Melabeth the Vampire (25 page)

With a face hung low and a quiet voice, Alice said. “Ok then… promise?”

"Promise."

It only took me a minute after that crazy exchange with Alice to find the danger room. The danger room was the basement of the house; if I remember correctly, Ezra named it after some comic book. I hadn’t read it, so I had no idea what it was about, but Ezra had assured me that he had a large collection for me to read.

As I went
down the stairs into the basement, it opened into a large room. The walls of the room were completely covered in weapons; I guess that is why he calls this the danger room. There were swords, bows, axes, guns of all kinds and just about anything else you could think of. The floor was a flat white; the walls and ceiling were of red brick. The ceiling stood about twenty feet high so this area felt huge.

Sitting Indian style in the middle of the room was Ezra. He was wearing sweats and a T-shirt. I was wearing a blue workout outfit that me and Charlotte had picked up.

Ezra spoke first. “Most of the night is gone. Why have you kept me waiting?”

“Sorr
y, it will not happen again,” I replied.

I offered no excuse. I don’t think he really wanted one.

“Good, let’s begin,” Ezra said as he rose to his feet.

And then, with great speed and grace, he came at me.

Dwarf and the Basilisk

I
awoke in Nicks’ library.

The stars of the roof came into focus, I awoke in one of the tall chairs in front of Nicks’ fireplace. The fire crackled, and I could feel its warmth. Nicks was sitting quietly with a manuscript in his hands looking at me. When I looked over at him, he smiled.

“Hello, long time no see.”

Nicks l
aid a cup of coffee next to me, “It’s been a month since I last saw you. I cannot wait until you fill me in.”

“I can’t believe it has been so long. I have been waiting for you in my dreams; I was getting worried.”

“Sorry… things have come up.” Nicks stated, with a far off look on his face.

“Things… things that keep you from entering my dreams?  Tell me.” I demanded.

Nicks’ face hardened, “No, I cannot. I do hope you will not be mad at me, but it is for your own protection. Instead, a story of
The Dwarf and the Basilisk
will have to suffice.”

“What is:
The Dwarf and the Basilisk
?”

Nicks smiled, then handed me the
manuscript that he had on his lap. “It is a short story that I have written. I hope you like it.”

It bothered me that he wouldn’t tell me where he had been, or what was happening with him. I guess I will try and be understanding. And I do not wish to be mad at him; I didn’t want to spoil our moment. Plus, there is so much I would like to share with him and so many questions to ask; it has been a month now living with the Whites, and things have been crazy busy.

I haven’t been able to see David again. Our schedules are black and white. The only time I get to speak with him is on the phone. And that doesn’t happen every night. David's family only has one line at his house; and his sister throws a fit, if he is on for more than an hour. The only time I can talk to him is between 8 and 9 pm. Sometimes I can’t call him, and sometimes he can’t call me.

I have only snuck out to see him once, and that didn’t even work out. At the last minute he couldn’t get out of the house. He was still hiding the fact he had anything to do with me from his family; they didn’t understand. At least that night wasn’t a total bust, because Carrie’s range was further now. At least I got to hang out with her that night. She can't stand David's family except for Lizzie. It was funny to listen to her complain.

On another note Carrie let something slip about that necklace David was wearing. She believed it was giving David power. It worried me a little.

Of course I would have rather been kissing David then hanging out with Carrie. I have been having dreams, dreams of the last time I kissed him and sometimes
nightmares, nightmares of kissing David, then losing control and killing him.

I hope I have enough control not to hurt David or kill him.

I had been quiet for too long. “What are you thinking?” Nicks asked.

“David… I miss him. It’s been hard to find time to hang out with him.” I answered.

“Why?”

“Well… if I could sum it up in two words, the White’s and the Abbott's.” I said.

Nicks laughed, and then asked. “They wouldn’t let you see him
?”

“Yes
and no; the Whites don’t say I can’t see him, and then again they do everything in their power to throw a monkey wrench in my plans to see him. Of course the Abbott's, David's family would flip if they knew he was still talking with me.” I could hear the bitterness in my voice when I said this.

Nicks looked at me thoughtfully. “The Whites don’t like him because he’s a Necromancer. Well, I think it is to be expected. They are vampires, and vampires have always disliked the Necromancers and not without reason. Let's face it, you'll find it hard to find acceptance outside of vampires.”

“I know, but David’s different.” I kind of had the feeling that Nicks agreed with the Whites about Necromancers.

Nicks gave me a tight smile and said. “I am sure that he is. Now what have the Whites done to keep you busy? I would like to hear all about it.”

Well that sounds like a subject change to me, but I was happy to tell him. I didn’t feel up to fighting with him, about David. “Every night I have been training with Ezra. He says being a vampire makes training how to fight easier. Strength and speed come natural, so we don’t have to work at those things.  Also we don’t get tired like humans. We run low on energy, but, until that happens, we can run at full speed. If we run low on energy, we can replace it quickly if we can find someone to feed on. Of course you probably already know all this.”

Nicks nodded his head,
“I do, but I still like to hear what you have learned. Go on… please.”

“The only thing I need to learn is how to move my body, what moves counter other moves, and how to use different weapons. Our ability to heal has made our training realistic, and painful, but it only hurts for a minute. Getting beaten up every night is still nothing to look forward to."

"I bet."

I went on,
"Ezra is amazed with how fast I am learning hand to hand combat. I am really quick with the weapons; guns, knives and swords. I really enjoy firearms. Next month Ezra wants me to learn how to use the bow and arrow. I still need more practice with knife throwing and darts. This brings up one of the questions I have. Ezra keeps talking about how much power and speed I already have. They already know how strong I am; do I need to hold back? How much should I be hiding from them?"

Of course I would like to know why I am hiding this from them or wh
y I am different. I know he would not answer those questions.

Nicks thought a moment, and then said. "It sounds to me that you are not hiding much anyway. I’d rather the Whites not know too much about you, but it may be too late for that."

Defensively I added, "I am holding back… a little anyways. Also, I haven't told or shown them about my second sight. I am not sure how much longer I can hide that either."

"Second sight?" Nicks said with curiosity.

Doesn’t he know? I explained to him about my ability to see sound, and told him about how I have used it. Nicks seemed excited about this power.

I finished telling him about how I used it to see t
hrough Alice’s visions, he said, “You might have to tell them sooner or later. I would rather they did not know more than they have to, but you need their help for now, and I can’t see you hiding this forever, but hide it as long as you can.”

“I will; how much training do I need to kill Devon anyhow?” I asked.

Nicks thought for a second, and then said. "I am not sure; he is a sorcerer. I have been unable to find out what his specialty is. Whatever it might be, I believe him to be a powerful foe."

"Specialty… what is that?"

"I am sure that Ezra will explain it if you ask. We do not have a lot of time, what else have you been doing with your time?" Nicks asked.

I thought about it for a second, and then said. "Well I have kind of a schedule now. I get up around two or three in the afternoon. David's at school, and on the weekends, his dad keeps him busy training. I can't see David, so I have been hanging out with Michael. Later in the evening Lea joins us, and sometimes Alice
too. It has been a lot of fun hanging with them, but it has been educational as well."

"In what way?" Nicks asked as he took a sip of his coffee.

I took a drink of my coffee and then said, "Well, my time with Michael and Lea has been a good time for me to catch up. They have been showing me a ton of must see movies. We go to the movie theater at least twice a week. It’s a lot of fun, and some of the movies are so wild. Some of the special effects are real. Also I love Star Wars; that’s my favorite. When Alice hangs out with me, she is always challenging me to use my mind powers. We play games. Her favorite game is tea time; we sit and have tea with all her stuffed animals. She will make all her animals and dollies come to life. They start to move, talk and even dance. I have had the craziest tea parties with her and she makes me feel like I am in wonderland. Of course she does all this to teach me how to use my power, so Alice’s says.”

“And does this help you learn?” Nicks asked.

“No.” I answered, hoping he was not disappointed in me. “See, Alice believes me to be the first mental mute. She has never met or even heard of a vampire with fewer abilities in the use of mind powers. Of course I think she is extra mean to me, because I have not shared the reason I can see through her mind tricks. I am trying Nicks… I will do better. I will work hard on the mind powers.”

Nicks gave me a big smile and then with a reassuring face, he said. “Do not worry about it. You may not have mind powers, but believe me when I say you are very special, and Alice knows this.”

His words made me feel better. I hate not having mind powers; it makes me feel different. Then again, everything about me seemed a little bit different. Everyone thinks it would be great to be a one of a kind, but what I have found is that means I am all alone.

“Thank you. I don’t feel like I fit in with anyone, not even with vampires.”

Nicks gave me a serious look. “I know this, but fitting in doesn’t make anyone love or care about you. I will be proud of you, no matter what, and I will love you no matter what you are or become. You will never be alone.”

That remark brought a smile to my face, and one small tear to my eye. I wiped it away and went on talking. “Well I flew once, but I have not been able to do it since. I have tried and Charlotte has been working with me. She wants to throw me off higher cliffs, but that just hurts. I know I can fly, but I have been unable to control it. I guess I have flown twice. The first time I was really drunk, so Charlotte’s new theory is that I need to get drunk; then she is going to throw me off a cliff.”

At this Nicks laughed. “She has a different approach to teaching than I am accustomed to.”

“You can say that again.”

“Learning to fly will help you. Have you figured out any kind of plan to deal with Devon?” Nicks asked.

“Not so much; I have been so busy learning all this new stuff.”

Nicks said, with a thoughtful look. “Good, I don’t want you rushing into battle with Devon. I want to check in with you soon and come up with a plan; I would like to hear it before you do it. What is going on with The Order?”

It's been a month since I talked with Alex, David had me call him. I guess I better tell Nicks; I hope this does not complicate my task of killing Devon. I said, "Well apparently there is this detective named Alex McDonald. He is good friends with Tony Abbott; that’s David’s stepdad. David’s stepdad works for The Order, and he hires his friend Alex to help solve cases for The Order. Well both of them have decided to cover up the mall killings; not for me of course. David being a Necromancer would not get a fair shake from The Order, and, even if The Order wanted to pin it on me; they are afraid of Alice and her family. In short, they are giving me a second chance. If anything like this happens again, The Order is going to put a price on my head, and you know something is going to happen again when I catch up with Devon. He is a high ranking Order member.”

Nicks said. “I know he is. This is one reason that you must plan your revenge carefully. It would be best if you killed him, without bringing too much attention to yourself. If you plan well, you should be able to kill him in such a way that it will take them forever to solve the case… if ever.”

I said. “Yes, I now understand why you had me wait to kill him. I need to get information from him first.  I don’t need the whole Order chasing after me while I am trying to hunt down the rest of the biker gang.”

Nicks smiled with pride in his eyes. “You are showing wisdom, listening to others rather than your feelings. Only when your emotions are under control… is when you will make wise choices. I must leave soon, so read my story before you go.”

I opened the manuscript and started to read. The story was funny and entertaining. I finished reading and handed back the manuscript to Nicks.

Nicks asked. “Well, what did you think?”

“I loved it, but I am not sure of the life lesson at the end. The Dwarf’s greed is what saved him at the end? Or was i
t that greed devours everything?”

Nicks laughed. “Sometimes it’s up to the reader what the story means. In the end, it is what it means to y
ou that makes it enjoyable or important. From my point of view, I was trying to make you laugh.”

“Well then it was a hit, and later I would like to read more of your writings.”

Nicks smiled and said, “Most of all my writings are poems, but I would be glad to share them with you at another time; for now we are out of time. I am glad you liked my story. I love you, be careful… next time we meet I will want to know your plan.”

I got up, went over to Nicks and gave him a big hug. “I love you too… try not to worry.”

The world went black.

My eyes opened; I was lying on my back on my bed. I looked over at the clock; it was only 11 am. The breaking of our mental contact had awoken me early, but I still felt tired.

I closed my eyes and let sleep take me once more.