H.T. Night's 8-Book Vampire Box Set (99 page)

He stuck out his hand and I gave him a firm
handshake. “Nice grip. I’m Daniel, Daniel Reign. Come in. Maya is
almost ready.”

I entered their house and looked around. It
was like something out of a Norman Rockwell painting. The house fit
every description of a good, old-fashioned country home. There were
paintings of cowboys on the wall, a throw rug in the middle of the
floor, and all the furniture looked to be handpicked from an
antique shop. There was even an apple pie aroma in the house.

And sure enough, a short, buxom woman came
out of the kitchen wearing an apron dusted with flour. She had
blonde hair and blue eyes and was probably the most beautiful
50-year old woman I had ever seen. I was a little thrown off by how
pretty a mom could be. I definitely saw where Josiah and Maya got
their good looks.

“Hi, Tommy,” the curvy woman said.

“Hello, Mrs. Reign,” I said, blushing. I was
never very good at this, but this was highly awkward, considering
how normal everything was. For crying out loud, I had a werewolf
and a vampire spooning in my bed at my apartment.

“Have a seat, Tommy,” Mrs. Reign said. I
walked over and sat on their brown couch. As I sat, my entire body
sank into it like a hammock.

“Wow, this is probably the single most
comfortable couch I’ve ever sat on.”

“Exactly! Tommy!” Daniel stated, with an
exclamation point. “Margaret wants me to get rid of it.” Margaret
was apparently Mrs. Reign’s first name.

“It’s ugly, Dan. And it’s filthy,” This was
obviously a daily argument. I couldn’t help but smile at how cute
they were.

“So, Tommy what do you do? Are you in
college?” Daniel asked as he packed himself a pipe.

“Actually no. I’m a professional
athlete.”

Daniel eyes grew large. “An athlete? What
kind?”

“I’m a fighter.”

“You mean like a Sugar Ray Leonard kind of
fighter?”

“Well, not exactly,” I said. “There’s a new
professional fighting sport called mixed martial arts.”

“Oh, MMA,” Daniel said. “Josiah and I watch
that all the time. I just took him to a match a couple weeks ago at
the Staples Center.”

“He mentioned that to me.”

“Wow, do you know any of those guys?” Daniel
looked at me and his pipe seemed to be ready.

I smiled and said, “I was one of those
guys.”

“You were? Which fight were you?” Daniel was
as excited as I wish my own dad would have been to find out this
information.

One of the hallway doors opened and Josiah
came walking out. “He was the first fight, dad. You didn’t see it.
You were too busy getting nachos.”

Daniel looked at me and grinned, “I do love
my nachos. Especially the ones at the arena! It’s like the cheese
is more heavenly.”

I smiled because I could see where Josiah
got his love for food. “I wouldn’t know. I haven’t had nachos since
the third grade.” I looked over at Josiah and said, “What’s up,
man?”

Josiah came over to me and I stood up to
shake his hand, but instead he gave me a bro hug like we been pals
for years. Damn, I liked this kid.

“Dad, Tommy is only 22 and he is already
making a living in the sport,” Josiah was trying to convince his
dad of something.

“And that’s fine, Josiah. You can do
whatever you want after you at least try-out for the 2008 Olympic
team. Son, you haven’t lost in 25 fights and the only reason why
you lost your first one was because we didn’t know how to tighten
your gloves right.” Daniel looked at me and laughed. “They kept
slipping during the fight. It threw off the poor kid’s rhythm. He
was only 12.”

“Wow, you haven’t lost in 25 fights! That’s
amazing.” I looked over at Josiah and he seemed to care less that
his dad was gushing over him. He had no idea how lucky he was, how
I would have given anything to hear my biological father talk about
me that way.

Suddenly, a hallway door opened and Maya
walked out. She came walking down the hallway looking spectacular.
She was wearing a white blouse with light blue jeans. She had done
her hair in an up-do and it took everything I had to keep my jaw
from hitting the floor.

“Wow, you look great,” I said.

“So do you,” Maya said back to me.

Maya and I were locked into each other and
as far as I was concerned, there was no one else in the room.

“So, where are you two kids planning on
going tonight?” Maya’s dad asked.

“I was thinking about taking her over to
Irvine. There’s a spot called Irvine Spectrum. There are a lot of
shops and a giant movie theater.”

“Oh, that sounds like so much fun,” Maya’s
mom said.

Daniel looked at me and nodded his head. For
the first time he gave me that ‘you better look out for my daughter
look.’ I smiled and told them how wonderful it was to meet them.
Josiah seemed a bit jealous that he wasn’t invited but I knew he
and I would hang out eventually.

I walked over to the door and was still
mesmerized by how great Maya looked. I had a quick moment of
clarity when I remembered that I had something for Josiah

“Hey Josiah, come here.” He walked over to
me and I reached in my pocket and pulled out a card to the gym
where I work out.

“What’s this?” he asked.

“Well. When your dad thinks you’re ready
I’ll put in a good word at my gym and get you a membership.”

“Really?” Josiah looked at his dad for
approval.

“As long as you continue to focus on boxing,
I think it would be great if Tommy showed you a thing or two about
MMA.”

Josiah stared at the card like a kid looking
at a video game cover. “Thanks, man.”

“No problem. Until then, I’ll come back and
we could work out together. We can do something more interesting
than you running across San Bernardino.”

“That sounds great, Tommy.” Mrs. Reign said.
I smiled, and opened the door. I said goodbye to everyone and
Daniel told me to have Maya back by one in the morning. I said, “No
problem.”

When we left the house, the first thing Maya
said to me was, “I don’t have a curfew. I am twenty-one years old.
My dad likes to think he can still make rules for me.”

“It’s okay,” I said, “I plan on having you
back by then.”

We walked down the driveway, and I ran
around my car to open her door. I let her in and closed the door
behind her. I walked around the car and waved to her parents who
were looking out the window. I sat into the driver seat and looked
over at Maya. She smiled “I am so sorry that my parents and brother
are such dorks.”

“You have no idea how awesome they really
are,” I said, as serious as I had ever been.

“Really?”

“Yeah, really. They’re amazing. I really
mean that.”

Maya smiled and leaned back in her seat. I
started my engine and made my way to the 91 freeway.

“Have you lived here all your life?” I
asked

“Born and raised in San Bernardino,” Maya
replied. “What about you?”

“I lived in Southern California all my life,
but I’ve been all over. I lived in Buena Park, Fullerton, Corona, I
even had a stint in Garden Grove.”

“So, you said your grandmother raised
you?”

“Sure did. Mother Teresa had nothing on my
nana.”

“That’s cute.”

“I’m serious. She is one of those really
religious people who actually lived the way she was supposed to,
according to her faith.”

“How so?”

“She doesn’t judge. She just loves people.
Even to this day, she finds the strength to go to the more needy
areas of town and just gives herself to those communities.”

“She sounds wonderful.”

I looked outside my window and felt guilty
singing my grandmother’s praises. I hadn’t seen my grandma in
months and I had been feeling bad about that as of late. “Yeah,” I
said, “She is wonderful.”

It took about a half hour to get to Irvine
Spectrum. The Irvine Spectrum is a giant block that had been turned
into something that resembled a street fair. It had a variety of
shops ranging from chocolates to novelty stores. There were street
performers, tarot card readers, and a lot of places to eat, dance,
and have a great time.

I pulled into the back parking lot and found
a spot. It took about ten minutes but my grandmother had always
taught me ‘patience is a virtue.’

We got out of my car and I looked up into
the sky. I was really hoping for a normal night: no werewolves, no
bloodsucking vampires, no drama.

All I knew was, I had planned on Maya and I
having an old-school, all-American date. There are four necessities
that make up a great first date. One, go to a cafe for an appetizer
or a drink and have conversation. Two, head over to a plush
restaurant for a nice romantic dinner. You’re laying the groundwork
to really get comfortable with the person you’re with. The second
half of the date is about having a great time. Third thing was
engaging in a fun activity like batting cages or even a nightclub
with great music and maybe some dancing. That’s where you let loose
and showed your real colors. After all that, you have the grand
finale. It actually isn’t that grand, but more of a mellow and
introspective activity. Number four: Right before you drop off your
date, you stop by a nice coffee shop and end the night the way you
started, with great conversation. And how does a player like me
know all of this? Hey, a player needs love, too.

After I parked, I got out and walked around
my car to open the door for Maya. As I helped out Maya, she
stumbled in the parking lot and fell into my arms. It was nothing
major, but I got a glimpse of the kind of intimacy to expect.

“I’m sorry,” she said. She was clearly
embarrassed. “That was klutzy.”

I tried to make light of the situation by
saying, “It’s okay, I’ll let it slide this time because you smell
nice.”

“Oh, you did?” She said, flirting back at
me. “That’s very nice of you.”

“What can I say; I’m a sucker for things
that smell pretty.”

Maya laughed at my little joke and pulled
herself together. Once she was situated, we headed up to the front
of The Spectrum.

“Wow, this is pretty,” Maya said, looking at
the lights.

“It’s no Las Vegas, but it’s about the best
you’re going to get in Orange County.”

We decided to walk around a bit and scope
out the various shops. We stopped in at an arts and crafts shop and
Maya was like a kid in a candy store.

“I love this store!” she said. “If I could,
I would buy the whole shop.” She went from item to item with eyes
as big as gumballs. I couldn’t help but be amused at this beautiful
woman who so interested in miniatures, doll houses, and scrapbook
items. “Tommy,” Maya said “When I die, I want my ashes spread out
in this store.”

“Well,” I said, “that might be hard for the
cleaning crew to clean up and I’m pretty certain it’s a health
hazard.”

“Oh, you’re no fun,” she joked.

“I hope you’re not planning on dying anytime
soon.”

“For you, Tommy… I’ll live to be a
hundred.”

I smiled and said, “I hope so. If you do,
I’ll make sure your ashes make their way over here.”

Maya smiled and we left the store. We walked
further down the street until we saw a palm reader. I tried to look
away, but the damn gypsy-looking woman made direct eye contact with
me and it was too late. Maya caught her looking at me and something
told me that a palm reader was right up Maya’s alley. “Hey Tommy,
the palm reader is making goo-goo eyes at you.”

“I can see that. I must have ‘sucker’
written on my forehead.”

“Sucker? Never! I have always had good
readings when I’ve had them done.”

“Let me guess, they were generic things like
you’ll find love, have some success the following month, and you
will encounter something that you hadn’t anticipated.”

“More or less, yes.” Maya laughed.

“That’s because love is a big word and it
could mean a variety of different relationships. And unless you’re
the unluckiest person in the world, everyone is going to have some
kind of success, month to month.”

“Okay, smarty pants, how did the last lady
know ‘Fitem’ would accept me into their designer college?”

“She didn’t know unless she said, ‘Maya,
Fitem, the designer college you are trying to get into, will accept
you.’ It was just a generic shot in the dark. It could easily have
been something as unexpected as finding a beautiful puppy. These
psychic people need to give you specifics and they don’t.”

“Okay, Mr. Skeptic, just give it one shot,
because something tells me you have never done anything like this
before. Am I right?

I looked Maya and grinned, “No, I haven’t
done anything like this before.”

“Wow, and you’re such an expert!” she
mocked. “Come here!” Maya grabbed my hand and led me to the
psychic. I had to admit, it was worth giving it a shot to be able
to hold Maya’s hand for the first time.

“Hello,” the lady wearing the gypsy outfit
said. She, apparently, had gone to a costume shop and found the
most authentic layers of clothes she could find because she did
look good. I’d give her an A+ for first impression.

“Hello, to you, madam,” I said, smirking
from ear to ear.

“May I take your right palm, sir?” she
asked.

“Sure,” I sat down in the empty chair
opposite her.

“May I have your first name?”

“It’s Kyro,” I joked.

“Kyro?” she asked.

“No, I’m just kidding. It’s Tommy.” I put
out my right hand and she flipped it over and looked at my palm.
Then something unexpected happened. When she touched the palm of my
hand, I saw a flash of light. At first, I thought one of the
outdoor cover lights had burned out, but I looked up and realized I
wasn’t even under anything. As a matter of fact, there wasn’t much
light around us.

“Oh, wow!” she said. “I can feel a lot of
energy coming through you!” She paused and stared at my palm like
it was a treasure map. “This line here,” she said, pointing to the
longest line on my palm, “shows that you are going to live a very
full life.”