Copyright Poem "Night's Children" By Katia Ruiz ã 1997

Copyright Poem "War of the Vampires" By Katia Ruiz ã 1997

"SHE'S gorgeous, just look at her! And she's so plush, Lucy!" Lisa Reeve lifted her gray eyes up to the picture and sighed. She was sitting down on a chair; her legs crossed gracefully, her hands gripping her skirt compulsively. She was hungry, hungry for a companion, for the taste of blood from the beautiful young woman in the picture. She turned towards Lucy Sebastian and anxiously smiled. "I want her!" She whispered, her lips parted and her fangs were visible, her pink tongue ran over her lips. Her eyes returned to the picture of the young woman. The girl stared back sensuously at the camera. Her lustrous green eyes were luminous. Her body was desirable, irresistible. Her cheeks were a rosy color, they blended with her milky white complexion, hair blond and short, which tangled and curled around her head.

        Lucy looked down and smiled tenderly at Lisa. "You'll have her." She answered. "Soon enough." A ripple of soft, musical and silky laughter escaped her throat, her violet-blue eyes shone. Her pointy fang teeth flashed out for an instant. She placed her hand over Lisa's shoulder and squeezed gently.

        "Really?" Lisa said, her soft gray eyes staring sweetly at the picture, her face expressing her desire for the girl. She lifted her hand to her shoulder and covered Lucy's. Lisa was also very desirable. Her pale skin had a white porcelain tone to it; her long hair was golden and extremely curly. She had the face of a sixteen-year-old despite being over two thousand years of life. She had been only seventeen years old when Lucy had taken her to herself and made her what she now was, a powerful being which thrived in blood.

        Lucy also had the face of a young girl, although she was much more than three thousand years of age. She was made so long ago, that she didn't remember her life as a human. Her skin was even paler than Lisa's was and her irises were almost invisible with the light of the camera. "Just invite her to our little party Friday night." She whispered, smiling down at Lisa.

        Lisa looked back at the picture and smiled. "Friday, Leandra Montes will be mine..."

LESLIE Anne Robilland, a gorgeous young girl of seventeen years of age, bounced into her father's office. Her straight red hair was picked up with a scrungie, she wore shorts and a T-shirt with an image of Madonna emblazoned on it. Her father, Michael E. Robilland was on the phone, talking to the Real State agent that had gotten the house for him in Salum Town. He'd never heard of the place before, until this agent approached him with the offer to sell the property for a good price. Michael was never big on money, and agreed to go with this very strange young man to view the house.

        He was instantly in love with the property, a beautiful Victorian mansion with so much property surrounding it, it seemed never ending. The mansion was so intricately designed, so perfectly measured, that Michael thought human hands could not have possibly designed nor built it. He thought the Real State agent was a strange man of sorts, talking as if he were in a trance. At times taking long periods to answer, - seeming almost mechanical in his actions, as if his brain were not operating on it's own, like a puppet- Michael decided that he wanted to buy the property anyway.

        And there was not a problem. Michael's wife, Jeanie was not phased. She liked the tranquility of a small town, hated the noise of big city life, and was looking forward to sending her daughter to the school, sure that in a small town Leslie would settle. She felt that youth in the city were wild and had no considerations for their parents, never thought of them at all but only to hound them about money. Of course, Leslie wasn't like that, but Jeanie didn't want her to turn that way.

        Leslie wasn't too impressed with the pictures her father showed her of the house, but she didn't have a problem with moving. She didn't like her hypocritical friends anyway, feeling that the only reason for their desire to be her friends was because her parents were so rich and had so much influence. She wanted to go to the town, start over, and make friends...

        "All right, then. Have a good day, Giordano." Michael hung up the phone and smiled at his daughter, his perfect teeth showing. "We have us a new home, Leslie." He said excitedly.

        Leslie grinned at her father, the corners of her eyes wrinkling slightly. "When are we moving, dad?" She asked, sitting on one of the chairs set in front of his desk and lifting her legs to cross them.

        Michael thought for a little while. The house is already furnished, he thought, maybe we can go next week. "What do you think about next week, you're not that far into your studies. You can take them up right there in their school. I've heard it's a great school."

        "Dad," She said, looking pleased. "It doesn't matter to me, we can do as you please."

        Michael clapped his hands together and laughed. "Great!" He exclaimed. "I feel so lucky that my child and my wife have not one problem with doing things I want to do."

        Leslie's laugh rang out like music. "That's because we like and think the same things, daddy." She said.

        Michael smiled and studied his daughter proudly. "It's settled, then. Salum Town it is." He said. "There's the city not too far away, you can go to the malls and everything. It's not too big, but it's modernized and it keeps up with the latest styles and everything. Most of the families living there are very rich city folks like us that wanted to run away from the big cities, and they love it. I already have contracts there, you know."

        "Great, daddy!" Leslie said, standing. "I'm going to start packing up."

        "Sure, hon." He watched her walk out of the office and smiled in her wake.

        Leandra gulped nervously when Lisa stood, almost imperiously, in front of her, a small pale hand on her hip. She looked down at her. The strangest smile was on her lips. She took the chair in front of Leandra and moved it swiftly to Leandra's side, with no difficulty. She sat slowly and stared at Leandra through her sunglasses. Suddenly, she put her arm around Leandra's shoulders and pulled her close, putting her mouth by her ear. "There's a little party in my house Friday night." She whispered into Leandra's ear. "We would love for you to come." Her lips lingered close to Leandra's ear; she put her free hand on Leandra's thigh.

        Leandra jumped, she felt goose bumps come erect all over her body. Lisa's hand was very cold on her thigh. "Y-your hand i-is cold." She stammered. She tried to see Lisa's eyes through the sunglasses, found that she couldn't see through the tinted lenses and quickly looked down. She wanted to kiss Lisa; always did every time she saw her.

        Lisa seemed to ignore Leandra's words; instead, she looked into Leandra's eyes and smiled. Slowly, Lisa placed her hand at the back of Leandra's head and pulled her towards herself; Leandra didn't pull back. Lisa's lips parted slightly and she softly kissed Leandra's. Lisa's lips were soft and cold against Leandra's own full and warm lips. Leandra felt a wave of pleasure course through her body, she moaned softly. Suddenly, Lisa pulled away. Her faced seemed empty of any emotion for a moment. Leandra was puzzled. "Lisa?" She said uncertainly.

        Lisa seemed to awaken suddenly; she seemed to shake herself, nodding. She quickly stood up and smiled sweetly at Leandra. She leaned down against the table. "So, are you coming?" She asked softly.

        "Y-yeah," Leandra replied, her voice broke. She cleared her throat and said, "Yes, I'll be there, Friday."

        Lisa smiled. "Good, wouldn't want you to miss it." She whispered, before she turned and walked away. "See you later." She called back. Leandra watched her walk slowly across the lunchroom to Lucy Sebastian, who watched Leandra with a sly smile on her face. Lucy had been standing watching them, leaning against a round pillar close to the windows. Lisa said something to her and she smiled, nodding as if in approval.

        Lucy and Lisa were what seemed to be the leaders of St. Sebastian High School's 'cool' crowd. There were many rumors about these people, which Leandra didn't believe. One was that this crowd was only a pack of beautiful looking monsters that sucked the blood of their victims. Leandra couldn't see Lisa doing this. There were many strong believers of that rumor, though. One of those believers was Mariana, Leandra's best friend. She continuously argued with Leandra, to "beware of those people." She did not like them at all. Lucy or Lisa didn't seem to like her either. Every time she passed near them, which were deliberately almost never, they mockingly growled at her.

        Leandra always spoke to many of them but she never saw anything wrong with them. In fact, they were very beautiful. The only thing that Leandra saw that was out of the ordinary was their extremely white skin, which Leandra naively figured was a make up idea that would identify them as the 'cool crowd'. Also, she noticed the way some of them seemed to know the answers to many questions that Leandra would express only in her mind. People seemed enthralled by them; many even joined their 'crowd'. There were little parties on the weekends, some of the new comers of the cool crowd said. That would be when they were initiated into one of the Crowd. They never specified how exactly this initiation took place.

        Lea's thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a familiar voice. She turned around to find Mariana looking down at her with a frown. "What did that bitch want?" Mariana snapped at Leandra. Leandra studied Mariana's features. She actually liked the way Mariana looked when she was mad. Her green eyes were blazing with anger. Leandra found Mariana gorgeous, with her soft and curly red hair hanging in a shiny cape around her shoulders, her thick, luscious lips drawn into a tight grimace. When Leandra didn't answer, Mariana became impatient, slamming her books on the table, taking the chair and sitting in front of her.

        Leandra glanced over at Lucy and Lisa, who were watching them intently, curious frowns on their shockingly beautiful faces. It was as if they were listening to them. She looked back at Mariana with disdain; she didn't like fighting with her. "Uh, nothing." She said, she looked down at her own book.

        Mariana looked at her with a mix of concern and anger. "Bullshit!" She said. She'd seen Lisa whisper into Leandra's ear, was extremely worried about Leandra associating with any of 'those people', as she referred to them.

        Leandra slouched in her seat, looking down at the table. "Mariana," She broke in crossly. "I don't want to hear it." She lifted her eyes to Mariana.

        "I'm just looking out for you!" Mariana said, her expressive green eyes expressed her hurt at the crassness of Lea's tone and glance, but her voice only revealed anger. "They're monsters!" She looked across the lunchroom where Lucy and Lisa were standing, found them staring intently at them.

        Leandra felt her anger flare, she stood up and looked down at Mariana. Her eyes lingered on Lucy and Lisa again, they were still watching intently, as if listening. "Listen, just because Lisa is a lesbian and Lucy hangs with her doesn't mean they're monsters. I do not need you looking out for me!" She said between clenched teeth. "I am not a thirteen year old freshman anymore for a sophomore, like you were, to be looking out for me. I'm sixteen years old now, and I don't need you to be on my ass every time you think I'm in danger. I can take care of myself, thank-you-very-much!" She picked up her books and stormed away from Mariana and the table.

        "Hey, I don't care if Lisa's a lesbian!" Mariana called out after her.

        Maria Montes, her mother, sneaked her head in through the small space between the door and the frame. With a gesture, Lea motioned for her mother to come into the room. Her mother eyed her outfit and smiled approvingly. "Where are you going?" She asked.

        Lea studied her mother for a second with a smile. Maria, even though she was home, always wore something classy and homely at the same time. Tonight, she wore a white flowing dress, covered in light images of pink roses. "To a party." Lea answered. She took her jacket from her closet and swung it around her shoulders, putting each arm into the sleeves. She headed towards the door.

        "Who are you trying to impress?" Her mother smiled, walking after her daughter. Lea's parents always allowed her to go out and enjoy herself. Despite her age, Lea was very mature, very intelligent, having made it into high school at such a young age. She always kept her grades high up, always remained high. Maria was always proud of her daughter, who made perfect grades and always dressed so correctly; never wrinkled. The way she taught her she should be.

        "Nobody...." She paused for a second, thought about it further, and then said: "Well... Actually, there's this girl called Lisa." Lea said shyly. When she was thirteen, she'd told her parents of her feelings of attraction for other girls. She'd been lucky that they understood her so well, that they accepted her. Ever since then, she found it easy to talk to her parents.

        "I understand." Her mother answered, smiling slyly.

        "See you, mom." Lea said, walking out the door.

        "Be careful." Her mother said as she watched her walk out. To herself, she said in a whisper: "I have a feeling..."

LEA climbed into the limousine and told the chauffeur to go to Victory Drive, where Lisa's house was located. As they headed into the driveway, Lea looked at the fancy cars standing in the parking space. Many, all of different color, shiny and clean. The windows only revealed a little light; if it weren't for the cars parked there, Lea could have sworn that there was no party.

        She got out of the car and told her chauffeur that she would call when she though it right for him to come pick her up. She walked up the steps to Lisa's front door. She knocked when she noticed there was no bell and suddenly the door opened. She was stunned by what she saw.

        She felt her bodies begin to lighten, she always felt like this when she was hungry or about to make another vampire. "Come in." She whispered, taking Lea's desirably warm hand. She pulled her throughout the hall towards the living room.

        Lea went obediently with Lisa. She was guided into the living room where there were some people from Lucy's crowd and some that were not. Her eyes lingered on a couple, a guy from the cool crowd and a girl who was not. The girl was sitting on his lap, her head thrown back and her face peaceful in ecstasy. His pale though dark skinned hand was on her thigh and his mouth was on her neck. Lea thought she saw blood going into his mouth from her throat. She realized Lisa was pulling her past the living room and into a den. The room was dimly lit and she caught the figure of Lucy with another girl on her lap, there was a faint suckling sound.

        Lea turned her head and looked at Lisa who was still pulling her through another door. Suddenly Lisa turned and firmly wrapped her arm around her waist. "Lisa." Lea whispered, feeling her body suddenly weaken with desire. She felt her arms go around Lisa's neck. Lisa just stared at her, her mouth was slightly parted, her tongue spread across her lips.

        Lea thought Lisa's eyes were shining in the dimness, but she thought she was imagining it, so excited she was. Lisa wrapped her other arm around Lea, being careful not to brake any bones with her preternatural strength. She let her lips softly touch Lea's. Lea's body became taut as she felt a wave of pleasure run through her body, settling on the warmth between her thighs. Lisa's cold lips slowly traced the line of Lea's jaw. Then Lea felt Lisa's tongue trace that line also. She felt Lisa's cold lips kissing her throat, her tongue against it.

        Suddenly, Lisa fangs were sinking into her neck, digging easily and painfully into her throat. Lea gasped and began to fight against Lisa, who had a very strong hold on her. She felt the incredible flow of blood leaving her system, catching her heart and pulling against it's beat. She kicked and thrashed against Lisa, who was still fervently holding her.

        She felt herself relax against Lisa's small firm body, she felt that feeling between her legs increase and again, she felt her body tense violently. When she almost felt her relaxation turn into light-headedness, Lisa let her go and she crumpled to the floor. "Lisa." Lea whispered. She opened her eyes and looked at Lisa, who was looking down at her with a smile on her face, her teeth were rimmed with blood.

        Yes, you are. Lisa's voice said inside her head. Lea opened her eyes and looked at her again. Lisa seemed ghastly, inhuman. Her eyes seemed to shine in the darkness of the room. She thought about Mariana's warnings, suddenly realizing that they had been true. Your Mariana was very right when she warned you to stay away from us. Lisa said, obviously reading her thoughts.

        "Yes, I guess she was right. But I never believed you and Lucy were monsters." Lea replied, her head began to pound. She was quiet for a second, then she begged: "Can you please speak to me out loud?"

        "Oh, I don't think we're monsters either." Lisa said out loud, smiling. "We're just a little different."

        "Very different, I think." Lea whispered shakily. She was beginning to feel feverish and cold at the same time, she broke out in a cold sweat. Her body began to tremble, the need for blood hurting her even further. She closed her eyes tightly shut. She then opened her eyes slightly and saw Lisa slowly approaching her, movements slight and languorous, sitting beside her on the bed. She lay down on her side and calmly studied Lea. "You're dying." Lisa said again, softly, tenderly. "I don't want you to die.... Do you want to die?" She asked softly.

        Lea closed her eyes again. "No." She whispered.

        Do you want to live forever? With me? Lisa said into her mind.

        Lea looked into Lisa's eyes. Yes... She watched as Lisa moved closer to her, the bed hardly shifting, and wrapped her arms around her. She got up on her knees and pulled Lea up to herself. Lea groaned, the pain on her neck was unbearable.

        "Then welcome," Lisa whispered into her ear. "My light." Lea felt Lisa's cold lips again and then the familiar pain of Lisa's fangs sinking into her neck. Lisa was struggling to control herself; she was moaning deeply, her touch not gentle, hurting Lea. She moaned again, shuddering as she felt the hot blood flush into her system. She almost forgot to stop sucking until she felt Lea's heart almost stop, felt its rhythm begin to falter.

        One... Pause... Two... Pause... Three... "Darling..." She whispered tenderly as she cut her throat with a nail and pressed Lea's mouth under the flow of her blood. She felt Lea's dried lips begin to move, her tongue begin to weakly lap at the flowing wound, felt her lips engulf the gashing wound on her neck.

        Lea moaned, a deep rumble in her throat, as she suckled on the hot fount, feeling the thick blood go down her throat and start to enter her system. If Lea's blood was hot to Lisa, Lisa's was scathing to Lea, burning her throat pleasurably. Lisa let her take as much blood as she could give, for a long time. Suddenly, she pulled away, cupping Lea's neck in her hands and pulling her closer.

        She pressed her mouth against Lea's neck again and bit, heard the soft tearing sound of skin, also heard her moan. Lea's blood was almost as hers was, not as scathing, but burning all the same; she felt Lea's arms go around her neck, felt their new strength. "Yes hold me..." Lisa whispered feverishly against Lea's neck as the blood poured into her mouth. She sucked Lea's blood until there was almost no more left in her veins. She pulled away again and let her fall back onto the bed. She whispered, bending low to her: "You take from me now." She watched Lea weakly sit up, and let her wrap her arm around her waist and pull her. Lisa took a deep breath as she felt Lea's new baby fangs bite her neck, sink into her flesh and her mouth beginning to suck. She wrapped her arms tightly around Lea's neck. "Drink, yes!" She gasped, her body shuddered.

        Lea was in heaven. It was close to morning, they were together for hours, exchanging their blood, and their bodies pressed together, each keenly feeling the other. She cradled Lisa in her arms, feeling her grip weaken, feeling her body begin to die, become stiff. Suddenly, Lisa felt herself going weak also. She softly pushed her away. Lea fell back on the bed and felt her eyes closing. "What's happening to me?" She whispered anxiously, weakly.

        "Sleep, beloved. You are dying..."

        Lea's newly keen eyes went directly to the violet sky, seeing that the sun had just hidden under the horizon a few hours before, feeling the warmth still coming from the ground. She then looked around the immense backyard. It seemed as if the terrain was never ending, her sight moved over the expanse landscape in wonder. She marveled at the thought of walking this, of enjoying the trees, and the animals. A slight movement caught her attention and she looked down and spotted Lucy, she was sitting on the circular marble water fountain, looking up at her with her eyes narrowed. There was a sly smile on her face, the smile reaching her eyes as well. Lea knew it was because she was naked and Lucy was admiring her body, but Lea didn't care, she wasn't shy anymore. Lucy bowed her head almost imperceptibly. Welcome to our world. She said into Lea's mind.

        Lea bowed also. "What are you doing out here?" She yelled. She felt a sharp pain inside her ears, a gasp escaped her lips, the echo of her own voice still ringing inside her head. She held her ears tightly.

        "No need to scream, I could hear you if you whispered from a mile away." Lucy cautioned in a soft whisper, her British accent thickening. "And your hearing is keener now that you are a like me."

        "This feels awkward, I wish you'd come up here." Lea said. Suddenly, Lucy was at her side. On a reflex, Lea threw herself backwards but Lisa, who had suddenly come up behind her, held her up. She looked up at Lucy, who smiled at her.

        "Don't scare her like that!" Lisa whispered with humor. She pushed Lea back up to her feet.

        Lea straightened and gazed up at Lucy, who was slightly taller than she, in awe. "How did you do that?" She asked.

        "I just thought about standing beside you. My body obeyed and I'm here, beside you." Lucy said humorously. "Some day you'll do it as fast as me."

        "You are still young." Lisa said, kissing Lea on the cheek. "Her movements to you are that of your movements to a human. You can't follow them." She explained. "My movements are too quick for you also."

        "I'm in awe." Lea said slowly.

        "You'll get used to it." Lucy said with a gentle chuckle. "Now lets go inside."

LEA stared at her reflection in the mirror. "Lisa!" She whispered, fear gripping her voice. "What is wrong with me?" Her body looked transparent! Through her body, she could see the outline of the vase of flowers that was on the table in the middle of the room. She also saw part of Lisa's body through her reflection. She looked more carefully and she saw the dim outline of her heart and her lungs. She gasped as she watched the extra slow beating of her heart. "What's wrong with my heart?" She asked.

        Lisa smiled, readily answering her questions: "Your heart is soon going to need blood... And there's no need to fret, darling. Just avoid mirrors. The mirror reflects lights and our vampire bodies also reflect lights- unlike a human body, which absorbs light, - because of the powerful blood in us, that is why we seem so luminous. These lights clash, not in a good way, and it causes our bodies to look transparent, but only through mirrors.

        "So, like I said, avoid them." Lisa said. She stood up and walked towards Lea, who was still naked. She locked her arms around her neck. "I called your parents." Lisa said. "I told them you had passed out on my couch and that I would take you home today as soon as you wake."

        "Were they doubtful?" Lea asked.

        Lisa laughed and shook her head. "No. My powers of persuasion run very far." She kissed Lea softly on the lips. "Many things I have to warn you about, though. Like I said before, avoid mirrors. Also, don't stand in a dark room with a human, because that would be devastating for them. You see, your eyes now, as they say about some toys, glow in the dark, and so does your skin." She stopped, frowning, thinking.

        "The sun will not kill you," She continued slowly. "Only tire you some. Also, don't believe that whole thing about the churches and the crucifixes, they will not harm you. Holy water will only give you a mild stomach and head ache, and that's only because its water, our bodies don't take anything more than blood. I recommend you don't ever try water again, or any foods, it could be uncomfortable. Nothing major." Lisa shrugged, dismissing the worry from Lea's mind. "Those are the most important things." She kissed Lea again. "Now, lets go to bed. You have a while to stay... And I want you to lay in bed with me." She whispered, pulling Lea to the bed.

        Lea followed, letting Lisa push her onto the bed. She lay in Lisa's strong arms for the rest of the night. When the sun came up Lea felt tiredness like she never felt before and she fell into a death like sleep in Lisa's arms.

        Lisa seemed to have awakened; she shook herself, and looked at Lea with a smile on her face. "Hello my love, you have finally awakened." Her eyes traveled to the window. Lea's eyes followed. It was dark outside, Lea noticed. She had slept for the whole day!

        "You looked as if you were dead." Lea said thoughtfully.

        Lisa looked down at her and laughed. "We are dead, darling!" She stood. "Now," She said, pulling Lea up with her. "I have to take you home. Your parents will start worrying and they won't let you hang with me then. And we don't want that, do we?" She chuckled. "Let's go."

THEY were parked on Lea's driveway. They had talked the whole way there, and they talked more when Lisa parked her car in front of Lea's house. From time to time, Lea saw her mother sneak her head through the curtains and look at them. "Your mother is getting impatient." Lisa said, kissing Lea softly on the lips. "Go on in. I'll see you tomorrow, maybe even before."

LEA walked a little reluctantly into her house, her mother greeted her, kissing her on the cheek, pulling back and staring at her daughter. Lea's cheek had been cold like ice. "What took you so long, honey? I was getting worried." Her mother said slowly. Her expression of concern turned into that of wonder. She put her hand on Lea's cheek, her fingers chilling. "Your skin is so cold... You're so pale."

        "I drank a little and I have a hangover. I want to go to sleep." Lea said, quickly walking towards the stairs. "Good night, mother." She climbed the stairs with deliberately slow steps, another of Lisa's advice: Don't let humans see your newly found speed. She walked to her bedroom and locked herself inside. She was beginning to feel hunger and the sound of the beat on her mother's heart had tortured her senses. Her hands were beginning to shake. Lea found herself thinking about blood the moment when her eyes traced her mother's neck. She had seen the blood pumping through her veins!

        She picked up the phone and dialed Lisa's number frantically. Lucy picked up the phone. "Lucy-" Lea said, a little too loud for both their ears.

        "No need to speak so loud, darling!" Lucy said urgently, a little painfully.

        Lea lowered her voice; she felt tears spring to her eyes. "Why didn't you tell me that it was going to be so bad!"

        "You understand that you have to feed." Lucy whispered.

        "Not from humans!" Lea exclaimed. "I can't kill a human."

        Lucy sighed, reading her mind through the distance. What Lea had meant to say was: 'Not from my mother, I can't kill my mother.' "We'll be there with something for you to drink."

        "No humans." Lea said weakly.

        Lucy laughed softly, condescendingly. "We'll be there in a while. Don't open your door to anybody." She said and then hung up.

FOR over an hour, Lea lay on her bed looking at the white ceiling, her eyes seeing the crevices that were invisible when she was human. Suddenly, she heard a small noise outside her terrace door, a tiny normally inaudible knock against the glass. She stood and walked towards it and looked through the curtain. Lisa stood outside next to Lucy. Lea opened the door.

        "Hi!" Lisa said. She walked in slowly, Lucy followed quietly. Lea looked down and saw a black bag on Lisa's hand. Lisa took the content out of the bag and handed it to Lea.

        The jar contained a thick red liquid; of course, Lea knew what it was. She sat on her bed with the jar still in her hand. "I can't drink human blood." She whispered with despair. She couldn't kill a human, she thought to herself, she just couldn't.

        "It's not human." Lisa assured her.

        "It's not?" Lea looked up.

        Lisa shook her head, sending her curls into a beautiful upheaval. "No."

        Lea opened the jar and smelled the blood, envisioning the deer that it belonged to. She closed her eyes as she brought the jar to her lips, she took down a mouth full of the blood. She then opened her eyes slowly. Lisa watched her closely, could see the familiar red glow in them that a vampire would get when it drank blood. Lea closed her eyes and took down the rest of the blood. Her hand with the jar dropped as her eyes rolled back in her pleasure. Lisa took the jar back after Lea was finished, and put it back in the bag. She then put the bag down by the terrace door.

        Lea opened her eyes wide, allowed them to linger on objects. Everything had that familiar bright aura that objects had in the darkness again. Her hearing became even keener. The volume of Salem Town's voices seemed to lift in an overpowering sound. "What's wrong with me?" Lea gasped, covering her ears with shaking hands.

        "The blood is waking the senses that were weak with the lack of blood." Lucy explained, sitting on the bed also. "You see, I can see your body gaining strength." She said softly, her eyes concentrated as she studied Lea. She stood up, cocked her head.

        "The voices!" Lea exclaimed. She also stood up.

        Lisa walked up to her and put her arms around her waist. She looked up at Lea, smiling. "You just have to wish them gone." She reassured. "It's very easy."

        Lea looked down at Lisa and thought about the voices being gone, that she didn't want to hear them, didn't want to hear anything but the two vampires before her. Slowly, the sounds lowered, not completely, but to a tolerable dim volume. "They're gone." She said.

        "I know, darling. I know." Lisa said before she kissed her on the lips. "We have to go now." She kissed her again and let her go. Then she walked out through the terrace door.

        Lucy still stared into blank space. She looked down at Lea and smiled. "One of ours is calling. We must go." Her accent thickened. She narrowed her eyes, walking towards Lea. Lucy lifted her arm and extended her hand for Lea to take. "Just a little kiss." She whispered. Lea took her hand and allowed herself to be pulled into Lucy's embrace. She took a deep breath as Lucy's lips touched her own. Lucy slipped her soft tongue inside Lea's mouth. Bite. She said into Lea's mind.

        Lea obeyed. Her small, baby fangs sunk into Lucy's tongue. The hot blood flowed thickly down her throat. She wrapped her arms tightly around Lucy's back, moaning softly. Let go. Lucy's voice said inside her head. Lea obediently let go. As Lucy let her go, she felt lightheaded. Everything was even brighter than before! Lea heard the voices go loud again. "Will them away." Lucy said softly. "Just will them away." Lea did as she was instructed and was relieved to find that the voices were dim again. "Bye bye." Lucy said, smiling tenderly. Suddenly, she was gone. There was only a small trace of her essence, the remains of the unmeasured power.

        Lea walked to the terrace outside and looked up at the sky, trying to locate Lucy and Lisa. She saw two specks in the sky quickly heading east towards Lisa's house. "Bye." Lea whispered and walked back into her bedroom. She lay in bed and felt herself falling into a comfortable death like darkness.

        Lea covered her eyes from the light of the sun, they hurt. "Yeah, I'm fine, mom." She said. "Why did you wake me up?"

        "Since you got home so tired last night, I didn't get to tell you that we were going to visit the new neighbors." Maria, Lea's mother, said. Lea could tell that she was calming down a little, something Lea wanted her so badly to do. Actually, Lea wanted her to forget it, and it seemed Maria's tears were disappearing from her eyes, that her smile was returning. "It is imperial that you come for breakfast. Their business is linked to your fathers." She continued. Lea lay back and looked at her mother with narrowed eyes, they were hurting because of the sun. Maria frowned, trying to look into Lea's eyes. "Leandra, what is wrong with your eyes?" She asked slowly.

        Lea sat up. "Nothing, mom! The sun is hitting on them." She said. "Wait for me downstairs, mom!" To her surprise, her mother silently stood and walked out of the room. She stood up from the bed and headed towards her bathroom, thinking that one over.

        "Yes. How do I look, dad?" Lea was wearing a white ruffled shirt tucked inside her crisp black shorts, and a black vest over her shirt, with cute black boots. She covered her eyes with sunglasses. She didn't want to cause curiosity in the strangers.

        "Like a boy, but wonderful." He said, hugging her tightly.

        "So," Lea said, looking around with a careful smile. "Who are we waiting for?"

        "Your mother." He answered.

        "Not anymore. Let's go." Said Mrs. Montes as she walked down the stairs and took her purse from the maid. She looked beautiful in her blue silk morning dress. "Let's go!" She urged.

"WELL, hello! It's such a pleasure to have you as our first guests!" Michael Robilland said as he shook Richard's hand. "This is a very secluded place. Peaceful too! It's so easy to love it." He rambled on and on, happy. Lea guessed he was in his fifties. His white hair lay in a thick wave around his head. He had a well-shaped body, but his face revealed his true age. Without knowing how, Lea read pure delight in his mind. She instantly liked him.

        "We are honored to be your first guests." Richard agreed. He looked behind Michael and spotted whom he thought must be Mrs. Robilland. "Hello Mrs. Robilland. How are you?" He greeted as Michael Robilland greeted his family.

        "I am fine. And you?" She asked, referring to his whole family.

        "We're fine." Maria Said. "This is our daughter Leandra." She said, nudging Leandra forward.

        "Hi, how are you doing?" Mrs. Robilland said. "Call me Jeanie, all of you." She took Lea's hand and shook it. "We have a daughter who is just about your age." She studied Lea curiously, frowning.

        "You're so young!" Lea said, surprised. Jeanie Robilland didn't have a wrinkle in her face. Her red hair was long and straight down her back. Her green eyes were bright and happy looking. Her lips were thick and sensuous; it was hard to picture her as a mother.

        "I was still very young when I had her." She replied. She studied Leandra some more and frowned. "Why are you so pale, child?"

        Lea looked down. She didn't dare take her sunglasses off. "Uh- I was at a little party last night." Her eyes traveled up Jeanie's body and up to her neck, where she could see the delicious flow of her blood. They narrowed as she heard the sound of her heartbeat and flow of blood. She looked down again, feeling the hunger for blood start gnawing at her insides.

        "Oh, my." Jeanie said, smiling reassuringly, wishing to let Leandra know that she didn't judge her or her parents. "Shall we sit for breakfast?" She asked.

        "Of course." Richard said, wrapping each of his arms around Lea and Maria and pulling them along with the Robillands to the dining room, a beautifully decorated room with a shiny wooden dining table, and shiny mahogany chairs that were padded and comfortable.

        As the maids started bringing in the breakfast, Lea's stomach began to churn painfully.

        "Why don't you eat some?" Jeanie asked worriedly.

        "I-" Lea stammered.

        "Taste it, honey!" Maria urged, the worry from before returning to her eyes.

        Lea didn't dare look at any of them, she'd taken her sunglasses off, because her mother had made her. "Oh, okay." She said doubtfully. She took a bite off the pancakes, but suddenly she felt it all coming up her throat. She pushed the chair back, sending it flying. "Excuse me!" She said, holding her stomach. She ran as slowly as she could out of the dining room.

        "The bathroom is the first door upstairs to the right!" Jeanie called out after her, though Lea heard it as if she said it next to her.

        Lea found the stairs. Her stomach hurt unbearably now. She looked up the stairs. The top seemed to be a mile away. She thought about what Lucy had done. She sensed no one near and wished to be at the top. Before she even blinked, she dizzily stood at the top. She ran to her right and into the bathroom. She doubled over the toilet, heaving out the contents of her stomach, meaning the whole jar of blood that Lisa had given her that morning.

        Lea sat down on the floor and took a deep sobbing breath. She stood and looked at herself in the mirror. Her face was paler and drawn. She needed blood! She ran the cold water and splashed her face with it, cleaning out her mouth also. Lea walked out of the bathroom and stood at the top of the stairs, feeling dizzy with the need for blood. She sat down and put her head in her hands. She felt herself falling into that familiar dark sleep. Unexpectedly, she heard the sound of wet pumping. Her keen senses told her that this was the sound of a beating heart. She looked behind her to find a girl curiously watching her.

        "Hi!" The girl said, her thin eyebrows arched. "I apologize for not having joined you downstairs. I'm Leslie Anne Robilland, people call me Les." She smiled beautifully, sensuously. "What's your name?" She extended her hand in greeting.

        Lea stood up and took Les' hand, shaking it. "I'm Lea Montes." Lea was amazed at how much the girl resembled her parents. She had her father's blue eyes, his thin lips- on her they were so sensuous- and his thick, wavy hair. From Mrs. Robilland, she had a beautifully thin, oval face, her thin, straight nose, her smile and her golden red hair. She had a naturally tan skin. A mix that made her very beautiful.

        "So, let's go join the old people." Les said, laughing. She took Leandra's hand as the walked down the stairs, not even surprised to find it so cold. Leandra was too surprised to pull back.

DOWNSTAIRS, the 'old people' were sitting out in the garden. "Ah, I see you two have met." Mr. Robilland said, obviously pleased.

        "Yes, we have." Les said. She extended her hand out to Mr. and Mrs. Montes, who shook it. "Nice to meet you, I'm Leslie."

        "It is our pleasure." Mr. Montes replied, admiring the beauty in this young girl.

        "Let's go inside." Les said to Lea. "We can get to know each other better."

        "All right." Lea spoke for the first time since they had gone to the garden.

        Les pulled her back inside and Lea followed. Les guided them to the den, where she closed the doors. Lea sat down, trying to keep herself under control. The sound of Les' wet heartbeat was driving her mad. Lea tried to read her mind but realized that it was veiled against any intruders.

        After a minute of studying Lea, standing leaning against the doors, Les said huskily: "You are so gorgeous. Do you know that?" The wet pumping of her blood made Lea incredibly wanton for it. She stood up and was quickly in front of Les. She grabbed her by the waist, making her gasp. They hotly kissed and suddenly Lea tasted blood. Groaning, she started sucking blood from the wound on Les' lip. Lea suddenly pushed herself away.

        "What the fuck are you doing?" Les yelled, touching her lip with her finger.

        "I'm sorry..... I-I don't know what happened." Lea said, looking nervously down. Les' blood tasted good.... She wanted more!

        Les glared at her, but then something came into her eyes, a look full of lust and want. She smiled slowly, lowering her fingers from her lip, forgetting about the wound on her lip. "Vampires exist." She said in a whisper, letting the blood drip from her lip. Absently, she wiped at the dripping blood from her chin. "I was right. When I first saw you I didn't believe it!" She laughed. "I thought to myself: 'this girl looks just like a vampire.' It was too good to be true."

        "I'm going home." Lea whispered suddenly, not trusting her hunger.

        "Why?" Les sounded disappointed, her eyebrows arched, and her lips seemed to pout.

        "I don't want to loose control of the situation." Lea whispered, so low that Les had to strain to hear her. Lea looked at Les and sighed, she wanted more blood. "Tell my parents that I went home. I didn't feel good." She turned away.

        Les went to her side, grabbing her arm. "Tell me if you're a vampire first." She whispered.

        Lea took off her sunglasses, looking intently at Les. Les gasped, taking a step backwards. "What do you think?" Lea asked in a hoarse whisper.

        Les could not believe her eyes! Les could see only the slightest hint of Lea's black pupils. And only a tiny hint of her green irises. "My God!" She gasped.

        Again, Lea tried to read Les' mind, but it was veiled. Lea wanted to be out of there. Suddenly, she was gone. Les hurried to the open window, wanting to catch sight of her. "I want this power." She whispered, uncertainly at first, shaking her head. It was as if a voice in her head repeated this sentence. Malice soon showed on her face. "And I'll have it, give it she to me or not...." She began to laugh as she thought more and more about having it.

Continued in part II

original fiction index | xena homepage | what's new | amazontrails.com