Vi and the Vampire
A Short Story for Your Birthday
Rain splashed down into the street, cascading over the edges of pavements, dripping down gutter pipes and seeping through layers of clothing. It was windy too- the sharp current of air whistled deafeningly down alleyways, snatching away hats and umbrellas. Thick barriers of clouds loomed overhead, darkly promising a storm.
In other words, typical English weather, thought Vi. The first distant rumble of thunder sounded. Yes, Vi thought, just your typical English summer, full of rain and disappointment.
The disappointment came in the form of the immensely attractive Hugo Lawson, an up-and-coming divorce lawyer with a sexy smile and a devil-may-care attitude. Disappointed? Well Vi wouldn't be if he wasn't the most obsessively vain and arrogant man she had ever met, and that was saying something, considering her private school history, where all guys were either egotistical jerks or shy, geeky loners.
At the age of 25, Vi had thought she had it all: a dream job as an assistant to one of the leading fashion designers in the UK; a group of friends who made her feel like Carrie from Sex and the City; a brand new apartment in one of the nicer areas of London; and, most recently, a couple of dates with Hugo, a charismatic, confident man with the body of a Greek God (or at the very least an underwear model), who just happened to live in the same building as her.
She thought she had everything, until she had found out, right before her third date with Hugo, that not only was he mind-numbingly boring ("I am so great, I am amazingly attractive, I always win at everything blah blah blah"), but that he had also knocked up another woman! To add insult to injury the woman he had knocked up was a gorgeous blonde with legs up to her chest, never-had-a-spot-in-her-life skin and a flair for fashion that had even Vi struggling to beat. How did Vi know this? Because the woman worked in the same bloody office as her!
Vi was furious, she didn't care that the woman was getting an abortion, or that she and Hugo weren't really a couple yet, or that Hugo swore the child wasn't his anyway. But more intense than the anger that burned through Vi was the overwhelming sense of disappointment. Are all guys undateable? What happened to romance, to red roses, one true loves and old-fashioned chivalry? Don't those things even exist anymore?
Now, fuelled by anger and determination to find a guy who wouldn't disappoint her, Vi strode through the pouring rain to join the throng of London partygoers. A night out clubbing was just what she needed.
One of her friends had told her just yesterday about the most recent addition to London's thriving nightlife: a small but trendy new club called 'Midnight'. 'Midnight' was said to be ultra-exclusive, the starting point on a night out for the young elite of London society; Vi's friend, Becca, had only known about the club because she happened to be dating the bartender. Vi felt supremely well connected when Becca had told her: "just tell the bouncer you know Leo Becca's boyfriend and he'll let you in, well, once at least!"
As luck would have it, Vi arrived at 'Midnight' at 11.30pm; by the time she first entered the club, it was midnight exactly. To all the other people in the club, Vi looked like she had timed it to perfection.
The club's dress code was strictly gothic, so as Vi shrugged off her coat and hung it on a conveniently placed brass hook, she glanced around at what the other clubbers were wearing, to check her outfit wasn't too OTT. She herself was wearing wide black trousers that floated around her legs, finishing just above the top of the stiletto heels on the ankle boots she wore underneath, and a beautiful black corset top enhanced with small black feathers and sequins, which gave her the perfect hourglass figure, though it was a bit hard to breathe. She also wore a vintage green serpent necklace on a silver chain and matching earrings, which complemented her emerald green eyeshadow and heavy eyeliner. Before she had entered the club, Vi was sure she had gone a bit too far, but now she saw she was one of the most conservatively dressed people here.
A brunette teenager in a full length black evening gown, combined with a multitude of silver bracelets and black beaded necklaces, stumbled past, her lips painted blood red, and her eyes near invisible under the heavy makeup that surrounded them. A similarly aged boy with a prominent silver ring through one ear and a full tuxedo followed her.
A woman close to Vi's age was dancing at the edge of the crowded dance floor wearing skin-tight black jeans and shiny black leather boots that extended to just above her knees. A strapless black top only covered her from her boobs to just above her bellybutton, leaving numerous tattoos on display, the most prominent being a gothic black cross which covered the whole of her back.
The overriding hair colour was jet black, though Vi suspected that most people's was dyed. A miasma of black filled the room, creating shadows where there should have been pools of light. The heavy metal music filled the room, and the only place not crowded with people pulsating to it was the bar at the other end of the room.
Vi wandered over to it and ordered herself a Bloody Mary.
"Hey, are you Leo?" she asked the bartender suddenly.
"That's me, do I know you?"
"No, well you don't know me but you're dating my friend Becca"
"Oh so you're one of Becca's friends. You a PA too?"
"Yep, different companies, but both of the people we work for are selfish bitches so I figure we've got that in common. Becca and I met at a conference, we both had to go get drinks for our demanding bosses"
"Yeah, Becca complains about her boss all the time" Leo chipped in.
Suddenly, Vi noticed a tall, dark stranger staring at her from the other end of the bar, unlike most of the crowd he was not dancing or tapping his feet to the music, but holding himself very still… and staring straight at her.
"Hey, Leo" Vi said quickly, "do you know who that guy is over there, the one looking at me?"
"Him? Oh he's a regular, the club's only been open 2 weeks but he's been here every night so far; always in that spot too. Don't know his name though" Leo paused, then added "He also always leaves with a pretty girl" looking at Vi appraisingly.
Vi's cheeks flushed slightly at the unspoken compliment, and then suddenly she felt someone's presence behind her.
"Care to dance?" a deep sensuous voice spoke from behind her. Vi made herself turn around slowly, not letting her excitement and slight desperation show to the incredibly handsome stranger now standing behind her.
It was a few moments before she could speak anyway, as close up the stranger was even more gorgeous than Hugh, who had been the most gorgeous man Vi had ever seen in real life up to that point. The stranger had piercing eyes that were probably a dark brown in daylight but in here seemed dark as night. His skin was the colour of coffee, and seemed to reflect light oddly, as if the light would not touch him, but just dissipated once it reached his skin. His hair was longer than strictly fashionable, and was a black so pure it shone blue whenever the disco lights swept over it. He was dressed simply, in black trousers and a casual white shirt with its sleeves rolled up to display muscular arms that Vi could imagine holding her tightly, keeping her safe in his embrace.
"Y-yes, sure" Vi stammered slightly as she stood up to clasp the stranger's hand, which was extended in a quaint, old-fashioned gesture. She looked up into his eyes which glittered and glimmered in the flashing lights, and allowed him to lead her to the dance floor.
They danced to two songs, him holding her firmly round the waist and occasionally spinning her about in a way that didn't fit with the music but Vi found instantly appealing anyway.
After the end of the second song the vampire whispered into her ear "Want to come outside? We can talk…"
Vi nodded and followed him out a side door she hadn't realised existed. As she went out she caught Leo smirking at her knowingly, and then giving her a subtle wink. Annoyed, Vi tossed her head and walked quickly out the door.
She was barely outside when the stranger started kissing her, first fiercely on the mouth, then down the side of her face then concentrating on her neck. He did seem to be kissing her neck a lot. Just as Vi started to feel a certain suspicion about who, or what, the stranger was, she felt a sudden pain just below the pulse point on her neck, followed by a sweeping sense of euphoria.
Now it was certain this man was a vampire, but Vi didn't care anymore, she simply wanted to stay here forever, to be with him forever. The elation the vampire's bite gave was so intense she didn't realise how weak she had started to feel until she fainted. The last thing Vi heard before she passed out completely was the vampire's slow, sexy voice in her ear, saying "Thank you, my pretty one. I hope I will meet you again"
Vi abruptly woke up. She was in her room, in her own bed, and it was, she checked the clock, 7.45 am.
What had happened? Then the memories came flooding back- a vampire! A real, living (or not dead at least) vampire had been in the club. He had danced with her, kissed her, bitten her! Was it real? It had to be a dream. These things happened often in the horror stories she had read as a teenager, but never on real life. It MUST have been a dream; a thrilling, euphoric, incredibly realistic dream, but a dream nonetheless.
Convinced it was a dream, Vi got up and began getting ready the brunch she had booked later with her friends. It was only when she got to the bathroom that she looked at a mirror. And saw the two tiny, perfectly rounded holes on the side of her neck.
It was real.