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Bella's Bloodsucking Blog

August 1, 2008

I admit it. I am addicted to the internet. Google, wiki, blogger. I love them all. I waste hours and hours reading laughable accounts of people claiming to know the truth about vampires. Yeah I know, that's what you're doing, and I'm the one writing the accounts. Of course the difference is I'm not just regurgitating the tales that have been told for centuries, and I am not just making this stuff up. Obviously, there's not much I can do to convince anyone who doesn't believe, so I'll just keep writing.

Anyway, if you get bored tonight, do a search on "how to kill a vampire." What an amazing cross section of options come up. From the ridiculous to the attempts to the absolutely serious. One of my favorite has a list of things you can do, and they give some particularly poignant advice. "Stake them through the heart with a sharpened piece of wood (if you can get that close). This will kill pretty much anything, so be careful, you wouldn't wanna accidentally stake dad or your SO. Keep plenty of pencils around for close combat!"

I nearly peed my pants the first time I read that one. Yes, you would definitely want to make sure dad's actually a vampire before you pull out the old number 2. I have this image of Buffy the Vampire Slayer with a pencil bag strapped around her waist. Armed for battle as she walks the high school halls.

So, the thing is, popular culture got one part of this right. Vampires are essentially immortal, nearly indestructible. They do not age either. From what my contact has gathered, none of the Hollywood methods to weaken or kill a vampire will work. You can't use holy water or a cross or even sunlight. They have no effect. You already knew about sunlight. I'm convinced vampires themselves made that one up. After all, sparkling is hardly intimidating. It's beautiful, dazzling really. If you're sitting across a sparkling vampire, it doesn't really instill fear. I'd probably want keep that a secret too. Vicious predator by night, diamond encrusted accessory by day. All the girls would want one. The human boys would be buying up all the Bedazzler trying to achieve that perfect twinkle.

I said nearly indestructible, but the reality is neither I nor my current contact know what it actually takes to "kill" a vampire. For all intents and purposes, it's best to think of a vampire as immortal. He has been led to believe there is a way, and the very existence of werewolves suggests that's true, though they've never told me what the process would be for them to kill a vampire. I don't know for sure that they can actually kill a vampire or if they can just intimidate one. To my knowledge, none of the werewolves I've met have ever actually come in contact with a vampire other than those who do not drink human blood.

My contact's experience is very limited in this topic. He's met some other vampires in passing, and that's where he's gathered the idea that something can be done to destroy a vampire. There are certain "rules" in his world, and there are dire consequences for breaking them. He just doesn't really know how it all works.

Immortality is incredibly attractive. It might be one of the reasons vampirism is so popular and pervasive in popular culture. Who doesn't want to live forever? Most of the books and movies that deal with the romantic angle, showcase fairly young people too. They don't have many stories of elderly vampires turning nursing home patients or anything. So, eternally young. Sounds great doesn't it?

Or does it? I cannot tell you how much I've thought about this over the years. When I was eighteen and first exposed to some of these concepts, I was in awe. I couldn't believe the option might exist. I wanted it. Bad.

But I wonder if it would be as fun as it looks. I mean, wouldn't it be boring? I realize that new eras come around, but human beings are fundamentally the same. They are on a particular path in a given lifetime. What if it never ended? What would your goal be? Now add to the fact that you can't actually develop many relationships because you would not grow old while they did. My current contact cannot associate with most vampires because he does not drink human blood, and he has a different view of humanity than some others have. He didn't even realize there were others like him, who didn't hunt humans, until he met me, and I explained what I knew. I can sense the sadness in him. He's completely alone in this world. Maybe someday that will change, and I hope for his sake it does, but I see the need for his isolation too. He can be around humans because he has simply decided that they are not a food source for him. It's a very deep resolve. But he can't stay in any place for very long because people start to question him—no ties, nothing changes, he doesn't eat, he doesn't work, where does he get money, etc. He leads a kind of half life really. In between two worlds and he doesn't really fit in either.

Maybe immortality would be more fun if he did drink from humans. Perhaps, there is something satisfying in that process, or it's possible that if you give yourself over, let go over the humanity that you just kind of forget about any other goals. I don't know. Maybe I'll be able to talk more about this later.

In any case, right now, you can assume that YOU will not have the ability to destroy a vampire in your pencil case or your church vestibule. So, you can put away the pocket protector full of #2's; no need to impale your dad. I'll keep researching this topic, and hopefully I've have more to tell you soon.

Until then have fun Googling, and as always . . .

Happy Hunting!

E/N: Sorry, I failed on the review replies last time in the wake of a week from hell. It doesn't mean I didn't read them or appreciate them.

Next up, Bella goes back to Forks. Time to meet the 'rents so to speak. Bella will be talking more about Riley in the next chapter. What do you think happened to him?

Last reminder, I promise. Voting is on in the For the Love of Jasper contest. Link is in my profile. I have one in this round, but please check out the fics by Daisy3853 and Staceygirl aka Jackbauer.