The Slayer, The Lover, and The Vampire[Watty Awards 2012]

Chapter 3 (edited)

Walking downstairs, Vlad was sitting at the kitchen table, reading the paper as always. He looked up and I held up the book and he smiled.

“How was it?” Vlad asked.

“It was a school book, how do you think it was?” I joked.

“Okay, well I am proud of you,” Vlad smiled putting the paper down.

“So, I have a question,” I said.

“Okay, shoot,” Vlad said giving me his full attention.

“I haven’t asked because I never questioned it. But I just want to know more about my parents’ murder,” I said trying to stay strong.

            Vlad had a stern look on his face and he practically turned cherry red.

“We will not discuss that matter!” Vlad practically yelled.

            I sat there quiet and angry. Vlad gave me a look of disappointment and walked out of the room. I went outside and got on my bike and rode to the river. I sat down on a bench enjoying the cool breeze and welcoming environment. I glanced around and saw a familiar face- Vince Sterling. I sat up immediately and noticed just how close he was to me. I had three options: jump in the river, kill him, or get to holy grounds. I cancelled out the last two and went with the first option. I got off the bench and jumped into shallow water. It only went up to my ankles, and Vince looked angry, hurt and confused.

“Vince, hey. I am sorry about trying to kill you, but you are a Vampire,” I said in a low voice making sure no one heard me.

“You’re not sorry! Just because I’m a danger to humans you decide to kill me and my kind? How human of you, any threat to you and your kind you think the answer is to kill and destroy it,” Vince snarled.

            Well he just made me feel like an idiot.

“Vince, you were human just a couple days ago! I have reason to kill your kind. Your kind is the reason my parents are dead!” I growled holding tears in.

“How do you know it was my kind?” Vince asked.

“Because Vlad told me so,” I said knowing how stupid I sounded, and as if on cue, he began to laugh.

“How about we make a deal? You stop killing Vampires in trade for information on your parents’ death,” Vince suggested.

“And just how are you going to get information?” I asked.

“Leave that to me, now do we have a deal?” Vince asked.

            It sounded pretty good. And come to think of it, I don’t want to kill Vampires if they truly weren’t the reason for my parents’ death.

“Deal,” I said, “but you have until the end of this week to come up with information proving it wasn’t a Vampire. Out of curiosity, why do you think it wasn’t a Vampire?” I asked.

“You remember when you, Jesse, Greg and I met right? Your parents’ knew my family, and you vacationed in Ft. Lauderdale and met us all. Well, remember Halloween when we were young. My parents’ got all of us to go visit you in Miami because it was your favorite holiday. Remember we went to your neighbor’s house, and your parents were there with that family. I knew something was off about them, but until I became a Vampire I had no idea. They were your parents’ friends. Your parents were friendly with my kind. Why would a Vampire kill them? Anyways, meet here same time at the end of the week,” Vince said and he was gone.

            The deal was in my favor since Vlad already gave me the last week of summer off every year. During that week all I could think about was figuring out the truth about my parents murder. Vlad told me I was going to a private school, one where there was a dress code. I had always gone to public school and been able to wear what I wanted, so having to go to some school with even more rules was not something I was happy about. Vlad took me shopping, made sure I only bought clothes that matched the dress code.

            When Sunday finally rolled around I got up energetically and was in a good mood. Vlad was shocked by my sudden change, but didn’t question it. I ate breakfast with him as always and he discussed Vampires with me. He gave me an idea of the species that resided here, and an estimate of how many Vampires lived in the area.

            There were three types of species- the Nobles, the Fangs, and the Muts. Nobles were the eldest type of Vampire, the most respected in the community. Fangs were the more modern type, once that could walk out in the sun, and retract their fangs, virtually able to blend in with humans. Muts were a mix of Noble and Fang blood. Their trademark was that their canine teeth were uneven, one longer than the other.

“Thank you, I will keep that in mind as I move forward this year,” I said when Vlad finished his lecture.

            I got up and almost raced to the bike. I knew I was going to be a bit early, but I didn’t mind waiting, it was a beautiful day with a nice breeze to keep cool. I waited for ten minutes and then I saw Vince. He sat down on the opposite side and handed me a file. There were pictures of my parents’ bodies, which was hard to see. Other information included time of death, location, date, and speculation on motive. Vince explained why it wasn’t a Vampire.

            First because there was still blood in the bodies, so my parents would be Vampires right now. Second, Vampires are very careful to hide the corpses of their victims. Third, there weren’t bite marks. The information Vince gave me most definitely made me question who really killed my parents. The picture in this file didn’t look like the one Vlad showed me when I was younger.

“This is good, thank you. I appreciate your findings. I now must find who really killed my parents,” I said.

“I will help you in whatever way I can. I am always here for you Vi,” Vince said.

            I smiled at him as I thought about all the lives I’ve taken over the years. It killed me to think I took their lives without just reason. Vlad expected me to start killing again tomorrow. I would have to fake my entries.

“Vince, my uncle…he taught me to kill Vampires,” I started.

            Once Vince knew everything he nodded in understanding. He assured me that everything would be okay.

“Well, I better get going. I have school tomorrow and still need supplies,” I confessed.

“Okay, well I will be checking in with you,” Vince said then was gone in the blink of an eye.