Would You Tell Her I Did My Side of the Dance? - Chapter I
Lazar couldn’t trust his daughter anymore, and because of that, he was going to make her earn it back or die. Lord of her fate, he cursed her at dusk. He stripped her of her vampire essence—everything that made her a killer with a lust for blood and sadistic pleasure. Her fangs, speed, strength, agility, everything that made her capable, with the exception of her superhuman senses of hearing and smell, was gone. She was just a 12-year-old girl now, defenseless and powerless to a cold-hearted master that held her life in his hands.
“You have 3 days to prove yourself worthy of the divine life I’ve given to you, or else I will drain you myself.”
That was his word, and now there were 66 hours left for her to achieve or defy it. How was she supposed to do it on her own, without having her abilities? How was she supposed to prove herself a vampire without being one? This was a set-up, a trap, a game that he’d created just to leave her hopeless in the end. He was going to kill her regardless, she knew that. She also knew that the only way to win this bet was to kill him.
A life for a life?
She was no match for him now, so she knew she was going to have to have help.
And she knew exactly who she wanted to go to.
characters: Abigail, Joey, Caleb, Kristof Lazar, Frank, Sammy, Rickles (mentioned), Caleb's father
LASTED 12 LONG HUNTING YEARS, RUNNING STRONG
characters: Abigail, Lazar, Caleb, & Joey
It was through the window that she left. She slipped through the small opening she made and fled. It was an hour before dawn. Her father would be back soon. Six hours had gone by from when the bet started. She hadn’t known what it was like to have her life played with until this night, and by her own flesh and blood. Kristof Lazar had hated her, more than he ever had after she’d let her last victim go.
Joey had walked away with her life and her humanity, bloodied, bruised, and torn up, but not dead.
Abigail’s chances at love were gone. She hadn’t been the same vampire since she met Joey, especially letting her go. She no longer killed for fun, just when necessary. She doesn’t play with her food, rather she minds how she makes a kill.
Lazar couldn’t trust his daughter anymore, and because of that, he was going to make her earn it back or die. Lord of her fate, he cursed her at dusk. He stripped her of her vampire essence—everything that made her a killer with a lust for blood and sadistic pleasure. Her fangs, speed, strength, agility, everything that made her capable, with the exception of her superhuman senses of hearing and smell, was gone. She was just a 12-year-old girl now, defenseless and powerless to a cold-hearted master that held her life in his hands.
“You have 3 days to prove yourself worthy of the divine life I’ve given to you, or else I will drain you myself.”
That was his word, and now there were 66 hours left for her to achieve or defy it. How was she supposed to do it on her own, without having her abilities? How was she supposed to prove herself a vampire without being one? This was a set-up, a trap, a game that he’d created just to leave her hopeless in the end. He was going to kill her regardless, she knew that. She also knew that the only way to win this bet was to kill him.
She was no match for him now, so she knew she was going to have to have help.
And she knew exactly who she wanted to go to.
Some would say it was her dog or guardian angel, some would say it was the one that got away or a stray. But she didn’t want anyone else as she heard her own words replay in her head.
‘ “See you around, Joey.” ’
It had been 6 months since Caleb had been reunited with his mother, and he would tell anyone that he’d never been happier than to be back with her. When he’d heard the voice message she’d left him, it scared him to death. He didn’t know why she’d sent it or where she was when she had, but he could hear in her voice that she wasn’t sure if she’d ever see him again. He had taken that to heart and nearly fell apart at the thought.
He had never blamed her for leaving, just missed her and wondered why. He thought it might’ve been something he did or that she didn’t love him as much as she once did. He thought she’d lost interest. Not to mention, the things his father would say about her were tempting, but he always told himself that wasn’t his mother. His mother was the most beautiful, strongest, and loving woman in the world. So, when she showed up at his school 24 hours after she’d left that voice message, he knew it was true.
There were two things he’d never forget that she’d told him. The first one was when she said that he was the one good thing she did in her life. The second one was when she told him that leaving him with his father on a cold, winter night and having to walk away while he cried for her was the hardest thing she’d ever done. He couldn’t imagine that kind of pain for her, because he was too young to understand the things she still kept from him; however, he knew how great of a sacrifice she’d made.
He loved her like she never left, and she loved him like every day was the last she’d see him. If anything were to ever happen to her, he’d be lost forever, and if anything ever happened to him, he knew she wouldn’t be able to live.
But it was all over now, and while he never found out what the circumstances were that made her call him and leave that message, they were back together again, so there was nothing to worry about. What he didn’t know wouldn’t hurt him. Would it?
3:45 PM came around on the sunny Thursday afternoon, and Caleb sent his daily text message to his mother to let her know that he was on his way home. He beat the buses out of the bus circle and stalked the sidewalk to the end of the car line, where there was nothing but him and the way home. His phone buzzed. He knew who it was, but like the ritual to send the message out, he always read to the response he received.
‘Okay, be careful. I love you.’
She always told him she loved him; she never failed to text it, say it, or show it.
Even though he didn’t recognize the voice that said his name, instinct had him dropping his phone and turning around anyway. “Yeah?” He came face to face with someone new.
It was a girl. She looked his age, but he’d never seen her before. She wasn’t wearing what was expected of junior high, but she didn’t look lost either. She had long, straight brown hair and eyes as blue as the ocean, bright yet deep, like they hid many lives. She was pale, thin, and almost looking as if she was from another era in time. However, it was her expression that made Caleb push everything else aside. She looked scared and hopeful at the same time, silently pleading for him to speak to her.
She was desperate. He knew this because he had watched his mother read many people with her experience as a medic. She had told him what to look for in a person and how to depict what they’re feeling just by a glance.
“Um… Hi. Do you need something?”
The girl didn’t move, nor look away. In fact, she took a step closer, as if what she was about to say wasn’t something she was supposed to be sharing out loud. “I know your mom, and I really need to talk to her,” she told him, barely even blinking to show that she was serious and didn’t have much time. So, before he could ask any more questions, she blocked them, “I know it’s weird and you don’t know who I am, but I met your mom a while ago, Ana Lucia Cruz? I can’t explain right now, but might I walk with you? I just need to ask her something.”
Caleb blinked at her. She didn’t look harmless, but he had to admit that it was a bit weird for her to just show up and want to talk to his mother. Maybe she was a patient or something? Somebody that his mom had helped patch up or given advice to? “Oh, o-okay… Yeah, I guess that’s fine.” He gave a short gesture over his shoulder, “We’re not that far from my house. Should be about a 10 minute walk.”
The girl just nodded and leapt to catch up with him, matching his step as he continued down the sidewalk.
“I’m Abigail,” she answered.
“I guess my mom told you about me, when you met her? How’d you guys meet? She’s never mentioned you before.”
It was obvious that he had no clue who she was, which meant Joey had never talked about her. She couldn’t tell if that was a good or a bad thing, though. Obviously, it was good, because knowing she was a vampire who’d tried to kill his mother probably would’ve scared the hell out of him. However, because he didn’t know, her bet on Joey’s help against her father was going to be even more difficult to try and achieve. She may be out of her character right now, but she was still smart enough to play things safe. “It’s kind of a long story,” she summed it up, “Not really worth talking about though.” She made sure to add a soft chuckle at the end of her words to cover up any potential suspicion.
Luckily, he didn’t push the issue, just moved on to the next question. “What grade are you in? You don’t go to my school, right? ‘Cause I haven’t seen you around.”
“No, I’m homeschooled,” she lied. Hopefully he wouldn’t push for her grade level again, because the fuck if she knew.
Caleb nodded. “I always wondered what being homeschooled is like. Is it fun? Do you have any brothers or sisters, or is it just you? That’d be really lonely, if it was just you, but then if it was just you…”
As he went on, Abigail’s sense of smell became sharp, very sharp. She’d tracked Caleb down, because she knew Joey’s scent and because they lived together, her scent was faint on him. Not to mention, his was similar to hers, because of him being her biological son. However, the closer they got to their destination, the stronger Joey’s scent became to her. But it was different. It was still sweet, strong, and calming, but there was an underlying smell that she couldn’t quite make-out. One that wasn’t there before, even through all of the blood, fear, and sweat.
This was new, and even though her vampire abilities were gone, her instincts had adapted over the centuries. And that adaption was flipping through the countless possibilities that would be so pungent to a vampire. It was when they actually got onto the street that she finally posed the question, interrupting Caleb’s one-sided conversation about the differences between homeschooling and brick-and-mortar schooling.
“Do you have a dog, Caleb?”
He paused and glanced over with a confused expression. “A dog?” Then, he shook his head, “No, we don’t have a dog. Why?”
She just shook her head, and luckily, Caleb veered into a driveway, so there wasn’t time to ask any more questions.
He paused a few steps up. “Do you wanna come in, or do you want me to ask my mom to come out?”
Suddenly, Abigail felt an uneasy sensation stir inside of her. Her heart started to beat faster, and she didn’t feel as confident as she normally did. Her stomach felt weird, so much so that her—she guessed it was her long-lost human side—made her swallow back the sensation of it creeping up into her throat. She was nervous, something she hadn’t felt in ages. Literally. Apparently, she was quiet for too long, because he followed-up with:
“That’s okay. Just stay right here, I’ll go get her.” He didn’t waste another second to trot up to the front door and let himself in, his voice fading with the swinging of the door shutting. “Hey, Mom?! A girl named Abigail… ”
It wasn’t even a minute later before Abigail could hear the heartbeat of the person she sought out. She kept her eyes on the front door. Joey’s heartbeat was fast and hard, adrenaline taking the upper hand over fear, by far. Her scent was stronger than Caleb’s now, and the strange one that she’d detected came with it. She caught a brief shadow that was replaced with a figure as Joey stepped out of the house and shut the door behind her. She looked the same as she did 6 months ago. Her hair was a little longer, but she still looked stronger than sin. “Hi, Joey.”
The woman came down the couple of stairs and stalked down the driveway to meet her. “Abigail, what are you doing here?” However, she stopped immediately, when she realized that the girl was standing in direct sunlight and perfectly fine. She found youthful blue eyes and drew the confusion to attention. “How are you—?”
“Because I’m not a vampire anymore,” Abigail explained. “Not now…” She could see the other hesitate, which made her take another step towards her. “My father cursed me. He said I have to prove myself worthy in three days, or else he’ll kill me.” Standing face-to-face with the one person who’d ever given her some sort of hope at having a second chance, the emotions she normally had to facade came naturally. And it was strange, but it convinced her that she really was human. “But I can’t do it alone… I don’t know how…”
Joey could see the restored humanity in her before she had to see the glistening tears flush her lower eyelids.
But her silence made Abigail's hope start to crack, and she couldn’t hold back the quiver in her voice. “You don’t believe me…”
“No, I do,” Joey quickly corrected her with a nod. “I believe you.”
The girl’s voice dropped to barely above a whisper, “I don’t care about being a vampire, I just…”
She hesitated for a moment. That sounded selfish, but when you got right down to it, what didn’t? Selfishness was a human trait, greed was a vampire’s. “I just want a second chance… To be good. That’s why he cursed me; it’s because he thinks I’m too soft now. I don’t hunt or kill the same way, and that’s just made him hate me even more, and—”
She didn’t realize she had started crying, until Joey was kneeling in front of her wiping away her tears. She quickly—almost instinctively—took a step back and pulled herself together, “I’m sorry…”
“Don’t be,” Joey answered. When the girl just continued to try and dry her eyes, she spoke again. “ Hey. ” Ocean eyes pierced into hers as they finally caught a glimpse of the sunlight never seen before from the demon inside. And it brought them both back to that night, 6 months ago.
“Hey… I’m not gonna let him hurt you. But I need you to tell me what he said.”
Now, back then Joey didn’t know Abigail was a vampire, nor was she talking about Kristof Lazar. But the sincerity was the same. Abigail wanted a second chance, the same chance that she’d given her when she let her leave the mansion alive. She’d stood up to her father and insinuated her compassion for the former medic, all in an act of willful mercy. Because of that, there was no hesitation for Joey to do the same.
“We’ll do it together,” she assured the younger, “I’m not gonna let you take him alone, and I’m not gonna let him hurt you.”
The parallels were unparalleled.
Abigail just blinked at her. As relieved as she wanted to be and as she thought she would be, she couldn’t breathe. It felt too easy, like there were strings attached, not by Joey, necessarily, but by her father lurking in the shadows somewhere. Watching her every move… And planning his own, all in the same.
So, just like the first time, Joey raised her left hand and put her pinky finger out. “I promise.”
And a smaller pinky finger wrapped around hers like a lock and key.
Maybe it was nostalgia or maybe it was the security from the connection, but this pinky promise had Abigail bringing back her sense of playfulness. “Anyone ever tell you that a vampire’s promise lives forever, just like them?”
So, the other played along, too. “Anyone ever tell you that a lifetime has no hold on a dog?”
The girl actually managed a small giggle. “Is this your way of telling me that you’re a werewolf?” she then asked. She’d figured it out the moment Joey had touched her cheek. Her body temperature was much higher than it had been 6 months ago.
Joey shrugged, “If that’s your way of telling me that I didn’t need to tell you, because you already knew.” That’s when she returned her own smile, “I mean, you seemed to know everything else.”
They then broke their swear, and Joey stood up from her crouched position. “We’re gonna figure it out, okay?” This must’ve made Abigail snap back into the present, because she could sense her uneasiness and… fear. So, that called for the next order of business… keeping it normal and taking it one step at a time. First was making sure Abigail knew she was safe with her, and then she’d have to figure out what to say or how to explain the situation to Caleb. “Come on,” the werewolf jerked her head as a gesture, “My house isn’t much, but you’re welcome to stay. I don’t think you have anywhere to go, do you?”
Like she expected, the other shook her head. “I don’t mind,” she dismissed the ‘my house isn’t much’ comment. “Thank you.”
And history kept repeating itself. “No problem,” Joey replied, and turned to lead the way back into the house. She didn’t know how this was all going to happen. Truth be told, she’d hoped she’d never find herself in another traumatic arena with urban legends and carnage, but she never thought she’d actually be an urban legend either, so shame on her for hoping.
As calm and level-headed as she’d seemed taking Abigail in and taking up whatever this was—a challenge, a favor, a test—she knew she had just invited a neon red target to be slapped on top of herself as well as her son. She already knew she’d do her best to keep Caleb out of this, but knowing Lazar, he would know some part of all this. And it wasn’t a secret to assume that he would try his luck in using Caleb as bait, a hostage, or controlling component.
What the fuck did she just get herself into?
a.n. looking forward to getting the characters more "into character" in the upcoming chapters!! I know this one was kind of bleh because it's an introductory chapter
@simpingforclaudette
@atcarpenter
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