Pure Happiness

63

Previously on Pure Happiness

Beth sobbed before she spoke, "It's my- my dad. He's dead."

~~~

Beth had gotten on a flight that very night to New Orleans, where her dad had been murdered. She had no idea how, why, or by who, but she intended to find out. She arrived past midnight too late to do any searching for her father's body. So she checked into the only hotel she could find in the French quarter and waited till morning to begin her search.

She didn't sleep very much throughout the night and instead just decided to get up before sunrise to get some fresh air and see if she could sense anything while on a walk around the quarter.

As she made her way down the street, focusing on her father and his death, she didn't realize she was being followed. She sighed in frustration as no new information entered her brain. But just as she did, she stopped in her tracks, finally sensing something behind her.

She tried to play off her nerves and turned around calmly with a smile, "Hi."

"You shouldn't be out here alone this late," the man stated as he got closer to the girl.

"Well, it's actually early morning, I'm sure the sun will be up soon," Beth spoke as her head screamed vampire. She knew this man was one and could not see a daylight ring on him.

"I think I still have some time. You must be a tourist. Locals know better," he chuckled.

"Know better?" She asked innocently, but the man ignored her and stepped even closer, making direct eye contact with her.

"You won't make a sound."

"I won't make a sound," she agreed, going along with his compulsion, but when he attempted to go for her throat, she threw the hardest punch she could and attempted to run. The vampire lost his balance but sped in front of her before she got too far.

He launched at her once more, but the strawberry blonde moved swiftly out of the way, and before he could try again, a man with a deep complexion jumped from the balcony above them.

"Enough!" He yelled, getting in between them.

"Marcel, I tried to compel her, but it didn't work," the vampire explained.

"I'll take care of it. Go on before the sun comes up," he motioned the vampire towards the gates of the nearby compound. "Now, what am I gonna do with you," he turned to look at the strawberry blonde with a wide smile.

Beth took a deep breath before she spoke, "I was just taking a walk. You can just let me continue and you can go back with your friend."

The vampire, whom she now knew as Marcel, laughed, "See, I can't let you do that. We have a nice system going on around here, and I intend to keep it going. So tell me you on vervain? A witch?"

"Well, I'm not a witch," she attempted a smile.

"So vervain, huh?"

"Look, I had no idea there were vampires here. I have no intention of ruining whatever your system is. I just want to do what I came here for."