The Chronicles of a Teenage Vampire (Book One): Michelangelo, Teenage Vampire

The Test (Part Two)

     The Von Stein home was mysteriously quiet as Vermano once again looked his grandson. Vermano went down to Michelangelo's room again but this time heard nothing but squeaks coming from the rat in a cage.

"When did he get a pet rat?" Vermano said as he floated down the last step into Michelangelo's room.

"He's not a pet," Michelangelo said under his coffin lid. He then pushed it open and sat up. "He's a helper, and I just got him yesterday."

"Helper?" Vermano asked in confusion.

"Yes, grandpa," Michael said. "He's my helper." Michael then took out a piece of cheese and tossed it perfectly into the rat's cage and watched him eat it. "The lovable thing."

"Um, okay." Vermano said confusingly. "I have some news for you; good news. You're father's coming to stay."

"He is?" Michael asked in a monotone and uncaring voice. "Good then. He'll be able to see your hopes and dreams come true."

"Hopes and dreams coming true?" Vermano asked with a confused look.

"Yes, sir." Michael said.

"Don't really know what that means but alright, son." Vermano said.

"The test?!" Vermano asked.

Michael floated out of his coffin quickly and went to his grandfather and pulled him up to his level while floating with seething rage.

"THE BIG TEST, OLD MAN!" Michael shouted in anger at Vermano. "I WANT TO RETAKE IT!! AND I WANT TO TAKE IT IN THE LIVING ROOM... right... now!"

"Okay, we'll take it, son!" Vermano said with a bit of quivering in his voice.  "Just try to calm down a little."

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

"Alright boy, what part do you want to do first?" Vermano asked Michael.

"The big test!" Michael growled low. "The one I always fail... the one that makes you think I'm a disgrace to you."

"Okay, but you need a victim to use." Vermano said to Michael.

Michael then brought out the rat from his cage with a devilish grin on his face.

"This is where your suffering comes to an end, my friend." Michael said to the rat as he held in his hand and petted his head softly.

"You're gonna drink that poor rat's blood?!" Vermano asked Michael with a shocked expression.

"Yeah, he'll start me off like an appetizer and then I'll move on to human blood!" Michael explained as he stroked the rat's fur gently. "Is there a problem with that?"

"No, my boy!" Vermano said with a joyous expression. "I'm proud of you, son! You're finally, finally, FINALLY embracing your true vampire heritage. This is the exact thing I did to get used to blood when I was about your age! Once you at least taste one drop of this animal's blood, you'll have no problem moving on to drinking human because of your craving for something different. So please, grandson, continue and don't hesitate to really bite down for excess blood you might have missed."

Michelangelo grew out his fangs and moved close to the rat as it wiggled in fear. Michelangelo's fangs touched the rat's stomach, then he bit deeply and sucked all of it's warm, hot, pumping blood and drank it all of it in one gulp.

Vermano smiled happily as he saw his usually vampiric rebellious grandson do what he always wanted to do: drink blood and become a true vampire once again.

Michelangelo dropped the lifeless husk of the rat and let it lay down on the floor with its face frozen in the way of a permanent kind of gasping scream. Michael then licked his lips and teeth slowly as he tasted the excess blood.

"Yes! Now, you are a true vampire again just like I wanted you to be!" Vermano joyfully said while Michael stood like a lifeless zombie with his eyes closed. "But now we have to find a human to move on to..."

Suddenly, the doorbell rang. Vermano went over to the door and looked through the peek hole and saw that it was Jennifer at the door.

"Hey Michelangelo," Jennifer said through the door as she twirled her finger through her blonde hair nervously. "I got your text from Monday. I'm sorry it took me two days later to get some more V8 for you but I had to babysit some more to get money to buy it. But at least I have it, right?"

"Perfect!" Vermano whispered. He then moved over to Michelangelo and put his hands on his shoulders and whispered in his ear: "Now it's time for you to move on to the entrée. And the entrée is behind that door. Get moving boy; don't let that meal get away from you!"

Michelangelo opened his eyes slowly. His eyes were completely red as blood. He hissed without saying a word and floated to the door, ready to taste his best friend's blood.