Chapter 4

I could not believe it. This blonde haired brat knew what I was and what my Christian name was. My heart was in my throat yet on the outside I remained calm. I simply smiled though I think my placidness was what made him even more nervous as I turned to face him.

"I have been discovered, I should not be surprised. It had to happen eventually. Tell me boy, who sent you?"

He replied with a negative response and I frowned at him. "Come boy," I growled, "do not play games. Who are you working for? Who put you onto me and what do they want?" I asked angrily, drilling the questions into him. I didn't think human hunters would use a boy as a decoy as such but stranger things have happened to me…one small mistake and I could be dead.

"I am not working for anybody!" insisted the boy, his eyes were ablaze like my own. "I've got lots of books and magazines at home about vampires and monsters…There was a picture of you in one of them!"

"A picture?" I asked, I knew then he must be lying, a vampire cannot be photographed clearly…

"A painting" he replied which just threw all my ideas into disarray. "It was done in 1903, in Paris. You were with a rich woman. The story said the two of you were almost married, but then she found out you were a vampire and dumped you."

Though the memory of the event was painfully ((and if I might say so)) stupid on my part I smiled, "A good a reason as any" I retorted, "Her friends thought she was inventing a fantastic story to make herself better."

"But it wasn't a story was it?" he asked, I nodded, agreeing totally with him.

"No, It was not" I said, "but it might have been better for you if it had been!" I boomed, my voice echoed around the room--striking like thunder, I expected the boy to atleast shiver if not do what I expected and sprint for his life, however the boy just stood their defiant as ever and actually smirked.

"You won't hurt me!" he said bravely,

"Why not?" I asked, my patience was getting thinner--

"Because of my friend" he replied "I told him about you and if anything happens to me he'll tell the police."

"They would not believe him" I answered, and that was true, I had enemies who had suffered humiliation because of their truthful words to any type of authority, police or anyone higher.

"Probably not, but if I turn up dead or go missing they would have to investigate." Said the boy, "You wouldn't like that, lots of police asking questions, coming here in the day time…"

I growled and turned away angrily. I was just outsmarted by an eleven-year-old…! My touch was wearing off! If this had been about fifty years ago I could tell a young boy his exact age I was a vampire and they'd run in terror and be terrified for the rest of their miserable lives. Now though, because of the televisions they watch and the video games they play, I could mention the words "I am a vampire" and they'd probably start asking all sorts of questions, like it was a good thing!

"Children! I hate children!" I snarled then turned back to him, this time he looked a bit more frightened by me which I supposed was a good thing, "What is it that you want? Money? Jewels? The rights to publish my story?"

He looked at me with a strange gaze as though trying to read my predicted answer. He took a breath and shook his head. "I want to join you…"

I think that if I had not been a vampire myself I would have fainted. I had spent most of my vampire life when I was younger resenting this role--having to feed off others who I had used to be…that was until I got used to it…and this boy wants to be one of us! I suddenly heard the sound of shifting at the back seats but I wasn't concentrating--my eyes were fixed on the boy's infront of me…

"What do you mean?" I asked. I still wasn't sure if I heard him properly. I must have shown my reaction on both outside and inside because he looked upset with me.

"I want to become a vampire. I want you to make me a vampire and teach me your ways…" he told me, my eyes were wide with terror, when I remembered something I had once said…

"Let me come with you…I'll be your helper…"

"You cannot"

"Why the hell not!"

"Because I am going to Vampire Mountain to report the attack, and as I told you countless times, only vampires can go there. You are not a vampire Larten…"

"Then make me one!"

I could not let the boy make the same mistake as me, "I cannot turn a child into a vampire" I argued, "The Vampire Generals would murder me!"

"Vampire Generals?"

"Never mind!" I said, this was definitely going to wind me up if this continued, "All you need to know is that it cannot be done. We do not blood children. It creates to many problems."

"So don't change me straight away!" he insisted, "That's ok I don't mind waiting, I can be an apprentice, I know often vampires often have assistants who are half human half vampire. Let me be one! I'll work hard and prove myself and when I'm old enough--"

I sighed inwardly, then trying to think it over flittered over to a chair and brang it back to the stage. Not that you would have thought that, especially if you were human--you would have just seen a chair fly into the air and land at my feet.

"Why do you want to become a vampire?" I asked, it was a fair enough question most do if for the immortal part which they find out never happens anyway, most also for the killers instinct--but if they have that instinct I would never blood them…never…

"We can only come out at night. Humans despise us. We have to sleep in dirty old places like this, We can never marry or have children or settle down. It is a horrible life…" I stated finally sadly, all the stuff I could have done in my lifetime and things I had flooded inside me.

Not that I would admit it to the boy but if I had stayed human I could have been dead days after what could have been my blooding--living day after day, week after week wondering if I would live the next. At that time in the world it was safer to be a vampire than a human and that was saying something. The boy however was adamant.

"I don't care." He uttered.

"Is it because you want to live forever?" I asked, "if so, I must tell you--we do not. We live far longer than humans but we die all the same, sooner or later.

"I don't care! I want to come with you. I want to learn to become a vampire!"

This boy was testing me and though I enjoy a challenge this was not the challenge I wanted to face, "What about your friends? You would not be able to see them again. You would have to leave school and home and never return. What about your parents? Would you not miss them?"

I watched the boy shake his head miserably, and his eyes sank to the floor with sadness.

"My dad doesn't live with us. I hardly ever see him. And my mum doesn't love me. She doesn't care what I do. She probably wont even notice I'm gone."

I spoke softer this time, it was a touchy topic and I could tell by his wild eyes. "Is that why you want to run away? Because your mother does not love you?"

"Partly" he answered.

"If you wait a few years you will be able to leave by yourself."

"But I don't want to wait!"

"And what of your friends?" I asked again and then remembered the boy in awe beside him earlier. My voice as soft as before "Would you miss the boy you came with tonight?"

The young boy considered this, "Darren? Yeah I'd miss my friends, Darren especially. But it doesn't matter. I want to become a vampire more than I care about them and if you don't accept me I'll tell the police and become a vampire hunter when I grow up!"

I took this seriously, threatening to murder a vampire at ten should be an amusing thing, but his eyes portrayed a spoken truth--he would stick to his word--and I knew he spoke true.

"You have thought this through…" I answered.

"Yes" he replied

"You are certain this is what you want?"

"Yes" came the answer again.

I took a deep breath. I knew though that I could not refuse him…

"Come here" I gestured and he came closer, I told him to hold out his hands and then still regretting what I was about to do dug my nails into them. He didn't scream he merely flinched, then I told him to hand me two of his fingers and then I took some of the spilling blood into my mouth.

It is hard to explain when you know something is wrong with someones blood. If it is fresh and pure when you try the blood---then this person your drinking from is pure, and is good of heart, but if you drink from someone and the blood is as though it is too thick to drink--it is not vampire material.

That is what I tasted when this boys blood split on my tongue--the thirst to be a killer was in this boys heart--I spat out the blood on the stage floor in disgust and distaste.

"What's wrong?" he asked and I turned to him with an angry fix.

"You have bad blood!" I screamed, I was angry with him but mostly I was angry with myself--I could have just blooded him without checking--I could have brang about the birth of a murderer!

"What do you mean?" he asked, his voice was trembling, I did not want to tell him this--but he was the one who wanted to be the vampire--the thing he would never be able to be…

"YOU ARE EVIL! I can taste the menace in your blood! You are savage!"

The boy looked devastated, he ran forward, "That's a lie! Take it back!" he cried out and then tried to punch me but I threw him to the floor not wanting the brat anywhere near me…"It is no good. You have bad blood. You can never be a vampire."

"Why not!" he asked. He had started to cry openly now, never would I thought someone like him would so badly want to have the life most hate more than life itself.

"Because vampires are not the evil monsters of lore. We respect life. You have killer instincts, but we are not killers." I said and then watched as I tore the boy's life apart with sadness.

"I will not make you a vampire." I stated bluntly, "You must forget, go home and get on with your life."

"NO!" screamed the boy, his life now in ruins by my hand, he was on his feet now and was shaking a finger at me in a defiant rage and anger, "I WONT FORGET! I'LL GET YOU FOR THIS!" He vowed, "I don't care how long it takes. One day Vur Horston, I'll track you down and kill you for rejecting me!"

He gave me one last cold stare and then he jumped off the stage and to the exit, calling out to me and laughing like a deranged being as he did so, then when he was finally gone I was at last left alone to myself with my thoughts.

I sat where I was for a long time, my head in a swirl of puzzle of abnormality. I had my head between my hands, cursing the day I ever was blooded or got into this mess…the way the boy looked at me was haunting…I don't think I would ever forget it. I spat out the rest of his blood and finally found something to say.

"Children…" I snorted, and then putting the chair back I stepped back into the shadows as I remember the boy's last words echoing in my over sensitive ears…

"I WON'T FORGET! I'LL GET YOU FOR THIS! I don't care how long it takes. One day Vur Horston, I'll track you down and kill you for rejecting me…

"…One day!"

((Author here-- THANKS FOR ALL MY Reviews so far. You have 10 chappies yet so don't worry. They are allready written and ready to put up but It's so much better to wait before doing so. I want to cry when I look at my reviews...thank you thank you thank you and I hope enjoy the rest of this story which will be ((for your info)) all of the books!! If anyone has any ideas for the later books for me eg tunnels of blood or so onplease give me a shout and thanks again for all your reviews...!"

You keep reading, I'll keep writing!