Avenge Me

Avenge Me - Chapter 8

Chapter 8

We walked up the stairs and... Wow. This place looked even better up here. The second floor was split into sections: there was a TV area with a few very comfortable looking couches; a game room (complete with a pool table, pin ball machines and Foosball); and a kitchen type area. There were walls separating the different rooms, but no doors. Scarlet lead me through each of the areas, giving me a tour of everything. All the rooms were very comfortable and closed off from light. The yellow walls of the kitchen being the brightest thing in the building I'd seen so far.
             When we got to the kitchen area, she said there was blood in the fridge, but normal people food, too. Vampires- contrary to the myths humans told- could eat food in addition to blood. Only we couldn’t eat too much of it, mostly red meats, or else or bodies would simply not absorb enough blood. And vampires started going insane without blood. It was how we tortured our own kind to get information, deprive them of blood for long enough and the pain was a dry burn consuming you entirely. But after a while you just go insane, and you'd talk, answer anything. I've witnessed enough of that to know.

Regular food was not necessary for vampires to consume, merely something like a habit from human lives. I’d been alive long enough that I didn’t miss eating at all, and rarely ingested anything besides blood. Scarlet had a habit of eating human food to stay in touch with her human nature, though I didn’t exactly believe the two went hand-in-hand. Most covens also kept food around in any instance in which a human might stay in their headquarters, for example a feeder taking up residence with their vampires.
             "Speaking of food, are you hungry? Need blood?" Scarlet asked me, concern on her kind face. "Because, lemme tell you, I'm absolutely starving!" she laughed as she got a granola bar from a cabinet and a cup of blood from the fridge. I smirked at her; she always did have an appetite.
             "Yeah I'll have some blood. My good friend Ace interrupted a nice meal." I said, the part about Ace being a good friend heavy with sarcasm. Scarlet laughed, and handed me a cup as well. This was easy, it was almost as if I never left, we were already best friends again. Nothings changed, I thought with a smile.
             "I wasn't sure if you maybe had a crush on him?" She asked, amusement clear in her voice.
             I practically spit out the blood I had been drinking. "WHAT?!" I almost screeched. Scarlet was in a fit of laughter. "That conceited, arrogant, cocky bastard?! And ME?! Having a crush on him! Are you insane?! I just met him, too!" I growled. Of course she didn't know about Emil, so I knew I shouldn't really be mad. Oh god. I know I wasn't letting myself think about him, but I hadn't thought much of him all day (well, night) and I was starting to feel... Better.
             Scarlet was practically on the floor laughing. "You should have.... Seen your..... Face!" she managed to get out between laughter. My lips twitched. I was having a hard time staying angry; it was always like this with Scarlet. After a while I stopped fighting to stay angry, and let myself grin and I laughed lightly at the sight of Scarlet sitting on the floor of the kitchen laughing to herself. I hadn't realized until now how much I missed speaking to someone without concealing my nature, and simply being myself.


-Ace Fortem-    
             Anja was telling us that if Celina stayed, which I hope she does, (not that I'd ever admit that) that the order of the coven might change a bit. Meaning she would probably take Lukas's position as second in command. Because she was so old and powerful, and smart, it was only logical that this would happen. She was almost an ancient. Because to be an ancient, you had to be one of the original vampires, or be the first human an original changed. Celina, as the stories say, was the second human Favian (an Original) changed. And being turned by an original meant you carried their blood, it made you very strong. Anja, by the way, wasn't an original, but still an ancient.
             But as Anja was diplomatically explaining that things would probably change, we heard an obnoxious laughter erupt from upstairs. Lukas sighed, knowing it was Scarlet, but had a grin on his face as he slowly headed upstairs. I turned to follow him. But so did Marc.
             He walked a bit faster then me, and I scowled at his back. Marc was always sticking himself into situations that should never involve him, most probably for the sake of feeling significant and also to attempt to bed every woman he could get his dirty hands on. Anger spiked through me, and I pushed it down, annoyed that I was getting annoyed. Celina’s presence here was certainly screwing with my head.
             When we all reached upstairs, we followed the laughter into the kitchen and saw Scarlet on the floor, clutching her stomach, laughing like a maniac. Celina sat on the counter with a grin on her face, shaking her head lightly.
             Marc walked over to Celina and laughed at the sight in front of us (Scarlet was still laughing... I think she had some problems though).
             "Oh Scarlet, that was just you," Marc said lightly. "I was worried, I thought an animal was dying or something." Celina, who sat next to him, laughed again.
             Lukas went to Scarlet and crouched down next to her. "Need a hand, you little maniac?" he asked lovingly. I swear, they had the strangest relationship.
             Scarlet stood, wiping tears from her eyes. Wow tears? What was that funny?


-Marc Stellgar-
             Even with Scarlet still making a fool of herself, I couldn't look at her. I was staring at Celina. She was so beautiful when she smiled. And when she looked up at me, with her silver-grey eyes shining, I swear my heart could've stopped if it was still beating.
             "She's got quite the laugh, doesn't she?" she asked, referring to Scarlet, amusement clear in her voice. Wait, she's talking to me? What happened to the 'I-can't-be-bothered-by-somebody-like-you' attitude she had used with me about 5 minutes ago?