First off, I want to thank all of you both readers and reviewers. As well as my beta, RubySun03. Here's chapter seven, enjoy!
Disclaimer: Only my OCs belong to me. Anything else, belongs to the wonderful Charlaine Harris.
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I sometimes forget how fast time passes by. Dracula Night was at the end of the week and I was far from ready. Periodically, I did some online browsing but that was the extent of my preparation. Recently I found a dress I liked a lot. However, I hadn't had the time to go and get it.
The website where I found the dress was up on my computer screen while I was cooking. In between adding spices and boiling water, I continued to look around on the site.
Erin came in and we greeted one another. I picked from her brain that she was happy that I was making something to eat since she was very hungry. As she passed the small desk where my laptop sat, Erin took a peek at the screen.
"That's a cute dress, what's it for?" she asked, her head in the fridge.
"Oh, Dracula Night," I replied absentmindedly.
Erin hit her head on the top interior of the fridge. She spewed a few curses as she closed the door with a bottled water in hand, "Did you say 'Dracula Night'?"
"Um, yeah," I said, staring at my cooking on the stove.
"How did you manage that? I was always told that's a Supe only event," she said thoughtfully as she sat down at the table.
"It is, usually. But, my Mom's good friends with a few of the vampires at Fangtasia. So we're usually on the guest list," I said, casually, "She's pretty friendly with Eric too."
"Really?" Erin asked, her interest peaking.
"Ah, yeah. She saved his ass once or twice, so she's in his good graces," I said, still very interested in the status of my pasta sauce.
Erin opened her water and took a sip of it, "How long has she known him?"
"Over twenty years now," I replied.
"So, I'm guessing she and Eric's human know each other since they've been together at least that long," Erin said, tapping into her Supe knowledge.
"I'm guessing so. I don't see him as much as my Mom does though," I explained, "Eric's not as terrifying as he makes himself out to be. Ok well, he's still pretty intimidating but you know what I mean."
I hate not being able to tell Erin the complete truth. But, I make it a point to not outright lie to her.
"She's so lucky. He is so gorgeous," she sighed contentedly.
"Yeah, he is," I agreed.
"How many times have you gone to Dracula Night?" Erin inquired.
"Oh, this is my fourth time now," I said.
"So you're a pro at this then," Erin laughed.
I smiled, "Sure, why not?"
"So, is there any possibility you could bring one particularly good friend to Dracula Night?" Erin asked with a big grin.
"Oh, Karsten's already going. He and his dad are invited since Alcide is packmaster," I shrugged, being cheeky.
Erin lovingly rolled her eyes at me, "You know what I mean!"
"I'll call my Mom later and see what she says. But, I can't make any promises. This is like...Christmas for the vampires," I explained, seriously.
"I know. It'd just be fun if I could, I understand if I can't though. You'll just have to give me a play-by-play when you get back," Erin said understandingly.
"Oh I will," I grinned.
I finished cooking and Erin set the table. I served dinner while Erin and I discussed classes and such. Taking a bite of pasta, we continued to talk, "So, any idea when Jack's gonna propose?"
"Nope, not a clue," Erin shrugged.
"Soon, I'm sure," I assured her.
"Yeah?"
I was pretty sure Jack was on the verge of asking Erin and she seemed to think so too. The last time I took a look into his head he'd been thinking about the engagement rings he'd been looking at. Of course, Jack could have been thinking about engagement rings for whatever reason, but, as Erin's friend I'd like to think that the reason was Erin. I was hoping he'd ask her. Jack's such a good guy. He's sweet and so wonderful to Erin. Never once did I "hear" anything bad from Jack and I checked on numerous occasions. He's completely devoted to Erin. The same could be said about Erin. She's absolutely, 100% in love with Jack.
We cleaned up and parted for our bedrooms. Erin said she'd be studying for the rest of the night. Once in my room, I first tried calling Dad. It was a ridiculous idea of course. I got his voicemail, like I expected. I figured he was already at Fangtasia driving Pam and everyone else up the wall. But they'd be good subordinates and heed Dad's beck and call. Since it was so close to the big night, Dad was probably finding some little decoration that needed to be changed. Simply put, Dad is Bridezilla and Dracula Night is his dream wedding.
I sprawled out on my bed and called up Mom. She picked up on the second ring, "Hey honey."
"Hi Mom," I greeted.
"How's school going?" she asked, her Mom senses kicking in.
"Great, my classes this semester are a little tough though," I said.
"I'm sure you'll do just fine. But, you know you can't let your grades slip below a B+," she reminded me.
I sighed, "Yes, I know."
"And how's Karsten?" she asked.
"He's good. I think Carrie's going to be the death of him though," I joked.
Mom laughed, "I wouldn't doubt it. Did Erin like her Fangtasia shirt?"
"Oh yeah. Speaking of Erin, I had a question," I explained.
"Alright, ask away."
"Well, I let it slip to Erin that I was going to Dracula Night," I said.
Mom m-hmm'd and waited for me to continue.
"I wanted to know if I could bring her," I went on, "I tried calling Dad, but we both know how he is now."
"Crazy, yes. Well, I don't see why not. I'd call Pam just in case though," Mom advised.
"Alright, I'll do that. Thanks," I replied.
"Anytime, I'll see you soon and I love you," she said happily.
"Love you too," I returned, "Bye."
"Bye."
We both hung up and I was soon dialing Pam. She picked up on a half ring, "Hello, little sister."
"Hi Pam, how's Dad doing?" I asked.
"He's working tirelessly for the arrival of our prince," Pam said, her voice hinting of sarcasm.
"I'm not surprised," I chuckled.
"So, what's going on Kim? Eric'll kill me if I'm gone for too long," Pam said.
"Would it be alright if I bring a human friend with me on Dracula Night?" I asked, hopefully.
Pam was silent for a moment, "Darren?"
"No, no. Erin," I explained.
"Oh, she's the Supe aficionado," Pam recalled.
"That's her," I verified.
"She can come, but you must be responsible for her," Pam said.
"Great, thanks Pam. I'll see you soon," I said appreciatively.
"Anytime and goodbye," Pam assured me.
I heard the click signaling Pam had hung up. I slid my phone into my jeans' pocket as I sat up. I walked across the small hallway and knocked on Erin's door. She called me in.
"We have to go dress shopping tomorrow," I smiled.
"Really?!" Erin squealed.
"Yep, it's a good thing we both have class in the morning," I said.
Erin got up from her bed and hugged me, "You're the greatest, you know that right?"
"Yeah, I know," I replied innocently.
"Don't let it go to your head," she joked, "So, we can go to the mall after class?"
"Sounds good," I agreed.
We said goodnight and I headed back to my room. I knew Erin couldn't wait until tomorrow. I couldn't either. It was nice to have someone to share Dracula Night with who wasn't a Supe. Besides Mom of course. She goes every year and puts up with Dad's fanaticism. Although ever since the first Dracula Night Mom attended, Dad's zeal for this night had lessened. Nevertheless, Dad is still the vampire version of Linus as he eagerly waits for his blood sucking Great Pumpkin.
I did a bit of school work and some pleasure reading before going to sleep.
Waking up the following morning, Erin and I got some breakfast and headed off to our respective classes. Erin is an early elementary education major, which fits her. She and kids get along great. My major is secondary education for European history. Dad made a great supplement to what I studied. Class was over before I realized it and I was on my way to meet up with Erin. I saw her crossing the Quad and I ran over to catch her.
"Hey," I called.
Erin turned around, "Oh hi. I was just on my way to meet you."
"Well, are you ready to go?" I asked as we started to walk again.
"Yeah," she replied.
We walked to my car and jumped in. I let it warm up for a few minutes before driving off to the mall. My car, although I love it, needs to be replaced. It's a well used, dark blue Chevy Impala. The money I put into getting it fixed could be going to loan payments. It was, after all, past its prime. My mom had it for nearly ten years before passing it along to me once I got my license. The whole time I had my permit, I desperately tried to convince Dad to give me his Corvette since he was getting a new one. A thousand year old vampire isn't easily persuaded. In the case of wanting the Corvette, I might as well have just bought my own. He did offer to buy me a nice, sensible car. However, Mom didn't go for that either.
Mom wasn't swayed when I asked to have Dad's Corvette. Money wasn't really the issue, Dad makes plenty. Enough so that we all could be driving a nice sports car. She, like a lot of parents wanted me to appreciate the value of a dollar. Dad had tried on many occasions to convince Mom to quit her job at Merlotte's. But, she enjoyed earning her own money and not having to be dependent. The bigger life lesson was that I should earn the things I wanted.
It was about a ten minute drive to the mall. This particular mall, Sherwood, was geared towards high-end clientele, so it was always interesting when we walked in wearing our Wal-Mart jeans and Old Navy hoodies on. I never made a big deal about fashion. I bought what I liked and couldn't give a shit about trends. Nevertheless, I still enjoyed shopping and shoes were one of my few vices. I liked looking in all the ritzy stores, but where Erin and I were headed was far more economical.
During the walk, Erin and I talked about our classes and of course, Dracula Night. We meandered our way in to one of the department stores, and found the sale rack.
"So, what's it like?" she asked curiously.
"Well, kind of like when we were kids and tried to stay up to see Santa or the Easter Bunny. There's a lot of anticipation. All of the vampires are hoping that Dracula picks their party to reveal himself. My Mom tells me Eric's pretty fanatical over the whole event, but he was much worse when she first knew him," I recollected.
"Why isn't he so crazy about it now?" Erin questioned.
I thought for a moment, trying to remember the story, "Well, the first time my Mom attended Dracula Night was the year a Dracula imitator "revealed" himself as the real deal. Eric was so star-struck that he couldn't see that the Dracula was a fake. So now Eric's hopes aren't so high, but he still believes that the true Dracula will show up one day."
"Oh wow," Erin said, amazed, "I can't wait!"
"Really? I couldn't tell," I replied sarcastically.
"Well, can you blame me? Eric Northman is like a god," she gushed, "Michelangelo should've done a statue of him instead."
"Do I need to get you a cold drink or something?" I asked.
"Nah, I'm ok. I just can't believe I'll be seeing Eric with my own eyes," she continued.
"Just remember, he's taken," I said with a wry smile.
She waved me off, "Yeah, yeah."
We shopped around for a bit, both finding a few dresses that sparked our interest. I was able to find the dress I'd seen online as well. Unfortunately, the moment I put it on I didn't like it. It was still pretty, pale pink and sequin-y. But so not me.
"Do you like the one you saw online?" Erin called from a dressing room over.
"Not anymore," I replied.
"That's too bad, I really liked that one," she said sympathetically.
"Me too," I agreed.
I shimmied out of the pink dress and pulled on another. It was royal purple and satin with an empire waist that was silver. The dress was a halter with sweetheart neckline and it ended at my knee. This was my dress.
"I know what I'm wearing," I said happily.
"I think I have too," Erin called back.
"Oh, I want to see," I replied.
"Ok!"
We both stepped out of the dressing room. Erin's dress was a teal, knee-length dress. It was scoop-necked with lots of tulle. She looked great in it.
"I like this one a lot more," Erin commented.
"Me too," I said, "I love your dress too."
"Thanks," she smiled.
We went back into our dressing rooms. I unzipped the dress and stepped out of it. Once dressed, I left the dressing room and sat on one of the ottomans. Erin came out a few minutes later. We were off to the shoe department and in a matter of minutes we founds some heels to accompany our dresses.
After paying for the outfits, we headed for the food court. Grabbing a bite, we sat down by one of the fake palm trees.
"So, do I need to know anything else about Dracula Night?" Erin asked.
"Just try to contain yourself," I joked.
"Besides that," she replied, after she playfully hit me.
I shrugged, "Well, that's really it. This is one of the two holidays vampires celebrate, so it's big. I'm not letting you wander off with some strange vampire that's for sure. Plus, I don't think Jack would appreciate it too much either. But it'll be a fun way for you to see Fangtasia without all the tourists and fangbangers. We can get some more Fangtasia merchandise too."
"Sounds great," Erin beamed.
We did more walking around after eating. Erin picked up some jewelry to accent her dress. We left the mall after a while and I drove back to campus. She was just buzzing with energy and eagerness. It was a good thing that Dracula Night was only two days away. We would be leaving tomorrow once Erin's afternoon class finished. As I drove, I made a mental note to tell Darren that I was leaving.
Back on campus, Erin and I took our dresses up to our dorm. While hanging my dress on the hook attached to the door, I received a text from Darren. He wanted to know if he could stop by for a bit. I replied he could. I went out into the living room. Erin was getting ready to head out to work. She had an on-campus job at the information desk.
I was watching TV when Darren came knocking at the door. I called him in. He entered promptly and joined me on the couch. Darren gave me a quick peck on the cheek before settling down.
"So, tomorrow I'm leaving for the weekend," I said.
"Wait, for what?" Darren asked, in a demanding tone.
"Dracula Night," Erin added as she walked past us to the door, "I'll see y'all later."
The door shut behind her. I looked to Darren. He was far from happy at the moment. I took a quick peek into his head. This time I didn't get words, I just got a swell of emotions. Anger being the prominent one, but there was no clue as to why.
"What?" I asked.
"You're going to a Dracula Night party?" he demanded.
"Yeah, why?"
"Why the hell are you going?" he growled.
"I am friends with several vampires," I pointed out.
Darren's eyes narrowed, "So what? Do you make it a habit of going to vamp bars or just their holiday parties?"
"No. What's wrong? Why are you so pissed?," I asked.
"I don't get why you'd want to be friends with the bloodsuckers. I sort of get why you hang around Karsten, since he's somewhat human. Plus, he was your first and whatever," Darren ranted on, "But the vamps only want one thing from you."
"First off, I'm not pathetic and have some unresolved feelings for Karsten just because he was my first. We have history, but more importantly he is my oldest friend. Secondly, just because I'm friends with vampires doesn't mean I let them feed off of me. And thirdly, you sound like one of those insane Fellowship of the Sun members," I seethed.
Darren abruptly stood up, "Yeah, well maybe they have it right. And I can't believe you let some fucking vampire drink your blood!"
"You're not one of them are you?" I asked, accusingly.
"What if I am? At least I'm not some vamp loving whore," Darren rebutted.
"Get the hell out," I hissed.
"Fine! I'm not wasting my time with a fucking goddamn fangbanger anyway!" he shouted.
Darren stormed out of the dorm. My blood was boiling, I couldn't believe I had thought about dating him exclusively. I threw my hands up in disgust as I stood. I left the dorm and headed down a floor to Karsten's dorm. I knocked on the door several times and Karsten called me in. I went in, unintentionally slamming the door behind me.
Karsten gave me a concerned look. He always knew when I was upset. Granted, it was very obvious right now that I was. But, Karsten still knew, even when it wasn't so clear. I sat down in a huff on the couch. He soon joined me.
"Men are irrational assholes," I grumbled.
"Yes, we are," Karsten agreed, trying to get me to laugh.
I looked over to him, "I think Darren's a part of the Fellowship."
"Oh," was all he could say.
"Yeah."
"How'd you find that out?" Karsten asked.
"We just had a fight," I explained, "he flipped out when Erin told him we were going to the Dracula Night party."
"Explains why he's angry. I'm sure the Fellowship members have a special place in their twisted hearts reserved just for their hate of Dracula," Karsten half joked.
"I'm sure they do," I replied with a snicker.
Karsten took me into his arms, "Well, we can only hope he runs into a particularly nasty vampire one day."
"That would only give them fuel for their idiotic fire," I murmured.
Karsten patted me on the shoulder and soon got me into a better mood, distracting me with a story about Carrie. She'd gone off on him again, but later apologized. Apparently she admitted to being the "jealous type". Yeah, no shit.
We hung out for a couple more hours until Karsten had to leave for class. We left his dorm and headed for the elevators. My elevator dinged and the doors opened. I called another "goodbye" to Karsten before getting on. Going up one level, I was soon in my dorm. I flipped on the lights and made a cup of hot tea before settling down to do some work.
I worked on an assignment until I couldn't keep my eyes open, so I went quickly in and out of the bathroom to get ready for bed. Snuggling under the warm covers, I drifted off to sleep.
Luckily for me, I didn't have any classes the following day. I packed a small suitcase for the weekend and was careful not to wrinkle my dress. I called Mom to let her know we'd be leaving once Erin got back. I also reminded her to put any pictures with Dad in them away. But, Mom was already a step ahead of me. Erin had already packed last night. She's a pretty strong broadcaster, so I heard her going through her mental check list several times, as well as what she was thinking about my Dad. I knew more than I ever wanted to know about what she thought of him. But that was my own fault for not blocking her thoughts out.
Erin was back sooner than I expected. Her professor's daughter had gone into labor early, so he dismissed them. I had been reading one of my mysteries when she came in. Erin didn't bother to say "hi", but merely ran to her room. She came back moments later, dress and suitcase in tow, a big grin on her face as well.
"Let's go."
"Gee, you're not eager at all," I replied as I grabbed my stuff.
"Shut up."
We both laughed as we left the dorm and headed for the elevator. When we reached my car, we put the suitcases in the trunk and hung the dresses on the shirt hooks in the back. In four short hours, we'd be in Bon Temps.
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Well, I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Drop me a review if you like. Also, I have some fun news to share with you guys. I'm in the process of writing the first chapter to the prequel/backstory, of Love Child. Keep an eye out for it sometime this weekend. Tentatively titled, Conceptional Thinking.