Distract my hunger (6 page)

She seemed quite pleased with my mental retort and even smiled in her regal manner. Her response this time was spoken and not telepathic.

“Baby-girl you are innately wise for you are by far the youngest of us. Many of us are much older than what we appear and years
made
us very perceptive but you are different. You where
born
that way.” She said and struck the attention of the others with her words.

Gazes jumped from her to me and back making them look like spectators of a complex tennis match. After a while of this they slowly started looking at me in awe. They appeared open-eyed while they watched me astonished as if a prophecy had just been fulfilled.

She remained silent for just a few seconds that felt like years, as if letting her words settle. This vampire was the master puppeteer and was gathering momentum to continue her amazing show. She wet her perfect lips with the pink tip of her tongue and wording every small sound with her perfectly sensuous mouth movements continued to address me:

“I’m the oldest one of us. Our clan never met one as old as me, and I might as well be the very first of our kind, I honestly don’t know.

I’m the only one besides you here that is not linked by blood with the rest of the clan as far as we know. I’m over 723 years old, for that old is my oldest memory, and I still don’t know why I’m the only one who has survived so long.” She said with a soft sigh.

Listening to her was something out of a fairy tale; just like I imagine listening to Queen Elizabeth I must have been like ages ago. Every word she uttered was filled with sensations; she spoke and made coloured shivers run down my spine. I could imagine the air separating us become thick and full of electricity just as if the
Northern
Lights
were bursting with colour within the room.

“Most of us die by the time we are around 300 like James told you; they age at an accelerated rate for a few months, and like old humans, they die.

Death for every living creature is a natural process for without death there is no life and without life there is no death. Together they go full circle. Death finally sets the natural order of things.

Vampires, just as humans, are born and grow up till they bloom with their full splendour. We can procreate and we are blessed with very long lives to live, it can be a blessing or a curse: they are whatever we make of them. We can enjoy a deep and rich life or endure the hardships
we
set upon us. Remember little-one, you always reap what you sow until the day the reaper comes to take you back.

I’ve heard of vampires living till they are nearly 400 years but I’ve never known many to live past that. In fact, many vampires live about one hundred and fifty years on Earth. It all depends on what
kind
of vampire they are.

We tend to separate our kind into two main branches depending on how
pure
we are. We can breed with humans if we choose to, and our offspring would be a vampire too to a certain extent. Depending on how much human blood a vampire has in his background it can be what we call an inheritor or an ancient (or primal) vampyr.

Most vampires you’ll know will always be what we call
strong
inheritors
, all of the members in this clan are strong and very strong inheritors. They have some human blood and therefore some human ancestors in their family tree, but generally not that many. Their human ancestors also tend to be quite a few generations back and therefore that makes their vampire traits strong. This kind of vampyr is the one that lives for about three hundred years.

Mild
inheritors
are more towards the human side. The strongest of these are the ones who have one parent who is a vampire and the mildest of all are the ones that have a vampire way back in their family tree such as a great grandparent or even further away in their bloodline. Some of them don’t even know they have a vampire origin and live their whole lives in ignorance of their inheritance.

No mild inheritor will live to be more than a hundred and fifty years old at the most and instead of displaying a full range of vampire traits they display only mild characteristics.

We
can always spot them from a crowd. For
us
they stand out, but unless they were brought up with their vampire family and knew about it, they will never spot us. They can
feel
things and sense there is something odd but they will never quite put it into place. I believe it is better for them in a way since generally they live in the human world and not in ours.

Mild inheritors feel
the
hunger
, the need for something they cannot manage to put into words, but unless they are taught about it they will probably never understand that they crave for blood. Without taking blood, they will not live to their full lifespan and will die like most humans. Many of them feel the hunger and succumb to certain excesses such as alcohol or drugs trying to distract it. It is very sad indeed. They think they satiate an insatiable hole by numbing it.

Some groups of
mild
inheritors
are deducing finally some things for themselves. I’m not completely sure how, but they started discovering the basics about awakenings and hunger needs, and they started finding one and other.

The internet has worked marvels for these people. You would be amazed of the size this new rising “vampire community” has! They tend to call themselves
sanguinarians
, and they find human donors to feed once in a while. Luckily for them they don’t actually
need
to feed, but it makes their life just easier and healthier so to speak. I’m sure that just feeding about once a week helps them live to their full lifespan . . . though I’m not really sure since I’m not the one that keeps direct contact with them.

Some of those new communities are starting to establish links with the wider vampire community, and that is quite good because they are very linked to simple humans. Clans like ours never know when we will actually need their help . . . Still, don’t let me get all wrapped up in vamp-politics and let me finish telling you about the different kinds of us.” She paused for a very short moment, burning me with her penetrating gaze and only making me want to know more. I wanted to know everything she had to tell, I wanted to drink this new knowledge as if it was squeezed from a lemon.

“The other kind of vampires I mentioned earlier is the
ancient
vampires
or
primal
vampyr
. These are the oldest and purest of all, no human blood can be spotted in their bloodlines. Some don’t even know exactly where they came from since they don’t remember much from before the awakening process since it was such a long time ago.

There are very few of these since humans and power thirsty inheritors killed many of them and most ancients decided not to breed (at least that’s what I always heard). Ancients also wither and die but this process tends to happen about two centuries later than for the inheritors I believe.

I met many who died when they were about five hundred years. Their skin ages fast and their systems start shutting down and over a period of about a few months, they dry up and die. Many ancients never get to live that process for they meet violent deaths before. Vampire quarrels always leave their body count.

The strongest gifts are those of the ancients. That is why most inheritor vampires feel as if they are in the presence of royalty when near them and in a certain way
they
are the closest the vampire world has to it. Since most will never breed to prevent excessively strong vampires and therefore possible wars in our world, it is very rare to ever meet one. Most try to live solitary lives or if not, at least unnoticed and try to pass as very strong inheritors if they can. I’ve been trying to do so century after century for
I
might be the oldest one alive.” she said and smiled faintly at me.

I could not believe my eyes. Her fair skin was as smooth as rose-petals and her body was firm with youth. Her golden hair tumbled down her waist like a wavy cascade of glitter, with not one single silver hair. Her argentous eyes blazed with life, so bright and wise that they could be both the beginning and the end of the world.

Beautiful and powerful, this unique female vampire could be someone that escaped from a front-cover photo-shoot. She looked not a day older than twenty-five.

CHAPTER 5

Welcome To The Family

M
y awakening as you see was full of surprises and discoveries, by the time the strange female had talked to me my head was swirling with ten thousand more questions than ever before. How where they all related? Where they all a whole family? And how old was each one of them? They couldn’t be as old as
she
was but I expected that none of them was as young as they appeared to be. And perhaps even most intriguing than that was
her.
When did she join them and why? Was she some kind of protector? Or were they protecting her? My brain twisted looking for answers even though I knew that without asking little would be revealed.

I decided to start interrogating the man who first spoke to me, James. He was an easy person to speak to, so warm and inviting (and perhaps if it wasn’t too much to day-dream about, he was going to be my
father
in
law
some day). OK, so I could now be a vampire, but I could also be a girl, right? I gathered all my courage and started talking to him:

“Hmm, could you answer me some questions please, James?” I uttered shyly.

“Of course, we are here to provide you as many answers and support as we can.” He said to me in a soft, kind voice. His sweet manner reminded me of those really nice teachers you get to meet sometimes only once in your lifetime and leave a mark on you. They become the model of what nice, caring and wise should be like; James was a perfect match to this model.

“She said that most of you here are
family
, I would like to know your names, how you are related and your ages if it is not too rude of me to ask.” I asked in such a shaky voice that even
I
pitied myself for it. I was so embarrassed of asking questions that I could imagine how red my cheeks should be. Flushing was definitely one of my specialties.

With a puzzled yet almost delighted look he answered, “Oh! I’m so sorry that we didn’t introduce ourselves already; we were so excited when Jonathan told us he was finally bringing you here! Within less than an hour of his call he brought you.

You were already in the last stages of your awakening and we were so thrilled that we omitted such an important part! You must understand, it has been quite a while since we shared someone’s awakening, and it is such a very important moment in any vampire’s life that we were ecstatic. I got all worked-up with explanations about the awakening itself that I omitted all introductions; we should mend this awful mistake in no time.” He uttered and as soon as he finished speaking the golden-haired ancestor who spoke to me before took a step forward. Her silver eyes swept through the room and landed intensely on me. Her hair just like golden feathers seemed to float around her with every step.

She smiled at me displaying a perfect line of even, pearl-white teeth and took my hand in hers. At here mere touch I felt something odd, just as if some kind of pulsing energy ran through her to me. Her hands were cold, not freezing but they reminded me of marble to the touch; she held me tight and then with her silk-like husky voice began to talk:

“My name is
Lucrecia
, I’m not quite sure of where or when I was exactly born. As I told you before my oldest memory is from 723 years ago. It takes place in Italy, sometime in the middle ages. I recall being at a noble’s household as the companion of a rich baron’s daughter. We were staying in the noble’s house that summer because Francesco, the noble’s only son, was wooing my mistress.

Francesco was nothing out of the ordinary, he would not make any maids sigh or feel repelled by him either. He had a simple, hooky nose and a set of simple unremarkable eyes. His hair was worn short and simple and he wasn’t extremely well built or tall, in every aspect just average. He was just plain as my mistress was, not handsome, not grand, not even attractive yet not disgusting either. He was . . . just plain.

My mistress, lady Antonella was just as insignificant as he was. No man would turn to watch her on market-day, nor did any male decide to recite her poems in account of her beauty. She was no one’s muse I’m sure. If any man decided to court her it was simply because of her dowry, she was a rich baron’s daughter and
that
was the only thing that made her desirable. If you ask me today about her looks, I must confess I don’t even remember her much.

On account of her lack of attributes I was made to accompany her in a hooded cape at all times. Since her father decided that having men look at me and not at his daughter was atrocious, I had to keep myself away from most eyes. Nobody would woo me for my dowry, I had none; but I was quite admired for my beauty those days. Summer was the only season I was allowed to change the heavy, dark cape for a light and translucent veil. I used to love that season for it made me feel carefree.

That summer was quite different from others I lived; I can vividly recall how fearful everyone was that particular summer. You could almost cut the tense atmosphere with a butter-knife. Death seemed to be everywhere; a plague fell upon a neighbouring town leaving a huge number of deaths. They said that before one got to that town the stench of death was unbearable and since the belief was that those foul smells took with them the disease itself, nobody wanted to go anywhere near.

I never know who my parents were for I guess I lived with the Baron’s family and served them since my birth. I believe this was so until sometime during that summer visit to the noble’s house, when I was in my late teens, I suffered my awakening. I have absolutely no precise recollection of a previous life.

We were staying in Francesco’s father’s house when amidst my ghastly boredom I fell sick. Francesco was wooing Antonella without much enthusiasm and she was answering him in her lifeless manner. I had to constantly be with them to ensure her honour was kept intact, but I had to make sure that Francesco would not notice me much just in case. He was a good match for her and I had to ensure that things went on smoothly.

At first I thought I was bored sick, but then started developing some disturbing symptoms. I seemed to have a high fever and couldn’t stand the light. Of course I was not really sick; I was just becoming what I am. When I started going through my awakening process they thought some terrible disease ailed me and therefore in fear they sent me to a nearby countryside nunnery to die.

Those days were difficult times; ignorance was even more common than today and with plagues just lurking around every corner, it is very understandable what they did. On one hand they feared for their lives and on the other, they did not want to care for me till I died. Much to the contrary of what they believed would happen I never died.

It took me several crippling months to undergo the whole process, and by the time it all finished and I awoke to my vampire life, the hunger took over me. I didn’t know what to do or what was happening, I was alone and I merely moved by instinct. I had absolutely no other choice. Once I finally was me, a terrible hunger took over me.

I was desperate for something I did not quite understand and like a rabid animal I moved . . . The hunger was so great it burned me inside out until I shrieked in pain. I was thirsty, hungry, and desperate. I did not know what I was doing, and I feel so ashamed of it still. Amidst my hunger, I murdered everyone in the nunnery.

I fed on every single person that had taken care of me those past few months. I paid their goodness with their death. When I awoke I was blind between ecstasy and need and tore one throat after another. I could smell them, and they smelled so sweet! They were unbearably sweet, like hot buns right out of the oven. Once I took the first I couldn’t stop! My animal instinct made me tear the first nun’s white throat. She was a quiet and modest being just a little bit older than me; night after night she dried my sweaty face, and I just drank from her. She tasted sweet, like some kind of syrupy metallic candy. Without knowing it, I was high on my hunger and her blood. After I finished her I took one nun after the other.

Deep down my frenzy I knew that it was wrong but I just couldn’t stop, I was compelled with the need of more deep and rich nurturing substance down my throat. The moment I stopped feeding on one I just wanted more blood, and got more until . . . they were all gone.

The nuns where so afraid, yet they never tried to hurt me. They did not fight me, they did not flee. I believe they let me live in a way.” Her voice broke as she let go of me and took a step back. Lucrecia then turned in a twirl of gold and went to the beautiful black sofa were she sat crossing her perfect long legs in front of her and remained speechless.

I felt her pain stabbing me in the ribs and an awful sadness overwhelmed me till I was on the brim of tears. She looked impossibly perfect with her fragile manner, just as if she were a crystal faerie. Her soft locks seemed to flow past her shoulders making her deep blue jumper seem almost liquid under it. Her marble hands folded over one and other on her lap and in an instant she became a silent queen on her throne, just in front of my eyes. For some strange reason she reminded me of a tulip: full of beauty and fragile looking, but having her true core surviving many winters before and more to come.

Jonathan, still holding my back to him hugged me tight against his chest and whispered to my ear; “I see you are not only a fantastic mind-reader but also a strong empath. I knew you where special from the moment I lay eyes on you at school.” Then he planted a tender kiss on my cheek.

His lips where warm and soft and left my face feeling hot as embers. I wanted to still feel his warm breath and sweet touch on my cheek, but just a few breaths later he continued whispering to my ear: “As you most assuredly know by now, James is my father.

He is the second oldest one of us, he is 240 years old. My mother died when I was quite young, she was beautiful and sweet, and smelled of flowers every time I hugged her. She smelled of
Nightblooming
Cereus
and
Lily.
Her name was also a flower’s, and it suited her, she was sweet and fragile; my mother was called Violet. She was a good empath too, you know? She could
feel
for every small thing around her.

I was eight when she passed away; she was shoved with anger by a vampire from another clan that didn’t approve of our ways. Politics are truly hazardous, at least as you can see: that has been our experience. When she hit the kitchen wall she was killed almost instantly, she was
nearly
human.”

I figured then that Jonathan must be a mild inheritor, a figured that the meaning behind the words “she was nearly human” lay the truth that his mother was probably a very mild inheritor. Thinking about this I remembered James’ words on her being a very good telepath and wondered actually
what
mild inheritors were able to do for this one appeared to have been quite special after all.

Jonathan smiled with his pleasant memories in front of him and continued, “All of this happened more than sixty years ago, so just in case you are wondering, I’m turning seventy-five next fall.”

OMG! So I was right! I was actually dating a creepy old man! Though I believe that maybe
that
was probably not applicable in the vampire world, relationships didn’t seem to be as ruled by age as human relationships were. I felt like such a dork! This guy had been around for nearly as long as a grandfather, and we had been dating since Halloween and I hadn’t even really kissed him yet. He must have thought I was such a tease, holding his hands and hugging him but never really kissing him quite yet.

“That lady with silver hair is Ginny, she is my grandmother.” He continued, looking slightly amused as if he had just read my thoughts—right,
he
probably
did
since I was a good thought transmitter, yikes!—“She might look slightly older than the rest of the clan because of her hair but if you look at her carefully you’ll see her complexion is that of probably a thirty year old. Her father was a vampire but her mother was not, and my mom was her daughter. She is about one hundred and twenty years old. Ginny is the only mild inheritor amongst us because even though my mom was a very mild inheritor, my father’s blood is quite strong and because of it
I
am way stronger than what I would be. My mom’s dad was a regular human so he is not with us any more.”

Jonathan looked ecstatic while he revealed his blood ties, like a child revealing a secret after keeping it for way too long. I couldn’t stop being amazed by everything that they were telling me, my still too human brain didn’t know how to process this kind of information. If it weren’t for his firm arms holding me and his perfectly sculpted chest on my back I would be expecting to wake up. I liked being in his arms too much for wanting to wake up if this was a dream, and I knew them too well to know I was awake.

Something was building up inside me meanwhile all this. I couldn’t just put it into words at the moment but somewhere deep down something was happening to me. I was slowly getting distracted from all of them, but this something did not build up so quickly so that I could actually spot it. While I tried to figure out what was bothering me two solemn and scrawny figures moved towards me.