Chapter 3 the Freak Show
The night of the freak show came and I went alone to watch it, I wanted to bring my friend Lizzie but she was busy. I was so looking forward to watching Larten's act, his spider sounded like no other spider that I had ever seen or heard of and I was right.
Madam Octa was Larten's spider, she was both extremely rare and very beautiful, her green striped legs and her mystic purple body made me envy her.
I watched Larten's part of the act with great anticipation, I think he saw me in the audience; I was on one of the middle rows in the centre.
"Ladies and gentlemen I present to you my act, Madam Octa and myself will be performing some tricks for your entertainment, do not clap or move until told to do so, any noise could cause danger or death, Madam Octa is both beautiful and lethal, one bite means certain death to that unfortunate party; you have been warned" Larten said.
Then the act began. Larten had the spider climb up him, swing down on a thread and then sway back and forth to a tune that he was playing on a flute. He had her sit at a table and she ate a meal and then Larten had the spider tap dance almost and do a few other tricks. I watched in utter awe as Madam Octa performed and Larten was not bad either, he did a few things as well but it was the spider's act really.
At the end of the performance there was lots of clapping and cheering, every single person loved it, I loved it and the rest of the show was brilliant, there was a man with two bellies, a boy who was half human, half snake, a pair of twins who were double jointed contortionists, a man who could play musical tunes on his ribs, a lady with teeth like steel, a man who could cut off his body parts in grow them back instantly and that was it. I bought some souvenirs and then I left, it was one of the best circuses that I had ever seen.
Larten must have seen me because I saw a flash of red and then he was in front of me.
"This is Madam Octa" Larten said as he held up the wooden cage for me to see.
"Madam Octa is beautiful, I love her and I am a big spider fan. The show was incredible, I loved the twins and your act, the others were great as well and I bought some souvenirs to remind me of the show" I said.
"I am glad you enjoyed the show, I saw you in the audience watching us and I knew that you would enjoy it so that is why I invited you. Have you felt anything yet?" Larten asked me.
"In answer to your question I did feel strangely hungry today and I was very tired but now I am ok, I can see better and I heard some noises that I had not heard before. I think that the blood you gave me has started to kick in" I replied.
"I thought that the blood would have started to kick in by now, it does not take long. Soon you will feed properly but for now drink this; it will keep you going until we feed together" Larten said and he handed me a bottle of red liquid.
I drank from it; it was fresh blood and still warm. I gagged to start with but then I got used to it and finished the bottle quickly. It made me feel alive, I felt very strange; I was buzzing like I had devoured a can of energy drink or something.
"How was that?" Larten asked me.
"Strange, now I feel a lot stronger and I feel like I have new energy waiting to be used" I replied.
"Good that is what you should feel after you have drunk blood that was why I gave it to you. You need to drink regularly or you will die, you will not need any more blood now for a month" Larten said as he held out his hands.
I took Larten's hands and he hoisted me above his head and on to his back.
"Hold on tight, this is going to be fun" Larten said and he started to jog, then he went into a flat out sprint and soon the whole countryside was going past in a blur, I held my breath and held on tight.
"Where are we?" I asked when Larten had stopped.
"We are at my home where you may live with me whilst the circus is in this town. After that you must return home. We will then fake your death and you will then join me at the vampire council" Larten explained to me as I got off of his back. Larten's home was little more than a hayloft that had been converted by himself. It had all the hay in it still but it had a table, two chairs, some basic shelves and a cupboard. The cupboard had the cutlery and crockery in it, the pots and pans were hanging up on rope that was attached to the rafters. There was also a small gas camping stove and a gas lantern.
"Welcome home, I appreciate it is not a house but it is good enough, here you will be warm and dry. Also you will be safe from enemies who would seek to have you as a trophy" Larten said. He then folded up his cloak and put it neatly by his bed which was a coffin filled with hay and a pillow.
"Well it is a nice hayloft, where is the farmer? Does he mind you setting up home here?" I asked.
"No, I have an arrangement with him, I do a few jobs for him and I keep the rabbits away and in return I can live here for as long as I need to." Larten replied.
"Oh right, fair enough, I guess you snare the rabbits and eat them so they do not eat the corn" I said
"That is exactly right, I do not just get rabbits though, pigeons and other vermin fall foul of the pot, I make game pie and a stew, or I do a roast on a spit" Larten said.
"Sounds like you can cook, I love meat, pie is my favourite but stew is great with thick bread or dumplings" I said.
"We will do just fine then, I enjoy cooking, I will teach you how to prepare stews and soups from what is around us. I will show you what plants you can eat and where to get nuts, seeds and berries whilst we are on the road" Larten said.
"That sounds like fun; I do not think that we will go hungry. Where do we get water from to wash with and to cook with?" I asked Larten.
"The farmer has kindly plumbed in a tap for me downstairs with clean water, he also buys some of the rabbits I catch, as a result I can buy some things in the local shop, and we can get eggs, bread and cheese, even milk if you wish" Larten explained.
"Well we seem to have it better than most people, where do I sleep? That coffin is not big enough for us both" I asked.
I will get you your own coffin or I will buy a bed, it has to be one of those foldable camping beds though, or we cannot take it with us. A sleeping bag would be good for you. You can get ones that are big enough for two people, for now though you may sleep in the coffin and I will sleep on that hay and I will make my cloak into a cover" Larten explained.
"You do not have to do that; I will sleep on the hay and use your cloak as a blanket if that is ok? You must not give up your bed for me though" I replied as I hung my coat up on a hook.
"As you wish, I will take the pillow out of my coffin and allow you to have it. I do not use it; it is just for the use of ladies. I prefer to sleep in a more primitive fashion" Larten said.
"Cool, thank you. I am so happy right now, but I am ravenous. What are you doing for our breakfast?" I asked.
I have a rabbit jointed in that pot and a partridge that can be roasted. I will make a meat medley with some wild fruits to make a jus and some nuts to have afterwards if you like" Larten offered.
"That would be great; I will go to the shop if its open and I will get some thick bread and some cream to add to the jus" I replied.
"The shop is a twenty four hour garage, take £5 and take this as well" Larten said as he handed me a rough £5 note and a scarf.
"It is not too cold is it?" I asked.
"It is minus three degrees out there, you will freeze. Wrap up warm I advise and do not be longer than you have to be" Larten instructed me.
"Very well, I thought vampires could take extreme cold and heat, I thought the blood makes us warm and we do not suffer as much" I said.
"That is true but not in your case as your vampiric blood has not had time to fully kick in yet. You will get stronger but the other advantages will take a while, however the blood you have consumed will speed things up, you should start feeling it in three days or so. Then the cold will no longer bother you and the heat will be no trouble at all for you. For now though follow my advice and wrap up warm." Larten told me as I wrapped the scarf around my neck.
"As you wish, I will not be long." I said as I left and ran through the field and down onto the track that lead to the shop.
I arrived in the shop, grabbed what I needed and went up to the counter, a fat woman with an apron on and tanned skin served me. I bought some cheese, thick bread, a box of stock cubes and some cream. I also got a pint of milk.
"£4.86 please" The fat woman whose name badge said Angela told me.
"Here you are, can I have a bag please?" I asked as I handed over the money.
"Certainly, that is fourteen pence change and your receipt, here is the bag, it is one of those strong ones" Angela said.
"Thanks a lot then, bye" I said as I left the shop and scurried back to the hay loft. Larten had been right about the cold, I was absolutely freezing by the time I got back.
"I got what you asked for and here is fourteen pence change. I got a couple of extra things so we can have lunch tomorrow" I explained.
"That is ok, you must be freezing and did my scarf serve you well?" Larten asked me as he put the food away in the cupboard.
"Yes, if nothing else my neck is warm. My fingers are freezing though; you were right about the cold. Thank you for letting me borrow your scarf; it was very kind of you to do so" I said.
"You are welcome, now the food is almost ready. Do you want to set the table or shall we eat vampire style?" Larten asked me.
"What is eating vampire style?" I asked curiously.
"Where we grab a spoon each or a fork and eat straight from the pot and we eat the meat with our hands rather than having it on a plate, it is more animalistic" Larten explained.
"That sounds fun, let us eat as you say vampire style, I hope I get enough to eat as I am so hungry" I said.
"You will get an equal share, I am not one to eat lots and deprive others" Larten said then he continued "it is ready now, let us eat"
At this point Larten took the pot off of the fire and we tucked in. The meat fell off of the bone as it was so tender and soon enough it was gone. All that was left were a few bones and an empty pot.
"That was really good, the sauce was lovely and the meat was cooked to perfection. I could get used to this" I said.
"I am glad you liked it, the food at the council will not be as good but it will keep you strong and satisfied" Larten said.
I took the pot and washed it up, I did the same with the forks and then I sat down in one of the chairs at the table, Larten joined me and we played cards until dawn, then we both curled up and I was soon dreaming of my life to come and how fun it would be now that I had Larten's blood in my veins.
The next evening I returned home and I started preparing to fake my death, my parents were due home so I had no choice but to leave Larten's side. I kissed him at the window and he kissed me back, then we parted.
I was scared about faking my own death but I knew that it was necessary if I wanted to spend my now extended life with Larten. I was excited at the prospect of the council; it would be nice to meet other vampires and other vampiresses. I would finally belong to the Clan and with someone like Larten looking out for me I would be safe and well looked after, I would also be loved which was the main thing.
