Chapter Sixteen: Decisions
"Explain to me why we came back to America after the World Championships? Why not go back to Japan?" Tyson demanded, trotting to keep up with Kenny, who was walking as fast as he could. "And where are we going?"
"I want to see what Kai and Midnight are doing." Kenny murmured, holding his laptop to his chest and jogging faster than Flash Gordon. He didn't expect Tyson and them to understand, but he suspected Midnight was… what? A blood-sucking leech, a queen of the undead. And Kai was in her grasp, possibly having his life's blood sucked out of him at this very moment. How did he know Midnight was a vampire? He'd put the pieces together.
Fact one: Midnight couldn't stand strong light, and often wore dark glasses unless it was cloudy or she was inside. Fact two: she'd never had her picture taken, because she couldn't. Vampires weren't photogenic, their molecules moved at such a strange frequency that they disrupted the technology of the camera. Fact three: everyone who had ticked Midnight off had mysteriously disappeared.
"Kenny, can I talk to you for a minute, please?" Ray grabbed him by the back of his shirt and hauled him around the corner of the hallway. "Kenny, what's your problem?" Kenny swallowed hard and shrugged. He could tell Ray, he'd think the Chief was flipping out, losing his marbles. He couldn't tell him Midnight was an evil demon with a thirst for human blood.
"Kenny, I'm reading your thoughts." Ray crooned in a sing-song voice. "You must stop thinking such things, truly, you must."
"Ray, you're freaking me out." Ray turned his gaze on Kenny, and the younger boy stepped back. "Ray? What are you? Are you… one of… one of them?"
"My mother, who died, she was a quarter vampire. There's nothing evil about Midnight or her kind. She's a nice person, who's tired of being hunted by the people she tries so hard to protect. You wanna see something almost sickeningly sweet and cute?" Kenny swallowed and nodded. Was this one big evil-blood-thirsty-zombie conspiracy, or was Ray telling the truth about Midnight's goodness?
"Does… do vampires have souls?"
"Midnight has fallen in love, so I'm assuming she does. You can't be in love without one, so…" He shrugged. Opening the door to Midnight's room, Ray nodded towards the bed. Kenny looked in and his jaw dropped.
Kai lay on the bed, his skin positively glowing, sprawling out over the black comforter, breathing evenly, asleep. His lips were slightly stained with fresh blood. On his chest, eyes closed against the soft lamplight, arms wrapped around Kai as far as she could, was Midnight. Her soft, shimmering black hair was splayed all over both of them, and Kai's fingers were tangled in the thick, dark strands. Her face was pale, and there was blood on her lips as well, but also a few stray drops at her throat. Luckily for Kenny's state of mind, they were wearing clothes. So he hasn't slept with her. Kenny felt slightly elated, but not as much as he would've thought, considering he was worried for Kai's eternal soul. Then, it struck him. It really hit him how Midnight wasn't evil. He had no idea why, but he realized Midnight was innocent of all demonics, all evil. She was good, really good. He saw them, Midnight and Kai, not as a potential threat, but as two friends in love. True, there was blood in potentially evil places- vampires were evil, but Midnight wasn't, no- but, for some reason, Kenny didn't care about the blood splashing the pale, white flesh. He realized how beautiful Midnight was, and how much Kai loved her, as they lay there together, in the comfort of each others' arms.
"Time to wake them up."
"What? Why? Let them stay like that, they're happy!" Kenny exclaimed. Ray smiled, murmuring, "We need to discuss some things, Chief, that concern the two of them."
"Does Max know?"
"He is… this is going to sound very strange, but he's… he's related to her, by marriage."
"Get out!"
"No, seriously, his sister Alexandria is married to one of Midnight's brothers."
"And he kept his mouth shut this entire time… am I the only person on the team who's fully human?"
"Max is."
"Oh. Okay. Hey, they're waking up." Midnight stirred, looked up at them, demanding softly, "Why are you spying on us?"
"They're not," Kai murmured, gently moving her off, "they need to talk to us, and I think Kenny was planning on driving a stake through your heart, love."
"Wouldn't have worked, Kenny. You can't kill a vampire so easy."
"How do you kill a vampire?"
"My mother died of blood loss and exposure to the sun, but one must be very weak before the sun does damage. Human blood protects us from the sunlight. Go figure." She shrugged, settled herself at the window, looking out into the darkness. "So beautiful… anyway, what's up?"
"The championships are over, what do we do?" Ray asked.
"Actually…" Midnight trailed off. Everyone looked at her. "I received a letter from home."
"Yes?"
"I need to go back there."
"Why?"
"I was… requested. By my twin, and two of my cousins. It seems…" She gently brushed their minds with her own, to see what she could say, "it seems the night demons are massing an attack force against my homeland in the Carpathian Mountains, and that all the vampires of the world are needed, for there are more of the enemy than there are of us. I… I am the oldest of our kind, it is my duty to lead the war from our side. I've had battle experience, and I know how to deal with them."
"You have to… to… all by yourself? But, Dara, you can't! You're going to need help." Max exclaimed. The vampiress sighed, asking, "And who would help me? I know you all would, but you can't, all but Kai are mortal, or mortal enough," to Ray, "that you would fair evilly."
"But you said…"
"Yes?" She asked softly when Kai didn't finish. He swallowed hard and continued, "You said there was a way for vampires to become humans? Then, make all of us vampires! No, wait, hear me out, Dara. Turn us vampires for the war, make us human after. Is there anyone we know who could help out, too?"
"Sanguinex and his clan, Lupinex and his pack, Winter's pack, Senotaph and his court, Natilae and her people, the Dubrinsky clan, the Daratrazanoff clan… the Dark Clan, my family, all of them… Robert and the vampires of London, Oliver and the vampires of Paris… Johnny and the Sidhe… we have quite a lot of people I hadn't thought of. I'm not used to relying on any others besides vampires."
"What other beings would help?" Kenny asked curiously, fingers poised over his keyboard. He could input all this data, give them odds, lists, etc. He waited for Midnight's answer as she thought.
"The werewolves, the Icari, shifters, witches, ghosts, the Faye, the Sidhe, the people of Eyrie, wizards if they'll come, though they normally don't take sides, the Night Breeds, distant cousins of vampires, the Dark Goddesses, um… damn, hang it, the Court deChalise! Of course! A group of psychics and just plain weirdoes, that congregate in Paris. They're led by an immortal, Morgainne… my cousin, actually, though by marriage, not blood…."
"Then, we have things that need to be done, people to contact-"
"Leave that to Kai, Ray, and me."
"How can you three do it?"
"Actually, Chief, I can do it myself. Hang on." In the four corners of the world and beyond, a great mental call was heard, in the Heavens, on Earth, and in the Sea, a dark, majestic voice full of desperation:
PEOPLES OF ETERNITY, PEOPLES OF NIGHT, PEOPLES OF MAGIC, HEAR ME, MIDNIGHT VAPERIO OF THE VAMPIRES! YOU ARE NEEDED IN CARPATHIA! IF YOU HAVE ANY REGARD FOR MY PEOPLE, COME AND AID US! I… I BEG YOU ALL! SPECTRES, ELVES, FAYE, WEREWOLVES, UNDEAD, NAGAS, ICARI, SIDHE, WITCHES, GODDESSES, EYRIANS, NIGHT BREEDS, WIZARDS, IMMORTALS, SHIFTERS, HALF-HUMANS, ALL! COME IF YOU WILL SEE US THROUGH THIS BATTLE! PLEASE!
"So, what's to do now?" Tyson asked, slightly dazed. Midnight stood abruptly and gazed into each of their eyes for a long time. Then, she crossed her arms and lifted her chin. Her back was straight, her shoulders were squared, her eyes burning with determination. Her voice was cold and strong, declaring, "We go to Vaperio Hall, the home of the Dark Clan."