Chapter 7: Truth be Told
Two more days; only two more days...
I wanted to slap myself. I'd been thinking about what Nero had said, and thus far, I had kept my word. I just couldn't bring myself to betray him. True, he was a werewolf, and definitely too old for me, but he was a friendly, fun, cute werewolf! Sigh...
Anyway, the words "Creature Caretaker" kept ringing through my mind. I wanted to believe what he had said was true, and not all vampires were evil, but then I shook myself and remembered Serenity's feast, and my insatiable hunger to reveal her returned. Yet, every time I opened my mouth to tell everyone, I was forced to shut it again, or say something else. And a horrible truth presented itself to me...
I didn't WANT to leave! I would be gone in but two days, but I just didn't WANT to go! Was I going mad, had I really accepted THIS dump as a home away from home? You know, come to think of it, it IS kind of nice, all the beautiful green trees, the shimmering lake, the brilliantly colored flowers, gently breezes, I felt so at home here... NO! I liked civilization, with electronics and shopping malls, not dirt and plants! But the forest is so ALIVE... NO!
So help me, I CAN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE!
I have to tell everyone today. Maybe then I'll feel normal again. But wait, Nero was trusting me to keep it a secret; hmm... He wanted it secret so word didn't leak out, but maybe it wouldn't be so bad if just us kids knew... We were all (more or less) trustworthy, and we might even be able to help. I'd ask him first.
Because he was one of the sane ones, and because I couldn't do it otherwise.
~~~Serenity's POV~~~
"NERO!" I punched his arm, not as hard as possible, but hard enough to hurt.
"OW! What? YOU'RE dating a human, and I'm not even allowed to think one is cute? And how do you consider that FAIR?"
"I... I don't! But this is ME we're talking about, you were always... Well... SMARTER! You always say, "Stay with creatures, or stay single." What happened to THAT?"
"I don't know, Serenity! That's just it; something's different about her. She's so defiant, and she's brave, and so bold. She's terrified of this all, yet she's determined to come out on top, and DAMN IT, THAT'S WHAT SHE'S GOING TO DO!"
"Aw, that's sweet, but it MAKES ME SICK!"
"You just don't like Ange!" I pouted.
"She lets you call her Ange? NO FAIR!"
"OH, so THAT'S what it is... It's not that you don't like HER, it's that SHE doesn't like YOU!"
"EXACTLY!" Finally, he was GETTING it! The girl was a Creature Hunter in the making; he couldn't LIKE her, not like that! Dil was different. Dil was more of a Creature CARETAKER.
"You know what, Serenity?"
"What?"
"I still like her,"
"!"
~~~Angelica's POV~~~
I had just finished lunch when I got my chance, the chance to get Nero alone again. Suddenly, the tables had turned, and it was Serenity herself that was avoiding ME. Or maybe I should rephrase that... She wanted me to keep away from Nero, so she avoided me and dragged him along with her. And what for? She already had a boyfriend!
I approached the werewolf as casually as possible.
"Hey, Nero, I need some help on a story..."
"The one I helped with?" Dil cut in.
"Yes, Dil, that one. Anyway, I need help actually writing it this time, so Nero, if you could just..."
"Sure, Ange," He and Serenity were both tense; they knew there was no story, and that I was really trying to talk to him alone about creatures and monsters. When we were in the cabin again, (I got some looks from everyone we passed, they obviously had the wrong idea about why we had to talk alone,) I turned to him with as serious a face as I good muster, with all the calm and confidence that I didn't have at that moment.
"Um, Nero, I don't know if I can keep this a secret anymore,"
"You CAN'T tell, Angelica!" He gasped.
"That's why I'm asking! You said you just don't want word getting out. Well, do you and Serenity trust all of us? Dil, Tommy, Kimi, Chuckie, Phil and Lil, Susie, don't you think THEY should at least KNOW?"
"It's dangerous for them to know,"
"What, and it ISN'T dangerous for me?"
"It's even worst in your case; you make such a fuss..." He stopped, noticing how I was glaring at him. "What?"
"Never mind. If I can know, they should be able to, too,"
"..."
"Come on, don't you trust me?"
"..." He hesitated, and sighed. "Alright; but I'd appreciate it if you'd say something nice at my funeral, Serenity won't be happy about this," Under different circumstances, I might have even laughed.
~~Later~~
"WHAT?" Everyone shouted.
"I'm afraid it's true. A large tree fell across the road, it'll take some time to clear. We'll just have to stay at camp for an extra day or so," Nero's Dad explained. Part of me was happy. Part of me was upset. And another part of me, for no reason whatsoever, was scared.
"I can't believe this," I muttered.
"Don't," Nero whispered. I glanced at him in confusion. "It's a lie, at least half of it. Something, or maybe I should say, someone pushed that tree over. And I think we can guess who that is,"
Horrified, I turned away, until it hit me.
"I have to tell now," Nero nodded.
"The adults don't need to know, but I think its best you and your friends and family do. Tell them tonight, I'll back you up,"
Have you ever tried to tell your friends and family that one of their girlfriend's a vampire, her friend is a werewolf, and something else even worse is after them and probably less than a mile away, ready to strike at any moment? This may go without saying, but it's easier said than done. As we gathered around the campfire that night, I was extremely nervous, but then I remembered what Nero had said. "I'll back you up,"
"Guys, there's something I need to tell you," Serenity opened her mouth to stop me, but Nero gave her a stern look. "Serenity... I'm sorry," Everyone looked at me like I'd grown two extra heads.
"What?"
"I'm sorry. For what I've done, what I tried to do, the way I've acted, and for what I'm about to do," I looked around the circle of confused faces. "Remember when I accused Serenity of not being normal? Well, it's because I have proof, I'm serious, that she's a... A..."
"A what?" Dil asked suspiciously. He probably thought I was going to say mental person. He wasn't always the most perceptive, but you have to hand it to that boy, he's NOT stupid.
"A vampire," For a moment everyone was silent. And then the scolding started.
"Angelica, you're CRAZY!"
"Yeah, Angelica, that doesn't even make any sense!" Chuckie put in.
"Just because YOU don't like someone, doesn't make them a monster!" Kimi added, siding with her brother.
"Seriously, you've got some major problems with poor Serenity," I glared at Phil, but it was kind of true.
"Leave my girlfriend alone!"
"But it's true! And it's not just Serenity!"
"Who else then? ME?" Susie asked darkly.
"NO! If you'd just let me explain..."
"Explain WHAT? That you hate my girlfriend?"
"No," Everyone turned to look at Serenity, the only one besides Nero and me who hadn't moved or shouted. "No. She's right,"
"Yeah. And before you say anything, Scere, I gave her permission to tell,"
"Tell what? What's going on? What aren't you telling us?" Tommy questioned nervously. Serenity looked everyone in the face, one by one, stopping with Dil.
"I'm a vampire,"
"I'm a werewolf,"
"I'm 329,"
"890. I've known Serenity for 121 years," I snatched up my notepad and added, Known Serenity for 121 years, since she was 208. On the first page I wrote, Is 329 years old. Meanwhile, Dil looked shaken.
"I'm sorry, Dil, I should've told you..."
"How?" He asked weakly. He seemed like the only one who believed the truth.
"Truth be told, I thought it would scare you away,"
"Angelica," Nero said quietly. "Read your notepad. From the beginning," I cleared my throat, and hesitantly flipped to the first page, and read it all out loud.
Serenity's Abnormal Attributes:
Dislikes garlic.
Appears to be anorexic.
Is unnaturally good at Archery, Hiking, swimming, climbing, running, etc.
Does not burn.
Does not flinch/feel sick when faced with blood.
Is expert on werewolves and vampires.
Seemingly believes her stories about said creatures.
Doesn't have reflection.
Is 329 years old.
Nero Tridell:
890 years old.
Fears Silver and full Moon.
Father knows truth.
Adopted; birth parents murdered in mine.
Not afraid of Serenity, a vampire.
Prefers the Night to the Day. (As long as no full Moon.)
Likes Seafood, but race enjoys raw venison.
Believes Serenity's stories/myths/legends to be true.
Knows a lot about "Monsters."
Claims most monsters are real.
Claims to have met many of these monsters.
"Ironically," likes colors Gold, Silver, and Green.
Likes Wolves, Bats, and Bengal tigers.
Loves Basketball, has advantages.
Especially likes climbing, swimming, and hunting.
Known Serenity for 121 years, since she was 208.
I stopped reading and looked up. Nero looked at Serenity.
"Transform, Scere," he said simply. She nodded.
Her body shrank and darkened, her arms became wings, and dark brown fur grew from all over her body. I had seen it before, but I had been too frightened to notice the details. This time it wasn't as lightning quick, either. She turned into a bat.
As everyone gasped except me and Nero, her body grew, lost the fur and wings, and she became normal again. She temporarily flashed us her fangs, before they retracted and became human-like again.
"Serenity..." Dil began. She looked down, embarrassed and ashamed. "WOW!" And he threw his arms around her. I rolled my eyes, but smiled a little. Just a little, tiny bit, mind you. Although Nero noticed, unfortunately.
Everyone stared at Nero expectantly.
"What? No full moon tonight, remember? I'm one of those werewolves. The more cursed ones,"
"Cursed?" Chuckie gulped.
"No," Phil corrected him. "Cursed," Which was how Nero had pronounced it.
"I hate to tell you this, but there's more. That man from Serenity's story, the one about Pioneer's Rock? He's real, and he's alive,"
"WHAT? How?"
"He's a shapeshifter who keeps his powers and stops, slows, and even reverses his aging process by drinking vampire blood,"
"But I thought vampires took from others..." Kimi pointed out thoughtfully.
"We do," Serenity assured her. "But our blood changes it somehow, in a way that makes us the way we are. We're physically what you would call, unstable. It's how we transform, and retract our fangs,"
"And live forever?"
"Well, yes, we can control our aging process, even stop it, though we can't turn back time or anything for ourselves. Or at least, OLDER vampires can, and young ones are rare. See, contrary to popular belief, not ALL our victims and "Prey," if you will, turn INTO vampires. Even I can control that. No, we have to do that on purpose. You know when you wake up and your neck is stiff, like you slept on it wrong?" We all nodded. "Well, you might've actually slept on it wrong, or you could've been bitten by a vampire. Our marks heal over in just a few hours, at most,"
"Except on that cougar of yours," I said sarcastically. Her jaw dropped.
"You saw that? So THAT'S how you figured it out so fast!"
"Yeah. Scared me half to death, though, I didn't really need that,"
"Sorry," The vampire girl looked at me sheepishly. "I just didn't want to bite any of you. You're all my friends; it would've been rude,"
"Tell me about it,"
"Now hold on just one minute! You're saying something really dangerous is real, is there a reason for this?"
"About that..." Serenity rubbed her neck nervously. "Remember how this man drinks vampire blood?" We nodded. "And remember how I said young vampires are rare?" We nodded again. "Well, young vampire blood is even more potent; this man..." And the name she whispered, "...Uccisore, has been after me for centuries. Two and a half, actually, most of my life. He already got my parents, but what he really wants is me. And by the way, with the road being blocked... Do you really think that tree fell on its OWN accord?"
"No..." I groaned.
"Yes," Serenity grimaced, and this time she spoke the name:
"Uccisore found me,"
~~Uccisore's POV~~
Ah, good, so she knows I'm here. That will serve me well. Panic is such a wonderful tool when invoked within others. How I love such games! But I DO need that girl's blood, badly. If I don't get it sometime during the next three years, my powers will start to fade. That wretch down there will keep it, as well as myself, alive for centuries more, for close to a thousand years or more. Plenty of time in which to find multiple others. Perhaps in that time, I will even find another young one.
I ruffled my feathers, sitting as a raven in one of the pine trees near Wretchella, (my nickname for the girl,) and all of her little friends. It seems she has a boyfriend now. Touching.
But one cannot let emotions overcome them when it comes to matters of age and health. If my powers disappeared, I would be defenseless, and I would begin to age normally. In less than a century, I would be dead. I will NOT let that happen!
The real Cinderella (another young vampire, surprise, surprise! They love those positions of authority...) I drank from, as well as countless others, from every age group. What makes you think YOU can escape me, girl?
Little wretch, your blood is MINE!
