Red Moon ~ A Twilight Fan-Fic

Chapter 2: Enter the Jungle

Chapter 2: Enter the Jungle

The trip took us much longer than I had imagined. We drove for miles and miles, skipping all unnecessary stops. Luck wasn't exactly on our side. The shortest routes were closed due to repairs being made and the weather was as good as it could get. It was one of the warmest winters, I had ever experienced. Not a single cloud in the sky and the sun shining brightly above our heads, as if to hinder us from getting to our destination. 

We made our stops on dead ends of the highway, and would hide the car to go hunting. Lena, the vampire who had told us where we would find this mysterious Zafrina, had warned us not to talk much to the locals the more we approached to the Amazon. Apparently, the few vampires that had lived there throughout the ages in the area hadn't been very careful. Humans had a vast collection of stories about bloodsucking demons and many believed in them as strongly as witch hunters believed in witches. 

We got past El Salvador and Costa Rica in a rush, driving all night, ignoring all speed limits inside the cities. We were forced to drive mostly after sunset, find a remote spot, and stay out of view during the mornings. 

Finally, we had to take a break in Panama. The road was uneven and twisting, with more turns than my half-human stomach could handle. We stopped at a tiny tavern outside the city so that I could take a rest. It wasn't a very impressive place. The paint on the walls was chipping off in little colored pieces, and the floor looked dry and damaged. Some table cloths had stains, mostly from wine, which nobody ever tried to wash away. 

A little girl, who introduced herself to us as Maria, brought us water and took our order. Of course, I was the only one to get some real food. After walking away, the girl was constantly peeking curiously over the counter (believing that she was hiding herself very well) and she turned her little dark head around only when she realized I had caught her looking our way. 

Her mother would send her to ask if we needed more water or anything else and Maria took advantage of her chance to stare more intently; at my parents mostly. It wasn't hard to put two and two together. Apparently, these were the sort of people who had heard myths about us. Mom was getting more and more anxious as the time passed, and eventually asked me to hurry up so we could leave. I, on the other hand, found the situation rather amusing. 

As if anybody would believe a little girl if she told them a family of vampires visited their mother's tavern! 

"Maria!" Her mother shouted in a heavy accent and pointed at a dirty table. Maria jumped to catch the cloth on the counter and hurried to clean and prepare the table for the new customers. 

"She's adorable," I told my parents. 

"She is staring too much. Her mother and she must suspect something." Dad made a small motion with his head towards the counter. Her mother seemed to be polishing glasses and placing dishes in place, nothing suspicious to me. Dad wasn't acting serious too often. At least not dead serious. Vampire serious. There were very few things that could make him like that, but exposure was one of them. 

"Alright. I'll just go wash my hands and I'll be back in a jiffy." The poor chair groaned as I stood up and the door in the ladies' room made a noise like nails being dragged across a chalkboard as it opened. I shuddered. 

"Hello!" 

I jumped at the sound of the voice. Maria sprang out of one of the toilet stalls. And I almost sprang all the way to the ceiling. I was sure my eyes had changed color for a second out of the shock. Thankfully, the little girl didn't seem to notice. Maria had wavy, raven black hair and big, black, and very curious, eyes.