Chapter 3

The more we discussed the idea, the more I could tell Darren was up for it. I told him of how the performers would know who he was and would accept him as they did for me 200 years ago.

The boy seemed almost excited by this new idea. In fact he wanted to leave right away, but I had to find out where my old friend and guardian was first by homing on Mr Talls thoughts.

"You mean he's telepathic?" he asked me, and I nodded.

"Sort of…" I answered, "We cannot speak to each other with our thoughts but we can pick up his…aura…you could call it. Once I locate that tracking him down would be no problem."

He asked me allsorts of questions on the subject but I was really half there, though I disliked Darren's questions it was hard for me not to try and answer them all after how I had treated him. However, if he wanted to get to the Cirque he would have to let me try and connect.

I sat in the middle of the church whilst he packed up our things. I closed my eyes and my mind travelled to the memory of where the Cirque was last. I felt like a dog trying to catch the scent in the wind. When finally I caught up with them and in my minds eye I could see Mr Tall setting up camp…and where he was located.

"Got him" I announced to Darren when he got back.

"So soon? I thought it would take longer."

"I have searched for his aura many times so I know what to look for. Finding him is as easy as finding a needle in a haystack!"

"That's supposed to be hard isn't it? He asked,

"Not for a vampire!" I replied.

We were ready to leave only minutes later, since Darren was so eager to get the Cirque Du Freak when I saw Darren's face alight with curiosity. I turned to him and sighed,

"Go on…" I said and it startled him. "Ask whatever it is that is on your mind"

"How did you know I wanted to ask something" he asked gawking at me.

I laughed weakly at him, but not nastily, but like a friend laughs at another. "It does not take a vampire to know when a child is curious…You have been bursting with a question for ages…what is it?"

Darren took a deep breath and then looked down at his feet. "Do you believe in God?"

I looked at Darren oddly for a moment. I was wondering why he would ask such an random question but then I remembered, vampires were supposed to be sons of the devil ((which they certainly are not))…so it is easy to understand why Darren would think such a thing reading and watching about such ideals.

"I believe in the gods of the vampires" I told him nodding.

He frowned. "There are vampire gods?"

I nodded again, "Every race has gods, Egyptian, Indian Chinese…vampires are no different!"

"What about Heaven?" he asked and I smiled weakly.

"We believe in Paradise…it lies beyond the stars. When we die if we have lived good lives, our spirits float free of earth and traverse the stars and galaxies and come at last to a wonderful world at the other side of the universe. Paradise…"

"And if they don't live good lives?" he asked.

"They stay here" I replied grimly, "they remain bound to earth as ghosts, doomed to wander the face of this planet forever."

I watched him consider my answer, whilst I did also. It was strange to say I believed in such religions when as a boy I had been a puritan…((a person who believed strongly in the protestant faith)) until my family were killed by that fire on the stage. My belief was taken from me that night as I prayed for my family to live, when I prayed for my friends to come back. But ofcourse it hadn't worked. Praying to God had done nothing for me but make me feel such hatred.

When I became a vampire Seba told me about the vampire gods…there were two gods and a goddess and according to legend they were the first three vampires to walk the earth. Goddess Lilith, was the goddess of death, who in her own right was in charge of the death and how individually we would all arrive to it… God Darken was the god of the night, which protected us from the rays of the sun and then ofcourse was the god of blood Vlad who protected us by making sure we don't drink too much from a human. I learnt this well and my atheist ways seemed to fade as after year after year I got luckier and luckier when I should have died in battles and so on that it was impossible not to think that they were watching me.

Darren looked at me again, "What is a good life for a vampire? How do they make it to paradise?"

I frowned in thought, I could just see Seba in my minds eye telling me the rule which made me smile inwardly.

"Live cleanly…" I recited as though answering Seba's familiar question: "What should you do to go to Paradise Larten?" "Do not kill unless necessary." I continued" Do not hurt people. Do not spoil the world." I watched Darren frown.

"Drinking blood isn't evil?"

"Not unless you kill the person you drink from," I said and sighed inwardly, "And even then it can be a good thing…"

He gaped at me, as expected. "Killing someone can be good!" he said

I nodded seriously. "People have souls Darren. When they die, those souls go to heaven or Paradise. But it is possible to keep part of them here. When we drink small amounts of blood we do not take any of the person's essence. But if we drink lots, we keep part of them alive within us…"

"How?" he asked in awe and horror, I smiled weakly.

"By draining a person's blood, we absorb some of that person's memories and feelings," I said. "They become part of us and we can see the world the way they saw it, and remember things which might otherwise have been forgotten."

"Like what?" he asked and as I thought for a moment I suddenly smiled again, finding the perfect idea to explain "One of my dearest friends is called Paris Skyle," I said, "He is very old. Many centuries ago, he was friends with William Shakespeare."

"The William Shakespeare!" said Darren in awe, "The guy who wrote the plays?"

I nodded, what a genius that man was. Since I couldn't read or write I could never have been able to read such stories of woe revenge and ambition, but my friend Evanna read them to me when I was once with her—almost 150 years ago. That was when I first met her for the first time, when I received my embarrassing scar…

"Plays and poems…" I continued, "But not all of his poetry was recorded: some of his most famous verses were lost. When Shakespeare was dying Paris drank from him - Shakespeare told him to - and was able to tap into those lost poems and have them written down. The world would have been a poor place without them."

When Paris first told me what had happened with the famous poet, I was gobsmacked. But now an older and much wiser man I understood. It was quite a pleasing sight to see Darren as baffled as I was.

"But—" he stopped, "Do you only do that with people who ask, and who are dying?"

"Yes" I said, "It would be evil to kill an healthy person. But to drink from friends who are close to death, and keep their memories and experiences alive…" I smiled, "That is very good indeed."

I watched Darren puzzle and then I realized the time. "Come" I said, "Brood about it on the way. We must be off!"

And with that in mind Darren hopped on my back and with Mr Tall's location in mind I set of to join the Cirque, some how knowing that the experience there with Darren as my assistant would be one to remember…

thanks to all those who have reviewed! I feel so thankful people appreitate how hard it is to write this, expecailly when I have to make sure I've got my facts right and havent got them muddled, atleast now I know the books better than all my friends!((jk they know more than me!))hehe! anyway thanks for reading, and i hope i get some more reviews, and for your infomation: I am continuing this tothe end of Lartens life, ((whenever that may be)) since I know all Ineed toknow and have readall the books. I give my credit where it's due, my friend wrote both thefirst chapter of this story, and has now wrote the last, so praise her to! she deserves it. Anyway, please review, that way I know I'm not wasting my valuable time! Ihave coursework likemostGCSE students do!