Vampire Kisses THE BEGINNING

1 Little Monster

It first happened when I was five.

    I had just finished coloring. in My Kindergarten Book. It was filled with Picasso-like drawings of my mom and dad, an Elmer's-glued, tissue-papered collage, and the answers to questions (favorite color, pets, best friend, etc.) written down by our hundred-year-old teacher,Mrs. Peevish.

    My classmates and I were sitting in aa semicircle on the floor in the reading area. "Bradley,what do ypu want to be when you grow up?" Mrs. Peevish asked after all the other questions hadd been answered.

     "A fire fighter!" he shouted.

     "Cindi?"

     "Uh... a nurse," Cindi Warren whispered meekly.

      Mrs. Peevish went through the rest of the class. Police officers. Astronauts.  Football players. Finallyi t was my turn.

      "Raven, what do you want to be when you grow up?" Mrs. Peevish asked, her green eyes staring through me.

      I said nothing.

      "An actress?"

      I shook my head.

      "A doctor?"

      "Nuh, uh," I said.

      "A flight attendant?"

      "Yuck!" I replied.

      "Then what?" she asked,annoyed.

      I thought for a moment. "I want to be..."

      "Yes?"

      "I want to be ... a vampire!" I shouted to the shock of amazment of Mrs. Peevish and my classmates.For a moment I thought she started to laugh; maybe she really did.The children sitting next to me inched away.

      I spent most of my childhood watching others inch away.

I was conceived on my dads water bed-or the rooftop of my mom's college dorm under twinkling stars- depending on which one of my parents is telling the story.They We're soulmates couldn't part with the seventies: true love mix with drugs, some raspberry incense, and the music of The Grateful Dead. A beaded-jeweled, haltar-topped, cutoff blue-jeaned,bare-footed girl, intertwined with a long haired, unshaven, Elton John-spectacled, suntan,leather-vested,bell-bottomed-and- sandaled guy.I I think they're lucky I wasn't more eccentic. I could have wanted to be a beaded- haired hippie werewolf! But Somehow I became obsessed with Vampires.

      Sarah and Paul Madison became more responsible after my entrance into this world- or I'll rephrase it and say my parents were "less glassy eyed." They Sold the Volkswagen flower power van that they were living in and actually started renting property.Our Hippie apartment was decorated With 3 D glow-in-the- dark flower posters and orange with a Play-Doh Substance that moved on its own-Lava lamps- that you could stare at forever. It was the best time ever. The Three of us laughed and played Chutes and Ladders, andd squeezed Twinkies between our teeth. We Stayed up late, Watching Dracula movies, Dark shadows With the infamous Barnabas Collins, and Batman on aa black-and-white TV we'd Received when we opened a bank account. I Secure under the blanket of midnight, rubbing Mom's growing belly, which made noises like the orange lava lamps. I figured she was going to give birth to more moving play-doh.

     everything changed when she gave birth to the play dough-only it wasn't. Play-Doh. she gave birth to Nerd Boy! How could she? How could she destroy all the Twinkie nights? Now went to bed early, and the creation that my parents called "Billy"  cried and fussed all night. I was suddenly alone. It was Dracula-the Dracula on TV- that kept me company while Mom slept, Nerd Boy wailed, and Dad changed smelly diapers in the darkness. And If that wasn't bad enough, suddenly they sent me to a place that wasn't my apartment it didn't have wild 3d flower posters on the walls, but boring collages of kids' handprints. who decorates around here? I wondered. It Was overcrowded with Sears catalog girls in frilly dresses and Sears catalog boys tapered pants and perfectly combed hair. Mom and Dad called it "kindergarten."

      " they'll be your friends," my mom reassured me, as I clung to her side for dear life. She waved good-bye and blew me kisses as I stood alone beside the matronly Mrs. Peevish, which was as alone as one can get. I watched my mom walk away with Nerd Boy on her hips as she took him back to the place filled with glow-in-the-dark posters, monster movies,and Twinkies.

      Somehow I made it through the day. Cutting and glueing black paper on black paper, Finger painting Barbie's lips black, and telling assistant teacher ghost stories, while the Sears catalog kids ran around like they were all cousins at an all-American family picnic. I was even happy to see Nerd Boy When moms finally comes to pick me up.

      That night she found me with my lips pressed against the TV screen, Trying to kiss Christopher Lee in horror of Dracula.
      " Raven!  What Are you doing up so late? You have school tomorrow!"

      "What?" I said. the hostess cherry pie that I've been eating fell to the floor, and my heart fell with it.

      "But I thought it was just the one time?" I said panicked.

      "sweet raven you have to go everyday!"

      everyday? the words echoed in my head.It was a life sentence!

      That night Nerd Boy Couldn't hope to compete with my dramatic wailing and crying. as I lay alone in my bed, I prayed for eternal  darkness and a sun that never rose.

      unfortunately the next day I woke to a blinding light and a monster headache.

      I longedto be around one person to connect with.But I couldn't find any,at home or school.At Home the lava lamps were replaced with Tiffany-style floor lamps, glow-in-the-dark posters were covered with Laura Ashley wallpaper, and our grainy black- and-white TV was upgraded to a twenty-five-inch color model.

      At school instead of singing songs of Mary Poppins,I whistled the theme song to The Exorcist.

      halfway through kindergarten I tried to become a vampire. Trevor Mitchell, a perfectly combed blond with sparkling green eyes, was my nemesis from the moment I stared him down when he tried to cut in front of me on the slide. He. hated me, because I was the only kid who was afraid of him. The kids and teachers kissed up to him, because his father owned most of the land their houses sat on. Trevor was in biting phase, not because he wanted to be a. vampire like me, but just because he was mean. He had taken peices of out of every one but me. And I was starting to get ticked off!

      we were on the playground standing by the basketball hoop, when I pinched the skin of his puny little arm so hard I thought blood would squirt out. His face turned beet red. I stood motionless and waited. Trevor's body trembled with anger and his eyes swelled with vengeance as I mischieviously smiled back. Then he left his dental impressions in my expectant hand. Mrs. Peevish Was forced to sit him against the school wall, and I happily danced around  the playground, waiting to transform into a vampire bat.

      "That Raven is an odd one," I overheard Mrs. Peevish saying to another teacher as I skipped past the crying Trevor, who was now throwing a fit against.the hard black-top. I blew him a grateful kiss with my bitten hand.

      I wore my wound proudly as I got on the school swing. I could fly now, right? But I'd need something to take me into warp speed. The seat went as high as the top of the fence but i was aiming for the puffy clouds. the rusty swing started to Buckle when I jumped off. I planned to fly across the playground all the way to startled Trevor. instead I plummeted to the muddy earth, doing further damage to my tooth-marked hand. I cried more from the fact that I didn't possess supernatural powers like my heroes on TV than because. of my throbbing flesh.

      With my bite trapped under ice, Mrs. Peevish sat me against the wall to rest while spoiled. snot-nosed Trevor was now free to play. He blew me a teasing kiss and said,"Thank you." I stuck my out tongue and called him a name I heard a mobster say in the Godfather. Mrs. Peevish immediately sent me inside. I was sent inside a lot during my childhood recesses. I was destined to take a recess from recess.