Shoutouts…
kimimay85 ~ You really don't have to know much about vampires. Mush doesn't know anything about vampires either. ^_^ Chalereux explains a lot this chappy. Hoo ha!
Hottie5Star ~ Thanks!!!!!!! I'm glad I gave you chills. Whoa, that sounded weird.
Slick ~ Yeah, me, Mis and Shade… us crazy vampy chicks. Haha! Perhaps you SHOULD write a vampy/newsie story… God knows they're awesome and awesome fun to write! I can't wait to suck blood out of Mush's neck… **sigh**
Sobe A Lizard ~ Thanks dearie! I wish I had no homework as well… I have a gov't test tomorrow that I **HAVE** to study for. Ugh. I'm such a procrastinator.
Blinks-Tiger ~ Thanks!!!!!!!!! Love ya goilie!
Shade the dorito stealing review whore who is too lazy to sign in ~ YAY FOR YOUR REVIEW! AND YAY EVEN MORE FOR DROPKICKING JAKE AND SNIPES! WHOOOOOOOOO HOOOOOOOOO!
Pegasus ~ Thanks!!! No, Mush isn't a vampy yet… it's coming though! HOO HA! I love this chappy! **Mondie grins**
misprint ~ That was a wonderful review!!!! But, about the word "about"… LOL that was fun… anyhow, we say "abowt" too. LOL, I'm glad you had a conversation on the word about… sounds like something I'd do. I'm glad you caught Wally Frank being in the story! I was hoping someone besides myself would. I heart that guy. Yay for your wonderful review, again!
The Omniscient Bookseller ~ You have just the awesomest name ever, in case you didn't know. Thanks! And Lion King Broadway version? WITH RACETRACK?!?! **Mondie has a conniption** I don't have that soundtrack, but Kimi does and we heart it. Haha. YAY MAX CASELLA!
bittersweet ~ Thanks! I heart you dear.
Megan ~ I know… cute little Mushy vampire… ohhhhhhhhhhhh he's gonna be seducing so many goils… INCLUDING MOI! WAHOOOOOOOOOO!
Court Jester ~ Happy birthday way, way, way late! Did you get your Rent soundtrack? Kimi burned it from my CDs and we enjoy singing the songs at random times. Mushy IS adorable. I heart him. He's so wonderful.
Mondie stupidity: Of course, Chalereux doesn't actually mean "happiness". That is "bonheur". Chalereux actually means "warm-hearted". But for the sake of my story, and since Chalereux is a prettier name than Bonheur, I'm just gonna pretend that Chalereux DOES mean happiness. Besides, she won't be around for much longer. So it really doesn't matter. Just wanted to clarify!
NDBT Chapter 2
Mush awoke with a start late the next afternoon. The bunkroom was empty, and it took a moment for him to realize the sun was boiling hot overhead and that he had overslept. This had never happened to him before, or any other newsie, for that matter, on account of Kloppman, yet he wasn't worried. He leapt from his bunk and landed with a thud on the wooden floor, littered with trash from untidy boys. Strutting casually, as if on parade for himself, he entered the washroom and headed straight for the unwashed, chipped, dingy mirror hanging from a nail on the far wall. He self-consciously patted at his frizzy curls, then flexed an arm for himself and laughed. Chalereux had thought he was beautiful the night before. Therefore, he now knew he must be.
He knew he must see her, must visit her. The only problem was, he couldn't hear the inserted thoughts anymore. This thought caused him panic at first, then he settled down. He'd just have to go find her, that's all.
But first, he realized, he was starving.
He left the Lodging House, shouting a goodbye to Kloppman (who, incidentally, looked quite confused by his elation. Just earlier that morning, Mush had thrown a tantrum when Kloppman had tried to make him get up, kicking and screaming at anyone who came close to him, eventually scratching Boots so hard he drew blood. Mush of course remembered none of this, but it caused Kloppman great anxiety over his complete transformation). He headed jauntily down the street, whistling an adlib tune, his hands deep in his pockets. He turned corners and went down streets until reaching Sven's Palace, a new restaurant that Kid Blink had found the week before that gave discounts to the street kids of the city.
Luckily, Kid Blink, Racetrack and Pie Eater were sitting inside, so Mush didn't have to sit alone. He couldn't keep the grin off his face as he sat down next to Blink.
"Heya, Mush," Race stated, smiling at his friend. "Feelin' betteh?"
Mush stared at him, then decided that 'yes' was the easiest answer. "Shoah," he answered, though he had no idea what his friend was asking about, since he couldn't remember the morning's events. Then he grinned again. "Fellas, I'se met dis goil last night."
Pie Eater chuckled. He had only immigrated to New York the year before from France, and his English still wasn't perfected. Self-conscious of his French and the accent when he did speak English, he generally kept to himself and usually only spoke to a few choice people who he felt comfortable around. Mush, Race, and Kid Blink were all some of those people. "Ah, Mush, you is always meeting za goils, non?"
Kid Blink laughed too. "You'se right, Pie. It does seem dat's all Mush does besides sell papes."
A waiter stopped, and Mush paused the conversation long enough to order. Then he continued, "But dis goil… ah, fellas, I t'ink she's an angel."
Racetrack shook his head. "Mush, you'se said dat las' week about Clementine. 'Membeh?"
"A course I'se remembeh, Kid. But Clementine's all 'in love' wit' Saga. An' anyhow, Chalereux est tres belle." Mush only realized once he'd finished speaking that he'd been talking in French.
Kid Blink stared at him in surprise. "Wha' da hell did you jus' say?" he demanded.
But Pie Eater had begun grinning. "Ah! Mush! C'est vrai, tout la filles francaises est tres, tres belle et magnifique, non?" Mush was astounded to find that he could translate it in his head: 'Ah! Mush! It's true, all the French girls are very, very beautiful and magnificent, no?'
"Oui, oui!" Mush agreed.
Kid Blink was shooting his eye from one face to the other. "When in hell didja loin French, Mush?" he asked suspiciously. Race looked just as confused.
"Je ne sais pas," Mush answered. A panicked look took to his face. He wasn't sure how he was able to speak French, and why he couldn't even speak English anymore. Then it all made sense. "Chalereux!"
"What?!" Kid Blink asked as Mush jumped from his seat and dashed for the door. "Wha' in Moses' name was dat, Pie?"
Pie Eater only shrugged. Racetrack laughed a little to himself. "Don' woirry, Blink. It's Mush. Nobody eveh knows what in hell 'e's ramblin' about."
Mush wandered through the city, his eyes open wide for a glimpse of the burgundy dress, the unruly hair, but to no avail. Sometime later, though, a flicker of hope: a faint calling of her thought-voice.
Picking up on that, he suddenly knew where to go. To be more accurate, his feet knew where to go. They led him straight to a churchyard, set back from the streets quite a ways. There was a small plot of graves, and in the middle sat a little stone shack. Mush didn't know much about graveyards, but he knew that that was also a grave, a sort of house for a coffin. And this was where her thoughts were leading him.
Terrified out of his wits, he walked slowly across the yard, staring up at the ramshackle church as he passed it. Was this considered blasphemy? He thought about turning and leaving, going to sell his papers, forgetting about Chalereux. But he couldn't. Against his will, almost, his hands went up and touched the rough wood of the heavy door guarding the stone structure. He pushed lightly, then noticed a lock on the door. When he touched it, however, it sprang open and he was able to push the door in.
A lone wooden coffin stood in the center of the little room. There were shelves lining the far wall, and coffins were on those; yet they were all decayed to splinters. The rough wooden coffin seemed new, and was on a platform. The smell of death and decomposition hung heavily in the air, and Mush gagged, but pushed the door back closed behind him. The room fell to darkness, except the minimal light that shone between the cracks of the door. Then he moved to the regal coffin, exalted among its haggard others.
He fingered the wood gently, then grasped the lid and pulled it upwards. He didn't know why he did any of this, but when it was done, he gasped in surprise. Though the light was limited, she seemed to shine against the dark cloth she was positioned on. Her hands lay folded upon her breast, her hair spread beneath her head, sprayed out in a wild fashion. Mush turned and stumbled blindly from her corpse. He ran into the wall and pressed himself against it, unable to look at her, but just as unable to get the image from his mind. Dead…
He was unable to move.
He didn't know how long he stood there, but after some time he realized that it had grown completely dark, and that no more light shone through the cracks. Then he heard a rustling behind him.
He panicked. Shrieking, he ran for the door and, using his fingernails, tried vainly to get the door to swing back open. "Save me! Save me! God almigh'y, save me!" he yelled, hoping that since the church was so near, perhaps God really would hear him.
"Noah, be still." A quiet voice calmly rang through the air.
Mush whipped around. "Chalereux?" he asked, disbelieving.
"Be quiet, my Noah. I have much to tell you. I am very pleased with you." Indeed, her voice was laced with euphoria.
Mush faltered. "But… but you was dead!" he cried.
He could sense movement, and then a hand on his shoulder. A hand of ice… he shivered involuntarily, then nodded. Chalereux put her hand up and the door swung open. The pair stumbled out into the night, illuminated by a bright moon.
"But… but how?" Mush finally asked when they walked down the boulevard a few minutes later. "Why in dere? Why'd'ja sleep in a coffin? What da hell ARE you, Chalereux?"
Chalereux smiled the infuriating smile she had, that warned you that she had a secret she'd never tell. "Let's sit down, Noah." They perched on abandoned chairs of the bootblacks, and Mush had to smile at how out of place Chalereux looked, sitting on a bootblack chair like a queen. "I am a vampire. Soon you shall be too. It is your destiny."
Mush stared at her, sure he'd heard wrong. Chalereux misinterpreted his stare and continued on, "But you will not be a mere vampire, like I am. You are to be a supervampire, and as soon as you have claimed your queen, you will move on to be the king of the vampires. We have been waiting for you for centuries.
"Most vampires are created in their late twenties, or early thirties. You, however, shall be made tonight, when you are just sixteen. So it is with supervampires; you already harbor so much wisdom within you at this age, there is no need to postpone it. Vampires can die with sunlight or by a stake through the heart, but supervampires can never die until they are overthrown by the next supervampire. When we are each created, we become aware of our one purpose. For a regular vampire, when the purpose is fulfilled, we die. But for supervampires, such as yourself, you only realize your full powers when your purpose is fulfilled. My purpose is to create you in your vampiric form."
Mush finally broke in. "Does dat mean dat ta-night is…"
Chalereux nodded. "Tonight is my last night. Don't look so distraught, I have been alive for four centuries, and now it is my time to leave and go meet my Master."
Mush looked confused. "Do you mean dat you believe in Gawd? But ain't vampiahs evil creatchas?" 'And imaginary ones too…' he added to himself in his thoughts.
"It's true, some of our kind are up to no good. But the same can be said for every species, every race on Earth. I choose to live my life piously, devoted to God. I believe that this is just an aspect of God's world. If I were able to go out in the sunshine, I would attend church, as I did when I was younger. As it is, I still go to nighttime masses every now and then. But there is another point: as I have told you, regular vampires must stay out of the sunshine. The same does not hold for you. Supervampires have such a longer life that they need less blood to sustain them, and can go for days or even weeks without feeding on humans. I believe that we are just another form of God's wondrous beauty, that he meant for us to be vampires when we were created."
At that moment, a girl stumbled across the street, with blonde curls bouncing vigorously. She appeared drunk, and was giggling loudly. "CHALEREUX!" she screamed, her eyes opening wide with excitement. She grinned broadly and Mush was astounded to find that she had fangs emerging amongst her other teeth.
"Ah, yes," Chalereux said, and looked slightly annoyed. "I forgot to mention minions. I knew that I was forgetting something… Every vampire gets to have one minion. The minion will always remain faithful to the vampire who created him, and can be killed by fire, sunlight, or when their master vampire dies. A supervampire may create as many as five minions, but I implore you to choose your minions wisely, Mush, or you may get stuck with a dull-witted girl for four centuries." She finally turned to the blonde vampire who stood beside her, her head tilted to one side. Chalereux sighed as she looked back at Mush. "People change when they become vampires. It brings out the best qualities of a person, as well as the worst qualities, in a formula never before seen. Kristin here used to be my best friend, and seemed quite sane. Now all she does is giggle…"
Kristin, as if to prove the point, giggled.
"Your minions will have to drink blood more than you, and they will have to sleep at night, since they will not be supervampires, but plain vampires. Yet before making another person a vampire, they will have to ask your permission. And they will not be able to create minions of their own.
"You will make your minions by having them drink from the right side of your neck. When you want to create a vampire, not a minion but another vampire, have him drink from the left side of your neck. 'Only those who have become vampires from the left side of their maker's neck will be able to create those from the right side…' " Chalereux spitted off the last quote as if it had been said to her many times, and she sounded wary as she said it. Then she smiled. "Now, I will drain your blood from you, and you shall drink from me, and it will be done."
And the evil author danced off with the purple poodles of doom, laughing merrily as everyone scowled that she left the chapter off at that exact point.
Bwahahaha.