Vampire Taxonomy (12 page)

Halfies are still growing into vampires, and even though they are stuck in the unfortunate limbo between human life and an eternity suffering from a never-ending, unquenchable bloodlust, there are some perks. For one, the Halfie will start to develop very weak mind control abilities. When used on small children and exceedingly tired and weak-willed humans, they can be slightly influential. However, complete control over these skills takes practice, full vampiric strength, and blood. Without these three things, the Halfies’ powers are blurry and unreliable at best.

One thing you must recognize when dealing with even a well-adjusted Halfie (one who isn’t living in full-fledged denial of the disease) is that getting bitten changes everything. From now on the subject has to spend the rest of his days battling an addiction for blood along with suppressing the venom, so the whole “I’m slowly dying and there’s nothing I can do about it” situation is going to be stuck in his mind like a broken record.

A Halfie will wallow in depression, waxing on a “Why me?” whine for days. You have to be supportive; because he is, in a sense, dying right in front of you, his sadness is understandable. The other reaction to straddling death is a surprising hero complex. Whether they’re seeking revenge on the breed or acting as a divine instrument, a great deal of Halfies become slayers, which means you’ll be subjected to long conversations about joining the ranks and fighting the good fight. You’ll also be hearing a lot of antivampire hate talk.

But the common factor among all Halfies is a pervasive sense of dread; deep inside, they know what they’ll end up as, and it terrifies them. This makes those struggling with the curse jumpy, judgmental, and often cruel to the ones they love. A
Hemophage dimidium
will try to keep humans at arm’s length at all times and prefers to be alone most days. It’s a sad thing to watch a loved one go through, but it’s better than the alternative.

While we’re on the topic of vampire hunters, you cannot forget the strange race of half-breed vampires who were born into this world (not created): the Dhampirs. Born from one human parent and one vampire, this group has been used to hunt vampires dating all the way back to original vampire folklore in Eastern Europe.
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The character Blade, who was turned into a Dhampir by Hollywood,
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is one of the more famous half-breed vampires. He retains the powers of the vampire community but has not turned into a full-fledged bloodsucker. Many Dhampirs use their vampire side-given talents to fight injustice, evil, demons, or other vampires.

The Dhampir possesses a lot of the same abilities and talents as a full vampire, such as super strength, speed, and long life (though often not immortal, most Dhampirs age extremely slowly). Most types also manage to avoid the more unpleasant aspects of the vampiric life and are able to go out into the sun and eat human food. Most important, some Dhampirs do not feel the urge to drink human blood, though this does not hold true for all types. These advantages, combined with their vigilante tendencies against their own kind, lead most full vampires to revile the Dhampir species.

If you’re going to truly understand the twitchy world of Halfies, you must be aware of signs of mental imbalance as well. Not every seemingly unbalanced person is midtransformation. Like all things popular, there will always be those faking the fang, that is, pretending to be a vampire. But it’s important to be able to distinguish between a faker and someone who is truly bitten, as it could mean the difference between life and death for you and them.

There are two classic and highly debated media examples of psychosis after vampire bite. The tragic story of Peter Loew in
Vampire’s Kiss
demonstrates the dilemma of determining whether someone is truly turning into a vampire or faking it. Testing for light sensitivity, fang buds, and eye flashes all help, but sometimes you have to factor in mental instability or you could end up accidentally staking a nonvampiric, deranged literary agent on the floor of his New York apartment.

Another notable and highly debated case of vampire versus nut job is George Romero’s
Martin
. The fangless young boy (who claims to be over eighty years old) seems completely normal, until he sedates his victims and drinks their blood with the help of a razor blade. Romero leaves the question wide open as to whether Martin is a member of the undead or just a murderer.

If there is doubt, stay away and call the authorities. Don’t be fooled into driving a wooden spike through the heart of some poor, deranged, un-undead soul, or you’re probably in for a murder charge.

Dealing with Halfies is difficult. They can easily play upon your sympathy with their tragic plight. But remember that they’re still dealing with an addiction, just as a full-fledged vampire is, so treat them with the same amount of care and caution as you would any other immortal. Chances are if approached by a Halfie you’re being sought after for either blood or help. However, don’t be lured into a hug or close contact; your warm skin could be too big a temptation to a struggling half-vamp. Do, however, volunteer to help them check out twenty-four-hour butcher shops, darker sunglasses, and a job or school that better suits their new nocturnal schedule. Helping a Halfie find peace with his new life reduces the possibilities for a hunger-spurred attack.

These poor saps are perfect examples of weak souls under the thrall of the vampire curse. Whether it’s unending hunger or a constant longing to be with their master, these Halfies waver in and out of pain on a daily basis looking for the sweet release of the undead.

Cranky and ready to kill, most subjects on the cocktail in Hollywood become road warriors looking for revenge while popping pills and staying in the shade.

You can’t pick your family, and sadly, this crop of vampiric children was born into a half-blood world of self-hate and addiction. But they usually acquire all of their parents’ best traits like super strength and speed, which they later use to kill off their family.

There’s nothing more horrific than witnessing an actual tiny child of the night in full-face crumpled vampire mode. The smallest of the vampire kind, turned children not only are frightening bundles of terror with an appetite for blood and a look straight from the schoolyard, but out of all the vampiric kind, their existence is uneasily tolerated by both the human and vampire sides. It’s the one thing we immortals and mortals all seem to agree on: a general discomfort toward
Hemophage iuvenus
.

Mortal confusion surrounding immortal youths is commonplace. For one, we take pity on those smaller than us and deemed innocent. But we know that they need our blood to survive, and who knows if that sweet little face won’t open up an artery while we slumber away dreaming about our newly adopted vampire babe?

The actual act of vampiric reproduction is normally considered to occur when a human is changed to an undead beast, thus bringing him into a vampiric “family.” This is why you’ll sometimes hear vampires refer to their makers as Mother or Father. Similarly, creator vamps may refer to their newly made vamps as children. This behavior leads to a patriarchal or matriarchal relationship between the creator vamp and its offspring.

However, actually creating a vampire from a young child is considered a taboo act in vampire society and frowned on by mortals as well. Most vampires consider it unfair to force the life of the nightwalker on a being that may not be fully able to understand the weight of its actions. They recognize that it’s problematic—and downright uncomfortable—to be trapped inside a child’s body while the mind grows at a normal maturity rate.

The most infamous Child Vampire is Claudia from Anne Rice’s
Vampire Chronicles
. The young girl was picked up by vampire Louis and turned by Lestat at the ripe age of five. But in the movie retelling of
Interview with the Vampire
, twelve-year-old Kirsten Dunst took on the role. Yes, it would have been difficult for a younger child to play such a meaty part. But perhaps, just perhaps, the mere thought of a five-year-old feasting on blood was too horrible to make her a likable character to audiences. It would seem that both vampires and humans feel that the children of the night are borderline abominations.
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