Five
"You could have been a bit more subtle," I heard Amber say. Amber...something important was going on, but my brain couldn't quite grasp what was happening.
"I did what was necessary. Although now I'll have to go out and feed."
Feed...?
"Vampires!" I shouted, but it sounded more like, "Amp pyahf!" because I had been gagged. In fact, I had also been tied to a seat. I felt like James Bond all over again, but the problem was James Bond would have some nifty gizmo that would get him out of trouble. I looked at my watch and dearly wished that it had a super magnet, telephone and laser installed. Meanwhile, I realised that ten o'clock meant that mum's pasta bake and potato salad would be gone. Brian wouldn't be nice enough to leave me any.
"Looks like they're awake," Amber said walking towards me. She was coming to kill me! Oh, I could see her as a vampire, with that long auburn hair, cool hazel eyes, long slender legs, pouty lips, voluptuous body stalking the streets of Melbourne. Damn, I was jealous.
They had placed Laura, tied, gagged and all in a chair next to me, and put down two chairs opposite us. Amber and Frost sat down in each one. My eyes darted frantically to Laura, and we stared at each other wide eyed for a little while. The cross hadn't worked! But...the chair! The chair was made out of wood! Ha! Let's see how he'd like a stake shoved into his damned, evil and unholy heart! Providing he had a heart - who knew about vampires? All I had to do was break free from the ropes, smash the chair into a bazillion tiny sharp pieces, and shove it into his heart while preventing Amber from killing me.
My spirits sunk. Buffy had made it look so easy! A little witty repartee, some gymnastic flips, cool karate moves and the vamp was dusted! Even a numbskull could do it! Even Xander could do it! I was a pathetic no-hoper like, like...Tara! Except she could use magic. Maybe I could use magic! Who knew, if vampires existed, why couldn't I be a witch in denial?
I stared at Frost's chair and willed it to crack into splinters that would impale every part of his body. I also willed the splinters to tear off his clothes before they killed him.
After a few seconds, I realised that I was lower than Tara in the Scooby Gang (granted, she's not there anymore, but she was the lowest in the history). I was as bad as Fred! All I could do was spout off physics equations! Except...I couldn't even do that! I was so low, that I wasn't even in the cast of Angel or Buffy! No, wait...what about Dawn? Ugh, rather not be in the cast.
"This is just a precaution. We didn't want you screaming and running around again. The neighbours already think we're weird enough. Especially when Frost took some people back here for questioning."
They lived together? Laura was right, they were together! Completely, utterly, totally. Any chance of Frost taking me out was down the drain. Of course, now that I had discovered he was a creature of the night, and a psychopathic serial murderer, there was no chance I would consider if he asked me. Which was a shame. But then I couldn't have gone out with him anyway, as much as I wanted to, because Laura would be pissed off because she bagged him first.
"Now, I want you to listen to me carefully. Frost is not a full vampire. He's a...hybrid between a witch and a vampire. I'm not a vampire at all. And we're on your side."
Yeah, right.
Amber crossed her arms over her chest. "If we were evil bloodsucking monsters, then wouldn't you be dead by now?"
That was a good point. Why weren't we dead?
"I'll tell you why. Because we're NOT evil bloodsucking monsters!"
Oh.
"Now for the last time, will you promise not to scream?"
We both nodded obediently.
"I hardly ever feed anyway," Frost was saying conversationally as Amber was ungagging and untying us. "Only after when I use my superpowers."
"What are your superpowers?" Laura asked, excited that he was on our side again. "This is sooo cool. It's like X-Men all over again!"
Frost flashed her a grin that made you melt in your seat. And that was only me. "I can knock people out," he said, "and then, I've got other superpowers that you can only imagine."
My lower bits went all tingly.
"So why are you killing vampires if you're a vampire?"
His eyes went all dark and scary again. Crap. Maybe I shouldn't have asked.
"The Night World aren't too friendly with their hybrids," he said softly, in that menacing, I'm-going-to-kill-you way. "Circle Daybreak relocated me, and gave me choice of my own name." He shrugged. "What can I say? I liked the movie."
"What about the character?" Laura asked.
Damn, I hadn't seen Blade. Memo to oneself: watch the movie Blade and pay close attention to the character Deacin Frost.
"It's ironic," he replied.
"What's Circle Daybreak?" I asked, the ignoramus that I am. Laura hadn't asked. Maybe it was some chic rock group that I had never heard of, but I should have!
"It's an organisation that promotes cross species relations."
"Whaa?"
"It's an organisation that wants peace between Night Worlders and humans..."
"Like the UN!" Laura cried. What did I say about those movies?
"No, not like the UN. They've been persecuted from the Night World for breaking their rules. But basically their nice people, although they're a bit loose at times. We keep in contact with them for administrative purposes, because they don't really approve of what we're doing."
"And what are you doing?"
Amber gave a not-very-nice smile. "Vampire hunting of course. Why do you think Brad needed to be staked?"
Two things became clear to me at that point. One, Brad was a vampire, and was probably going to suck my blood out had Amber not killed him. And more importantly, two, the dildo was actually a stake!
"Yeah!" Laura jumped up and punched her hand in the air. "Kill the bloodsucking fiends!" She stopped in mid-punch and looked at Frost guiltily. "Not you, of course."
"Of course not," Frost said dryly.
"So you're willing to help us?" Amber asked, a little too eager for my taste.
"Well, yeah, sure! Won't we Jen?"
I nodded. I was even more stupid than I had thought. Even Dawn wouldn't have nodded, although that's still debatable.
"You could have been a bit more subtle," I heard Amber say. Amber...something important was going on, but my brain couldn't quite grasp what was happening.
"I did what was necessary. Although now I'll have to go out and feed."
Feed...?
"Vampires!" I shouted, but it sounded more like, "Amp pyahf!" because I had been gagged. In fact, I had also been tied to a seat. I felt like James Bond all over again, but the problem was James Bond would have some nifty gizmo that would get him out of trouble. I looked at my watch and dearly wished that it had a super magnet, telephone and laser installed. Meanwhile, I realised that ten o'clock meant that mum's pasta bake and potato salad would be gone. Brian wouldn't be nice enough to leave me any.
"Looks like they're awake," Amber said walking towards me. She was coming to kill me! Oh, I could see her as a vampire, with that long auburn hair, cool hazel eyes, long slender legs, pouty lips, voluptuous body stalking the streets of Melbourne. Damn, I was jealous.
They had placed Laura, tied, gagged and all in a chair next to me, and put down two chairs opposite us. Amber and Frost sat down in each one. My eyes darted frantically to Laura, and we stared at each other wide eyed for a little while. The cross hadn't worked! But...the chair! The chair was made out of wood! Ha! Let's see how he'd like a stake shoved into his damned, evil and unholy heart! Providing he had a heart - who knew about vampires? All I had to do was break free from the ropes, smash the chair into a bazillion tiny sharp pieces, and shove it into his heart while preventing Amber from killing me.
My spirits sunk. Buffy had made it look so easy! A little witty repartee, some gymnastic flips, cool karate moves and the vamp was dusted! Even a numbskull could do it! Even Xander could do it! I was a pathetic no-hoper like, like...Tara! Except she could use magic. Maybe I could use magic! Who knew, if vampires existed, why couldn't I be a witch in denial?
I stared at Frost's chair and willed it to crack into splinters that would impale every part of his body. I also willed the splinters to tear off his clothes before they killed him.
After a few seconds, I realised that I was lower than Tara in the Scooby Gang (granted, she's not there anymore, but she was the lowest in the history). I was as bad as Fred! All I could do was spout off physics equations! Except...I couldn't even do that! I was so low, that I wasn't even in the cast of Angel or Buffy! No, wait...what about Dawn? Ugh, rather not be in the cast.
"This is just a precaution. We didn't want you screaming and running around again. The neighbours already think we're weird enough. Especially when Frost took some people back here for questioning."
They lived together? Laura was right, they were together! Completely, utterly, totally. Any chance of Frost taking me out was down the drain. Of course, now that I had discovered he was a creature of the night, and a psychopathic serial murderer, there was no chance I would consider if he asked me. Which was a shame. But then I couldn't have gone out with him anyway, as much as I wanted to, because Laura would be pissed off because she bagged him first.
"Now, I want you to listen to me carefully. Frost is not a full vampire. He's a...hybrid between a witch and a vampire. I'm not a vampire at all. And we're on your side."
Yeah, right.
Amber crossed her arms over her chest. "If we were evil bloodsucking monsters, then wouldn't you be dead by now?"
That was a good point. Why weren't we dead?
"I'll tell you why. Because we're NOT evil bloodsucking monsters!"
Oh.
"Now for the last time, will you promise not to scream?"
We both nodded obediently.
"I hardly ever feed anyway," Frost was saying conversationally as Amber was ungagging and untying us. "Only after when I use my superpowers."
"What are your superpowers?" Laura asked, excited that he was on our side again. "This is sooo cool. It's like X-Men all over again!"
Frost flashed her a grin that made you melt in your seat. And that was only me. "I can knock people out," he said, "and then, I've got other superpowers that you can only imagine."
My lower bits went all tingly.
"So why are you killing vampires if you're a vampire?"
His eyes went all dark and scary again. Crap. Maybe I shouldn't have asked.
"The Night World aren't too friendly with their hybrids," he said softly, in that menacing, I'm-going-to-kill-you way. "Circle Daybreak relocated me, and gave me choice of my own name." He shrugged. "What can I say? I liked the movie."
"What about the character?" Laura asked.
Damn, I hadn't seen Blade. Memo to oneself: watch the movie Blade and pay close attention to the character Deacin Frost.
"It's ironic," he replied.
"What's Circle Daybreak?" I asked, the ignoramus that I am. Laura hadn't asked. Maybe it was some chic rock group that I had never heard of, but I should have!
"It's an organisation that promotes cross species relations."
"Whaa?"
"It's an organisation that wants peace between Night Worlders and humans..."
"Like the UN!" Laura cried. What did I say about those movies?
"No, not like the UN. They've been persecuted from the Night World for breaking their rules. But basically their nice people, although they're a bit loose at times. We keep in contact with them for administrative purposes, because they don't really approve of what we're doing."
"And what are you doing?"
Amber gave a not-very-nice smile. "Vampire hunting of course. Why do you think Brad needed to be staked?"
Two things became clear to me at that point. One, Brad was a vampire, and was probably going to suck my blood out had Amber not killed him. And more importantly, two, the dildo was actually a stake!
"Yeah!" Laura jumped up and punched her hand in the air. "Kill the bloodsucking fiends!" She stopped in mid-punch and looked at Frost guiltily. "Not you, of course."
"Of course not," Frost said dryly.
"So you're willing to help us?" Amber asked, a little too eager for my taste.
"Well, yeah, sure! Won't we Jen?"
I nodded. I was even more stupid than I had thought. Even Dawn wouldn't have nodded, although that's still debatable.
