I could try and give you a reason for why I made her but they would all come up dry and none would sound even close to being acceptable. The truth of the matter was, was that I was lonely. I was unbearably lonely. I couldn't stand the company of those who I loved so dearly and immanently and so I fled far away from New Orleans to a small town called Saratoga which was in New York State. I was so sure that no one would find me there. That I could be safe and left alone to my thoughts. But all the same I was still desperately lonely. I longed for companionship of any kind but I couldn't yet stand to bare the company of those I loved and every mortal who I found was just like all the rest of the age. I couldn't stand it.
I found peace however in a bookstore in Saratoga called Borders Books and Music and it became my safe haven. Everyone there knew me and they even saved books for me that they were sure I would loved to read. I went there every night I could. It was one of these such nights when I sat in the Borders café with a warm cup of tea—that of course I wouldn't drink but the warmth radiating from it was very enjoyable—and a book that I had just recently purchased called Abarat when she came to me for the first time.
Oh if only we passed over each other and not noticed each other then her life wouldn't have been pulled out from under her feet by a dark haired monster. But as it were her life was ripped out from under her feet and the dark haired monster was me.
Night had fallen over the town of Saratoga and the lights of Borders bookstore had been cast aglow. People were bustling around inside looking for books to buy. In the café of the bookstore however there sat a man. He looked like any other man that one could see. He had a cup of tea which he held in his hand and he was focused deeply on the book that lay open in front of him. He had long straight black hair that cascaded in a glossy shimmer down his shoulders and the eyes that were fixed on the book were a beautiful emerald green. He really did look like any other man. But then if you were to look at him long enough you might notice that there were some things about him which made him seem not like your everyday man. His skin was as white as the snow that fell just outside of windows and his fingernails seemed to gleam in the light. But all in all unless you focused on these details he seemed like your average handsome man. But of course this was not what he was. His name was Louis de Pointe du Lac and he was a vampire.
Just then a girl came down the stairs that lead to the upstairs part of the bookstore. She was a normal young girl who appeared to the world around her no more then fourteen years old. Her light brown hair waved and curled a little past her shoulders and her eyes were dark brown with long dark lashes. When she reached the café she stopped at a table and her full pink lips smiled down at its inhabitant who looked up at her with dark brown eyes very much so like the girl's. Her name was Tessa Hunter and she had no idea that she was going to seal her fate that night. "Hey mom?" Tessa asked. Louis blinked once and then twice. A voice had just broken across his ears that had stirred him from his story realm.
"Yes?" Her mother asked.
"Can I get this?" Tessa asked holding up a book. Upon hearing the voice speak again Louis looked up just in time to see a girl hold up a book which had the title Queen of the Damned printed on it. He found that he couldn't take his eyes off the girl. She seemed to be light itself and she was beautiful. Her mother however shook her head.
"I don't want you reading Anne Rice Tessa," She said.
"Why not?" Tessa asked.
"Because she's too dark and mature for you," Her mother replied. "So put it back." Tessa sighed and turned and began to walk away. Louis didn't know what he was doing but he found himself raising upwards and walking after the girl. He followed her up the stairs and to a bookshelf there where she tucked the book sadly back where she had gotten it.
"You like Anne Rice," He asked before he could stop himself. Tessa jumped and turned to look at him.
"Yes," She said. "She's one of my favorite writers."
"Mine too," Louis said walking over to her. "She writes great stories don't you think?"
"Yes," Tessa smiled.
"What's your favorite one?" Louis asked.
"I don't know," Tessa said. "I haven't read the whole series yet. But I think that I like Interview with the Vampire, The Vampire Lestat, Blood and Gold, The Vampire Armand, and Blackwood Farm the best. What's your favorite?"
"Interview with the Vampire and The Vampire Lestat," Louis said. "If you love the books so much why doesn't your mother buy them for you?" When Tessa looked at him surprised he instantly apologized. "I overheard your conversation," He said. "I'm sorry I didn't mean to."
"It's alright," Tessa said. "My mom won't buy them for me because she thinks exactly what she said. She thinks that they're too dark and mature for me."
"Then how come you've read so many of the books?" Louis asked.
"My dad gets them for me and my friends let me borrow them," Tessa said. "I wanted to get Queen of the Damned because I've never been able to read it but as you overheard my mom won't let me read it."
"Do you believe in vampires?" Louis asked.
"Yeah," Tessa said. "Do you?" Louis nodded.
"Your not afraid of them are you?" He asked. Tessa smiled.
"No," She said. "Unless they actually try to kill me but otherwise I know how to properly kill them so it's all good." Louis couldn't help it he found himself laughing at this and Tessa smiled at him. "Are you afraid of vampires?" She asked when he had stopped laughing.
"I'm afraid of some vampires of course," He said. "Like Akasha," He said tapping the spine of Queen of the Damned. "I wouldn't want to have to fight her."
"I'd be afraid to fight her too," Tessa said. "I'd be afraid to fight any vampire but I'd do it."
"Why?" Louis asked and he regretted the question as soon as it had passed his lips. "I'm sorry you don't have to answer that," He said. "Never mind—"
"Because I'm not ready to die yet," Tessa said.
"What?" Louis asked surprised.
"I'm not ready to die yet," Tessa said. They fell into an awkward silence. During the lapse of silence Louis fell into studying Tessa's face. As he was watching the lips turned up in a smile as the eyes looked up to meet his. "Are you OK?" She asked knowing that his eyes had been boring holes into her for the last few minutes.
"Yeah I'm fine," Louis lied. He was worried that if he stuck by her much longer that he would take her right here among the books...or do something worse. The feeling of hunger in him was for her but it didn't seem to be blood lust. He didn't want her that way of course however.
Luckily a voice rung out across the bookstore that made both of them look towards it.
"Tessa?!"
Tessa's mother was making her way around the upstairs. When she saw Tessa with Louis she sped up towards them. When she reached them she looked at Louis for a moment before turning her eyes to her daughter. "Tessa its time to go," She said. "We have to go meet everyone at the Ti Sushi Garden and we're already late. Come on."
"Bye," Tessa said before walking away with her mother. She could feel Louis boring holes into her back the whole way.
In Ti Sushi Garden as everyone around her was talking and laughing but Tessa. She was eating her sushi deep in thought. That man she had met in the Borders had seemed so familiar but she just couldn't place where she had seen him. "Tessa are you alright?" Her mother Kathy McNiece asked.
"Yeah I'm fine just thinking," Tessa said turning to look at her mother and giving her a smile.
"Who was that man you were talking to at the bookstore?" Kathy asked. Everyone was paying attention now.
"You were talking to someone in the bookstore?" Gracie asked.
"Yeah," Tessa said. "I was talking to him about the Anne Rice books."
"You shouldn't talk to strangers!" Kathy said. "He could have scooped you away right then!"
"I know," Tessa said.
"Then why did you talk to him?" Kathy asked.
"I don't know," Tessa said. "It was just a really nice conversation."
"Well you shouldn't do it," Kathy said.
"Yes mom," Tessa said.
"Do you know who he was?" Gracie asked. Tessa shook his head.
"I never got his name," She said.
"Did you give him your name?" Kathy asked.
"No mom," Tessa said. The conversation turned back to normal after that and soon the food arrived causing everyone to pick over what food they wanted. When everyone was settled and Tessa was taking a sip of her Diet Coke it suddenly came to her. "I can't believe it!" She said shocked. Everyone turned to look at her again.
"Can't believe what?" Kathy asked.
"Oh I just forgot my notebook at home that's all," Tessa lied.
"Well its not like you'd be able to write in the dark so don't worry," Kathy said and everyone turned back to their food.
"I know," Tessa said turning back to her own food. But she couldn't really concentrate on what was going on around her. No wonder why the man had seemed so familiar. She had read his book so many times she had lost count. He wasn't a man at all. He was the vampire Louis de Pointe du Lac!
If you like it then please tell me so and I'll add more!
