LITMIR.BIZ

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      “Just… stop growing up,” Dad says.

      Skyla is Daddy’s little girl and she looks like she’s, about to cry. I’m beginning to feel guilty about dragging Skyla into what was me just being selfish and I’m ready to go with them.

      Dad looks at his watch. Hold the presses Luna! When Dad looks at his watch that means he’s not waiting anymore. The discussion is over and he’s going to make them leave without me.

      “Well we’re going. Luna... you’re on your own. Laura, kids, come on,” Dad says.

      Yes! They’re leaving. So much for guilt!

      Dad picks up Skyla in his arms. “I’m sorry pumpkin. You keep growing up. Just don’t be like your sisters.”

      “I won’t Daddy. I won’t ever be as mean to you and Mommy as them,” Skyla says reassuringly to Dad as only a nine-year old can.

      “Yeah, you keep thinking that girl,” Christian says.

      Mom smiles for a moment; then she grows a little uncomfortable with the fact that I’m not going with them.

      Moms always want their children with them. They always want to protect them. There isn’t any difference between vampire mothers and human mothers in that regard.

      Mom knows they need to go. You never know if the hunt will take a little less or a little more time. During Winter Solstice, we need to feed heavily. It’s that simple. Mom and Dad don’t have the luxury (if you want to call it that) of falling into an equilibrium lull, they have the daily responsibilities of a modern vampire family.

      Try fitting the needs of a vampire with a life that looks normal to human classmates, workmates, and neighbors without creating suspicion. Plus, dealing with all the technological advances employed by humans that are making it more and more difficult to do what we need to do to survive. It can be stressful. That’s why I have my various outlets to help me cope. Like my lighthouse, running in the forest, the beach, and most definitely-- music. I think I would die without music.

      Dad is almost out the door with Skyla and Christian.

      “What’s puberty Daddy?” Skyla asks.

      “Oh, that’s when you get to be mean to Mom and Dad and there are no repercussions. Enjoy it while it lasts,” Christian says as they head out of the door.

      Mom is still here. She’s looking at me with one of those “Mom” faces-- the kind that is like a dog hanging around a person trying to get a handout. I’m not taking the bait.

      I slip my ear-bud back in and fool around with my iPod so she gets the message I’m not really coming with them.

      “You be careful young lady,” Mom solemnly tells me.

      “I always am,” is my confident reply.

      Mom leaves my room to join the rest of the family.

      Now I’m feeling guilty as I sit here on my bed. I am being selfish. We aren’t the only vampires out there looking for our Solstice sustenance. It’s hot and heavy out there at this time of year. Sometimes there are clashes with other vampires going for the same prey. Tempers can flare. It seems to be happening more often due to the technology.

      There are more humans now than ever, but the opportunities to take them safely are growing ever smaller. I’m not sure when our worlds (vampires & humans) will collide, but as everyone fears-- one day they will have to.

      I worry about Skyla. She’s nine years of age and she’s being weaned. That means instead of Christian, Mom or Dad taking down the victim and putting them under and then letting her feed; she’s now expected to take on her own.

      It’s a scary time for a little vampire. Well-- scary and exhilarating at the same time. I remember.

      I bit my first solo victim in the butt. Now that sounds plenty funny-- but the ‘ol butt-cheek has no major blood vessels within striking distance of our fangs. Even worse was my victim was a heavy woman (women have more fat in their buttocks to begin with), so my fangs never reached the microscopic blood vessels in her butt- cheek. (the reason why you humans get shots in the butt-muscle… these microscopic blood vessels absorb the injected content into the bloodstream) Translation: no venom in the fat lady’s system.

      Hey, all I saw was a nice big fleshy target.

      The woman smacked the crap out of me with her purse until Christian came and put her under. I wasn’t hurt or anything. It just freaked me out.

      We laugh about it now, but what if the woman had a gun or a taser in her purse? There could have been a different outcome.

      I forgot to tell you that because of our accelerated heart-rate, a jolt from a taser can send our heart into overdrive and literally explode it in our chests. We’re definitely not invincible.

      The other reason I’m worried about Skyla is because Christian, Mom and Dad have to feed as well. When you’re locked on and take that victim and you’ve struck that vein and the blood is flowing, for a minute or so everything else is blocked out.

      I should be there watching out for Skyla. Anything can happen in a minute.

      Guilt and sisterly worry has gotten the better of me so I’d better go catch up to them. I’ll just listen to The Cons a little bit longer and then I’ll follow their scent trail and catch-up quickly.

      It’s cold at night now so finding an open window is harder. Besides the worry of intruders, everyone and every place has central heating and air, so people open windows less and less. More and more of the structures being built are “eco-homes and buildings” and these homes and buildings are sealed and locked up tighter than a drum.

      Don’t get me wrong, I like the eco-green activities going on to save our planet from the overuse of fossil fuels and the planet’s other natural resources. Have you ever seen a clear-cut forest? I have. You’d cry if you did. We actually live in one of these green homes for the utilities savings. (lots of air conditioning use) They are however making life more difficult in some ways for us vampires. As Dad says “these are the trade-offs in life.” We need to always adapt.

      The family might get lucky and find an unlocked window without the alarm on. We always look for second-story or above windows because those are left unlocked a lot more. People think they are safe from intruders that high up, so lots of times they don’t have them armed on the alarm system because they like to open these windows for fresh air or to take advantage of the cool night air we have here in the Pacific Northwest. Then as the weather gets colder they simply forget to lock or arm them. We look for the sensor on the window and if there is one then we’ll just crack the window and if the alarm goes off-- we run!

      CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF BLOOD

      Winter Solstice is a chore. It definitely is not my favorite time of year as far as the needs of the body are concerned. It’s like you as a human, you need to eat, right? And maybe you love ice cream. Strawberry ice cream, let’s say. But for close to two months you have to eat ten gallons of strawberry ice cream, per day. You would probably lose your enthusiasm for strawberry ice cream for a bit.

      We, vampires, need to take in about six pints of blood per day during the winter solstice. The average human between age thirteen and adulthood has between seven and ten pints of blood depending upon size and weight. We can take only about one pint from an adolescent and about two pints from an adult human. Otherwise, we can send the victim into shock, which can cause some serious damage or possibly cause death. We want you to live - you’re our ice cream factories.

      That is, unless you’re a victim of vampires like the “Bees.” With the “Bees” you’ll be drained of every drop, and not in a nice way.

      What is distinct about the “Bees” is they all have had their venom glands surgically altered at birth. This is a part of being in their clan. They are as weird and spooky as you can get.

      We have saliva glands and then we

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