Seaside, California October 24, 2012
Seana
EVER since I decided to keep a tight leash on my progeny, she has been resisting at every possible turn. Isabel was more than I could expect, she thrived in her newfound immortality, yet she was at times careless in her doings.
Though I didn't mind as long as she was discreet. I didn't need my uncle or his hybrid spawn breathing down our necks. But with those two despicable men that she turned weeks ago have caused me to contemplate if I should have even turned her at all.
I eyed Isabel with scrutiny as I saw her come through the doorway to my house. It was a modest place but nothing too showy. It was quite a ways out of the town's limits with forest all around us. We didn't need to draw unnecessary attention.
But here I was inviting it with my wayward progeny who was covered from head to toe in someone's blood.
I have told her repeatedly to watch who she killed or who she randomly turned. I did not know about those two men. But those were apparently the only ones.
So she has told me.
"Where have you been?" I asked, my tone laced with venom.
"Oh you know," Isabel murmured and licked her blood-stained lips. "Just having a grand old time."
I narrowed my eyes into slits when the scent of someone's blood caught my attention.
I sped in front of her and gripped her by the hair, causing her to yelp. "What did I tell you about being reckless? I told you to stop your obsession with that boy!"
"I don't care what you told that bitch, I can do whatever I want with him!" Isabel cried out.
"When I make a deal with someone, I intend to keep my promises, Isabel," I whispered in her ear, dropping her onto the ground. "But by the looks of you, I see my word means nothing."
Isabel just gave a pout and got back up onto her feet. "You didn't break your promise to them. It was I that did it, so what?"
"Where is the Kaiser boy?" I hissed.
While I could care less about his life, I needed to make sure he wouldn't be found. What retaliation I could expect from Ms. Rezza; I would deal with that when the time came.
"Oh, he is resting in the trunk of the car," Isabel giggled.
"Resting?" I questioned. "You mean to tell me you didn't kill him? Isabel, you are covered head to toe in his blood."
"Well I mean I did kill him, but I decided I wanted him to be with us forever!" Isabel cheered dementedly.
My face became completely blank as she sped out the door. After Isabel ran out, I noticed Maggie walk into the room in a daze.
Finally, she had awakened from her slumber. Unlike Isabel who embraced becoming what she was, Maggie was the opposite.
The girl hadn't even flipped her humanity off. No matter how much coaxing or how much blood was on her hands, she still wouldn't. She wanted to feel miserable.
That would only last so long before it became unbearable. So until then, I had to stick her in the house without her daylight ring. I was tempted to take back Isabel's till she learned some control. But that does take time.
And sometimes people never learn self-control. You may be able to withstand feeding, but once you start, it is almost impossible to stop. My other darling progeny had that problem. But now Scott lived so close to humans he was just asking for trouble.
"What is she up to now?" Maggie asked sheepishly, she stayed in the shadows of the room.
I should have closed those damn curtains.
"What is she not up to my dear?" I sighed. Before I sped off after her, Isabel came tumbling back in, carrying an unresponsive Brandon in her arms.
"Isabel what have you done?!" Maggie yelped as Isabel dumped him onto the living room floor. His throat was covered in his blood.
"Well, I heard he was going to the dance with that bitch I can't stand. I couldn't have that happening, so I decided why not make him like us?!" Isabel exclaimed.
"You stupid, insubordinate child," I snarled. "Do you realize the mess you have now caused? I told you no more sirings!"
"Everything will be fine Seana!" Isabel reasoned. "We will teach him how to act like us!"
"No, we will not be teaching him anything. What I am going to do is take him to my infernal uncle and explain what you have done to him," I said through clenched teeth. "You truly do not know the implications we can face Isabel."
"What does your uncle have to do with anything of me turning who I want?" Isabel remarked. "All we need to worry about now is making sure Brandon becomes like us. That is all I want!"
"No!" I shouted. "I told those witches we would not touch him anymore. And now I have to go beg my uncle to keep them from coming after you."
My uncle's words to me that night at the school kept ringing in my mind. If he even found out about this he would kill Isabel regardless of what I may say.
"Let Celesta and Lillian come after me, see if I care," Isabel scoffed and bent down beside Brandon. "I don't need anyone's protection from them."
I pinched the bridge of my nose, trying to formulate a response that would make Isabel see reason.
While I know Isabel could attempt to kill one of them, there would be no doubt in my mind that she would be killed not long after.
"He's moving!" I heard Maggie cry as I snapped my attention to Brandon's now fidgeting form.
"Finally!" Isabel exclaimed and sat on the ground next to him.
I stared silently as Isabel helped him sit up; he appeared to be delirious.
"Where the hell am I?" he asked groggily, attempting to get up but falling over onto his side.
"You're with me now Brandon, everything will be alright once you complete your transition!" Isabel explained as she pulled him back up into a sitting position.
"What?" he gaped and glanced around at his surroundings. "How—" he stopped and clutched the side of his head, his face contorted into pain as memories that he was made to forget started to rush back.
It happened to us all if we were compelled before we became vampires.
"Brandon everything is alright," Isabel coaxed. Seeing that he didn't even acknowledge her, Isabel furrowed her brow. "Look at me!"
He snapped his attention to her, eyes wild. "What the fuck did you do to me?!"
"I turned you Brandon, and tonight we will go to the dance together and complete your transition!" Isabel chirped. "I know the perfect person that we can use!"
I narrowed my eyes at her.
Brandon started to scoot away from her, his face in shock. "You have gone completely insane."
"I may have to say she has," I piped in quietly.
He glanced at me, his eyes widening in fear. "You. You toyed with my brain and made me say things—"
"Yes, I compelled you to give me the information that I needed. Though I do not need to ask what Isabel may have done to you in the interim," I hissed, glaring at Isabel.
"We had fun, didn't we Brandon?" Isabel asked, her tone laced with false sweetness.
"You used me as a human blood bank," Brandon spat. "And the moment you found out I even asked Lily—"
"Don't say her name!" Isabel yelled. "In a few hours when the dance starts, we will go there and put an end to her existence!"
That was it.
In the next second, I sped right behind Isabel and snapped her neck.
"Izzy!" Maggie cried as Isabel slumped to the ground.
Glancing at me with horror, Brandon jumped up onto his feet and edged towards the door.
"Don't even think about leaving, unless you want to die permanently," I warned.
"Permanently?" he questioned. He looked at Isabel's body and then felt his neck where she had drained him earlier that day. "Oh my God, she did kill me."
"Yes, and now you have to choose to live or to die," I added. "If you choose to complete the transition—"
"No," he whispered. He locked eyes with me, "I've seen how it has changed Isabel. I've seen how you are. You turned into monsters. I would rather die than become this, this thing."
"I understand your reasoning. But think this through. Do you seriously want to die?" I retorted.
"Yeah Brandon, think it through," Maggie piped in.
He stared at us in disbelief. "I do not ever want to be something that has to kill to survive. What the fuck kind of life is that?"
"So what if we kill to survive?" I remarked. "We are not alone in that venture. Many species kill to survive. Humans kill. So how are we different Mr. Kaiser?"
"I have never killed someone. You, on the other hand, I can only begin to imagine," Brandon faltered.
"Fine, if you have made your choice then before I snap your neck, do me a favor and tell Ms. Rezza this is your decision," I murmured.
Brandon's face suddenly filled with sadness along with regret. Perhaps now he would not wish to die? But I already knew deep down he wasn't going to transition.
He still had plenty of time to change his mind. Transitioning vampires had almost 48 hours before they would start to die. By that point though after the first day, self-control was gone.
So they would complete it or be killed before they exposed us.
"I need to go see her, I'll go to the dance tonight," Brandon trailed off and gazed out the window.
"Are you sure that is wise? Being around humans is dangerous," I mused. "Just give her a call and I will grant you your death."
"No," Brandon remarked. "You put me in this situation. So you can do a favor for me."
"Oh really now?" I laughed. "And what do you think I would do for you?"
"Well for starters, it will help you keep people off your back would it not?" he reproached. "I'll be in my car outside that Isabel murdered me in."
And without a backward glance, he walked straight out the door.
"W- What are you going to do?" Maggie pried, her eyes darting from Isabel to me.
I glared at her. "I'm going to go clean up Isabel's mess and give that impudent boy a proper send-off."
However, I needed to be sure that my willful progeny was under lock and key. I didn't need her causing more problems tonight.
"Listen to me carefully," I began and picked up Isabel and threw her over my shoulder. "I am locking her in the basement, under no circumstances are you to let her out until I return, do you understand?"
"Why?" Maggie questioned as she followed me down the stairs to where I had a room that would keep her in place.
"Because Maggie," I hissed and threw Isabel in the room and locked her in. "She has fucked up immensely."
I latched the sliding lock across the door and turned the bolt above it. The locks were randomly placed, but they would keep her in. The door itself was made of thick steel. The lock was solid titanium. No vampire could break through that.
Maggie kept looking at the door worryingly. "Alright."
With one more warning glance at her, I sped out.
"SO you want me to do what now again?" I gawked as Brandon drove us over to his home.
"I want you to make them think I left town, I don't plan on coming back after tonight," Brandon went on.
I was flabbergasted at his series of thoughts over the last few minutes. He planned on going to the dance, explaining everything to Ms. Rezza, and just making himself disappear.
I of course had to take care of that as he so kindly asked once I had gotten in the car with him.
He wanted me to compel his parents that he was leaving town for good. Of course, that would make others wonder where he may have gone. But that wasn't what I was worried about. I just wanted to make sure he tells his date that these are his choices.
Once we arrived at his house, we made a plan to get his parents to come to the door to invite me in. Since he was covered in his blood, I needed to act fast before they freaked out at their son's state.
So I just stood there alone as he waited in his car.
Ringing the doorbell, his mother came to the door, looking very confused at seeing some random woman on her porch.
"Hi Mrs. Kaiser," I greeted with false kindness.
"Can I help you?" she asked, bewildered. She glanced at her son's parked car in the driveway. "What—"
I took a step closer to the entrance, getting her to look me dead in the eye.
"Is your husband home?" I asked, compelling her.
"No, he is at work," she replied. She looked taken aback by answering that. "Who are you?"
"A friend of your son's, now could you invite me inside?" I smiled.
"You can come inside," his mother said robotically.
Just as I entered, I heard Brandon's car door slam. I told him to stay inside so his mother wouldn't fucking see him covered in blood.
Thankfully they lived away from neighbors.
Before she could freak out at seeing him, I quickly compelled her to sleep and set her unconscious body on the ground.
"What did you do to her?!" Brandon yelled angrily. He dropped to the ground beside her to check on her.
I just stared at him numbly as he realized that she was just sleeping.
Rolling my eyes, I walked further into the house, assessing it for any other people.
"Listen, get cleaned up and head over to the dance," I muttered. "I'll deal with your parents."
Brandon caressed his mother's face for a few fleeting seconds before he got up from the ground.
"Seana?" he asked, his tone oddly calm. "Thank you for doing this."
I looked at him surprised. "There is no need to thank me, I am only doing this so I can protect myself and my progeny."
Brandon chuckled and nodded. "Sure, you can say that."
And with that, he left to go clean himself up.
While that was going on, I got his mother awake and went into her mind, planting false memories of her son leaving and not worrying about his whereabouts. Deep down I felt something stirring in me, that doing this was wrong.
But the moment it would boil up it fell back down. That barrier between feeling nothing and having an inkling of humanity would surface every once in a while I will admit.
There was no reason to feel anything. Life was better without worry. But as I continued to compel her, I knew damn well I shouldn't have done this.
For someone with no humanity, I knew I was acting like I cared about helping him, even if it was so I could save Isabel. Why I would try and preserve her life I had no idea.
I did not want to give people the impression I had feelings. When I finished compelling Brandon's Mother, I thought of snapping her neck and killing her son just to show I didn't care.
But when Brandon came back into the room cleaned up and with a simple black suit on, I left her there unscathed.
ONCE we got to the school, Brandon hurried off in search of Lillian. We had gone to find his father before the dance. When we did, it had already gotten dark outside.
So now I just waited outside and sat on the hood of his car, mindlessly listening to random bits of conversations as people walked in and out of the dance. The music blared, even to my ears far away it was annoying.
Brandon was supposed to tell her and then leave but it has been well over an hour now. Though he could have all the time he wanted, I didn't mind.
I almost felt moved by his wish to spend time with a former love before his death. It was bittersweet, to say the least.
But an odd feeling shot through me, a sense of something coming towards me. And quickly.
I jumped off the hood and tensed, listening intently to whatever was coming.
When I turned, I saw Maggie materialize out of the darkness. Her blonde hair was a mess, as was her clothing. Her feet were blackened from running here barefooted. Had she gotten into a scuffle?
"Seana, I—" she stopped and started to cry. "I let her out."
"You what?" I hissed. "I told you not to let her out!"
"She was crying and screaming, I had to do something," Maggie explained. "I couldn't just leave her in there!"
I started to pace around rapidly. Glancing at the gymnasium, I wondered if that was why Brandon had not come back. What havoc had Isabel done now? I could only foresee the worst.
"Go back to the house now," I demanded. "When I return with Isabel, neither of you is stepping a foot outside!"
Maggie just nodded and sped back off in the direction she came.
"Damn it!" I snarled to myself.
How did I not notice Isabel even come? I had a direct line of sight to the entrance. I even saw Scott and his friends go in.
But I knew what I needed to do. But getting Isabel out of here without complications was going to require help.
Walking into the gymnasium behind a group of students, I saw Scott standing along the wall with that other delightful witch.
Tonight was going to be splendid.