Bitter Sweet (23 page)

              “No, it’s not about the decorations. It’s something else.”

              “What then?”

              “How…” I tried to find the words.

              “Stop, I know what you want to ask; it was on my mind up until the time, too,” she said warmly.

              “Really?”

              “You want to know about the bite; it doesn’t hurt. I could actually feel, or I thought I felt, the blood leave my body. It was the strangest sensation really. Breathing became harder and harder as the seconds ticked by, and it’s very disorienting to have a hard time breathing when you know there is enough oxygen around you. I knew Lilith wouldn’t hurt me, but the fear still came. She laid me down and made a cut in her wrist and commanded me to drink. That first drink was indescribable. I couldn’t explain the flavor or texture if I tried. When she moved away from me, everything went black and it felt like my body convulsed. This might be oddly poetic, but it was like death’s cold hands were running over my body, slowly killing me. I don’t know

how else I can really explain death. Luckily, it was very fast as the cold hurt. As soon as the cold stopped spreading, I felt warm again. Everything got sharper and stronger and I was vampire. Lilith told me I had been out for a few days, but it felt like a night’s rest,” she explained, but when she explained how it felt like to die, she held something back. “But, those first few moments were an experience.”

              “Alik made it a joke a long time ago; are your senses painful?”

              “At times. Lilith told me it varies with the strength of the vampire who changes you, and with her being an elder and all…” she shrugged.

              “Oh.”

              “Are you still considering it?”

              “Yes, a little stronger now, all things considered.”

              “Could I give you a little advice?”

              “Of course.”

              “When she bit me, I numbered the days I had left with my friends. I had to give them up for something more. That was a hard decision and I will have to watch them slowly die of old age and be hurt over my disappearance. Of course, you will have Alik to spend your centuries with, but even gaining that, you give up a lot.” Her tone shifted so much when she said that that I could tell her transformation had taken a greater toll on her than she made out.

              “Thank you for telling me what it would be like.”

              “No problem,” she said, returning to her lax self. I then heard a sound, a footstep, many footsteps? I turned towards the doors.

              “What’s going on outside?”

              “It seems the others are arriving,” she said excitedly.

              “You’re right,” Ayara agreed, suddenly next to us.

             
“They always do this,” Ario chimed in. “They do know the staff are off limits, don’t they?”

              “They do,” laughed Lilith. “It was in the invitation.”

              “Next year, we add no scaring the staff,” said Ayara. “I rather keep these humans.”

              “I agree.” They were all in deep red cloaks around us. “Is everything ready, Alison?”

              “Yes,” answered Alison.

              “Very good. Vanessa dear, I would like for you stick close to Alik in the beginning.” Her eyes found the vial around my neck, and she smiled. “Once everyone is here, you should walk around and talk with the others. Many of them don’t talk to humans outside of business and are willing to let their guard down under the safety we provide, so they will be interested in you.”

              “Okay…” I said, not sure if that was a good thing.

              “Don’t worry dear, you will be fine. Alison, once everyone is seated, please bring the glasses out for the opening toast.”

              “They are filled and waiting,” Alison glowed, being on top of everything.

              “Perfect, we will take our places then. I leave the rest to you.” They moved to their chairs.

              “Vanessa, let’s take our seats,” came Alik’s voice as he appeared behind me.

              “You know, this just appearing and disappearing around me thing is a little nerve-racking.”

              He chuckled. “I’m sorry, I forget to act more human with so many of my kind around.”

              He walked me over to a table in the front of the others and we took our seats. I looked around again and there was a new black

cloaked figure at a table in the far back. Then, another black cloak appeared three tables away from ours. I listened for a moment and I heard the swish of wind and low footsteps as more cloaks appeared. Soon, I saw the movement of black shadows all around us taking seats, and quickly half the seats were taken and a few white cloaks took places beside the black ones. There were more humans than I thought there would be, but they were still nothing compared to the number of vampires present. After about ten minutes, the seats were filled and glasses appeared in front of us. Lilith stood and the rest of the room followed suit, raising their glasses.

              “Firstly, I would invite up our guest who wish to take a leap of faith”, spoke Lilith and several white cloaks stood and walked to the dance floor to stand before the Elders. “I am your donor and pledge myself to you if you are the one to hold my chosen vial.” I felt Lilith’s eyes flick to me for an instant and Alik’s grip on my hand flexed. “I will take you into my own, teach you our ways, and show you true power.  So I ask again would anyone else like to come forward?” she asked one last time, no one moved, a few even shrank back behind their vampire masters. “Very well, take the leap.”

              The room was silent when the vials were pulled from their hiding spots beneath cloaks and shirts. Everyone pulled their hoods over their heads.

              “Why did they put the hoods up?” I asked in a whisper.

              “To shade the blood in the off chance that it is vampire blood in the vial, only the lack of oxygen in the vial is keeping them from bursting into flame,” explained Alik. “Most of them know they aren’t holding vampire blood, but the leap has come to show fearlessness and strength in a human to some vampire, many who take the leap will be vampire in the next few weeks even if it is not with Elder blood.”

              One of the men drank the blood and coughed, spilling blood all down his cloak, while the other nine stood, some less sure footed than before others fighting to keep a look of pride on their face.

              “You may be seated,” smiled Lilith and the humans left the dance floor and sat. Various black cloaks were watching the humans make their way back to their seats. “Each of you is descendant of us

and it warms us that you answer our call,” Liltih said, addressing the vampire in the room. “Of course, we three all come from our mother and your mother Aaliyah, and it is on the night of her creation and incarceration that we gather. It is Aaliyah who has given us our longevity and power. Over the year since we have come together last, we have lost others due to our own ambitions and greed; I see Lycuian among eighteen others are not here, most replaced by new faces, some missing still in the midst of selecting a leader.” A few tables away, a vampire chuckled under his hood. “It is on this note that I implore you to cease the fighting among our own kind; you are the leaders of our race and therefore must set an example for the young ones who have just joined us.” She looked over at Alison, who smiled. “And those who will soon join us.” her eyes move to meet mine again. “It is at times like this where we all gather under peaceful terms that gives me hope for the year to come. Please use this night to make new kinships and friendships, become reacquainted with old and ancient friends, and enjoy yourselves. In Aaliyah's name I welcome you all.” The rest of the guests chimed “In Aaliyah's name we greet you” back. I looked at my glass and it smelled sweet.

              “Don’t worry, yours is only cherry juice,” whispered Alik and we all drank.

              Then three cloaks moved: one sat at a piano that had been moved to a corner of the room while the others held a violin and a flute. A slow melody started to play and vampire and humans alike began to remove their hoods. Some humans I recognized: there were young up-and-coming political figures from the US Senate and Congress as well as some foreign diplomats and businessmen who had been in the news lately over some secret illegal transactions that they seem to have shared. Alik took my hand and introduced me to a few vampire: there was an Italian vampire who was nearly 900 years old who seemed a little twitchy, and the pair of African vampire who stayed in their room for the first few days turned out to be remarkably friendly and kind. As Alik moved me around the room, Alisa’s words came back to me; many female vampire would follow us with their eyes and looks that showed something other than happiness were on their faces. There was also a very young boy who looked like he was no more than 13 or 14 when he was changed from England named

Jeremy who was very engaging and talkative. Somehow, he had taken my hand and gotten me away from Alik, introducing me as Alik’s wife to some of his friends. The whole thing seemed nothing more than a large dinner party without the actual dinner. It had been about three hours since the start of the gathering and I was sitting next to the piano as its player, a vampire by the name of Lasatt, played a melody for Jeremy while he slept on my lap.

              I learned that that vampire can sort of hibernate for long periods of time if the monotony of life becomes too great, but once they awake, it is hard for them to stay that way for a while. Lasatt laughed as Jeremy curled into a ball next to me, saying, “death just doesn’t want to let Jeremy go.” Jeremy had apparently become bored with the world after a few centuries and was asleep for 50 years up until six months ago.

              Many of the vampire had begun to waltz to the slow melody Lasatt was playing for Jeremy. It was one of the strangest things I had ever seen. For the most part, it was no different than a human waltz and then there would be a blurred movement and then their movements would go back to being slow and graceful. One couple seemed to dance so gracefully that all eyes were soon drawn to them as they moved around the floor. Everyone stopped their conversations and turned; the only sound was that of the music of Lasatt’s piano. Lasatt then changed the tone of the music from a slow sweet melody to a dramatic torrent of sound. The male had his hood off, but the female’s face was covered in darkness. As their movements shifted with Lasatt’s playing, they seemed to be engrossed in the music. Just as the sounds reached its peak, they suddenly stopped their dancing, and with them, Lasatt stopped playing. The air in the room became icy and Jeremy woke up, staring at the couple that just stood in the center of the floor looking at each other. The male looked down at his dance partner, his eyes widened in fear; he tried to back away, but she kept with him as if they were still dancing. He then attacked her and she gracefully moved around his attack with out having ever moved still facing him. He seemed ready to run, but was frozen with fear as the female raised her hand. He began to choke on a thin black smoke that was slowly leaking from his eyes, nose, and mouth.

              Alik appeared at my side, placing a protective hand on my shoulder, ready to get me out of the room if need be. The vampire fell to his knees, and as the last of the smoke came out of his body, he fell

to the ground and didn’t move, his eyes still wide open and unblinking. The black cloud that now hovered over the dance floor began to swirl and a ghostly moan filled the space as the smoke spiraled downwards until it formed a tiny black ball that was no larger than a marble in the palm of the female. She raised it up to the light; she seemed to be examining it. She then lowered her hand and it was left hovering in mid-air before it began to circle her head so fast that it formed a black halo. The Elders acted and surrounded her; Lilith had a blade at her throat while Ayara and Ario were both in position to break her arms and legs.

              “Lilith,” spoke the female vampire in a rich and beautifully accented English with a chilling yet musical voice. “Do you intend to kill your mother?” asked the female vampire as she slowly reached up and removed her hood. Immediately, the Elders backed away. Ario and Ayara fell to their knees, heads touching the floor. Lilith bent into the deepest bow possible before her. This new vampire was beyond beauty, she had copper skin and green eyes shaded in golden brown hair that seemed to radiate light. Two thin streaks of red steamed from her eyes, marring her angelic face. She wiped away tracks of blood with a long slender finger, licking the blood from her fingertips. “I forgot that could happen,” she said, more to herself. Then she looked at the Elders. “What is the matter, my children? Does the sight of your mother scare you after all these millennia?”