Awakened (Book #5 of the Vampire Legends) (9 page)

Even thought Mark
wasn’t quite feeling himself, he still wanted to take his girlfriend to the
movies tonight. It was only their fourth date, and he was really into her. He
wouldn’t want to disappoint her and call her to cancel last minute. He didn’t
know if he was coming down with something or just tired, but something wasn’t
feeling right to him. He thought maybe it could be the beginning stages of the
flu, since it was rampant in his grade right now, but his symptoms weren’t
matching up exactly. In fact, his symptoms didn’t match any illness he’d ever
experienced before. He felt unsure about what was happening inside his body and
knew it wasn’t normal. He figured that since the movie was only a few hours
long, he’d just suck it up and deal with it later. He knew his sickness
wouldn’t come on that quickly, so he decided to forge ahead and keep his date
night with his new girlfriend, Gina.

He was also excited
because tonight was the first night that he was allowed to use his parent’s
car. He had just got his license and was proud of himself for passing his road
test. He was actually a bit surprised that the lady who administered his road
test passed him as he distinctly remembers stopping at a green light to be
extra cautious and brushing the curb during his parallel parking. He had heard
rumors about the road test and was fearing the worse, but he was pleasantly
surprised that it was not as bad as everyone had made it out to be. It was
either that, or the woman who tested him was in a good mood that day. Either
way, he was thrilled to be out on his own, in the car picking up Gina for the
first time. He felt empowered and independent. Last time he went out with Gina,
her mom dropped them off at the diner in town for dinner. That made him feel
like a little kid and he was embarrassed by it.

He felt so cool
as he put his right turn signal on and drove into her driveway. He put the car
in park, shut off the engine and got out to pick her up at the door like a
gentleman. He knew she came from an old school Italian family and they would
appreciate his chivalry. He wouldn’t dare pull into the driveway and honk for
her.

He rang the doorbell
in anticipation and waited for someone to open the door. Her dad opened the
door and greeted him, with a weary smile. Mark knew he was a bit skeptical of
him, and he felt inadequate whenever he was around him. He felt the way he
assumes most guys feel when they are around their girlfriend’s father,
terrified! He felt like he would never be good enough for his Gina and that he
could never live up to his standards, no matter what he did. But putting that
aside, he liked the guy and feared him all at the same time.

“Gina’s not ready
yet,” he said in a stern voice. “Wait down here.”

He pointed to a
large living room area with floral print couches. “Take a seat and I’ll go get
her.”

“Thanks, Mr.
Doony!” Mark said. “I’ll be right here. Thanks so much.”

“Gina! Gina! Your
friend is here to see you,” Mr. Doony yelled up the stairs.

He didn’t know
why Mr. Doony kept referring to him as her friend, but he figured he probably
should correct him. He didn’t want to get on his bad side or rub him the wrong
way.

“Be down in a
minute, Daddy!” Gina yelled down.

Mark could hear
the humming of her blow dryer from all the way in the living room and figured
she was still getting ready. He know from experience with his sisters that when
they’re going out on a date or with friends it took them forever to pick out
their outfits, make up and hair. It was such a silly production and he didn’t
know why girls go through all the trouble. He actually preferred Gina without
makeup. He thought she had a natural beauty and glow to her that was masked
when she put on all her eye make up.

A few minutes
later, Gina came down the steps looking gorgeous. He’d never seen her looking
so good before and couldn’t figure out what was different about her. He
immediately stood up to greet her and then saw her father coming in to the
foyer area to see them off.

“Gina princess.
You call if you need anything, you hear?” her dad said. “I want you home by
9:30 not a minute later.”

Mr. Doony shot
Mark a look as if to tell him no funny business and then followed it with an
eerie smile. Mark didn’t quite know what to make of those gestures, but he
figured he’d better not pull any funny business and get her home right on time
or early if he wanted to stay on her dad’s good side.

“You know I will,
Daddy! See you later,” Gina said to him with a smile and then gave him a big
hug and kiss on the cheek.

“Mark,” Mr. Doony
said, “Can I have a quick word with you?”

“Yes Sir,” Mark
said, walking into the other room with her dad.

“You take care of
my little girl, you hear?” Mr. Doony said. “I don’t want her home one minute
past her curfew and you better drive safely in that vehicle of yours,” he said,
as he peered out through the window at his old station wagon.

“Absolutely, will
do!” Mark said, smiling, yet nervous. “You have nothing to worry about.”

“I should hope
not young man. Now you two have a nice time at the movies, and we will see you
shortly,” Mr. Doony finished.

“Ok! Bye, Daddy!”
Gina said as the two of them left her house.

“So, you ready
for a fun night?” Mark said, trying to sound excited.

“You bet!” Gina
said. “Can’t wait to see this movie. I hear it’s supposed to be amazing.”

“Yeah, me, too!”
Mark replied.

“So, what’s new
cutie,” Gina said, looking over at Mark.

“Oh ya know,
nothing much,” Mark said.

“Well, I heard
your sister came back. You must be happy about that?” Gina asked.

“Sure!” Mark
said.

“Well, you’re a
man of many words tonight, aren’t you?” Gina said, jokingly.

“Sorry, Hun. I’m
not feeling so well,” Mark said.

“Want to go
home?” Gina asked.

“Um, not really,”
Mark answered. Although that was about the only thing he wanted to do right
now.

“Seriously, if
you want to go home, I understand. You don’t have to worry about me,” Gina
said.

“It’s not that I
want to go home necessarily. I’m just not sure I can sit out for an entire move,”
Mark said, feeling queasy at the thought of it.

“I have an idea,”
Gina said. “Why don’t we just go back to your house and watch a movie there? At
least that way, you will be comfortable in your own home.”

Mark actually
liked that idea. He didn’t want to disappoint her though and make her stay in
with him because he wasn’t feeling well.

“If you want, I
can drop you at the movies and you can meet your friends there? I don’t want to
hold you back, babe,” Mark said. “Really, or, I can bring you home. You don’t
have to come over and take care of me.”

“Don’t be silly,
I want to be with you. I want to take care of you. Please let me,” Gina begged.

Mark felt so
lucky to have such a sweet girl in his life. He didn’t know what he did to
deserve a great girl like her, but he didn’t want to risk losing her.

“Ok, then you can
come over. It will be fun, I promise. We can make popcorn and watch whatever
movie you want,” Mark said.

The two were
stopped at the stoplight in town and Mark looked over at Gina. HE couldn’t help
but notice how delicious she smelled. She wondered if perhaps she’d gotten a
new perfume, but felt silly asking her that. Guys aren’t supposed to notice
those things and he didn’t want to come off as weird to her.

“You smell nice,”
Mark said, trying to hold back his excitement.

“Oh, really?” Gina
said, sounding a bit confused. “Thanks!”

“Sure!” Mark
said, feeling a bit silly for saying anything at all.

The scent of her
body infused the car and he could barely control himself. He didn’t know if it
were his hormones raging or if it was something else. Either way, it made him
feel hungry. He felt a huge hunger pain that made his stomach make a loud,
grumbling noise.

“You hungry?” Gina
asked, looking over at Mark’s stomach.

“Oh, yeah! Guess
so!” Mark answered.

“Should we pick
up some dinner?” Gina said.

“I just had
dinner,” Mark said. “Not so sure why my stomach is acting up.”

“Did you have
enough to eat?” Gina asked.

“Yeah, I did. I
think, anyway,” Mark replied.

The light turned
green and he floored the car trying to get his mind off of Gina’s scent, but he
couldn’t. He put the windows down thinking it might help but that didn’t help
either.

“Mark, are you
ok?” Gina asked.

“Why?” Mark
asked.

“It’s freezing
out!” Gina replied. “What are you doing?”

“I’m sweating,
I’m not sure what’s happening!” Mark said, getting all hyped up.

Gina leaned over
and put her hand on Mark’s neck and then put her hand on his forehead. Mark
couldn’t help but to put his tongue out and take a small lick of her skin as
she moved her hand up to his forehead. She didn’t even notice he did so.

“You feel cold,” Gina
said. “Are you sure you’re feeling hot?”

“Stop questioning
me!” Mark yelled. “I know how I’m feeling.”

“Geez, no need to
get upset, Mark. I was just trying to help.”

“Well you’re not
helping me! You’re making it worse,” Mark snapped.

He couldn’t
believe what was happening and he couldn’t believe this temper that was coming
out of him. It was completely out of character for him, and he didn’t know what
to do about it. He couldn’t control himself despite how much he tried.

“Who are you?” Gina
said. “I feel like I don’t even know you.”

“I don’t know
myself right now,” Mark said, as he pulled up to another red light on the
outskirts of town. He looked around and realized he was the only car on the
road. It was a desolate part of town, and he knew this was his opportunity. He
knew he had to seize on his feeling and on his cravings for Gina. He hated to
do this to her, but at the same time, he knew he had to. He knew the only way to
find out what was really going on was to give in and taste her. To taste her
blood and flesh.

“Gina, I’m
sorry,” Mark said, as he turned to her and unbuckled his seat belt.

“What are you
doing, Mark?” Gina said.

Mark didn’t
answer. He climbed over the center console on the car touching Gina’s neck and
face and tugging on her hair.

“Mark, you’re
scaring me.”

He looked into
her eyes, and his eyes became bright red.

“MARK! MARK!”
Gina yelled. “PLEASE SNAP OUT OF IT!”

Mark couldn’t
even hear what she was saying, all he could think about was her scent and the
fact that he was about to indulge in his first feed ever. He saw Gina quickly
take out her cell phone and speed dial
home,
but Mark didn’t care. He
even heard it ringing and then, just as he was sinking his large white fangs
into Gina’s neck, he heard the voice of her father on the line.

“Gina? Gina? Are
you OK?”

But Mark didn’t
care. He pressed the end button and indulged in the most pleasant feeding of
his life.

Rob knew he was
close to Rachel now, and knew he was only minutes away from finding her in her
school. As he approached her Pennsylvania high school, he could tell she was
close. He knew there were a lot of schools in the area, but he thought he
smelled he scent in the air that morning and followed it to a school off a
winding country road.

He walked into
the school like he owned the place. His head held high and his gait stern and
steady. He wore a black trench coat and black combat boots, which actually made
him look a little bit like a terrorist, but he didn’t care. He refused to wear
anything else and this look had become his daily uniform. He didn’t care how he
came off to people, though, he meant business and he wasn’t going to let
anything get in his way.

He couldn’t wait to
find Rachel to tell him his true feelings about her. He knew it would sweep her
off her feet and they would live happily ever after. At least that’s the way he
saw this fairy tale ending.

He tramped
through the halls, the sound of his boots clomping loudly on the floor. He
could feel the stares he was getting by the kids and the teachers as he breezed
by them, following his nose to Rachel. He didn’t care what people thought of
him, in fact, he kind of wished they were a little scared of him. He enjoyed their
intimidation and he enjoyed his Napoleon complex. He only had one thing on his
mind, and that was to get Rachel and whisk her off with him.

As he came down
the hall, he passed a bunch of lockers, putting his nose up to them and then
moving onto the next one. Then when he came to locker number 198 he stopped and
touched it with his hands. He knew it was hers and he could tell she had
recently been there. He quickly turned his body around, and pushed through the
crowd that had swarmed around him as he continued searching for her.

“Um, what are you
doing?” Brian asked, watching him smell Rachel’s locker.

“Excuse me! I’m
talking to you,” Brian repeated.

“Yeah, well I’m
not talking to you!” Rob said, with beady eyes.

“What is your
problem? Who are you anyway?” Brian asked.

“Who are you?”
Rob asked back, although he could care less who this guy was.

“Brian. Rachel’s
boyfriend!”

Rob stopped in
his tracks at the sound of that word. “Boyfriend?” he asked, quickly turning to
face Brian.

“You heard me!”
Brian said.

Rob walked over
to him and looked him up and down. He couldn’t imagine Rachel would ever go for
a guy like Brian, but then again, he could see the similarities between the two
of them. His body began to sweat, as he got angrier and angrier with Brian.

“What do you mean
you’re her boyfriend?” Rob asked.

“Who are you
anyway?” Brian said. “I don’t owe you any explanation!”

“Well you kinda
do, because I’m her boyfriend, too!” Rob said.

“What are you
talking about? You are delusional!” Brian said. “She has never once mentioned
your name. So that leads me to believe she doesn’t have feelings for you. Not
to mention, we had a hot date last night. So what are you gonna do about it?”

Rob was getting
livid as Brian continued to speak. He could barely control himself. He wanted
this kid gone and out of Rachel’s life forever. He didn’t need any more competition.
He couldn’t stand it.

“Why don’t we
talk about this outside?” Rob asked.

“Oh yeah!” Brian
said.

A crowd of kids
surrounded them as they started throwing punches at each other. The kids all
cheered, “Go Brian, Go Brian!” but Rob didn’t care. He wasn’t here to get
people on his side. He was here to win the heart of his one true love back, and
he knew the only way to do that would be to eradicate this Brian character. He
was no good, and didn’t want him in Rachel’s life anymore.

RING RING

The bell rang and
the kids that surrounded them scurried off to their classes. The only people
that remained in the halls were he and Brian and he knew he had to take this outside.
If he were really going to get ride of him, he couldn’t do it in the middle of
the hallway of this high school.

“Come outside!”
Rob said. “This isn’t the place for this. Be a man.”

“A man?” Brian
questioned. “The only man here is me! Who do you think you are for questioning
me?”

Rob started
walking out the double doors at the end of the hallway, which led to the back
of the school. He saw Brian following him, seething at his words. As the two
got outside, Rob turned to Brian to continue their conversation.

“So if she’s
really your girlfriend, why don’t you tell me where she is?” Rob asked.

“I just got to
school and she’s not here yet! So how am I supposed to know?” Brian replied.

Rob’s body
started shaking and his eyes grew wide with envy. Then, out of nowhere, he
reached over with his fist and clenched it around Brian’s throat. Brian stood
there gasping for air as his face turned red and then purple. His body fell to
the ground and then Rob let go.

“That’s what you
get for going out with my girl!” Rob said.

Brian quickly
stood to his feet and went to throw a punch at Rob, but Rob caught his fist in
mid swing and threw him over his shoulder, flying into the air high above the
trees. Brian fell down through the branches screaming and cursing as he hit the
ground. He lay there, badly beaten and then Rob went over to him like lion in
the jungle and sunk his teeth deep into his throat, sucking out the remaining
life in his body.

Rob stood up, and
looked at Brian’s dead, lifeless body laying there in the middle of the brush.
He covered his body with the fallen leaves and then walked away, immensely
satisfied with his victory.