Post by silent.lullaby on Dec 4, 2009 1:41:35 GMT -5
Dusk .::Chapter 01::. Vampires Love Coffee
There are plenty of myths about Vampires that aren’t true. Like the sun thing; we don’t turn to ash when we step out into the light. Back in the ages of vampire hunts, it was the ultimate way to say, ‘look, see, I’m out in the sun. I’m normal.’ We typically avoid daylight only because it affects our sight. Our precision sight blurs to fuzzy edges. Not to mention we sunburn pretty quickly.
We can be caught in recordings, film, and we do reflect back in mirrors. Garlic on it’s own isn’t enough to make us stay away from you, but if you’ve digested it in the past twenty four hours there isn’t much of a chance we’ll bite you. Not that it harms us in any way, just it makes the blood taste repulsive. Also, we can’t turn into bats but the original connection to them was made since we both enjoy the darkness and in the dark ages, caves. We wish to be invited into your home, but it’s because we’re pretty polite, not because we require it.
There are some myths that are true though. We do have fangs, but not just two teeth. We have two rows of elongated pointed teeth which come through the back of our gums during feeding. Blood lust is real, deadly, and potentially enough to expose us. We can alter peoples memories, and control their thoughts once we’ve tasted their blood. Hypnosis is a specialty of ours. Strength, agility, and coffins are true as well. Sleeping in a coffin was just the easiest way to sleep in complete darkness, the slightest bit of light and we can’t sleep.
Some lesser known facts about us are:
∙ We age. Till about 100 years and then we can rewind to which ever age we choose, however we looked at one time we can return to it.
∙ Some people write that turning into a vampire is pleasurable, or terribly painful. Neither is true. You die, you stay dead for a full day, then you wake up when the change is complete.
∙ We actually enjoy the company of werewolves over humans. They know what it is like to be cursed.
∙ Vampires can have children.
∙ Typically, you’re born a vampire. It is rare for a human to be turned.
∙ We don’t all live in castles, caves, or gothic cathedrals.
∙ We aren’t insanely gorgeous. Well, not all of us.
∙ We can eat normal food, it just can’t sustain us.
∙ We don’t typically mingle with humans, at least not in our early years since we’re more likely to slip up and bite one, potentially killing the human.
All that being said, I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. Standing in the doorway after coming in the open side window, since the door was locked, I took off my shoes. My ears listening in on the phone conversation my father was having.
“They can’t shut down St. Viktor’s!” I felt my eyebrows draw closer with puzzlement. I unlocked the door knowing Mother would be coming home soon.
Static filled the phone voice, “trust me Michael, I couldn’t agree with you more.”
“What do they want us to do with our children?”
“I’m not sure, they probably want us all to move.”
I walked down the hallway in my black socks, my silver sequenced skirt reflected the sunlight onto the walls, my red shirt tucked in, my long black locks brushing into my face as I poked my head around the corner seeing my father, Michael, in a finely pressed white shirt tucked into black slacks a blood red tie loose around his neck, his socks didn’t match. I grinned.
My father rubbed his temples as the static voice continued, “they want us to pack up and move Michael, what do we do?”
My father is a Covenant leader. He is one of one hundred and seven members of the council, all leaders of their own Covenant, in different places, all the leaders upheld the law for those in their Covenant.
“The council never even told me.”
“It’s a bullshit call,” I finally recognized the voice as Calum, a son of the seventh elder, and one of my fathers Covenant members. That explained why he got information before my father.
My father sighed, and waved me in, I should have known he knew I was there. “I’m going to get on a flight and see what I can do.”
“Do you think they will change their mind?”
“I don’t know. I can’t believe they would do this with out the council!” My father said with disbelief ringing in his ears. “Thank you for the warning Calum.” My father hung up the phone and looked at me. His dark chocolate brown hair was styled nicely, he looked younger than he was, though that’s typical with our kind.
My father has twenty-eighth children, and my mother has sixteenth children. I don’t even know all my siblings. Some of them are no longer alive, some moved to other Covenants. They lived their first lives with my parents, and decided to go out into the world for themselves. First life is what we call our first hundred years. In it we usually go to college, get a job, get married, have a kid or two, have grandchildren, retire for the first time. All of our firsts.
My half siblings, the first twelve of my fathers and his first wife’s, I’ve never met, and honestly have never been very curious about. Their lives began centuries ago.
I have fifteen full siblings, and only two of them are near my age and are in my parents ‘this life’. My younger sister Angelique, fourteen, who was named after a ancient female warrior who saved the vampire prince. And my brother Tobias (most often called Toby), twenty one, my ‘eldest sibling’, or so I tell people. I sit in the middle at the age of sixteen.
“Where were you?”
I held up a plastic bag, “grocery shopping, we were out of coffee.” I could understand the human fixation on the stuff, the aroma itself rivalled blood to me, though not all vampires would agree. “Did I hear right?” I asked, “they are shutting down St. Viktor’s?”
St. Viktor’s is the local all vampire school, a very prestigious one at that. Kindergarten to grade twelve, the years we’re most likely to give into our stupidity and bite a human with out thought. With out it, our Covenant would have to move into another district with a school, but far enough away we don’t get on their feeding grounds.
“That’s what Calum says. And he gets it from the horses mouth,” my father responded sinking into his plushy recliner. Calum, being the son of the seventh elder would get things pretty quick. There are seven elders, and one hundred covenant leaders that make up the council. The seven elders are rarely used, as the council is efficient on their own. The elders were mostly used for wisdom, to make prompt changes, and to break ties. If they say St. Viktor’s closes, it closes.
I lower to my knees and sit on my feet. “Do you think they will go through with it, will we have to move, or is their another school close enough?” This big suburban residence was the only home I had ever known. I popped the lid on the coffee and pulled back the tin piece covering the pre-grounded beans and inhaled deeply.
“I’m not sure, Aerabella.” My father replied, and I wondered if Michael had been his first name. I wondered if in the next century my name would be normal.
“Not sure about what?” I whipped my head around. My mother moved silently, her dark brown locks were in big curls that went down to the small of her back. She wore a white pressed and collared shirt that had threads of silver woven in, it was tucked into a pair of high waist grey slacks with a thin black snake skin belt, her legs went on for miles, she smiled sweetly at my father as she came in the room and bent down to kiss him lightly on the lips.
I smiled, I had never seen a strain on their marriage, I felt sorry for humans, I think after a few centuries, emotions, and control become better, my parents never fight. I lifted the coffee jar right under my nose and inhaled while thinking, not for the first time, what happened to my father’s first wife.
“They’re thinking about shutting down St. Viktor’s,” my father replied after a moment and my mother sat down on his lap resting her head against her shoulder. “I’m fairly certain if they do, we’ll have to move.”
My mother, Vivian, pouted, “I just got the kitchen the way I like.” I know that they had lived here at least since Gabriel was born, and still, my mother had been working away on colour schemes, and tile designs since I’ve been alive. Content for a while, and then she has to redo a room. The kitchen though seems to get redone the most.
Father frowned, “I know dear. I’m going to have to get on a plane tonight go get to Washington by tomorrow morning, see if I can’t schedule in to see the elders.”
Mother kissed him again, “but I don’t want you to go.” Sometimes I think my mother’s mind is permanently stuck at nineteen, forever a love-struck teen. I wondered if she had been human once.
I turned as I heard a floorboard groan and Tobias’s muscular body came in the doorway. My father is a built man, and Tobias definitely is following in those footsteps. His light blonde hair doesn’t fit into the family, but Father insists five other of his and mother’s children have the same anomaly. His bright blue eyes capture the attention of his face, he gave a lazy smile. “Where are you headed father?” He asked stepping into the room wearing a sweaty blue t-shirt and black track pants.
Father sighed, “to talk to the Elders,” Father moved and Mother stood crossing her arms over her chest with a pout on her plump lips. “I’ve got to get packing.”
Father left the room, and tutting, Mother followed. I put my hand up to Tobias, he took it and helped me gracefully get to my feet. “Coffee?” He asked, I nodded, “I picked some up too.” I smiled as we stepped into the kitchen. He had a convenience store bag which he pulled a bag of coffee beans from. He put his in the cupboard, “since you’ve already opened yours.”
“You stink.” I said finally as I opened the coffee maker and started to put in the ground bean.
“Gee thanks.” He caught me in a headlock under his sweaty pit and ruffled my hair while I squealed. He being stronger held me in place for a while longer before giving me a little push and heading to the shower with laughter.
“Gross,” I muttered wrinkling my sensitive nose.
“I really wish you and Toby would stop making that stuff,” I turned to see Angelique. She had a large sharp roman nose, pursed lips, sharp green eyes, and long dark locks, the looks of a ancient roman statue or painting. Trim and tall, she was nearly my height already, she wore a white dress with a ruffle at the bottom that pushed out a bit, a tight fitted bodice, and thin straps that got wider at the top of her shoulder.
Her eyes glared at me as if trying to will me into turning the thing off. Vampire or not, Angelique doesn’t have the experience needed to pull off hypnotizing another vampire, a human yes, but not a vampire. Not that I’m saying I do, I don’t, nor does Tobias, we are far too young for that. That’s like fifth life stuff.
“Not going to happen,” I replied leaning against the new marble counter top.
What can I say, I’m a vampire that loves coffee.