ReVamped Page 3

  When I failed to respond, he laughed again, his eyes twinkling teasingly. “What can I getcha?” he asked, pointing to the notepad and pen in his hand.

  “Oh, uhh, nothing. Can I just sit here for a bit?” At this point, I not only felt like a dork, but I was sure that I officially sounded like one too.

  I should’ve just ordered water or something, I thought, chastising myself for allowing the cute bartender’s smile to have such a powerful effect on me.

  “Water!” I quickly blurted out. What in the world was wrong with me? I wondered. I’d never acted like this around anyone before. But, I’d also never met anyone like this before, I argued with my own mind.

  At that moment, I became aware that I was gaping directly at the bartender. He gazed back at me, an expression of fascination on his face. I was the first to break our staring contest, looking down at the electronic device in front of me and rapidly sobering up.

  Cute guy or not, I had to get back to my assignment.

  “You have the most beautiful eyes,” he suddenly said, once again, making me feel thankful for not being able to blush.

  “Thank you,” I said, catching myself before adding on, “you too”.

  “I’ve never seen such unusual eyes.” This time, it was he who blushed. “Uhh, sorry. Your water will be right out. Do you want anything to eat?”

  I wondered if he could tell I was a vampire. Vampires could easily distinguish other vampires from humans, but identifying vampires was more difficult for humans. Yes, vampires had fangs, but those only came out voluntarily, and aside from being cooler to the touch, vampires and humans looked physically identical. Many love-struck humans and some vain vampires swore that all vampires were much better looking than humans; though I personally believed that vampire attractiveness had a lot to do with the fact that most lived for very long periods of time and had learned to fake confidence over the years. In this particular moment, I cursed myself for not being one of those old, wise vamps.

  I looked up at him and shook my head. “No, thank you.”

  “Okay, just let me know if you change your mind,” he grinned. “Our regular cook is off until the evening dinner rush, but I can fry some mean fries. Or anything else you wish.” I couldn’t tell if that was simply an innocent proposal of a cheeseburger or if he was expecting me to ask for a pint of blood. “The name’s Ethan by the way,” he said casually as he disappeared behind the bar.

  I planned to spend the next half hour finally getting down to work, but before I had a chance to open the first file, the red-haired waitress approached my booth.

  “Hi!” she exclaimed much too loudly and much too enthusiastically for my liking. “What’s your name? What brings you to Angel Creek? Are you visiting someone?”

  Before I could even respond—I hadn’t yet decided if I wanted to go with a cover story about my mission to make things a little more exciting for myself, or simply state the facts since there wasn’t anything actually covert about what I was doing in town—the girl continued rambling on.

  Her name was Hannah Johnson, she was eighteen years old, she was born and raised in Angel Creek, she had a little sister named Margaret, she worked at the diner as a waitress to save up for her ailing mother’s medical expenses, she was planning on going to college next year to become a vet—did she mention she loved animals? She was a Capricorn…

  Thankfully, Ethan came by with my water and, for a brief moment, his presence interrupted Hannah’s verbal-diarrhea. She sighed longingly, studying his muscular arm as he set the tall glass of liquid on the table. He nodded at her and gave me a warm smile. When he turned to leave, Hannah looked at me, her large blue eyes full of longing.

  “Isn’t he gorgeous?” she asked, once again not actually allowing time for me to provide an answer. “His name is Ethan, he just moved here less than a week ago, he’s twenty-two years-old, he’s a Leo, he’s single—I checked. Isn’t he so dreamy? Did you hear that voice? Mmm…” She closed her eyes and smiled, tiny freckles dancing across her cheeks and nose.

  Though I wouldn’t have minded spending the afternoon listening to Hannah talk about Ethan, I had a job to do. I needed to gather the four vampire recruits and commence their training. I politely excused myself, left a tip for Ethan, and rushed out.

  By the time I exited the diner, the rain had ceased, though the clouds looked even more menacing. A strong gust of wind tormented the leaves and branches of the trees, forcefully attempting to rip away the Angel Creek banner from its secure place atop the pedestrian bridge. The weather had little effect on my body temperature, but on such an unusually cool summer day, I felt comfort in having thrown on a light jacket over my usual attire of a black tank-top, dark jeans and combat boots.

  Back in the car, I turned on the tablet and entered in the password that my father had given me. The first recruit’s file appeared on the screen, revealing a photo of a young blonde in a blue-and-white cheerleading uniform. The word Angels was printed across her chest, the polyester fabric of the top stretching out the letters as it clung to her curves. Her dark blue eyes were caked in bright make-up, her straight, shoulder-length hair bleached so pale it was almost white. Layers upon layers of glowing orange self-tanner hid all visible traces of her vampirdom.

  “Brooke Mason. Seventeen. Turned in 1960. Spent the past fifty years competing for cheer captain spots on various high school squads throughout the US,” the information printed in the document read.

  Wow, fifty years of nothing but pep? Who in their right mind would want to do something like that? I wondered as I put away the tablet.

  My question was answered the moment I pulled into the parking lot of Angel Creek High. Brooke was loitering under the football field bleachers, twirling her short cheerleading skirt around as she called out to the players on the field. She beckoned to them with a pair of bright silver pompoms and, at once, the entire team formed a line under the bleachers. I approached, watching in disgust as Brooke leaned in, kissed one of the players on the lips, bit his neck, drained some blood, then sent him on his way. She repeated this with the next boy, and the one after that, until only a few remained.

  “That explains it,” I muttered under my breath in response to my earlier question. I rapidly made my way across the field, reaching the bleachers just as Brooke was about to sink her teeth into the big, burly team captain. I put a firm hand on her shoulder, stopping her mid-bite.

  “Give us a minute, boys,” I ordered sternly.

  Brooke looked up at me and frowned. “Go away,” she grumbled, shooting the players an apologetic smile.

  “Come to join in the fun?” The captain winked at me, licking his lips. “There’s plenty to go around.”

  I stood my ground, ignoring the lewd stares and obscene whistles emanating from the team. “I’m not going to ask again. Move it!”

  Intimidated, the football players scattered away.

  “Ugh! What’s your problem?” Brooke whined, annoyed. “Can’t a girl have some fun?”

  She stepped back, narrowing her eyes as she looked me up and down. “Are you new?” Her tone was cold and suspicious. “I’ll have you know there’s only one Prom Queen spot in this school, and this year, the crown is finally going to be mine!” She bared her pearly white fangs at me.

  I took a deep breath, fighting the urge to extend my own sharp fangs in her direction. “I can assure you that I have no interest in your high school drama, Brooke,” I said instead. “I’m here because you’ve been summoned by the Vampire President to become one of the official guardians of the town of Angel Creek”.

  This information caused Brooke to break out into a high-pitched squeal. “No way! Does that mean that I finally get to join the Fab Five? Those guys are so hot! And the girls are so pretty and oh so very catty. I’ll fit in perfectly! Ahh! I’ve always wanted to be one of them.” She threw her arms around my neck and pulled me into a tight hug. “This is way better than prom!”

  “Whoa, okay.” I carefully peeled her arms
away, taking a step back. “No, you’re not joining the Fab Five. That group has been dissolved. You’re forming a new group.”

  “A new group? This just keeps getting better! Can I be the captain? Ohmigod!” Brooke squealed again. This time, the shriek was even more deafening.

  I reluctantly joined in Brooke’s cheers, reminding myself that I had to treat my trainees with patience and respect. The better I did on this mission, the more I increased my chances of impressing my father and being sent on more exciting assignments in the future. “Now follow me. We have to gather the others.”

  Back in the car, I fired up the tablet again, flipping quickly to the next file. A photo of a short, thin girl with a smooth, dark complexion appeared on the screen. Her raven-black hair was gathered at the top of her head in a tight bun, and her face wore a timid, almost fearful, expression. Large, round glasses framed her chocolate brown eyes, the buttons of her plain, gray dress fastened all the way to her chin. The picture was recent, taken with a modern camera, but the small girl looked as if she belonged to a different era.

  “Sophie Reed. Eighteen. Turned in 1918. Librarian at the Angel Creek Public Library,” I read under my breath.

  Brooke forced her way across the partition between our seats and peered over my shoulder. “Her? Are you serious?” she asked, her wispy blond locks brushing against my cheek. “Sad Sophie? You know she’s, like, really weird and a total bookworm. She mopes around the library all the time and never leaves.”

  I should’ve saved Brooke for last, I thought as I shot her a strained smile. “Let’s go get Sophie.”

  It was well after twelve o’clock by the time Brooke and I reached the library. The broad double doors were now wide open, revealing rows upon rows of colorful titles. The moment we stepped inside we were enveloped in a musty scent of old paper and dark ink. For a brief moment, I was transported back to the Scarlet House library; a place where I had spent much of my childhood sprawled across the plush red carpet, surrounded by my father’s ancient texts. I loved running my fingers along the brittle pages of the books, watching dust particles escape from the paper and float about the room. They always found their way to the rays of sunshine streaming in through the windows, forever disappearing into the light.

  Sophie sat hunched over the librarian’s desk, her small, round face nearly swallowed up by the book in front of her. She looked precisely as she had in the picture, only even frailer. The heavy oak table she was sitting at seemed as it was fashioned for a giant.

  “This is a bad idea,” Brooke whispered loudly, pulling on my arm to prevent me from approaching Sophie. “Why would you allow such a nerd in the group? I don’t wanna be seen around town with a geek.”

  I held my finger to my lips. “Shush, Brooke! This is a library.”

  I walked over to Sophie’s desk, quietly settling into a nearby chair. Her body twitched slightly, but she didn’t glance up from the book. Brooke reluctantly joined us, loudly dragging her tennis shoes across the library carpet.

  “Hi Sophie,” I said gently.

  Sophie looked up, briefly glancing at me through her dark lashes, then dug her nose even further into the book.

  “My name is Dawn,” I said, trying to meet her gaze. “I’m here to summon you on an important mission. You have been chosen to join a group of vampires in charge of guarding Angel Creek.”

  Sophie looked up abruptly, her dark eyes widening in fear. “Vampires?” she asked, her voice quivering.

  “Yes, vampires,” I stammered. “You are aware that you’re a vampire, right?”

  She smiled bashfully. “Well, yes. But I don’t know much about being a vampire. Everything I know about our kind comes from reading books.”

  Brooke rolled her eyes. “Wow, pathetic. How do you feed?”

  “Oh, uhh, Peter…” Sophie trailed off, nervously waving at a young man cataloguing books nearby. His face lit up at the attention as he stumbled forward, sending a pile of heavy encyclopedias tumbling to the floor.

  “Yuck!” Brooke exclaimed, a disgusted look crossing her face. “Nerd feeding on nerds. So ick.”

  I rubbed my temples. It was going to be a long day.

  “Don’t worry. I’ll teach you all about being a vampire,” I promised Sophie with a warm smile, all the while struggling to drown out Brooke’s incessant whining. “We have two more rounds to make. Let’s go.”

  I took Sophie’s hand into mine, tenderly pulling her up and out of her seat in one easy move. She resisted at first, as if unsure if she should follow me.

  “You’re going to be great,” I whispered, as Sophie gave in. With my other hand, I grabbed Brooke’s cheerleading sweater and led the two girls through the library door.

  Once outside, I turned my attention to the tablet again. This time, the file showed a picture of a sullen, sickly-looking male vampire.

  “Hunter Woods. Twenty-one. Turned in 1983. Former lead singer of the punk band, Blood Vultures,” I read.

  “Alcoholic. Drug Addict.” Great.

  Sophie gasped. “Can vampires be like that?” she asked timidly.

  “You mean drunks and junkies?” Brooke snorted. “Of course. There’s plenty of booze-flavored blood in stores and bars nowadays, and he can always drink the blood of druggies in order to get high. So gross!”

  Sophie’s jaw dropped.

  “It’s really too bad, because he’s kinda hot.” Brooke sighed wistfully.

  After a few minutes of searching around town, we spotted Hunter. He was leaning against the wall of the diner I had visited earlier in the day, sporting torn denim jeans and a stained t-shirt with some obscure eighties band logo printed on it. His long, light brown hair was streaked in electric green and blue colors, dyed bright red at the tips, and his jade green eyes had a worrisome reddish tint to them.

  Hunter didn’t take notice as we neared; he was too busy gulping down on a substance inside a brown paper bag. Even from a distance, the stench of alcohol was overpowering.

  Trying my best not to look unnerved, I put on a cheerful smile and raised my hand in greeting. “Hunter, you have been summoned by the Vampire President to take on the role of the Angel Creek guardian.”

  He flinched at the sound of my voice, his eyes darting wildly from me, to Brooke, to Sophie, and then back to me.

  “I guess those pretty boys must’ve done something wrong if they need my help,” he said, taking another swig of the mystery liquid.

  “Those pretty boys—I assume that you’re speaking of the Fab Five,” I began, cringing at the nickname, “are no longer with us,” I explained as Hunter downed the last drop of the foul-smelling drink.

  Taking Hunter with us to meet with the fourth recruit would be counterproductive, I realized. He needed some time to collect himself—and hopefully brush his teeth—before the group assembled for our first meeting.

  “Sober up, clean up and come to this address in two hours.” I handed him a card inscribed with directions to a covert location on the outskirts of town.

  My father had secured a small, secluded cottage located deep in the Angel Creek forest for the team to reside in while undergoing training. “It’s very private. None of the Angel Creek residents even know about it. It will be equipped with all the tools you’ll need upon your arrival,” he had assured me.

  As Hunter searched through his backpack for another bottle, I checked the tablet for the last target of the day. A photo of a plump, black-haired teen holding a video game console filled the screen.

  “Seth Lee. Sixteen. Junior at Angel Creek High. 2015 Role-Playing Game Olympic Champion. Turned two weeks ago by—” I shot Brooke a startled look. “Brooke Mason?”

  “It was an accident!” she exclaimed, throwing her hands up in the air.

  Hunter laughed.

  “He was like the nerdiest kid at school and I thought I would tease him a little, show him a good time, you know? So I bit him. I just forgot to stop and after a while he was kinda dying. Then, I was, like, ohmigod what should I do?
That’s so not cool. So I turned him because I figured that he should at least graduate from high school. But then I realized he wouldn’t because he’s well, dead—duh! So, like—”

  I put out my hand to quiet her. “Please stop!” I begged, my mind racing. I couldn’t believe the council had let Brooke get away unscathed after she took it upon herself to turn an innocent human. My father, despite his intimidating demeanor, had always had trouble enforcing this particular law. Though he wouldn’t admit it, I was certain it had something to do with the fact that he himself had been once turned by my mother.

  “Where is Seth now?” I asked.

  Brooke avoided my glare. “Well…”

  “Brooke!”

  “He kinda didn’t take the whole vampire thing very well. He’s holed up in his parents’ basement, playing video games and crying. He’s hung up tons of garlic all over his place, so I can’t even go over there and help him,” she said, pouting.

  Sophie shot her a questioning look. ”Vampires aren’t bothered by garlic. You must know that,” she said in her quiet, quivering voice.

  “Oh, I know.” Brooke sighed. “I just didn’t want to smell bad. I only eat garlic in vitamin form. Duh!”

  “Of course you do,” I grumbled. The training hadn’t even started yet and I was already exhausted.

  “Let’s just go get Seth—” I began, then experiencing a sudden change of heart, handed the girls the same directions I had given Hunter just moments before. “You two should head to the meeting place while I talk to Seth. I have a feeling that, despite your short skirt, he’s not going to be very happy to see you, Brooke.”

  “Fine,” Brooke agreed. She blew a kiss to Hunter as she turned to leave.

  Sophie’s eyes widened at the realization that she would have to be alone with Brooke. Despite her panic, she obeyed my request. “See you later,” she said, giving me a small wave.

  I watched the girls disappear down the street, then turned back to Hunter. Just as I was about to tell him to get going, Hannah rushed out of the diner.

  “Hunter! You can’t loiter around here. You know that!” She clapped her hands in delight when she spotted me. “Oh, hey, Dawn! Are you back for another chat?” she asked eagerly.