Last Bite

1900's

1925

Alamond leaned back lazily in his chair, "Ever think back and regret not turning anyone?" he looked around the room at us in earnest. The sun had barely set, the shadows grew long across the room hiding us in the dark as the light seeped away. We sat there quietly for a time either pondering his question or ignoring it. I uncrossed my legs and leaned forward honestly trying to think over the countless faces that have passed through my life that I had sucked dry just to live another day. In two hundred years I can truly say that not one came to my mind.

"Mozart," Gaston's voice was a faint whisper, but it trailed across the room as we all turned to look at him, "I had the chance,"

"You did not," Vamira cut him off in disbelief before he could continue. She turned slightly to face him, "You go on and on about him as if he was the second coming and yet he was a fool,"

Gaston nodded but continued to stare out the window unaffected by her words, "He was an absolute fool," his eyes seemed to stretch past the window as if he was looking into the past itself, "But in front of a piano, any instrument really, he became a different person," Elaina put her knitting down and began listening fully, Vamira didn't openly change her appearance but I saw her head turn slightly towards Gaston, "I followed him one night," Gaston sighed, "after a performance of one of his ballets. He went to a party, as he often did, and was soon drunk beyond the point of standing," He took a sip of his wine, "Most of his friends were used to this behavior and continued the party as he stumbled around the room aimlessly. I took his arm and guided him into another room,"

"Why?" Alamond was sitting straight up now, his tone making him sound like a child hearing a fantasy tale.

"I was going to bite him," Gaston shrugged, "A drunk that, at the time, I believed no one would miss," He paused, looking down at his hands as if to comprehend what to do with them, "But before I could end his miserable life he was at the piano in the room and" he looked away for a moment, I believe to hide the tears that were starting to form in his eyes, but he quickly composed himself.

Elaina had her hands wrapped around my arm digging her nails in waiting to hear, "What did he do, darling?"

Gaston laughed, a thing I have only heard him do three times in the ages I've known him, "He played," He closed his eyes, clearly lost in the magic of his memory, "This worthless, drunken, swine played the most beautiful music you could ever dream of," All of us, Vamira included, were now enveloped in Gaston's story, "I couldn't move, I knew if I even breathed in that room then my darkness, my very presence, would ruin this beauteous melody that was flowing from his very soul into his fingers," He paused, breathing in deeply, when he opened his eyes the magic was clearly gone, "Then he looked at me, this child, and he laughed," Gaston's face soured recalling this, "He waved at me and tried to stand, he collapsed onto the floor and fell asleep on the spot. This fop was gifted beyond what any of us could dream of and he spent his life killing himself quicker, shortening what could have been." Draining the last of the wine in his glass, Gaston stood up, "This is how I know God is a blight on us," with that he exited the room.

1930

This year lead to a tragic moment that made me realize how frail we truly are. For all of the strengths and abilities that we vampires have we can still be killed by humans. The evening had just begun, we had drank and were enjoying our evenings in our own ways. Gaston and Vamira had gone to a stage performance of Hedda Gobbler while Alamond took myself and Elaina to a viewing of Nosferatu.