A New Vampire 5
By Rei Edogawa
I didn't breathe much on the flight home. Mom realized my need for silence and didn't bother me. She smiled though the whole way. It was a long flight.
We landed in Miami International and was welcomed the second we got off the plane by the entire extended family. I was not prepared for this. I looked into Mom's head and found that she hoped so many happy and familiar faces would jog my memory. She didn't even tell them about my amnesia. She was in for a surprise.
I acted terrified and confused as they swarmed me and tried to back away. They all became hurt and upset and I told them, "Who are you? I don't know you."
They all turned to my mother who looked upset. She then made it into a big joke, "He has amnesia everyone." That's when the cat went among the canaries.
They all began to ask her questions and yell at her. I slipped away to the side and watched it unfold. Eventually they remembered me and were contrite. They showed extreme gentleness and love as they told me who they were. My aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents were all there.
I told them, "Don't expect me to remember all of your names. This is the first time meeting you, after all."
They all laughed and ushered me to the car after getting our luggage. To my chagrin, they had a pool party waiting for me when we got home. I couldn't go in the water. The paint would wash away. So I gently pushed their minds from getting me in the water.
I was always surrounded by people. Neighbors and friends turned up to welcome me back and I would have been overwhelmed if I really had been an amnesiac human. I had to do a whammy on Jade, our dog, when she first caught wind of me. She was going hysterical because she could tell I was dangerous.
They thought she was just excited to see me, so they let her go and she went to attack me. But by the time she reached me I had control of her mind and was speaking to her mentally. People thought animals were stupid and didn't know anything. I knew better and used it to my advantage. I made sure she knew that no matter what she smelled I wasn't going to hurt anyone.
She knew me enough to have a wary trust. She let me pet her and soon she was genuinely happy to see me, but she would always be uneasy. I loved this dog for her faith and love.
They all made much of my new clothes and style. They were shocked that I was wearing Armani and Dolce and Gabbana. Some of the cousins made off with several pairs of sunglasses. I laid the groundwork in their minds to ignore many strange things about me. I had no desire to constantly watch their minds around me for them to notice dangerous things.
It was late when they all went home. I mentally suggested that everyone go to bed and sleep. As soon as they were asleep, I took off. All that mental work left me exhausted and the last few hours were torturous. I wanted to feed. I needed to feed.
I took off into the everglades and found several deer. They fulfilled that particular need and I left the carcasses for the vultures.
I made it home as the sun came up. Stealthily I made my way to my bed and lay there until the family started to get up. Mom and Dad had divorced years ago, so there was only me, my brother, and sister living in the house. I was the eldest, my sister, Sara was the middle, and Jamie was the youngest.
I marveled at how big they had gotten, how they had changed. My human memories were duller and less there than my new vampire ones.
That day was Saturday. I was going to start school on Monday. A way for me to build a base of normalcy was to drop right in on a routine. It would distract me from my thirst and help me move on. Carlisle and the others were looking for a house and would move down within the month. Alice and Jasper were coming down this week to get an apartment until then to keep an eye on me. I was still young, still a danger, but I had control. I could do this. I would do this.