MY LIFE AS A VAMPIRES' DAUGHTER
My name is Charlene Mason, most of my friends and family call me Charlie, I am seventeen and I live with my family in the suburbs off the east coast of New South Wales, Australia. My father is Gordon Mason, well known vampire and criminal mastermind. My mother, Susan Mason, is not a vampire and at the present moment is trying to stop my brother and his friends, who have joined this cult, from ending up like my dad…in jail, or worse. Dead. I have one brother, Andrew Mason, non vampire but, he has always wanted to be one, and two sisters, Ellen and Danielle Mason, they are twin vampires, though I think they would trade places with Andrew any day, they just want to be 'normal' and 'fit in' at school. Myself? I'm not sure if I'm a vampire or not, but either way, my life is way more complicated then my friends think it is…
We all have these necklaces. We don't know what they are for, but we can't take them off. We physically can't take them off, and not from lack of trying, trust me. They are really fascinating to look at… they are gold or in my case silver and they have what I think is blood inside what is like a really cool capsule only the transparent part where the blood is, is made of unbreakable glass, surrounded by a gold or silver Celtic vine with a gold or silver chain that also has a Celtic vibe to it.
I am the youngest of the four children. My father was, as my mother used to tell me, a waste of space and immortality. My brother was born a human, twenty years ago and my sisters two years after that, they on the other hand, were born vampires. I was born a year after them and my father wasn't sure what I was, we all got the necklaces, weather we liked it or not, my brother went all evil cult thing on us and my sisters try to hide it, it isn't very cool to be a vampire at a girls private school. I have the only silver one, I don't know why but I think that fact is important for some reason. Because it means I'm special. I go to the public high school down the road from our house.
My father, like all fathers who have been in jail most of their child's life, tried to do the father, daughter bonding thing. So two weeks after he was released on temporary bail, he took me out to this club, I am a year too young but dad said "I'll get you in no trouble" and me being a stupid teenage girl, believed him when he said "I promise no business tonight, I swear" you would think I would know better, yes? I know stupid mistake. I followed him into the club, it was very loud, and I think the speakers, which were all over the room with flickering neon lights, were almost on full volume. The room was ridiculously full and the bar was packed. I sat on a bar stool next to dad and while he ordered a drink I faced away from the bar and looked out at what seemed to be a sea of people, wall to wall, full. I think that they'd be lucky to fit maybe one or two more people in before the walls exploded.
"Hey dad out of all the places in town why bring me here?" I asked him not turning around. No answer. "Hey dad…" I said as I turned around to see my father biting this poor innocent girl on the neck, I pulled him away from her. She fell to the floor unconscious. "You promised no work" I said upset. "That wasn't for work that was for fun" he said as he wiped a drop of blood from the left corner of his mouth. The girl was still out cold on the floor next to the bar stool she was sitting on. "You think doing that to people is fun? Why can't you be like Ellen and Danielle and just drink synthetic blood?" I said angrily as I slid down from the bar stool, making sure my black, red and grey plaid mini skirt didn't come up as I got down. I pushed my way through the crowd as fast as I could; I got to the door and ran out onto the pavement of the street outside.
"You shouldn't be out here by yourself miss, it's not safe there are things out there" a bouncer warned as I stepped out into the cool night air. "But she's not alone…" an unfamiliar voice said to the bouncer. I turned to see a male who looked about my age and he was definitely a vampire… I could smell it. "Yes I am" I said edging away from the unknown male. "Are you going to be ok if I leave you out here miss?" the bouncer asked me. I looked at the male and then to the floor at my boots. They happened to be my favourite boots, they had buckles up the side and apart from the silver buckle pieces they are all black. "Yes thank you for your concern" I said.
"Just trying to avoid another girl in the ally" the bouncer said as he walked back in the club door. "What girls in the… ally" I said looking up to notice that the bouncer was no longer there to answer my questions. "Hi, I'm Tony Jericho" the male said as he held out his hand. I looked at him and decided it best not to shake his hand. As I said I knew he was a vampire and it was probably a safe assumption that he was responsible for whatever the bouncer was referring to. "Charlie" I said as I took a step backwards. The back of my boot hit a wall and I realized if I needed to get out of here in a hurry, I was screwed. I couldn't go backwards, because of the wall and forward was nearly out of the question.
Vampires may be bloodsuckers that seem ruthless and careless, but most of their strikes are well thought through, I said most of their strikes, they, like murderers do do impulse kills.
"Nice name, does it come with a last name?" Tony asked as I tried to get back off the wall, my heartbeat pounding loudly in my ears. "Um… Mason, Charlie Mason" I answered as I stepped cautiously forward from the wall and stood in the middle of the pavement. "You're Charlie Mason?" he asked sounding shocked and maybe even slightly disappointed. "Yeah in the flesh" I said. I slapped my palm against my forehead thinking "you are such an idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot!" "Yeah I can see that" he said as he took a step closer and breathed in heavily. My breathing got faster as really horrible thoughts crept into my head.
"Nice to meet you… Charlie look out" he screamed. Just at that moment a hand wearing a leather glove was put over my mouth and the other arm was rapped around my collarbone in a kind of chokehold, and the person pulled me backwards. I tried to scream and I saw another person covered in black grabbed Tony. I felt a needle being shoved into my shoulder, the plunger was pushed in and everything went black, the last thing I saw was Tony struggling against the people in black trying to hold him still.
I woke up with my feet bound and my hands also bound behind my back. I looked over to Tony, who was still out from what I can only assume was morphine. He looked really upset. Tony was definitely one of the better looking vampires, he had blond hair, I think he has green eyes, but he had really white teeth and he seemed pretty fit and from the looks of it, this wasn't the first time this kind of thing had happened to him.
He had almost double the dose I did and he was already coming around I slid over closer to him to check for any marks on him that might tell me more about him, like tattoos belonging to common gangs or cults or cut marks on his arms or torso that generally means you either really depressed or you are part of a satanic cult, or maybe needle marks, most vamps take to the drug scene, they can take anything and not do any damage to their organs or anything, cool huh?
He was clean. Nothing not a scratch or tattoo not even a scar from any falls nothing. "You right there?" he asked as he woke up and stared at me. I had gotten my hands free fairly quickly and lifted up his grunge band shirt, to check for marks and scratches. "Yes… I was…" I started as I lowered his shirt back down. "You were looking for a tat or scratches needle marks or anything else unusual, right?" he said as he slid his hands free and untied my feet, which I hadn't got to untying yet. "Yeah… I had to make sure you weren't part of this…well for all I know you could be part of this… you are clean" I said. "Yeah I am… clean that is, not part of this" he said as he started to untie his feet. I swivelled my feet around so I was sitting on them.
Tony's hands were torn up from struggling with the goons back at the club. "Let me" I said as I took the ropes and untied them. "You're trusting, for all you know I could be a mass murderer or robber or something" he said as I stood up. "Nope. Then you would be my father" I said as I helped him pull himself up on his feet. "Your father is Gordon Mason?" he asked as he walked towards a door on the opposite side of this gigantic room, it was white no windows but a fogged glass roof. "Yeah… if you could really call a man who was in jail your whole life a father" I said as I followed Tony towards the door, "wait, this is too easy" I said as I stopped.
"You're right he usually would've sent one or two of his goons out here by now" he said as he also stopped walking across the empty room and looked back at me and I turned around to see and big six foot muscly guy walking menacingly towards me and before Tony had time to react I flipped the guy over the top of me and had him in an arm bar hold. "Tony now might be a good time to help" I said as I pushed my knee, which was in the guys back, harder. The guy moaned slightly as Tony came over and slammed the guys face on the concrete floor. "Where did you learn to do that?" he asked as we turned and continued to walk towards the door. "I go Danvanson High School" I said as I pulled my skirt down a little, not that it mattered much, I was wearing shorts underneath. "Oh ok, that explains a lot…" he started.
"Like what?" I asked intrigued. "You look like you belong in a really strange cult or something" he said as he opened one side of the fire doors. "no. no cult, just my family and I'm the only one that looks like this, well, who dresses like this all the time anyway" I said as I shivered, it was even colder out side and even though I am against all midriff showing outfits I was going to a club and my shirt was just an inch too short, it didn't quite touch my skirt so there was a gap and, boy, was that cold. I guess I do look a little Goth-like, I never really thought about it. "Who else in your family dresses like that?" he asked as we walked down a very dark and did I mention cold? Street and I shivered again. "My brother, who is part of a cult, he isn't a vamp like you though" I said as I looked at my hands which were going numb and were shaking.
"What makes you think I am a 'vamp'?" he asked as he handed me his jacket. "You smell like… I don't need your jacket, really I'm fine" I said changing the subject and handing him back the jacket. "Ok, fine but what were you saying before that?" he said. "I don't know I talk so fast sometimes I don't even realize what I'm saying" I said as I slipped and fell into the gutter on the side of the pavement we were walking on. Tony stopped and grabbed my wrists; he pulled me up to my feet and put his jacket over my shoulders. "I said you smell like a vamp, that's all" I said. "Oh you can smell us huh?" he asked. "Yeah… sometimes" I said as I took the jacket off my shoulders and took a step away from Tony, just in case. "No surprise attacks for you then" he said jokingly as he graciously took the jacket back for the second time.
"Where are we?" I asked still being wary of him. "Somewhere out of New South Wales, that's for sure, I can't sense my sister" he answered as we walked down a different street. "Oh great my mum is going to kill me" I said as I continued to walk with Tony. "I have a mate around here I can sense him you wanna see if we can crash at his place?" he asked. "Is he a vampire?" I asked. "Yeah" he answered. "Then no" I said as I hugged my shoulders. "Fine you wanna crash at mine?" he asked, I felt no better about that plan then I did the first but I didn't have much choice. "Only if I sleep on the lounge" I said. "Sure thing, or you could sleep in the bed and I'll take the lounge" he offered. "No couch is fine thanks" I said thinking that if I was lucky I might be able to catch a train out of here in the morning but then I realized I left my purse at home. DAMN!! And it was such a good plan too. "Ok suit yourself, it is four streets from here, you wanna catch a taxi?" he asked as he stopped walking. "Nah the walking will do me good… fresh air and all that" I said as I also stopped walking and looked at him. We started walking again.
We got to Tony's place in one piece, thanks to Tony, there was some guy who was trying to pick me up and Tony beat him up, not that I was impressed by this or anything, it was just kinda cool to see him kick peoples behinds. "Why are you so interested in vampires or vamps or whatever else you guys call us these days?" he asked as we sat on the lounge room floor, our backs leaning against the lounge. "my dad, and sisters are vampires, my brother is part of a cult as I said before and he would love to be a vamp, but no matter how many times he gets bitten he never changes, plus he wasn't born one, like my sisters were, born vamps I mean… but my fascination came from a lot of the tales you hear where I live and in books and diaries I found in my house storeroom" I said as I readjusted myself.
"Oh, I thought you might be one or a hunter" he said as his eyes dropped to the glasses of water in his hands. He hands one of the glasses to me. "Thank you, I'm not a hunter, thank goodness and I don't think I am a vampire" I said as I smelled the liquid. It had no smell, like water but I didn't drink it. "Really and your two sisters are?" he asked as he took the glass from my hand and sipped it, as if he was proving something. "Vampires? Yes. Hunters? No" I said as Tony passed the glass back to me and I had a sip out of the glass. "Oh I see, well, I should like to meet them" he said as he finished his glass. "You don't even know me and you want to meet my crazed family? I don't think so" I said as I stood up and sat on the couch, legs crossed and my arms crossed in front of my chest.
"Sorry, they sound like my kind of people that's all and I do know you…" he started. I looked at him disbelievingly. "Your name is Charlie, short for Charlene? Mason you are seventeen, I'm guessing, but you are wiser about us than most, you have two sisters and from the way you lump them together I think they are twins and older and you have one brother and he is involved in some cult but is not a vampire your sister are vampires and you don't know what you are… am I right?" he asked. "Yeah but you didn't tell me whether Andrew, my brother, is older or younger" I said. "True and I think he is… older" Tony said as I looked at him loathingly. "Am I right?" he asked as I continued to look at him loathingly. "Yes" I said as I slid my legs up under my butt, which was currently sitting on a white lounge.
"I really like your boots" he said as he passed my glass up to me. "thanks, I like them they are my favourite boots" I said as I readjusted my feet under me so that they were next to my thighs, my knees where on the lounge well all of my body was on the lounge. "I see why" he said as he ran his left index finger up and down the buckles on my boots. "Yeah they are really interesting huh?" I said as I removed his finger from my knee-high boots. "Yeah, where'd you get them?" He asked as he stood up and sat next to me on the lounge, "in the U.K" I said as I moved away from him. "Oh, cool… you were born there?" he asked. "No we went there on holidays last year" I said. "Oh ok interesting, I could've sworn you have an English accent" he said as he made eye contact. I looked away and said "yeah? Cool but I wasn't born in England" "ok if you say so, you wanna watch a movie?" he asked. "Sure" I said. He got up off the lounge and put a mattress on the floor for himself and put a DVD on.
The movie was really boring so I pretended to go to sleep. Tony got up and got a pillow and blanket out of the cupboard in the corner of his tiny apartment. He lifted my head and put a pillow underneath, before he replaced my head on the pillow, he then got the blanket, unfolded it and put it over me. I pretended to reawaken. "Hey, what are you… oh thanks" I said as I noticed him adjusting the blanket so that it was covering all of me. "You're welcome Charlie go back to sleep, I'll turn this off" he said as he picked up a remote and turned the television off. "I could've slept with it on if you wanted to watch the movie" I said as I got comfortable on the lounge. "It's ok I'm tired anyway" he said as he laid on the mattress and closed his eyes. "Ok" I said as I too closed my eyes and went to sleep.
I woke up to the sound of yelling and the smell of vampires. I opened my eyes as fast as humanly possible. I looked up and saw a huge man who smiled at me maliciously. He grabbed my arms almost at the shoulders and pulled me upwards and shoved me forward so that I could see Tony, who was being held, rather tightly, by two men. The first one was holding Tony's right arm and holding him back, he was wearing all black, he had piercing blue eyes and big arms, your typical henchmen, well, your typical vampire henchmen. The second was a slightly smaller man, who was also wearing black, he had sunglasses on and he was restraining the other half of Tony. I had to admit it was funny that it took two big men to hold off Tony who wasn't lanky but he wasn't exactly buff either.
"Don't tell them anything Charlie" Tony yelled before the two henchmen taped his mouth shut. "Who are you? What do you want?" I asked. I know really cliché but it was the first thing that came into my head. "I am here for this" the man who had grabbed me said as he pulled the neck of my shirt down slightly so he could see the necklace. The man held it in his gloved hand and he looked at me and then tried to take it off, which as I explained before you can't do. "You little witch" the man said as he slapped me across the right side of my face, the pain was immense but I'd had worse. I saw Tony lunged unsuccessfully trying to get away from the goons to come and help me. "I was going to tell you no one can't take it off…including me" I said as I touched my face where the guy had hit me. "Well then I guess you'll have to come with us" the man said as he grabbed the top of my right arm hard. I flinched in pain as the man squeezed my arm tighter.
"Let her go, she doesn't have anything to do with this, she's just some kid I found on the street outside a club the other night" Tony said as he looked at the man pleadingly. He had somehow gotten the tape off his mouth. The man released my arm. He then reached into his holster and pulled out a top of the line, cremator magnum, a gun specially designed to kill vampires it shoots silver bullets and it cremates with minimal mess and damage to the surrounding area. My dad had one, an older model; the new ones are faster and more efficient. He pulled the gun out of its holster and aimed it at Tony's head. "Don't shoot, please! What do you want my necklace for, I can't take it off, but maybe I can help you" I said as I saw Tony's face drain of all colour.
"We need the blood inside it" one of the henchmen/goons, who were holding Tony, said. "How did you intend on getting that?" Tony asked as he tried to slide his arms free of the goons grip. "Break it open?" I asked as I took a step towards Tony. This had been a very strange two days, kidnapped once taken here by a person I had just met and now being held up at gun point and I was trying to save this guy who I barely know and could just want to hurt me himself. "You know as well as I do that you can't break it open" the man said. "Yes… but I thought if you didn't know that, then I'd tell you to save you time" I said as I discretely took another step towards Tony. He finally got what I was doing and he tried to escape in the opposite direction. The goons pulled him back in my direction. He looked at me and I looked at the floor. I saw my pocket knife that must have fell out of my boot last night.
I fainted and just as I thought he would, Tony broke free of the goons and ran to my rescue he picked me up off the floor and said "Charlie, Charlie speak to me" I silently slid the pocket knife into his jacket pocket. And I awoke. He held me closer and I said as quietly as possible "I love your jacket" he looked into my eyes and said so the goons and their leader could hear "I love you too, honey everything is going to be fine" he removed my black hair from my face and as he helped me to my feet he winked. "Please she's new to the vampire world ok? She's not used to the…well you know what I mean" Tony said as the goons went to grab him again. The leader, the man who grabbed me, gestured them back to the door. The men obey. Tony looks at my arm. I scream. Tony rushes to my aid.
"I'm sorry… did that hurt?" the leader man asked as he flicked the blade of his switchblade back into the handle and slid the now closed pocket knife into his front pocket. I looked at my arm and I saw the slice that was now in it. "I've had worse" I said as I tried to stop it bleeding. I was failing it was about an hour or two later the bleeding had slowed but it had had a mess of my arm. "Can I get a towel from the bathroom?" I asked as I pressed hard against the wound. "Yes I don't want you to bleed to death" the leader said. "Don't do this Owen; we can sort this out, now what does the blood in that tube, have to do with anything?" Tony asked as I walked away then realising I don't know where the bathroom was. "First door over there" Tony said as he pointed towards a blue door.
I walked over to the door, opened it and grabbed the cleanest looking towel I could find. Which isn't as easy as it seems, the bathroom was filthy and so were the towels and I had to wash the towel in the sink which was also dirty and soak the towel in water. I walked out of the bathroom to find Owen on the floor and Tony also on the floor covered in blood. Owen got up and retreated out of the apartment. Tony was lying lifeless on the floorboards. I ran over to see if he was breathing, which thank goodness he was, he's a vampire you can't kill a vampire with a bullet but you can crack a vampires collarbone with a bullet.
"Tony are you alright?" I asked. "Yeah, just a bullet in my collar bone, I'm fine" he said as he sat up applying pressure to his collar bone with one hand and pushing himself up off the floor with the other. Then a thought crept into my head… "What if Tony wants my necklace too? What if that's why he protected me?" I wasn't sure if I was going nuts but I helped Tony get up and I held the wet towel on the bullet wound. Whether he was after my necklace and me or not I couldn't just leave him, after all he saved my life on two occasions in the passed two days so I felt I owed him a favour. "Oh sarcasm… you must be ok" I said. "Yeah I'm fine" he said as he took the towel out of my hand.
"Ok what's up with you I was trying to help" I said. "I know what you were thinking… and I can't believe you would think I was out to hurt you" he said as he looked at the floor very disappointed and hurt. "What do you think I thought about you?" I asked. "You thought that I was protecting you for that thing you wear around your neck" he said pointing at my necklace. "Well I didn't mean it ok" I said as he sat down on the lounge. "I can't believe you would think that I would be so vindictive, so uncaring and mean" he said as I sat down next to him. "Well I have only known you for two days" I said. "Yeah but I've saved your life twice" he said. "It's late and we should get some sleep" I said as he got up from the lounge and walked over to the cupboard again. I had a sinking feeling in my stomach. "You were right and I'm sorry for not understanding your suspicion you have every right to be suspicious I am a vampire and for all you know I could be after you or your father, I'm not but I could be" he said as he threw a blanket at me.
"I didn't… wait I don't know you… your right for all I know you could be a vampire king or something" I said sarcastically, he laughed as he put the mattress on the floor. He tried to hide the fact that he was laughing but he was failing. A smile crept onto his face. "you are way to cute" he said as I pulled the old innocent school girl smile thing, it used to get me out of trouble with mum all the time. I even coincidently had my long layered black hair in low pig tails.
"I know I'm sorry" I said as I walked over to the kitchen bench and jumped up to sit on it. "Time for bed" he said as he bounced on the mattress. "But I'm not tired" I said as cutely as possible as I started to swing my legs back and forth in a juvenile way. "Oh well, I guess I have no choice…" he said as he ran towards me and picked me up and I screamed as he carried me to the lounge and dropped me on the lounge.
"Oh… what about your shoulder" I said as I landed on my back on the lounge. "What about it?" he said as he moved his jacket so I could see were the bullet was. It was completely healed! "How? Did? You…?" I stuttered. "I'm a vampire remember?" he said as he sat on the mattress on the floor. I smiled and giggled as he bounced around and did flips all over the mattress I laughed so much I fell off the lounge and on top of him, just my luck. "Whoa are you ok?" he asked as he sat up with me still on his lap. "I could ask you the same question" I said as I got up slightly embarrassed. "I'm fine, I was more concerned about your arm, it was cut earlier… ringing any bells?" he said jokingly as he helped me up properly. "yeah I remember and I'm fine" I said as I showed him the wound and it had scabbed over and had started to heal, "well as long as you are ok" he said as he looked up to the lounge, where I was now sitting, and smiled. "I'm fine." I said as I drifted off to sleep.
It was a few weeks later and I woke up on the mattress and in Tony's arms! I was really shocked. "Tony wake up" I said as I turned to face him. He woke up and said "how did this happen?" "I don't know but…" I started. "I could ask you the same question Tony" a girl blubbered from the front door. She was very beautiful; she was a brunette, blue eyes and pure white teeth as well as unblemished pale skin. A classic beauty. I got up and moved silently to the lounge.
"Who is this Tone huh? Who is it? You promised" she said angrily tears running down her cheeks. "I'm on a job honey, that's all… I swear, nothing happened… did it Charlie?" he asked me "no nothing happened" I said as I let what he had just said sink in. "well I'm sorry if I don't believe you and 'Charlie' ok? It's over" she said as a big tear ran down the right side of her face and the rolled off her chin and she wiped it away. "Hailey, wait, it's the truth" he said as she slammed the door shut in his face.
"You're on a 'job'? What do you do Tony?" I asked as I backed away from him. I trusted him, he betrayed my trust, and I should run out of the apartment. But something was telling me I had to stay. "I'm sorry Charlie but I couldn't tell you and this wasn't part of the plan. We weren't supposed to be kidnapped the first time or held at gun point like we were nothing was supposed to happen I was just supposed to check in with you at the club and then leave you alone until I got further instructions" he said as he walked towards me. "You are very good… how could you think I was out to get you? Whatever Tony, I don't want to hear excuses" I said as I continued to back away from him. "I never meant to hurt you" he said regretfully. "Well you did" I said as I backed into a bookcase. I realized I couldn't get any further back, I racked my brain for an escape plan. Just in case I needed one.
"I really am sorry" he said. "Yeah I know" I said as I fiddled with my hair which was out today, just for a change. "No you don't, I was supposed to protect you and look what I've done; I've gotten you kidnapped, held and gun point and injured as well as that, I lost your trust" he said as he placed his hand on my shoulder. "Yeah you're right you did loose my trust" I said as I shrugged his hand off my shoulder and walked back over to the lounge. "I'm really sorry and I want to make it up to you" he said as he followed me. "I don't want anything else to do with you" I said as I got up to leave. "What if I could tell you what I was hired for and who I was hired by?" Tony said. I stopped and turned around to look at him.
"I'm listening" I said. "I was hired to keep you safe from your father, some of his friends… like Owen and his friends, the ones that we met… the one who shot me, and I was hired by your sister Danielle" he said as he patted the lounge next to him and I walked over and took a seat at the opposite side of the lounge. "Why did Danni think I was in danger?" I asked as I fiddled with my boot buckles and the hem of my skirt. "I don't know, I guess because your father was out of jail?" Tony said as he slid over towards me. "My father may be an idiot, but he is not going to try and kill me" I said as I stood up and walked over to the kitchen, it was then I realised I hadn't eaten since before the party, which was like a week ago…well I ate before this but, this past week went so quick…it was a little hazy. I opened the fridge to see vials full of blood. I had a shiver go down my spine and I continued to look through the contents of the fridge. An apple, a half eaten slice of pizza and a jar of weird looking stuff, I opted for the apple.
"He is a criminal mastermind, and a vampire… the odds are against you" he said as he looked at the apple I was taking bites out of, as I sat on the kitchen bench. "I know but he still is my dad…" I said as I took another bite of my apple. I hadn't forgiven Tony, but I couldn't really stay mad at him either… he did save my life as well as tell me what I wanted to know when he said he was on a job. He looked at me crunching away at the apple and said "you want to have some fun?" I looked at him and said "what do you mean fun?" "Not vampire fun… and for the record… I drink the synthetic stuff unless there is no other option" he said as he walked to the door and picked up his coat that was on a hanger by the door frame.
"Where are you going?" I asked as I jumped off the bench and walked cautiously towards him. "Club… night club" he said as he gestured at the door. "Vampire night club?" I asked still moving cautiously towards him. "No… do you think I'd risk someone in the vamp community finding out what I do by doing a stupid thing like that?" he asked as he gestured again at the now, open door. "True but what do you do?" I asked as I walked toward the door and exited the apartment. "I work in protection and outside connections with the community… stuff like that" he answered as we walked down the stairs in the apartment building. "I'm surprised you get any business… if you do this good a job with everyone else" I said jokingly as we exited the building and started to walk down a street towards some neon lights and a bouncer standing in front of a huge door.
"Hey Andy" Tony said as he walked up to the bouncer and shook his hand. The bouncer said "hey Tony, wat'cha doin' here man? I thought you said you'd be outta town for a while" "yeah but I have some family stuff to deal with… my little sister is having issues and all that" Tony replied. "Righto man… who's the girl?" he asked. "She's with me… Andy this is Charlie… Charlie this is Andy the bouncer who doubles as my older sisters' fiancé" he said as Andy opened the door to the club.