Blood ties - Passion : there's nothing else worth living for – Chapter 7
It was her first meeting with her friends since she'd been turned and she was feeling very nervous.
"How are they going to react, Henry? Will they still like me?"
"Babe, you're their friend and they love you, like doesn't apply here! I'm sure they're very nervous too. They called almost every day since you've been turned to know how you were doing. Everything's gonna be ok, you'll see."
Coreen was the first to enter the apartment. She took a step forward towards Vicki to hug her but Henry stopped her, raising a protective arm in front of her. "Now, young lady, you really don't want to do that! Baby vampire has sharp teeth and no sense of restraint," he added, wincing apologetically.
"Hello," said Vicki, smiling self-consciously at both her friends. "I would love to hug you but, you know, right now, Daddy says it's not safe for you. He told me I should behave... Got a whole lecture before you arrived, believe me!" She snorted, mocking Henry, clearly wanting to play with his nerves.
"Vicki..." he warned her. "Don't let your anger build up again. What did I tell you? You know how to act like a good girl when you really want to," he chided her.
"Hey, do you want us to come back later?" Mike offered. "It seems like we've just walked into an unfinished parent-kid brawl..."
"No, it's ok, Mike. We've rehearsed it several times, haven't we, Victoria? You know what you have to do... She's just going to follow my advice and everything will go just fine. She's just got anger issues right now..."
"Don't patronize me! And don't talk about me like that in front of my friends as if I wasn't here or something!" She stomped her foot, obviously pissed off.
"Now, Vicki, stop acting like a child..." He didn't have the time to finish his sentence that she elbowed him hard in the ribs, sending him flying to the other side of the room. He fell hard on the floor, then immediately got to his feet, crouching and snarling at her, his eyes dark, his voice altered, his fangs bared at her. "Vicki, now, that's enough! We talked about that a hundred times. You do not hit your parent!" His voice boomed in the enclosed space.
Mike and Coreen were doubling up in laughter.
"Well, Fitzroy, I guess you've got a very angry teenager on your hands right now!" Mike mocked him.
Henry gave him a scolding look. "Shut up, Celluci! She'll learn...in due time..."
"Hum, I don't want to aggravate you but, 'ya know, seeing the present situation, you might need to join a support group for abused parents!" Mike said wickedly.
Coreen gave him a warning look then turned to Henry. "I thought it worked the other way round," she said. "You'd said baby vampires worshipped their parents then suddenly turned on them. Has she skipped the baby period?"
"Not exactly, she's still very sweet at times, following me around like a puppy," he replied, motioning for her to come near him and took her in his arms, resting her head on his shoulder, cuddling her like a little girl. "But Vicki being Vicki..." His voice trailed off and he winced, embarrassed.
"I do what I want to do, when I want to do it!" She finished his sentence and beamed at him. Then she added: "Kiss?"
Coreen raised an eyebrow at Fitzroy. "Yeah, she also has sudden cravings like this. Very childish behavior I must say." He looked down at Vicki. "What's the magic word?"
"Please?" She whined.
Mike couldn't help laughing. "Now, that's new! Vicki begging for a kiss!"
"Shut up, Mike!" she snarled at him.
He raised both hands in surrender and took a step back, still laughing, knowing Henry was there as backup, if need be. "Wow-oh, Vick'! Still the same bundle of nerves, are we?" he teased her.
"Here," Fitzroy said to Vicki, rubbing her back then massaging her neck, trying to soothe her. "Let's all sit down, shall we, and have a nice little chat between friends? You don't want to scare them off, do you?"
"Come on, Henry, they know me. I growl but I don't bite."
"Huh, huh, wrong example here!" He told her, chuckling.
"So..." Mike said, "What are you two gonna do now?"
"Well," Henry glanced at Vicki, clearly embarrassed, "Vicki and I are gonna stay here until the end of term, time for her to adapt, then we'll move to Vancouver. I'm in the process of buying the territory from the current resident. I'm optimistic about the negotiations so I've already pulled a few strings. Vicki will be teaching Criminology at Vancouver Island University next September."
The room was suddenly very quiet. Then Coreen gulped and whispered: "So you're leaving us?"
"No, we're not. We'll always keep in touch, that is, if you wish for it. We know it's going to be hard for you to accept the situation so it's your call..." Henry replied.
"Of course, we do... I mean, want to keep in touch," Mike stated miserably, then he added, trying to brighten everybody's mood: "Vick' the vampire, teaching criminology, well, you can bet on one thing. I'll travel to Vancouver just to behold that sight!" Vicki made a lunge for him but Henry was faster this time and stopped her hand as she was going to punch Mike.
They all burst out laughing.
Life was not such a bitch, after all, Vicki reflected. She still had battles to fight, thinking of the ominous marks on her forearms that had not disappeared when she'd turned, and most probably ordeals to suffer but they were together and had true friends they could count on. Adversity could come if she dared! She was ready to kick her ass!
She smiled at Henry and saw the same flicker of happiness dancing in his eyes.
At last, he thought, life can begin.
Hope you liked it :)