*** Chapter 1 ***
The sound of a palm hitting the side of someone's face rang out clear and true in the night air as a pair of red eyes watched the house from her perch in the tree across the street.
"You're worthless, you know that? Just sit around this house, reading your books, never doing anything to help pay for the roof over your head or the food you eat," a male voice, slick as oil, accused.
"I'm 17! I'm still in school, I don't have a car, what do you expect?" the young female countered.
Smack!
"Are you trying to back talk me? This is my house, and I've had just about enough of you," the looming shadow of an overweight male stretched across the interior wall of the house, "You know what? I am done. Pack your shit and get out."
"Phil, you can't be serious. Where am I supposed to go? Mom won't stand for this."
"I'll deal with her when she comes home, but this is my house, and I say you're out. You got 5 minutes and the clock's already started."
Patiently waiting outside, the woman could hear the shuffling of items in a back bedroom, the sound of a zipper background noise to the hard pounding thud of an angry girl's heart.
That sound was music to her ears, the rhythmic beat of the drums of a coming war. She smiled in the darkness of night, razor sharp teeth sparkling in the shadows.
Having settled into the busted down, brown recliner to watch that night's game, Phil didn't move when the young girl entered the room with an overstuffed pack slung on her shoulder, grocery bag of books by her side and her small purse strapped across her body. She snarled in his direction, but he merely smiled and waived farewell, taking a pull of his beer.
"Fuck you, you fat bastard."
"Have fun out there, princess."
Foreign eyes focused in on the girl dressed in a granite gray hoodie that was pulled up over her head, long brown hair traveling down the front of the material, faded jeans with a few rips and tears, and ending in a pair of well worn red Chucks. The young woman got to the end of the front walk and looked up one side of the street and down the other, seemingly unsure as to which direction she was supposed to be heading. Sighing heavily, she turned left and headed out into the night.
Cue my entrance.
Dropping down from the tree silently, she crossed the street and started to follow her intended prey. Catching the outline of a shadow following behind her, said prey turned immediately to face her tracker head on.
Taking in fiery auburn hair hung in long ringlets around a porcelain face that was both beautiful and sharp, the woman in front of her was dressed in loose layered tank tops that displayed pale arms, tight jeans and black thigh high boots. She looked like one of those models that really didn't need the make up, well except for those freaky weird red contacts that she insisted on wearing.
But whatever man, you rock whatever style makes you happy. Currently homeless girl has zero room for judgment.
"Going somewhere?" the question came from a sultry voice that wrapped around her like a warm breeze.
"Uh, not really."
Moving so quickly that she wouldn't be able to stop the movement, the stranger pushed the hood away from her face, taking in the fresh bruises that were settling into her skin.
"Trouble at home?"
Flinching from the movement, she tightened the hold on her belongings, "Something like that."
"Mmm-hmm," red-eye girl mused, "Need a place to stay?"
"You don't even know me."
With a smile that revealed perfectly straight white teeth between rose-colored lips, she reasoned, "That's true, but I think I'll be safe from any attacks. Victoria."
She held out a hand and the girl took hold of cool, smooth skin, looking down where their fingers touched, "Bella."
"So, now that we have the introductions out of the way, how about that offer? It's getting late, and you're too young to be out here all alone. Let me give you a place to stay for the night."
"Are you planning on kidnapping me? Selling me as a sex slave? Just so you know, I'm not a virgin. You won't be getting any extra money for that."
Laughter filled the space between them, "You are amusing, Bella. No, I have no plans to sell you to the highest bidder."
Knowing she had no other housing options this late at night and not wanting to crash at a friend's place, Bella took the gamble and agreed, "Sure."
"Delightful," she excitedly replied and Bella shook her head in response to the woman's word, thinking Victoria may be a little on the crazy side with those freaky eyes and need to make friends with complete strangers, "My car's over here."
Following her over to a vintage Black '76 Camaro, Bella threw her things in the back seat and climbed in, barely getting her seatbelt buckled before Victoria sped off into the night. Taking them to a ritzy hotel downtown, Victoria threw on sunglasses before entering the lobby, waving at the desk crew before stepping into the elevator. They didn't give a second glance to the teenager in frumpy clothing that was following her.
Making their way to the top floor, Victoria stepped out into the spacious suite, throwing her keys into a crystal bowl on the table by the elevator doors.
"Hungry Bella?"
"Um, a little, I suppose."
"Room service menu is by the phone, order what you'd like. Make yourself comfortable."
Bella stared as the redhead made her way into the bedroom and closed the door behind her, giving her guest some time to settle in.
Bella stood frozen by the mini bar a few more minutes before letting her stuff slide into a pile and went to the phone to order some food.
Victoria could hear the steady heart beat of the girl ordering a steak, medium rare in the other room, pleased that Bella wasn't one to panic or scurry in fright. She hoped she was making the right choice in a traveling companion. Lately the nomadic road she traveled was getting rather dull and boring, and she felt the need to add a little excitement to her journey. She had wandered the streets of the run down, low income neighborhood, looking for just the right girl to rescue for a few nights before stumbling on Bella's house.
Changing into a navy blue tank and shorts, piling her hair up in messy bun, Victoria returned to the living room and crossed over to where Bella was sitting on the couch.
"Have any problems?"
Bella took in ample cleavage that was on display, as well as a pair of long, creamy legs that were encased in barely there shorts. The woman was stunning, and Bella inhaled, taking in a scent that made her want to lean in towards Victoria.
"Yeah, they said they'd send it right up."
"Excellent. So, Bella, let's chat about these little bruises you've got on your cheek there."
"It's nothing."
Victoria's gaze narrowed, as she breathed in through her nose, "No, it really isn't and you have other bruises you're healing from."
Shifting uncomfortably, Bella questioned, "How did you know that?"
"I can smell the old blood beneath your skin."
"You can smell it?"
Taking in the girl's honest questioning brown eyes, Victoria tilted her head for a moment, waiting for a more dramatic reaction.
"You're not running for the door. Fabulous," Victoria grinned again, "I'll let you in on a little secret, Bella, darling, I'm not exactly human."
Taking in the red eyes and the way they dilated naturally, not appearing to be any sort of contact lens, the perfect skin and body, white teeth, lustrous hair, Bella could reason that Victoria appeared a little too beautiful, unreal.
"So, what are you?"
"Vampire"
"As in blood sucking, human devouring, creature of the night?"
"Something like that."
Bella sighed and dropped her head back on the couch, "Well that fucking explains things. You don't want a sex slave prospect, you want dinner. Decided to be nice and give me a final meal? Kind of you."
Victoria giggled as Bella rambled on, finally having a reason to laugh and enjoy a few of her immortal moments after so many months of days that never ended, "No, Bella, I don't plan on draining you dry. I want to change you. I need a travel companion, and I think you just might be the girl I'm looking for."
"Me? Why me?"
"Well, you don't have much in the life you're currently living. I overheard your little argument with Phil and I know you're currently homeless. Not to mention, I thought you might be a little tired of being someone's punching bag."
Bella gritted her teeth, "I fucking hate that asshole. Pushes my mom around, pushes me around, always picking on the weaker person, makes him feel like a big man, but he's just a fat fuck with a tiny dick. I know, I've seen that shit when I walked in the bathroom at the wrong time, scarred me for life."
"Exactly, so, I want someone to share eternity with, you get a way out. If you don't like it, we can split ways, but think of it as a gift."
Bella eyed her couchmate skeptically, "You don't want anything in return?"
"Oh, I'm sure having you around will be worth it. You'll be quite stunning once you're changed, so young and pretty," Victoria fingered a long piece of Bella's hair.
Debating the issue for a moment, thinking of her mother who would never leave the man that paid her bills, school that was boring most days, and friends that were nice, but not exactly people she couldn't live without, she came to quick decision.
"Sure, I'll do it."
Hopping in her seat, Victoria enthused, "Excellent, we'll get started after dinner. Feel free to take a shower, put on something comfortable. I'm afraid the transition won't be much fun."
"I'm ready right now."
Victoria leaned forward, her breath brushing the side of Bella's face, her fingertip tracing a line down skin lightly freckled and Bella leaned towards her in response, "So eager, young Bella, but this is it, dear, your final moments of humanity. Are you so quick to throw that away?"
Licking her lips, Bella leaned towards Victoria's touch, "Yes."
"Mmmm….as you wish…" brushing her lips against Bella's for the lightest of kisses, Victoria continued the path down to her ear, sucking on the lobe gently, causing Bella to gasp and her heart beat to race. Victoria grinned wickedly at the response while her mind came up with a long list of possible fun they could get into once changed before sinking her teeth into Bella's neck and starting to pull the blood from her veins. Allowing herself only a few sips, Victoria stopped and began pushing venom into Bella's system, forcing herself into the girl's body. Feeling the natural panic settle in as pain started to burn fierce and fast, Victoria released and looked into Bella's eyes.
"Ssshh, ssshhh, ssshhh, sweet girl," she cooed as tears started to form in Bella's eyes, "Try and be very quiet. It's gonna hurt, but you'll feel so much better when you wake up."
Pain shot through Bella's body and she blacked out from the force of it. Victoria picked the girl up and placed her on the bed in the other room, hearing the ding of the elevator signaling room service had arrived.
"Lucky me," she said to the girl who's heart was racing as her body had started to change, "that little taste of blood has left me hungry, but thankfully, food has arrived. I'll just grab a little something for the road before we head out."
An hour later, the night manager stood in the middle of the penthouse, shocked to find it empty, the room service cart left just inside the door with the food untouched.
Heading away from the downtown streets of Louisville, Victoria adjusted her rearview mirror as she crossed the Ohio River, checking to see if there were any cars behind her as she pulled off on the other side of the bridge. Putting the car in park, she popped the trunk and removed the corpse, taking her time to tie the cinder blocks to his torso before wrapping the entire thing in a black tarp. Using vampiric speed, she rushed to the center of the bridge and tossed the body over the side, returning to sit on the hood of her car and watched as the form dropped below the surface of the rushing water. Pulling out a cigarette, she lit it quickly and inhaled the bitter smoke into her lungs, releasing it in a steady stream. Hearing whimpers that were getting louder coming from the inside of the vehicle, she threw the rest of the tobacco stick on the ground and crushed it before heading out on a deserted country road, ready to wait out the next few days of screaming far away from human ears.
A/N: So, not too much action yet and just barely breaking 2,000 words, but give me some feedback people. Do we continue on? What trouble can our girls get into?