Vampire Weekend

Friday Night

The movie sucked. That would probably be the one thing that Lyla remembered from this date. Whoever thought it would be a good idea to make Romeo and Juliet and Vampires without casting vampire actors as the vampires was a total idiot.

Fake blood sprayed across the screen. Beside her, Max failed to hold back a laugh. Lyla leaned over to whisper in his ear.

"Please tell me you're enjoying this because it's horrible."

Max nodded and whispered back, "Isn't that the only way to enjoy it?"

"Yes." That was the first thing they'd agreed on the entire night.

Max stretched and oh so inconspicuously put one arm around Lyla's shoulders. Lyla let him. He deserved to be able to brag about something to his friends after this was over. It wasn't his fault that she wasn't having a good time.

Dinner and a movie, the highest level of dating cliché. Her friends had organized it, because apparently actually caring about a class other than history meant that she was too serious and needed to go on a date. Why was she friends with them again? Oh, right, small town necessity. They were the only other girls each of them could stand to be around, all the others were some level of vampire wannabe.

A few minutes more and then the movie was finally, finally over. Lyla and Max followed the crowd out of the theatre. Lyla blinked as her eyes watered in the bright lights of the entryway.

"That was fun," Max said. "We should do this again some time?"

"Sure," Lyla replied, "but maybe as friends?"

Max nodded, a little too quick to agree. Lyla raised one eyebrow questioningly.

"My sister thought this was a good idea," he said by way of explanation. "She thinks I don't go out enough. I'd rather be in my room playing video games."

Lyla laughed. "You sound like my brother. That's all he did before he went to university."

"Your brother is DoctorBloodhound742, right?"

Lyla blinked. "What?"

Max blushed and rubbed the back of his head. "We, uh, message sometimes. A bunch of us at school teamed up to play Crystal Knight last year and we sort of kept in contact. Could you tell him Ghostboy19 says hi?"

Lyla shook her head in disbelief. "You gamers are so weird."

"And proud of it," Max said. "Do you want me to walk you home now or should we go for ice cream first?"

"Would our crazy Cupids actually allow for ice cream?"

Max shrugged. "I won't tell if you don't."

Lyla linked arms with Max. "Ice cream then. Sundaes, my treat."

"Aren't I supposed to be paying for stuff?" Max asked as they walked out of the building into the cool evening air.

"You paid for dinner and for that awful movie. It's my turn."

The sidewalks were full of people. It was Friday night and they were on the street that held the only movie theater in town, so crowding was to be expected. They passed a group of vampire wannabes smoking by the side entrance of the theater. Their black on black clothing blended into the shadows, with the only indications that there was anyone there being the lights at the ends of their cigarettes and flashes of silver jewelry.

Lyla wrinkled her nose at the smell of cigarette smoke. None of the vampires that she knew would ever think of smoking. It was far, far too smelly for them. Mr. Barns, their history teacher, also delighted in telling stories about vampires who'd accidently set themselves on fire and ended up horribly scared for the rest of eternity.

She was pretty sure that those stories were made up, but it was hard to tell with Mr. Barns. He had been an actor for two hundred years before he retired to teach history, and that showed whenever he fell into storytelling mode. When he wanted his stories to be taken seriously, he was completely serious, even when it came to the hundreds of different stories he had to explain the scar he had on his cheek.

"Wannabes," Max muttered. "Do they all fall asleep in biology or what?"

"I know, right?" Lyla agreed. "It's ridiculous."

"And how many vampires do you know who actually wear all black?"

Lyla pretended to count the number on her fingers. "I would say exactly zero, not counting the ones I haven't met yet."

Max nodded. "Exactly."

They walked past the café where the owner played old vinyl records on Saturday and Sunday, past the street lamp that was always broken not matter how often it was fixed, and past the used bookstore next to the ice cream parlor. Max opened the door of the ice cream parlor and a cheery bell rang over their heads.

Monsieur Leblanc looked up as they entered. "Ah, little Max and darling Lyla, how good to see you! Where have you been? It's been months since either of you were here last. Come in, come in! There are new flavours you must try."

Max and Lyla sat down at the counter. There was never any point in trying to argue with Monsieur Leblanc, he considered it his duty to share his passion for food with everyone. His ice cream parlor had been around for fifty years or so, and every time anyone came in they had to try at least three new flavours before he would let them order anything.

Lyla obligingly put the spoonful of ice cream she was given into her mouth. Immediately a red taste exploded on her tongue.

"Blood raspberry," Monsieur Leblanc said proudly. "I am told it is edible for humans."

"More than edible," Max told him. "Uh... is there real blood in it?"

"No, no," Monsieur Leblanc shook his head. "Only the essence of blood; the taste, the feeling that vampires have when we consume it."

"If this is what blood tastes like then I am checking the 'vampire conversion' box on my organ donor card," Max said.

Monsieur Leblanc fed them almost two scoops worth of samples before they were allowed to choose a flavour for their ice cream sundaes. They ate them perched on the stools at the counter, talking quietly while watching as Monsieur Leblanc pressed ice cream samples on a pair of tourists who seemed completely overwhelmed by the enthusiastic vampire chef.

"Okay, that was fun," Lyla said as they left the shop.

Max nodded. "When your friends ask if you had a good time..."

"I'll just pretend the movie was actually okay."

They laughed. A cloud drifted over the moon, giving a silver cast to the sidewalk between the street lamps. Max jumped between the pools of lamplight, pulling Lyla along with him.

"You are such a child," Lyla giggled.

Max stuck his tongue out at her and made a silly face. "Growing up is for adults."

The sidewalk grew emptier as they headed away from the stores and restaurants of the town centre and towards the residential streets. There was a yell a few streets over and the sound of skateboards tearing up the pavement. Aside from those skateboarders, Lyla and Max were the only people outside in that area.

Out of the corner of her eye, Lyla saw something moving in front of the houses they were walking past. She turned her head to get a better look.

In a split second there were arms wrapped around her and she was lifted off her feet. Her scream was cut off when fangs sank into her neck and she went limp like a puppet whose strings had been cut.

Lyla had never experienced a vampire bite before. When she donated blood she bled into a bag like everyone else in her family. She had heard around school that a vampire bite was the greatest high it was possible to get, and that was probably true if losing all concept of time and space was what constituted a great high.

She was still floating in the sea of lightheaded nothingness when hot brine filled her nose and mouth. She sputtered, coughing and swallowing until her airways were clear. The heat momentarily cut through the haze, and just before she fell into complete darkness she heard a man's silky voice whispering in her ear.

"My queen."