CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

LEA had the sudden urge to see Mariana. Her mind had been on her all day long. Mariana had been her best and first friend since Lea joined St. Sebastian High School. Mariana guided her through out the school and made her feel comfortable and reassured, since she was the youngest freshman in the school. Lea stood up from her bed and left through the terrace door. She flew straight up in the air. The night was cool. Lea liked the cool wind hitting her face. She laughed softly at the sound of the whistling wind against her ears. Then she traveled west towards Mariana's house.

LEA was looking down at Mariana's house. She was still in the air, trying to figure out if it was right for her to do this. She decided in favor of talking to Mariana. Mariana's lights were still on. Lea scanned the room through the curtains, checking if Mariana was there. Mariana was sitting on her bed, her legs were crossed, her elbows pressed against her thighs and she was crying; her face was buried in her hands.

        Lea felt her pain. The pain of having lost a best friend to immortality. The pain of Mariana's ever lasting love for her. But then Lea felt her own pain: Of not having Mariana share this power with her. 'Mariana.' Lea sent to her. She saw Mariana quickly lift her head. Her lips formed Lea's name. Lea sighed. 'Please, Mariana, open the window. I won't hurt you. Trust me!'

        Mariana quickly stood up from the bed, walking towards the window. She moved the curtain aside and her eyes met with Lea's. More tears sprang from her eyes. She opened the window and allowed Lea inside.

        "Thank you." Lea whispered. Mariana looked up at her and frowned. Lea took her in her arms and hugged her. Mariana's body tensed and then yielded to Lea, softening. She wrapped her arms around Lea's waist and cried into her shoulder. "Mariana," Lea whispered into her ear. "You don't know how much I've missed you." She felt tears coming out of her eyes.

        Mariana looked up at her and gasped. Lea knew it was because of her bloody tears. Suddenly, Mariana kissed Lea's cheek, licking a little bit of the tears. Her entire body shook with pleasure as the salty liquid touched her tongue. Lea took a deep breath, as Mariana's nails dug into the back of her jacket. She took Mariana's hair into her hand and pulled her head back. 'I want you to join me in this.' She said into Mariana's mind.

        Mariana looked up at her and tried to pull herself away. "No!" She whispered.

        Lea's mind was already clouding over, wanting the taste of Mariana's blood. "It's not that bad." She whispered in return. "You'll like it."

        Mariana, sensing Lea's sudden hunger, tried to pull away, she was about to scream but Lea covered her mouth with her other hand. Lea pulled her head back again and sunk her fangs into her neck. Mariana gasped and her body became taut. Her blood was better than what Lea expected; it was salty and sweet at the same time. She let go of Mariana's mouth when she heard Mariana moan against her. She pulled her mouth away from Mariana's neck. Mariana's eyes were rolling back in her head. Lea gently slapped her face and smiled as Mariana's eyes dizzily focused on her. "You said you'd die for me." She said. "Didn't you?"

        Mariana nodded weakly. Her lips were dried and her face was pale. She looked at Lea and closed her eyes tightly shut. "Lea!" She whispered; she was dying.

        "Well, this is like dying; but then its like living too." Lea took her own wrist into her mouth and bit a piece of the flesh off. The blood gushed from the small wound. She placed her wrist on Mariana's mouth. Mariana shook her head; she didn't want the blood. But as soon as she had that small taste of it, she took a hold of Lea's wrist with her hands and began to suck on it.

        Lea felt an ecstasy very much like the one she felt when Lisa made love to her. She was aware that Mariana's body began to gain that unnatural vampire strength and she tried to pull away. Mariana was now the one who held Lea up. She kept on taking the blood from Lea as Lea frantically tried to free herself. She succeeded; she grabbed Mariana by the waist and pulled her to herself again, sinking her fangs into her neck again.

        Mariana cried out as she felt Lea's fangs on her neck. She wrapped her arms around Lea's neck as she felt the blood leaving her body again; the vampire hunger was already tearing at her. Lea pulled away from Mariana's neck; her head was resting on Lea's shoulder and as she felt Lea pull away, she sunk her own new baby fangs into her neck again.

THEY lay like in Mariana's bed like this, in bliss. For hours, they took each other's blood. Lea took from Mariana as Mariana took from her. In Lea's arms, Mariana fell into that deep vampire slumber. Lea looked into her now peaceful sleeping face. In awe, she felt Mariana's body begin to harden into a vampire's body; and she watched it begin to pale. And now she knew why Lisa was so fascinated with her when she became a vampire.

        CHAPTER NINETEEN

LUCY lifted her head up to meet Lisa's eyes. They were in Lisa's home, sitting on the kitchen, silently talking to each other. She knew that Lisa felt the same jolt at the heart. Another vampire was made, and they knew who it was. Lisa smiled at Lucy, her eyes glistening. Lucy smiled in return.

        "Mariana doesn't like us very much," Lucy said with a laugh. "Remember?"

        Lisa shrugged. "She'll have to learn, won't she?" She said, smiling.

        "Should we be worried?" Lucy asked softly.

        Lisa shook her head and laughed softly. "Mariana is of no real danger to us." She answered. Suddenly, almost too quickly for Lucy to follow, her expression changed. Lisa always had this way of changing her moods and facial expressions too fast for any one to follow. But Lucy was already used to this. "Whom we should worry about is that human girl." She whispered. "I can never hear her thoughts." She frowned, deep in thought. "She deliberately shuts us out."

        Lucy nodded. She could feel the passionate dislike for Leslie Anne Robilland that Lisa had. "All I can get from her is the desire to have our power." She frowned, standing. "But let's forget about her for a while and lets go get Leandra. She's at Mariana's house. Plus," She said, lifting her finger to make a point. “Mariana must be very hungry."

        Lisa nodded, standing up. They walked outside through the back door. "Shall we go by land?" She asked jokingly. "Or shall we go by air?" Lucy laughed out loud and pointed up towards the sky. "After you, madam." Lisa said, her musical laughter rang out through the silent night.

LEA had fallen asleep right after Mariana had. She woke up with a start, sensing that something not human was outside Mariana's window. She lifted her head up and looked at it, realizing that Lisa and Lucy were looking in at her. Lea watched as the window slid open by itself and both old vampires climbed into the room. She was suddenly afraid.

        "Nothing to be afraid of, child." Lucy said softly. She walked towards the bed and looked down at Mariana's unmoving form. Her eyes met Lisa's and then she looked Lea again. "Good work, Lea." She commended, her eyes returned to Mariana. "She's a beautiful vampire."

        Lea let out a breath she hadn't realized she had been holding. "You mean, its okay?" She asked shakily.

        "Of course." Lisa said. She walked towards the bed and stood next to Lucy. "Of course, she had a lot of contempt against us, and she might not be too proud to have become like us. But with time, she'll like it." She sat on the bed and reached out to touch Mariana's now glowing red hair, which was framed around her face, looking alive.

        Mariana's eyes flew open. She looked around and then her eyes focused on Lisa. Mariana let out a low inhuman cry and leapt backwards off the bed. Lisa was impressed at the strength of this newborn. "What are you doing here?" Mariana hissed. Her eyes, wide with fear, looked from Lisa to Lucy, and then to Lea. "What did you do to me?" She asked her with a small sob. She looked at her hands and arms. They were very pale. Then she looked down at her own naked body and realized it was as pale as her arms were. Mariana frowned, walking towards her dresser and looked into the mirror.

        She gasped, mesmerized. She couldn't believe what she saw. Like Lea, she saw through her reflection; she saw through herself her bed and the lighted lamp. "No!" She gasped, turning to look at Lea, who had been watching her closely. "What did you do to me?" She cried, falling to her knees.

        Lea walked to her side and kneeled next to her, wrapping her arms around her. She looked up at Lisa, who smiled encouragingly at her. "Mariana," Lea said softly, pulling Mariana up with her. Mariana's eyes looked into hers. 'You are like us now.' She continued into her mind. Their eyes were now locked together in the silent communication. 'You will like it after a while. It takes time to get over the revulsion you first feel.'

        Mariana cried out in despair. She looked at Lucy. "But I hated you!" She cried out loud.

        Lucy smiled softly. "Did you, really? Or was it that you were afraid of what we were?" She asked quietly.

        Mariana slowly pulled away from Lea, again looking down at her body for a long time. Her eyes were calm now; she looked back up at Lucy. "Afraid, I guess." She whispered uncertainly. "You kill innocents!" She said, vehement again.

        Lucy shook her head in negation. "No, we don't." She said, walking towards the bed and sitting on it. "We feed on the Scum," She said, her British accent thickened. "On the Killer, and the ones who don't care to live. Those are the ones we feed on."

        Mariana sighed. With her newly keen eyes, she took in the beauty of these three female vampires that stood with her in her room. With a feeling of calmness she realized that she was now one of them. That she would be part of them; she would do things with them. Then she realized that Lucy, who was smiling at her with tenderness, gave these thoughts to her. Suddenly, she felt the pangs of hunger very sharply. "I'm hungry." She said slowly, not yet willing to negotiate a peace treaty. Her eyes clouded over.

        Lucy laughed slowly. "Get dressed," She said, standing. "We're going to the city to hunt." When Mariana had finally finished dressing, Lucy took her hand and pulled her towards the window. She climbed out and held Mariana in her arms, flying high in the air towards the city. Mariana's eyes were on Lea, who came out after them; Lisa, who took her hand, followed her.

WATCHING Mariana's skill on taking a life was a shock to Lea. Lucy had pointed out a drug dealer; much like the one Lea had first fed upon. Only this one was a male. With their mind reading powers, the four vampires knew that this guy was a cold-blooded killer. That if he didn't get his way, he would just kill who ever was his obstacle; it didn't matter whether it was a child or a poor old person. Mariana's eyes were focused only on this man, who went by the name of Diablo. Lea could feel her fierce hunger.

        Realizing the she was beginning to grow fiercely hungry; Lea walked out into the street and walked the other way. Lisa followed her.

        "Where are you going?" Lisa's voice said from behind Lea.

        Lea turned to look at her. Lisa could see the hungry cloud in her eyes. Lea walked into Lisa's open arms. "I'm hungry." She sighed into her ear; her voice was expressionless with the hunger that consumed her.

        "Don't you want to see your Work of Art feed?" Lisa asked with a smile in her voice.

        Lea thought about it for a second. "Yes, I do." She answered smiling almost absently. They both walked back to where Lucy and Mariana were standing. Mariana's stance was that of a predator. Lea could read through her eyes her urge to go feed upon this bastard. It was the same fierceness she had seen in Lisa. Lucy whispered something into her ear and she walked out of the alley towards the man. Lucy pulled Lea and Lisa deeper into the alley and they watched, hidden in the darkness.

        Mariana was walking slowly up to Diablo. She whispered something into his ear and turned, walking back towards the alley where her new companions awaited. Diablo looked suspiciously up and down the street and quickly followed her. Lea could see the look of hunger in Mariana's eyes. As she walked back, Mariana looked into Lea's eyes. 'Thank you.' She sent out to her. There was a smile on her pale face. She went into the alley and walked past them. Lea followed her with her eyes.

        Mariana turned around and looked at the dealer, beckoning him to her. He walked up to her, wrapping his arms around her waist. She kissed his lips fiercely and slowly down moved to his neck. He moaned softly, letting his hand travel up her bare thigh. She kissed his neck softly before fiercely sinking her fangs into his vein. He cried out, pushing at her shoulders. She had his neck between her hands, sucking the blood as well as the life out of him. His mind cried out, How could it be? I'm not ready to die!

        Those same thoughts continued to echo in his mind as the life was leaving his limbs and eventually his whole body. Mariana dropped him to the ground and bowed her head. Her eyes rolled back in her head and Lea knew she was overwhelmed by the sounds of the city and its surroundings. She walked up to Mariana and wrapped her arm around her slim shoulders. "Just will the noises away." She whispered into her ear. "The blood is working on you, Mariana."

        Mariana sighed deeply, looking into Lea's eyes. Lea saw the red glow in her eyes, from the feeding. "Lea," Mariana whispered; her voice had that musical tone that vampires had. "This is overwhelming!" Those next words were a gasp. Lea could see that Mariana had stopped those sounds from reaching her ears, those sounds that at first had threatened to drive Lea mad.

        "Don't worry," Lisa said soothingly. "It'll pass." She grabbed Mariana's hand and squeezed it softly. "You already are an excellent and beautiful vampire." She smiled and shrugged. "Now your maker is very hungry," She said, glancing at Lea. Mariana looked up at Lea and realized that it was true. "Let's let her feed herself." Lisa walked away with Lucy, Mariana and Lea followed.

        "Why are you so happy?" Les asked.

        Lea laughed softly; Les sighed at the musical undertones of that laugh. "I have made a new vampire." She whispered into her ear.

        Les moved back to look into Lea's eyes. "You did what?" She saw an opportunity there. A foreign thought flashed into her mind: Young vampires were much easier to seduce, they were so hungry for blood. "Who was it?"

        Lea beamed proudly. "Mariana Vergara. She is my best friend and now my vampire child."

        "Really?" Les said softly, easily managing to sound cheerful. "I'm so happy for you..." She remembered that her father had some business with a Vergara family in Salem Town. Her father was an engineer for his own construction company, RCC- Robilland Construction Company. Mariana's father was a well-known architect who was sought after by the largest construction companies, Robilland Construction included. Les smiled to herself in satisfaction.

AS Lea left the school, she saw Lisa standing close by. She was looking at Lea, smiling. Lea walked up to her and took her in her arms, kissing her on the lips. Their tongues met briefly, causing their passions to arise. Lea suggested that they go to Lisa's house. Lisa declined. "There's some business Lucy and I need to tend to." She said, smoothing back Lea's unruly hair.

        "Can I come?" Lea asked.

        Lisa smiled softly. "It's not at all exciting like that other night." She explained.

        Lea smiled. "I still want to go." She said.

        "Look, I'm going to tell you a little about this business." Lisa whispered, her voice holding her eternal patience and love for Lea. "Lucy and I are going to meet with our brothers and sisters in Greenland. These will not see us if we bring an extra vampire, since we had agreed that Lucy and I would go by ourselves." She kissed Lea softly on the lips again. "Now, if you don't believe me, then you can come with us and see that I wasn't lying."

        Lea shook her head with a little scorn. "I trust you completely! I know you'd never lie to me." She said softly. Their eyes met. "When will you be back?" She asked.

        "You'll see me here in school tomorrow." Lisa replied. "We should be back sometime before dawn."

        They had kept contact as the years passed. He had his own colony of vampires in Greenland. But amongst the vampires, these weren't known as colonies; these were known as Tribes. "Where are the other brothers and sisters?" Lucy asked, sensing that the other vampires were far away, somewhere that Lucy couldn't identify due to the lack of blood. She hadn't fed for a few nights.

        Emanuel turned and looked at Lucy with tenderness, smiling. "They were in Paris, partying. They should be on their way back." He said, frowning as he noticed the neither Lisa or Lucy had fed. "Neither one of you has fed yet." He whispered. He turned abruptly, walking towards the door. "Come!" He said, walking through it. "I have a present for you." He called behind him. Lucy and Lisa looked at each other and shrugged, walking after Emanuel.

        Les laughed a rich and sensual laugh that reverberated through Lea's keen ears. "Didn't you see my parents downstairs?" She asked softly.

        "Why, yes." Lea replied uncertainly. "Yes, I did. I'm sorry I reacted this way," She apologized, sitting on the chair across from the bed. Her desire for Les was already tugging at her insides.

        Les sensed that Lea was ill at ease with her presence. She smiled. "Why don't you come sit here next to me?" She asked, patting the place beside her softly.

        Lea sighed; she couldn't resist looking at those long tanned legs any longer. She stood up and walked to the bed, sitting beside Les. Les moved closer, wrapping her arms around Lea's neck. Their lips met then their tongues. Lea's cold hand moved up Les' thigh, making goose bumps become erect. Les pushed herself on her back and pulled Lea along with her.

        Lea could very easily have declined; but she wanted this as much as ever, even if she didn't take Les' blood into herself.

"DADDY, you have business with Mariana Vergara's father?" Les asked her father. They had left Lea's house and where riding in the Robilland limousine. Les' sexual urges were completely satisfied by Lea's expert vampire lovemaking. She was still a little shaky, and her clitoris was still very sensitive.

        Michael looked at Jeanie with puzzled eyes. His eyes returned to Les'. "Well," He said, frowning in confusion. "I have business with Marcus Vergara, an architect that lives here in Salum Town."

        "I'm really good friends with Mariana, his daughter." Les said excitedly. "That's why I want you to take me to her house." When she saw her father's hesitation, she continued: "I'll call Omar to come pick me up." She smiled in satisfaction when her father said yes. She was always pampered and spoiled by her parents. She always got what she wanted. Always!

        "I'd like to see Mariana." Les said, walking past the short woman. "Tell her I am Leslie Anne Robilland."

        Just as the woman was about to turn to go towards the stairs, Mariana appeared at the top of them. Les gasped at the beauty of this newborn vampire. She had seen her many times in school, but as a human. She hid her awe like the perfect actress she was.

        Mariana's new vampire eyes were taking in the beauty of this spectacular looking human. She could smell her sex from where she was standing. There was a faint scent of her blood with it. Mariana tried to read her mind but found herself unable to.

        Maybe it just works on certain people, she thought naively. Smiling, she slowly descended the stairs. She turned serious as her eyes went to the maid. The maid scurried out of the living room and into the kitchen. Les sensed the power this new vampire already had on this woman. Mariana smiled again. "You're Lea's new friend." She said.

        Les nodded. "Yes," She replied, making her deep voice sensuous. "She always talks about you; so I got a little curious about you." Her eyes were on everything, as if admiring her surroundings.

        Mariana finally moved. "Come sit down." She said.

        Les shook her head. "Why don't we go up to your room?" She suggested instead.

        Mariana's insatiable vampire hunger was quick to say yes for her. Upstairs, Les sat on Mariana's bed, looking directly at her. "You are very beautiful, did you know that?" She whispered softly.

        Mariana sat back at the head of the bed and smiled. "Thank you." She replied. Her eyes were clouding. She looked down at Les' cleavage. She was wearing a pink tight button down shirt, which was especially tight at the breasts. "You... are... very beautiful too." She found it hard to speak; her hunger was overwhelming her.

        Les beckoned Mariana to come to her. What is it about this girl that was so irresistible? Mariana thought. She leaned forward and went on her hands and knees towards her, her eyes clouded, inhuman. When Mariana reached her, Les wrapped her arms around her slim shoulders and pulled her on top of her. "Kiss me...." She whispered. Mariana responded, kissing her fiercely. Les loved the way these vampires kissed her! So hard and fierce, yet so tenderly careful of not breaking her with just a tender squeeze of their arms.

        Mariana felt shivers running up and down her body. She kissed her neck softly and moaned. She could feel the pulse of Les' blood against her lips. "Oh, God!" She gasped. And the next second, before she knew what she was doing, she bit into her neck.

        Les gasped as she felt Mariana's fangs sink into her neck. She was feeling an ecstasy like she never felt before. Her nails dug into Mariana's shirt. She moaned and moaned until she felt herself weakening and loosing consciousness.

        Mariana pulled away and looked at Les' pale and unconscious features. "Oh, shit!" She whispered, climbing off Les. 'I didn't mean to do this!' She thought frantically. "Oh, God! I can't let her die. This is not her fault." She mumbled, walking back and forth in her room. The sound of Les' heartbeat was weakening; her gaze was blank as she stared up at the ceiling. Mariana sighed with guilt and quickly went to Les, bending over her. "Listen to me," She said, making Les look at her; her gaze was unfocused on Mariana. "I can't let you die, Leslie. I have to bring you into this. Do you understand?" Les nodded only slightly, a human wouldn't have seen the movement. Without another word, Mariana picked her up with one arm and with her nails, she opened a wound on her own neck.

        As the first drops of the vampire blood entered her mouth, Les felt overwhelming warmth between her thighs. And the gushing fountain came, filling her mouth; she wrapped her arms around Mariana's neck and pulled her tighter to her. Mariana gasped, feeling the same warmth between her thighs; she could feel Les' body hardening. She pulled Les away from her and sunk her fangs into her again. Les gasped, arching her hardening body against Mariana's. And then again, it was Les' turn to take the blood. They continued like this for a long time, until they fell into a deep slumber in each other's arms.

WHEN Les woke from the slumber, Mariana woke minutes after her. Leslie was sitting in front of the mirror, staring at herself in awe. She didn't seem the least bit afraid. With the tip of her fingers, she touched her newly sensitive skin. She saw Mariana sit up on the bed. "I am like you now." She whispered.

        Mariana stared at her, nodding. "Are you okay?" She asked softly.

        Les laughed a deep and resonant twinkle. "Of course!" She said, standing and walking towards her clothes. She bent down and picked them up; she slipped on her panties and her bra.

        "You can't leave," Mariana said, watching her get dressed. "We have to see Lucy and Lisa about this."

        Les turned to look at her, laughing. "No, we don't." She had already slipped all her clothes on. She walked towards the window and opened it. Her eyes looked into Mariana's and smiled. "Now.... How do I do this?" She asked. She caught the answer in Mariana's mind before Mariana even had a chance to veil her thoughts. Les' eyebrows arched in irony. "You want to hide things from me." She said, laughing. "Thank you anyway." She blew her a kiss and jumped out the window.

        Mariana ran towards the window and looked out into the night. She could see Les' tiny figure in the sky.

        That's when she realized she had made a big mistake.

        She was back up in the air when she realized that there was a specific human walking through the streets of Salum City, when she heard the beating of the heart, and the sweet thoughts in the mind. She smiled to herself and went down towards the ground.

SCARLETTETETE was walking down Archibald Boulevard towards her apartment. She had just left her job at K-MART at Salum. It was already one o'clock in the morning, and the streetlights had automatically shut off. She began to walk faster. There were other people strolling up and down the boulevard, but she still didn't feel secure.

        "Excuse me," A soft musical voice said from behind her. Scarlette jumped, turning around with a start. The voice belonged to a girl, a girl much shorter than Scarlette's five-foot-seven-inches of height. Still, Scarlette didn't trust this small, red haired girl.

        "Yes?" She asked crossly. The girl was looking at her with gleaming blue eyes.

        Leslie smiled in the darkness. Her new fangs flashed out for an instant. She took in the young woman's brown hair and eyes. The pink luscious lips were drawn in fear. Les could taste her blood already. "I just moved into this city, and I don't know my way home." She said, making her voice sound innocent. "Could you help me?"

        "Do you have any parents?" Scarlette asked, looking into her purse for a quarter so that this girl could call her parents.

        Les looked down at the ground. "No."

        Scarlette looked up and down at the girl, studying her attire. She seemed to be of a very rich background. "Anybody take care of you?" She asked her, she was beginning to feel like running away.

        "No." Les replied, she added tears to the word.

        Scarlette took out a quarter and gave it to Les. "Call somebody you might know." She walked backwards and when she thought Les wasn't going to follow her, turned around and began to quickly walk away. Before she knew what was happening, she felt a strong arm wrap itself around her waist. A small hand covered her mouth before she could scream in terror. She felt herself being helplessly pulled towards an alley between two buildings.

        Les put her mouth by the woman's ear. "If you scream, I'll break your neck." She whispered fiercely. "Understood?" Scarlette nodded and Les uncovered her mouth. "What's your name?" She asked.

        "Scarlette." Scarlette gave a whispered reply; her voice shook with fear.

        "Like blood," Les whispered, and her mouth watered and her eyes closed softly as her hunger rose like a tide. "Red, hmmm."

        Scarlette felt tears run down her cheeks. "What are you going to do me?" She cried out.

        Les pondered for a moment. "Experiment a little." She said casually. She looked up at the sky and was quickly off the ground, Scarlette in her arms.

        Les looked directly into her eyes as she walked down the aisle to take the seat beside Leandra. Lea could feel the silent, tumbling confusion of the other present vampires. For one, Les did not belong in this class. And how could this new vampire have been made without the consent and supervision of Lucy, or without their own knowledge. They hadn't felt that jolt of the heart. They looked at Lea for answers; she was the closest new vampire to Lisa and Lucy. Lea let them know that she had no idea herself, she was as shocked as they were.

        Everyone watched as Les sat down, as if nothing were wrong. She crossed her legs, placing a hand over the pale exposed skin. "Hello," She whispered to Lea.

        Lea frowned. "How-" She began, but she couldn't find words to hide her surprise.

        Les threw her head back, laughing softly. "Want to take a guess?" She asked.

        Lea was in complete shock. "Who?" She gasped.

        Les laughed again. "Your little vampire child." She said, mocking her. "Who would have ever thought?" She placed her hand over her mouth, as if in shock. She stood up; her eyes shone with a mischievous gleam. "I have to go." She said and walked back up the aisle and out of the classroom, waving at the other present vampires with a smile on her face. Everyone looked after her in shock, the teacher included.

"HOW could you?" Lea growled, grabbing Mariana by the arms. She could see Mariana felt very guilty, but she couldn't contain her anger.

        Mariana tried to pull away from Lea's grasp. "I didn't know what to do!" She gasped. "Let me go!" They were in the hallway. As soon as the bell had rung, Lea had run out to find Mariana, who was by the bathrooms. Mariana felt the eyes of many other vampires, which she knew felt the same way Lea did: Bewildered and angry.

        "What's the matter?" Lucy's voice disrupted Lea.

        Lea turned and looked directly into Lucy's eyes. Lucy looked right back into hers and saw what was happening. As she was allowed to see more and more, her face became flushed with rising anger. She looked at Mariana and then she looked away. Suddenly, she punched the wall; her hand slipped right through the brick. Due to the swiftness of her blow, no human heard, saw or felt the trembling of the structure that Lucy caused; only the immortals felt it with their keen senses. She pulled her arm out and leaned against the wall. Her face had softened into a blank mask, as if that display of anger had flushed her enough.

        Her eyes went to Lea and she smiled. "Now, child," She said soothingly. "There is a way to get out of this. All I have to do is terminate her." She thought for a while, then looked at Mariana and smiled gently. "Don't feel bad, child. I could see she tricked you. She is very clever. She could have tricked you too, Lea, had we not warned you. We made the mistake of not warning Mariana. Come, let's go find Lisa." She wrapped her arms around Mariana and Lea and walked, pulling them along. "Not now, vampires." She whispered softly, speaking to the bewildered vampires. "I will call upon you all sometime soon."

LISA was sitting on the front steps, deep in thought. Lucy sat down beside her and then silently sent her thoughts to her. Lisa's face darkened with anger; both young vampires could feel her anger like a thick pulse in the air. They could feel the silent connection that Lucy and Lisa were making.

        Lisa stood, walked the rest of the steps down and went towards her car. Lucy followed. "Lisa," Lucy said aloud. "You are not going to do anything!" Her British accent thickened with impatience. "Stop, right this second!"

        Lisa's pace slowed to a stop. She didn't turn around though. "Let's go to my house." She said quietly. "It's true; we need to think about this for a while."

        They all walked quietly towards Lisa's car. Once in, Lisa drove the car out of the parking lot. By the time they reached the house, Lisa's anger had dissipated. She reassured Mariana that she really was not angry with her. It's just that this situation could have been avoided.

        "What I don't understand," Lea whispered, climbing out of the car. "Is why none of us felt this thing you call jolt in our hearts."

        Lucy climbed out of the car and slammed the door shut. "Leslie Robilland is pure evil." Lucy said as an explanation. "She is what you call a loner." She walked through the already opened door and walked into the living room. Lea followed, sitting with her on the couch. Mariana sat on the floor with her legs crossed, looking up at Lucy. "Only when we wish for someone to be a vampire, we feel that jolt of the heart."

        "Surely you can kill her?" Mariana asked.

        "Maybe… maybe not." Lucy said, deep in thought.

        "But you said all you had to do was kill her!" Lea said, becoming alarmed.

        Lucy smiled softly. "Yes, I did. Didn't I?" She said softly. "Well, this is the situation: There are a very few of us who were born Truly Immortal. I was one of those, you see; it would take an infinite amount of trying to destroy me. Lisa was gifted with the same luck. Now, I don't know if this new vampire child was born Truly Immortal. I don't know yet if either one of you were born into vampires with our luck or not." Lucy stood up abruptly and slowly walked towards the kitchen, where Lisa was already sitting at the table. Lea and Mariana exchanged puzzled frowns and followed Lucy.

        "Now, if this child wasn't born with Lisa's or my luck, she is still very clever. She may find a way to survive my attacks against her. Marco wasn't clever enough or gifted. He was almost powerful enough, but not clever enough." She smiled up at Lisa. "She was able to veil her thoughts even from me," She laughed, pointing to herself. "Me!"

        Lisa giggled. At Lea and Mariana's shocked expressions, she said: "Better that we take this lightly." Their laughs made Mariana and Lea laugh along with them. Their self-confidence soon became theirs also. Sounds outside made them stop with a start. Lea looked up at Lucy, catching a brief glimpse of her thoughts: She was annoyed at having been startled like that.

        Lucy walked towards the back door and opened it, stepping out. The others followed her. Lea gasped. Les was standing about a hundred feet away from them, another young vampire behind her. Lea studied the new vampire with wonder; she was no more than a day old. She seemed reluctant to be there at all. Lea caught her name from her mind: Scarlette. Very beautiful and tall, her curly brown hair moved onto her face with the push of the winds. Her brown eyes shone with that vampire light. Lea's eyes moved to Les, who looked at them with a smirk on her face.

        "Hello." She said softly, her voice seemed to musically travel with the wind.         Lucy cocked her head. "Hello." She said courteously, her British background taught her the manners of greeting someone, even the most despicable.

        Les smiled with amusement. "I want you to meet my companion," She said, smiling. "Though I must tell you, there will be more." There was no fear in her blue eyes. She turned her gaze on Lea, smiling. "You should come with me," She said to her with the sweetest of voices, though her eyes didn't say the same. "If you're smart." She looked at Mariana, smiling softly. "I thank you very much." She said mockingly. "I would spare you a lot of suffering if you come with me now."

        Mariana's hand grabbed Lea's. "I go nowhere with you." She hissed, her teeth clenched.

        Les laughed. She suddenly floated up in the air. "I told you," She warned. "Don't say I didn't." And she was gone, high up in the air.

        Mariana went up behind Lucy, grabbing her shoulder. "Why don't you go after her?" She demanded.

        Lucy looked at her. There was a frown on her beautiful violet eyes. "Because she is Truly Immortal." She whispered. "I could tell already... It's going to be very hard to get rid of her." She lowered her head.

        "But why are you going to let her make more?" Lea asked, stepping up close behind Mariana.

        "Leave her to think." Lisa said to both Lea and Mariana, pulling them away. They couldn't resist; Lisa was too strong for them. They went inside the house while Lucy remained outside to think. Lisa motioned both young vampires to sit at the table. She stood by the window and looked out. Her face was unreadable and so was her mind. Lea looked up at her, wondering if this would ever get out of hand. "It's already started to get out of hand." Lisa said softly.

        Mariana dropped her head down on her crossed arms. "This is all my fault." She sobbed.

        Lisa walked towards the table and sat down; her eyes were sad. She placed her hand on Mariana's head. "No, it is not your fault." She said soothingly. "It's no one's fault. I admit, we've never had situations like this before. No one has ever been able to outsmart us like that." Her voice took a sad tone. Lea and Mariana looked at her with sadness also.

        Lucy walked into the kitchen, taking a seat at the table also. Her eyes were wild and Lea could tell she was very upset. She grabbed her head with her hands as if to keep it steady. Her eyes looked at everything but the vampires in front of her. "Call the others." She whispered to Lisa.

        Lisa stood and closed her eyes. Lea and Mariana could feel the strong beckoning vibrations that Lisa was sending out to the vampires. They felt compelled to go to her all of a sudden, but they knew that this silent call was only to the far away vampires of Salum. Lea heard them arriving, felt them all near.

        Lucy stood and walked up to the window. She looked at Lisa and smiled softly. "Well done." She whispered, amused. She opened the door and walked out of the kitchen, Lisa and the others followed. Lea gasped at the sight in front of her. She calculated about two hundred or more vampires standing on the backyard. She watched as Lucy half-bowed in greeting; they half bowed also. "Brothers, Sisters..." She whispered in greeting. "As you all may well know, we are going through some trial times. A lot of us found out at The School today that there was a clandestine birth into our world."

        She stopped as the astonished whispers broke out of the crowd, some hadn't known. "Please," She said, her voice rose over the voices of the crowd; their eyes were contemptuously studying Mariana. Lucy lifted her hands up to appeal to the crowd; she turned her head slightly to look at the frightened Mariana. "You must be silent." The voices subsided. "This child had no fault in what happened. She is only a naive young vampire who fell for this vampire's charms. Many of our new ones would have fallen to the same fate." Mariana sighed in relief as the crowd's mood softened.

        "Why don't we just kill her?" A male vampire with yellowish eyes asked. The crowd murmured agreements.

        Lucy nodded, smiling. "Do it," She whispered. Everyone shut up. "Go ahead." She made a quick gesture. "Try."

        Lisa stepped forward and looked at the vampire that had asked the smart question. He looked back at her with obvious tenderness. Lea felt a strong pang of jealousy; she frowned. Lucy turned and looked at her, smiling softly. Lea put her head down, embarrassed. When she looked back up, Lisa's smiling eyes were on her also. She turned back to the crowd and smiled again. "Try it," She said. "We will honor who ever kills her."

        "You are talking as if you couldn't do it yourselves." Another vampire, a black haired female, said from the middle of the crowd. Her eyes were black also, but very dim. Lea could tell she was very old; no older than Lisa was, though.

        "Oh, trust me," Lisa said, smiling softly. Her dimpled, beautiful smile tended to calm the most agitated. "We will try." She remained silent for a few seconds and looked at all the present vampires, sending a silent message to all present: Now go home, or feed, and relax. We are going to have a long next few days.

        As they all left, Lea decided that she should leave also. Lisa looked at her and smiled softly. "Lea, stay with me." She said softly.

        Lea looked down and shook her head. "I have to go home." She whispered, uneasily. She wanted to stay, but she wanted to go also. The way that vampire had looked at Lisa, the love in his eyes. Lea saw in his mind that Lisa and he had been lovers a long time ago, but only for a short period of time. But he still loved her as if they were still together.

        Lisa read this in Lea's mind. She smiled softly with understanding. "Go ahead," She whispered. "Go on home, I'll see you tomorrow." She walked up to her and smiled. Then her gaze grew intense and she whispered: "I love you." She kissed Lea's lips softly and gently slipped her tongue into her mouth. She felt Lea breathe against her, then she slowly pulled away. "Go on."

        Lea nodded slowly. Lisa let her go and walked backwards, smiling tenderly. She waved, turned around and walked into the house.

Continued in part IV