Baldassarre: A Vampire Novel

02

Edited 4/6/16

The sun was setting and I was still in the car. It had been three weeks since the death of my parents and here I was: using a google maps gps to find a tiny town called Ivywood. I had left early that morning for the drive, and thirteen hours later I was driving down an empty road that lead through the forest that bordered the town. It seemed weird to me that the town was bordered completely by forest, with only one road that led in and out of the town, but I didn't question things when it came to my grandmother.

My grandmother on my fathers side was a witch. I wasn't sure what that meant or how it worked but that's what everyone had always referred to her as. It also seemed that she was the only relative of mine who would take me in. I heard the same arguments- I would cause trouble, I was too old, no space for me. But my sweet, crazy, grandmother who always loved how I dressed, offered to take me in while I went to the community college in her town.

No one had ever visited Grandmother Rose's cottage in Ivywood, so it was a completely new, unfamiliar place to me. The road seemed to go on forever until I finally came upon an old wooden sign.

Welcome to Ivywood.

Underneath the sign, in what seemed to be red spray paint, read the words good luck. I rolled my eyes.

Great, a town full of immature teenagers.

The town was full of old brick buildings, some that were in need of an update. Vines covered the store fronts that I passed and a lot of family's watched my car in confusion as I drove by, giving me the feeling that they didn't receive any outsiders much. I came to the street I needed to turn on, taking a right into a small forest that led to a more deserted area of the town. Passing a graveyard, I finally made it over the hill and to a cottage with Grandmother Rose's address on it.

The front of the house was gated, with greenery and a garden in the yard. I pulled up, parking on the street and climbing out of my car. The pebble steps leading up to the house were old but in a decent shape and when I arrived at the narrow green door there was no doorbell, only a knocker. I raised my fist to knock, only for the door to open before I could.

"Valencia, darling! You've made it!" She beamed at me, pulling me into her familiar loving embrace. I smiled back, wrapping my arms around her.

"It's good to see you, Rosemae." Rosemae was what she liked her grandchildren to call her, she hated being called grandmother. She didn't look a day over 50, with perfect skin and not a single grey hair on her blond strands. My mother had always said it was because "witchcraft" kept her youthful.

"Come in darling, it's so humid out. Rains every damn day I swear it." She rushed me inside. The main room had vintage love seats that reminded me of an old Victorian parlor. On the coffee table sat a vintage crystal ball that she had probably found at a flea market. The main room led into the kitchen and behind the kitchen was the staircase leading to the upper room. Rosemae's bedroom was on the bottom floor, a room she deemed private but not off limits.

After grabbing my suitcase from the car I finally made it into my new bedroom, a former storage room that had been cleaned and stocked with bedroom furniture. A queen sized bed rest besides the window that overlooked the front yard of the house with a dresser on the opposite end. After I put my things away before finally returning down stairs to speak with my grandmother.

She had set a cup of tea from her China on the coffee table for me, before seating herself. "I suppose I should fill you in on Ivywood. Where to begin...?"

"Just tell me anything you want me to know."

"Well this town goes back for centuries, a-" Rosemae was interrupted by a sudden knock on her door. "Oh my, it seems I have a visitor of the... Predatory type."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Just keep to yourself, dear." She sauntered over towards the door, opening it to reveal the most beautiful man I had ever seen. "Welcome Mr Baldassarre."

He was a sight, so tall that he needed to duck when he came in. His skin was unusually pale, and midnight black hair was slicked back into a neat, professional style. His chiseled jaw and high cheekbones added to his dark looks. He wore a black suit, all black including the tie and dress shirt. His eyes were slate grey, eyeing me with distaste as he entered the room. "I see you have a guest, Rose."

"Yes. My granddaughter, Baldassarre. Nothing you need to concern yourself with."

"And she is staying?" He hummed, leaving me slightly offended by his rudeness. I bit my tongue as their conversation went on.

"Like I said, nothing to concern yourself with." She glared at him, speaking sternly. "What do you need?"

"I have felt faint, lately." The man named Baldassare began. He pursed his perfect lips, his eyes darting to me temporarily before back to Rosemae. "And I need to know if the Ambrogio are up to something."

"I suppose I can help. Valencia, would you like to learn why the family calls me crazy?" She smirked at me.

"Uh... Sure?" I hesitated, sitting down besides Rosemae and across from Mr Baldassare. Rosemae sent me a smile before she began to rub on her crystal ball, and speak in a strange foreign language. My eyes widened as the lights suddenly went out. Rosemary's eyes were closed and so were Mr Baldassare's as the wind began to pick up inside the cottage. Suddenly their eyes snapped open and they looked down at the crystal ball.

"I see..." Rosemae began. "Blood slaves?"

Mr Baldassarre released a growl that sent shivers up and down my spine. "Blood slaves? Is that what Ambrogio has been up to?"

He stood suddenly, storming out of the cottage without a word. Rosemae shot me a quick look, rolling her eyes. "He does that."

"What did he mean by blood slaves?"

"In time, dear." She smiled lightly. "In time."