Brandi's POV:
Bella strolled into my room and flopped onto my bed, jostling my homework. I didn't care, because I was sitting at my desk, messing around on my computer.
"Playing and not doing your homework?" She clicked her tongue mock-disapprovingly. Though she was only a year older then me, Bella enjoyed acting like my 'older sister', if I had one. Or maybe it's just motherly genes left over from helping Renee grow up. I understand why she's marrying a vampire: no need to worry about a 'third kid'.
Maybe I'm just in a 'quote-ish' mood, okay? Shove it.
"So, I was thinking…"
"Hm… no noticeable injuries. So what'd you blow up in your skull this time?" she questioned.
"An artery. Now be quiet, I'm serious. I think I should meet my future in-laws," I informed her.
Apparently, whatever she thought I was going to ask was not this.
"You serious?! You want to meet the… the-" Since she seemed to have trouble getting the word out, I helped.
"Vampires? Yeah. Is that a problem? After all, if I'm going to live here, they should know that I can hurt them." At the look on Bell's face, I hurriedly added, "But I won't. Unless they hurt you."
She flinched and looked away. "They wouldn't."
"They did." My quiet affirmation made her look up quickly.
"H-how did you…? Oh, that's right, you're a wizard!"
"No… That's Harry Potter. I know because you looked away, smart one. And you suck at lying."
"…Oh." She stared at me.
It gave me the willies, so I snapped, "Tomorrow."
"So soon? We have to give them some warning-!"
I rolled my eyes and cut her off, saying, "They could clean the house in 5 minutes if they wanted! And, just so you know, normally I would go over right away, but I'm not going to."
"And why not?" she asked, sounding very suspicious.
"So they can hunt," I replied matter-of-factly. Then I made up my mind. "Okay! Call them and tell them they have visitors tomorrow!" I skipped out of the room, leaving Bella gaping like a fish after me.
* **
As I left, I let the memories wash over me, let myself remember my dad.
He had demanded to talk to his daughter before they put him in jail.
He bent in front of me, moving to place his hands on my shoulders. I cringed away. Sighing, he said, "Brand icasli aoft!"
This, apparently, meant, 'Pass this keyfire on to the chosen'. Dumb, right? But it's what you have to say.
"Brandi, you don't know what I did, do you?"
I stared at him and shook my head.
"Well, first off, I chose your name when you were born. It means 'fire'." He seemed to be waiting for a sign from me, so I nodded, not knowing how this was relevant. "I am the Fire Mage. I can conjure fire, though these powers have been passed on to you. Hold on to them until I get out of here. Kill the vampires."
I sniffed his breath suspiciously. Hmm… he didn't smell like he'd been drinking… but with my dad, you never knew.
"I'm not drunk!" he hissed, guessing my thoughts. Guess I hadn't been discreet enough when I smelled his breath. "I drink to get rid of the memories… the pain of killing!"
Yeah, I could believe he killed people. "Dad, vampires don't exist," I told him as the police officers dragged him out.
"Yes, they do! Kill them!!!!" he screamed.
It sounded too much like a movie script for my taste, so I eventually forced myself to forget. It was easy enough, because I had enough on my plate. Declaring my mother an unfit parent, my father managed to get me placed in foster care.
Thanks, Dad.
As I turned 12, I discovered that he was right about my 'powers'.
When, as a 'birthday gift', some neighborhood bullies threw me in the Dumpster, I found myself angry enough to spit fire. And spit fire I did. Right onto them.
They ran home in tears, screaming about their burned clothes, bald heads, and the witch that had set them on fire. I wonder if they've gotten out of the asylum yet.
That was also the day of my first vampire attack. It seems the vampire had finally tracked down the 'Fire Mage' and discovered he had a daughter. I had been sitting in a tree, smirking at the stupid bullies, when I suddenly heard a quiet chuckle beside me. Whirling around, I saw a young man dressed in jeans and a T-shirt reclining beside me.
"Revenge is fun, isn't it?" was his quiet question. He never took his eyes off the bullies.
"Yep." I stared at him; I wasn't quite sure what I should do. One the one hand, I wasn't allowed to talk to strangers, but I could take him, if I wanted to.
"I have someone I need to get revenge on, too."
"Who?"
He looked at me. "The Fire Mage."
I was frozen like a rabbit caught in a hawk's gaze. His red eyes seemed to bore into me, dissecting all my feeling and pinning me down like a bug.
Reaching out to me, he licked his lips. It was enough to wake me out of my trance. I grabbed his face, probably the complete opposite of what he had expected me to do. My instincts told me to rip his flesh off and burn it.
The fire wouldn't come.
He laughed, guessing the cause of my shock.
I relaxed. Even when I feared for my life, I could tell he had a soft, calming laugh. Why did I want to burn him…?
Oh, that's right. Because he wanted to kill me. A flash of fire burst out of my fingers.
He froze. "How…?"
"Because I'm his daughter," I forced out through my gritted teeth. "Unfortunately."
Since then, vampires have been just another constant in my life.
So, wonderful news: I'm going to be related to some soon, too!
