Joyce High School wasn't anything grand; it was an old bunch of buildings, only two of which having a second story. It didn't have all the newest accommodations and it certainly wasn't glamorous. But I couldn't wait to go there.
I looked around the store. It was Wednesday, and my first day at Joyce High would be Thursday if we managed to get all the paperwork finished. Of course, since I was born in 1961, I didn't have the right paperwork to get into a high school; or any school, for that matter. Luckily, Maureen knew of someone who could help vampires with those kind of things. I just didn't trust him much.
The man, who called himself Fish for some strange reason, had scraggly black hair, but being a vampire even that didn't affect how handsome he looked. He had caramel-colored skin, smooth and shining, and his good eye was a piercing red. He wore a patch over his left eye. This, mixed in with his hair and his old, patchy clothes and his suspicious personality, made him an unsavory character as is.
"Hey Fish," Maureen greeted happily. I continued to observe the store, trying to ignore their conversation. It was disguised as some sort of knick-knack store that specialized in fishing and hunting-related items. Maybe he liked to fish. I don't know. I picked up what looked like a stuffed guppy, then placed it back down roughly.
"You break it you buy it," Fish commented without looking. I huffed in response and sat on a well-worn couch. A gigantic stuffed marlin was perched beside me, its glass eyeballs seemingly trained on me. God, I couldn't wait to get out of there.
"I'll need you for a sec," Fish called to me. "New driver's license photo." I sighed and stood up, allowing Fish to lead me around back to the "storage" room, where he kept all his forgery equipment. I tried to smile as he clicked a picture of me in front of a white blanket. He popped the film out of the camera and allowed me to wait in the store again. I sat motionless for a while, then attempted to engage Vivian in some cheerful conversation.
"So, you excited to get into school again?" I asked, offering a friendly smile.
"I doubt I'll be dumb enough for whatever grade I get stuck in," she replied impassively. I frowned playfully.
"I'm sure you'll find a way," I chuckled, getting a giggle and a shove from Vivian.
"Almost ready guys," Maureen called back.
Fish's laugh sounded like a soft rumbling. "Nice girls you've got," he said.
"Thank you," Maureen replied proudly. "I've raised them since they were Changed."
After a moment of clacking on a keyboard and scribbling on papers, Fish finally handed the necessary papers to Maureen. "There you go. Birth certificates, a driver's license for Ms. Kristine, et cetera."
"Thanks so much Fish," Maureen gushed.
"No prob." He winked. Or maybe blinked. I couldn't tell. The three of us scuffled out of the store quickly. I held my tongue, knowing that Fish could hear anything I said for quite a ways away. It had begun to snow when we were in the store. Maureen slipped me the driver's license and I stowed it quickly in the purse I'd brought with me. We had parked in a nearby shore-side shopping center, so Maureen decided to take us clothes-shopping. After all, we hadn't brought much with us from our previous house, since we would be moving back there in one hundred years or so, and we'd never grow out of any of it.
The first store we hit was a small Wal-Mart, with not much of a variety for girls. It was all pink and lace. I wrinkled my nose at the Hannah Montana bras they had the gall of selling. Vivian, however, was perfectly fine with the frilly purple stripes and spots. Though she was quiet and seemed mature, inside she was still that little fourteen year old girl. She bought lots of dresses and skirts, a few new pairs of boots and some new tights. It took two carts to fill Vivian's need. I, however, had a few plain t-shirts and two jeans hooked onto one arm and a pair of sneakers tucked under the other. I assured Maureen that I would come back alter and get more, as it seemed there wasn't much room left.
We wheeled the carts to a relatively open line and waited patiently. Vivian flipped through a People magazine, catching each article as the page flipped and storing it to remember later. I leaned casually against the handle bar of my cart and leafed through a Reader's Digest, while Maureen stood behind her cart and drummed her fingers against it in tune to some song she was thinking of. Oh yeah. We blended right in. I even looked over at an iPod and asked if I could have one, though I knew money was certainly not an issue for a vampire. We just kept things for years and years, and then sell them when they become of the "collectable" status.
"Sure sweetie," Maureen said pleasantly. "Can you get one for your sister, please?"
"Pink please," Vivian piped up without looking. I plucked one pink and one blue iPod from the shelf. It made me wonder what the next best thing would be once these things became ancient relics on eBay. If eBay was still around.
A steady line was building behind us as the cashier scanned all the clothes with a dazed look on her face. I could see the mental debate plainly on the people's faces as they wheeled over near us, not wanting to wait for as long as we would take but wanting to get a better look at us. I exhaled angrily and turned away, focusing on Vivian's new clothes on their journey to the plastic bags that thanked us for shopping there.
After what felt like an eternity the final shirt was crushed into a bag with my shoes and stacked precariously on the top of the stack. The cashier gave us an exhausted 'have a nice day' and turned to the next person with a reluctant sigh.
Maureen piled the stuff into the trunk and back seats of her SUV, and Vivian buckled herself up in the middle section. I hopped into shotgun. With that done we parked near the rocky shore and hopped out. "I haven't seen the ocean in forever!" Vivian exclaimed, a little smile stealing over her red lips.
"Me neither!" I breathed, a white cloud occurring from my statement. I realized that I probably should have dressed warmer to blend in better, but I didn't give a second thought to it. My shoes crunched the thin layer of snow that had fallen as I stepped closer to the cliff edge that overlooked the still gray ocean. There sure were a lot of cliffs here.
I heard the crunching of snow again, but it wasn't Maureen or Vivian. We looked over as a familiar Jeep screeched to a halt beside us. "Derek!" I called happily. Sure enough, Derek jumped out of the driver's seat and came over to us.
"Hey Kris," he greeted. "Hello, Ms. Maureen. And… who's this?" He looked curiously at Vivian.
"My sister," I replied quickly. "Vivian, this is Derek."
"Ah, I can tell she's your sister. Same eyes." Derek shook Vivian's hand. "Aren't you cold without mittens?" he asked her. Vivian shook her head.
Maureen tried to smile pleasantly. "What are you doing way out here, Derek?"
Derek laughed. "Oh, my mom made me to pick up our mail from the post office. Our mailbox still isn't fixed yet." Now that he mentioned it, I didn't remember seeing one.
"Well, I'm starting school tomorrow," I piped. "Joyce High, like I said."
Derek grinned broadly like he always did. "Awesome! I'll be sure to give you a tour. I hang out in the courtyard in the mornings. You'll know where that is when you see it." He checked his watch fretfully. "Well, I better get home soon or my mom'll kill me. Later, Kris! See ya tomorrow. Bye Ms. Maureen! Vivian!" And with that he hopped back into his jeep and was off again.
"Don't get too close to that boy," Maureen warned forebodingly.
"Yeah, alright," I muttered.
"I felt something strange about him," Vivian added. "He was nervous, sorta guilty. I don't think he's allowed to talk to you either."
"What is it with them and you, Maureen?" I asked suddenly. "They aren't vampires. Do they know that we are?" I kept my voice low.
Maureen pursed her lips and shook her head. "I'm not sure myself. But I know they don't trust us, and aren't to be trusted themselves. Please, keep away from them." Her last words took on a pleading tone.
I hesitated. The first friend I made here and I'm suddenly not allowed to talk to him. "Alright," I sighed. Maureen sighed, reassured, and got back into the car.
"You're lying," Vivian whispered. I shushed her and got back into the passenger seat.
Shortest chapter yet. And yes, I've seen Hannah Montana bras at Wal-Mart. I was thoroughly disturbed. I like Fish. He's cool. I'll try to use him again.