I Feel Fire
I sat, bored as ever, on the couch in the front room. The TV was on but I wasn't watching it, Greg was. I just stared at the screen as I thought of Vlad, what else? Then Joss came down the stairs and tossed his backpack over his shoulder and went to the door.
"Where are you going?" Greg asked him. Joss stopped and turned to face us.
"I'm going to go hang out with Vlad. I will be back late though." He started out again but I hurried to catch him.
"Hey, wait I want to come!" I called to him. He whipped around and glared at me.
"No! You can't come."
"Why not?"
"Because you can't. Good bye." The way he told me goodbye was as if it was a threat, a threat not to try to come again. But I needed to be with Vlad. I needed to see him and be near him and if possible, tell him my feelings.
As Joss walked off toward Vlad's house I went to my room to get ready. I wore just a normal outfit, a favorite of mine. It was red with a black undershirt that matched my necklace and new ring. Then I headed out to follow my cousin and crush. It wasn't that hard to find them. With my weird way of feeling a pull toward Vlad, I could find him anywhere.
I walked a good distance behind them, not being obvious, as they walked out of the town of Bathory. I had no idea where they were going and I couldn't hear their conversation so I was lost. Finally they started to slow down as we were in the woods, when they reached a clearing.
Vlad pulled Joss aside and whispered to him in worry. I saw a man standing in the clearing that I didn't recognize. But whatever Vlad was worried about Joss wasn't at all. I sneaked closer and closer until I could hear what they were talking about. Joss waved to the man and smiled to Vlad.
"Vlad, no offense, but I'm a slayer. I think I know how to spot a vampire. Besides..." Mina was lost in the conversation and confused to Vlad's horror. "He's the guy who hired me."
Vlad stood and asked of the man, "You hired a slayer?"
"I had no choice. Believe me, boy, I would relish taking revenge directly. But you see, our little brush last year left me scarred, which stole the council presidency from me. Last year, killing you would have been Elysian justice. This year, as the council now insists that if you are indeed a vampire, you are to be interviewed and tried, a justified murder of you by my own hand without the council's consent would be illegal. If I ever hope to regain my presidency-and I will; that force is already in motion-I can't go breaking the highest law by killing my own kind. That would condemn me to death-assuming the council ever consents that you are one of us. And I rather enjoy living."
Vampire? Vlad? What? This makes no sense, Vlad's not a vampire. Maybe this is that guy that I heard Vlad talking about. But I couldn't be sure.
"So the Lucis..." Vlad trailed off.
"Yes. It's the epitome of weapons against vampirekind. I was fortunate. Had you actually known what it was capable of last year, and had you aimed any higher, we might not be engaging in this conversation. Of course, if it weren't for your Pravus blood, I'd be scarred and wounded for life. Un-whole." The man paused and grinned cruelly. "It seems I owe you some gratitude. The blood of the Pravus has enormous healing capabilities."
"I'm not the Pravus." Vlad muttered, I was as lost as ever.
"Oh, I believe that you are. Surely even you can't deny the possibility."
It was a long moment of silence. Vlad seemed to be calculating his options and planning his words. I started to calculate my own thoughts and it came to one chilling fact. And what Vlad said next honestly hardened the fact in my mind.
