Sierra PoV
I laugh at his comment about my driving instructor, agreeing with him whilst contentedly laughing. I don't think I've been like this for a lengthy amount of time, laughing and actually enjoying my time just talking to someone, two weeks in fact. Two whole weeks, I locked myself away from society in my bedroom out of fear that if I emerged, even for a meagre second, the brave voyage would conclude with somebody I care about dead and my state being altered drastically from a human into a vampire. To keep a sense of normality, I continued attending dance classes where I could see friends and free myself from the isolated musings of alternative endings to this situation. There were two versions, a positive thought and a negative nightmare, both of which being realistic. When my mother informed me of my father's true identity though, I didn't think for one moment and just stormed out with a leather bag consumed with various objects. I didn't know where I was going to go and disregarded the fact I was irrationally walking around Santa Carla, a town notorious for holding the everlasting nickname of Murder Capital of the World, at night where I was most exposed to danger. I was too seething to think straight, too upset that my mother deceived me for seventeen years, and I'm sure if she had her way, it would have been forever.
"I got full marks on the theory exam, but I think my driving instructor was actually high when he passed me! I mean, he didn't even pass me for driving. Weird story actually, he had this cup of steaming hot coffee, and had it placed on this little shelf. The rule was simple, if I knocked the coffee off the shelf and it went all over him, I failed, but if I completed the whole route without knocking it off, I passed. I only passed because I didn't knock it over. I think his actual words were: 'Coffee is the only thing I love on this godforsaken piece of shit land we like to call Earth. You knock my love over, you fail, Frog'. I'm surprised the guy didn't get married to the damn thing" I laugh, the thought of the day arching my lips into an elated smile. "One thing you learn when you've lived in Santa Carla all your life is that it's full of crazy people. First thing you'll probably see is this girl tonguing a rat. She goes to my school, brings the rat with her as well, and makes out with it in the hallways. No one even says anything about it, the teachers don't dare to because she starts saying it's against her human rights. Yup, safe to say most of the population of Santa Carla is crazy. Well, at least now you know where I get it from!"
I then listen to Michael recollect about a certain party, continuing to laugh pleasantly. The thought of some bemused guy arising from an intoxicated slumber in the closet makes me laugh a little. It hauls back exhilarating memories of the parties I've been to, one in particular. I didn't attend many of the parties since I had my brothers to nurture whilst obtaining a social life for myself, working three jobs at the comic book store for an hour a day, one or two hours waitressing at a Vintage Hollywood bistro on The Boardwalk and the main job that secured experience for dancing at a tasteless club where I am the only woman employed who demands to keep her clothes intact. Most of my salary from the bistro went towards the rent as my parents don't work with only a little of it being saved to treat myself. If it wasn't for the odd sale of an ancient comic and my wages, all those eviction cautions engraved in a formal letter would have came true. I find it a wonder how it hasn't already. Being a cheerleader, I was invited to plenty as it was deemed almost mandatory for a cheerleader to be a guest to a popular party, but I preferred using my spare time to either study or hang out with other friends.
"I didn't go to many parties, but the ones I did go to were hilarious. I think there's only one party that is really vivid and memorable though. Two of my friends are brother whose parents own this yacht, and since his parent's where out of town, a day after we started summer break, they decided to have a party on this yacht to celebrate. You had people getting drunk everywhere, jumping off the boat, and we're talking right in the middle of the ocean next to this little island where practically everyone apart from me and a few of my other friends slept for the night. My friend and I drank a little too much, and we started drunkenly singing Like a Virgin together and dancing around these poles!" I laugh, relishing the memory that I can somehow remember. "Bad thing is, my friend had a video camera with him, and filmed the whole thing. Yeah, that was interesting watching that a week later. Sounds like a pretty wild party you went to though, how did the guy end up naked... wait, that's kind of obvious. So, how did he end up with a rash?" I pause, still finding the thought amusing and keeping that rare smile intact.
I note the astonishment on Michael's face, almost like he wasn't expecting it. I smile though, my lips angling up into a pearly-white teeth flashing grin, a type of smile that I can't control but surfaces only mere times when I am grateful for something.
"Thank you, I don't really want to be a dancer though. Sure, dancing's fun, but I'd like to be a dance teacher or choreographer. Dance helps me release a lot of negative energy, so I like the notion of doing the same for other's when they feel upset or down. Plus, I like teaching others new skills. You're from Phoenix? I didn't think you were from California, you have a different accent. But sports, wow, sports is pretty cool"
I don't know what to say. He seems like an athletic person from his muscle definition, but I won't tell him that I believe that he could have still earned the scholarship into college through dedication and talent, and make friends from the balance in his confidence, due to recent events created tonight and I wouldn't wish to upset him. He's a nice person, a person who doesn't deserve to be hurt.
"I'm glad you're not thinking it'll be easy, 'cause that'll be a good way to lose. My brother won't stop, he'll go and do it himself. I won't be able to stop him, but you can do what you can to make sure he doesn't get himself killed. He's a really smart kid, but he's very determine to save everyone and already got himself ate up by Max's damned dog and he's planning to try another round, but it can't be killed. As long as Max lives, the dog won't die, but it can be distracted by getting it out of the gate to attack someone while others sneak in. Just someone has to distract the fucker, get chased out the gate and get inside a car, the thing will be too busy trying to kill the person inside the car to notice anyone sneaking threw the gate. Otherwise, we're totally fucked." Michael informs me, his voice etching of the foreboding possibilities that could materialize if fortune is not on our side.
"It's going to be far from effortless. Initiating a battle with a vampire is one thing, but the Head Vampire is another thing. Max is most likely more than a century in age, so he'll be stronger. It's going to be intricate and I know the possibility of getting wounded is high, but I'm still going to do it. I mean, I don't want your brother getting hurt. He's too young to even be getting involved in something like this" My eyes widen a little when Michael mentions Sam going after Thorn, the violent Hell-Hound who protects Max until the end of everything and probably beyond in death. Instantly, I feel sympathy for him, no one should be subjected to the pain of what a Hell-Hound can inflict. I should know after crossing Thorn by an accident in the video store one night a few days before I transformed into this eerie mixture of a human and vampire. "Shit, is he okay? Listen, we have to keep Sam away from Thorn. Thorn knows what Sam did, and so, it'll be even more dangerous for him" Then I hear Michael say something about distractions, and once again, prepare myself for him to deem me crazy. "If you can't find anyone to be bait, I'll do it. I've got a high stamina, flexibility and toned legs, not to mention this is the girl who came either first or second in track. Most of my dance moves require leaping into the air whether it's a scissor kick or backflip, so getting over the gate won't be a problem. It's the running part and getting into the car on time that's highly dangerous. But, hey, your brother can't do it, and I'm not willing to risk kid's lives in this. One thing is clear though, there is no way the Frog Brothers are getting involved with this. I can't exactly explain why without you thinking I'm insane, but they can't get involved"
When I feel his fingers skim across my back before situating the palm of his hand against the jet black leather, I tense slightly. It isn't because I'm unnerved in his presence, in fact, I feel relatively comfortable. No, it's because I'm not accompanied to people reassuring me. The reason to this is that I infrequently consent myself to open up to others. I can't calculate why I've let Michael know facts about myself apart from this sense of a lack of danger encompassing him. It isn't a confidence issue as I am quite an outgoing person, but I don't want people to hurt me like I have been before when I allowed myself to release unguarded secrets about my life. Neither do I want them to sympathize me since it is one thing I truly loathe as it brings attention to me. My belief is that attention should be focused on important dilemmas. Most of my attentiveness has been on my brother's development and my sister's disappearance over these years, so I adjusted to the deficiency of it. It doesn't bother me, as I know that energy of devotion used on my brother's has been worth every fragment of it. I'm about to shuffle away out of discomposure, but then, suddenly, something in his touch alleviates me. I don't know what it is, maybe it's the fact he does care and is endeavouring to make me feel composed. I stay where I am, meekly smiling at him with a thanks liberating from my lips in a hushed whisper.
"I still seem to know who I am and myself, some changes, but it at least doesn't destroy you completely." Michael pledges to me. Vampirism will not obliterate my personality completely. I guess I can educe a positive from that.
"Just the thought of killing someone, I just can't bring myself to even muse over it, let alone carry out the action. Sometimes I think to myself what I would despise the most, surrendering to this whole thing or actually killing someone. I don't condone killing, what person would? But, it almost horrifies me how I could even think that way. There's this thing in me just saying 'Do it, you'll feel better' but then there's this other voice commanding me to resist. It's so confusing and irritating I could just scream. I almost killed my brother one night because the hunger got so bad. If it wasn't for me quickly locking my door, he'd be dead. Shit, I mean, this thing wanted me to kill my own brother. He only had a little blood from a paper cut and this thing just invaded completely for that little drop of blood. I was desperate for it. I'm scared I'm going to give in. God, I'm just frightened I'm going to end up killing someone I really care for. My brother, my own -" I stop my words as they are stifled a little by strangling tears incarcerated in my throat. I take a deep breath before deciding to manoeuvre onto a different topic not concerning myself. After all, I've revealed a little too much about how I feel and what is inside of me. "I'm glad it didn't hurt you though and you feel better. Being a half-vampire is a little painful, I can imagine there was some alleviation for you there. At least not all of you has gone, that's a benefit"