Blood Wars

Chapter 4

My eyelids twitch as my dark room is suddenly full of the brightest rays of sun. After confronting my vampires, I came back through my bedroom window and decorated the satin duvet on my bed with my sleeping body. Of course I don't actually sleep. Just lay still enough so my parents would think otherwise. Something told me they might be checking in on me this morning, after their full eight hours. Judging by the sudden light, my suspicions were correct. My eyes pop open and I shield my eyes with the back of my arm while letting out a long and sharp hiss.

"Knock it off, Kara." My father is unimpressed. "You know the sunlight does not affect us."

"Which is the beauty of the joke." I sit up and casually swing my legs over the edge of the bed.

"Your father and I need to talk to you."

"There's more?" My brows curve skeptically.

"We didn't exactly get a chance to go over the details." My father crosses his arms.

"High school with humans, pretty sure I'll manage." I barely glance up, wishing I could check my phone.

"I'm sure you will fit in splendidly, love but there are some preemptive measures to discuss." My mother adds.

"Like?"

"Like the matter of your blood for starters."

My metaphorical temperature drops.

"If you're going to be in close company with humans then we need to make sure there isn't a single drop of human blood in your system, to reduce the risk of temptation."

The second I start to open my mouth in protest, my mother shoots me a look that says in a nutshell- don't even start, we know you're not an innocent animal drinking vampire like you pretend to be- and I promptly close my mouth. The proof is in my veins anyhow.

"We just need to know," my mother takes a deep unnecessary breath, "exactly how much human blood we need to extract."

My silence acts as my answer.

Without missing a beat my father informs me of his plan of action. "Blood transfusion it is then." Neither of look me in the eye, like they can't if they tried.

The click of the door echoes in my room as they depart. Their confrontation yesterday and ridiculous idea to send me to a human school tells me that they already suspected that I occasionally drink human blood, likely due to the company of my less than model friends. Like human parents suspecting their kids fell in with the wrong crowd and smoke weeds from time to time- only to find out their child is a full blown drug addict. This is how they're sure to feel when they find out that my blood is 100% taken from humans. Not exactly uncommon for a vampire, especially in the previous century. But from the daughter of docile activists who are pushing for milder generation of vampires fueled by animal blood and building alliances with humans, well it's a bit of a disappointment.

As living corpses, vampires do not produce their own blood. What courses through our veins comes from what we drink. If we don't drink consistently, our blood stores run low and weakens our entire system, from our strength to how sharply our brains respond. However, a vampire cannot die from lack of blood. If our blood runs on empty we become dormant, unless it is restored. A vampire can fully function on animal blood, but human blood is richer and much more addictive. It makes us stronger, and arguably crueler. But really, it's the way vampires are meant to be. I am not a human, and I do not intend to weaken myself to act like one. But it seems to be my parents' main goal at the moment.

A day later I am lead down to the basement of our very large house. Call it a mansion if you'd like. I am in the company of several of my parents co-workers. Some I recognize, some I do not. My parents however are not present for the procedure. An operation table is set up, along with a large clear pillar filled with blood along with an empty pillar besides it, running from the floor and out of the cement wall, and dozens of various wires. The pillars however are outside of the clear plexiglass box, which two of the assistants are currently leading me to. I shoot them a look that asks "Is this really necessary?" It's not like it can hold a vampire anyway.