Diary of a Vampeen (13 page)

“What do you mean ‘one of
us’?”

“I can’t tell you that, but your
parents will explain soon enough. At least they should be.” He
riddled off another answer that didn’t answer anything. It was
maddening.

“My parents know what you
are?”

“Of course. They’re one of us, well
your mom is anyways,” he corrected.

“The eyes,” I gasped. “You have the
same eyes.”

“Yea, but that’s just a coincidence.
You wouldn’t know a vamp by sight; only smell. And ironically, a
human’s scent isn’t strong enough to detect them.”

We reached the central fishing pier
and stepped up onto the wooden planks. Silently we traveled out
over the Atlantic Ocean. The further we walked, the colder it
became. I broke the silence again.

“Tell me the cool parts.”

“Like what?” he asked.

“Are the stories true? Can you run
fast? Are you as strong as superman? Do you sleep? I know you don’t
sleep during the day as history unveils because you’re here with
me, but do you sleep at night?” He laughed and lifted his head in
my direction. Smiling wide, beaming with glory in his features, he
answered my inquiries.

“I am much faster than humans or
animals, but not like the speed of light. I am strong enough to
incapacitate a lion, and I can sleep but don’t need
sleep.”

“Do you… you know… hunt for your
food?” I wanted to know, but was fighting an internal battle as to
whether or not I truly could handle knowing.

“Yes.” I just nodded staring out at
the waves. He interrupted my meditation. “You’ve taken this very
well, all things considered. I’m really impressed.”

“Thanks,” I muttered.
“I’ve always believed in, well,
you
existing; I just never expected to meet one.” I
stared off into the great expanse of the ocean. The wind picked up
and I involuntarily shivered. It reminded me though. “Are you
cold?”

He shook his head answering
‘No.’

“I don’t mean with the wind or outside
temperature,” I clarified. He had been leaning against the pier
beside me but stood to face me now. He gently reached over and
pulled my hand from my pocket. He guided my hand to his cheek and
leaned into my palm. “Interesting,” I muttered.

“What?”

“You are definitely colder than a
human but not freezing. And you don’t feel like marble, which is
what I expected. Your skin is soft and feels kind of like a baby’s
bottom, only cooler. You would be just right on a summer day and a
winter night,” I described stroking his face. He locked eyes with
me. It was dark out now, aside from the street lights along the
pier. His eyes glistened as the bulbs reflected off his gaze onto
me. It was a sweet moment. I felt all previous barriers disappear.
I knew in that moment that he trusted me the same way I
mysteriously trusted him.

“I should get you home,” he spoke
gently.

“Oh… yea.” I dropped my hand suddenly
nervous.

He secured my hand in his and walked
me back towards the sand. The beach was empty in the darkness; the
only noise was the waves. I deliberated asking him some more
questions, but decided against it. I didn’t want to ruin a good
thing.

It took twice as long to get back to
his car. I didn’t realize just how far we had gone. He kept pace
with me hand in hand the entire way.

“Are you hungry?” he asked looking at
his watch.

“Kind of,” I answered sheepishly.
“What time is it?”

“Almost eight,” he answered closing
the door behind me. He got in and we drove off back towards I-26
West. He took the long, scenic route this time through downtown,
which looked alive despite the time. He stopped at Arby’s along the
way.

“What do you want?” he asked pulling
up to the order screen.

“I’ll be ok until I get home,” I
insisted.

“Either you pick something or I’ll
pick for you and I can’t guarantee that you’ll like it, but I will
make you eat all of it,” he swore firmly.

“You can be very pushy sometimes,” I
frowned. I settled for a jamocha shake. It’s not a meal, but it’s
definitely filling. He raised a brow and stared at me for a bit
before ordering the largest possible and insisting he
pay.

I sipped my drink slowly and
sporadically on the drive. Once on the interstate he got me home in
ten minutes when it should have taken twenty-five. He parked in the
driveway and was promptly at my door opening it for me no longer
hiding his speed.

“Thank you,” I mumbled stepping out.
He walked me to the door. “Are you going to come in for a bit?” I
asked.

“Sure,” he shrugged.

“I’m home!” I yelled walking towards
the family room where I heard the sounds of the TV.

“Hi sweetie. Hi Kellan,” my mother
greeted us.

Given all I’d learned today, I stared
at my mother for a minute before replying, “Hey.” My dad did a half
wave of his arm but his eyes never left the TV screen.

My mother locked eyes with Kellan
having observed my hesitation. “You didn’t?!”

“Only me,” he countered.

My father finally peered over at the
two of them taking everything in. I stood frozen between the family
room and the kitchen suddenly panicked. The gleam in their eyes
when they were locked was ferocious, as if they were debating
attack.

“That’s still enough,” my mother
angrily bit out.

“How long were you planning to wait?”
Kellan demanded.

“I don’t see where that is any of your
business,” she roared.

“I didn’t tell her about you; I told
her about me.”

“So you broke the rules then?!” she
exclaimed.

I decided it was time to jump in.
“Mom, I guessed. He didn’t tell me, I guessed.”

“Is this true?” my dad
demanded.

Kellan nodded confirming.

I looked at my parents. “Mom, Dad, I
want to know the truth. I’m ready to know the truth.”

Chapter 8

My dad responded by turning off the
television. My mother patted the sofa and requested that I sit next
to her. I looked up at Kellan for reassurance. He smiled in an
adoring way that would melt even the coldest of hearts. I grabbed
his hand and pulled him to sit on the other side of me, which
didn’t feel odd or inappropriate in this moment. Any hesitation I
held prior over approaching Kellan in this manner was squashed by
our intimate conversation just an hour ago.

My mother looked at Kellan briefly
before moving her attention to me. “Honey, I know Kellan has told
you, or you guessed, what he is, and well, you are going to become
like me very soon. I am a vampeen, which is a cross breed of a
human and a vampire.”

She studied my expression momentarily
before continuing, probably determining my stress level. “The first
of our kind dates back to the 1200s in Basque Country, Spain. The
language Euskara is a vampeenic tongue we introduced to the area,
though most who speak it today don’t know its true origin. Our kind
is different from a vampire. For instance both human food and blood
can sustain us. While vampires don’t need sleep, us still being
half or mostly human, we need a couple hours to replenish our
energy. The largest difference between a vampire and a vampeen is a
vampire is created with a bite, but a vampeen is genetically
manifested after approximately sixteen years as a human. You will
live as a normal human until the vampiric dna cells replicate
enough times to out-number your human ones, which takes sixteen
years from the day you are born.”

“What happens when they take over?” I
was thankful for Kellan; thankful that he softened the blow. I
don’t think I could have handled this information had he not
introduced me to the idea of him beforehand.

“You won’t feel anything, if that is
what you’re referring to,” she explained. “You will sleep from
midnight to midnight; a full twenty-four hours on your birthday
while your body changes.”

“How will I change or what part of me
will change?” I asked surprisingly calm. I didn’t feel the true
impact of the concept quite yet.

“Many changes will take place. They
are all physical. Your senses will heighten; you can hear and smell
over long distances. Your temperature will drop to an average
eighty-eight point six since you are seventy-five percent human.
Your heart will beat slower; it will beat forty times less per
minute. Your skin has already begun to clear up; you’ll end up with
a perfect, silky complexion. The most dramatic change though will
be your figure.”

“How so?” I was cautious, still
absorbing everything. I don’t know what I was worried about; it
wasn’t like my figure could get much worse. It already resembled
the Pillsbury dough boy, or at least that’s how I felt.

“You will, well, you will
look like me size-wise,” she stated. I was stunned.
Did she just say what I think she
said?

“Seriously?” I pressed. I couldn’t
believe it. This was the best news ever! I would have a perfect
figure without sacrificing to get it. No sweat sessions at the gym
six days a week or eating lettuce and celery for breakfast, lunch,
and dinner? I would have it all at the cost of nothing? This was
too good to be true. There had to be a catch. You don’t get
everything at the cost of nothing.

…and then it came.

“There is one catch to this
lifestyle,” my mother warned. “You must choose.”

“Choose between what?” I inquired, my
heart beating a little quicker. Apparently I had spoken too
soon.

“Between a human or a vampire.” Her
words hung for a minute, suspended in mid-air before she continued.
“Once you have been… intimate with one kind, you cannot cross back
over. The connection initiates something similar to a defense
system within you that prevents future experiences with the other
species from being possible. It somehow alters your genes in a way
to make you more like the one you choose. I obviously chose your
father, whom is human, but not until I was one-hundred percent
sure. You must be confident in your choice Alexa; you cannot change
what you regret later with our kind.” Her tone was serious, ringing
with finality. And the idea scared me a bit. I’d never heard of
such a thing. No book or movie ever prepared me for this
aspect.

But, taking into account the fact that
I only knew one vampire, who was still twenty-five percent human
and had no interest in me, this didn’t seem like much of a choice.
But I was still contemplating the information heavily. Was I wrong?
Was I on the verge of having to make a choice?

I exhaled deeply realizing that I was
already torn – between Mike, the lovable human, and Kellan, the
gorgeous vampire. Though the chance of Kellan being possible was
slim to none, I still felt like I had to consider him in my
decision. At least now I knew the truth, though I was confused on
how all of it was even possible.

“So I‘m twenty-five percent vampire,
which makes me a vampeen, and Kellan is seventy-five percent
vampire so he’s a vampire?” I wanted to ensure I understood the
basics.

“Anything over fifty-one percent
vampire is categorized as that, a vampire, and less, like
fifty-fifty, is considered a vampeen,” Kellan explained.

“You said I can eat human food or
drink their blood” – I shuttered at the thought – “but which one
will I prefer?”

“I can’t answer that because I’m not
sure,” she replied, running her fingers through my hair. She was
contemplative. I felt her stirring beneath her calm surface. “I
personally prefer human food. I survive on things like raw steak
saturated in animal blood. That’s why I never eat around you. But
both Gran and Paps were vampeens; I am an even fifty-fifty. You are
seventy-five-twenty-five; it will probably be the same for you, but
I can’t guarantee that.”

“Will I want to… kill… my friends?” I
asked hesitantly. For me, this was the all-important
question.

She smiled at me warmly. “I don’t
think that will be a problem since you are dominantly human, but,
should their blood be spilled accidentally, the vampire within may
surface.”

I sat frozen for a moment. Could I,
would I, ever hurt them impulsively? Especially Mel or Mike, I
would rather die. Wait. I was going to change. They would
definitely notice if I lost a bunch of weight overnight. But I
wasn’t allowed to tell them, to reveal this inner part of
me.

“How do I explain the change to my
friends?” I was praying for a good response.

“Your father and I have discussed this
and feel it would be best to take you out of school for the
remainder of the year. I can home-school you or we can send you to
a boarding school if you wish.”

“You have to be joking! A year?! And
boarding school?! I’d rather stay out a week and say I had
extensive plastic surgery, liposuction or whatever it’s called!” I
exclaimed. Something triggered within me. To have everything I’d
known for all my life changed overnight and to then rip me away
from the final bit of stability I had was too much.