Marked For Death

Chapter 2: Red Furry

“I understand that, but what about my eyes?” She asked, more eager about that than anything else. He released her hand reaching for the little black box she was clutching in the other.

“That’s what this is for,” he opened the box, “Contacts.”

“I can see just fine Daddy.” She chuckled, dismissing her father’s earlier misinterpretation.

“These aren’t those kind of contacts.” He defended. “These contacts will change the color of your eyes.” Matilda scurried over, looking inside the little black contact box.

“Color contacts?” Matilda asked. April and her father turned to the woman, shock painted on their faces.

“You knew of these Matilda?” April cried. “it couldn’t be you kept such a thing from me in fear of losing your job?”

“Of course not! I’ve heard of them, but I’ve never actually seen any and I assumed you both already knew of them.” She turned to April's father, Victor. “I guess that wasn’t the case.”

“Well my travels don’t involve such things.” Victor muttered to himself, defending his mental embarrassment. April saw the clear little disks floating about in the strange liquid. She sighed, gathering her courage and touching a single finger to one. It stuck. “That’s good April, now just open your eye and place it on the center.” Her father instructed. Slowly, she followed his instructions.

First she pried her eyelids apart, then positioning the disk above her pupil and quickly attached it, feeling her eye water with that strange blood and water mixture her tear ducts released since she was born. She repeated this same procedure with the other contact. “Well how is it?” Matilda asked.

“Its uncomfortable and it makes seeing kind of cloudy, but its not too bad.” She blinked a few times, hoping to rid herself some of the discomfort. April reopened her eyes slowly, staring at her father and tutor. “Well, how is it?”

“Oh my lady,” Matilda breathed, “You’re the splitting image of your mother.”

“Really?” She asked, remembering the portrait of the beautiful women with eyes so blue and icy they could chill your soul, hanging in her room above the fire place.

“Of course,” Matilda said, “Why don’t you go look in the mirror?”  April froze, pondering over that suggestion. No, she finally decided, never again will I look in a mirror.

“I trust you Matilda and I know you’re true to your word.” April covered. “So tell me more about this school daddy.”

“Well my business partner, Demetrius, has a daughter as well. Her name is meko and the human school system wasn’t working for her so he did some digging and he found a school that can deal with our… special needs.” Victor explained, choosing his words carefully. “It’s a human school, but it’s the prime location for our kind. His daughter is doing well and she has volunteered to share a room with you at the school and help you with adjusting.”

“It’s a boarding school?” April cried, jumping out of her chair. “That means I won’t see you anymore and…and…”

“it is whats best my darling.” He explained.

“For me or for you?” She shrieked, feeling her temper flare. Her anger was raking thru her body, sending a fire throughout her. Matilda and victor watched in horror as the contacts bubbled and melted, leaving her eyes like tears. “Is this so you won’t have to see me when you come home from work? No wonder you leave home for such long periods at a time.”

“Never April,” He said jumping to his feet and hugging her to him, “every day you are gone from me is unbearable. I love you more than life itself, but you are a teenage girl who needs more company than I can give. I thought over this for a long while, months have passed and my selfishness has grown, wishing to lock you here until you die like the over protective father I am, but your mother would never approve of that.” April shook her head, burying her face in her father’s chest. “your mother would have pulled you out of this house by your hair kicking and screaming and she’d see you off with a, ‘try to come home early and I’ll take a switch to you.’”

“this will be good for you Miss Constantine. My high school years were the best of my life.” Matilda added, patting the girl on her back. “Now why don’t we have some lunch and discuss the rest of the new arrangements afterward? I’ve heard they’ve managed to locate your favorite.”

“Very well then.” April agreed, pulling away from her father, her anger subsiding. “Bring in the feeders!” She called, sitting back down in her chair. Three women were escorted in, two plump and well aged, the other chunky with hair as red as fire, just how April liked them.

“Ladies first.” Victor said, sitting back down in his chair and rolling up his sleeves.

“After you my lady.” Matilda said respectfully, unbuttoning her shirt and setting it on the table, fixing her under shirt to cover all her vital areas.

“Alright then, you.” April whispered to the red head. Wriggling her pointer finger in a come hither way. The girl took a hesitant step forward, smiling as if she had just won the lottery. “That’s good, come little one.” The red head, eventually reached Aprils’s chair, giving a timid smile. “Sit.” The girl sat down on her lap, draping her neck on the armrest. April looked to her father.

“Dig in.” He ordered. She smiled, leaning into the woman’s neck, smiling at the alluring aroma that drifted from it. Slowly her mouth opened, fangs lengthening.

“Make sure not to move or you won’t live to see tomorrow.” April whispered into the red heads throat, cautioning her. The woman nodded. April smiled wider, opening wide, piercing the soft exposed flesh. Eventually Matilda began to feed and then her father, but she remained focused on the meal in her lap. April came up for a breath, watching as beads of blood crept out of the four small wounds in the red heads neck. Crimson, the color of pure blood,  After all, instead of the taste of her mother’s sweet breast milk, she had received her blood, which was even sweeter. April.  her mother’s murderer and the last of the Constantine blood line. A true pure blood vampire.

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