Glitter & Gore [a vampire romance]

2: Bloodsucker Break-in

"They're very pale and it's not raining but they have umbrellas! Are you doing skin cancer research?" Quieter, probably to the fucking vampires, Mom added, "I always knew Nova had the smarts to cure cancer, but I didn't think she cared about humanity enough to try. This is refreshing!"

"Don't let them in!" I shouted as I hastily piled my alchemy equipment into the bag.

"Should I pack my laptop?" Amy whispered, moving it in and out of her backpack repeatedly. "Do you think vampires use electricity? Do you think they've seen Twilight? Oh my god, do you think Twilight's a documentary?"

I shot her a puzzled look as my crucible clanked against vials and jars. "The movie was based off a fictional book."

"Could it have been non-fiction, though?"

"You're stalling to thwart my escape plan," I deduced, rounding the table to shove in the laptop for her. "Bring it. We're not going with them."

Her pastel purple lips parted for a rebuttal, but then my dad's voice carried down the stairs, probably as he witnessed the vampires for the first time.

"Wow, I thought Nova and her friends dressed weird, but I guess it's the fashion these days."

Amy gasped. "Oh my god, they're goth vampires? Can it get any better?"

"They could burn up in the sun and leave their charred carcasses on my front step to deter any other guests," I suggested, zipping shut the duffle bag even though I had plenty left to pack. I would have to acquire new supplies when we arrived at the farthest location my life savings could take us. "How did the vampires find us so fast?"

Amy scraped her boot across the rug awkwardly. "I may have started sparkling overnight and it sprinkled off me while I ran here... I thought I just put on too much glitter yesterday!"

"So you left a sparkly trail all the way to my front door? Wonderful. Let's hope they don't have super speed."

"What? What are you doing?" she demanded as I slipped on my sneakers and climbed onto my dresser. A small window rested near the ceiling with just enough room for us to squeeze through.

I didn't cast a last glance at the basement. My focus had always been fixed on the future, almost to the point of ignoring the past. Still, I sent a silent goodbye to my parents, hoping they could feel my remorse through the collective unconscious.

"Nov–ahh!"

Amy's warning turned into a muffled yelp, and even before fingers dug into my messy bun, I knew we were fucked.

My assailant threw me from the dresser onto my bed, my head narrowly missing the wall. Without sparing him a glance, I snagged the lamp from my nightstand and hurled it at him. The shattering of glass filled the air as I rolled off the bed and darted toward my work table, already winded and tripping over my own feet. Fuck me for neglecting the gym this semester in favor of studying and working and thinking I wouldn't have to fend off a mythical monster. How short-sighted of me.

Stumbling into the table, I impaled my hand on a shard of glass and grunted but didn't yank it out. Amy stood not far away, a vampire pressing his sharp nails to her throat, holding her still. His blond hair looked almost yellow in comparison to his near translucent skin, and even without one blemish on his body, his jagged facial features reflected a lifetime of violence.

The other vampire grabbed my hair from behind again, but this time I expected it and whirled around, swiping my glass embedded palm down his face. Blood swelled from his cheek across his lips while the cut in my hand worsened, sprinkling stars across my vision.