just stay at your place tonight and then we can slip out at the crack of dawn and go pick it up."

  "You know, you better not pull this crap when we get to Cornell."

  "I promise," she said, crossing her heart. "Scout’s Honor."

  "You were never a scout."

  "You know what I mean."

  We pulled up to my house and her car was sitting outside with a small note on red paper with black ink. The script was rough but still fluid in its strokes. 'I thought this would simplify things for you, Vanessa. Take care of your friend. - Your friend, Alik', I read and handed the note to Sam.

  "So he is a friend now?" smiled Sam. “You’re welcome.”

  Alyon Alik

  Chapter 04.0

  The dance floor of the new club “tHE sPOT” was a horrible mix of blaring music, groping, and bad dancing. I was forced to witness teens doing drugs in the bathrooms, and hear the ecstasy of bad sex in the private booths. Everything here smelt of vulgar filth and felt colder than an Alaskan wint
er night, despite the sweaty people all around me. I wished to rage and curse at everyone here who made this out to be “fun”, but June’s touch on my hand focused my thoughts.

  “It’s here, too,” she said in a low voice, and as I scanned the room again, I could see the various Nightcaps in use.

  “Not everyone here is human; the real thing is close,” I said and we split up again to make our way around the outside of the pitiful dance floor. This was our seventh club of the night, and our first hint at an original blood drinker.

  Girls gasped and boys sucked, bastardizing my culture as girls paid the exchange, whoring themselves for a mediocre thrill. Not that any of these fools knew what they were doing, I thought, as my focused slipped again just for a moment. Then I saw him. I caught June’s eye from across the room and we began to move. His teeth were at the girl’s skin before he dropped her. We had been seen and he moved for the back door quickly, not running until he made it out into the cold night air. I hated it when they ran, but June liked the chase. Quickly, we cornered him, June having circled around a few buildings overhead and cutting off his path as I forced him down a set of back alleys of my choice.