Vampire Gifts

Playing Stalker

                                                                               Lestat's POV

    I followed Rose. I followed her as she walked fearlessly down the paved road, past drug dealers and murderers, walking at a fast pace, her feet hitting the ground soundlessly, confident of every step. I watched as she occasionally heard a strange sound coming from the trees and would nervously run a hand through her hair. Little did she know, no harm would come to her tonight. I could read every thought and run to her aid if needed, I possessed all the powers that the Children of the Millennia possessed, such as flight, which, on this night, proved to be quite useful.

    It occurred to me to reveal myself to her. But I did not. I savored her gentle movements, her habits out of fear or otherwise, her thoughts as she walked along. She was thinking of what I expected her to think about, her family. Her husband, Ronald, and her daughter, Clara. Oh, Clara. The small little girl reminded me so painfully of my own Claudia. They shared the blond hair, the blue eyes, and, most importantly, the age. Though Claudia was a bit younger when she joined Louis' and my family, they were very similar in age. The thought of Claudia still brought me great pain. My most vivid memory of her was when she appeared to me, a perfect replica of the little girl I spent so many years with, trying to make me guilty of all I had inflicted upon her, and she succeeded. And I have been told about Louis' encounter with the same ghost. I remember wincing, not outside but inside, at how angry she was, how she wanted Louis to suffer. I smiled just a small bit, because, really, it was ironic. Louis always was her favorite. Louis could do no wrong in her eyes. And yet, she disliked me for the simple reason that I made her what she was. I was her creator, and Louis and I, her vampire fathers, hid the truth from her for as long as we could.

    It dawned on me suddenly that should I make Rose a vampire, we could make Clara one also. We could live in peace as Louis, Claudia, and I did in the beginning. We could dress Clara as a little doll, give her presents of dolls in brightly wrapped boxes and frilly ribbons, and be a family. But I shook that idea out of my head, making one so young only makes for more trouble in the long run. One as young as such "should never have been one of us."

    I turned my mind back to Rose, as she checked the time on her cell phone and contemplated going home. It was late already, my mind had wandered too long, and it was already eleven. This was not late for me, but for Rose it was. She turned around on the road and started her way back. Naturally, I followed her home. It was hours before morning, not counting the time I would need to find a place to sleep, and I could enjoy the pleasure of watching Rose through her windows, seeing her with her family. Maybe I would even reveal myself to her then, using the power to soundlessly open her window with the smallest thought.

    For a while, I was absorbed in Rose's life, but it left me to wonder, would she ever agree to be a vampire? Or would she take to insanity if I did give her the dark gift, as my poor Nicolas did?