Humans are fools…they are foolish, big headed, and very simple to fool. If you hold out a wad of money, hordes of them will come flying towards you like ugly, foul smelling moths towards faire. All the same, it is a good thing that they are so stupid for if they are any smarter, we won't be able to use them to our advantage. It was different from what I had imagined, very different. In fact…it was so much easier that it seemed very much like handing out lollipops to groups of greedy children.
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"Selene…what you are about to do is very wrong, do not do it!" The same old lady's voice…oh shoot, I have forgot to ask them about the lady of the wild.
"What am I about to do?"
"You know perfectly well. They are your kin, ones of your blood! How can you do that?"
"You mean the plan? But it's the only way we'll survive!"
"Don't fight, Selene, just leave the scene. Go to Hawaii, meet a nice surfer, and stay there! Don't interfere with your future…that is what my father wants."
"Who is your father, and what do you mean by going to Hawaii?"
"He is close…he is going to get me for telling you so much. Selene, do not…" Again, I am left alone in the darkness. But now, in this dream, thousands of people surround me, fighting each other. A scene enters my mind, of a lady sprawled on to the ground, golden blood flowing from her multiple cuts. Her eyes were wide with fear, yet it seemed as if she couldn't move.
"What are you doing, who are you?" I asked, but she did not reply, only to look up with those wide, tearful eyes. Strangely…she seems familiar, as if she is one of them too. Could it be that I once knew her, like how I once knew Steve and R.V?
"Leave now, when you can!" the girl suddenly whispered, "leave!"
"Why, are you hurt, let me help you!" I reached towards her, but all the other people stopped fighting and surrounded me. They are all wearing hoods, I realized, and when they pulled the hoods off one by one, I saw that they were not people. They were…skeletons, thousands of skeletons with cruel metal grins, reaching twig like arms out to strangle me…
I opened my eyes in alarm, imagining the cold skeletons twining their bony fingers around my throat, and saw a pair of dark blue eyes staring right into my eyes.
"AH GET OUT OF MY ROOM YOU…what on earth are you doing here?" I spat, leaping out of bed and crashing on to the floor. Ouch, I've forgotten that even with my tough body, falling on to tile floors unexpectedly can still hurt. Steve leaned back on to the wall, running one thin hand through his hair.
"I was about to wake you up, it is about time to go. You do know that everyone within, I don't know, a ten mile radius can hear you?" He asked indignantly.
"Yeah, well, I was about to wake up anyways, and I do not snore! You should have knocked, at least," I snapped, regaining my thoughts and picking myself up. Steve shrugged, acting as casual as if I've just asked him whether he wanted water from Egypt or Mexico.
"I thought that you had black eyes." Those random words flew out of my mouth without me noticing until it was too late. Great, I've totally said something smart. I guess Steve didn't expect that random question, for he had to think for a while.
"I never had black eyes, how can I have black eyes when neither of my parents had them? I have blue eyes, jeez, even though they are so dark that they can count as black, I guess…why do you ask that?" It was my turn to shrug, as I don't have an answer. I sighed, if I am going to convince the humans to join us today, I better not look like some high school fan girl or something.
"I better go get dressed, I don't exactly strike as an intimidating person if I show up there in my pajamas," I said, trying to sound clam. Inside, I was screaming GET OUT THIS SECOND BEFORE I BLOW YOUR HEAD OFF as loud as I can.
"I've already chose your outfit for you when you were in dreamland," Steve said rolling his eyes. "You're not going to convince them to buy a candy bar from you, if you go dressed in the hooligan clothes you wear, like some teenage punk."
"For your information, I look like a teenager to any human," I snorted, "and I am not going to dress like I usually did. I only wear those stupid baggy clothes to blend in with all the other druggies."
"Druggies, what on earth are druggies?" Steve asked.
"Stupid human teenagers who chew on nasty smelling grasses, thinking that it is heaven," I said, rolling my eyes. How can one ever think that marijuana or cigarettes smell good? Those things stink, and even if you stopped, the disgusting scent trails you for days.
"Right…" Steve said uncertainly, and I can tell that the conversation isn't going the way he wants it to be. "Anyways…well…uh…err…just don't dress in some hoodie with jeans and carry a skateboard, okay?"
"What ever…" I muttered, and he walked out, closing the door behind him. Of course I'm not going to wear my usual human costume…I've already chosen to wear something more...striking. Walking over to the battered white closet, I flung open the blistery door and ran the back of my hand across all my clothes. Smiling slightly, I took out a few garments and changed into them. I stepped to the dust-covered, splintered mirror, and examined myself with a frown. It is not my style at all, but at least I will not be mistaken for some goony. Still…without feeling like myself, I would not be able to work better. Rubbing a few ashes on to my cheekbones, I created two sharp triangles across my cheekbones; the marks of a vampaneze rebel. Brushing the rest of the soot off my hands, I sprinted to meet the others outside the courtyard.
"Why are you dressed like this? You look like some stupid human rebel! And your shoes are going to give us away I could hear you running one kilometer away!" Gannen complained when I arrived, as usual. He had to find some fault in me everyday, even if it makes no sense.
"I told you not to dress like a hooligan, Selene," Steve said flatly. Apparently, he has to act all 'tough guy' in front of his men, not that I blame him.
"For your information, I am a rebel, and I am not dressed as a hooligan," I told them, waving a hand at my clothes: a long black jacket, black tank top, and black skinny jeans with black spiked boots. An absolute cool outfit in my opinion.
"We're not going to a fashion show," Gannen spat, but I ignored him. Steve shrugged, and beckoned me to him.
"What?" I asked. He is probably going to tell me something about my boots giving away our position or something…in any case, it would be a sort of lecture.
"I have a plan, but in any case this plan might go wrong. And if it does, I want…I command you to activate Plan B, do you understand?" he hissed.
"I don't know any Plan B, you never told me anything," I scowled. I do not like being excluded from certain plans.
"Yes you do, you were the one who wanted to activate it before," Steve rolled his eyes, "I wonder how you can make genius plans one second then forget what one plus one is the next."
"What ever, and fine I'll do it," I snorted, finally remembered the plan that I had made what seemed like millions of years ago. Steve looked as if he wanted to say something more, but thought better of it and marched off. Without a word, we followed him down a dusty road…
For hours, we carried on walking. At least it felt like hours, as it is not comfortable walking in my thick platform boots. My skin is all sweaty in the thick jacket, and the triangles on my skin represent nothing more than dirty smudges.
"Are we there yet?" I whined for the thousandth time as we approached this rundown building with broken windows, cracks in the walls, and a faded 'closed' sign on the dusty glass door.
"Be quiet, we're here already," Steve snapped in a soft voice, and tapped the dusty glass door. A figure stumbled over and pulled the door open an inch and we walked inside. In there, it smelled like moist, damp things…not a good smelling combination.
"Steve Leonard, Righteous Vampaneze, Gannen Harst and Selene Panzer?" the figure asked.
"Morgan James?" Gannen asked in a muffled voice.
"Ah, the people I am looking for," the figure said, then started walking into a lone corridor. Steve and Gannen followed him, even though I am not sure what to do. Am I supposed to follow, or should I stay behind?
"Hurry up, for goodness sake," R.V muttered, giving me a push, so I stepped awkwardly into pace behind Gannen, clumsily shadowing his graceful steps. The place that we are in is this low corridor with stuffy air that smells like stale water and carbon dioxide, and there weren't any lights. Of course, we can see perfectly well in the dark, but the disgusting air really is making me nausea.
"Here we are," the same voice, Morgan James, muttered, and pulled open a door. A gust of cool air and bright light blinded me for a second, causing me to blink. God…what is this? Raising a hand to shield my sensitive eyes to the light, I made out a few easy chairs, a desk, and a laptop. The cool air was from the air conditioning machine, and the light was from one of those light bulbs on the ceiling.
"Oops, is the light making you uneasy" Morgan said, the slightest hint of a sneer in his weasel like voice, and he turned the lights off, lighting a candle. Please have a sit."
"Quit messing around," Gannen said sternly, we're here to talk about business."
"Right, business. So, you guys are saying that you are some kind of blood suckers named vampaneze?" Morgan asked, "I am very sorry, but I don't think that you guys are mythical creatures. What do you do, exactly?"
"We are faster, stronger, and more sensitive than humans. We also feed upon the blood of you humans, just to tell you," Steve explained.
"I thought that you're called vampires?" Morgan said in a bored voice. R.V tensed beside me, and I know that he don't like being called a vampire. At least this thing shares a few things with the rest of us.
"No, that is what I was going to say. We are having a war against the vampires. The vampires think that they are so high and superior to us, just because we kill when we feed. But I think not, it is us who are higher in level. We have more power, more wealth, and that is exactly what is to live, don't you agree?"
"Right, Mr. Leonard, why don't we all go and find our unicorn buddies, and then we can take a walk over the rainbow to play with our friends the fairies?" Morgan snorted, his hand, the only part of him that is visible, shaking with laughter. "Really, do you expect me to believe in this nonsense?" Even though Steve had warned me not to do this, I still can't obey him. How can he sit there, where this faggot laughed about us, pretending that we're some fantasy creature? I tensed, but felt someone hold me in place.
"Don't, you'll mess things up," Gannen muttered under his breath, and I relaxed. He is right, if I kill him right now, there will be no one to interrogate with. So, I sat back into my stiff chair and tried my best to act human. Trust me, it is harder than it seems.
"We are speaking the truth here, Mr. James," Steve said, then he changed…from the normal human act, to his real self. "You WILL help us, because I say…" That was the cue for me to go on with my act.
"Cease, Steve," I commanded in a firm voice, as if I am the vampaneze lord instead of him. Steve growled, and sank back into his seat. Morgan James passed the candle to my face, and then almost dropped it.
"I never thought that you worked with boys, Mr. Leonard," Morgan asked cautiously. Behind me, I heard Gannen stifle with laughter while a vein pulsed in my temper. If we weren't bargaining with this man, I would have kicked his ass to China just for saying that. Me, a boy? I so not look like one!
"Excuse me?" I asked him icily. Steve glared at me, this was not part of the plan but I had to make this human know that I am not a boy. This time, Morgan laughed right out loud, pounding his fist on the table.
"You bought your girlfriend with you, Mr. Leonard?" Morgan giggled. I am startled at the fact that he sound so feminine when he giggle, almost like a young teenage girl. Perhaps he is gay?
"I am not his girlfriend," I said through gritted teeth, "You've heard that the legendary army of vampaneze is lead by the vampaneze lord. Well, what if it wasn't a vampaneze lord, what if…it was a vampaneze lady?" Taking the candle from his hand, I thrust it at what seemed like a broken down fireplace, which happened to be filled with piles of paperwork.
"HEY!" Morgan shouted indignantly as the sheets of paper burst into flames.
"Jeez, calm down man," R.V. sighed, "it's just some paper…" Under the illuminated light, I saw that Morgan James was a thin, bean-pole like thing with a hooked nose that seemed too big for his face, and greasy slicked back hair.
"What…I just wanted some light…" I grumbled, but from another look from Steve, I groaned and jumped from my seat into the flames, and rescued the slime ball's paperwork.
"You…vampaneze…them…lady?" Morgan stammered.
"Don't make me kill you, Mr. James," I said, turning my head so that he can see the long, painful scar across my face, "Because I really do wish to…we are here for business, and if you and your men don't want to, we'll gladly kill our way out. And trust me, you'll be the first one to feel my metal nails tear a gap through you and pull your intestines out like a strand of yarn." Gannen's clutch on my wrist is so hard that it was as if he was trying to burn his rough fingerprints into me, I can actually feel again, and felt that he is very nervous that I might make a mistake. As if I would be the one to make a mistake! Morgan cleared his throat, and resumed his calmness.
"So you are the vampaneze lady. Very well, what are your offers?" he asked in a pleasant voice. Gannen's arm wringing motions has somehow knocked my senses back, and my sixth sense is back again…faint, but certainly here. Despite the fact that he is absolutely terrified of me, this Morgan James is disgusted at the fact that the vampaneze actually listen to my orders. Sheesh, I've heard of vampires and vampaneze who seem to live in the middle ages, but I will not stand a human that way! "My offers are these, listen close," I said, trying to act as calm as I can, which is even harder than restraining myself to a huge bloody feast. "Immortality, gold and power, under the conditions that you do what ever we tell you to do. And, the prizes are for every single one of your men. Of course, you'll get the biggest share as you are their commander…think of the conditions…I give you ten minutes. Take it or die." Steve gave me a look, and I heard his thoughts loud and clear: take it and die, I thought I told you to say take it or leave it!
"Immortality as in living for eternity, or just for a hundred years?" Morgan asked, his eyes narrowing suspiciously.
"Not exactly for eternity…about eight hundred years or so," I answered carelessly, and the lust of gold gleamed in his eyes. Steve was right, as usual. Humans would do anything just as long as you give them wealth, power, and immortality.
"When will you pay us?" Morgan asked quietly. "By checks?"
"Checks?" For a few seconds, I've forgotten what checks are, and then it clicked in my brain: small pieces of paper. "No…we'll give you the real thing after you've finished your part of the deal."
"Deal," Morgan agreed, reaching his hand out. I eyed it curiously, am I actually supposed to shake it? Most human never keep their promises when they only shake on it…
Tell him to make a blood promise, Steve sent his thought to me, and I nodded as slightly as possible.
"Make a blood promise," I told him, and took out the fairy knife.
"That knife is worth a lot…" Morgan said, fixing his eyes upon it and whistling through his teeth.
"Shut up and be done with it," I snapped, and grabbed his hand then running the tip across it. Pain twisted his face, but I took no care as I collected his blood on the flat of the blade and tipped it into a vial of blood. I saw Morgan staring at it, not knowing what it is.
"Vampaneze blood," I told him, and he seemed to be relieved with that fact. Ha, how stupid is he? When a vampaneze makes a blood promise, he or she won't be able to take it back ever. Sure, I am not bound by their rules, but I am not going to mix my blood with his filthy human blood, so instead it was boar's blood inside the vial. Shaking it thoroughly, I dumped the whole thing into the fire where the flames glowed bright white, then purple until it died, leaving nothing other than piles of ashes.