The Vampire from Hell

Chapter 7 - Vampire Hottie

Chapter 7 - Vampire Hottie

Deciding to forget about my problems for the time being, I returned to the spacious living room and sat at my desk in the corner, far away from the bay windows and French doors leading to the terrace. I wobbled into the kitchen and filled my glass water bottle with the chilled liquid Blick kept in the refrigerator. The water bottle had seashells and fish neatly lining its outside base. Without the decoration, the bottle reminded me of the clear wine bottles my father used in his wine business. I selected a blue plastic straw and dismissed the image of Father's face wanting to creep into my mind. The lack of sleep made me very weak. Hopefully the water's faint citrus flavor would make me feel better. Blick had told me a hundred times that staying hydrated was important. Sigh. 

I examined my desk. Everything I wanted was right in front of me. A new computer hooked up to a couple of seriously large dual monitors, the fastest internet connection I could hope for, and all the files I needed to access on my cloud drive, which consisted mostly of photos of an actor I adored and notes for my blog articles. Blick knew how to keep me entertained. I had hoped he'd include a new iPhone in the set of gadget goodies, but he hadn't. With my being in his home and safe, there was no reason for me to have one. I couldn't exactly tell him I wanted a smartphone to text pictures to my friends. He wouldn't go for that. 

Having large monitors in the middle of a big room meant anyone could see what I was doing. Thankfully I was home alone, which meant I could do as I pleased, at least for the next few hours. Knowing that made me feel better. I logged onto Facebook and started checking the fan pages of Ashton Taylor. The blog could wait. 

A message popped up in my chat messenger. "Where have you been? My god, we thought you were dead! Have you seen the promo pics of Ash?! They straightened his hair!" 

Oh, it was good to hear from my chosen family - that's how I referred to my group of online friends. Lynn was ready for some 'tayloring' which was what we called our activity of surfing the internet, talking about our sexy vampire hottie, posting pictures of him... You get the idea. 

Ash, as we liked to call the actor we gushed over, was taking a hiatus from his TV show, Blood Realm, where he played the ruling vampire. He would be starring in a movie coming out later this year, and I definitely wanted to see it. Before I left Hell, I had told a few of my friends, including Lynn, that we should meet up and see it together. That was a crazy idea, but I could keep the promise if I could get to Earth. Even though I wasn't going to share the notion with Blick, taking a vacation was still on my to-do list. 

"Sorry, I've been busy." I dismissed her inquiry quickly because I didn't share any personal details with them. Maybe that would change in the future, I thought. "What do you mean his hair is straight?" I asked. 

"Here. I'll find you a few." 

While I waited for Lynn to send me the photos, I opened up one of my playlists and started adding motivational songs to it. Anything that helped me get into the mindset of defeating my father once and for all would also make me feel better. Besides when you want to dream, dream big, I say. And kicking Father's ass was at the top of my to-do list too. Turning up the volume, I let "The Pretender," a song by my favorite band, the Foo Fighters, fill the room. 

I loved thinking of my father as a pretender who thinks he's something he's not. The High Prince of Darkness, the Ruler of the Underworld, your Highness as he insists on being called, was really the idiot with the ideas that never came to fruition, the freak show no one took seriously. Okay, maybe that was just my personal opinion. However, it did make me wonder. Why did Blick think my father should be a concern? What did he know? 

I forgot my question when links to the photos began popping up in my chat window with Lynn. As I opened a few of them, I couldn't stand to see anymore. She was right. They had changed Ashton's hair for the movie role. His unruly dark brown curls had been combed out and pulled back into a tight ponytail. The change in his hair style didn't distract from his intense, brooding stare, his warm, liquid brown eyes, or his big, thick eyebrows. His handsome face was kindled with a sort of passionate beauty that could change at a whim. All he had to do was lower his forehead slightly, glare at you with those eyes, and you'd think he was about to kill you. I had to admit it was a great look for a vampire. But many of us considered his curly shoulder-length hair to be his trademark, and altering it was enough to dishearten our ideal image of him. I knew without asking Lynn that many of my friends were very upset about this development. I'm sure it had been the main topic of discussion for months. 

"I can't believe it. What were they thinking?" I asked. I occupied myself with opening several of my favorite photos of Ash on both monitors, some with his baring his fangs, and some without while I waited for her response. Lynn was a slow typist. 

"I have no idea. They'll be in a world of hurt if they do that to Maxwell when he returns to BR." 

"You think he's returning to the show?" I asked, realizing afterwards that I should have kept that question to myself. 

"Of course! Where else can they find a vampire as sexy as he is? Why do you say sh*t you don't mean?" 

I typed, "You're right" in the chat window and snickered at Lynn's steadfast opinions. She and I loved Ashton playing the character, Ron Maxwell on Blood Realm, but we did argue on some of the fine points. His name, for example. He was called Maxwell on the show, instead of Ron. Lynn hated that. "His name is Ron," she would say. However, I thought Maxwell was a good name for a vampire. It sounded serious and elegant, yet deadly. Calling him Vampire Ron or Ron the vampire was lame. It would be like calling him Vampire Jerry or Vampire Bill. You get my meaning. 

I didn't bring up our difference of opinion on that subject very often. Just like I didn't bring up the fact that Ashton was playing a vampire, and he really wasn't a vampire. Lynn didn't make a distinction. She couldn't imagine his being in any other acting roles except the one as the vampire on Blood Realm. I knew she secretly wanted to meet a vampire like Maxwell. I'd been tempted many times to tell her I was a vampire, but usually I lost my nerve. 

With Ashton's career, I, on the other hand, hoped he would find new parts with the success of the upcoming movie, so he wouldn't be typecast as a vampire. He didn't smile that often in his role as Maxwell, which bothered me. His lips were firm and sensual, and witnessing his dazzling wide grin always made my heart skip a beat. Oh, I had a crush all right. I guess both of us really wanted to meet this guy, vampire or otherwise. 

When my stomach lurched, I took another drink from my water bottle. It seemed to calm it. I turned down the music on my computer, leaving the chat window open, and headed to the kitchen to search for a snack. Although I knew Blick only had fresh vegetables and fruit on hand, I hoped to magically discover something non-healthy hiding in the fridge. I opened the refrigerator door. I wasn't hungry anymore. Actually it occurred to me I hadn't been hungry for quite awhile. I refilled my water bottle and returned to my desk. 

Restlessly, I browsed YouTube looking for new video clips of Ashton's movie. Lynn had said the director liked to post behind-the-scenes footage while they filmed, so I hoped I'd get lucky and see Ash in a few clips. 

Chime. Pause. 

Chime. Longer pause. 

Chime. 

"What is that," I said out loud, glancing around my desk. I searched the top of the desk, and then the drawers. "OMG," I shrieked when I found the source of the noise. A huge grin covered my face as I pulled the shiny new iPhone out of the bottom right drawer. A sticky note was attached to it. It said, "Yep, @ ur desk. I luv u anyways. Ur pup." I smiled with tears in my eyes and sighed. Blick was wonderful to me! I loved how he had been spoiling me with the electronics and gadgets. Receiving gifts was a very new concept for me. 

The voice inside my head said, "It's just guilt." 

I dismissed the thought immediately. 

Chime. 

"U find it?" 

"I did! Thx!!! ?" I returned a text message to Blick. 

"Chk email 4 network instrs." 

"k." 

What email account did he send those instructions to? I wondered as I set to the task of checking my many accounts. Oh, I was so excited! I felt whole again. Now I had a project for the afternoon, setting up everything on my iPhone and syncing it to my computer. The blog could definitely wait. Finally I found Blick's email with the instructions and wrote down the settings I needed to hook up to the network. I noted his email address, blick@cloud.com. Seriously, cloud.com? That was just too cute! I added it to the contact record already existing in my phone. Blick being Blick meant he had already created an entry in my list of contacts with his cell phone number. I found it immediately. I should have known.

 [Copyright 2011-2013 by Ally Thomas. All Rights Reserved. Cover Design by Cora Graphics.]