Diary of a Vampeen (41 page)

“I’m good. Just a little blood… I mean
a drink mishap,” I caught myself just in time.

“Well I love the new dress. It’s
hot!”

“No you did not just pull a Paris! I’m
definitely fining you for that one.”

“Yea, yea. Put it on my tab.” We broke
into unified laughter.

Glancing around, I realized no one
missed me in the time I was gone. I was thankful for Caleb’s
presence; Mel certainly would have been aware of my absence sooner
had he not been distracting her.

“Lexi, do you mind if I have a word
with you?” I was surprised to see Al there requesting my
presence.

“I’ll meet you on the dance floor in a
bit,” I told Mel turning back to him. Suddenly nerves flooded my
stomach.

“I know Kellan told you about me, and
I don’t want to take you away from your party, but I would like to
talk to you about a position within the ranks of the vamp army. We
could use a fierce offense like you, especially with the proper
training. And I believe your nasal restraint may be an asset in the
position as well. I wanted to mention it now so you can consider
your options, but they’ll be actively pursuing you soon,” he
stated.

“What options?”

“This is a full time job, a career
that you can’t put down on a whim. You must agree to a minimum ten
years of service and are bound to serve on any battlefront you are
called to in any continent,” he answered. “College, a regular life,
will not be easy to maintain. I offer you this position because I
see you as a great strength. No inexperienced vampeen has ever
defeated a vampire in one mighty strike. I was impressed, and that
does not come easy with my years on earth.”

“Thanks Al. I’ll definitely think
about it.”

“You did good Lexi. You should be
proud. All of us are.”

I smiled and nodded. I didn’t know
what else to say. The vamp army, the recruitment only team, wanted
me. They saw potential in me I’d yet to acknowledge within myself.
This was an honor I didn’t want to decline, but I knew it was far
greater a commitment than I was able to accept without
apprehension, if I could truly at all.

How would this affect me further? I
was lucky I didn’t lose more than I did with my transformation
alone, but a move like this would withdraw me from the human world
completely on many occasions. Being submerged as I was currently, I
wasn’t sure how I could explain frequent absences ongoing, yet it
was still an honor, an opportunity I had to consider for the chance
alone.

I moved to the dance floor, locating
Mel quickly grinding unashamed against Caleb. I began swaying to
the music near them and was abruptly pulled against someone. I was
startled to turn and see Jason.

“Great party,” he yelled over the
music; little did he know he didn’t need to.

“Thanks,” I replied dancing with him.
Mel shot me an ‘oh my God’ look.

“I like this dress more,” he winked
placing his hands on my hips.

I just grinned. I bit my tongue
against the obscenities rising, begging to be screamed at him.
‘You’re a pompous, sexist jerk’ was one of them. But I wouldn’t
stoop to his level. I was as pretty as the girls in his league of
followers, his social clique of prepsters now, but I didn’t want to
be compared, associated with, or deduced to any of them.

Just as Jason slyly moved his hands to
my butt, he was thrust away from me by an aggravated Kellan. His
eyes pierced Jason in a way I saw made him shudder.

“With that move I’m cutting in,”
Kellan announced. I noticed he had changed his clothes to dark-wash
jeans and a black button up shirt.

I laughed and Kellan smiled baring his
dimple yet again. Grooving to the beat for a solid minute, I
commented, “I didn’t picture you being a good dancer.”

“I’m surprised at you too.”

“Guess we’re even then?”

“Not even close,” he winked. He pulled
me in swaying against my body. This was the closest to raunchy I’d
ever been with Kellan. He kissed me lightly on my lips yet never
lost his rhythm.

We danced the night away. One good
thing about being a vampeen is not exhausting easily, granted you
eat (or drink) your proper diet that is.

The party started to die down around
midnight and the stragglers disappeared by one. I had successfully
avoided… okay so I threatened them all, but it kept them from
embarrassingly forcing over two hundred classmates to sing ‘Happy
Birthday’ to me.

~~~

“O.M.G. The party was awesome Lex!”
Mel gushed, radiating with excitement as she entered my hotel room
pajama clad. I was already in my comfy attire on the bed – Victoria
Secret capri sweats and a tank.

“I know, right?” I replied.

“Very action packed,” Kellan winked as
he came out of the bathroom in the closest thing to pajamas I’d
seen him wear. He fashioned a pair of navy blue basketball shorts,
a sleeveless white t-shirt displaying the muscle definition in his
relaxed arms and a pair of socks. He sat next to me on the bed and
kissed my forehead.

“You have to watch this!” Mel squealed
as she plugged her video camera into the TV with a cord. “You have
to see Jason and Jenny’s reaction to you! I already uploaded it on
YouTube with my laptop!”

She played the scene several times
through bursting with avenged laughter each time.

Seeing myself as I exited the
limousine sent chills down my spine. It forced me to see the
strong, beautiful woman I was today, and allowed me to pack away
the fat, insecure girl I was just two weeks ago.

The expression on Jason’s face was
priceless. It was a cross between a deer caught in headlights and a
man about to burst with lust. His eyes lit up with a desire not
even Kellan had projected at me.

As for Jenny, her blue eyes literally
shimmered green with envy for a millisecond as she caught Jason’s
expression. Her cheeks reddened and her beauty burned away with
hate as she watched me.

As gratifying as this moment was, it
was also sad. Why must the human world revolve around the outer
representation of a person? Beauty isn’t flesh alone. Even Jenny,
who was attractive to most men, turned ugly the moment her inner
hatred seeped into her outward expression. Maybe I was the example
they needed to see. Hopefully my Cinderella story would make other
Jasons think twice before picking on the porkers, the four-eyes,
and the awkward women.

I can’t change humans, vampeens, or
vampires. I’ve realized I can only hope to inspire them to change;
lead by example.

Yawning, Mel announced, “I’m exhausted
Lex. I’m going to go to bed. This beauty doesn’t come without
sleep.”

I chuckled. “Thanks for everything. I
loved it all! You are definitely hired for next year.”

“Next year? I’ll think about it. My
rate may increase substantially by then though just to warn
you.”

I glared sarcastically at her, “You
wouldn’t dare Melanie.”

“Good night Alexa. Good night Kellan,”
she taunted on her way to the door.

I laughed as I threw myself back on
the bed. “Kellan?”

“Yea?”

“Thanks for my gift. I love the iPod.
I’m really excited to listen to all your songs.”

“I hoped you would.”

“Kellan?”

“Yea?” he asked, brows raised with
anticipation.

“Kiss me.”

“I love a woman who knows what she
wants,” he grinned staring down at me.

“…
so are you going to kiss
me?” I questioned seconds later.

“You don’t have to tell me twice,” he
said as he playfully pounced me.

I laughed as our lips collided. All my
worry, anger, elation and reflection from tonight poured through me
into the intensity of my grip. I ran my fingers through his
hair.

Knock – knock –
knock.

Frustrated for the interruption, I
broke away. “Yea?” I called.

“Lexi, open the door. Your dad and I
want to say good night,” my mother called.

I protruded my bottom lip in a pouty
face as Kellan rolled on to his side. I opened the door. My dad had
his hands on his hips and a stern look on his face.

“Alexa, you better not have been doing
something you shouldn’t be doing,” he scolded.

“Dad, we were just kissing. Mel and I
aren’t those types of girls, remember?” I smiled. Putting on my
‘daddy’s little girl’ charm, I hugged him while kissing his
cheek.

“You better not be. I don’t care what
you are. I will take you down if you hurt my little girl Kellan,”
he called.

Kellan appeared at the door. “Trust me
when I say I have no intention of doing that.”

“Well good night sweetie. Good night
Kellan. Keep your hands to yourself and sleep in your own room
tonight,” my mother warned while hugging me.

“I can’t do that,” Kellan said. “But I
can promise we won’t have sex.”

“You better not,” my dad fumed, fire
lighting behind his words. He recovered quickly, stating a calm,
“Good night kiddo. I love you.”

“Love you too Dad. Night.” They
entered their room across from mine for the night.

“Good night Lexi! Good night Kellan!”
Aunt Claire called down the hall, hand in hand entering her suite
with the DJ.

“Good night Aunt Claire. Thanks
again.”

“Make him wear a condom!” Kellan
yelled. I elbowed him, but he didn’t seem to notice. He only
chuckled with amusement.

“Always,” she winked.

I was happy, relieved to see Kellan
out of his shell with someone other than me; I just hoped it would
be with Mel, not my aunt. I was slowly seeing the side of him that
I had somewhat enjoyed in Mike – a sense of humor; of course
Kellan’s is darker, more cynical, but still present.

I smacked him several times on the arm
as we retreated into my room. “I can’t believe you said
that!”

“I believe you requested a kiss,” he
prompted.

“I believe you owe me a kiss,” I
smiled.

“Yes, of course. How rude of
me.”

He threw me on the bed hovering me one
second later with his lips locked and loaded. We picked up where we
left off, hands grasping at each other as the energy of tonight
exploded in our feisty caress. Melding into his arms effortlessly,
submitting yet holding my own, I was falling into him layer by
layer.

Peeling back our shells of defense,
corrupted with anxiety, we connected emotionally. I felt his heart
jumping, though it doesn’t beat often with his vampire side
reigning supreme internally, resounding with love and adoration,
strength and protection. Merging beyond, I felt the cosmic
explosion of color; felt the thrust of passion in an unspoken
alignment.

“My words scared you
tonight?”
I thought, reflecting his
reaction to my heart pour to Mel over him during my make-up
session.

“I’ve never felt so strong
towards anyone, and never had a woman love more than my body. It’s
scary.”

“I agree. But I can’t
change how I feel.”

“I would never ask you
to,”
he answered internally, caressing my
face with his hands.
“The vamp army?
That’s a big honor. What have you decided?”

“Can’t you see or feel
that?”

“Not until you solidify
it. I’ll support you either way.”

“I know,”
I replied beaming inside.
“You lied about Keira. I should be mad.”

“But you’re not.
Why?”

“Because I clearly see you
would pick me over her.”

“Any day for all of
eternity. After all, you are my forever girl.”

“And you my forever,” I whispered
aloud between the gentle brush of his lips. Rolling sideways, he
cradled me in his arms, holding me tight as if to protect me from
anything that would jeopardize forever with him.

EPILOGUE

“Want to go for a walk? The sun should
be rising in about twenty minutes,” he offered.

“Sure,” I smiled taking his hand as I
slid off the bed.

We put on our shoes and walked down to
the beach below. Side by side, hand in hand, we strolled parallel
to the ocean. The sky was just beginning to reflect a dark blue at
the tip of the grey mass. The sun had yet to peak yet her
brilliance was already beginning to appear.

So much had changed for me in two and
a half weeks. I’d gone from girl to woman, teen to vampeen; from
weak and insecure to a strong, confident vamp warrior.

I’d decided I was going to decline
Al’s offer for now. I needed to adjust to my new life currently
without further complications via impulse of opportunity. Just
because a door is open doesn’t mean you have to walk through it. If
I’m meant to be a soldier for my kind, then the offer will stand
when I’m ready.

I would go back to school Monday. I
wasn’t sure how Jason’s crowd would react to me ongoing; unsure if
the tides would change. My looks were different, yet I was the same
person inside; that’s a relief to me. My biggest fear wasn’t being
accepted after, but being rejected by the ones I loved the most;
losing them over something I couldn’t control. I’d learned that in
not changing who I was, who I stood for, in coordination with my
outer transformation, that was the biggest factor in why I didn’t
lose what I had with Mel. She realized I was the same person. I
didn’t snide her along the way which allowed her to embrace me for
who I’d always been – Alexa Lorrayne Jackson – best friend and soul
sister to Melanie Anne Hartford. My dad was coping on the single
breath that I was still the same inside as well; I was still
daddy’s little girl despite my new womanly figure to
boast.