Chapter 4

I waited till they were out of sight before I burst out laughing. I applauded his brilliance. He flashed his pearly white teeth and drove us back to the estate where he lives. The serial kisser was talking to a blind woman. She stood over the plump woman asking if there was a mistake in the vision. The old woman ignored her and walked away. I saw her enter the sunroom. It was also covered in plants but these smell more medicinal. The blonde made a sound like a baby in a tantrum then stomped her feet and asked Edgar her butler to pack her belongings. She was going to Hong Kong. I assume this will be the last time I will see her.

I was told that James was busy organizing a hunting party. I will not be seeing him till the day after tomorrow. So Brandon who was an Animorphs (he could change into animals) was kind enough to drive me home.

I stayed till sundown and I walked out of the house to see William waiting for me. He knew I would be going out so he decided he would keep me entertained till his brother came back he will keep me safe. I sat on the death machine as he pressed the pedal and sped off till the surrounding looked like a blur. I felt queasy for a few seconds but then my eyes adjusted. Suddenly, the car stopped and he hopped out of the car. He told me to wait in the car. I waited as he slipped between the trees and then I heard a wolf call. It chilled me to the bone. But I waited as he requested. He came back an hour later with a baby rabbit. He gave it to me as a thank you gift. I hugged it with love. I had told him the last time I owned a rabbit my grandfather's neighbor ate it. It had grown fat because I spoiled it but they had no right to do so. He gave me his complete attention as he listened to me.

I strolled along the dirt road with Will in tow. He listened to how my childhood was a mix of silliness and intrigue because of James. I plucked up the courage to inquired about the serial kisser or as he calls the tree hugger. He fell to the floor immediately laughing so hard he lost control and turned into a wolf. He remained a wolf for the rest of the day. I met others from his pack soon and they were so friendly. I even got to ride one. It was amazing. I wanted to stay there forever but it came to an end when Grandpa called me, "The freeloader has snuck inside and he refused to budge." I called his wife and asked her to convince him to stop this attitude. She promised me that he will never be seen near my house again. I got a call from Grandpa that the freeloader's wife came and took him away. She said something about his mother being sick. He left immediately without stuffing his pocket with sausage rolls. I laughed as William changed back. When I spluttered why I was laughing he had to hold on to a tree to control his laughter from getting out of hand. He wasn't interested in turning wolf again. I was surprised to see the wolves were making a sound that gives the impression that they were laughing too. He drove me and asked me to stay with my rabbit. It is not safe if the witch council wanted me dead. I promised him that I will not go wondering but I will unwind with a good book.

The next morning I woke up to a crash, a bang, and a boom. I knew the peace of the neighborhood was breached by the arrival of the mad scientist Zach. I looked out to confirm my suspicions. He was dangling upside down on Mrs. Willow's spruce tree after his car hit her beech tree. The crash was his car hitting the beech tree. The bang was Mr. Willow striking his cane on the car. The boom was the seat exploding and sending Zach flying to the other side of the lawn. This is gonna be a weird week. One comedian leaves the other arrives. His hair was on fire and so was his pants. He managed to get down and put out the flames only to have Mr. Willow punch him in the face. He fell near the sundial. I saw Mrs. Willow screaming about her red bird feeder that was now smashed. She was hoping to see the different assortment of birds as always. Now that was not gonna happen. I smiled and walked to the garage and pulled out the present I made for her last year. Her husband got her the red one she liked from a shop window. I gave it to her and she thanked me from the bottom of her heart. Mr. Willow was kind enough to attach it to one of the branches. Mrs. Willow ran inside to get some bird feed. Soon it was busy with white wing doves and monk parakeets. Zach got up and walked ten paces. He stepped on the garden rake, it stood up abruptly and hit him in between the eyes. He shrieked and ran like a maniac waking the entire block. They thought that someone's house were on fire so they came out with buckets. When they saw him they each took turns throwing water at him. When he finally calmed down he asked why they did that. Their response was simple. To cool him off so they could get a good sleep. He muttered something about when he gets distinguished accolades these guys will chase after him like no one else. I was going to say "in your dreams" but it got stuck in my throat. I felt the worst pain in my life in my jaw. I ran to the bathroom and saw my canine teeth being pushed out. All four were being pushed out. And suddenly with a clicking sound, it came off with the roots. I saw four canine teeth covered in blood near the drain. I was about to pick one up I felt a sharp pain again. This time vampire fangs came out and occupied the void. I looked in the mirror and saw my eyes turn slightly violet. The change was taking an aggressive turn. I started shaking violently and emptied the contents of my stomach. I managed a strangled call to William. I was heaving till there was nothing in me. As abrupt as the change was everything calmed down. I got up and cleaned the mess. I strolled down to smell something appetizing. It was so mouth-watering that I had to have it. I needed to sink my teeth into it. I walked into the kitchen to see what it was. It was my grandpa. He smelled so tasty I wanted to drink him dry but a voice called out to me from the inside my chest. "You are not supposed to be Desperdu. So hold your breath or sink your teeth into something else. You are not Dracula." The conversation with James came back to me. This memory grounded me enough to retract my teeth to human standards. I smiled at grandpa and kissed him on the cheek. I saw his veins giving me the siren call. The pull was strong but my love for my grandpa was stronger. I kept myself in check as I tried to eat but couldn't hold anything down. I regurgitate every time I ate something. My inner animal reminded me that vampires don't eat. They only drink. I pretended to eat my breakfast to avoid suspicion. I told grandpa that I need some fresh air. I walked out to feel pins and needles pricking me. I remembered that vampires don't go out during daylight hours at all.

I ran to the estate as fast as my legs would take me. By the time I got there, I didn't feel any pain. The old blind woman answered I am now a daywalker. The door opened and I saw that it was filled to the brim with defenders. They gazed at the newest addition to the group. The Native American elder looked dejected as always. He started grinding his teeth in fury that he didn't get a new addition. On top of that, he was demoted to the third lieutenant. William was alpha of the pack once more. The only words I spat out were help I almost killed my grandpa. They welcomed me to the infirmary where they gave me blood. The moment I sank my teeth into the blood bag I saw the whole collection of memories that weren't mine invaded my mind. I saw so much that I almost passed out from information overload. Within a few seconds, my mind adjusted and I was able to enjoy the memories of the death row inmate's last moments before the vampires punished him and drained his blood. This was one of the absolute laws of the defenders. Do not feed on innocent people. Kill only those who deserve it. Murderers, terrorists, rapists, kidnappers. According to the defenders if a vampire feeds on an innocent they can be easily identified. Because the moment the blood touches your lips your pupils will turn red and your sclera would turn pitch black. Your skin turns snow white and papery. The veins in your face appear black. Your fang will be longer. Your face will slightly resemble that of a bat. I was given a book as thick as the LOGOs dictionary and explained that these were the rules I need to follow. I was seeing stars just looking at it. This book will take an eternity to read. I left it on the table and got out.

The tranquility was disturbed with a bang. The witches breached the perimeter of the property. I saw James get burnt to ashes and William was given a potion that permanently removed his wolf form. The witches came towards us hurling balls of fire but soon they were overpowered and we killed them all.

William stood over his brother's body as the blind woman slit the throat of a witch and poured her blood onto the burnt body. Burnt crisp vampire reacted quickly to the blood. Within moments James was lying on the floor covered in ashes and some blisters. I turned away blushing. He wasn't the only one that was healed. The other got either a similar treatment or something else. The house was bustling with life again. It was as though nothing had happened. William was the only casualty.

I reacted quickly. I bite him exactly as I see in vampire movies and gave him my blood. He drank gratefully as he was going to be in the same house as his brother. James was going to say something but the old woman told him to shut up. This was part of the vision she saw. I realized that this blind old woman was the seer. When William had his mouth full of my blood he stepped back and fainted. He had a seizure and lost his teeth just like I did this morning. He got up in twenty minutes and the elder council escorted him to the infirmary. He came back looking as gorgeous as before. James walked behind him annoyed as heck. He had a mysterious look on his face.

I asked the seer what happened and she said she sees two likely futures. Both depend on the decision of the people in it. I decided to sire William to keep him from falling into the trap of a traitor living in the estate. This caused an uproar. She was surrounded before she could explain any further. James looked at me with gratitude. I stopped William's death sentence. The Elderly man from the wolf clan stood pale as a ghost. I realized this was his doing. I slipped past all of them to talk to the red-haired woman in the little black dress. Her name was Maeve. I expressed my suspicions to her and she promised to get to the bottom of this.

She said I had more pressing concerns now. I had to fake my death and move out of my house before I murdered my grandpa. So the question was how do I do it? Jump off a cliff and never be seen? Hit and run? Got between two people shooting? I decided that the scene for me is I would get kidnapped and my body would be burned so badly that identifying it would be impossible. Everyone agreed that once it was done I would not be allowed out in public for ten years. I would only be allowed to leave the property for hunting the undead or for food. Recreational trips were off-limits for the time being. Not a problem, with twins as companions I doubt I would get bored. Those two could liven up even the most depressed spirit. So here goes nothing.