His Passion My Blood

I had many questions after hearing the truth about Parker and his family. As they flooded my mind, I realized I'd never be able to address them all.

"So what about me? Are you going to eat me?" My first thought at the word "vampire" and finding out my boyfriend was one.

He smiled. "Will I? No. Do I want to? A little."

The face I made involuntarily was one of disgust. How could he say that so calmly?

"I couldn't if I really wanted to anyway. Remember the bracelet? I couldn't raise a hand at you even." Thinking for a moment, he said, "The reason my sister was able to attack you was because she tore her chip from her own flesh. I'm content just kissing on you though."

Yay for me? "What if more vampires like her come?"

"I won't let that happen. I was careless before, hoping to keep it a secret as long as possible from you. But she found out about you before you found out about her. Now that you know, I can be honest when I'm suspicious of someone."

"Who else is a vampire? Well, besides your family, of course?"

Sipping from his box of blood, Parker thought for a moment. "There's only one person at the school who I noticed immediately. But I don't know if I should tell you."

"Please? Is it Ms. Richards? i bet it is... She's so old and bitter," I commented hatefully. I couldn't stand my English teacher and she couldn't stand me.

"Why would you think it's her just because she's old and bitter? I'm old. Well, old to you," he replied, irritated I'd made the connection from my teacher's bitterness to her being a vampire.

"I don't know. It just would make sense to me I guess." I really didn't have a reason. I just thought an older vampire would have seen a lot and been bitter about it.

He looked at me blankly for a minute. "Ignoring that then, we'll just move right along. I don't know if she'd want me to tell you." Confused look on his face, he nervously clawed at the back of his neck. "It's someone you know really well."

I don't know anyone that well. Jamie maybe? I mean, she's always tortured me. I guess I know her pretty well. Tammy? She's been helpful since I started high school. I guess it could be the detention teacher. Ha, I've known her pretty well.

"Any ideas?" he'd asked.

Coldly, I said, "A few."

"Do any of them involve Adalae?"

"No, just Jami--" I just realized what he said. "Adalae? No, of course not." It couldn't be Adalae. I've been friends with her since I was a kid. Then again... She did always have that necklace when we were kids. And unlike most kids, her lip piercing was excused. Could that have been the equivalent of Parker's bracelet?

"Really? Well, now you know," he was blunt about it. Not really giving me time to think it through.

"Are you sure?" Could it really be that she's kept it a secret from me this long? No 'Hey, by the way, I drink blood.'

"Yep. She's a vampire too."

"But she eats food. I mean, I've seen her eat junk food. All the time."

"Vampires can eat human food. They just usually don't. It's like how you eat stuff that has literally no nutritional value. Human food does us no good, but we still indulge once in a while just for fun."

I notice Paris for the first time during the conversation about Adalae when he says, "Hmm... I might have to meet this Adalae girl. Is she cute?"

"No! You can't have her!" I say protectively. "She's mine! And I might share her with Sage, but that's it!"

"Hello?... Yeah, hey! It's Parker... Yes, Hannah's Parker... Oh, nothing. I was just wondering if you'd like to come over?"

"What are you doing?" I asked, offended.

Covering the mouth piece of the phone, Parker said, "Inviting her over. She can help answer some questions. And since I just outed her, she can defend herself."

Going back to talking on the phone, he said, "That was just Hannah, you know how she is. So anyway, how do you feel about coming over?... Well I could give you directions of course... Okay, you know the road that has the Korean church on it by the school?..."

It was hard enough believing my boyfriend was a vampire. Now I have to act like everything is normal after finding out my best friend is also a vampire? All I need now is to find out my parents are vampires and my life will be a complete joke.