Chapter Six

Inside, I took the vegetables out of the boiling water, placing them into plastic storage containers to be made into food later.

As I took the beets out I held the bowl up to my nose and took a deep breath. Then I held them up to Jack’s nose. “Smell.”

“I can smell them from here.”

“I know thou can, but I want thee to really smell them. Close thine eyes and breathe in deeply. Really smell them.”

He did as I said, closing his eyes meditatively, and slowly he filled his lungs. “What does thou smell?” I asked him.

“They smell, I don’t know, a little sweet, earthy. They have a really strong scent. Almost acidic.”

“What does it remind thee of?” I pressed.

“Um... late fall, or early winter. The first time I had borscht.” He smiled at the last thought, then opened his eyes. “I didn’t like it at the time, but it’s not so bad now.”

“Sometimes the odor is easier to appreciate than the taste. Also, thy senses are so different than when thou were human.”

I continued packaging the vegetables, placed them in the refrigerator, and then continued with the dye making process.

“I don’t eat when André isn’t here. Not generally. There’s no need. But I enjoy the smell of food. There’s no temptation to eat for me. From what I’ve observed, all other creatures are compelled to eat what edibles they smell, but to me, it’s like smelling flowers.”

I paused and smiled at Jack. I was in some way explaining my actions to him, but really, I was just prattling, trying to include him in my routine. He eased the loneliness of the empty house.

“André is you’re... husband?”

“Yes. He’s gone for work for a while.”

“Is he like you?”

“No.” I prepared for the series of questions that was going to follow.

“He’s human?”

“Yes.”

“You married a human?”

I sat down. “Yes.”

He moved a bit closer to me, but he didn’t sit. “So... But... he’ll grow old. And you won’t.”

“No. He won’t. He’s...” I sighed and shook my head. I didn’t want to overwhelm the poor thing, but how could I explain this as well. “ ‘There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, Than are dreamt of in your philosophy.’ ”

“Hamlet Act 1, Scene 5.” He cited.

I nodded in approval. “Thou are a man, who died and became undead. Thou has infinite lifespan, but you must drink the blood of humans to do so. I am a creature that is like a human, but I have infinite lifespan, require nothing and can only ever die once. There are only other humans after that. But our kinds have been on this world long enough to have messed with their kind more than a little. And I will leave it at that tonight. We have an appointment.”

I quickly cleaned up my mess and walked into the living room to grab a shawl wrap. Tossing it over my shoulders I continued towards the door, Jack enthusiastically following me.

We walked quickly to Anna’s... for us. We took a back path, since we were moving so inhumanly, so we arrived first upon the back of her house, where the gazebo that I had been in earlier that day was located. It was surrounded by a low white picket fence, where it wasn’t backed by a small wooded area, like much of the houses in the neighborhood. Above the fence was a wire that held white paper lanterns that glowed like oversized fireflies. The gazebo was decorated with white christmas lights that lined the awnings and pillars along the outside and the ceiling on the inside. All the light made it easy to see the entire backyard, but with such a soft forgiving light.

Anna and Celeb were watching us as we entered, Anna dressed in an airy spring chiffon dress, her yellow-gold hair loose, waving severely as it does, body turned in towards Celeb, hands folded in front of her. Celeb was turned entirely towards us, his platinum-silver hair pulled back into a straight pony tail, dressed in creased black cotton pants, a half buttoned white dress shirt and a knee length thin cotton coat.

“Well met” He greeted me warmly in our own language.

“Jack, this is Celeb and his mate Anna.” Jack stepped forward. He contrasted so with the two of them. Jack was dressed in ragged filthy jeans, torn up past his ankles on the bottom and falling apart at the knees. He wore a plaid flannel shirt that was mostly buttoned along the middle, but missing a button in the middle and near his sternum that prevented him from buttoning it any higher.

I wasn’t sure just how awkward Jack felt in the company of us all, but he did his best to hide it, stepping forward to shake hands with Celeb.

“Jack.” Celeb started while holding his hand. “Anna and I are very interested in meeting you. Elanor said that you were very enthusiastic to learn more about us. Come, sit. I’d like very much to learn more about you.”

We walked over to some chairs around a table that had already been set for four, and laid with food, despite the fact that Jack would not eat be eating with us. Normally the plates would already be made and the glasses filled, but I guess that in honor of our guest, we would help ourselves.

“So Jack. Tell me about yourself. Where do you come from?” Celeb initiated.

Jack sat up straight, hands in his lap. “Oh, um... well, I was born in 1877 in Georgia, I died in 1895. My father had died when I was 12, and we had been supported by my older brothers for years, but by this time they were all married and had families of their own to support. I was the last son at home, and since I was 18, I was almost ready to marry and leave the house myself, so my mother had started looking for a new husband. A wealthy young eccentric came to town and my mother immediately found interest in him when she heard he was single. She offered to help around his house, washing clothes and stuff. He had some professional help, but my mother was determined to make an impression, so at first she volunteered, then she was hired to manage the household. He took a liking to her, and eventually they started courting, though I was always suspicious of his intentions. Now I am certain that he was priming to kill her, but at the time I couldn’t have known what he was.

“Around the time that they started courting, a woman showed up, matching the man in beauty and wealth. She apparently was a scorned lover, and demanded that he take her back. When he wouldn’t she sought revenge, and so she came after me.”

Jack looked away shyly “I thought she wanted to take her revenge... sexually... and we did. But after, she bit me, drained me of blood, and then while I was hanging on the brink of death, she told me that I had two choices. I could either die, and then the man would surely kill my mother, or I could drink her blood, and become like her. Then at least I could bestow the Dark Gift upon my mother when the time came.

“It worked. I let her turn me. I woke up three nights later, buried in the shallow dirt in the woods behind our house. I ran as fast as I could, which with my new body was astonishing, to the house of the wealthy man, where I hoped to find my mother still alive.

“I was half right. When I got there, there were two bodies on the floor. One was of my mother, the other was the woman who changed me, only her head and heart looked as if they had been torn from her body... a fire was slowly dying in the hearth. But by some miracle my mother was still alive, barely. With my new superior hearing, I could hear the faintest, slowest pulsing from her. Her wounds were still bleeding, so she must have been attacked just that night. I didn’t have much time, I opened my wrist and placed it in her mouth. It took me almost bleeding dry before I heard her heart begin to speed up and beat stronger.

“Then it stopped. I didn’t know that this was normal... I wasn’t even aware of how long I had been in the ground to be honest. So when she appeared to be dead, I assumed she was; I assumed I failed.

“I buried her in a shallow grave, like the one I had been left in, in our family plot, next to my father. Then I left to find the young wealthy man who killed my mother and avenge her. I knew nothing of my nature or my kind, other than that I was a vampire. I drake the blood of humans, and I could be killed by the sun and like the vampire that spawned me had... burning my head and heart to ashes. And so could he.

“I could only work by night, so I spent the days in our window-less cellar, plotting my revenge, and nights questioning anyone who may have seen him. Yet again, on the third night, I could tell something was different. Every night since I buried my mother, I first went to her grave, prayed to God for forgiveness and to aid me, and promised my mother I would find her killer. But this night I heard the faint pulse again. I placed my ear against the dirt that covered her. Not only could I hear that beating, but I could hear the slight movement of the dirt as she stirred. I could hear the vermin of the earth moving away from her, I could even hear the strain of her veins as they hungered for more sustenance.

“I feverishly pulled the dirt away from her. There, in the cold damp dirt was the beautiful face of my mother; made more youthful and brilliant by the transformation. I forgot all about my revenge. My mother was alive, that’s all that mattered to me.

“We spent a century together. Having no form of mentor, we were on our own, but we managed. We were happy for the most part, though we both missed the rest of our family. But time moves on, and so did we. We eventually found more of our kind and about twenty years ago my mother met a group that she preferred to stay with, while I still wanted to travel, so we went our separate ways. I still see her from time to time, we just... lead separate lives, like most children from their parents.”


And that’s where his story ended. We all sat in quiet contemplation, letting the story resonate before we made our comments. It was Anna who spoke first.

“Made... out of love.”

Jack looked at her inquisitively. I nodded contemplatively, “Anna has a theory. She thinks that the manner in which a vampire is created affects how they they develop. You accepted the change out of love for your mother, and a desire to protect her. Your mother was created as an act of loving devotion from her son.”

“This is different than most vampires, which are created out of vanity, fear, pride... actions of selfishness, instead of selflessness. Anna is of an opinion that those desires persist throughout a vampires existence. Those that changed for themselves, live for themselves. Those that changed for another, live for others.” Celeb added.

“Perhaps that is why you followed Elanor. A desire to learn more about the world around you. Not in an attempt to manipulate that knowledge, but out of curiosity.” Anna took a pensive sip from her glass. “Jack, I should very much so like to see more of you. I’ll ask Elanor to bring you here from time to time for more of these chats. Now, continue. Tell me more about your travels, from the looks of you, you’ve done a lot.”

But he didn’t continue. As he opened his mouth, we were all suddenly distracted by the sound of a car rushing into the driveway. A door opened, but wasn’t shut as the passenger came running up to the front door, pressing the doorbell repeatedly.

The four of us were at the gate exiting the backyard before he even had time to press the bell twice; it was Patrick.

“Elanor! Celeb! It’s Anthony, he’s gone to find Romulus!”