I just wanted to quickly thank everyone that's reading my story. Words can't express how much I appreciate it!
Detta's eyes fluttered open as the last rays of sun faded under the skyline. She rolled over and felt every fiber of her sheets rub against her, tickling her skin. As she sat up she noticed the pool of dried blood that was left behind on the sheets. She wrenched them off the bed only to find the mattress pad soaked as well. And, underneath that, blood had reached the mattress itself.
"Shit."
She tossed the soiled sheets onto the floor and walked into the bathroom. The reflection looking back at her belonged to the same girl that had looked into the mirror yesterday, only transparent. The pattern on the shower curtain behind her danced across her skin, creating the false image of tattoos. She ran her fingers along her skin and felt bumps and dimples and follicles that she had never felt before. She stared more closely at her face—whatever spots or complexion issues she had were gone. Even through the transparency, her skin was flawless. All that remained was her tan and the scar from her accident. Her fingers slid over the whitened skin and she frowned.
"It runs too deep."
She looked down at her leg and, indeed, that scar was still there as well.
"The healing only happens after…"
She grabbed a razor from the cabinet and broke apart the plastic, taking hold of the blade. Holding it to her arm, she dragged the blade across her skin, wincing only slightly. Her blood pooled in her wound, much like Marko's had, and she put her mouth to it. The taste satisfied a craving. The blood no longer tasted metallic, like when she sucked on her finger after a paper cut. It tasted like an ice-cold glass of milk when you're having a particularly strong craving for it. The taste was satisfying, like the best meal she had ever eaten.
She lifted her head and stared at he wound, blood no longer rising. She watched as the cut healed at rapid fire, sealing itself before her very eyes. What it left behind was…nothing. It looked as if she had never cut herself at all. Detta licked her lips, removing the last traces of blood before throwing on a dress and heading downstairs with her dirty laundry. Careful not to touch the water flowing into the washer, she threw the sheets in and walked off, a bottle of cleaner in her hand, ready to attack the mess upstairs.
The sounds of bikes floated to Detta on the wind long before a resounding knock boomed through the house. She winced at the noise, something resembling a sonic boom in her apartment. Her brain rattled in her skull as she walked down the stairs, feeling the comings-on of a headache. Throwing caution to the wind, Detta opened the door without checking first to see who it was.
"What's the deal with knocking so loudly? My house isn't that big."
Detta smirked at Marko, Dwayne and Paul as she stepped aside to let them in.
"We didn't, girl," Paul answered. "You'll get used to it though." He plopped himself down on the couch and leaned in to the TV, flipping through the stations.
"I heard you guys hours ago. What took so long?"
"We had a…meeting," Marko smirked. "David will be here shortly."
Detta rolled her eyes.
"And Max."
Detta's head whipped around to face Dwayne, her eyes wide.
"Max, what does he…"
"Max is—" Marko shook his head at Paul, signaling him to keep quiet. "Better let him explain."
"But Max, my neighbor? My boss? The video store guy?"
Marko grabbed Detta's head and brought his face to her's. "Patience!" He kissed her and smacked her ass before joining Paul on the couch.
Detta squeaked at the smack and placed herself in a chair, unsure of what to do with her own body for the time being.
The sounds of shoes tapping against the stone path wafted to Detta's ears. They were here. She stood up and walked to the door but it flew open before she even had a chance to put her hand to the knob. David stormed into her house, blowing Detta by without so much as an acknowledgement and threw himself into the chair she was just sitting in.
She scowled after him. "Come right in, David! Make yourself at home!" she yelped sardonically.
She rolled her eyes back towards the door and a frustrated Max had just made his way to the threshold, pausing slightly to take in his surroundings before stepping inside.
"Hello, Detta," he said, nodding to her as he walked by.
Detta closed the door behind him, leaning up against it and following him with her eyes. "Max, what's—"
"Before we begin," Max started, "we're going to need a glass." He nodded to the boys and Paul stood up, walking over to the kitchen.
"Second cabinet on the right," Detta called after him.
Paul walked back in a moment later, a wine glass in his hand. He placed it on the table before reclaiming his seat on the couch.
"You're going to want to sit down for this, Detta."
Max motioned for her to take a seat next to Marko. He looked like an agitated father about to give a lecture.
"I believe David has some…things he wants to get off his chest," Max said as Detta walked around the coffee table to take a seat.
She glared at David, waiting for him to open his mouth.
David fought the urge to speak, rolling his eyes all over the room, shifting in his seat, clearly uneasy under the glare of the others in the room. After a few minutes of resounding, albeit patient, silence, he finally began to speak, rolling his eyes over to Detta.
"Your editor approached me one night. I was alone when he did. The boys saw him at the end of our conversation. He said you'd be moving into the area soon. He cleared the way to put you here—"
"What do you mean, 'cleared the way'?" Detta looked confused and she sat up straighter, trying to soak in David's entire story.
David rolled his eyes again. "He made it so you contacted that agent, that he showed you those houses, took you to this one—"
"But how? I found that agent by chance—"
"You want to know, ask him!" he bellowed. "Now can I finish without anymore interruptions?"
Detta's jaw tightened, her fists clenching. She inhaled deeply and motioned for him to continue.
He snarled and proceeded. "He told me to keep it quiet. So I did. I told no one. When I saw you in the video store, the pieces fell together with much more ease. When Max told us of his new hire, I didn't tell him you wouldn't be lasting long. The plan was going smoothly enough without any more speed bumps."
Detta looked up at Max who was staring out the window. A vein in his temple gave a noticeable twitch. Max was clearly enraged about David not letting him in on his secret.
"It was easy enough to get these guys to harass the pretty new thing behind Max's counter. But things took a rather uncomfortable turn when Marko started getting…attached." David shifted in his chair. "It was hard enough what with Max seeing you as a daughter but with Marko…I was in two minds. Loyalty to my brother or loyalty to my contractor."
Detta scoffed. "You're pathetic. You'd turn on your own family for a pocketful of money?" She shook her head, her face looking like she smelled something awful. "You disgust me."
"You know nothing of loyalty!" David jumped from his chair, causing the rest of the men to jump at him in turn. "Family always comes first!"
"So what was different this time, David, huh? Was the price right?"
Detta was on her feet now, Marko holding her by the arm, Max standing in front of David, and Paul and Dwayne on either side, faithful mediators.
David let out a maniacal laugh that felt like a stab to her heart. "Don't you get it? You weren't family! Before Marko turned you, you were just another meal. The amount of girls he…we all have lured in, maybe even felt something for, was fleeting. They were all dead in the end."
She couldn't figure out what stung more, being another notch in someone's belt or being made aware of her lover's romantic past. He's been alive for so long of course it makes sense but it's not something that anyone would want brought to light.
"It would have been an inconvenience for Max if you turned up dead but he would just hire someone else. Marko would have found another girl like he's done every other time," Detta winced and Marko looked at her. "This," he motioned to her, "was just a different way for me to kill. And make some money off of it. Nothing more. Nothing less."
Detta crossed her arms over her chest. "Did you even think to ask Marko where I stood on the meal scale, huh? Did you ever think that maybe this one time I was different from every other piece of meat he's fucked?" Detta shrieked and this time Marko winced. "Who looks the fool now, David, huh? What are you going to tell my editor? I guess you could tell him I'm dead. I am, what is it, undead?"
"Not quite, Detta," Max spoke. "There are a few things…but we'll get to that in a minute. David?" Max sounded like a stern parent lecturing his child.
David smirked. Detta could see the wheels turning. "You scratch my back, I scratch your's."
"David, why in the hell should I do anything for you? You should be kissing my ass right now."
He walked up to Detta, their noses brushing each other. "Just because you're a vampire doesn't mean you can't die. Remember that." Detta remained stoic, standing firm. David backed up and continued speaking. "You make your first kill on my terms and it's over. Your editor thinks you're dead. I'll have a portion of my payment be the house so you can keep it." Detta frowned and looked about to speak but David raised a hand to silence her. "He was going to sell the house after you died. So," he cocked an eyebrow to her. "Do we have a deal?"
Detta looked over at the other boys who looked just as answerless as she did. She then looked up at Max for help. He looked at her, through her, and gave a short nod, signaling for her to accept. She looked back at David, a slight look of defeat on her face.
"Fine, deal," Detta said grudgingly.
Detta reached out her hand for David to shake but he only chuckled, looking at her like one would an uninformed child.
"Vampires have a different way of sealing the deal. Runs a little deeper than a handshake. But I guess since a part of you is still human…"
David took her hand in his and shook it lightly, both staring each other down. Their finalization was broken when Max clapped his hand together.
"Now, it's time to tie up some loose ends. Dwayne, we'll need a knife."
Dwayne walked into the kitchen and instinctively gravitated towards a drawer with the knives and pulled one out, a steak knife, and brought it back to the group, placing it on the table. He took his spot between Detta and David and looked stoically at Max, waiting for him to speak. She looked at Marko who was already staring at her, a smile hidden on his face. Now was not the time for affection of any kind. There was business to attend to.
Max looked around at the boys and then at Detta. "I guess you'll want an explanation before your initiation, then?"
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