Bloodlines

CHAPTER TEN: MASQUERADE

             I finally made it to Freddy's house, he invited me in and I followed him upstairs to his room, only to find Daniel drinking a blood bag, and next to him were six other empty ones.Tthe curtains were shut. The girls were also there too.
            "Someone was hungry." Indi said.
            Daniel wiped the blood off his mouth. "So let me get this straight, the four of you are vampires, and Freddy is a wizard?"
            "yes." I said.
            "When did you girls become vampires?"
            "Almost a month ago."
            "Does Jeremy know?"
            "No, he can't know. At least not while this psycho vampire is on the loose."
            "And what if you hurt him? Or anyone, for that matter?"
            "We learned to control it!" I said, frustratingly. "And we can teach you too."
            "First, you need this" Freddy took out a ring from his drawer. It was silver and contained a red stone in the center.
            "What's this for?" daniel asked, analyzing the ring.
            "It's to help you walk in the sun without exploding into ashes, try it on." Daniel placed the ring on his middle finger and Freddy opened the curtain. "Ta-da!"
            "The way we control our blood thirst is by carrying around water bottles filled with blood."Alex explained, "It also helps to breathe in and out whenever you see blood to resist the urge."
           "So blood is like cocaine for vampires." Daniel said.
           "In a way, yes." I awkwardly agreed.
           "Can I be alone with raven for a minute?"
           "Sure." Freddy said, "Mi casa es su casa."
           All of us except Raven and Daniel left the room. We walked into the living room. I had so much to say to Freddy that I thought it would all come out in a massive slur.
           "So, Lucy, did you get my text last night?" Freddy asked.
           "Oh! Right, sorry." I pulled out my phone and opened Freddy's text, which read: 'vampires can be hypnotized by their sire, you and the girls need to be careful if you see the vampire again.' 
            "Wait, so you're saying, the same way vampires can hypnotize and persuade humans to do their bidding, the vampire can do the same to us?" I asked.
            "Yes, like a slave listening to their master. A progeny listening to their maker."
            I cringed at the idea of me or the girls being slaves to the vampire. Making us feed on people, or even worse, killing them. The fact that he has power over us since he turned us into vampires haunted me.
            "To think, just last night my life was completely normal." Daniel scoffed. "Now i'm a vampire, my girlfriend's also a vampire..."
            "I'm your girlfriend?" Raven blushed.
            "Before it all went down, I wanted to ask you if you wanted to take it a step further."
             Raven smiled hard. "Then yes, I would love to be your girlfriend."
             Raven leaned forward for a kiss. They kissed passionately. Daniel was raven's first kiss, it was special for her and it meant a lot.
            "What's it like for you, being this way?" He asked.
            "I'm still trying to adjust, and I don't know what's gonna happen, but all I wanna do right now is kiss you." Raven pulled Daniel in and kissed him, running her fingers through his hair, him doing the same to her.
            "Freddy there's something we need to tell you." I said. He nodded. "Jason's a vampire hunter. I found an arsenal of weapons in his bag. Wooden stakes, wooden crucifixes, holy water, the whole nine yards."
            "Woah." Freddy lit up. "And he's currently in your house?"
            "Yes, I discarded any empty blood bags I had laying around and I his the ones I still haven't drank. But I don't know what to do, i'm afraid he'll try to kill me in my sleep or-"
            "Just calm down, you need to be extra careful with your secret, try to avoid physical contact. Try to seem as human as possible around him. Act as if you don't know anything. Besides, he's not gonna kill you in front of your mom." Freddy advised.
              Raven and Daniel walked out of the room and joined us in the living room.
             "What are you guys talking about?" Daniel asked.
             "Lucy's mom's boyfriend is a vampire hunter." Indi explained before I could stop her.
             "Oh come on, I literally just became a vampire last night, now there's hunters?" Daniel complained.
             "Sorry to burst your bubble." She said.
             "We just need to be more careful." I said.
              Later, the six of us went to the woods to test Daniel's new vampire abilities. Something about the woods always felt so peaceful to me. The way the air blew into the trees, how the trees always made that eerie, yet peaceful whoosh  noise.
              Raven walked in front of Daniel and faced him. She smiled at him. Daniel then felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned around only to face raven once more.
               "Woah! How did you-"
               "Vamp-speed." Raven said.
               "Not the last of our cool tricks though." Alex winked, running towards a tree and then climbing it effortlessly, then jumping back down.
               "Showoff." Indi muttered under her breath.
               "Race you to that tree?" Raven challenged Daniel, pointing at a far away tree. "Just run as fast as you can." Raven then sped to the tree, with Daniel chasing after her. They both tripped and fell on top of each other.
                "How cute." I said, hanging upside down from a tree.
                After having fun with our powers, the four of us walked back to Freddy's.
               "It wasn't just an accident was it?" Daniel asked.
               "What do you mean?" I asked, even though I already knew what he meant.
               "That dude in the trench coat, he caused the accident, didn't he?"
               "Yes. Do you remember anything else from the accident?"
               "No, but who is he?"
               "We don't know, we've been trying to find him for weeks. I promise you we will."
               I didn't want to give Daniel false hope. I didn't know if we were going to ever find the vampire, but I didn't want Daniel to feel hopeless, like he lost his life, or our lives, for nothing.
               After four days of helping Daniel adjust to his vampirism, all of us were excited for the masquerade dance Indi has been hyped about for weeks. She even helped the student council set up posters and even picked the masquerade theme. We also hoped this dance could make Daniel feel somewhat human again.
              I put on my black strapless dress, and for once, I felt human. A regular human who goes to school, daydreams about her boyfriend, and worries about school dances. It was a good feeling. A feeling I haven't felt for a long time. The dress looked really pretty too. I wished my dad was here to see. He would always admire me whenever I wore something that was extremely beautiful and elegant, but also maintained my youthfulness. I walked out of my room and my mom and Jason admired my dress. I couldn't help but smile.
            "You look like how your mother did back in high school." Jason commented. I've seen older pictures of my mom when she was a teenager in the 80's. I looked a lot like my dad, but also like my mom. Her skin used to be as pale as the moon, with black curls going down to her waist. Now she's tanned and her hair isn't as long, nor is it curly, but you can still tell it's her in the picture.
             "Have fun at the dance sweetie." My mom said.
             "I'm sure it'll be a blast." Jason added.
             I smiled at them, then walked out of my house. Outside waiting for me was Jeremy. He wore an all-black tuxedo, and a gold masquerade mask, which really brought out the blue in his eyes and made his blond hair look brighter. He looked as handsome as ever.
              "There she is." He said, admiring me. i kissed him and commented on how great he looked in black.
              "How's your arm?" I asked.
              "Can't put too much pressure on it but, feels fine to me." He said.
               Jeremy and I walked to the school. Once we got there, we were met by the other girls, Freddy and Daniel. Alex's dress was white with a gold mask, Indi's was black like mine with a red mask, and Raven's was violet with a lavender mask. Daniel also wore a tux and a blue mask. Freddy wore a tuxedo and a green mask.  
             "I still don't know how you're on your feet right now but, man i'm glad you're here." Jeremy said.
            "Let's not question it." He replied, eyeing raven, who smiled at him.
            When the seven of us went inside, the music was already at its loudest peak. Hip-Hop music was playing as usual. The lights were also lit pink, and the decorations were jaw-dropping.
            "Wow, this is amazing!" I said.
           "You can thank me for most of this." Indi smugly bragged.
           "I'm gonna grab us some sodas." I announced. Jeremy nodded and I walked to the table where drinks were being stored in a cooler.
            I looked over at Raven and Daniel. They were laughing with each other. To think just last week, raven would freeze up at the sight of Daniel. Now she can be as comfortable and open with him as ever. They were both vampires who knew of each other's secret and didn't have to keep secrets for one's protection. This is the kind of relationship I want with Jeremy, but I didn't know if we would be able to have that as he is human, and i'm a vampire. But right now, all I could do was smile.
            As I was grabbing a couple cokes, I was shoved by someone, making me almost drop the soda cans. I turned around and saw that it was Chloe under the white mask. She wore a red dress with matching red heels that made her look much taller.
           "I see you've invited Daniel into your cult." Chloe coldly accused.
           "Not tonight Chloe." I said, attempting to walk away.
           "Just tell me whatever it is you're hiding and i'll walk-"
           "I said not tonight!" I then pushed Chloe away, she slid at least twelve feet across the floor. The people around Chloe were shocked, whispering to each other. Sahara, in her hunter green dress, was looking at Chloe, then at me. It was an accident. I didn't mean to push Chloe so hard. Chloe stood up, scowling at me, then walking away. Then I walked away, with the sodas in my hands.
            "Are you okay?" Freddy asked.
            "Yeah, i'm fine, just Chloe, I don't wanna talk about it." I shrugged.
            A little while later, some slow dance songs started playing. After stress-devouring a few slices of thin crust pizza, this was exactly what I needed. A peaceful, romantic slow dance with Jeremy. Daniel was also slow dancing with Raven. Indi and Alex were sitting on the bleachers, admiring both couples. Freddy was next to them, but didn't seem to engage in the conversation, only toying with his mask. In the distance, I saw Chloe still scowling at me like an angry dog. I then saw Daniel squinting his eyes and holding his temples. I used my enhanced hearing to try and hear what's going on.
           "You okay?" Raven asked.
           "Yeah, i'm fine." Daniel said, but I had a gut feeling he was lying.
           Jeremy held my body close to his. He kissed the top of my head.
           "How are you feeling?" He asked.
           "Um, I uh, feel fine." I stuttered.
           "You don't sound too sure." He scoffed.
           "I'm just thinking about stuff, that's all."
           "You got a strong arm."
           "What?"
           "Chloe." He clarified.
           "Oh...right."
           "You wanna talk about it?"
           "Not tonight." I declined. I held him closer and kissed him on the lips. "Right now all I wanna do is dance with you."
            Then it happened again. Daniel was holding his temples again and gnashing his teeth. then I saw his eyes. They went bloodshot. He was hungry. And in a gymnasium filled with hundreds of students, it was only gonna get worse.
             "Can you excuse me a sec?" I asked Jeremy, letting go of him. Not waiting for his answer, I walked over to Raven and Daniel. The two of us walked him to the cafeteria. Raven bought a soda can from the vending machine to offer to Daniel. Daniel forced out his brown-colored contacts, revealing just his crimson eyes.
              "It feels like my head is pounding." He groaned in pain.
              "You're hungry, you need to feed." I explained as I rummaged through my purse to take out a blood bag I packed earlier, but it was gone. "It's gone."
              "What do you mean it's gone? Didn't you pack one before we left?"
              "I did! But now it's missing. Do you have any?"
               Now raven searched through her purse. "Mine's gone too."
              "I'll go see if Indi or Alex have any." I said in a panic.
              Before I could walk towards the gymnasium, Daniel had already sped off.
              "Where did he go?" raven asked.
              Before I could answer, we heard a scream. The both of us traced the scent to the girls bathroom, which was right next to the cafeteria. A short, fair-skinned, brunette girl in a blue dress was on the floor, blood coming out of her neck.
              "Cate, where did he go?" I asked.
              Cate pointed towards the gymnasium.
             "What're we gonna do?" Raven asked.
             "Heal her, i'll get Daniel." I then ran towards the gymnasium. Raven fed Cate her blood, healing her.
              Raven made eye-contact with Cate, hypnotizing her. "You're gonna forget you were attacked. You slipped, but you're fine. Also, your dress is amazing."
               I went back into the gym, searching everywhere for Daniel. I then located him and rushed towards him. Daniel was strong, so i held him by both arms, but he was still fighting me. i managed to make eye contact with him, hoping to reach any spark of humanity in him.
              "Daniel, listen to me. You need to calm down before someone else gets hurt."
              "I can't, it's too strong." He said through his teeth. His fangs were already unleashed.
              "Yes you can. If I could do it, if Raven can do it, you can too."
              But Daniel was too strong. He broke free, punched my in the stomach and pushed me aside, making me fall on the table full of drinks, making it fall over.
               Freddy rushed to Daniel, trying to stop him, but Daniel got the upper hand and bit him on the neck. Freddy made a weird hand motion which forced Daniel off of him. Daniel kept speeding around the gymnasium. Alex pulled the fire alarm, and everyone rushed out.
             "What's happening to him?!" Indi asked.
             "He lost control." I said, "I could't get through to him, he's strong."
              "Nice move with the fire alarm." Raven said to Alex. "The more people out, the better."
              Alex nodded. "Alright let's go."
              Outside in the parking lot, Jeremy was looking around at the people rushing past him. 
             "Lucy!" He called out. "Lucy, where are you?"
             Daniel then bumped into Jeremy, knocking him onto a random car.
            "Dude, watch it." He said, getting back up. Then he saw Daniel with blood all over his mouth. "Dude is that blood on your mouth?"
              Daniel kept coming towards Jeremy, more feral than ever. 
              "Dude, chill! Daniel stop!" Jeremy continued backing up, but Daniel didn't stop. "Daniel!"
              Suddenly, gunfire tore through the air. It sounded like thunder. The bullet, the wooden bullet, hit Daniel, knocking him back. Daniel then ran back towards the school.
               Jeremy turned around to see who fired the gun. It was Jason who fired the gun. He then put the gun back into his coat. "Uncle Jason?"
               "Are you alright Jeremy? Did it bite you?"
               "What's wrong with him?"
               "That's not your friend anymore, that's a vampire. Vampires are real Jeremy, get in the car." 
               "But Lucy!" 
               "I'll make sure she's okay, and I'll explain everything later, get in the damn car!" Jason grabbed a crossbow from the trunk and headed towards the school.
              I broke off a wooden leg from the table, using it as a stake to hopefully weaken Daniel, as he was still feral. There was no sign of him stopping. Behind the school, he grabbed Sahara , and she tried fighting him off but she couldn't. She was powerless. Daniel cocked his head back, unleashing his fangs and preparing to attack. Without thinking, I rushed over and used the sharp end of the stake to stab Daniel in the heart, freeing Sahara.
             Daniel fell to the ground. He gasped for air but he couldn't breathe. Sahara and I watched as Daniel's skin turned from his natural brown to an ash gray, then his body crumbled to ashes. He was dead, for good this time.
             "Oh my God." I said, with the stake still in my hand. My body was shaking. "I killed him." 
              People already started heading home, despite there being an hour left in the dance and the principal announcing the alarm was a false alarm. Sahara went to check on everyone else, leaving me alone with Daniel's ashes. I looked at it with complete horror. 
              "He was meant to die." A demonic voice in my ear said. I saw it's shadow on the floor. It was the vampire's shadow. And his voice.
             "Why did you do this to him?" I asked, my voice breaking. "He didn't deserve this."
             "To show you that no matter what you do, no matter how many people you save. the people closest to you will all die anyway, one by one. His life was on your hands. And now his death is on your hands." The vampire said. I gripped the stake and swung behind me to strike the vampire, but by then he was already gone. The girls walked over to me. They noticed the stake I held in my hand, and looked down at the pile of ashes on the ground. 
            Raven opened her mouth and stuttered. "Is that-"
            I nodded. "I'm sorry Raven." 
            Raven dropped to her knees and cried. She held two handfuls of Daniel's ashes in her hands. I couldn't help but to feel guilty. I held back my tears. I didn't deserve to cry. I was the one who killed him. And the worst part was, there was nothing to bury.