A/N: I have to thank everyone who reviewed and also the ones that signed up for alerts, it made me extremely happy, and also very nervous about how this chapter will be received. Hope I won't disappoint. / Thank you Northwoman, a wonderful beta, for reading both chapters and highlighting my many mistakes. =)
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Chapter 2:
My lifeboat sails through the night
How the hell did I end up here? Sitting inside a stranger's car, and not just any stranger, but a vampire stranger, driving way above the speed limit to an unknown destination? I was mentally chastising myself, I should pay more attention to my wishes, because it looks like my lucky stars went over board with the adventure bit. I had no idea what was going on, but I could tell it wasn't good. Not good at all. I shouldn't be here. I wanted to go back to my thoughts of sunbathing and slot machines. I didn't want to admit this, but I was scared out of my mind.
I tried to comfort myself with the thought that Bill knew her, that she wasn't a total stranger, that someone would know what happened to me, if things came to worst. And then I remembered that Bill might not care at all. It's not like we were best-buds, in fact, he had tried to lure me into going to bed with him (ugh) several times now, and I always answered him with a stern No. This comforting was only making things worse, so I convinced myself that Bill was not a complete douche (though I knew he was). It was eerily quiet in the car, so much so, that even I could hear my heart's loud, frantic thumps.
I peeked sideways at the vampire, and for the first time, I realized she was covered in blood stains. She was wearing a pale pink-grey tweed skirt suit, the jacket completely shredded on the arm closest to me, and I could see pieces of glass slowly exiting her wounds. As I watched she began to heal. Amazing. I guessed the angry vampire must have thrown her out of the window-wall.
There was one large piece of glass still stuck in her right arm, and I tentatively inched my hand closer, letting her know what I was going to do. She turned her head sharply to look at me, and when she understood, she nodded, turning her attention back to the road. I slowly eased the sharp glass out, she didn't even winced, her blood was flowing sluggishly from the cut, I stared at it both in awe and disgust.
"Are you Sookie, the telepath?" She asked sounding bored, but it was so unexpected that I nearly jumped out my skin when she spoke, and what she'd said; forgetting the glass still in my left hand, I unconsciously balled my hands into fists.
"Ouch" I yelped, tossing the sharp object to the floor of the car, holding my hand out, making pressure on the wound, blood trickling down my arm. "Great," I muttered, "you wouldn't happen to have a first-aid kit." I asked the vampire, but when I turned to see, she was giving me a fang-y smile. I gulped. Loudly.
"Would you like me to clean your wound, Sookie?" She asked politely without breaking eye contact, and I felt the pressure in my head that told me she trying to glamour me. I scowled at her. Her eyes widened for a second, which meant she just realized she couldn't, and the child in me gave her a smug smile.
"How?" she asked simply.
"Would you please look at the road? I don't want to die just yet." Her lips twitched before she turned, I sighed relieved and continued, "To answer your question, I'm not sure why I can't be glamoured, maybe because of my telepathy; which reminds me, how did you know?"
"Compton" she said with some distaste in her voice. Well at least we had one thing in common, if I didn't like him before now I hated him. What would he gain from that? I can't read vampires and they have their mind-tricks so I didn't see how useful my telepathy could be to them, hell, it was an annoyance to me. I was about to dab the blood with my sweatshirt when Pam stopped me, taking my hand in hers, gently enough that I was able to yank it back.
"My offer still stands, no need to waste. Plus it would heal a lot faster if I did." She added holding her fingers to her nose, inhaling my blood then she gave me a shocked look. This was a surprise since vampires were known for their ever present poker-face.
"Master" she whispered, short of a gasp.
"Huh?" I asked, when she took my hand again I let her, and she licked the cut in my palm which was not deep, and once thru, she sucked her own lips and smile, pleased. "Thanks" I muttered, taking it as a compliment.
"You've had Eric's blood, not much, but definitely." She stated.
"I've what? No! Never— yuke!" What was she talking about? "I'm a human, why would I ever drink anyone's blood?! And who the hell is Eric?" I asked her maybe a bit more loudly than I'd intended.
"You've never been here." I was about to ask where she meant, but then noticed that we were in a suburban shopping strip of Shreveport, the stores were all closed down, including the vampire bar we just pulled into, Fangtasia. The name of the place was spelled out in jazzy red neon above the door, and the facade was painted steel gray, a red door providing color contrast.
She shut the engine, she cocked her head to one side and stared at me. She stayed like that for a while, sort of frozen in time, I peered out the window, there was a Sam's and a Toys 'R' Us close to the vampire bar, and I snorted.
"Well." Pam said and with that she slid out of the car, I followed more slowly, hesitantly, but stayed near the car, while the vampire was already at the door of the bar, waiting for me.
"Come on telepath, let's have a little chit-chat" Pam said with a wink.
I sighed and walked over to her. It's not like I had many choices, my car was still at the gas station, and even if I tried to run the vampire would catch me in no time, but she hadn't been aggressive towards me at all, and she already had my blood.
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The interior of the place was a mess. It looked like a tornado had been trapped in here. There were turn-up tables and chairs, a few of them smashed to the concrete floor. Pam looked unperturbed so I had to assume this wasn't news to her. She glided smoothly between the wreckage and went behind the bar to offer me a drink, I decided I deserved one, plus I was vacationing, right? I hoped so anyway and asked for a gin and tonic.
"Where were you two weeks ago?" She asked, out of the blue for all I knew, but when I tried to answer her I became aware that I couldn't. I remembered something about a gift and Monroe, that's it. Just like in my dreams, missing pieces. I gasped realizing my brain looked like Arlene's had one day after she'd left the bar with Bill the night before. I've been glamoured.
"But I can't be glamoured!" I yelled, "You tried earlier and it didn't work! Plus I haven't met any new vampires—" none that I can remember anyway, I finished internally.
"So there it is!" Pam cheered, "You're the trouble-maker."
"See Pam, I wish I knew what the hell you are talking about, but I don't!" I snapped. "Care to elaborate?" I was beyond furious, but my anger didn't faze the vampire one bit, she sat graciously on a stool, she was eerily striking, as the light hit her chalky pale skin.
"I don't know much about your involvement in that night's events actually," she paused and I got the distinct impression she was considering her answer, "all I know is that, four times in the past month, money has gone missing here at Fangtasia, but only on the third night did Eric and I, co-owners of the bar, realize there was a pattern. On the fourth night, I took charge of the bar while Eric followed Longshadow, the former bartender, all the way to a warehouse in Monroe, along with a gang of Mississippi's Werewolves and you, Sookie."
I gaped at her, "Werewolves exist?!" but the vampire waved her hand, dismissing my question, and in truth she was right, does it really matter if they were real or not? She just told me I was found among supernatural criminals. I checked to see if this brought up any memories, but no such luck.
"That's a story for another night, Sookie, the main point is that Longshadow has met his final death at the hands of my master." She sounded proud of her master, she continued, "I don't know where in the middle of that you fit, but Eric had to— care for you, he gave you his blood which is out of character. Unheard of." She gave me an unfriendly look and I gulped.
"Okay, I wonder which one of them glamoured me." I added. Pam lifted her shoulders very slightly, the vampire version of a shrug. "Can't we just ask Eric?"
"That's not possible."
"Why not?!" Was he so high and mighty that he couldn't talk to a mere human?
"Because he's missing."
"Oh" I didn't know what I should feel or say. Luckily, or not, Bill strode in just then, looking like he'd seen his vampire life (death?) flash before his eyes, and was wild with excitement to have walked away.
"Sookie, darling, are you all right?" Bill asked, feigning both concern and affection. I simply gave him an incredulous look, and it was good to see that Pam didn't buy it either. Bill walked over to us and put his arm around my shoulders. I squirmed in my seat.
"I'm fine Bill, and I'm not your darling" I said emphasizing each word, removing his arm and leaning away from him. Pam smirked.
"Bill, stop pestering the girl, I already know she is not yours." Damn straight, I thought, after Pam's comment. Whoa wait, Bill told her he had some kind of ownership over me? I glared up at him, but he was staring at Pam, she was making a show of licking her fangs, before she added, "Now, where's Hot Rain?"
"Gone." Bill responded.
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Thanks for reading! Please review, don't be afraid to comment.
Lani.—
