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Vampire Story part 33
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 Created on 6-9-08
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The next morning I took in what was now my room for the first time. It was as stark and clean as the rest of the house, and everything was spotlessly white. The sheets and comforter were white, set against the white walls and dresser. I felt like I had stepped into a science lab. The ceiling sloped gently upwards for part of the ceiling, and then leveled off. There was one window, set into the ceiling and I could see the branches of a huge tree brushing against it. Between the branches, I could see she sky, just beginning to darken in the twilight. I changed out of my outfit I had worn on the plane to a long black skirt and blue shirt, and wandered out in the hallway.
The house seemed deserted, and for one wild moment I wondered if I was the only one there. As I stepped onto the stairs to the dining room, I noticed Vittoria standing perfectly motionless in front of the window. She turned and smiled at me as she stared at me. Her expression never changed, but I somehow got the impression that she wasn't happy with me.
"You are awake."
I nodded, unsure of how to respond.
“We know your past. Who you were, what you…desired. We can teach you that skill.”
I stared at her. “Could you help me get my memories back?”
Her head tilted. “It is… possible, but only if your desire is strong enough. But if you learn of other’s memories, of the nature of the minds past in general, then, perhaps it shall become easier.”
We turned at a creak of the stairs, as Holly tripped daintily down them. She grinned. “’Evening!” she said happily to me, and then glanced at Vittoria. “Hi.”
Vittoria smiled. “Maureen, perfect. Loretta can practice with you.”
Holly scowled. “My name is not Maureen! And practice what?”
“Memory finding. She will enter your mind, finding the memories that define you – petty or not.” She turned to me. “Over time, you will be able to do this easier, finding what is painful to them and forcing them to relive it. If you have the power.”
I could hear the challenge in her voice, and I knew she didn’t think I could handle it. It made me even more willing to try. Maybe that was her point. Holly didn’t seem to like the idea, though.
“Hell no!” She was saying, “I’m not letting anyone into my mind, even Lori.”
“You already have.”
“Have not!”
“How do you think We know your name?”
Holly opened her mouth in outrage. “You – how?”
“It is no longer that We do this on purpose, it is simply instinct. We look at you and know your name, but if We look closer…” She paused, raising delicate eyebrows, “You won’t succeed.”
“Enough! No more fucking mind reading!” Holly snapped, glaring at her.
“If you concentrate on one memory, that is all Loretta will see, at least for now.”
“Please?” I asked, meeting her eyes. “It’s not like it will make any sense to me anyway.”
Holly sighed. “Fine. But just this once, ok?”
“Excellent.” Vittoria glided forward – she was so graceful it didn’t even seem like she was walking. “Now, physical contact helps. We want you to close your eyes and immerse yourself in Maureen. Think of nothing but her memories, and Maureen, concentrate on one that is vivid and that you are willing to share. Practice and concentrate.”
I took a deep breath. Laying my palm on Holly’s forehead, I did as Vittoria had said and closed my eyes. After a moment of concentration, Holly jerked away.
“That hurt! You don’t have to probe so hard.” She snapped.
I smiled an apology. “I didn’t mean to. Sorry about that.”
She sighed. “Ok, we can try again. You’re looking for a memory of a dark alley. I’ve just eaten, and then I get shot. Kind of broad, I know, but it’s the best I can do. There will be another woman as well.”
We sat in silence, my eyes closed, for almost fifteen minutes. I eventually relaxed, almost dozing as I tried to enter Holly’s memories. Suddenly I was speeding through a dark space, with colors flashing at me from all sides. I couldn’t explain exactly what happened, but it was almost like I was a drop of water suddenly absorbed into the sponge of the memories. Then the colors seemed the slow, and I was in a dark alley. Then I seemed to lose sense of myself and lost myself in the memory.
I stepped away; leaving the man I had just eaten lying on the ground. I walked off unconcernedly. That was the thing about small California towns; they were so stupid when it came to catching and killing our kind. The man who had recently been my meal had seemed to realize that there was something special about me – it was hard not to – but that hadn’t stopped him from trying to beat me at cards. That was a big mistake – I don’t like to lose. I might have been a bit more understanding about the whole thing if he hadn’t been cheating, but as it was I decided to teach him a lesson.
Just as I rounded a corner, I heard a gunshot from in front of me. I picked up the blur of metal and began to move sideways, but not quite fast enough. The bullet, a small round ball of cold iron buried itself deep in my shoulder. I glared into the shadows, seeing a figure, positioned so I had trouble making out any features, but I was sure it was a woman, and she could see me perfectly well. I was surprised by the guns range; she seemed too far away to aim properly.
“I know you’re there.” I called out, loudly as I dared without alerting the people nearby. “Come out before I kill you.”
The woman came forward into the light shed by the moon. She was several inches taller than me, and her hair reached all the way down her back in two braids. Her gingham dress was simple, and a gun holster hung on a belt. As I watched, she spun her gun lightly, sticking it into the holster. My nostrils flared as I took in her scent, and my senses screamed at me what she was. Vampire. The word was bitter in my mind; I knew I couldn’t kill her nearly as easily. Underneath that was a nutty chocolate smell that normally would have made her seem comforting and caring, but the scowl on her face and the bullet buried deep into my shoulder told me she was no one to be trifled with.
“What are you doing on my land?” Her voice had a slight edge I couldn’t identify, but the calculating anger was unmistakable.
I winced, shoving my hand into my shoulder, searching for the bullet. “None of your damn business!” I snapped.
“It is too.” She contradicted. “It’s my town and my business. And he-” she gestured around the corner in the direction of the man’s corpse, “was someone I liked playing cards with.”
My hand pushed deeper into my shoulder, still searching to find the bullet. “Look – he cheats, so I don’t see the point of playing, unless you’re even better at cheating than he is. And then it’ s not playing; it’s just trying to con more money out of each other. Also, if you care about him so much, then you should have done a better job protecting him.”
To my surprise, she laughed. “True enough. All right, my bad. I apologize. No hard feelings?”
I finally located the bullet, pulling it out and throwing it disgustedly on the ground. For it being such a small bullet, there was a lot of blood. I paused, thinking fast, then grinned up at her. “Almost none.” I danced forward, using my speed to my advantage. I grabbed the gun from her holster, pulling back and shooting her through the shoulder. I hadn’t thought it would actually fire, but that was just a bonus. Stealing her gun would have been good enough. My grin widened, “Now there aren’t any at all.”
The contact was broken suddenly, and I gasped, returning to reality. It took me a moment to remember where I was, or even separate myself from Holly. I blinked in the sudden bright light. I looked up at Holly, and she raised her eyebrows. “You see it?”
I nodded wordlessly. “Yeah,” I gasped out. “When was that?”
Holly paused for a moment. “18…87. That was Bonnie. We stayed together until about seven years ago, when she was staked. Are you done with me now?”
I nodded again. “Where’s Vittoria?”
“No idea.” Holly said, shrugging. “I think she went into her tower once you went into your trance thing. I don’t really care, actually. I don’t like her very much.”
“Hmm?” I said, only halfway listening.
“Well, she’s just weird. First of all, she seems to know everything about us, which is…really awkward. And have you noticed how she never asks a question? She’s gone completely nuts.”
“If I was 2,000 years old, I might go a little crazy.”
“Well, I don’t like her. How long are we staying?”
“Shouldn’t you ask Isaac that? I have no reason to go or to stay, and I have no one else I know of to go to. It’s Isaac she wants, so if you want to stay a group, it’s Isaac we wait for.” I sighed. Even though they seemed to know and accept me, I felt a little lonely without my memories, like an empty shell, going through the motions of the previous inhabitant.
I looked up, meeting Holly’s eyes, and I caught a strange expression on her face. It was part rebellion, part irritation, but then she nodded. “Yeah, I’ll go talk to him. See you later.” She turned, running up the stairs.
Holly returned ten minutes later, looking irritated. “He’s not in his room. Which means the only place he can be is in that crazy tower, because he didn’t come past us. Conveniently, the entrance to the tower on that floor is in his room.” She made a face. “That unsettles me.”
I stared at her, trying to decide exactly why she was so upset, but chose to leave it be. I looked out the huge window into the pitch-black night. The south side of the house, the side with the window, was built right up to the edge of a cliff, and I could see the rocky precipice descending for a good while before hitting the water. The water was darker than the sky, but reflected the meager light the stars gave off. It was new moon. The whole view was captivating, just like everything here was. I realized Holly was talking to me. “Huh?”
“I said: I’m hungry. Fancy going out for a bite?”
“Not really,” I replied. “You go without me.” I pressed my hand to the glass, and then my cheek. I heard a slight thump on the stairs, and turned to see Callum. I smiled at him, and he gave me a slight smile back, then addressed Holly. “Where’s everyone else?”
She frowned slightly. “No idea. I’m going hunting.”
“Oh,” He paused. “Can I go with you? I need to eat something, and I want to get out of here. It’s not like there’s anything to do anyway. Lori?”
I considered again, and this time I nodded. I hadn’t had human blood since I could remember, and my body hungered for it. I had the strangest feeling I shouldn’t be eating humans, but I couldn’t imagine why.
The house seemed deserted, and for one wild moment I wondered if I was the only one there. As I stepped onto the stairs to the dining room, I noticed Vittoria standing perfectly motionless in front of the window. She turned and smiled at me as she stared at me. Her expression never changed, but I somehow got the impression that she wasn't happy with me.
"You are awake."
I nodded, unsure of how to respond.
“We know your past. Who you were, what you…desired. We can teach you that skill.”
I stared at her. “Could you help me get my memories back?”
Her head tilted. “It is… possible, but only if your desire is strong enough. But if you learn of other’s memories, of the nature of the minds past in general, then, perhaps it shall become easier.”
We turned at a creak of the stairs, as Holly tripped daintily down them. She grinned. “’Evening!” she said happily to me, and then glanced at Vittoria. “Hi.”
Vittoria smiled. “Maureen, perfect. Loretta can practice with you.”
Holly scowled. “My name is not Maureen! And practice what?”
“Memory finding. She will enter your mind, finding the memories that define you – petty or not.” She turned to me. “Over time, you will be able to do this easier, finding what is painful to them and forcing them to relive it. If you have the power.”
I could hear the challenge in her voice, and I knew she didn’t think I could handle it. It made me even more willing to try. Maybe that was her point. Holly didn’t seem to like the idea, though.
“Hell no!” She was saying, “I’m not letting anyone into my mind, even Lori.”
“You already have.”
“Have not!”
“How do you think We know your name?”
Holly opened her mouth in outrage. “You – how?”
“It is no longer that We do this on purpose, it is simply instinct. We look at you and know your name, but if We look closer…” She paused, raising delicate eyebrows, “You won’t succeed.”
“Enough! No more fucking mind reading!” Holly snapped, glaring at her.
“If you concentrate on one memory, that is all Loretta will see, at least for now.”
“Please?” I asked, meeting her eyes. “It’s not like it will make any sense to me anyway.”
Holly sighed. “Fine. But just this once, ok?”
“Excellent.” Vittoria glided forward – she was so graceful it didn’t even seem like she was walking. “Now, physical contact helps. We want you to close your eyes and immerse yourself in Maureen. Think of nothing but her memories, and Maureen, concentrate on one that is vivid and that you are willing to share. Practice and concentrate.”
I took a deep breath. Laying my palm on Holly’s forehead, I did as Vittoria had said and closed my eyes. After a moment of concentration, Holly jerked away.
“That hurt! You don’t have to probe so hard.” She snapped.
I smiled an apology. “I didn’t mean to. Sorry about that.”
She sighed. “Ok, we can try again. You’re looking for a memory of a dark alley. I’ve just eaten, and then I get shot. Kind of broad, I know, but it’s the best I can do. There will be another woman as well.”
We sat in silence, my eyes closed, for almost fifteen minutes. I eventually relaxed, almost dozing as I tried to enter Holly’s memories. Suddenly I was speeding through a dark space, with colors flashing at me from all sides. I couldn’t explain exactly what happened, but it was almost like I was a drop of water suddenly absorbed into the sponge of the memories. Then the colors seemed the slow, and I was in a dark alley. Then I seemed to lose sense of myself and lost myself in the memory.
I stepped away; leaving the man I had just eaten lying on the ground. I walked off unconcernedly. That was the thing about small California towns; they were so stupid when it came to catching and killing our kind. The man who had recently been my meal had seemed to realize that there was something special about me – it was hard not to – but that hadn’t stopped him from trying to beat me at cards. That was a big mistake – I don’t like to lose. I might have been a bit more understanding about the whole thing if he hadn’t been cheating, but as it was I decided to teach him a lesson.
Just as I rounded a corner, I heard a gunshot from in front of me. I picked up the blur of metal and began to move sideways, but not quite fast enough. The bullet, a small round ball of cold iron buried itself deep in my shoulder. I glared into the shadows, seeing a figure, positioned so I had trouble making out any features, but I was sure it was a woman, and she could see me perfectly well. I was surprised by the guns range; she seemed too far away to aim properly.
“I know you’re there.” I called out, loudly as I dared without alerting the people nearby. “Come out before I kill you.”
The woman came forward into the light shed by the moon. She was several inches taller than me, and her hair reached all the way down her back in two braids. Her gingham dress was simple, and a gun holster hung on a belt. As I watched, she spun her gun lightly, sticking it into the holster. My nostrils flared as I took in her scent, and my senses screamed at me what she was. Vampire. The word was bitter in my mind; I knew I couldn’t kill her nearly as easily. Underneath that was a nutty chocolate smell that normally would have made her seem comforting and caring, but the scowl on her face and the bullet buried deep into my shoulder told me she was no one to be trifled with.
“What are you doing on my land?” Her voice had a slight edge I couldn’t identify, but the calculating anger was unmistakable.
I winced, shoving my hand into my shoulder, searching for the bullet. “None of your damn business!” I snapped.
“It is too.” She contradicted. “It’s my town and my business. And he-” she gestured around the corner in the direction of the man’s corpse, “was someone I liked playing cards with.”
My hand pushed deeper into my shoulder, still searching to find the bullet. “Look – he cheats, so I don’t see the point of playing, unless you’re even better at cheating than he is. And then it’ s not playing; it’s just trying to con more money out of each other. Also, if you care about him so much, then you should have done a better job protecting him.”
To my surprise, she laughed. “True enough. All right, my bad. I apologize. No hard feelings?”
I finally located the bullet, pulling it out and throwing it disgustedly on the ground. For it being such a small bullet, there was a lot of blood. I paused, thinking fast, then grinned up at her. “Almost none.” I danced forward, using my speed to my advantage. I grabbed the gun from her holster, pulling back and shooting her through the shoulder. I hadn’t thought it would actually fire, but that was just a bonus. Stealing her gun would have been good enough. My grin widened, “Now there aren’t any at all.”
The contact was broken suddenly, and I gasped, returning to reality. It took me a moment to remember where I was, or even separate myself from Holly. I blinked in the sudden bright light. I looked up at Holly, and she raised her eyebrows. “You see it?”
I nodded wordlessly. “Yeah,” I gasped out. “When was that?”
Holly paused for a moment. “18…87. That was Bonnie. We stayed together until about seven years ago, when she was staked. Are you done with me now?”
I nodded again. “Where’s Vittoria?”
“No idea.” Holly said, shrugging. “I think she went into her tower once you went into your trance thing. I don’t really care, actually. I don’t like her very much.”
“Hmm?” I said, only halfway listening.
“Well, she’s just weird. First of all, she seems to know everything about us, which is…really awkward. And have you noticed how she never asks a question? She’s gone completely nuts.”
“If I was 2,000 years old, I might go a little crazy.”
“Well, I don’t like her. How long are we staying?”
“Shouldn’t you ask Isaac that? I have no reason to go or to stay, and I have no one else I know of to go to. It’s Isaac she wants, so if you want to stay a group, it’s Isaac we wait for.” I sighed. Even though they seemed to know and accept me, I felt a little lonely without my memories, like an empty shell, going through the motions of the previous inhabitant.
I looked up, meeting Holly’s eyes, and I caught a strange expression on her face. It was part rebellion, part irritation, but then she nodded. “Yeah, I’ll go talk to him. See you later.” She turned, running up the stairs.
Holly returned ten minutes later, looking irritated. “He’s not in his room. Which means the only place he can be is in that crazy tower, because he didn’t come past us. Conveniently, the entrance to the tower on that floor is in his room.” She made a face. “That unsettles me.”
I stared at her, trying to decide exactly why she was so upset, but chose to leave it be. I looked out the huge window into the pitch-black night. The south side of the house, the side with the window, was built right up to the edge of a cliff, and I could see the rocky precipice descending for a good while before hitting the water. The water was darker than the sky, but reflected the meager light the stars gave off. It was new moon. The whole view was captivating, just like everything here was. I realized Holly was talking to me. “Huh?”
“I said: I’m hungry. Fancy going out for a bite?”
“Not really,” I replied. “You go without me.” I pressed my hand to the glass, and then my cheek. I heard a slight thump on the stairs, and turned to see Callum. I smiled at him, and he gave me a slight smile back, then addressed Holly. “Where’s everyone else?”
She frowned slightly. “No idea. I’m going hunting.”
“Oh,” He paused. “Can I go with you? I need to eat something, and I want to get out of here. It’s not like there’s anything to do anyway. Lori?”
I considered again, and this time I nodded. I hadn’t had human blood since I could remember, and my body hungered for it. I had the strangest feeling I shouldn’t be eating humans, but I couldn’t imagine why.
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