Important author notes. The Black Veil is a real document. You can find out more about this document as well as other interesting real vampire facts at darkness embraced, all one word. Note the following:
The Black Veil
The Black Veil, also known as the "13 Rules of the Community" was composed by Father Todd of House Sahjaza, Michelle Belanger of House Kheperu and COVICA as a voluntary standard of common sense, etiquette and ideals for the greater vampire/vampire community. Although copyright 1997-2001 by Father Todd and Michelle Belanger, the Black Veil is an open licensed text available for reproduction on related websites or in print for organizations and individuals who with to promote it's concepts and ideals. All that is asked is that the Black Veil not be changed, amended or modified in ANY way and include the text and links detailed between the asterisks.
Now, that said, I did change one part, that was rule 3 about safety. Cary has more to say on this later.
No, my story vampires are not real. No infringement or parody meant to anyone involved with real vampirism. So, why use it? It's a very sensible document that fits in well with a Vampire ethical code—real or not. Plus I like its ideals and think that if the Enforcers truly had a code of rules; this might be what they look like. Enjoy.
CHAPTER 12
Everyone settled back and Jill, whose preternatural hearing picked up bits and pieces of the conversation walked in and took the other wing chair. She walked up to Cary and gave him a long kiss. Then she looked at Alex and smiled.
"Must she be here," Alex almost whined.
"It's story time, Alexi. I love story time."
"Enough," this came from the deep voice of the Enforcer in the wing chair. "Cary, go on with the tale, and make it quick. Morning will be here soon."
"Alright," agreed Cary. He turned to face Nick and began his tale.
"Every once in a while, I get a wild hare. I just need to go gallivanting around, cut up didoes. I get bored, you see. I visit coven houses in different parts of the world. Some of these are vampires, like you and I. Some are role players or vampyrs, with a y. Most of these are actual mortal human beings who just live a vampiric type lifestyle and who drink blood, or feed of the energy of others. Most of them hold real jobs and they are not hundreds of years old, cannot fly, will die if they get hurt bad enough, et cetera. I just think its fun to visit these little clutches, see what's going on.
"Of course, I also visit more of our type as well, but there is way too much politics involved in it, so I normally stay away unless called.
"Now, one evening a while ago, I was visiting New York. You know, hitting the clubs and other carryings-on. Anyway, I sauntered into this club called the Long Black Veil. It was one of those, oh how do you say, gothic clubs. It seemed an interesting place and I had heard it spoken of, so I went.
"It was a typical club playing typical music. While I was there, I heard people talking about a code of ethics for vampires. As you know, Vampire the Masquerade is rather popular nowadays, so there were a lot of people acting like real vampires as well. I found all this terribly amusing, all things considered.
"Soon after, I found myself at a seminar of sorts with living vampirism as the topic. That caught my eye, as I am a living vampire. Well, more or less. More talk about this Black Veil document. It seemed based on trust and respect among the Community. For varied reasons, this made sense to me.
"Back at my hotel, I started to ponder. What would happen if I took this code and applied to us? That way, everyone would know the rules. The idea began to gnaw at me and I got my hands on a copy of the Veil.
"I brought this back with me and instituted my little program. This way, since all in this Community must sign, if there is an infraction, the perpetrator cannot say they weren't warned. Oh, people got all persnickety about it, do tell. But, like a Philadelphia lawyer, I managed to convince everyone.
"Oh sure, there were those who wouldn't play along, but we dealt with that. Now more and more Communities are adopting the Veil for themselves.
"And so that is the document you hold in your hand. Read it well, live by it. If you have any questions after you finished, please do not hesitate to ask."
Nick sighed and sat back to read the document.
----1. DISCRETION: This lifestyle is private and sacred. Respect it as such. Do not make a sideshow of yourself. We do not have to prove ourselves to anyone. Appearing on public TV to tell the world you drink blood is useless attention-getting. It gets a negative reaction for the whole Community. Our place is in the shadows; our greatest protection from small-minded humanity is the fact that they do not believe we exist. Someday they may be ready for us to reveal ourselves to them, but that time is not now. Do not hide from your nature, but never show it off to those who won't understand.
Oh god, Nick thought. That last line—do not hide from your nature. That is what he had been doing for a long time. The rest he believed in. He read on.
---2. DIVERSITY: Our paths are many, even thought the journey we are on is essentially the same. No single one of us has all the answers to who and what we are (that would come as news to LaCroix, thought Nick). Respect everyone's personal views and practices (ditto the previous thought). We cannot let petty differences of ideology prevent us from maintaining a unified Community; there are enough who would attack us from the outside. Our diversity is our strength. Let our differences in viewpoint enrich us but never divide us amongst ourselves.
Nick had to agree with this.
--3. SAFETY: Use sense when indulging your nature. Do not flaunt what you are in public places. Feed in private and never overindulge or get careless. The safety of the entire Community rests upon each member's caution.
More good ideas.
--4: CONTROL: We cannot and should not deny the darkness within. Yet we should not allow it to control us. If our beast or shadow or darkside is given too much sway, it clouds our judgment, making us a danger even to those we love (Nick swallowed at this). Never indulge in pointless violence. Never bring willful harm to those who sustain you. Only feed for the sake of feeding, and never give over to mindless bloodlust. We are not monsters: we are capable of rational thought and self-control (That sounded like Nat). Celebrate the darkness and let it empower you, but never let it enslave your will.
Well, Cary should read over this one, Nick smirked to himself. Wasn't that what he planned on doing, giving over to mindless bloodlust? Then again, Nick wasn't living up to it himself as he denied the darkness within. But he did agree with not letting it overtake you, he knew firsthand what happens when you did. Of all so far, this rule struck home the hardest. He continued.
--5. LIFESTYLE: Live your life as an example to others in the Community. We are privileged to be what we are, but power should be accompanied by responsibility and dignity. Explore and make use of your vampire nature, but keep it in balance with material demands. Remember, we may be vampires, but we are still a part of this world. We must live lives like everyone else here: holding jobs, keeping homes, and getting along with our neighbors. Being what we are is not an excuse to participate in this reality. Rather, it is an obligation to make it a better place for us to be.
And Nick could not agree more. He heard a clearing of a throat and looked up.
"Still reading?" Cary teased. "You have to be the world's slowest vampire."
"Contemplating. Absorbing. This is some major stuff, Cary. Are you sure humans wrote this?"
Cary nodded. "Do tell. It does sound like it was written by one of us, though. But ideas did come from all over, so maybe a real vampire or two actually had a hand in it. Now you know why it hit me like a sockdolger."
"No doubt," commented Nick and went on to the next rule.
--6: FAMILY: We are, all of us, a family, and like all families; various members will not always get along. However, respect the greater Community when having your disputes. Do not let your individual problems bring emotional strife to the family as a whole. Settle your differences quietly among one another, only seeking out an elder's aid in mediation when no other solution seems possible. Never bring you private disputes into public places and never draw other family members into the issue by forcing them to take sides. Like any normal family, we should always make an effort to present a stable and unified face to the rest of the world even when things are not perfect between us.
LaCroix. This one word went through Nick's head. And he himself had forced Janette to take sides, more than once. He was beginning to understand what these rules meant.
--7. HAVENS: Our havens are safe places where everyone in the Community can come to socialize. There are also often public places where we are likely to encounter people who don't understand our ways. We should respect the patrons of these places as we should also respect the owners of the establishments and always be discrete in our behavior. We should never bring private disputes into a haven. We should never initiate violence in a haven. And we should never do or bring anything illegal into a haven, as this reflects badly upon the Community as a whole. The haven is the hub of the whole Community, and we should respect it as such, supporting it with our business and working to improve its name in the Community so that we can always call it home.
If that did not sound like the Raven, he did not know what did. He supposed Bloodlines carried the same weight here.
--8. TERRITORY: The Community is extensive and diverse. Every city has a different way of doing things, and a different hierarchy of rule (Nick almost laughed at this. No kidding, he was in the middle of one). When entering a new city, you should familiarize yourself with the local Community. Seek out local havens. Get in touch with key members of the Community, learn who is who, and show proper respect where it is due. You should not expect to impose your old way of doing things on this new Community. Rather you should adapt to their rules and be glad of their acceptance. Always be on your best behavior when coming to a new city either to visit or to stay. We are all cautious and territorial by natures, and only be making the most positive impression possible will you be accepted and respected in a new Community.
In other words, mused Nick, conform. Hunt to get a license, pay for a permit to fly and sign these rules. It was no wonder Cary, who had a megalomaniacal streak, liked this document.
--9. RESPONSIBILITY: This lifestyle is not for everyone (yeah, like coroners. Nick sighed). Take care in who you choose to bring into it (like coroners...). Those who are mentally or emotionally unstable have no place among us. They are dangerous and unreliable and may betray us in the future (Richard Lambert came to mind). Make certain that those you choose to bring in are mature enough for this burden. Teach them control and discretion, and make certain that they respect our ways. You will be responsible for their actions, and their behavior in the Community will be reflected back to you.
Oh so true...so very, very true.
--10. ELDERS: There are certain members of our Community who have established themselves as just and responsible leaders. These are the people who helped establish local Communities, who organize havens, and who work to coordinate the networking of our culture. While their word does not have to be law (unless you have Enforcers to back you, Nick though wryly), they should nevertheless be respected. They have greater experience than many others, and usually greater wisdom. Seek these elders out to settle your disputes, to give you guidance and instruction, and to help you establish yourself in the local Community. Appreciate the elders for all they have given you (LaCroix would agree to THAT): if it was not for their dedication, the Community would not exist as it does now.
Did this apply to Cary? He was a leader, but not really an elder. Nick thought about it. Paul. Paul was the elder, it seemed. Couldn't be anyone else, they were all too young, besides Esme and he didn't see her in that role. In that case, he supposed he was an elder. The thought made him a little nauseous. He did not want fledglings seeking him out, asking for advice.
--11. DONERS.
This space was blank. Nick looked up and pointed this out.
"Well, it was made for mortals. The way they take blood is to find a proper donor—a Crimson Swan is what they call a donor who gives blood willingly. So this was meant to provide for them. Basically it says that you should respect them and never mistreat them. It works in the mundane world, but not for us, so I put it in to respect the document, but left the definition out. I did that with a couple of lines, omitted them."
"You seem to know a lot about mortal vampires," Nick told Cary.
"I do," he smiled, wide. "Hey, maybe I should take you to a blood bar..."
Alex and Colin both laughed out loud at this, while Jill looked annoyed. Nick was confused.
"What, and introduce him to some damned blood doll? Or some fetishist? Sure, Cary, that's a great idea." Jill was really miffed at the idea.
Alex was laughing so hard he had blood tears flowing down his face. "Nick Knight in a blood bar. Oh god, that's funny. I could just see Nick as a blood junkie."
Blood bar? Blood doll? Blood junkie? What was going on? He turned to Cary, his whole expression a huge question mark.
"Before you leave this house, Nick, I promise you one night out at a blood bar. There's a good one in Sun Valley." Cary gave Nick a huge smile, pleased with the idea.
Nick raised an eyebrow and continued.
--12. LEADERSHIP: When you choose to take a position of authority in the Community, remember that you do not lead for yourself alone. Leadership is a responsibility, not a privilege. A good leader must set an example for everyone through his actions and behavior. His motives should be selfless and pure, and he should put the interests of the whole Community before his own. The best leaders are those who serve to better to Community and whose person and behavior gives no one—even those outside the Community—a reason to criticize him. They must strive to be above reproach.
This earned a snort, which caused a few looks his way. He covered quickly.
--13. IDEALS: Being a vampire is not just about feeding upon life. That is what we do, but not necessarily what we are. It is our place to represent darkness in a world blinded by light. We are about being different and accepting that difference as something that empowers us and makes us unique. We are about accepting the dark within ourselves and embracing that darkness to make us whole beings. We are about celebrating the thresholds: body and spirit, pleasure and pain, life and death. Our lives should be lived as a message to the world about the beauty of accepting the whole self, of living without guilt and without shame, and celebrating the unique and beautiful essence of every single soul.
Nick gave a deep, unnecessary breath. The whole document was about acceptance. You are a vampire, it said, so be the best vampire you could be. Live without guilt and shame—take the blood in stride. Could he sign this, could he live this? He looked up.
"Well, any questions?" asked Cary.
Nick shook his head.
"Good. Now, when you sign make sure you understand what you are signing too. Slip ups are bound to happen, like earlier. But blatant disregard of the rules result in punishment. Have no mistake made, Nick, we have destroyed others over these rules. There's no backing and filling in this. They will be followed."
"What if I don't sign?" The minute it was out, he wished he could take it back, for the look on Cary's face said it all. Jill looked shocked and Alex more than pleased. Only Colin remained inscrutable.
"Then you must leave the Community and never return. If you do not, you will be killed."
Esme was right, Nick thought. Cary had said that with a grim line to his mouth. Nick shrugged.
"Where do I sign?" he asked.
It was Colin who answered.
"Give me your left hand," he told Nick, who presented it to the Enforcer. Colin took from his case a syringe. 'They make you sign in blood', that's what Esme had said.
Colin did not bother with the preliminaries of a tourniquet. He just took Nick's wrist, turned it upright, and stuck the needle in. Then he pulled back on the plunger as Nick's life fluid went up into the barrel. It hurt, it shouldn't, but it did. Then Colin turned and took out another syringe, this one looked sort of like a writing instrument. The barrel where the ink went was injected with the blood, so that it worked as a fountain pen. Ingenious, really. It was this device that was handed to Nick.
"Sign here," pointed out the dark haired Enforcer. Nick did. The blood came out almost like an old fashioned quill pen, but it worked. He signed all three documents. Then Cary signed, then Colin. He felt strange, like he had given away a piece of his soul. Nick watched as Colin took the rest of the blood and transferred it to a glass beaker and put a stopper in it, writing on the label Nicholas DeBrabant, his real name.
"Well, Cary," said Colin, standing and putting everything back into his case, "it has been fun, but it's getting very early." He shook Cary's hand and then pulled him in to whisper something in his ear. Cary nodded as the Enforcer turned to Nick. "Nick, it's been a pleasure. I'll see you tomorrow."
He turned to go, and then stopped as a thought hit him. He turned back to Cary,
"By the way, why are there humans in your house?"
Cary quickly explained without embellishment the reasons. Colin expressed a bit of disapproval but calmed when Cary said they would be gone with the coming of the sun. A nod and he asked if Alex was going with him. Alex told him to wait a moment and then went over to Cary and placed a kiss on his mouth. Jill's eyebrows went up, unusual for Alex to be so forward.
"Eternity," he told a rather startled Cary. Then he bowed to Jill and Nick, kissed his crush's hand reverently and left.
"Cary?" Jill asked the vampire, who was stunned speechless.
"I think it's time for bed. It's nearly 7am." With that, he turned and went up the stairs to his room.
"Well," Jill mused, "that was interesting. Nitey nite, Nick." She placed a kiss on his cheek and went to follow her beau upstairs.
It was quite a night for revelations, thought he, as he went to wake up the mortals.
The Black Veil
The Black Veil, also known as the "13 Rules of the Community" was composed by Father Todd of House Sahjaza, Michelle Belanger of House Kheperu and COVICA as a voluntary standard of common sense, etiquette and ideals for the greater vampire/vampire community. Although copyright 1997-2001 by Father Todd and Michelle Belanger, the Black Veil is an open licensed text available for reproduction on related websites or in print for organizations and individuals who with to promote it's concepts and ideals. All that is asked is that the Black Veil not be changed, amended or modified in ANY way and include the text and links detailed between the asterisks.
Now, that said, I did change one part, that was rule 3 about safety. Cary has more to say on this later.
No, my story vampires are not real. No infringement or parody meant to anyone involved with real vampirism. So, why use it? It's a very sensible document that fits in well with a Vampire ethical code—real or not. Plus I like its ideals and think that if the Enforcers truly had a code of rules; this might be what they look like. Enjoy.
CHAPTER 12
Everyone settled back and Jill, whose preternatural hearing picked up bits and pieces of the conversation walked in and took the other wing chair. She walked up to Cary and gave him a long kiss. Then she looked at Alex and smiled.
"Must she be here," Alex almost whined.
"It's story time, Alexi. I love story time."
"Enough," this came from the deep voice of the Enforcer in the wing chair. "Cary, go on with the tale, and make it quick. Morning will be here soon."
"Alright," agreed Cary. He turned to face Nick and began his tale.
"Every once in a while, I get a wild hare. I just need to go gallivanting around, cut up didoes. I get bored, you see. I visit coven houses in different parts of the world. Some of these are vampires, like you and I. Some are role players or vampyrs, with a y. Most of these are actual mortal human beings who just live a vampiric type lifestyle and who drink blood, or feed of the energy of others. Most of them hold real jobs and they are not hundreds of years old, cannot fly, will die if they get hurt bad enough, et cetera. I just think its fun to visit these little clutches, see what's going on.
"Of course, I also visit more of our type as well, but there is way too much politics involved in it, so I normally stay away unless called.
"Now, one evening a while ago, I was visiting New York. You know, hitting the clubs and other carryings-on. Anyway, I sauntered into this club called the Long Black Veil. It was one of those, oh how do you say, gothic clubs. It seemed an interesting place and I had heard it spoken of, so I went.
"It was a typical club playing typical music. While I was there, I heard people talking about a code of ethics for vampires. As you know, Vampire the Masquerade is rather popular nowadays, so there were a lot of people acting like real vampires as well. I found all this terribly amusing, all things considered.
"Soon after, I found myself at a seminar of sorts with living vampirism as the topic. That caught my eye, as I am a living vampire. Well, more or less. More talk about this Black Veil document. It seemed based on trust and respect among the Community. For varied reasons, this made sense to me.
"Back at my hotel, I started to ponder. What would happen if I took this code and applied to us? That way, everyone would know the rules. The idea began to gnaw at me and I got my hands on a copy of the Veil.
"I brought this back with me and instituted my little program. This way, since all in this Community must sign, if there is an infraction, the perpetrator cannot say they weren't warned. Oh, people got all persnickety about it, do tell. But, like a Philadelphia lawyer, I managed to convince everyone.
"Oh sure, there were those who wouldn't play along, but we dealt with that. Now more and more Communities are adopting the Veil for themselves.
"And so that is the document you hold in your hand. Read it well, live by it. If you have any questions after you finished, please do not hesitate to ask."
Nick sighed and sat back to read the document.
----1. DISCRETION: This lifestyle is private and sacred. Respect it as such. Do not make a sideshow of yourself. We do not have to prove ourselves to anyone. Appearing on public TV to tell the world you drink blood is useless attention-getting. It gets a negative reaction for the whole Community. Our place is in the shadows; our greatest protection from small-minded humanity is the fact that they do not believe we exist. Someday they may be ready for us to reveal ourselves to them, but that time is not now. Do not hide from your nature, but never show it off to those who won't understand.
Oh god, Nick thought. That last line—do not hide from your nature. That is what he had been doing for a long time. The rest he believed in. He read on.
---2. DIVERSITY: Our paths are many, even thought the journey we are on is essentially the same. No single one of us has all the answers to who and what we are (that would come as news to LaCroix, thought Nick). Respect everyone's personal views and practices (ditto the previous thought). We cannot let petty differences of ideology prevent us from maintaining a unified Community; there are enough who would attack us from the outside. Our diversity is our strength. Let our differences in viewpoint enrich us but never divide us amongst ourselves.
Nick had to agree with this.
--3. SAFETY: Use sense when indulging your nature. Do not flaunt what you are in public places. Feed in private and never overindulge or get careless. The safety of the entire Community rests upon each member's caution.
More good ideas.
--4: CONTROL: We cannot and should not deny the darkness within. Yet we should not allow it to control us. If our beast or shadow or darkside is given too much sway, it clouds our judgment, making us a danger even to those we love (Nick swallowed at this). Never indulge in pointless violence. Never bring willful harm to those who sustain you. Only feed for the sake of feeding, and never give over to mindless bloodlust. We are not monsters: we are capable of rational thought and self-control (That sounded like Nat). Celebrate the darkness and let it empower you, but never let it enslave your will.
Well, Cary should read over this one, Nick smirked to himself. Wasn't that what he planned on doing, giving over to mindless bloodlust? Then again, Nick wasn't living up to it himself as he denied the darkness within. But he did agree with not letting it overtake you, he knew firsthand what happens when you did. Of all so far, this rule struck home the hardest. He continued.
--5. LIFESTYLE: Live your life as an example to others in the Community. We are privileged to be what we are, but power should be accompanied by responsibility and dignity. Explore and make use of your vampire nature, but keep it in balance with material demands. Remember, we may be vampires, but we are still a part of this world. We must live lives like everyone else here: holding jobs, keeping homes, and getting along with our neighbors. Being what we are is not an excuse to participate in this reality. Rather, it is an obligation to make it a better place for us to be.
And Nick could not agree more. He heard a clearing of a throat and looked up.
"Still reading?" Cary teased. "You have to be the world's slowest vampire."
"Contemplating. Absorbing. This is some major stuff, Cary. Are you sure humans wrote this?"
Cary nodded. "Do tell. It does sound like it was written by one of us, though. But ideas did come from all over, so maybe a real vampire or two actually had a hand in it. Now you know why it hit me like a sockdolger."
"No doubt," commented Nick and went on to the next rule.
--6: FAMILY: We are, all of us, a family, and like all families; various members will not always get along. However, respect the greater Community when having your disputes. Do not let your individual problems bring emotional strife to the family as a whole. Settle your differences quietly among one another, only seeking out an elder's aid in mediation when no other solution seems possible. Never bring you private disputes into public places and never draw other family members into the issue by forcing them to take sides. Like any normal family, we should always make an effort to present a stable and unified face to the rest of the world even when things are not perfect between us.
LaCroix. This one word went through Nick's head. And he himself had forced Janette to take sides, more than once. He was beginning to understand what these rules meant.
--7. HAVENS: Our havens are safe places where everyone in the Community can come to socialize. There are also often public places where we are likely to encounter people who don't understand our ways. We should respect the patrons of these places as we should also respect the owners of the establishments and always be discrete in our behavior. We should never bring private disputes into a haven. We should never initiate violence in a haven. And we should never do or bring anything illegal into a haven, as this reflects badly upon the Community as a whole. The haven is the hub of the whole Community, and we should respect it as such, supporting it with our business and working to improve its name in the Community so that we can always call it home.
If that did not sound like the Raven, he did not know what did. He supposed Bloodlines carried the same weight here.
--8. TERRITORY: The Community is extensive and diverse. Every city has a different way of doing things, and a different hierarchy of rule (Nick almost laughed at this. No kidding, he was in the middle of one). When entering a new city, you should familiarize yourself with the local Community. Seek out local havens. Get in touch with key members of the Community, learn who is who, and show proper respect where it is due. You should not expect to impose your old way of doing things on this new Community. Rather you should adapt to their rules and be glad of their acceptance. Always be on your best behavior when coming to a new city either to visit or to stay. We are all cautious and territorial by natures, and only be making the most positive impression possible will you be accepted and respected in a new Community.
In other words, mused Nick, conform. Hunt to get a license, pay for a permit to fly and sign these rules. It was no wonder Cary, who had a megalomaniacal streak, liked this document.
--9. RESPONSIBILITY: This lifestyle is not for everyone (yeah, like coroners. Nick sighed). Take care in who you choose to bring into it (like coroners...). Those who are mentally or emotionally unstable have no place among us. They are dangerous and unreliable and may betray us in the future (Richard Lambert came to mind). Make certain that those you choose to bring in are mature enough for this burden. Teach them control and discretion, and make certain that they respect our ways. You will be responsible for their actions, and their behavior in the Community will be reflected back to you.
Oh so true...so very, very true.
--10. ELDERS: There are certain members of our Community who have established themselves as just and responsible leaders. These are the people who helped establish local Communities, who organize havens, and who work to coordinate the networking of our culture. While their word does not have to be law (unless you have Enforcers to back you, Nick though wryly), they should nevertheless be respected. They have greater experience than many others, and usually greater wisdom. Seek these elders out to settle your disputes, to give you guidance and instruction, and to help you establish yourself in the local Community. Appreciate the elders for all they have given you (LaCroix would agree to THAT): if it was not for their dedication, the Community would not exist as it does now.
Did this apply to Cary? He was a leader, but not really an elder. Nick thought about it. Paul. Paul was the elder, it seemed. Couldn't be anyone else, they were all too young, besides Esme and he didn't see her in that role. In that case, he supposed he was an elder. The thought made him a little nauseous. He did not want fledglings seeking him out, asking for advice.
--11. DONERS.
This space was blank. Nick looked up and pointed this out.
"Well, it was made for mortals. The way they take blood is to find a proper donor—a Crimson Swan is what they call a donor who gives blood willingly. So this was meant to provide for them. Basically it says that you should respect them and never mistreat them. It works in the mundane world, but not for us, so I put it in to respect the document, but left the definition out. I did that with a couple of lines, omitted them."
"You seem to know a lot about mortal vampires," Nick told Cary.
"I do," he smiled, wide. "Hey, maybe I should take you to a blood bar..."
Alex and Colin both laughed out loud at this, while Jill looked annoyed. Nick was confused.
"What, and introduce him to some damned blood doll? Or some fetishist? Sure, Cary, that's a great idea." Jill was really miffed at the idea.
Alex was laughing so hard he had blood tears flowing down his face. "Nick Knight in a blood bar. Oh god, that's funny. I could just see Nick as a blood junkie."
Blood bar? Blood doll? Blood junkie? What was going on? He turned to Cary, his whole expression a huge question mark.
"Before you leave this house, Nick, I promise you one night out at a blood bar. There's a good one in Sun Valley." Cary gave Nick a huge smile, pleased with the idea.
Nick raised an eyebrow and continued.
--12. LEADERSHIP: When you choose to take a position of authority in the Community, remember that you do not lead for yourself alone. Leadership is a responsibility, not a privilege. A good leader must set an example for everyone through his actions and behavior. His motives should be selfless and pure, and he should put the interests of the whole Community before his own. The best leaders are those who serve to better to Community and whose person and behavior gives no one—even those outside the Community—a reason to criticize him. They must strive to be above reproach.
This earned a snort, which caused a few looks his way. He covered quickly.
--13. IDEALS: Being a vampire is not just about feeding upon life. That is what we do, but not necessarily what we are. It is our place to represent darkness in a world blinded by light. We are about being different and accepting that difference as something that empowers us and makes us unique. We are about accepting the dark within ourselves and embracing that darkness to make us whole beings. We are about celebrating the thresholds: body and spirit, pleasure and pain, life and death. Our lives should be lived as a message to the world about the beauty of accepting the whole self, of living without guilt and without shame, and celebrating the unique and beautiful essence of every single soul.
Nick gave a deep, unnecessary breath. The whole document was about acceptance. You are a vampire, it said, so be the best vampire you could be. Live without guilt and shame—take the blood in stride. Could he sign this, could he live this? He looked up.
"Well, any questions?" asked Cary.
Nick shook his head.
"Good. Now, when you sign make sure you understand what you are signing too. Slip ups are bound to happen, like earlier. But blatant disregard of the rules result in punishment. Have no mistake made, Nick, we have destroyed others over these rules. There's no backing and filling in this. They will be followed."
"What if I don't sign?" The minute it was out, he wished he could take it back, for the look on Cary's face said it all. Jill looked shocked and Alex more than pleased. Only Colin remained inscrutable.
"Then you must leave the Community and never return. If you do not, you will be killed."
Esme was right, Nick thought. Cary had said that with a grim line to his mouth. Nick shrugged.
"Where do I sign?" he asked.
It was Colin who answered.
"Give me your left hand," he told Nick, who presented it to the Enforcer. Colin took from his case a syringe. 'They make you sign in blood', that's what Esme had said.
Colin did not bother with the preliminaries of a tourniquet. He just took Nick's wrist, turned it upright, and stuck the needle in. Then he pulled back on the plunger as Nick's life fluid went up into the barrel. It hurt, it shouldn't, but it did. Then Colin turned and took out another syringe, this one looked sort of like a writing instrument. The barrel where the ink went was injected with the blood, so that it worked as a fountain pen. Ingenious, really. It was this device that was handed to Nick.
"Sign here," pointed out the dark haired Enforcer. Nick did. The blood came out almost like an old fashioned quill pen, but it worked. He signed all three documents. Then Cary signed, then Colin. He felt strange, like he had given away a piece of his soul. Nick watched as Colin took the rest of the blood and transferred it to a glass beaker and put a stopper in it, writing on the label Nicholas DeBrabant, his real name.
"Well, Cary," said Colin, standing and putting everything back into his case, "it has been fun, but it's getting very early." He shook Cary's hand and then pulled him in to whisper something in his ear. Cary nodded as the Enforcer turned to Nick. "Nick, it's been a pleasure. I'll see you tomorrow."
He turned to go, and then stopped as a thought hit him. He turned back to Cary,
"By the way, why are there humans in your house?"
Cary quickly explained without embellishment the reasons. Colin expressed a bit of disapproval but calmed when Cary said they would be gone with the coming of the sun. A nod and he asked if Alex was going with him. Alex told him to wait a moment and then went over to Cary and placed a kiss on his mouth. Jill's eyebrows went up, unusual for Alex to be so forward.
"Eternity," he told a rather startled Cary. Then he bowed to Jill and Nick, kissed his crush's hand reverently and left.
"Cary?" Jill asked the vampire, who was stunned speechless.
"I think it's time for bed. It's nearly 7am." With that, he turned and went up the stairs to his room.
"Well," Jill mused, "that was interesting. Nitey nite, Nick." She placed a kiss on his cheek and went to follow her beau upstairs.
It was quite a night for revelations, thought he, as he went to wake up the mortals.