Death is Only the Beginning: A Guide to Vampirism

Eight: Steak Out

Needing

Craving warmth

Just beyond reach

Dancing beams of light

Desperate to touch sunlight.

Wanting what's beyond

Craving warmth

Needing

A stake-out.

My MOTHER, of all people, wants us to go on a stake-out. She actually bought herself a black sweater, even though it's a thousand degrees outside, and a black knit cap to go with her black jeans. I wonder if a vampire can die from shame, as she tucks my own hair into a matching knit cap and fusses about making sure I have my emergency kit with me.

The kit has a bag of O-positive, my insulin pen, glucose gel, and a small glucometer. The insulin is in case my blood sugar gets too high, the gel in case it gets too low, and the glucometer is so I can test my blood and tell which I'm supposed to use.

Giving myself the wrong treatment ended up in too many bad ways back when I was alive, including a few trips to the emergency room. We're not really sure how the insulin is working with my new way of 'living', so we've been keeping track of the numbers in a book. Sure enough, the book is in the kit, too. I'd complain about her overreacting by packing the kit, but lately, it seems I'd either be feeling sick because the numbers are too high, or shaky and on the brink of collapse because they are too low. Neither is a particularly good feeling. So far we haven't figured out how to regulate things. I'm perfectly happy keeping the kit nearby until everything goes a little more smoothly.

Before this whole vampire thing, I was doing really well with the numbers. Most days, I could keep it in the normal levels and life went on like most of my non-diabetic friends. This vampirism has really put a kink in my life. Instead of getting ready to go out with my friends (Why haven't they been calling, by the way? Not a single one has called... It isn't like I fell off the face of the earth, you know), I am dressing to go on some bizarre stake-out to hunt some poor sucker for my dinner.

"Really... we're not going to be stealing anything, Mom."

She gives me one of her patented Mom looks. Yeah, okay, so maybe I'm off to try and steal a little blood. It isn't like I'm going to be hurting anyone. At least, I don't think I will be. Gabriel has sworn up and down to me it doesn't hurt them at all. But... well... it did hurt when Jeremiah took a bite out of me. A lot, actually. Maybe you have to have the mojo put on you first.

I am not looking forward to testing out my ability to do that. Knowing me, I'll mess up and somehow magnify the pain. Luckily, I'm still in training and Gabe will be putting the whammy on them for me.

To eat....

Ugh. I'm not so sure I can do this.

Mom pulls out a black scarf and steps towards me. For a second I have this terrifying feeling that she's planning on strangling me. Then I realize that she is truly insane, because she's trying to cover up the lower part of my face with it.

"Mom, I'm a vampire, not a ninja," I complain (whine) as I jerk my head away from her hands before she can tie it on me. One quick duck and a dodge to the right, and I'm out of her reach altogether.

After a moment's hesitation, and one slightly miffed huff, she tucks the scarf into her own backpack. At least she's learning a little bit of self-control. I guess I should be thankful that she didn't get us matching watches and make us synchronize time.