Vampire World (7 page)

I
followed Kate back behind the counter.

“The
guy with the red hair is hot,” I said.

“Yeah,
he is. I’ve been working here for a year and never seen him before. Anyway,
you’re doing awesome. Keep it coming.”

I
continued to balance just two cups and gradually became more confident,
especially after the pain on my arm from the sizzling blood eased off.

After
leaving another table, I glanced across to where the group of sexy guys were
sitting and caught them peeping at me again. But I wasn’t offended. In fact, I
quite liked it. Especially when I looked into the steamy eyes of the one who'd
smiled at me. Whew...he was hot!

Finally,
at twenty five degrees past sunrises, I met with Kate and the manager.

“Well,
Kate says you did alright,” Mr. Slicer said. “I’ll see you on Monday at five
degrees sharp. Be prepared to work by yourself.”

I
smiled at manager Slicer, no matter how ugly he was.

“I’ll
be working nights this weekend,” Kate told me. “But you seem really nice. I
need to give you my number so we can hang out some time.”

I
said that would be cool. Then I remembered something important. A phone. I really
needed to buy one.

I
admitted to Kate that I didn’t have a phone at present. Surprised, she wrote
down her number on a piece of paper. I stuffed this in my pocket and told her
goodbye.

Feeling
the best I had ever felt since waking up in Vampire World, I walked out of the
store still wearing my uniform.
 

A
voice stopped me. “Hey, what’s your name?”

I
stared up at the beefy hunk with the red hot hair. “Janice,” I told him.

“Well,
I think you’re very pretty. I was wondering if I could get your number?”

Oh
my gosh! I was so unprepared it wasn’t funny. I didn’t have a phone.

Dammit, I didn’t have a phone.

DOWNTOWN

“Sorry,
I don’t have a phone.”

Why
did I say it like that? I just blew it.

“Oh,”
he said, surprised. “Well, guess I’ll just cut to the teeth then. Want to meet
up? Just you and me, I mean.”

I
was speechless. Then I finally got up enough nerve to reply. I tried hard to
sound casual.

“Sure,
why not?”

“Can
you meet me at the DeathNail Club and Spirits at fifty degrees darkness?”

“Yeah.”

“Great.
I’ll be waiting for you. We’re gonna have a real fun time, Janice. My name is
Rob.”

I
left the food court blushing, feeling absolutely wonderful. Not only had I made
a friend with Kate, I also had a sizzling date with an eye candy vampire.

I
couldn’t help but grin all the way home on the train.

With
no one chasing me, I made my way back to the house just before lunch in case
Mr. FreeCut stopped by like he did yesterday. With Ernie licking my leg, I went
into my room and peeked inside the coffin. My purse was still safely there, but
something else had been placed right alongside it - a letter.

It
was similar to the one I'd found on the window sill. It read:
'Time is
wasting away. The truth is precious. Go to Skull Library and search for the
book in the XX#ZET section. There you will find your first clue.'

A
brief set of instructions on how to find Skull Library followed.

Fear
gripped me. The stranger I'd seen in the window had somehow gotten into the
house! He might even still be here right now.

I
immediately checked all the rooms, with Ernie following close by the whole
time. But there was no sign of anyone and I soon calmed down. At least the note
was not threatening. If anything, it sounded like it wanted to help me.
 
I put it back in the coffin with my purse
and tried to relax. I had a lot to look forward to.

That
evening, Mr. FreeCut and I enjoyed a scrumptious blood soaked meal and good
conversation. He talked about his crappy job and how it didn’t pay jack. Then
we discussed what we would be doing tomorrow.

“Want
to go to RazorCut Mall?” I said.

He
looked at me closely. “RazorCut Mall? How did you know about that?”

“I
saw a commercial for it on TV.”

“Oh,”
he said. “Well I know a better place downtown. The shopping is excellent and
even more affordable than RazorCut. You’re gonna love it.”

The
more we talked, the more I liked him. And I certainly could tell that he liked
me. I was feeling the part of his beloved daughter already.

I
asked him where the DeathNail Club and Spirits was. He told me it was also downtown,
but I needed to know more than that. I had to find out exactly where it was and
be there tomorrow night at fifty degrees darkness sharp.

That
night I found it difficult to sleep while working out how I would get downtown
for my date. I was gonna have to leave the house when Mr. FreeCut was at home.
Maybe I should tell him the truth and stop making up lies. Then again, maybe
not. They'd worked so far.

The
next day I rode with Mr. FreeCut in his ancient car. The seats were filled with
straw and there was a small skull sat on the dashboard. It smelled like
something had died in the back seat.

“I
know it's not the best of rides,” he said. “But it gets me from point A to
point B.”

The
blood red sky was beautiful as we passed more small but picturesque homes. Then
we crossed a river of some strange iridescent liquid.

“Wow,
very pretty,” I said, admiring the multitude of colors.

“Yeah.
But this neighborhood we're coming into now isn’t so nice,” he warned. “This is
the DeathHouse area. Be sure to keep your door locked.”

Many
of the tiny homes were abandoned, and several looked as if they were about to
fall apart. Even the trees looked bad. I could see vampires lying on the street
in piles of trash. Although I was creeped out, I couldn't help but feel sorry for
them.

We
crossed another bridge, this time passing over an impressive and very deep
canyon.

“This
is Slice Canyon,” Mr. FreeCut told me. “It separates downtown from the rest of
the city.”

And
then I saw downtown for the first time. Towering scarlet buildings shaped like
jagged spikes and narrow pyramids rose far up into the sky. I was amazed at how
beautiful it was. Even Mr. FreeCut, who probably had seen downtown a thousand
times, appeared wowed.

Driving
past the tall buildings, we pulled into a parking garage.

“Welcome
to Stake Avenue,” he said. “Here you’ll find some great shops, food halls and
markets. I’m sure you’ll find some good places to apply for a job as well.”

I
cracked a smile, knowing that I was already employed.

We
took an elevator down to the street level.

Now
walking on a crowded, burgundy-colored street that seemed to glow, I could see
the market. Several vendors were selling what looked to be vampire fangs
starting at ten Carns a set. I thought I’d pass on these, along with the skulls
that started at twenty-five Carns.

There
were also plenty of shops. Mr. FreeCut and I spent a minute or two looking into
the window of John’s Bloody Candies, eyeing the delicious candy canes and
chocolate bars all immersed in blood. Then I spotted Jane’s Fine Fashions; the
trendy clothes they had on display really caught my attention.

“This
is a very expensive store,” Mr. FreeCut said, noticing my interest. “Shirts
here start at two hundred Carns. But there's a big store down the street that
is much more affordable.”

If
he only knew how much I'd spent on my purse. Damn.

We
passed a small stage with an enthusiastic crowd of vamps swarming around it. A
loud band was jamming away, one of its members strumming a distorted guitar
that sounded like someone scratching a chalk board. Another one pounded his
head into a microphone, growling and roaring vocals I couldn’t understand a
word of.

“Isn’t
that some great music, Janice?” Mr. FreeCut asked.

“You
actually like that?” I replied, stunned.

“Yes.
And they are just an amateur cover band.”

Like
at the RazorCut Mall, I was getting some rude looks from the crowd, though this
time I didn’t notice it as much. Probably because I was with Mr. FreeCut.

I
thought about my date that evening. With just twenty Carns to my name, I would
never be able to afford the cool haircuts that all these other girls had, or
the jewelry, necklaces, earrings and tattoos. And the shirts…God…I’d probably
have to settle for something really cheap. But I didn’t care. I had to get this
funky black bag off of my chest. Otherwise my date would probably freak out and
run away.

After
stopping at an open food court and enjoying some grub paid for by Mr. FreeCut,
we walked past a tattoo shop with a long line in front. A sign read:
'Large
tattoos: 150 Carns. Glow in the dark tattoos: 300 Carns. 3-D tattoos: 450
Carns'
. Damn. I really was broke.

“I’m
rather surprised that you haven’t gotten anything yet, Janice,” Mr. FreeCut
said. “You have a hundred and twenty Carns to spend. I know that doesn't make
you rich, but you could afford a cheap ring or necklace.”

“Actually,”
I told him, “I’m interested in getting a shirt. Where is that shop you talked
about?”

I
followed him a few more steps until we came to Vampire Supermarket. In front of
this large, box-like store, a fountain similar to the one at DeathCourt gushed
out a never-ending flow of green liquid. Clothes of all kinds were on display
behind the supermarket's tinted windows. A
'Help Wanted'
sign hung on
the front door.

“I’m
sure you’ll find something in here,” Mr. FreeCut said.

The
inside of the store certainly was impressive. Monumental shelves of clothes
stretched out in every direction, including high above my head. So high in
fact, I couldn’t even see where they ended. I started checking out the ladies' department.
Dim red lights illuminated the endless variety of clothes on show - tight,
fancy black dresses with images of dragons on them at 200 Carns, green
glow-in-the-dark slip over sweaters at 250 Carns, and chic blood-red tank tops
with jewelry littered all over them at 400 Carns – all of these caught my
eye but were way out of my price league.

Feeling
like I was walking through a canyon between the towering shelves, I moved on to
the less expensive stuff. Rose-colored hip hugging jeans with eccentric though
stylish designs priced at 120 Carns. Nice. But I could still only look.

Moving
further on, the clothes continued to get cheaper. Eventually I came to a plain
old black, button down shirt with an imprint of a small jade skull on the front
going for 15 Carns.

I
picked it up. It may have not been much to look at, but it was a hell of a lot
better than what I had on now.

Realizing
that I now only had 5 Carns to my name, which was just enough to get me to my
destination tonight, I got more excited about my date. I almost wanted to tell
Mr. FreeCut about everything I’d done behind his back, but eventually decided
not to. He’d probably drink my blood and eat me for dinner.

On
the way back to the car we passed by DeathNail Club and Spirits. I made a
careful note of
 
its location, at
the same time remembering that I still hadn't yet figured out a plan for how to
get away that night. I looked nervously at my watch. Time was running out.

“You
look like you have something on your mind, Janice,” he remarked.

All
I had to do was tell him the truth! But I couldn’t do it. So I just told him I
was fine and not to worry.

Arriving
home only made me more anxious. What the hell was I going to do? Run away?

“I
have something to give you,” Mr. FreeCut said. “It means so much to me, because
you
mean so much to me.”

He
handed me a plain black necklace. “It belonged to my mother. I hope you like
it.”

I
put the necklace on and peered into a mirror. I actually liked the way it
looked, even though it was very plain. It looked especially good against my
pale skin.

As
day turned into night and the massive Garlic Moon shone behind the glowing
leaves of the front yard tree, I couldn’t take it anymore. I had to tell him,
because I was not going to pass this gorgeous guy up. No way!

I
heard Mr. FreeCut talking on a phone in a frustrated voice. Moments later he
came up to me looking upset.

“I
was looking forward to spending a nice evening with you, Janice, but there’s
been an explosion at the plant. I need to be over there to help out. So you’ll
have the house to yourself. I’m sorry.”

Oh…now that’s just what I wanted to hear….

I
tried my best to put on a phony frown. “I’ll miss you,” I said. “Stay safe.”

I
watched him leave, not in his own car that was parked in the garage, but in a
SUV that someone else was driving.

Not
wasting time wondering why he didn’t drive himself to the plant, I rushed to
the mirror to check out my face. I grinned as I told myself I looked decent.
After all, I was only trying to impress my date tonight, not the whole freakin
world.

I
put on my new shirt. It fitted me well, though it was still lackluster by
vampire standards. I smoothed down my hair the best I could with my hands, at
the same time wishing that I had enough Carns to get it done nicely.

After
deciding to keep Mr. FreeCut’s chain on, I grabbed my purse and set off from
the house. Although still wearing my baggy pants and granny shoes, I comforted
myself with the fact that I was at least halfway decently dressed.

At
the train station, I placed my card into the machine and stated my destination.
But instead of the usual acceptance, I was distraught to see an unexpected
message flash up.

TRAIN
IN REPAIR: TWENTY DEGREE DELAY.

My
heart sank. No, you can't do this, I wanted to cry out.
How in the hell was I going to meet my date? I’d never make it in
time!

There
was only one thing for it. I sprinted back to the house as fast as I could.

I
was going to have to borrow Mr. FreeCut’s car.