Читать книгу Soulstice: Luna's Dream - Lance Jr. Dow - Страница 5

“Luna, get up!”

I didn’t hear my sister, Christian, while I was zoning out to the Cons and even if I did, I wouldn’t have responded. I don’t like my zone, my personal space, to be invaded by anybody-- especially, Christian-- and most especially during my “me” time.

Even Lily knows better than to invade my “me” time. I’m not a happy vampire if you do this. You might see some fangs if you mess with my “me” time. I might even “flare” at you if I’m really ticked. Flaring is a fang display with the mouth opened; sometimes combined with hissing. If it’s a “full flare” the lower and upper jaws are extended to their maximum range and saliva injected with venom will be dripping down those fangs. That means “back off” or get ready to fight. A full flare will also be present when we strike a human. It’s our most primitive state.

If it was Skyla that was interrupting me, I’d let it go. That smile of hers is so full of youthful innocence and those sparkly, inquisitive, puppy-like hazel eyes-- she totally melts me. My zone and personal space are always available to her. I love her whimsical, sandy blonde hair. I wish it were mine. I can’t do much with mine. It is what it is.

Skyla, Christian, and my Dad, all have a shade of brown hair and green or hazel eyes. My mother and I are so different from them. Our hair is so black that in the right light it has a bluish sheen. We both have these natural waves. I guess you call them locks or something. They are spiral cords of wavy hair. All we have to do is wash it and it comes out like that. Mom and I both have brown eyes. We look so much alike despite the twenty-three year age difference. Even though my Mom looks like me, her overall presence and style is more like Christian’s.

Christian at seventeen-years of age is a good six inches taller than me, with legs to the sky. Her legs end at a killer butt, which slides into a thin torso, and a chest with a perfect set of boobs. Her very straight posture, with shoulders perfectly squared like a soldier makes her look like a beauty queen on stage. You know that posture they have. Boobs out and a stick up their butts. Well that’s Christian. And in almost every way two people could be different, that’s Christian and me. She is the All-American, girl next door, but can turn on the sexy in the blink of an eye. It’s like a total transformation from antelope to lioness. You add the beautiful shiny brown flowing hair and Christian is like any box office star you see on the red carpet. So not like me. HATE HER!

Christian is my older sister, so the tension is thick between us. Vampire families are just like human families. Parents are always stricter with the first born, and that resentment results in a psychological rain down of, “You’re going through what I went through and you are not getting away with any less pain than me girl!”

At the end of the day I know she’s there for me and if I really needed her-- she’d step up. Believe me, she’s one kick-butt vampire.

I’m actually faster than Christian now, but she is so sleek and graceful in her running that her long strides are deceiving as to the ground she’s covering. It’s beautiful to watch. And when she makes her explosive launch towards a victim or just jumping for any reason, it is so mesmerizing to watch. It’s not like any other vampire I’ve ever seen. It’s like she’s floating and the landscape is magically moving past her. I’m jealous because my legs are shorter, but they do move. I’m also getting there with my leaps. I can’t see myself, but I think I’m getting pretty close to Christian.

I’ve never fought with Christian in the physical-sense save the occasional fang display hissy fit. I’ve seen her fight other vampires though and she’s like a snake. Striking. Recoiling… then striking again. She uses those long legs for stinging leg kicks. She doesn’t back away from a fight despite her beauty queen exterior.

I do however back away. I don’t like conflict or drama even though drama seems to find me a lot of the time. Family conflict and drama and BFF stuff I’ll engage in but that is not the real world. In the real world I’m a total bunny rabbit. Where it comes from I don’t know. I guess I’m just insecure about everything. My looks… my body-- everything. So it’s easier just to withdraw as much as possible from the real world-- and I’m an expert at that.

To limit the drama in my life I only have one single solitary friend-- Lily Burgoyne. She’s the only one that understands me. I hope she continues to as we change now that we are officially adults. We both recently turned fifteen; the vampire age of young adulthood. The biological clock is already clicking. Yuck! I’ve got to worry about that already? When does life get easier?

I don’t think Christian’s stronger than me anymore. But then again, I’ve never fought her. That would be a no, no. She’s already an Elder, so I’d be in trouble if I did. Elders have a lot of sway over our lives even if they are just a year or two older. A vampire can be an Elder at age seventeen, if they’ve gone before an Elder tribunal, and proven they are worthy of the status. I think Christian simply pranced in front of the tribunal, smiled, and they made her an Elder. This all leads to my most perplexing question in life. Why is she with Alexander Morgan?

Like I said, I’m faster than Christian now. Score one for Luna! How do I know? I raced her several months ago and won. I cleaned her clock by a mile. She didn’t talk to me for a week. Maybe I should race her every week and then I wouldn’t have to talk to her at all! I gained more respect from her but she showed it by treating me like dirt. That’s how I knew deep down she respected me.

Very odd the older-younger sister dynamic. Not as odd as the puberty-age-driven relationship between parents and child though. That’s another book by itself. They know what they want you to be, but they’ve forgotten who they used to be at our age. Their inner-conflict becomes our inner-conflict. Can’t they just leave us alone and understand we’ll eventually find our way to where they are? No… they can’t!

When I and the rest of the family have our game-faces on, look out, we’re locked on and there is no escape. You can be in a car going fifty miles-per-hour with the windows down, or have the top down on your convertible and it doesn’t matter. Six stories up in an apartment in a secured building-- you’re not safe from us.

Christian exudes zero emotion when she attacks and feeds. She’s like a momma cheetah. She’s got a job to do and she’s doing it. The rest of us in the family are more into the emotional aspects of it all. It’s an emotional experience taking a human and feeding on them.

Skyla’s like a crazed Pekinese. Young vampires (until around ten years of age) are like a young anything-- totally out of control! Skyla is so cute. She’s my little lovely. When I see her feeding, I feel a tug, at my heart. She takes these little pauses and licks her lips. Then back at it. She and I are so close. I love to snuggle with her and have a lull with her next to me. I usually come out of the lull first and she always looks so angelic. Like a wee vamp angel. I thank God so much my parents didn’t stop with me. Skyla, is my gift in this world. No matter how confused, or filled with angst, or in a funk I am, she brings me out of it-- even if Lily can’t, Skyla always can.

I guess if I was put to the test I would die for any of my family-- but for Skyla; I would gladly die for her without a moment of hesitation. If it meant saving her from harm, or death by the hands of another, even a vampire, I would tear them apart if need be. I would kill them.

Killing another vampire for almost any reason is against the code. We have all sorts of committees, tribunals, and social arbiters to settle grievances. If death is to come, it is by government action only. You cannot kill another vampire without facing death yourself-- but for Skyla, I would. I so would.

My right ear-bud was just unceremoniously pulled from my ear. Who the H? I turn to look and Christian’s p’d-off face is staring at me. Skyla’s with her and is moving to the end of the bed. Here comes the jump on the bed, the puppy-eyes and the pleading. I want to resist Skyla for more “me” time with The Cons, so I don’t make eye contact with her.

“Luna, COME ON! I’ve got homework to finish before school,” Skyla pleads.

I’m almost ready to fall prey to Skyla’s pleading. I can’t help myself. I look at her. She’s got me in her puppy-eyes tractor-beam. I’m cracking.

“Luna, get your scrawny butt up!” Christian demands of me.

That helps to break Skyla’s tractor-beam. I look at Christian and on her face is plastered that “older sister” look. We all hate the “older sister” look - am I right?

I returned the volley with the younger sister “what’s the problem” look, which is really masking the “up yours” thought in my head. I’m so omnipotent within the confines of my own head. LOVES IT!

Skyla shakes her head in hopelessness as this whole thing plays out on a seemingly regular basis now. I wish she’d understand, I just don’t like to go with the family anymore. Christian did the same thing for awhile but came back to hunt with the family. I know she came back for selfish reasons. She gets it done faster as Mom and Dad are exceptional stalkers.

Right now, I want to scream “I just want to be left alone!” Instead, I’ll try to weasel out of it.

“It won’t take me long. It’s a 24/7 world now. It’s only like an hour or so for me,” I tell Christian.

I threw that out there to get Christian off my back because she obviously wanted to get the feeding out of the way so she could IChat with Alexander (her lame, emo, boyfriend). She is not however giving up. She wants me to come to make things go a little faster. I'm on to her.

“Not at this time of year. You remember what happened last year when you didn’t take in enough? The school administrators and Child Protective Services were all over Mom and Dad. And I got questioned too. All because you were AIMing with Lily every night, almost all night long. Only Lily was smart enough to have that Amish family as her source,” Christian says.

That’s true. I was a wee hooked on AIMing. Now Lily and I SKYPE too - so we can do really juvenile things in our undies. Maybe that’s too much sharing?

Lily is really smart in her vampire ways. She finds these “situations” all the time, like the Amish family - and milks them for all they’re worth.

Last year she came upon this Amish family that was setting up a new colony, commune, community or whatever they call it. There was, count them… eight kids, all over the age of thirteen and their two parents. They are out in the boonies clearing land with oxen and plows and building barns and fences around acres of land. They even built a school where the kids are schooled by their school teacher Mom. Anyway, they’re all exhausted at night and sleep like logs. All Lily has to do is show up any time after 9:00 p.m. and leave before they get up at 5:00 a.m. and zippity do dah, in forty-five minutes or less she is done, stomach maxed with blood, and on her way.

Did Lily tell her BFF, Luna about her super situation so she could tag along and share in the good fortune? Nope. So I fell into an equilibrium lull for a month.

“That was last year, Christian. Puberty totally kicked in this year and slid right into adulthood so I’m very fast now,” I say looking right at her. (yeah-- even puberty goes fast for us too)

Surely this defense will work to get Christian and Skyla to leave. Nobody likes to hear the word puberty. It’s one yucky word. Say puberty around a boy and they start twitching and walking funny. It has the same effect as when human girls hear another term for the very first time. We had to sit through the same “hygiene” class as our human-girl counterparts in fifth grade. Yeah, those girls were twitching in their seats all right. We laughed because female vampires don’t need to worry about that particular thing. We’re lucky in that regard. Our internal workings are different. That’s enough on that subject fo’ sho’.

And it was true as far as my body and vampire puberty. Boobs have kicked in and wow… so did the afterburners and the strength. I’m at a whole new level. Same things have happened with Lily. Except her boobs are boobettes. Lily’s hoping there’s more to come. But we’re fully developed by fifteen. What we’ve got by then, is what we’ll have for life. Sorry Lily.

It doesn’t make much difference really as those things (boobs) are left over from our long-ago human past. Vampires don’t suckle. Your neck is our boob. I’m just telling you how it is. Oddly, those things (boobs) still have the same effect on the males of our species though. Those wires, for some reason, did not get re-wired by evolution.

“Puberty, what’s that?” Skyla asks.

“You could miss the Winter Solstice Masquerade Ball if it happens again Luna,” Christian says as she quickly moves past Skyla’s question.

Be still my heart! A school dance. How could I miss that?!

I can’t stand school activities of any kind and I’ll only do the ones I’m obligated to do (a.k.a. forced to do) for grades. A school dance-- I’d rather suck on a rat’s neck.

“Oh, that’s like totally on my “To Do List,” I respond to Christian, as if it even needed a response.

“Lots of boys are going to be there. You’re of age now. Time to get out there and test the waters,” Christian says sweet as fresh blood.

“What’s puberty?!” Skyla insists.

“Nothing,” Christian and I say to her at the same time.

Now Mom and Dad come in.

Is there no end to the torture?!

“What’s the problem?” Dad asks.

“I think puberty, whatever that is?” Skyla blurts innocently.

“What?” Mom and Dad say at the same time exactly as Christian and I did as they look at Skyla.

This is getting funny.

“Luna’s in one of her moods,” Christian says.

Good ‘ol Christian. She easily slides from wicked witch to the blood fairy, back to wicked witch again.

“What’s puberty, people?” Skyla asks with purpose and a little exasperation this time.

"Luna, you know we prefer to go out as a family-- especially at this time of year," Mom says quickly not wanting to get into Skyla's vampire reproduction query right now, and I for one am glad. "You know with all the technology out there now we have to be more careful. It's better as a team-- a family team."

Mom is always worried nowadays. She hides it well behind her easy-going exterior, but she worries all the time.

The world is changing rapidly with the use of camera-cell-phones, and basically cameras just about everywhere with auto-movement triggers, low-light night-vision capabilities, actual night-vision goggles you can buy on the internet or any Army surplus store for cheap. Then you’ve got infrared cameras that pick up heat.

Vampires generate a massive heat signature. Our government is working on clothing that deals with this but there are still lots of problems to work out. The heat has to go somewhere or we’ll cook, and a refrigerator (cooling system) on our backs is not exactly conducive to stalking or attacking. The “next-gen” solution is some kind of spray that we’d simply spray on that has some kind of particles that confuse the infrared into not picking up a heat signature. That seems to be years off though.

We all fear we’re not far off from entering a difficult time for vampires. This is why some vampires want to deal with it by taking over the human world. A “final solution.” By that, they mean conquering and subjugating humans and using them as farm animals. They are gaining voice in vampire society. That’s a world I never want to think about, let alone live in. We should be able to work it out with the humans-- but no one really knows what would happen. Most fear it would lead to an all-out war. The government believes living the way we are as we have for centuries is the only viable solution.

It pains part of me the situation Mom finds herself in. In a way though, it is her problem to deal with; she wanted us. She chose to be a mom, three times over, after the world had already changed. The mother instinct in her gave in to the fear of the future and she and Dad had us. Now the fear is real and its there, facing her, every day.

I’m sure part of having three of us (girls) was Dad wanting to have, a son. Although, I’m not exactly sure why - it’s not like dad vampires and their sons fish, hunt animals, and play ball together. From what I understand, there isn’t much in the way of a father-son, vampire relationship. I think it was just the ‘ol carrying on the name and bloodlines thing that is in the DNA of the male species.

Now vampire girls, they get lots of attention from parents. It’s one of those weird unexplainable things.

Okay, so back to the situation at hand.

Oh, so you understand how I’m able to spend what seems like an awful lot of time telling you things… our minds work much faster than yours so what takes you a few minutes to read, my brain blasted out in about ten seconds.

“It’s my life!” I blurt out. That felt good. I love asserting my independence.

“Great. The “It’s My Life” stuff all over again,” Dad responds.

Dad zeroes his gaze at Christian. “You taught her this Christian. She watched and listened to you.”

Whoa, that was a twist I wasn’t expecting. Haha! LOVES IT!

“Well sorry for growing up. You wanted us. This comes with the territory,” Christian responds to Dad.

Most excellent. Christian is doing a really good job bailing me out here. I am almost there as far as getting them to leave me alone. Every second they waste in conversation is a second they are not hunting.

“Keep it going guys,” I tell myself. I think a smile is escaping my face. Keep it under wraps Luna-- you’re almost home-free girl.

Dad looks to Mom. “I hate this thirteen-to-sixteen year old period,” Dad tells her with his frustration growing.

Mom has heard it all before having gone through this with Christian and she’s not affected by it. Moms learn to take things in stride. Dads never learn. That’s what Mom says anyway.

Not getting satisfaction from Mom, Dad looks at poor little Skyla. “You are not putting us through this Skyla.”

“What did I do?” Skyla laments.

“Just… stop growing up,” Dad says.

Skyla is Daddy’s little girl and she looks like she’s, about to cry. I’m beginning to feel guilty about dragging Skyla into what was me just being selfish and I’m ready to go with them.

Dad looks at his watch. Hold the presses Luna! When Dad looks at his watch that means he’s not waiting anymore. The discussion is over and he’s going to make them leave without me.

“Well we’re going. Luna... you’re on your own. Laura, kids, come on,” Dad says.

Yes! They’re leaving. So much for guilt!

Dad picks up Skyla in his arms. “I’m sorry pumpkin. You keep growing up. Just don’t be like your sisters.”

“I won’t Daddy. I won’t ever be as mean to you and Mommy as them,” Skyla says reassuringly to Dad as only a nine-year old can.

“Yeah, you keep thinking that girl,” Christian says.

Mom smiles for a moment; then she grows a little uncomfortable with the fact that I’m not going with them.

Moms always want their children with them. They always want to protect them. There isn’t any difference between vampire mothers and human mothers in that regard.

Mom knows they need to go. You never know if the hunt will take a little less or a little more time. During Winter Solstice, we need to feed heavily. It’s that simple. Mom and Dad don’t have the luxury (if you want to call it that) of falling into an equilibrium lull, they have the daily responsibilities of a modern vampire family.

Try fitting the needs of a vampire with a life that looks normal to human classmates, workmates, and neighbors without creating suspicion. Plus, dealing with all the technological advances employed by humans that are making it more and more difficult to do what we need to do to survive. It can be stressful. That’s why I have my various outlets to help me cope. Like my lighthouse, running in the forest, the beach, and most definitely-- music. I think I would die without music.

Dad is almost out the door with Skyla and Christian.

“What’s puberty Daddy?” Skyla asks.

“Oh, that’s when you get to be mean to Mom and Dad and there are no repercussions. Enjoy it while it lasts,” Christian says as they head out of the door.

Mom is still here. She’s looking at me with one of those “Mom” faces-- the kind that is like a dog hanging around a person trying to get a handout. I’m not taking the bait.

I slip my ear-bud back in and fool around with my iPod so she gets the message I’m not really coming with them.

“You be careful young lady,” Mom solemnly tells me.

“I always am,” is my confident reply.

Mom leaves my room to join the rest of the family.

Now I’m feeling guilty as I sit here on my bed. I am being selfish. We aren’t the only vampires out there looking for our Solstice sustenance. It’s hot and heavy out there at this time of year. Sometimes there are clashes with other vampires going for the same prey. Tempers can flare. It seems to be happening more often due to the technology.

There are more humans now than ever, but the opportunities to take them safely are growing ever smaller. I’m not sure when our worlds (vampires & humans) will collide, but as everyone fears-- one day they will have to.

I worry about Skyla. She’s nine years of age and she’s being weaned. That means instead of Christian, Mom or Dad taking down the victim and putting them under and then letting her feed; she’s now expected to take on her own.

It’s a scary time for a little vampire. Well-- scary and exhilarating at the same time. I remember.

I bit my first solo victim in the butt. Now that sounds plenty funny-- but the ‘ol butt-cheek has no major blood vessels within striking distance of our fangs. Even worse was my victim was a heavy woman (women have more fat in their buttocks to begin with), so my fangs never reached the microscopic blood vessels in her butt- cheek. (the reason why you humans get shots in the butt-muscle… these microscopic blood vessels absorb the injected content into the bloodstream) Translation: no venom in the fat lady’s system.

Hey, all I saw was a nice big fleshy target.

The woman smacked the crap out of me with her purse until Christian came and put her under. I wasn’t hurt or anything. It just freaked me out.

We laugh about it now, but what if the woman had a gun or a taser in her purse? There could have been a different outcome.

I forgot to tell you that because of our accelerated heart-rate, a jolt from a taser can send our heart into overdrive and literally explode it in our chests. We’re definitely not invincible.

The other reason I’m worried about Skyla is because Christian, Mom and Dad have to feed as well. When you’re locked on and take that victim and you’ve struck that vein and the blood is flowing, for a minute or so everything else is blocked out.

I should be there watching out for Skyla. Anything can happen in a minute.

Guilt and sisterly worry has gotten the better of me so I’d better go catch up to them. I’ll just listen to The Cons a little bit longer and then I’ll follow their scent trail and catch-up quickly.

It’s cold at night now so finding an open window is harder. Besides the worry of intruders, everyone and every place has central heating and air, so people open windows less and less. More and more of the structures being built are “eco-homes and buildings” and these homes and buildings are sealed and locked up tighter than a drum.

Don’t get me wrong, I like the eco-green activities going on to save our planet from the overuse of fossil fuels and the planet’s other natural resources. Have you ever seen a clear-cut forest? I have. You’d cry if you did. We actually live in one of these green homes for the utilities savings. (lots of air conditioning use) They are however making life more difficult in some ways for us vampires. As Dad says “these are the trade-offs in life.” We need to always adapt.

The family might get lucky and find an unlocked window without the alarm on. We always look for second-story or above windows because those are left unlocked a lot more. People think they are safe from intruders that high up, so lots of times they don’t have them armed on the alarm system because they like to open these windows for fresh air or to take advantage of the cool night air we have here in the Pacific Northwest. Then as the weather gets colder they simply forget to lock or arm them. We look for the sensor on the window and if there is one then we’ll just crack the window and if the alarm goes off-- we run!