

The Aslaric Vampire

By: David Weaver

**The Aslaric Vampire**

David Weaver

Copyright David Weaver 2014

Published SBR Publications at Smashwords

This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organization, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead is purely coincidental.

LCCN:

ISBN:

Cover Design/ Graphics:

Author: David Weaver

Typesetting: David Weaver

Consulting: LaKiesha Weaver

Editing: Tina Nance

Copyright 2011 by David Weaver. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without permission from the publisher, except by reviewer who may quote brief passages to be printed in a newspaper or magazine.
PROLOGUE

1899, England

Bristol was outside enjoying nature when it happened.

"Get in here Bristol. Now!"

She looked up from her garden and saw her father running towards the house at a frantic pace. She didn't have a clue what was going on, but could sense that something was wrong. She quickly abandoned her flowers and ran into the house to find out what the issue was.

In the house, her father was hunched over a chair, as if he was in deep pain. Her mother was standing with her hands on her hips trying to figure out what was going on as well.

For a moment, Bristol's father didn't say a word. He just stood there and took deep breaths. Bristol knew that it was definitely serious. He always grew quiet when he was in the deepest of thought.

Finally he spoke.

"They're coming after us right now! I was at the court earlier and got into a conflict with the Duke of Shulzzington. He accused us of being vampires and claimed that he had witnesses that could tie us to at least 4 murders. Susan, someone has been watching us!"

Bristol tensed. The Duke of Shulzzington was a live-wire, and once he was convinced of their guilt; there would be no way to prove their innocence. He would certainly go to the Chief Inspector and demand their arrest and the court would waste no time convicting them and sentencing them to death by hanging. Of course, hanging would hardly kill them, but Bristol didn't want her secrets exposed to the public. If the public learned that they were really vampires, there would surely be hell to pay...for everyone.

Susan looked at her husband with concern.

"What does this mean Eric?"

Eric sat down on a wooden chair. He crossed his legs and yawned. His nonchalant attitude put both Bristol and Susan at ease. They knew that if he didn't have a plan, he would pace the floor until he had one.

"It means nothing actually. They're on their way. The village people, and the Bobbies; it seems that they have finally found a common purpose to unite them. If those fools would just realize that the Duke cares nothing about them, and just uses them to further his own agenda, he would have much bigger problems on his hands than us!"

"Eric... the Chief Inspector will want to hang us for this! What are we to do?"

Eric took out his pipe and lit his tobacco. He took a few puffs and let the smoke float through the air.

"Eric! Why are you playing with the one thing that could kill you? Are you mad? Tobacco? Really, what utter nonsense! Have you forgotten that fire actually can kill us? What are you thinking?"

Sighing heavily, Eric put out the pipe and set it down on the coffee table.

"You really worry too much, my dear." He said to Susan

Susan and Bristol both just stood there, baffled. They had no idea what Eric was talking about, but they were confident that it would be a brilliant plan once he clued them in on the details. They trusted Eric wholeheartedly. He had never led them wrong and was always getting them out of situations that seemed impossible.

As soon as Eric opened his mouth to speak, a wooden log burst through one of the front windows.

"They're here."

"My God Eric, what are we going to do? I'm frightened. What will they do to us?"

Eric stood up without saying a word and walked to the kitchen. He looked out of the window and evaluated the size of the crowd with a single glance. There were at least1800 people in his front yard, and he knew that he would have to use this to his advantage to get him and his family out of this situation.. He went outside to his porch and stood staring at the crowd. He wasn't angry that people had spread rumors that reached the Duke; he was angry because the Duke had brought the Bobbies with him. The Chief Inspector was present along with some of the most influential individuals in the county. However, Eric knew that it wouldn't be a problem persuading them. And once he had convinced them of their innocence, the villagers would be satisfied as well, that they were a normal family.

The Chief Inspector held up his hand and the crowd instantly quieted down. Bristol and Susan both walked outside and stood behind him as they quietly waited for the inquest to begin. Bristol was nervous, but Susan and Eric were angry.

The Chief Inspector began to speak.

"It has been brought to my attention that you are a family of vampires. Is that true?"

As soon as he asked that question, a burst of murmurs erupted from the crowd behind him. The level of excitement and energy from the crowd was amusing to Eric. He could clearly see the delight in their eyes as they anticipated the family's demise. He found a certain irony in their blood thirstiness.

"Sir," Eric answered with a burst of authority. "We are not vampires."

The noise level increased as the crowd started back with their frantic murmuring. The outside of their house began to sound like a cricket match. The Chief Inspector raised his hand again and the crowd instantly quieted.

"Very well then sir... perhaps you will agree to endure a series of tests to prove to the public that you are not vampires?"

Eric could hear the tension in the Inspector's voice as the Duke exited his carriage and joined the Inspector.

"No Dad." Bristol said to him. He turned around and looked at her and Susan and smiled.

"There is nothing that they can do to me, nothing they can do to us. Relax you two."

"Excuse me sir, are you ready for the first test?" The Duke interrupted while Eric was trying to comfort his family.

"Yes, please proceed."

With a gleam in his eye, the Duke retrieved a bag from his valet and opened it. "Come over here sir. For the first test, I will pour this holy water over your head. If you are who you say you are; then God bless you. But if you're not, you will disappear under the demon cleansing powers of the holy water."

Eric walked up to the Duke and bowed his head awaiting the first "test."

He emptied the container of Holy Water onto Eric's head, and waited. The crowd went wild and began to cheer as they just knew that he was a vampire and at any moment he would dissolve into an evil puddle. However, Eric just stood there, drenched in Holy Water, smiling at the Duke. Then the Duke grabbed a cross and hung it around Eric's neck. Eric glanced down at the cross and smiled again.

"Thank you. I really like this gift."

The Duke's face turned tomato paste red, and the crowd that was once so frantic and restless behind him; was now in complete silence.

Eric stood in triumph. He was an Aslaric Vampire, one that had a completely separate DNA makeup than the normal vampire. There was nothing that could harm him except fire. Slowly, the people at the back end of the crowd turned around and began to walk off of his property. When the people in the back started leaving, it cleared the way for the middle of the crowd to disperse as well.

The Chief Inspector shot a frown of disgust at the Duke for giving him bad advice and wasting everyone's time. Now he would be a laughingstock for participating in such foolishness. The villagers already held contempt for the police and this debacle certainly did not help matters.

The Duke held his head down refusing to meet the Inspector's eyes. He felt like a fool, as if he was the victim of the public humiliation that he had intended for this family. Keeping a stiff upper lip, the Duke thanked the Chief Inspector for his time as the driver started turning the carriage around so that they could exit the premises.

Suddenly, Eric spoke up.

"Wait a minute! You have the audacity to come onto my property and accuse me of being something I'm not, make a fool out of me and my family and then just leave when you're wrong? You must make this situation right!"

The Duke shot a look of alarm at his assistant, but his assistant simply raised his eyebrows in response.

"Sir, how do you propose we make this right?"

Eric stood and pondered his question for a moment. He actually didn't know what to request; he simply wanted to deter the Duke and the Chief Inspector from thinking that they could just walk all over him and his family at will and at no cost. He looked back at his family and was suddenly encouraged.

"Sir, my wife would like a new home, a new wardrobe, a carriage, gold; and some land to build a proper farm. My daughter would like much of the same; however she would also need some additional compensation in order to go and study abroad. There is no way that she can go to University after this scenario. She'll undergo ridicule and depression and I-"

"If I didn't know any better sir, I would think to call you a con man."

"Well I'm glad that you know better. I am simply a man who wants better for my family after the hurtful ordeal they have just endured. All you would have to do is put yourself in my place and you would know that I am sincere."

"I understand. I will have my assistant put together a nice package for you in the next day or so. It should be fair enough compensation."

"Thank you, I will look forward to your correspondence."

"Don't mention it. And I mean that."

After putting a safe distance between them and Eric's property, the valet spoke up.

"I too have seen that man and woman attack someone in the middle of the night. Before, I couldn't put a face to it, but now that I am seeing them up close; I am certain that those are the people."

The Duke sharply retorted, "What good is the heat of the night when there is no proof in the light of day? I say that you put together a package well enough so that they can exit our country. They are certainly not welcome to stay here. That family needs some sunlight; they are definitely the palest group of people that I have ever seen in my life."

The valet nodded his agreement.

"I agree Your Grace. They are certainly pale. It's almost like they're not human. Almost like sunlight has never been absorbed into their skin. Something is definitely wrong."

The Duke rode along in silence on the way back to his estate while he thought about his valet's statement. He knew that he would have to get that family out of there immediately for the good of the county and quite possibly the entire country. There was just no room for outcasts of that magnitude.

CHAPTER 1

2011, Georgia

Knock-knock-knock-knock.

"Marvin! Answer the door"

"I'm doing my homework Mom!"

"Fine... I'll get it... I have to do everything in this house except eat your food. You're so lazy it's a shame."

His mother turned down the temperature on the stove and made her way to the door. She narrowed her eyes and looked though the peephole trying to see who her visitors were. Quickly, she backed away from the door and jogged to her son's room.

Without knocking, she burst right in.

"Mom!"

"Hush child. Keep your voice down. It's a white lady and a white man outside wearing business clothes. I think they're bill collectors. They may be here to tell us that we have to move out of this house. You know I'm behind on the mortgage."

Thinking quickly, Marvin responded, "O.K. Mom, stay in here. I'll go find out what they want."

Marvin's mother sat down in one of the chairs in her son's room. She was nervous because she knew that if they had to move, they would have nowhere to go. She felt bad that she was unable to do a better job with the bills.

Marvin put down his American Literature notes and tied the laces on his knock-off Air Jordan high tops. He glanced at his mother's frightened face and felt sad that they had to struggle so much.

His father, Murphy died on the day he was born, and his mother instantly felt the financial and emotional burden weigh heavily on her shoulders.

"Marvin, please tell them that I'm not home sweetie..."

"Mom, don't even worry. I promise you, I'll handle it."

He squeezed his mother's hand to reassure her that everything was going to be alright. At the age of 17, Marvin was the man of the house and would protect his mother at all costs.

Before he opened the front door, he checked to make sure that his aluminum baseball bat was within reach in case he had to defend himself.

He opened the door.

"Hi! We're the Frosts and we're your new neighbors! I'm Eric Frost, and this is my wife Susan, and... how old are you? About 17 years old or so?"

Marvin blinked his eyes a few times, thinking his mind was playing tricks on him. The Frosts had to be the palest white people that he had ever seen in his life. And they were his neighbors? For the life of him, he couldn't understand why anyone would willingly move into the ghetto.

Moving out of the Benson Brown neighborhood was at the very top of everyone's list.

"Yes sir, Mr. Frost-"

"No, please... call me Eric."

"O.K... yes Sir Eric, I am 17 years old."

Susan said, "That's great! We have a daughter your age, her name is Bristol. Do you go to Cedar Hill High school?"

Marvin noticed that Susan's husband tensed up when she mentioned Bristol.

"Yes..."

"Well perhaps you can show her around tomorrow since she's new?"

Marvin found himself answering questions without even thinking. It was almost like he was in a trance of some sort.

"Sure... I'll show her around."

Susan and Eric both smiled at him. Eric's smile seemed forced, but he couldn't tell one way or the other. Their teeth were porcelain white and their eyes seemed to have changed from gray to green right in front of him.

"Are your parents home?"

He didn't know if his mother was prepared to meet them since she still had on her work clothes, but something wouldn't allow him to lie to them.

"Yes, my Mom is here, I'll go get her."

************************************

After Marvin finished his homework and ate dinner, he put on his basketball shorts and went outside to shoot around. It was a nightly routine for him to take a thousand jump shots so that he could wow the college scouts. He was the starting shooting guard for the Cedar Hill Varsity basketball team and desperately wanted to make it into the NBA.

It was dark outside, and the only illumination came from the moon and the old street light that had been around for years. He listened to the sounds of nature; the screaming of cicadas and the whispering breath of the slight wind's breeze. He was one of those guys who could smell rain coming, but tonight; he smelled nothing but the storm of the night's darkness.

He looked into the light of the moon and imagined that he was playing in a major spotlight. He looked into the trees and imagined that there was a sold out arena with people cheering him on. He always came out at the darkest of night because to him it brought him the brightest of life. He could dream.

He was dead set on being a major athlete, and there was nothing that could stop him from his passion. There were so many things that he wanted to do, and he was determined to finally take his mother out of the struggle. He knew that if anyone deserved better, it was his hard working mother.

He ran to the three point line and pulled up for a jumper. Swish! Nothing but net. He smiled because he knew he had a nice jump shot and there weren't many people he knew that could shoot like him, so his chances at making it to the big time were pretty good.

He retrieved the ball and ran full speed to the same spot, turned around and shot the ball again. This time, he had a little too much force on the ball. It bounced off of the rim and landed in his neighbor's yard.

Dang! He thought to himself.

Usually he would climb the rusty fence and get his basketball, but that was before the Frosts moved in. He knew that it would be rude to just trespass on their property, but it had gotten too late for him to go knocking on their door. It was almost 9 P.M. and he didn't want to disturb them for something so petty.

He knew he was quick, so he would use his speed to climb the fence and retrieve the ball before anyone would notice. The fence was about 7 feet tall and there were a few vines entangled in it, so he had to be careful so that he wouldn't get pricked by the thorns. Marvin scaled to the top of the fence, put his legs and body on the other side and leapt to the ground.

When he landed, a cloud of dust formed from his impact. It hadn't rained in Cedar Hills, GA in a month and a half, so the land was extra dry. It took almost 30 seconds for the stubborn dust to clear. He was temporarily immobilized from the lack of visibility.

When it finally cleared, however; the basketball was gone.

Must have rolled into the bushes, he thought as he squinted his eyes trying to see where the ball had gone. He took a couple of steps forward and stopped in his tracks.

Swish!

What in the world? He was baffled. He turned around and saw a girl in his backyard dribbling the basketball and smiling.

"Were you looking for this?"

She shot another jump shot. Swish!

Marvin climbed back across the fence and into his backyard, shocked and confused.

Swish! She was making herself at home in his backyard, and on his basketball court. He was momentarily angry, but he figured if his next door neighbor was a decent basketball player, he could at least get a good game in every now and then. Normally he just played against a set of invisible players. He stepped across the court and approached her.

"I guess you must be the new girl..."

"Can't get anything past you, huh? I do have a name you know..."

"What is your name then?" He said to her absentmindedly.

She giggled. "You already know my name, so tell me yours!"

Swish! The girl continued to bury her jump shots. She hit nothing but net every time she shot.

"You don't know if I know your name or not!" Marvin said in a defensive tone.

The girl chuckled to herself as she dribbled the ball around her back and between her legs. She handled the ball like she was a professional and shot it even better.

"Where did you learn how to shoot like that?" Marvin asked her with genuine curiosity.

She laughed again as she passed Marvin the basketball.

"I had a lottt of practice... now tell me your name."

He shot the ball and watched it bank in off of the backboard.

"My name is Marvin... I met your mother and father earlier, but where were you?"

Bristol frowned as if she was trying to remember something, then a dazzling smile exploded on her face without warning.

"Oh! I was getting some rest, we had such a long drive from Wisconsin!"

He passed the ball back to her and she caught it with one hand.

"Hey... you got a lot of game for a girl! Are you playing on the team this year? You'd be the MVP!"

She dribbled the ball rapidly, from one hand to the other, until she made her way up to Marvin. She looked in his eyes briefly, then pulled up and hit another jump shot.

"No, I'm not playing basketball for the school, I've won enough awards to last me 100 lifetimes."

Marvin smirked. "You're arrogant huh?"

Bristol gave an insulted look and shook her head. She went and sat on top of Marvin's outdoor table and watched Marvin continue his jump shooting routine. After about ten minutes, Marvin took a break and went to sit beside her.

"Your parents won't be mad at you for being outside so late will they? And on top of that, you're at a boy's house, so..."

Bristol was gazing at the trees in silence, as if she saw something that only she could see. She was in a trance, almost like she was watching a movie; but Marvin was feeling like she was the actor. He was looking in the same direction and didn't see a thing. He shook his head and looked at her curiously.

"No Marvin... they don't care. Besides, I'll be 18 years old in 5 months. I'll be grown!"

Marvin jumped up.

"5 months? That's when I turn 18!"

Bristol looked at him and smiled. "Maybe we can have a party together?"

Marvin shook his head. "I can't have a party with some girl! That would never be a cool thing to do."

Bristol gently jabbed Marvin on his arm.

"I'm not just some girl! I'm your next door neighbor, Bristol, and I could beat you in basketball without letting you score a point!"

Marvin dismissed her last statement and glanced at his cheap plastic watch.

"Well Bristol, it's getting late; so I'm about to go clean up and get ready for bed. You better do the same thing if you're going to attend school tomorrow."

Bristol got up and stretched. "You're right Marvin. Thanks. I am a little bit tired, I could use some more rest."

She turned to leave, but Marvin stopped her. "Hey! How did you get my basketball and make it over the fence while I was climbing it without me noticing?"

Bristol gave him her most engaging smile. Then, with a big grin on her face, she said, "I jumped over it!"

"Jumped over what? The basketball?"

She chuckled again. "No... I jumped over the fence."

Imagine that! A girl had the nerve to tell me that she jumped over a 7 foot fence. Craziness.

************************************

CHAPTER 2

It was 11:15 P.M. and Marvin had showered and laid his school clothes out for the following day. His wardrobe wasn't that extensive and certainly wasn't expensive. Most of the items in his closet came from Target, but he did his best to make his clothes look presentable.

He picked up his Scooby Doo telephone and called his friend, Patrick.

Patrick and Marvin had been best friends for the past 5 years and had the same goals and aspirations; to get their family out of the struggle. Patrick picked up on the first ring and spoke in a whisper.

"Whassup Marv?"

"What's up Pat? What's going on with you? I know you're not sleep?"

"Naw, I'm not sleep... I'm just over here relaxing."

"You can't relax without whispering on the telephone?" Marvin asked in an exasperated tone.

Patrick started laughing.

"Yo... that's not funny at all Pat... that sounds gay for you to be whispering on the phone like that."

Patrick started laughing even harder. "I have to whisper Marvin... I got Lucy over here sleep."

"Lucy who?!" Marvin was astonished that his friend had been able to get a girlfriend before him when Patrick didn't even play sports.

Patrick whispered, "Lucy Pellino. You know... the cheerleader?"

"Oh my... goodness... Lucy is the head cheerleader and she's the finest girl in the entire school! How did you manage to pull that off?"

"I'll have to tell you about it another time Marvin, but for now; just imagine me laying up with the most beautiful brunette Spanish girl you've ever laid eyes on."

Marvin stood up and started walking back and forth. If this information was true, it would mean that he was one of the only seniors left in high school who didn't have a girlfriend.

Even though he was a starter on the basketball team, he wasn't even as popular as the guys on the bench.

"Don't worry though Marv, you know Lucy is the leader of the Glossy Club. I can put in a word for you and get you hooked up with one of her members. All those girls... I can probably get you hooked up with that beautiful mixed girl Jazzebelle. Or Lucy's best friend, Allison the blonde."

"Dang, you'd do that for me?" Marvin asked, impressed that his friend would think to include him.

"Man you know I got you. I'll talk to her and see what's up."

Marvin couldn't help but smile. "Thanks man... you're a real friend."

"Oh, don't mention it, that's what friends are for. Seen-your class!"

"Hahaha! Seen-YOUR class! All day man.. all day... Oh! Before I forget... man we got some new neighbors today."

Patrick stood up.

"New neighbors? Somebody moved into Mr. Matthew's old haunted house?"

"Yep, the Frost family moved in today. They're from Wisconsin. Eric, Susan, and their 17 year old daughter Bristol."

This piqued Patrick's interest. He was no longer whispering, he was talking with full volume now.

"17 year old daughter? What does this Bristol chick look like?"

Marvin glanced out of his window and saw Bristol standing there staring at him. But when he blinked his eyes rapidly and refocused, she was gone.

"Uhhh... uhhh... dang... I must be seeing things... O.K., you say what does she look like?" Marvin was mumbling absentmindedly as he looked right and left trying to see if Bristol was really outside or not. Then he saw a plastic white grocery bag blowing across the yard and exhaled.

He figured that the grocery bag was what he saw and not Bristol.

"Oh... ummm..."

Patrick was starting to get impatient and was speaking with borderline irritation in his voice. "Marvin! What is wrong with you?! You just saw a ghost or something? What does Bristol look like!?"

Marvin rubbed his eyes and sat down on his bed. "Naw Pat, I was just getting a little tired, that's all. But yea... she looked good! She's pretty... you know the typical... the tv star /supermodel look."

"Supermodel? Your neighbor is a supermodel!!?"

Marvin frowned as if Patrick could see him over the phone.

"I said, she looks like a supermodel Patrick. Looks like one."

"What's the difference?" Patrick was getting excited about a new supermodel look alike being Marvin's neighbor. "Hey Marv, you need to get to that girl before someone else gets her man. You know fresh meat doesn't last long around Cedar Hill's vultures."

Marvin shook his head and sighed. "Even if she did become my girlfriend, once she realizes I'm not that popular, she's going to dump me. So... I think I'll just save myself the embarrassment. You know?"

"No I don't know! Your self esteem is a problem Marvin. You need to work on that!"

"Hey, I think I hear my Mom calling me man. I'll talk to you later."

Patrick exhaled noisily. "Your mother works the late shift with my mom man. So there is no way she is calling you when she just picked up my mom a few minutes ago-"

Dial Tone.

Marvin had to hang up on Patrick to prevent him from giving him one of his long lectures. He hated doing that to his friend, but he didn't need help with his self-esteem. It wasn't his opinion of himself that was unpopular; it was everyone else's opinion.

He walked over to his desk to check and make sure all of his homework was done. He had developed a habit lately of skipping questions and forgetting to come back and answer them. He knew that if he wanted to make it to the NBA, he first needed to make it to college. And no college was going to give him a scholarship if he couldn't pass high school.

After double checking, he secured the clasp on his notebook and turned off the lights. The full moon's shadow illuminated the room through Marvin's window, even though the moon itself wasn't visible.

The tall pine trees obstructed Marvin's view as he lay in the bed and stared. He thought about how it must feel to be a tree, to only have the lifelong responsibility of growing tall to provide shade.

He then thought about his strange new neighbor. She was indeed beautiful, smart, and talented, which meant that she would instantly be one of the most popular girls in the high school. Girls that perfect never had time for dudes like him, he thought as he finally dozed off to sleep.

************************************

CHAPTER 3

The Frosts were a family of vampires labeled as Aslaric. The Aslaric vampires had been around for a few thousand years, and were an evolution of the traditional vampire. Over the course of history, the traditional vampires had been dodging sunlight, crosses, garlic, holy water, and potential captors.

The Aslaric vampires had corrected DNA strands and the elements that were a threat to the traditional vampire didn't affect them. They could withstand up to 9 hours of sunlight before their skin started to burn. Aslarics still required the vital life energy from blood, but only needed it twice a week to survive.

They could drink a pint of blood from a person without killing or harming them... unless they got carried away.

This was part of the reason that the Frosts had picked up and relocated to Cedar Hills, GA.

************************************

After Eric Frost had been exposed to sunlight for 10 hours one day, his throat and entire body felt as if it was on fire. He was living under the name of Randy Sanchez and was working as a construction worker.

After his 8 hour shift was over, he immediately dropped his tools, ready to head home. It was bad enough that he had to be in the sunlight 2 hours before he started working that day. When he turned to leave, his boss was standing in his path, fuming.

"And just where do you think you're going?"

Eric hadn't fed in four days and the extended exposure to sunlight was making him weaker and weaker.

"I'm going home. You know I never work overtime sir."

His boss was not an understanding man. "But I told you that I needed you to work overtime today, so if you don't do it, you can forget about coming back to work for this company ever again pal!"

At first Eric was relieved. He didn't need the job to support his family, because he had been saving money and investing for 242 years and had millions of dollars in assets. The only reason he worked was so that he could blend in with society.

"Well that's fine sir, I will just leave now."

But the boss took it a step further. "And... I will call the cops and tell them that you're in the United States without a green card. You're an illegal immigrant!"

Even though it wasn't true, it was what he had told his boss when he was asked for identification. Eric knew he couldn't afford to bring attention to himself and his family, so he did what he had to do to keep them protected.

Susan and Bristol were the loves of his life, the only reason for him to look forward to living even after hundreds of years. The only instinct he had at the time was to protect them. So, he drained his boss like a bathtub, drained him until his heart started sputtering like a lawn mower running out of gas.

When that lawn mower stopped working, only then did he stop feeding.

************************************

It was midnight and the Frosts were wide awake watching the Health Channel. A doctor was performing open-heart surgery on TV, and for the Frosts, it was like watching a cooking show. Eric and Susan were salivating, but Bristol was disgusted.

She had been a vampire for as long as she could remember, and now over 200 years later, she was sick of it. She despised herself because she couldn't grow old, couldn't have kids, couldn't get married, couldn't have sex or fall in love; couldn't be human.

"Mom," she said in her most innocent voice, "what does it feel like to be in love?"

Susan and Eric both had disturbed looks on their faces. Eric said, "I'll handle this Susan."

He turned the television off and stood up in front of Bristol.

"Don't even think about trying to fall in love! You must remember the promise we made to our Lord Aslar! He promised us eternal life and immortality if you remained a virgin in body and spirit for 225 years!

He promised us protection! He promised that we'll be able to bear children forever! And you promised him that you would sacrifice yourself for this family! You told Lord Aslar that you would save yourself in purity only for him.

Bristol, we only have five more years to go sweetheart, so just hold on. You've done so much for our family, and we will be forever proud of you. We love you and you love your family... Is that not good enough?"

Eric went and sat down beside his daughter and held her hand. "Is our love not enough Bristol?"

Bristol looked away quickly, and then gathered herself. "Yes father, my family's love is all that I need."

She squeezed Eric's hand and smiled at her mother. A sense of reassurance entered the home immediately.

Bristol loved her parents dearly and never wanted to hurt them, so she just accepted whatever decisions they made. She knew how bad her father wanted to remain immortal; so she had refrained from being in love to keep her promise.

************************************

Eric relocated his family fairly often, and that helped Bristol avoid a lot of temptation. His philosophy was that if he never gave her a chance to get to know anyone, then she wouldn't get attached.

They had lived in France in the early 1900s. While there, a gentleman by the name of Garciss Noviux had attempted for three days to charm Bristol. The young man was pursuing her with a stubborn passion; and with a few more weeks of consistency, he probably would have succeeded in winning her heart.

The last time the romantic gentleman was seen, he was walking to the Frost's house carrying a bouquet of roses. That was, coincidentally; also the last day that the Frosts spent living in France. Eric vowed never to move them back there, for it was like an emotional landmine waiting to go off.

He kept Bristol in India for a while, then Mexico, but for the last 5 years; he wanted her in the United States so that they could re-unite with Lord Aslar when he returned. Just a few more years to go and it would finally be over. Bristol would be with Lord Aslar, and they would be immortal.

He had been planning this moment for centuries, and he would kill anything or anyone who dared get in the way of what he perceived as their destiny. There was no room for errors at the end of such a time consuming journey.

After over 200 years of careful thought, he had specifically chosen to move his family into a black neighborhood because he knew that Bristol wouldn't be attracted to blacks. Yes, he thought, these last 5 years will roll along very smooth.

************************************

Bristol sat in her room all night thinking about the "gifts" that she had been cursed with for over 200 years. Her strength was phenomenal; she could lift the entire front end of a car off of the ground by exerting just a little effort.

Her sight was virtually microscopic. The longer she stared at things, the deeper her vision zoomed. If she stared into the kitchen sink for 3 minutes, she could detect things moving around that even the strongest microscope could never pick up.

In basketball, she could hit a shot from the next city over with her eyes closed. She could hit a full court shot with her back turned by looking at the rim in the mirror. A shot like the one her new neighbor was practicing earlier was way too easy.

My new neighbor, she thought as she glanced out of the window. She looked through his window and could see that he was asleep. After focusing for 6 more seconds, she noticed that he was tossing and turning. Then she saw a thin layer of sweat on his skin.

She decided to gaze deeper. She focused in on his presence, zoomed in on his aura, and saw that he was having a nightmare. She had the ability to read thoughts, but she had to be within 10 feet of him for it to work, so she finally closed her eyes to break the deep visual zoom.

When she met him earlier that night, she had read his thoughts, and what she discovered had embarrassed her. She discovered that Marvin, her new neighbor; had thought that she was drop dead gorgeous.

She discovered that he was intimidated by her beauty and genuinely liked her. Never in her life had she met a man who liked her without any traces of lust contaminating his thoughts. Even Garciss Noviux was oozing with lust, and he was trying hard to camouflage it.

Bristol knew that Marvin was a rare soul, so she would tread with caution when she dealt with him again. To her surprise, she realized that she genuinely liked him too. She thought that he looked pretty good for a fragile little human.

She chuckled briefly until she thought about her curse. If her parents had known that she had even thought about her neighbor, they would kill him and his mother. Thankfully, with Aslaric Vampires, one vampire couldn't read another vampire's thoughts.

That was good, but the bad news was that she was still a vampire. She lay back and did what she always did when she needed to get her focus back on track. She thought about Lord Aslar. The power that he had embedded into her and her family was amazing.

And the awesome thing was that it was soon to grow even stronger in 5 years when she would be able to have sisters and brothers. She knew that she had to be committed to Lord Aslar when he returned, so she found herself wondering answers to her frequently asked questions.

Will you give me a child? Will I have to leave earth? Do we ever die? Where do we go after we die? One day could you please turn me back into a human and let my family continue to remain immortal?

She thought about Lord Aslar's long black hair and sharp, statuesque features and wondered if she could ever love him after not being allowed to love for over 200 years. She thought about her parents and wondered if it was indeed love she had for them, or if it was hatred.

She knew that love and hatred were from the same family because they both came from the heart.

CHAPTER 4

Bristol wore a pair of tight black business pants that fit her body like spandex, along with a soft powder blue blouse. Her fingernails were painted white and they were clutched around a Louis Vuitton purse that looked much too expensive for a high school student, and extremely too much for someone who lived in the Benson Brown neighborhood.

It was 7:10 A.M., and she was walking to the bus stop after having been awake all night. The first day of school wasn't going to be any different for her than countless others, especially since she had been a senior for the last 30 years of her life.

She loved the life of a high school senior, and she didn't think that it would be any different in Cedar Hills, GA. Marvin was at the bus stop when she approached.

"Hey. You look refreshed... You must have gone straight to sleep like I advised you to do last night?" Marvin said as he stared at Bristol's outfit.

". Actually I stayed up all night staring into the darkness! Haha, I'm joking Marvin. I'm well refreshed after a good night's sleep."

Marvin looked at her from head to toe and knew that she was going to have all of the most popular guys at Cedar Hills in a frenzy over who would try to get with her first. Her beauty was undeniable.

Her eyes competed with the sun and shone with an intensity that seemed strong enough to see through him. Bristol caught Marvin staring at her and he immediately looked away.

"Are you nervous?" Marvin asked, trying to avoid the awkward silence.

"No... I'm not nervous... Are the girls at the school mean?"

Marvin considered her question for a moment. "No, they're actually not mean people; however, for a woman as beautiful as you, they may step outside of their characters and hate on you. I don't think Cedar Hills has ever witnessed a girl with your level of beauty."

Bristol smiled at Marvin and he blushed. He instantly felt like a fool for complimenting a woman that he could never have. He got silent, wishing that he could vanish off the face of the earth. Finally the bus came, and he found his voice.

"There's our limo."

Bristol smiled at him and he looked away again.

Marvin got on the bus first, and Bristol followed him. He went to the last seat and sat down. After he sat down in the seat, he looked up and saw Bristol standing right beside him.

"Can I sit with you?"

Marvin looked around and saw his peers staring at him with questioning looks. Jessica was scowling at him with a look of disgust. Funny, he thought. He knew Jessica had never even looked in his direction, and they had been going to school together since the 1st grade.

"Ahhh, of course you can sit with me... I just thought..."

"You thought what?" She asked in a sultry voice as she sat on the inside of the seat against the window.

"I thought that maybe you'd want to sit in one of those empty seats up front, that's all. You know... maybe thought you'd want a little space."

Bristol knew that sitting in the empty seat was exactly what she should have done. She knew that the longer she stayed in Marvin's presence, the more flattered she was going to become at the thoughts that he was thinking. Sitting 7 inches away from him, she could feel Marvin's heart beating frantically against his rib cage.

She could smell his virgin blood through his skin and could feel the attraction and admiration that he had for her.

Marvin really likes me, she thought as she giggled to herself silently. Then she sensed something that she had not sensed in a long time; jealousy. She scoured the bus, looking for the source of jealousy and her eyes locked directly into Jessica's.

Jessica was staring at Bristol and Marvin with obvious disapproval. Quickly, Bristol tuned in to read her thoughts.

I just know he ain't went and got him a white girl. I just know better. Who she think she is? Moving into my city and taking our men! And she think she's cute. Bitch you ain't all that!

Bristol's gaze was powerful, and she stared until Jessica started feeling uncomfortable and turned away. But even when Jessica turned away, Bristol wouldn't stop staring. She looked into Jessica's memory banks and found no traces of Jessica ever being involved with Marvin.

So why was she acting like that?

Marvin had caught her staring at the back of Jessica's head. "Hey... don't worry about her. She's one of the mean girls."

"I thought you told me that the girls weren't mean Marvin."

"No, actually they aren't mean at all. She's probably the only mean girl at the school... and she isn't really that mean... I don't know why she was staring at you like that."

Bristol sighed. "So you don't think I'll have any problems do you?"

"At school? Of course not!"

************************************

Marvin couldn't have been more wrong. As soon as Jessica made it to school, she sparked and spread the rumor that Marvin was dating "the new white girl." It was 2nd period when Marvin first heard it.

"Marv, I heard you were going with that new girl man!"

"What? Jimbo, what are you talking about?" He whispered, trying to avoid getting caught talking in class. Miss Keno would make both of them sit out in the hall if she caught them talking in her English class. And Marvin knew he couldn't afford to not hear her explain how to do the homework.

If he failed, he wouldn't be able to get that college scholarship that he had been working towards.

"I heard Jessica tell Monica that you and that new girl came on the bus this morning smiling at each other and holding hands."

"What? That's not true Jimbo and you know it! Why is Jessica lying?"

"Is she really lying man? You can keep it real with me Marvin. Have you already pulled the new girl?"

"What? No!" A couple of his classmates were staring at him, so he coughed to try to avert the attention away from him. They let a few minutes pass before they continued their conversation.

"Well, if it's not true; then why is the new girl saying it then?"

"Saying what?" Marvin was getting angrier by the second.

"Marvin, I heard Jessica ask the new girl-"

"Bristol."

"What?"

"Bristol. Her name is Bristol, quit calling her 'the new girl' Jimbo."

"O.k... I heard Jessica ask Bristol in the hallway if she and you were already dating, and Bristol said 'yep,' just like that."

"What?!" Marvin was irate, but apparently too loud.

"Marvin! Jimbo! Step outside so that I can have a word with you two."

Ms. Keno walked outside and the two students followed her with a dread written on both of their faces. As soon as she closed the door, the class immediately erupted in chatter.

"What seems to be the problem you guys? I tried to ignore you two, but you just wouldn't stop talking. Now is there an issue?"

Marvin spoke up first. "No ma'am, there is no problem. We promise not to say another word. That's a promise."

Jimbo nodded his head in agreement. He knew he couldn't afford to have bad grades in Ms. Keno's class either, because he was a football player. If his coach found out about him messing up in class, he was sure to have an extra difficult practice. He stared sweating while thinking about what the consequences would be.

"Well, you guys get in there and behave yourselves."

Marvin exhaled. One bullet had been dodged that day, but he had a bad feeling that more drama was to come throughout the rest of the day. He went and sat back in his seat and thought about what Jimbo had told him.

It wasn't a bad thing that Bristol was saying that they were dating; it was just that it was a lie. The way he looked at it, he would never be able to get a girlfriend if he had a girl claiming that she was his girl and really wasn't. He knew he would have to straighten out that issue and clear the air as soon as possible.

************************************

"Bristol!" He caught her at her locker in the senior hall right after 2nd period.

"Yes?" She smiled at him. A knowing smile that he couldn't even be angry at. It seemed to have a relaxing quality to it.

"I... uhm... did you tell someone that we were already dating?"

Bristol grabbed Marvin's hand and he jumped. It was so soft that it confused him. It startled him that a human being's hand could be so delicate. It almost felt... unreal.

"Yes Marvin. I told the mean girl that we were dating. Did I mess something up with you and your girlfriend?"

Marvin shook his head. "I don't have a girlfriend."

Bristol ran her hand up his arm softly. "You do now."

She kissed him on the cheek and walked off, still smiling. Her gait was cool and confident, and she had an aura that seemed almost magnetic. He watched her walk past Jessica and saw the two girls exchange smiles. Weird, he thought as he made it to Ms. Basker's class.

************************************

He sat in his calculus class and daydreamed. He was sitting there imagining his popularity shooting up because of him finally having a girlfriend. He was still in another world when the bell rang signaling the end of the period. He was startled. It seemed like he had entered the classroom only a few minutes earlier.

Marvin grabbed his notebook and textbooks and entered the hallway, where he saw his friend Patrick.

"Where you been Pat? I haven't seen you all day. You didn't show up for 2nd period, and you know Ms. Keno's class is the only one we have together."

Patrick grinned. "Me and Lucy overslept man... But that's not important at all. Do you know what is important though?"

"Surprise me..." Marvin answered, with a nonchalant attitude.

"Ha! Oh I definitely intend to do so. You know that new girl? Your new neighbor? What's her name... Bristol?"

"How could I forget!?"

"Ha! Well, she just got finished fighting Jessica in the locker room during gym class."

"What?!"

"I know right? She just got here and already she's fighting. But wait... it gets better... They said in the middle of the fight, Bristol bit her on the neck hard. They said when she bit her, Jessica passed out. So immediately, all of the girls ran out of there to go get help for Jessica right?

But when the nurse and gym teacher ran into the locker room, there were no marks on Jessica's neck and they were sitting there laughing and talking to each other as if nothing had ever happened."

"What?" Marvin said while looking at Pat like he was crazy. "Who told you that crap? Get out of here man, that's dumb."

"Marvin... it's true, the girls told me when I came out of the office. You know I had to sign in after coming to school late."

"Man, that's the craziest story I ever heard."

"No it isn't Marv! I heard one crazier. They tell me that you two are dating! Already? You sure didn't wait long. And I don't blame you either, she is gorgeous!"

************************************

CHAPTER 5

Marvin was extremely happy to finally be back on the school bus so he could escape the madness. He had been hearing rumors about Bristol all day long and all he wanted to do was go home and play basketball. It had become entirely too much for him and was giving him a headache just thinking about it.

He sat in his seat patiently, awaiting Bristol to arrive so that he could talk to her. He needed to clear up a lot of the strange rumors that he'd been hearing throughout the day. He looked up and saw Jessica walking back towards his seat.

"Can I sit here with you Marvin?"

Wtf? That question blew Marvin away. Jessica had never noticed him before, and here she was now, wanting to sit with him. It seemed as if the day was getting stranger and stranger.

"Ummm..." He hesitated. "I'm really just waiting on Bristol. She's my neighbor and I wanted to just make sure that she was o.k."

"Oh..." Jessica said with an air of defeat and jealousy in her voice. "Well...I understand what you're saying about being a good neighbor, but Bristol left earlier today."

"Left? How did she leave?"

"She left with Todd Winters."

She had been planning this moment the entire day. Jessica knew that it was going to come as a surprise to him that his new girlfriend was a slut.

"Oh..." Although he tried not to show it, Marvin was hurt. He had known all along that it was going to happen, but he just didn't think that it was going to happen so soon. Already, on her first day at the school; his neighbor had already hooked up with the captain of the football team.

I should have known. He thought as he stared at the leather seat in front of him.

"Sure, sure you can sit here Jessica... But why are you just now speaking to me? You've been knowing me all of my life. Why now?"

He glanced at Jessica's pretty dark complexion and long dark hair as he spoke. Her eyes were so brown and textured, that it seemed as if they were bronze when he stared into them. Her dark hair was in a beautiful updo. She was classically beautiful, and he had always had a thing for her. His mouth watered as he watched her unwrap a blow pop and start sucking on it.

"I didn't think you were interested in girls."

This caught Marvin off guard. "Are you serious?"

"I am. All of the girls at school thought you were gay Marvin. So we respected you and left you alone."

"Why?! Because I'm quiet?"

She chuckled to herself lightly. "Well, that's one of the reasons..."

"One of them? There are more reasons? Tell me!" He was irate now, and the irritation was beginning to show on his face.

"O.K. well... back in 9th grade, your best friend Patrick told us all that you were gay during science class one day."

"My friend? My friend Patrick? Oh my goodness..."

"No, I'm joking Marvin. The other reason was because Tamika said that she tried to get with you last year and you refused her."

"I refused her because I didn't like her."

Jessica was silent for a moment; she seemed to be considering his statement. After a few moments, she looked at Marvin and shook her head.

"Wow, you're the first guy at Cedar Hill High to turn Tamika down. She gets with just about everybody.

Todd shook his head in silence.

"Everyone except for me."

"I see... so... who do you like Marvin?"

Marvin ignored Jessica's question and asked one of his own. "Did Bristol say why she was going with Todd Winters?"

Jessica sat back in her seat and exhaled. "I guess that answers my question then."

************************************

On her first day at Cedar Hill High, Bristol had heard all of the rumors about Todd Winters, the captain of the football team. At lunchtime, a girl named Kristie had come up to her and told her the latest rumor.

"I think Todd Winters wants to meet you! Isn't that greaaaaatttt!?"

Bristol had sat there bearing no expression.

"Great!"

************************************

She shook Todd Winter's hand and instantly received a bad vibe from him. She read his thoughts, and the first thing she saw was that he wanted to drug her and take advantage of her. The aroma of his blood was tainted with steroids and leftover remnants of marijuana and cocaine.

Looking deeper inside her memory bank, she saw that Todd had taken advantage of quite a few under class girls dating back to his sophomore year. She saw that he had intimidated the girls and scared them into silence.

"You're more beautiful than everyone claimed you were." He said while showing his television worthy smile. His exterior was impeccable; it was like the physique of a body builder covered up the spirit of the devil.

"And you don't look as good as everyone claimed you did."

"Oh, you have a slick mouth don't you? At Cedar Hill High, they have a rule about slick mouths."

"And what's the rule oh Todd the God?"

Todd laughed, then stared her in the eyes. "The only way a girl can have a slick mouth is if she's on her knees!"

A small crowd had started to gather after seeing the obvious tension between Todd and the new girl. Bristol had gotten into enough trouble already that day, so she wanted to ease up on a lot of the negative attention that she was getting. In the past 200 years, she had never gotten this much attention on the first day of school.

"I'm sorry Todd. Please accept my apology; I'm new here, and... I guess I'm just nervous."

"What are you nervous about?"

She could hear the lust in his voice, could detect the betrayal in his heart and the devil in his thoughts.

"I'm just nervous because I don't know anybody, that's all. And it's my first day here."

"Well, don't be nervous... How about you take a ride with me after school and maybe I can show you around?"

"I don't think my boyfriend would like that too much Todd."

"You're talking about that gay boy Marvin? He's a wimp. You need a real man like me. So how about it Bristol?"

The crowd had cleared out and went to class because the tardy bell was about to ring. After a while, it was just the two of them in the hallway.

"As a matter of fact, since we're already late, how about we just go to the bathroom right now Bristol?"

"Nah... how about we just skip the last class and just take that ride you were talking about?"

************************************

Bristol got into Todd's Nissan Altima and sensed imminent danger. Her strong sense of smell told her that he had raped many virgins in that car. It was despicable and made her sick to think of how he took advantage of those young girls. Careful visual detail to the seats saw that he had had a female in the car as early as the previous day.

She knew that if she killed him, her father and mother would waste no time having her relocated to another part of the world. Usually she wouldn't mind, but she hadn't gotten a chance to spend some time with Marvin, her new friend.

"Where are we going Todd?"

Todd had taken a backstreet and was driving through an abandoned park. There was a path already made from where he had frequently driven his car in and out of the park. The pine trees were thick and she could hear hundreds of snakes in the distance.

She was able to hear rattlesnakes from 10 miles out if she concentrated. She smelled abandoned beer and food containers from when he had taken advantage of women with the rest of his friends. She smelled used condoms, and knew that the body odor matched Todd Winters.

Then she smelled something that hurt her. It was a set of bones.

They smelled of soil as if someone had tried to bury them, but hadn't dug the hole deep enough. Todd parked his Nissan and put the keys into his pocket.

"This is one of my favorite hangout spots Bristol."

Bristol looked at Todd Winters carefully. He had blue eyes and silky, thick hair. He had low sideburns and a small goatee. She looked at his health and saw that he had suffered many head injuries as a star running back on the football team.

She noticed that he was a person who couldn't understand the word no and would snap if a girl wouldn't give him what he wanted.

"This sure doesn't look like a hangout spot Todd."

"That's because we haven't made out yet baby. I am the greatest thing that will ever happen to you Bristol."

Then he made his move on her. He grabbed her arms and pinned her against the passenger door.

"Why don't you make it easy for yourself and get into the backseat like a good girl?"

"Haha, that's funny... I would... but I'm not a good girl."

"Really... well I like bad girls. Are you a bad girl Bristol?"

Bristol burst out laughing in his face. "I'm the baddest girl that you will ever meet Todd. In fact, after you get your hands off of me and get your stinky breath out of my face, I'm going to bury you beside the female that you killed 2 months ago."

Todd looked as if his entire world had crashed before his very eyes.

"What are you talking about!?" He yelled at her.

"You know what I'm talking about, so get your hands off of me!"

"Someone has lied to you, and it's unfortunate because I'm going to kill you because of it!"

Bristol knew that she was at least 50 times stronger than the average man, so as soon as Todd lunged across the seat, she threw him against the window. Quickly, she reached for his neck so she could grab him and hold him still; but when she reached for him, he was gone.

What in the world? She thought as she looked around frantically trying to figure out what happened. She didn't see him anywhere.

It had been over 100 years since she she'd last felt fear, but in that moment, she was scared out of her mind. How could a mere mortal just disappear into thin air and not leave a trace? She was a vampire and didn't even possess those types of abilities. She opened the door carefully, thinking that maybe he was lurking on the ground waiting for her.

But that couldn't be right, because she hadn't even seen him get out of the car.

The thick smell of pine blanketed the abandoned park, but it did nothing to cover up the smell of death that seemed to surround her. The sun was still out, but she couldn't see it because the trees blocked the entrance of all light. In broad daylight, the park looked like a gigantic shadow.

She started walking towards the smell of the dead body, but as soon as she took 3 steps, Todd appeared in her path.

"What are you?!" Bristol demanded as she tried to get within distance to read his mind.

"What are you?" Todd responded as he stepped back out of her 10 foot range.

Bristol took off running at Todd full speed, her body turning into a blur as she tried to tackle him and take him down. As soon as she was within 2 inches, Todd disappeared.

Bristol was getting impatient and nervous because this creature seemed to have a skill set that she had never witnessed before on a vampire or a human being. There was no doubt that this thing could take her out if and when it wanted to. But she would not back down. She hadn't backed down for centuries, and saw no reason to start at that moment.

Lord Aslar had promised to protect her, so she called upon his protection as she headed back in Todd's direction. She was motivated at first, but then she stopped dead in her tracks.

Todd seemed to be covered in fire, and it looked like an illusion; but she couldn't afford to find out if she was right or wrong. Fire was the only thing that could kill an Aslaric Vampire.

"So, what is it that you want from me?" Bristol screamed desperately?

Todd's eyes turned red as he spoke. "I want you to stay away from Marvin! I was sent down here from Lord Aslar himself 3 years ago, because he already knew that this situation was going to happen."

"Wait... you're an Aslaric Vampire?"

"I'm an Aslaric Vampire with all of my powers! My sister sacrificed herself for 225 years for Lord Aslar, but this took place 3,000 years ago. I suppose he does the same routine every 1,000 years or so. If you're wondering why you can read my mind, don't stress yourself; because you can't read my mind. I have the power to create a mental illusion of things for you to see and believe. I have the power to create false smells even in the distance.

For instance, you smelled snakes in the distance, but that was not true. You thought you smelled a buried body in the distance, but that too was false. I also have the power to vanish into thin air. Those powers and more will be available to you if you keep your promise."

Bristol was shaking her head in disbelief. If Lord Aslar already knew 3 years in advance what was going to happen, then he must already know if I'm going to fall in love with Marvin or not.

"I know what you're thinking Bristol, and the answer is... he doesn't. Lord Aslar knows everything that's going to happen in your life except for anything involving love. Since he has no love in his heart, there is no way that he could possibly be able to detect it in yours. I am simply here to help guide you so that you can make clearer decisions.

I am here to help you successfully make it to Lord Aslar's kingdom."

"But why didn't Aslar trust me? I haven't done anything wrong in all of these years... Why would he send you now?"

Todd clenched his teeth together. "I'm afraid I don't know the answer to that Bristol. I'm sorry."

"No you're not. You're not capable of having compassion if you were made in Aslar's likeness, am I right?"

"You're wrong! I'm capable of having anything I please. That includes love, compassion, and even children." Todd exclaimed, suddenly defensive.

Bristol sighed, her exhalation doing nothing to calm her cold nerves. "You're lying Todd! If you were telling the truth, then why are you still doing Lord Aslar's dirty work? Why are you still working instead of raising or caring for your children and family? Why?"

Todd shook his head, and sadness seemed to enter his body. "Because Lord Aslar's work is never done. Lord Aslar has provided for me and my family the gift of immortal living. Having this, means that I have time to do anything he asks me to do. How could I not have time to do his work when I'll live forever?"

Bristol was shocked at what she was hearing. She wondered to herself if her family knew about this. "So you've been doing assignments and taking orders for how long now Todd?"

"1500 years now."

"1500 years? I thought he would uphold his end of the bargain and let you live freely? I don't think I want to finish my end of the deal now that I have this information-"

"Hold it Bristol! You wait just a minute! Your agreement has been written in blood, therefore there is no way to break the contract. If you do decide to do something that you know Lord Aslar won't like, there will be war on your family.

Your powers will be stripped, and the person or people that you love will lose their lives. They will be eliminated first. Not only will there be war on your family in the physical sense, there will also be war on their souls after they are dead. You must listen to me Bristol, please do the right thing by Lord Aslar."

Bristol went silent for a moment.

"So if I give you my word, will you leave?"

Todd stared at her for a second. "Yes, if you tell me that you're going to do the right thing, I will absolutely vanish from Cedar Hill High school."

A whirlwind of thoughts swirled through Bristol's mind as she considered what the consequences would be if she reneged on her promise. In the beginning, her family never mentioned anything about being punished if she fell in love, so she was irritated that it had come up so many years later.

"Sure Todd... I promise."

************************************

Patrick was at Marvin's house waiting for him when he got off of the bus.

"Man, how in the world did you manage to go to school late and come home before I did?"

Patrick smiled at his friend. "Hey man... I parked beside your house."

"Parked what?" Marvin was confused, because he didn't even know that Patrick had a driver's license, much less a car."

"The Hummer." He said with a nonchalant attitude.

"The Hummer? Where in the world did you get a Hummer from Pat?"

"Hey bro, why are you tripping so hard? Lucy Pellino's brother let me roll in it. Well... let us roll in it."

"And what do you have to do to roll in Lucy's brother's Hummer?"

Pat smiled at Marvin. "What do we have to do you mean?"

"Why do you continue to include me in stuff without my approval? And what is it that we're supposed to be doing Patrick?"

Patrick looked around the neighborhood for a second, as if he felt someone watching him.

"Come on Marv, let's talk about it in the truck."

Marvin reluctantly walked to the truck and climbed in. He fastened his seatbelt and looked around. Despite being leery of Patrick's intentions, he couldn't help but to be impressed at how luxurious the vehicle was. The panel was wood grain and matched the steering wheel. There was a GPS navigation system in it and four TVs.

The seats were soft and comfortable and had individual temperature controls that could be set to the passenger or driver's preferences. Patrick cranked the huge vehicle up, pulled out of Marvin's yard and cruised up the street.

He turned the sound system up and the bass was so heavy that it literally cleared Marvin's throat for him.

Wow, this is amazing! He thought as they drove past some of their classmates who were standing outside on their porch. He was truly loving the attention.

Patrick pulled the vehicle into traffic and turned the sound system down several notches. "We don't want to get a ticket in this bad boy."

"Pat, man; so you're telling me that Lucy's brother just handed you the keys and let you get the Hummer? You sure you didn't steal it man? This is getting too weird."

"Hold on, I'll tell you about it in one second... but in the meantime, can you grab that backpack off the backseat for me?"

Marvin turned and looked. "I don't see a backpack in the seat... Oh, here it is on the floor. I got it."

Patrick drove through Cedar Hills without a care in the world, listening to Rick Ross's new album.

"Man, this cd is banging!"

Marvin nodded his head in agreement. "It definitely is banging. I agree."

They had driven 15 miles out to the tiny town of Owling, GA when Patrick pulled out a cell phone and made a call.

"Man, how you get a cell phone Pat?"

Patrick ignored him as he made his phone call... He spoke into the phone in a series of whispers and codes as he made a left on Industrial Boulevard. He turned up the street and stopped at an abandoned storefront. He put the truck in park and took the bag from Marvin.

"O.K., look... we get paid $1,000 each to make the same trip we just made every few days or so."

"What?!!" Marvin was puzzled. He couldn't even comprehend the statement that Patrick had just made to him. "What's the catch?"

"Oh... we have to bring these bags down here with us. That's the only catch."

"Well, what's in the bags Patrick?"

"I don't know."

"You don't know?!?!"

"Lucy's brother, Tony told me never to ask and never to look into the bag!"

"But what if it's drugs man? What if it's something that could send us to prison Pat? Have you thought about that?"

Patrick looked at Marvin and spoke aggressively. "Man I ain't got nothing! My mama and your mama are both struggling, and here is a chance for us to help them both out! Why don't you just join me in trying to make some things happen!? Tony has never had any problems, so why would we have any? I want this money Marvin. Plus he said we could share the Hummer. You get it one day, and I get it the next day; just like that."

This brought a smile to Marvin's face. "Just like that huh?"

"You heard what I said Marv... just like that."

************************************

CHAPTER 7

Marvin had never counted so much money in his life. He was in his room on his bed counting it over and over. He had counted it at least 25 times since he'd made it back to the house.

I wonder what my mother is going to say... I wonder if she'll let me pay the bills with it or if I should just pay them on my own and tell her later. I don't know what I should do, but what I do know is... I'm balling!

It was getting late and he hadn't even bothered to eat dinner or do his homework. During his entire time in high school, he had never forgotten to do those two things by a certain time. It was his routine, and he had been sticking to it for years.

He looked at the clock and knew that it was time for him to practice his jump shots, but since he didn't eat, he didn't have the energy. Instead, he lay there until he fell asleep.

************************************

A steady knocking on the door awoke him from his brief slumber. He sat up, looked around and checked to see if the money was still there. When he saw it, he knew that he hadn't dreamed the ordeal and that it was indeed real.

He exhaled, then got up and went to open the front door.

"Hi Marvin."

Marvin was speechless. Standing on his porch was the most beautiful girl at Cedar Hill High school. She had on a pair of basketball shorts and an old Allen Iverson jersey from when he played for the Philadelphia 76ers.

He immediately started laughing. It wasn't that he thought something was funny, he just thought that she was absolutely adorable.

"Why don't you quit laughing and go put your basketball shoes on," Bristol said with a straight face. She stood there with her hands on her hips until Marvin finally got the message. When Marvin went into the backyard, he glanced over and saw the blue Hummer parked on the side of the house with the keys in the ignition.

Tomorrow is my turn to drive it! He thought happily as he grinned at the huge vehicle. He knew that he was about to be the most popular guy in school now that he had access to money and an expensive vehicle. No one was going to take him for a joke anymore.

He felt like he was on top of the world as he walked to the basketball court. When he arrived, Bristol was dribbling the ball, but studying Marvin simultaneously.

"Why are you looking at me like that Bristol?"

Bristol shook her head and shot the basketball. She knew that something was wrong when she saw the expensive vehicle being dropped off by Marvin's friend. She could smell the contaminated blood of the people that took Marvin's friend back home. She had read their thoughts and saw some things that she wished she wouldn't have. One of Patrick's friends was named Tony, and his intentions were to let Patrick and Marvin take a chance on going to prison for 15 years by persuading them to make cocaine and methamphetamine deliveries.

This troubled Bristol greatly.

"So, what's the deal with the truck?!" Bristol asked him, trying to spark the conversation.

"The truck? Oh... yea, we're going on a date in the truck tomorrow."

Bristol could sense that the vehicle made him proud. Made his self-esteem stronger and his ego bigger. But she also sensed danger ahead.

"Well, I think it's ugly Marvin. I'm not riding inside of a vehicle that soldiers in Iraq ride in!"

Marvin started laughing. "No this isn't the same thing. Their vehicles are called Hum-Vees I think. This is a Hummer."

"I don't care, I don't like it Marvin. Let's just walk to the Baskin Robbins tomorrow and have a simple date. We can get some ice cream and just get to know each other a little better."

"Walk? Why would I subject myself to such a thing when I can drive now? Let's just drop it. You want to play some one on one?"

Bristol was frustrated because she could sense that Marvin was already skeptical of the situation with him, Patrick, and Tony; but was choosing to ignore his skepticism in order to impress people that didn't even matter. She noticed that there was still an available avenue for her to try, and she jumped right on it.

"How about this... If I beat you in basketball and don't let you score a point, then you walk to Baskin Robbins with me instead of driving."

Marvin laughed heartily. "How about this... I'll just walk with you to Baskin Robbins anyway, but after we get home, I'm jumping in that Hummer and rolling out!"

Bristol was getting exhausted because of how difficult Marvin was being.

"What about school Marvin? Are you not taking the limo in the morning?"

"Why would we take the limo when we have the Hummer?"

"We? No! I'm not riding in that thing! I already told you that."

Marvin was getting frustrated. "Why won't you ride in it Bristol?"

She shook her head. "First tell me where you got it from."

"A friend of mine..."

"That's not good enough Marv. I suggest you call that friend and tell him to come get his vehicle. That truck looks like it's going to get you in a world of trouble."

Marvin was irate. "You don't even know me like that! You've only known me for two days, so why are you all up in my face?! Huh? You don't know nothing about me Bristol! Nothing!"

Bristol backed up a little bit because her natural survival instincts came out whenever someone screamed or raised their voice at her. She didn't want to hurt Marvin, so she diverted her attention to a random object other than him.

She grabbed the basketball, ran to the basket and did a layup. In order to clear her mind, she focused on the temperature and admired the beautiful glow of the full moon.

Marvin stood there feeling bad for his outburst towards his new neighbor. He could tell that his words had hurt her feelings and he wanted to do something to correct it.

"Bristol... I'm sorry. Will you accept my apology?"

Bristol didn't say anything, she just continued to drain her jump shots. She was shooting with one of the purest strokes he had ever seen a female possess. She grabbed the basketball and walked up to him.

"The only way I will accept your apology is if you accept my challenge. If I beat you in basketball and don't let you score a point, then you leave that vehicle here and tell your friend to come get it."

Marvin looked at her with a smirk on his face. It humored him that she thought that she was really good enough to not let him score one basket. He didn't want to take advantage of her, but maybe it was time for her to learn a lesson about the game of basketball.

"O.K. you said one point? That's simple. I accept. What are we going to? The first person to 12?"

"First person to 12 is fine Marvin."

Marvin burst out laughing as he bent down to tie his shoelaces.

"Since you're a girl, you can have the ball first."

Bristol had to be careful in that situation because she didn't want to overplay her hand. With her supernatural strength and powers, she could easily jump clear over Marvin and dunk the basketball, but that would expose her as other than human.

She had to appear human, because there was no telling what would happen if he found out that she was a vampire. She accepted the ball first even though she really wanted to tell him to take it.

As soon as Marvin walked up to her to play defense, she pulled up for a long jump shot from almost 30 feet away.

Swish.

It went straight through the basket, without even so much as grazing the rim. Marvin retrieved the ball and passed it back to her. She caught it and passed it back to him.

"It's your turn Marvin..."

"No, we're playing make it, take it!" He bellowed. "If you make it, you take it! Understand?"

Marvin was playing relaxed defense against her, and appeared to have a confident demeanor. Despite that, she had read his thoughts and noticed that he was beginning to become worried that she would actually score 12 points before he got a chance to get the basketball.

She saw that he was thinking man, I should have taken the ball when she said it was my turn. I could have been gotten this game over with.

Bristol dribbled the ball with her left hand and knew in advance that Marvin was about to reach out for the steal. When he reached his hand out, she made a spin move to the opposite direction and pulled up for another jumper. Swish!

When Bristol had scored 11 points, Marvin started playing airtight defense and trying not to allow her to dribble or shoot. When he pressed against her, she realized how much she enjoyed the closeness of his masculine body. She enjoyed the sweet smell of his flesh and the flattery of his thoughts equally. She could tell that even though he was frustrated, he still thought that she was drop dead gorgeous.

She could also tell that she turned him on physically, yet mentally she was being a complete nuisance to him. She turned and faced him while holding the basketball away from him.

Then, Marvin lunged for the ball out of anger and determination, and accidentally bumped his shoulder into Bristol's mouth, causing them both to fall on the ground. There was blood on Bristol's lip, but the blood wasn't hers...

She looked at Marvin and saw that he was holding his shoulder in pain. She was nervous now because if her parents were awake, they would smell his human blood and think that it was meal time.

"Marvin, let me help you..."

Despite her reluctance, she picked Marvin up, but acted as if she were struggling to do it. She started walking to the house with him in her arms when he shrieked out.

"Put me down! I can walk!!"

Embarrassed, Bristol put him down and walked with him into the house.

"Where are you going Bristol? I don't need any help; you won the game fair and square. I won't drive it. I'll tell Pat to come get the damn truck! There... are you happy now?

She saw that he was telling the truth, but also that he was bitter about losing and not being able to score at least one point against a female. She accessed him and quickly realized that there was nothing she could do to soothe his anger.

"Marvin, let me patch up your shoulder. Do you have a first-aid kit in here?"

"Yea, I'll go get it, it's in the bathroom-"

"No, you lay down on the sofa, I'll get it. Let me do it Marvin."

"Wait, I thought I saw your lip bleeding when we were outside; but now I don't see anything there at all. Did you wipe it off? Are you o.k. Bristol?"

"I'm fine. What you saw was your blood on my lip I guess... I wasn't bleeding. I'm fine."

The truth was that Bristol's lip had been cracked open, but her body had the ability to repair itself of any open wounds as long as the wounding object wasn't fire. Her lip had cleared up immediately.

She went into the bathroom and found the first aid kit with no problem. While she was in there, she took a small bowl that they were using to store soap in, and washed it out. She grabbed the iodine bottle and created a mixture to use to clean Marvin's flesh.

She was about to walk out of the bathroom when another idea hit her. If she added a little of her own blood to the mixture... but she quickly nixed this idea and went out to clean Marvin's wound.

"Ouch..."

"Relax Marvin... how about you just lay back in my lap and let me work on your shoulder."

Marvin sighed and laid his upper body across Bristol's thighs. He closed his eyes while she worked on him. He could feel the warm wash cloth gently rubbing across his skin and then the pressure of the bandage being pressed across his cut.

"I cut my shoulder on your teeth. That kind of sounds like you bit me. Are you a vampire or something?" Marvin asked jokingly.

Bristol tensed up, and didn't say a word. She closed her eyes for a moment and took a deep breath simultaneously. When she opened her eyes, she saw Marvin sitting there staring at her with a big smile on his face. She relaxed.

For her, that comment had hit much too close to home. It alarmed her temporarily; but she was glad that he was only joking.

"Where did you become so skilled?" Marvin asked as he closed his eyes and relaxed.

"Skilled in what?"

"Skilled in everything, Bristol... Your jump shots are amazing. And if my mind isn't playing tricks on me; I do believe that you could possibly be stronger than me, yet you look so delicate. Look at your skillset... You even cleaned up my shoulder like a professional nurse... And on top of all that, you are beautiful."

He opened his eyes and stared into hers. It caught Bristol off guard and she didn't know what to say in response. She knew that she and Marvin had a lot of things in common; the biggest similarity being that neither of them had ever been in love before. They were both only kids with lots of love to give and no one to give it to.

She thought Marvin was impressively handsome. In fact, she thought he was perhaps the most handsome man that she had ever seen in her 200+ years.

"I... uhm... I'll see you tomorrow morning Marvin."

She lifted Marvin off of her thigh and abruptly got up and started walking towards the door. The temperature was cool in Marvin's house, but it felt like it was 200 degrees to Bristol. And that wasn't a healthy feeling for an Aslaric Vampire.

"Where are you going Bristol?"

She stopped in her tracks, her entire body turning into a bundle of nerves and a mass of silly putty.

"I have to get home; do you see how late it is?"

She glanced at the clock at the same time as Marvin, hoping that it was indeed late. As a vampire, she had no sense of time when the sun went down. The night always seemed like one hour to her.

"Oh, it is pretty late Bristol... you're absolutely correct... I didn't realize that it was 2 hours after midnight. Are your parents going to be mad at you? Do they know where you are?"  
Bristol stood there speechless, thinking about his question. The truth was that her parents were going to be pissed. They would be able to smell his flesh on her body, and they probably wouldn't be able to determine if it was innocent contact or sex. They were going to be raging mad and may even make her pack her bags and move to another country.

"Bristol... Did you hear me?"

"What?"

"I said, I'm about to call your parents and let them know that you were over here playing basketball with me; and that we lost track of time. I'll apologize for the both of us. Is that-"

"Noo! I mean... they're asleep, so we don't want to wake them up with this. Especially not at this time of night. I'm just going to go in, take a shower and get some sleep. I'll see you in the morning at the bus stop Marvin."

"The limo stop."

She smiled. "Right... the limo stop."

************************************

When Bristol went to her house, everyone was gone. Probably feeding, she thought to herself as she went to take a shower to clean Marvin's scent off of her. She enjoyed the way that he smelled, but she knew that if her father caught a whiff of that, there was no telling what he would do to Marvin.

She didn't have a need to feed that night because she had drank a pint of Jessica's blood earlier that day during their fight at school. She didn't mean to get that carried away in front of a group of students, but once she bit into her neck, was too late to turn back.

When all of the students had rushed out, she bit her wrist, took two drops of her own Aslaric blood and held it to Jessica's wound while whispering in her ear.

"You will forget that this ever happened to you. In a few seconds, you will be my friend. You will forget our differences and you will love me. This will last for about four minutes, and then you will return to the normal Jessica. Aslar."

This was a prayer for forgetfulness passed down to her from Lord Aslar centuries ago. It had come in handy many times, but she couldn't use it often, because there was a chance that it may not work. Sometimes it wouldn't work because their psyche couldn't comprehend her accent; or sometimes it wouldn't work because she had done it too many times in one week. Each time she did it in a week, its impact grew progressively weaker. Luckily, it worked that day on Jessica.

After getting out of the shower, she dried off and went to sit in the darkness of their living room in her pajamas. She could see in the darkness just as good as she could see in the daylight; and she used this as her time to reflect and relax.

After living for so many years, her relaxation had become necessary for her to remain sane. She thought about the meeting that she'd had with Todd and the game of basketball that she'd had with Marvin. She thought about the other students of Cedar Hill High and wondered if she would ever be able to be friends with them.

It really didn't matter to her though, because the only person she was interested in being friends with was Marvin. He was an exceptional being, someone she knew would make a great vampire. One of the strong few who could probably rule the entire kingdom of vampires with his charm and fantastic aura.

She had taken a nap earlier after school, so she had enough energy to last her for at least 24 hours straight. She sat there staring into darkness; in a trance.

When her parents came home, they ignored her because they were used to her ritual. Instead, they retired to their room, their breath smelling of fresh blood and their clothes smelling of human hair.

Bristol started to ask them if they had killed anyone, but thought better of it. Her parents hated when she questioned them. She stared into nothingness and thought pleasant thoughts. Thoughts that were pleasant to her instead of thoughts that were pleasant for Lord Aslar. She knew that she was playing a dangerous game, but she had never felt this good in her entire life.

************************************

Marvin lay in his bed for hours unable to sleep after Bristol came and destroyed him on the basketball court. He had dreams of going to the NBA, but how could those plans come to fruition if he was letting a girl win without him even scoring one single point?

He was hurt, and it felt like everything that he once believed in was a myth. Getting his mother into a better house; putting her in a situation where she could just live and enjoy life without having to struggle all seemed like they would never come to pass. He looked at the stack of money that his friend had given him and shook his head.

If he wasn't going to be able to make money playing basketball, and if he wasn't going to be able to get money by rolling with Patrick, then just how did Bristol expect him to make money?

And if she didn't want to ride in the Hummer with him, then why in the world was she riding around with people like Todd Winters? It was either she wanted her man to have a car or she didn't.

Otherwise, there was no reason for her to be betraying him, regardless of how long they had been together. He made a mental note to bring this up to her when he saw her again.

After a couple of hours of sleeplessness, he decided to go outside and take a walk to clear his mind. By the time he made it to the Hodges' house, he noticed that the temperature had begun to drop. He was still wearing his tank top and shorts, so that made it even worse. He turned around, thinking that his walk maybe wasn't such a good idea after all when he ran straight into Todd Winters.

"Whoa!"

"Yea... Whoa." Todd said with a smirk on his face.

Marvin took several deep breaths, in an attempt to calm his nerves. Todd had scared the crap out of him.

"Man, I didn't know who you were, Todd. Where did you come from and what are you doing down here on my street?"

"Oh, I'm just passing through."

"Just passing through? On this block? At this time of the night? I thought you lived way on the other side of town Todd..."

"I do..."

"So, you're over here because..."

He followed the direction of Todd's gaze and saw that he was staring at Bristol's house. The realization came over him in a mass of sharp waves.

"Oh... right... Bristol..."

"Yep. You're right... Bristol."

Marvin took a deep breath and tried to speak calmly. "So... are you two dating?"

Todd smiled. His smile was a display of mockery and disrespect towards Marvin. "We are..."

"Wow... well... congratulations Todd. You're a lucky man."

"Luck has nothing to do with it."

"Well o.k. Excuse me."

Marvin tried to walk past Todd so that he could get back to his house, but Todd grabbed his arm, holding him in place.

"Where do you think you're going?"

Marvin looked him in the eye and saw a strange glow residing in it. It was a look that he had never seen before on a human and it made him uncomfortable to be in its presence.

"I'm going to my house Todd... Just going to go mind my own business."

"Mind your business huh? Well look... Bristol told me that you and her played basketball and that you got hurt. She told me that you cut your little shoulder and that she had to patch it up. Well I came over to tell you something chump.

You stay away from Bristol. All this faking and acting like you're hurt so you can get a free feel on my girl? I'm not having it! And if I hear talk of you trying to hook up with my girl again, it's going to be me and you pal!"

Marvin looked at Todd, sizing him up. He could see that the football team's captain was obviously stronger than him, but perhaps wasn't as quick as him; so there was a small possibility that he could knock Todd out. He would have to hit him hard and fast and get back out of the way, but at least it would show Todd that he wasn't afraid of him.

"I know what you're thinking Marvin, so don't try it. If you try to swing on me I will bust your butt boy!"

Marvin was furious, but there was nothing he could do outside of getting into a useless fight over a female who obviously didn't want to be with him.

I knew I should have followed my first mind and just left that chick alone, he thought as he exhaled and shook his head.

"Hey man... I don't want any problems. That's your girl and I'll respect that... I'll leave her alone, you have my word."

"Good."

Todd loosened his grip on Marvin's arm and let him go. The two athletes stood there for a moment, staring at each other in admiration. Todd admired Marvin because he had naturally managed to get Bristol's heart, and Marvin admired him because he thought that Todd had really hooked up with Bristol.

Todd smirked at Marvin one last time and turned to walk away. Marvin stood there in the moonlight by himself, first staring at the back of Todd as he increased his distance; then staring into nothingness; the metaphor of his life. He had nothing, was going to become nothing, and had nothing to look forward to.

He went home.

CHAPTER 8

"Marvin, just talk to me!"

It had been 2 weeks since Bristol and Marvin had last spoken to each other. Every time Bristol came and knocked on his door at night to play basketball, he reluctantly ignored her. When he saw her during school, he walked past her without paying her any attention. It was a very difficult thing for him to do, but he felt as if she had betrayed him.

She had told him that she liked him, yet she was dating Todd Winters, who had obviously become so pissed at him that he had gotten transferred to another school; Bellmount High. Bellmount was Cedar Hill's rival school and was located on the other side of town. It was the school that Todd was originally supposed to attend, but he didn't attend it initially because it was known that they had a horrible football program. Everyone knew that Todd was much too talented to attend a school like that. He needed exposure.

Before Todd left Cedar Hills High, he broke the news that he was leaving because "someone" at the school had been trying to steal his girlfriend; he was leaving so that he wouldn't have to get into any fights. He fed his old team some crap about if he beat "that person up," he would lose some of his prestigious scholarship offers.

Now, every time a member of the football team saw him in the hallway, they gritted their teeth at him. Some of them were mumbling unkind words under their breath; words that he couldn't understand, yet he definitely knew the meanings behind them.

"Marvin... can you please just talk to me? Just give me two minutes, please!"

Usually Bristol would just be able to read a person's thoughts and find out what was going on. But for the past two weeks, every time she tried it with Marvin, it was like his mind was cluttered with thousands of thoughts; all flowing simultaneously.

"Marvin you don't even have to speak! Just let me do all the talking please!"

They had just got off of the school bus and were at the cutoff point where Bristol went to her house and Marvin went to his; when he stopped.

"Talk!"

"Marvin, for the past 2 weeks you haven't been talking to me; and I don't like that! One night we were cool, and the very next morning you just stopped talking to me. If you're mad about the basketball game, then forget the stupid bet. You mean more to me than driving some stupid Hummer. If you want me to, I'll ride in it with you. Go ahead and call your friend and tell him to drop the truck off!"

"I can't call my friend, because he won't speak to me anymore! When I first told him to come pick it up, that I wouldn't be able to roll with him, he came and got it and that was the last time I heard from him!"

"I'm sorry about that Marvin, but why would you take that out on your girlfriend? I genuinely care about you! It's not about material things when it comes to our relationship Marvin, and I want you to know that!"

Marvin laughed, his laughter a hybrid of irritation and disgust.

"Our relationship Bristol? Hahahaha! Our relationship? This has to be some type of foolish joke, one that I do not wish to be a part of!"

"How is it a joke Marvin? I told you from day one that I liked you, and you told me the same thing. So why are you changing your tune now? Why would you do this to me?"

Marvin looked into her eyes and saw that they were moist and shiny. That confused him as he tried to understand why she had tears forming if she was already in a relationship with Todd Winters.

"I'm not changing a tune Bristol... I'm just telling you what your real boyfriend told me."

Bristol was startled, and it showed on her face. It wasn't very often that things came along and surprised her, but in the past month; she seemed to be experiencing many things that she had rarely ever experienced in her duration of eternal living.

"What boyfriend?" She asked in one of the iciest tones that Marvin had ever heard.

"Todd Winters... Don't act like you don't know what I'm talking about now! I saw him leaving your house that night after I cut my shoulder. After you left my house, I couldn't sleep so I decided to take a walk. And whom did I bump into? Your boyfriend.

Yep... he told me that you told him about our basketball game, about my cut, everything. And he politely asked me to stay the hell away from you. So there you go. Are you happy now?"

A surge of anger rushed through Bristol's veins and caused her face to turn red. She stood there trembling with disbelief that Todd had done such a thing. He had promised her that he would leave when she gave him her word, and yet he had watched her from afar and read Marvin's mind in the middle of the night; just to try to scare him.

"Marvin, I do not date Todd Winters!" She grunted loud, out of frustration. She knew that Marvin was never going to fully believe her unless she told him her secret, but she also knew that the secret could never come out. She thought fast, trying to see if there was an alternate way of getting Marvin to trust her again.

"I never dated Todd Winters, and I never will date Todd Winters. That day at school, I caught a ride with Todd because there was an emergency at my Mom's job and I had to be there! There was nothing between us. Ever!"

Marvin stared at her skeptically. "So it was an emergency at your mother's job when I saw him leaving your house at 3 in the morning? Or do you not have an explanation for that yet Bristol?"

"If you saw him leaving my house at 3 in the morning, then he must have been stalking me or something... Marvin, when have you seen me and Todd together for any occasion? Even after school, do you ever see him come over to my house? Ever?"

Marvin thought about it for a while and realized that she was right. He never saw them together and had actually never saw him leave her house.

"So you're saying that Todd was stalking you?"

"That's exactly what I'm saying Marvin!" I like you! I want to get to know you! I want to teach you how to play basketball!"

They both got silent for a moment, and then simultaneously burst out laughing.

"See Marvin, that's what I miss about us. I miss being able to laugh. I miss being able to be myself..."

And even as she said that last sentence, she felt guilt rising in her heart. Most of her statements had been true, except for the be myself part. She knew that she could never be herself, and it pained her to have such an unfortunate realization.

"Hey... let me ask you something... I saw you in the backyard shooting three pointers, and you didn't miss one shot in 2 hours, so please elaborate on why you were missing shots during the girls' basketball tryouts and acting like you couldn't play? Explain that."

Bristol shook her head and smiled. "I told you in the beginning, that I had won more than enough awards throughout my high school basketball career, and I don't want to be the center of attention anymore."

"Wow... So at your last school, you were M.V.P. and all that?"

"I was everything at my last school, and I'm so through with it..."

"But you're a senior now, you can get a scholarship and go to college Bristol... you could be in the pros one day. Why would you suppress your talent? I will never understand that."

She wanted to tell him that she'd been getting scholarships from colleges for the past 30 years and in almost every country on the map, but instead she grabbed his hands and looked into his eyes.

Now she was able to read his thoughts again, and she could see that there was no love lost on his part; that he had simply been hurt because of the Todd situation. However, she could see that he was still a little apprehensive about continuing to deal with her, but that he was willing to give it another shot.

She knew that she must do everything in her power to not mess up her relationship with Marvin; even if that included her staying up all night and keeping her eye on him and his house. She was mad about what Todd had done, but she knew that what was done... was done.

Staring into Marvin's eyes, she could also feel that there was about to be a lot more trouble for her and her parents in the near future; but even though she knew this, something wouldn't allow her to back away. She liked him too much.

She closed her eyes and enjoyed Marvin's presence. She was enjoying the flattery of his thoughts when she sensed a dangerous question approaching. There was only one thing that she could say to the question he was about to ask, and it was sure to cause a major rift between her family, Todd, and Lord Aslar.

"Bristol, will you be my date for the Homecoming dance?"

That was the biggest question she'd ever been asked in the past two centuries, and she was momentarily speechless. She stood there in shock and wonder at what the consequences would be.

Nervous excitement entered her body and wouldn't leave. It remained with her while her heart tingled and her face flushed with happiness.

"Yes Marvin. I will be your date to the Homecoming Dance. Of course I will... You're my boyfriend."

Marvin hugged her, and the skin on skin contact caused her body to turn to Jell-o and melt in his arms. She was stronger than twenty men combined, but at that very moment, she was the weakest person on the entire planet. She could do nothing but bask in his embrace and think about the future.

The future was always coming, whether you were a vampire or a human; animal or plant. There would never be a way to avoid the future if you planned on continuing to live.

And Bristol planned on living. She planned on living her life as a human one day. She did not want to be a vampire anymore if it meant that she couldn't be with Marvin. He was fast becoming one of her favorite people of all time; and she had a lot of people to compare him to. She could feel his heart beat and could smell the purity of the blood that flowed through him.

It excited her that she could be so close to a mortal and instead of feeling like a predator, she could feel like a protector. She knew that her parents were not going to approve of her going to the Homecoming dance with Marvin, but she was going to go whether they liked it or not. She had made up her mind that she was going to find out just how far her and Marvin's friendship was going to go.

It could be dangerous, she thought.

"Dangerous how?" Marvin said, and it startled Bristol.

"You heard me?"

"Yea, you said it out loud... so... what's going to be dangerous?"

Close call. "Haha. You trying to guard me on the basketball court! IT could definitely be dangerous!"

"Well, go get out of your school clothes and put back on that old Allen Iverson jersey that you like to rock and we'll see how dangerous you are. I got a game plan for you!"

"What type of game plan?" Bristol said with a smile on her face.

"Go get the ball, you're about to find out!"

Bristol headed to her house with her school books in her hand wearing a huge smile on her face. She knew that she had to be more careful about what she let slip out of her mouth. She was happy that she was cool with Marvin again. The time she spent not talking to him was extremely hard on her.

I better be extra careful with letting my thoughts leak out of my mouth. I have to be cautious. I guess after 200 years or so, I have a tendency to slip every now and again. Never again.

CHAPTER 10

Bristol and Marvin's relationship got progressively better since their argument took place. They had been playing basketball every night, with Bristol even giving Marvin pointers on his jump shot. They had quickly turned into one of the most influential couples in high school. They were certainly the most talked about and the most popular.

It was obvious to everyone that they adored each other. The only people that were seemingly unaware of how deep their adoration was for each other were Bristol's parents. When Bristol's parents saw how much Marvin and their daughter hung out, they thought nothing of it. They knew that they'd trained her to not like black people, so they were happy that she was putting on such an excellent front for the community.

Eric was sitting on the bed playing chess with his wife when the question arose.

"Eric, do you think Bristol really likes that black boy?"

Eric accidentally knocked over the chess pieces when he heard the question.

"Heavens no Susan! I think we trained our Bristol very well. She's only making us look like the good and wholesome family that we're supposed to be. Frankly, I'm glad she's doing it. Otherwise people would think that we're racist."

"You always know the right things to say Eric. I think that's one of the main reasons that I married you. I knew I couldn't go wrong with a love like yours. You're the one and will always be."

"Awww Snoogie. Thank you. I'm so glad that we're only 5 years away from receiving our immortality from Lord Aslar. I'm so excited! You know, we'll be able to have children finally."

He tickled her, causing her to laugh like a cheerleader. She was just as happy as Eric, and knew that the blessing from Lord Aslar was what they had been living for. Without them receiving all of their powers, they would have been living with no purpose. Bristol was the biggest asset that the family had. Without Bristol, there was no future and she knew it.

She slid the chessboard over and stretched out her body. She tilted her head so that she was staring at her husband with smiling eyes. Her blond hair was sprawled around her face like a picture frame. Eric leaned down and kissed her on the lips. He was so happy with his life that he didn't think it could get any better.

"Eric? You know there's a Homecoming Dance coming up next month right? Do you plan on letting Bristol go if she asks to go with Marvin?"

Eric jumped back as if hot grease had popped out of Susan's mouth. It scared him momentarily, but he quickly got a hold of himself.

"Susan... no. There isn't a chance in this world that I'll sit here and let her ruin this family. Besides, you know Bristol is just putting on a show. She's not that serious. If she is, we're going to have some serious problems."

"I sure hope you're right Eric. It would devastate me if all of this went wrong baby."

************************************

1 Month Later-

"You want to do what?" Her father was screaming at her while in a fighting stance.

"Dad, settle down, I have everything under control. I just want to go to the Homecoming dance with Marvin."

"That black boy? I don't think so!"

"What does it matter to you? Would it help if he was white?"

"Certainly not! You know what our agreement is, and you can't jeopardize it Bristol! I forbid you!"

"But Dad... the dance is tonight! I've already told him I was going. I've given my word!"

"I forbid you I say! I forbid you!"

"You forbid me?" She scoffed at her father. "You always forbid me! When we lived in Russia you forbid me. In Ireland, India, Mexico, France; no matter where you've had us living, you always forbid me from having male friends! Don't you think it's time you started trusting me Dad? I mean honestly!"

Her father stood up and pointed his finger in her face. "You listen to me and you listen to me good! I don't know what has gotten into you lately, but you're certainly close to ruining everything! You're about to destroy all of the greatness that you've worked for. 220 years Bristol! Why-"

"I haven't worked for anything! I've suffered! For over 200 years I've lived my life in pain, shame, and hurt! I-"

Her father grabbed her arms and shook her violently. "Snap out of it Bristol. You will not ruin this family! I won't allow it! And furthermore, you are not to see that black boy again outside of school and the bus stop. No more basketball games late night, and certainly no Homecoming Dance. How dare you disrespect this family! Ptooa!"

He spit in her face, and his saliva felt like a giant fireball was searing through her cheek. Tears came to her eyes and a deep realization came to her mind. It was as if it was her first time ever seeing the gentleman standing before her, and he certainly didn't look like her father.

How could he be a father or guardian, yet keep me oppressed and treat me like a slave, she thought as the tears streamed down her face.

"Dad! How could you?! How could you! How could you!"

"Well come to your senses and I wouldn't have to do things like that. But until you get it together, I'll keep reminding you of what's important."

Bristol knew she was strong, but didn't know if she was stronger than her father. She stared at him with disgust in her eyes and hatred running through her body as she thought about whether she wanted to find out the answer or not. She was mad enough to physically fight him.

"Let me ask you something then Dad," she said through sobs, "Tell me why Lord Aslar wants me of all people! Why does he want me?"

Her father went silent and sat down on the recliner. He knew that question would come one day and he dreaded having to answer it. He sat there and thought about what the consequences would be if he lied to her.

But he knew he couldn't lie because of the promise he'd made with Susan.

"You can't tell me Dad? I bet it's something stupid-"

"Watch your mouth Bristol!"

"I will not! I think I deserve to know why I'm the sacrificial lamb of the family! I think-"

"Fine! Is that what you'd like? The truth? Well listen! You're going to get exactly what you asked for!

When I met your mother, she was an Aslaric Vampire already! But she was going through the waiting period just like you are right now. She had gone 170 years without love and had remained a virgin through that entire time. When I first saw her, I fell instantly in love. I pursued her aggressively.

I stopped at nothing even though she constantly told me no. Your mother was strong willed and determined to never pay me any attention. But back in those days, Bristol, there were no planes. There were no cars, trains, motorcycles or jets. So she couldn't really escape me.

I pursued your mother for two years and gradually started to get to know her. Before we knew it, we were head over heels in love. We were both living in London at the time. On a couple of occasions I'd told Susan that I loved her, but she would never respond.

For the first few months, I didn't care; I was just happy to be with her. But on the night of our first anniversary, we went to a romantic dinner; and afterwards we went for a walk in the park. It was a full moon out that night, and I remember the temperature was unusually warm for that time of the year. Your mother had spotted a shooting star; and without me even asking her, I gave her a big kiss right on the lips.

After a whole year, that was our first time kissing! After the kiss, she stared at me for a moment, and I thought surely that she was going to hit me. But she didn't. We kissed again. And after that kiss, I felt brave enough to propose to her.

She accepted. And that was the first time she told me that she loved me. It was supposed to be the happiest time of my life, but instead it was a nightmare!

As soon as those words left her mouth, we heard what sounded like a stampede of bulls in the distance coming from our left. That's when things started getting unbelievable. Susan picked me up, literally; and took off running. She wasn't even running, she was galloping almost; going so fast that I couldn't even keep my eyes open.

When we made it to her house, she finally told me the truth about everything and it blew me away. But by that time, I'd already committed to her. We loved each other and I didn't care what it took to keep us together, as long as it happened. For years we went to war with Aslar and his gang of followers.

We fought, ran, bled, did everything possible to avoid his wrath. But one day-"

"Wait... I thought an Aslaric Vampire without all of their powers couldn't have kids... how did I come about?"

Her father sighed and covered his face with his hand.

"Bristol, look-"

"Am I adopted?"

"No, you're not adop-"

"Then tell me Dad, I deserve to know!"

He sighed.

"O.K... Aslar killed Susan's entire family as a part of his retaliation. Among those that died was Linda, who was Susan's sister; your real mother. Susan got you and we've raised you-"

"You've raised me specifically for this... this monster? You were fattening me up to get killed like some animal? I can't believe you two!"

"No Bristol! Listen! Him and the gangs surrounded our house one day, and we could no longer run. There was no chance of making it out alive. So Susan created us both."

"Created? What's that mean?"

"It's the process of creating another Aslaric Vampire. You may notice that we have never created more vampires Bristol, and there's a reason for that. In order to create an Aslaric Vampire, you must first kill the person that you're trying to create. Once the person's heart stops beating, you have to let your own Aslaric blood flow into their body.

The catch is that most people are not receptive to the blood of an Aslaric Vampire, and you risk killing a person by trying to play God. There are a small percentage of people who are receptive, but you would never know, unless they allowed you to kill them first. The person has to trust you in order for their body to trust yours.

Susan killed me and you both, and let her blood flow from both wrists into our hearts on that fateful day, and it worked. When Aslar barged into the house, he could smell his blood flowing through all of us, so he didn't burn us up as he intended. Instead, he gave us one chance to redeem ourselves; he told us to accept an unknown punishment in advance, or he would kill us all right then and there.

Bristol, we had no way of knowing that our punishment meant that Aslar was going to make us sacrifice you."

Bristol shook her head as she tried to absorb all of the news. It was the worst day of her life, and she hated that she had to find out such horrible information. She felt like her life was a joke; as if she was a pawn in a deadly game of immortal chess, and it disgusted her.

"S-s-so... how old was I when I was converted?"

Eric hesitated. "You were 18 years old Bristol..."

"What? How... Why don't I remember anything from my youth? The furthest I can remember is you and Susan! Why? I-"

"Bristol, the prayer of forgetfulness was laid upon you by Susan, in order to protect you. You were 18 with the mind of a newborn, and Susan and I had to raise you and teach you everything you knew all over again.

You'd turned 18 again by the time Lord Aslar came and asked you himself if you wanted to become immortal. You accepted his offer."

"You two tricked me! You're not my real father, and she's my aunt! You're a selfish bastard, and she's no better-"

"Watch your tone young woman! You've been blessed with the opportunity to help our bloodline continue to live on forever. You should be proud!"

"Proud? You've experienced love before! You have memories of normal living. I had all of this stuff stripped from me for no reason whatsoever. I hate this! This is a curse, and I won't partake in this any longer! I'm done!"

Bristol ran out of the house and crossed through the front yard when she heard him screaming after her.

"Bristol! Wait! Come back Bristol!"

But it was too late because Bristol was too fast and too far gone. Susan is going to kill me when she finds out what happened, he thought as he put his face into his hands.

************************************

Marvin had been dating Bristol for the past two months, and it had been the happiest time of his life. Bristol made him smile when he was at his lowest point. She was absolutely perfect for him. She was drop dead gorgeous and one of the most popular girls in school; and she could hit a jump shot!

Marvin stood in his mother's full length mirror as he fixed his tie and studied his appearance. Perfect, he thought. He had held on to half of the money that his ex-friend had given him months ago; and had enough to rent a suit, take pictures; and take Bristol to dinner. His mother walked in with a digital camera in her hand and a smile on her face.

"You are so handsome Marvin," she said as she pinched him on his cheek.

"Come on Mom..." Marvin was nervous and shy; but when he thought about his beautiful girlfriend, pure excitement flowed through his veins. Unlike many of the other girls at school, she didn't chase behind the in-crowd, she became the in-crowd.

There had been many people hating on the strong bond that he had with Bristol, but their hatred was for naught and never affected their relationship. Bristol always knew the right words to say to him and was always in-tune with his emotions. A few times, Marvin swore that she was some type of mind-reader.

"My baby boy is all grown up! Smile for the camera!" His mother caught him off guard and snapped a picture of him.

"Mommm..."

"What baby? I'm just proud of you is all. I wish Bristol would hurry up and bring her blond butt on over here so you two can take some pictures together. What time are ya'll supposed to be leaving for the prom?"

"It's not the prom, it's Homecoming; and we're supposed to be leaving at 6 because the members of the student council are supposed to be there early."

"I can see it in that girl's face Marvin... She is definitely in love with you."

"It's far too early for her to love me isn't it Ma?"

His mother shifted her weight to her right leg and put her hand on her hip. "Marvin, look at me..."

He turned away from the mirror and looked down at her short frame. She stared into his eyes, gazing at the familiar sparkle of one of the greatest men she had ever known, Marvin's father.

************************************

Her and his father, Murphy, had gotten married when they were only 21 years old. Despite what the naysayers said about their relationship, it had been the happiest time of her life. Murphy cherished her; he treated her as if she was the only woman on the planet.

On the day that she went into labor with Marvin, Murphy had been at work with his construction crew. He received the call during his lunch break and high-tailed it all the way across town. He didn't want to miss his the birth of his first born, so he broke all speed limits and ran all stop signs en route to the hospital.

One of those stop signs was the wrong one to run on that particular day and an eighteen wheeler crashed into the driver's side of his vehicle. The paramedics came, but it was nothing that they could do; Murphy was dead on arrival.

That was the worst and the best day of her life. The best because their son had been born healthy, and the worst because her husband had been taken away. She never remarried; never had interest in any other man besides Murphy, and now her son was standing in front of her looking like a spitting image of her late husband.

************************************

Wiping the tears from her eyes, she still managed to squeeze out a heartfelt smile. She rummaged through her purse until she found her keys, then handed them to Marvin, surprising him.

"I know I told you that I would drop you and Bristol off, but I do think that you and that young lady can manage it. It's time that I let my fears go and start trusting that you're going to be o.k. I love you son. Now go on over to the Shell Station and fill up the gas tank."

Marvin clasped his hands around his mother's small palms as he looked her in the eyes. "Thank you Mom... Thank you for trusting me..."

He turned to leave when his mother stopped him in his tracks.

"Marv..."

"Yes Mom?"

She hesitated for a moment, then reached into her purse again. "Marv... I'm going to leave you with the keys to the house because when you come home, I won't be here."

Marvin looked alarmed. "What's-"

"Don't worry baby, everything's fine. I'm about to take the train to San Francisco to visit your grandmother. They called me and told me that she was sick, so I'm about to go see if I can help her around the house."

"Oh..." Marvin didn't know that side of his family too well because the last time that he visited them; they seemed to have an attitude with him. He was 13 years old at the time, and it hurt that they would act like that towards him.

"How long will you be gone Mom?"

His mother walked up to him and pulled his ear. "I'll be gone for a week... Do you think you could take care of yourself for seven days?"

Marvin smirked. "Come on Ma... I'm almost a grown man now, I could take care of you for seven days! That's not a problem."

She smiled at him lovingly. "Let's hope so baby... Let's hope so..."

CHAPTER 11

The tables had been cleared out and the floor was as shiny as the surface of a lightbulb. The lights were dim and smooth jazz music streamed through the speakers, creating an intimate setting. The students had created a banner that read: CEDAR HILL HOMECOMING and plastered it on the wall.

The cafeteria had been turned into a professional ballroom, complete with photographers, candles, and low powered strobe lights.

The entire room looked like the shadow of a hundred candles. It was mystic and sensual; perfect for the young lovers to celebrate the innocence of their teenage years. Marvin had rented a gray suit with a light blue button up shirt underneath it, and he could feel it in his bones that it was the best that he had ever looked.

Bristol was wearing a baby blue dress trimmed in gray. Her heels were white and gray and were four inches off of the ground. No one could say that they weren't the most beautiful couple at the dance, and they knew it.

A couple of Marvin's basketball teammates were there with their dates; and he spoke to them in passing because he only wanted to focus on Bristol. Tonight was her night and he wanted to make sure that she got the full attention that she deserved. They stood a few feet away from the live band and embraced each other; going through the motions of a slow dance.

As far as Marvin was concerned, they were going to be doing that same dance for the entire night. He wasn't much of a dancer, he was only searching for an excuse to get as close to Bristol as possible.

"Bristol..." He whispered to her.

"Yes Marvin?"

"Why did you come in my house through the back door when it was time to leave?"

Bristol stared up into Marvin's hazel eyes, and felt so drawn to him that she couldn't even read his thoughts. It was fast becoming a problem.

"What do you mean Marvin?"

"What do I mean? I mean you have never come into my house through the back door when we were playing basketball, so why would you come through the backdoor when you have on your Homecoming dress?"

"Oh..." Bristol knew she couldn't bring herself to lie to him again, but the truth would hurt him more than the lie.

"I thought maybe you were in the backyard playing basketball," she joked.

"I'm not laughing Bristol. I'm serious. Are you ashamed of me or something?"

Bristol was alarmed that he would ask such a question. She stared at him defensively, but she knew that she couldn't fault him for thinking that way, because that was exactly how she had been acting.

"My mother adores you, and she told me that she could see it in your face that maybe you had feelings for me too; but I just can't tell sometimes."

"Marvin, now... This is our night, let's just dance and enjoy ourselves."

"Why didn't your parents want to take pictures of us together? It's our senior homecoming dance. We only get one and this is it..."

Bristol remained silent, for fear of saying the wrong thing. She placed her hands on the small of Marvin's back and pulled him as close to her as possible. She pressed her face into his chest and took a deep breath. Marvin was enjoying the closeness of her, but he was still searching for answers to his queries.

"Bristol, be honest with me baby... Are you ashamed of me?"

"Goodness no! I could never be ashamed of you Marvin, I lo-... care for you too much."

Marvin stopped dancing for a minute and looked into her eyes.

"What were you about to say? You love me? Because I've been meaning to tell you that same thing Bristol. It's true... I love you."

Bristol's heart started pounding harder than she'd ever felt it beat before in her life. She thought she was on the verge of a heart attack before she realized how absurd that thought was.

What do I say? She thought as she looked around the room with panic in her eyes. If I tell him I do love him, what will happen to me? What will happen to us? Oh my goodness!

"Bristol, are you o.k.?"

Think quick! "Yea, I'm fine Marvin; I just had a little heartburn, that's all. I'm fine now."

"Heartburn? Well come with me, let's step outside and take a walk. I'll grab us two bottles of water real quick. Don't go anywhere."

He stepped off towards the condiment section before she could say anything.

What have I gotten myself into? She thought as she stood there scared out of her mind. She considered all of the options she had. I could just run right now, pick up and leave this city. I could leave this relationship behind. I don't have to break the agreement I have with Lord Aslar if I just go right now. If I do break the agreement, my family will be endangered. I will be endangered. Marvin will be endangered. Blood will shed. People will die. Turmoil and chaos would be rampant not only between me and Lord Aslar, but between me, Aslar, my family; and even Marvin and his family. How do I even know if Marvin will believe me if I told him the truth? Surely he won't believe such a thing! What do I do?

"Hellllllllooo... Earth to Bristol; can you hear me?" Marvin had been standing directly in front of her for 20 seconds straight and she hadn't even noticed him standing there.

"I'm sorry?" She asked with depression and confusion set deep into her face.

"Come on girl, let's take a walk."

Bristol and Marvin walked out of the ballroom holding hands while many of their classmates looked on in awe. The black girls were jealous because a white girl had come to their school and showed them what a good man they had been looking over. They weren't prejudiced, but in that part of Georgia they weren't used to seeing young interracial couples that were serious about each other.

When he got close to the door, he saw his former best friend Patrick, walk in with Lucy Pellino. Patrick and Lucy both were wearing two thousand dollar outfits and sporting expensive accessories. They stole the spotlight as soon as they entered, and the you're a loser smirk that Patrick and Lucy was giving off wasn't lost to Marvin and Bristol.

Marvin couldn't help but to think how much better his life could have been if he hadn't quit working with Patrick. They kept walking, passing the last row of speakers and going through the metal detectors. When they got outside, the cool night air brushed across Marvin's skin, causing him to shiver.

Bristol took a deep breath and instantly sensed danger in the forecast. In the distance, she could smell vampire blood approaching; and she needed to get Marvin back inside the school where it was much safer. She had to think fast though...

"Marvin, I'm a little cold... I think we should go back inside."

Marvin took off his jacket and wrapped it around her body. "There... you need to get some fresh air and drink some water Bristol. I don't like that you're having heartburn. I just don't like that."

Mannnn! She thought as she desperately tried to figure out a way to get him back inside.

"I'm better now Marvin, let's go back in." She turned to walk off, but he grabbed her arm.

"Bristol..."

She turned around and met his gaze. The stars illuminated the parking lot with a natural seductiveness that neither of them could deny. She loved the night time already, but seeing Marvin in the night did things to her that she couldn't even explain.

"What is it Marvin?"

"You said you were better now... so let me hear you say it. Tell me you love me if you mean it. If you don't mean it, then don't say it."

And there it was. Marvin had successfully put Bristol on the spot. She no longer had a way to come up with excuses. She couldn't escape or avoid the question any longer. Here she was after 220 years, with only 5 years to go, and love had caught up with her. She was supposed to be doing this for her family, for her bloodline to continue to get passed on for generations to come; and here she was... failing.

Failing her mother and father... Her aunt and her uncle. Failing Marvin and falling victim to her own emotions and feelings. She had failed to seize control over the moment. Marvin's face scrunched up through her silence, and then he turned his back on her.

"Fine... I understand." And as he said it, a pain shot through her heart that she had never experienced before. She knew that if she didn't explain things to Marvin, she was going to lose him. And for the first time ever, she realized that she'd rather lose her life and expose her secrets than to lose her first love.

"Marvin..." Her voice was soft, her aura suddenly lacking confidence as she switched her weight from one foot to the next.

"What?" He turned around and stared at the girl he loved, wishing that she would love him in return. He stood there wishing that he could read her mind, but having no clue that she was able to read his. He stood before her running different reasons through his mind about why she hadn't told him that she loved him; but none of the excuses he thought of was wild enough to equal the truth.

"Marvin..." she spoke, as tears started to form in her eyes, "there's a lot about me that you don't know; and even more stuff than I could ever expect for you to understand..."

Marvin stood before her, calm and expressionless; waiting for the love of his life to tell him why they could no longer be. She stood there tense, trying to select her words carefully. She took a deep breath, and could smell venomous vampire blood approaching in the distance.

By her estimates; it, he, or she was still about 25 miles out from the high school. She estimated that she had about 30 minutes before things turned ugly. She swallowed her pride and suppressed her fears long enough to get her words out.

"If... I told you that I had killed a human being and gotten away with it, would you still love me like you think you do?"

Marvin frowned up at her in disgust; his look sending volts of terror through Bristol's body. She was beginning to think that she had already made a mistake by opening up to him too soon.

Marvin started shaking his head and his lip started to tremble.

I knew it, she thought, if he couldn't handle that small info, then I know he won't be able to handle the truth.

"Wow... you're getting angry because I could possibly be a killer?"

"No. I'm getting angry because you have the audacity to think that you could question my love for you. Bristol... I love you. And I don't care if you're a murderer or an angel. But if I continue to love you without you loving me, that's not healthy. I cannot do that. I just can't..."

Bristol had tears running paths through her makeup and dripping off of her face. Her mascara was ruined and her nerves were on edge as she stood in the moon's glow. Normally in a tight situation, she would pray to Lord Aslar for assistance. But since she was about to shatter her promise with him, she knew that it would be useless.

"Bristol baby... please tell me why you're crying. If I'm putting too much pressure on you, I'm sorry. I never meant to come off sounding desperate. I-"

"I'm a vampire." She blurted out suddenly.

Marvin had no reaction whatsoever; he just stood there staring at her. In the story that her Uncle told her, there had been a stampede in the distance; so she quickly remembered that telling him she was a vampire had been the easiest part of her task. She still hadn't told him that she loved him.

"What's so hard about you telling me that you're a "vampire" Bristol?"

She was surprised. She thought his reaction would have been a lot more powerful than that. "So you don't think I'm crazy or anything? You act as if you've met vampires or something."

Marvin took her hand and kissed it.

"Of course I've met vampires before. There are cults; entire gangs of people who think they're vampires. They drink blood and everything, but a few of them end up throwing up because it makes them sick. I have no problem with it Bristol, I'm sure you'll grow out of it."

Bristol was getting furious because she felt like Marvin was taking her for a joke. She saw that another couple had walked outside and was trying to eavesdrop. "Marvin... come with me."

She grabbed his arm and pulled him along until she made it to the other side of the school. They kept walking until they got to the softball field and stopped, noticing that the entrance gate had 10 padlocks on it; all locked. She crossed her arms and stared at the man she loved. She knew that this night was going to change her life, for better or for worse; and that worse could mean death, but it was a chance that she was willing to take.

"I'm not a part of some stupid cult Marvin. I am the real deal..."

She read his thoughts and saw that he didn't believe her. "O.K. Marvin, open the locks on this gate."

He glanced down and grinned. "That's impossible, I can't pick locks. I don't know how."

"No... put your hands on the chain and snap in into two pieces. Use your strength."

Marvin shook his head and sighed. Then he grabbed a hold of the heavy chain and pulled as hard as he could. The chain didn't budge, it seemed to be laughing at him for attempting such a feat. He let go of it and brushed some of the dust off of the arm of his jacket.

"You knew I couldn't do that Bristol. That made no sense whatsoever."

She had a serious look on her face. "Of course I knew that." Then she grabbed the chain with her thumb and her index finger, and gave it a tug. The chain ripped away from the padlocks and separated from the fence.

A lump arose in Marvin's throat, his eyes were huge as he studied what was left of the chain and padlocks. His heart was beating fast, not because he was scared, but because he knew that there was nothing in this world that could stop him from loving Bristol.

She had tears in her eyes as she threw the chain onto the grass. "Don't you see?" She cried. "I'm a freak of nature. I'm not just some innocent 17 year old girl! I'm this... freak! I hate being this way Marvin! See... I didn't even have to rip the chain off of the gate!" She crouched down and leapt clear over the 18 foot fence.

She landed on her feet on the other side and took a seat. She sat there and sobbed, knowing that she had lost her first love and exposed her secrets in the process.

Stunned and dazed, Marvin walked through the fence's entrance and crouched down beside her. "Baby... why are you crying? That's the only thing I don't understand... I mean... I had no clue you were... like that... but... I still like you..."

"Marvin... being with me could be dangerous. I'm serious..."

He lifted her to her feet and kissed the tears away from her face. "The only thing dangerous is if I have to be without you Bristol. I don't know if I want to continue living my life if you're not going to be in it."

Bristol saw that he was telling the truth and it warmed her heart immensely. He placed his delicate human fingers beneath her chin and lifted it up. Then his plump lips connected with hers for the most electrifying moment that they had ever endured. It was the very first kiss for both of them.

Her first kiss after over 220 years shook her to her core. She experienced a tingle below her waist that she had never felt before, and it seemed as if all of her powers had been taken away from her for a fleeting moment. Her knees felt weak and her body felt as if it weighed nothing.

Senses had awakened in places that she didn't even know she could feel. The kiss made her feel like a hundred feathers were tickling her brain. So this is what love feels like, she thought as she wrapped her arms around Marvin's body.

"I love you Bristol." He said with inspired hope in his voice.

"Marvin," she whispered, "I love you too."

It was a monumental moment. An event. A verbal recognition of true love between complex opposites. Just by her saying those words, it felt like a 200 year burden had been lifted off of her body. She inhaled the scent of Marvin's body, noting that its fragrance was suddenly sweeter.

She saw that Marvin was the happiest that he'd ever been, and this made her heart melt. She inhaled deeper, and realized that the vampire that was 25 miles away couldn't be detected anymore. To her it felt like most of her emotional problems had been solved. She was in love.

And she was going to do everything within her power to make sure that she protected her love. Even if it meant that she would have to die for him, she would be fine with that. She was aware that everything happened for a reason, and felt that she had lived all those years for this one moment.

"You don't care that I'm... some weirdo?" You don't care that I'm a blood-drinking demon? You don't even look surprised Marvin. Tell me what you're thinking about... please."

He took a deep breath and looked up at the moonlit sky. "I'm not surprised because I just don't care. As long as I can be with you forever, I don't care what your issues are. We'll work through them"

Bristol smiled at him. Her smile telling him everything he needed and wanted to hear. He smiled in return. A smile so warm that it momentarily shook her. Briefly it touched her spirit in a way that only a loved one can. And that was when she knew that it was true. That was when she knew that it was going to be them against the word. She would never have to question this thing, this love... Even without questions, she knew that it was the type of love that would constantly demand answers. And she was fully prepared to provide them.

They slowly walked around to the other side of the school where the Homecoming Dance was being held, and for both of them it seemed as if it was their first time experiencing life. It felt as if it was their very first time ever seeing the world. When they looked at the moon, it was 15 times brighter. When they looked at each other, they seemed 15 times closer, and it seemed that every 15 seconds they fell deeper and deeper into their coma of love.

It was beautiful. Bristol had finally discovered what all the hype was about with that love word, and she was far from disappointed. The only question she asked herself was why she hadn't fallen in love sooner. She couldn't believe that she had missed out on so much. Had she known what love was 200 years ago, there was no way she could have gone 200 years without it.

She now knew the difference between familial love and incredible love. Her heart was throbbing at a frantic rate and her breathing seemed out of this world. It seemed as if every time she took a deep breath, her lungs inhaled for Marvin and exhaled for them. She had arrived to life; 220 years late, but love was right on time.

They went back inside and danced the night away. They closed their eyes and embraced each other throughout all of the slow jams. They rubbed their bodies against each other, getting familiar with their other half. Midway through a song, Bristol opened her eyes; and was surprised to see that Marvin opened his at the same time that she did. They stared at each other for a second, then they both leaned in for an earth rattling, soul clenching kiss. The kiss fast became a drug for Bristol; she was addicted, but she wasn't going to abuse it just yet.

After they got through taking pictures, they walked into the refreshment lounge to get something to drink. But by the time they made it there, Bristol was clutching her stomach; and doubled over in pain.

"Bristol, are you o.k.?" Marvin was nervous, but he didn't think it was anything serious.

Bristol fell to the floor clutching her stomach. Her mouth opened up and an acknowledgement of pain burst out of there. Marvin picked her up and hurriedly walked through the crowd, on his way to the car. He caught Patrick's smirk through his peripheral vision and ignored it. He knew that people of hate would always be of hate, and there was nothing he could do to stop it.

************************************

CHAPTER 12

"Bristol, are you o.k.?" He asked her once he had taken her to the car. She was lying in the seat sweating profusely. Her arms were trembling and she couldn't sit still long enough to take a deep breath. He grabbed his white handkerchief out of his coat pocket and tilted her face up so that he could wipe the sweat away from her face. But when he saw her face, he was instantly alarmed.

"Bristol! What's going on with you? What is happening?"

Bristol frowned, but that frown made everything much worse. "What Marvin? I'm sick, please take me home."

"Bristol... look in this mirror!"

When Bristol looked into the mirror and saw her reflection, she knew exactly what was going on. She was transforming into a human again. Instead of Lord Aslar punishing her the way that he punished her Aunt and Uncle back in the day, he'd came with something unexpected. He had given her the one thing she'd always asked for. He had made her human.

The downside was that she was going to be a 220 year old human being. Her skin was getting more and more wrinkled by the second. Her hair was turning grayer by the minute. She felt her face slowly start to suck itself in as if there was a vacuum inside of it.

She looked at Marvin and tried to read his mind, but was having a difficult time. With a lot of concentration, she was finally able to determine some of what he was thinking. It wasn't the strength of what her normal thought reading would be, but it was still effective. She saw that he still loved her, but he was scared out of his mind.

When she looked back into the mirror, she knew that she had to do something or she would die. A 220 year old female wouldn't make it past the night, and Lord Aslar was slowly aging her until she reached her actual age. She knew today was going to be her last day on Earth, and she just hoped that she hadn't messed things up for Marvin.

Outside of Marvin's car, there were a few onlookers standing around trying to see what was going on. They had seen Bristol double over in pain inside of the building, and had been curious about what was going on with her. Some of the prejudiced guys from the baseball team stood there staring at him with their arms crossed. The looks on their faces accused Marvin of being the culprit in the situation. One of them mumbled "I bet he slipped that girl a date rape drug," but no one responded to him.

Marvin quickly started the engine and backed out of the parking lot. He swerved onto the highway and stepped on the gas so that he could take her to the hospital to find out what was really going on.

"Marvin... please pull over, let's go down a back road; I have an idea." Her speech was weaker than it had been in the previous 3 minutes, and it pained him to hear her talking like this. He kept driving until he saw a sign that said "private property: keep out," and drove straight down that path. When he got out of the view of the highway, he parked the car; leaving his lights on.

"What is it Bristol? Whatever you need me to do, I'll do it. I love you, and that's the only thing that matters to me. You already know this baby."

Bristol looked like she was 63 years old and it seemed as if she aged a year for every 30 seconds. Her hair was turning whiter by the minute and the color of her skin was becoming even paler than it had originally been. She knew that she would have to resort to drastic measures, although she hated that she would have to go through this.

Marvin unfastened his seatbelt and got out. His dress shoes made an impression into the soft dirt road that he was parked on. When he made it to the passenger side of the car, Bristol had aged another year right before his eyes. He looked into her eyes and saw yellow where there used to be white only a couple of hours ago. More than ever he felt the desire and need to help the woman that he loved.

"Bristol please tell me what I can do. Can you drink some of my blood? Will that help? Anything, just tell me!"

Bristol stared up at Marvin and admired what she saw. He was a loyal guy regardless of the situation and that was what she loved most about him. He never tried to be any more than who he was. She felt an overwhelming urge to want to spend the rest of her days with him.

"Marvin... as you can see, I'm dying..."

Marvin shook his head in denial. He didn't want to hear the things that she was telling him regardless of if it were the truth or not. He was passionate about Bristol. She was a woman who was there for him when no other female was. He wanted to save her.

"Let's do something Bristol, anything!"

Bristol sat back in the seat, and it was evident that she was void of any energy. She exhaled and thought to herself for a moment; and even in those moments she continued to age at a rapid pace.

"O.K. Marvin... Do you trust me?"

It was a simple enough question for Marvin; although he didn't understand the severity of what she was actually asking her. He thought about the times they'd spent together; and how much fun they'd had together as a couple, and knew there was only one answer to her question.

"Yes, of course I love you Bristol. Yes. Why do you ask me? You know it to be true baby!"

Bristol managed to form a brief smile in response to Marvin's kind words and genuine expression. Her smile was short lived because she knew her clock was ticking. She inhaled slower than she normally did, and she could feel the pace of her heartbeat as it slowed down to a snail's pace. At that point, she knew that she was nearing the brink of death's zip code.

"O.K... Marvin. I'll have to kill you and bring you back with my blood. That way you'll be a vampire yourself. In order for it to work, you have to trust me wholeheartedly. If you do not, you will not wake up. So if you don't trust me, please don't allow me to do this to you. You will have died for nothing.

When you wake back up, I will have given you my last few ounces of energy, and I will most likely be on my death bed. My heart will probably still be beating, but I will be unconscious. By that time, I'll probably be all the way in human form if I've given you my last drops of Aslaric blood. So you'll need to kill me all the way, and afterward send your rejuvenated Aslaric blood through me by connecting our open veins."

Without waiting for her to explain any further, Marvin lay back in his seat and handed her his pocketknife. "So what are we waiting on? Let's make it happen."

Bristol grabbed the pocketknife and sat there for a moment staring at Marvin as he unbuttoned his dress shirt and exposed his flesh. She knew that what she was about to do was wrong, but she didn't feel that she had a choice in the matter. She felt that he trusted her whenever he was around her, so there was a high chance of this being a success.

On the other hand, she was about to commit him to being a vampire for the rest of his life; the very thing that she spent 220 years trying not to be. She wanted to be able to sit back and analyze the situation more, but her clock was running out. She wanted to be able to not do what she was about to do; but doing so would mean suicide. She stared at Marvin's beautiful skin underneath the glow of the moon and couldn't bring herself to end his life.

"Bristol, do it! Now!"

"I can't Marvin! I love you too much!"

"Bristol, if you want to be with me forever like I want to be with you forever, then do it! Now!"

That was the defining moment for Bristol. She certainly wanted to be with Marvin forever, and would do so at all costs. She would never betray him, and knew that his soul wouldn't allow him to betray her either. He was a rarity. One of those people who came along every 220 years.

Marvin smiled at her as she lowered the blade and punctured his flesh. The last thing Marvin felt was a strong pain as the blade slid through his heart. The feel of metal against a place that had never been touched before made him pass out instantly.

Bristol pulled the knife out and slit a huge gash in her wrist. She didn't know if it would be enough blood or not to revive Marvin, so she slashed even deeper into her own flesh to make sure. She pressed her open wound against Marvin's and watched as her blood flow went into his body in spurts. She felt the life force exit her body at a dizzying pace.

There was no doubt in her mind about Marvin's body accepting her blood, and there was no doubt in her mind about whether or not Marvin trusted her. She knew that without trust, a person's body would not wake up; and that that person would be dead forever.

As Bristol took her last breaths, and as her last remaining bits of life drained from her body; she had a startling thought that shook her to her very core.

But do I trust HIM?

~The Aslaric Vampire 2~ Full length~ Coming 2012.

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