So, after the dinner outburst, they apparently cast me aside in favour of a kid crying out for attention. Not that Tino was crying for attention in the negative way, but they perceived him behaving as such. The family is steadfast on keeping to the 'vampires are evil and must be destroyed' view anything contrary is blasphemy. While sitting on the toilet, I could hear them not making the situation any better. How was telling Tino his views are wrong and to apologize for saying positive things about vampires the way to settle it?
And then it hit me: Why didn't I try this from the beginning? The moment I arrived I could've hypnotized Mr. Velasquez, erm, Antonio, into believing I wasn't a vampire, but one of them. Sure, vampire hunters had the strength and the senses to match us. What never crossed my mind was whether their minds were as easy to trick as other human beings. It somewhat worked with Tino, but he hadn't awakened as a hunter yet.
After leaving the bathroom, I walked upstairs to where the family was kneeling outside Tino's room and they appeared to be praying. Well, they were holding hands and muttering something in Spanish, but at least the yelling and screaming died down.
"Hi, I don't mean to interrupt or interfere with anything, but I feel I should apologize for something."
The muttering stopped, and they focused their attention on me. "No, you shouldn't," Louisa said. "Our son has this obsession with vampires and it goes against our religious beliefs to take interest in the occult."
Says the family of vampire hunters. I mean, they're practically obsessed with us, but unlike the fanboys and girls who want to become one, they're more obsessed in finding out how to kill one. "He said you invited me because you suspect I'm a vampire. I should tell you the reason I may be one."
"Is there?" Louisa asked as all four of them positioned themselves against a piece of furniture, preparing to use whatever decorative objects in the hallway as a weapon.
At that point it could have gone one of two ways. I hypnotize all of them and they take my word, or they don't fall under my influence and kill me on the spot. Was I prepared to take them on? Yes, but hunters are genetically programmed to keep up with someone like me, so I was also at a disadvantage. Then again, mass hypnosis wasn't my thing and who knew how long they would buy my story. "I'm a vampire hunter and know you are too. My, um, my team has been working on an experimental pheromone that tricks vampires. The thing is, it also tricks hunters too, so we're not ready to share this with others yet."
There was chatter between the four, especially between Antonio and Louisa. After their brief discussion, Antonio asked, "How did you know that we were vampire hunters?"
Because Tino mentioned it to me and Carmen. That answer would get him in bigger trouble if I had blurted it out. As I stuttered, Draven briefly appeared. While floating into my field of vision, he said, "They took down a very powerful clan leader from Mexico named Carlos Santana."
I wanted to say something to him, but it would've made the situation worse. And why was he there after I shooed him away? I figured as much ectobrains never left my side. Returning my attention to the Velasquez, I said, "I've heard the story about how you vanquished Carlos Santana. While I would've turned him in to the authorities for human trafficking, lopping off his head was just as effective." I smiled innocently, hoping that it would reach them, but they chattered some more. I glanced over their heads to check if Draven was still there, but he vanished on me. Since the chatter wasn't going anywhere, I added on, "Look, I used to be defiant too. I have had my sympathies for vampires. The way you're going on about this won't reach him. If you let me—if you let me talk with him, he'll be willing to understand."
The chatter stopped and Antonio finally said, "We'll let you knock sense into him. And you better."
"As long as you listen to what he has to say before you break his spirit even further. He may be young, but he's quite good at karate." I knocked on the door then said, "Tino, it's Lena. I understand what you're going through. Maybe you'll loosen up if you talk to me?"
A few seconds later, the door unlocked and Tino let me in. The minute I entered, he immediately closed and locked it again. I scanned the room and he had constructed a fortress from his bed sheets and pillows. I'd have done the same thing if I felt threatened.
"Okay, do you have a pencil?"
Tino pointed to a mesh cup on a desk. I took a pencil, headed to the door and wrote on it 'wall of silence' in my best Ottoman Turkish. No way was I going to whisper to Tino, nor did I want his family listening to what I have to say to him. After drawing symbols around what I had wrote, they glowed briefly, and the barrier activated. A few words in my normal speaking voice and I was certain the spell was done correctly.
"I so want to learn how–that's so cool!" He was definitely impressed.
"You'll need a better teacher than me if you want to learn spell casting. It's not easy unless you're naturally born with the ability to do so. Anyway, I have no idea how long this barrier will stay up, so if you got to vent, then vent it at me."
He walked over to his fortress and sat on what appeared to be the edge of his bed. I followed suit and sat next to him. "You said you're a hunter too, right?"
"In some ways I am." I didn't want to lie to the boy, but I had to keep up the illusion.
"Do you still believe not all vampires are evil? That good ones are out there?"
"As a matter of fact, I do. My family isn't so much as hard on them as yours. We've worked together, taking powerful clan leaders or aiding them in rivalries. It's how we put in power those that won't cause harm or havoc."
"Mama, papa and the rest of my family don't see it that way. Vampires are an abomination and you know those stories about God and abominations."
"Biblical ones?"
"I'm going for more Hollywood and the movies made by my church. If Jesus were a vampire, we wouldn't be warped by this religious thinking. Jesus Compadros, that is."
Jesus Compadros. Vampire hunter and religious zealot to boot. He had the name of a greedy evangelical who would rather renovate his mansion than fund an orphanage. Then again, it was the first time I've heard of him. He perhaps was a regular at their church who held great influence, even more than their pastor.
"You still want to dress as a vampire for Hallowe'en, right?"
"Well, I'm not so sure now. Chances are they'll shut me down again."
"Tino I–" I hesitated placing a hand on his shoulder, but I probably still had a little of Carmen left in me. So I did. I put my hand on his shoulder and continued, "You have a great costume in mind and you shouldn't give up. You can use your family's way of thinking to get them to understand you."
"How? How do I make them listen?"
"They'll listen because I told them to. Also, your vampire costume is a great disguise. It's not as painful as, well, getting injected with pheromones and whatever. This way, you can get up close and learn about what makes them tick. You know, their strengths and weaknesses. As the saying goes, knowledge is strength."
"I think the saying is knowledge is power."
"That too. Now does any of this help?"
Tino took his time soaking in the information. At the same time, the barrier I put up was deactivating as the Spanish chatter grew louder. To no surprise, the chatter sounded an awful lot like praying. The pencil markings I scribbled on the door were fading away too. Just as the last bits of barrier spell faded away, he hopped to his feet and opened the door.
The family stopped praying and turned their attention to the kid. He looked at each of them, took a deep breath and said, "I ask forgiveness for my behaviour earlier, but please, let me explain." He continued the rest in Spanish, inserting English words here and there. "It's Hallowe'en. There are going to be vampires out there, and hard to find because of it."
I turned my attention to Antonio and a huge grin emerged. "Mi hijo! Realmente es mi hijo!" He crouched down and gave him a hug. The others joined in as well.
"I can help you with your costume," Gabi suggested. "Jovi and I can sew things for you."
Then the tone changed. Apparently 'Jovi' and 'sew' weren't supposed to be in the same sentence.
"What? It's a useful skill," Jovi commented.
And after a mutual agreement,they resumed their group hug. I had my work done for the evening.
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But Lena, don't you have a party to help out with? I doubt Lena's excuse of there being an experimental pheromone that makes hunters blend in with vampires real, but it'll get these hunters vampires off their minds for some time. Speaking of covering one's ass, what was one situation you made that someone bought?
I didn't ask for someone to verify the Spanish in this so if someone can corrected it before I can, that's awesome!
And the next part will conclude Episode 8. If you enjoy what you've read so far you know the drill! Same if you think there are parts that need improvement.
Song featured: "Tribal Connection" by Gogol Bordello
Edit: 02/22/2021