The Dorkiest Vampire

Naturally, the untimely death of Stacy Gatskill was all anyone could think or talk about over the next week. Our local schools were closed for the week as most parents would have kept their kids out anyway. The Gatskills had a fair amount of visitors over the week, some of them cops, some of them curious town gossips faking sympathy, and some of them guys in trench coats everyone thought were FBI but I had a feeling were part of the secret vampire police Mick had been talking about. Reporter soon flooded the town as well since a murder in our tiny, presumably safe little town was big news. They tried to interview everyone they could think of and even cornered my father in the history museum. He was excited, thinking they were curious about town history when really all they wanted to know was about our long-dead relative who had been killed three hundred years before in the same way as Stacey.

Of course, the newspeople soon found out how small towns shun outsiders and within a day were having a hard time even getting local waiters to acknowledge them at restaurants. One enterprising television news reporter commandeered a boat and had her camera man go out with her into the bayous, attempting to create a creepy atmosphere as she discussed how Stacy’s body had been disposed of. Halfway into her live broadcast, one of the ancient, 18-foot long alligator jumped up in her boat, determined to eat her. She escaped, though she came out with her clothes torn up and looking like the heroine of “Swamp Thing.”

Things took a more somber note when Stacy’s funeral was announced. Her body had been sent to the state medical examiner’s office after Father Brian had prayed over it, giving her some semblance of the Last Rites. Since they medical examiner was going to have to spend some time trying to figure out what the hell had happened to Stacy, there was no way her body was going to be returned home for at least a few weeks. The Gatskills, however, wanted to get the burial over with so they could start the greiving process. There would be a visitation Friday evening with a funeral and wake on Saturday, but the Gatskills would be burying an empty casket instead of their daughter.

The Vespasiens and Beliveuas tagged along with my family to the visitation. Though they were not originally from the area and not as intertwined as everyone else in Merridick, the Vespasiens still felt a duty to go since Stacy had been a classmate of their children. The visitation was sad but also slightly odd. A picture of Stacy in her cheerleading uniform as well as the uniform itself had been placed in the casket to represent Stacy’s body. Mrs. Gatskill wailed like an injured cat and Tristan was quite possibly drunk. Mr. Gatskill left thirty minutes in and came back just about the same amount of time later. Christophe had caught him outside, smoking an entire pack of cigarettes. I guessed each member of the family was dealing with Stacy’s death in their unique way.

If the visitation hadn’t gotten awkward enough, the funeral was like something out of a bad movie. The Merridick High School Cheerleaders came in their uniforms with black pompoms and ribbons to honor Stacy’s passing. They even led Stacy’s favorite cheer up at the front of the church to symbolize her passion for life or something else. Father Brian spoke about how hard it is to loose a child and then Mr. Gatskill gave a speech that indicated to me he didn’t know his own daughter very well. They made Tristian light pink candles for some reason and he caught his tie on fire in the process. We all sang a few hymns and then the Merridick High School Choir sang “My Heart Will Go On,” which was apparently Stacy’s favorite song. It ws around that point that I decided to immediately detail to my family how I wanted my funeral to be conducted as soon as I got home.

After that point, we all went to the cemetery where Stacy’s coffin was laid to rest, complete with moaning, wailing and all sorts of undignified carrying on from semi-popular girls who barely knew her but were hoping to snag her now vacant place at the popular tables. If Stacy’s death hadn’t be so obviously been caused by a vampire, I would have thought one of her wannabe’s had pulled “Heathers” on her. When the funeral was over, everyone headed back to the Gatskill’s house to eat and further console the family. We arrived a little later than most to find Mrs. Gatskill sobbing all over everyone and Mr. Gatskill showing off his new golf bag. Tristan had escaped to his room to be “comforted” by two or three of Stacy’s closest cheerleader friends.

“This family really is weird,” Mick whispered to me. I tried not to laugh at the irony of the situation. After grabbing some plates, I followed Mick and Galiene out to the grassy area outside to eat and talk in private.

“It’s a shame what happened...” I said.

“Yeah,” Mick nodded.

“You don’t think... whoever did this... is still around, do you?” I asked, concerned.

“Probably not. I’m sure there would be signs...” Mick nodded.

“Has your dad... heard anything from his contacts?” I asked Mick.

“No,” Mick shook his head. “And from what I’ve gathered from the papers, the police don’t know what to do either.”

“Someone was exceptionally good at covering their tail,” Galiene muttered.

“What is that supposed to mean?” I asked her curiously.

“I guess it wouldn’t surprise me if... whoever did this... has done it before and gotten away with it,” Galiene said. “And it wouldn’t have surprised me if this had been well planned in advance...”

“Why would someone target Stacy, though?” I asked. “I mean, if they planned in advance, they would have to plan on a target as well...”

“Maybe Stacy was convenient. Maybe she was easy,” Galiene shrugged. “Maybe she was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. Who knows?”

“I can’t believe the police didn’t discover anything,” I shrugged. “I mean... shouldn’t there have at least been bite marks? They didn’t even tell my grandfather on the sly...” It was out of my mouth before I could realize what I had said. Galiene looked from me to Mick and back again several times in rapid succession.

“She knows!” Galiene exclaimed accusingly at Mick.

“She found out on her own!” Mick insisted.

“How did she...?” Galiene demanded to know.

“She started drinking my ‘special water’,” Mick explained.

“What?” Galiene said in disbelief.

“I wnated to know what it tasted like!” I replied defensively.

“And the council?” Galiene wanted to know.

“Are okay with it as long as Riley respects our secret and you don’t go blabbing around that she knows!” MIck shot back.

“How long?” Galiene asked.

“Since late last fall...” I shrugged.

“This...is...” Galiene began, causing me to flinch. “Awesome!”

“What?” Mick and I said at the same time.

“I finally have someone my own age I can talk to about stuff and I don’t have to hide!” Galiene said, hugging me fiercely. “You wouldn’t believe it, but there is a sore lack of young, female vampires in this part of the county. Most families are so old fashioned and still send their kids back to ‘the old country’ to be educated. Daughters especially.”

“Well... um... I’m glad...” I began.

“And to answer your previous question...uh... they did find bite marks,” Mick said.

“Where?” I asked. Mick blushed thoroughly.

“We overheard his Dad talking on the phone to one of the higher ups,” Galiene said. “The bite marks were found by the medical examiner’s office right after her body arrived in New Orleans... apparently he bit her... on the inside of her thigh... like right next to her lady bits...”

“That is so gross!” Mick flinched. Galiene rolled her eyes.

“Apparently, Stacy didn’t get as lucky as she thought,” Galiene continued.

“I dont’ want to know,” Mick pouted.

“So sheltered,” Galiene said, rolling her eyes.

We ate in silence for a few more minutes, Mick slightly rocking back and forth at the thought of where and how Stacy had been drained of all of her blood. I myself thought the stereotypical neck bite, but apparently it didn’t matter. I was shaken from my creepy reverie by the sound of my name being called across the Gatskill’s expansive backyard. Looking up, I saw Eldon waiting for me and, after a nod to Galiene, I got up and went over to meet him.

“Hey,” i said to him quietly.

“Hey,” Eldon responded with a slight smile. “So... how have you been?”

“Sort of bored. With my parents not letting us go out anywhere because of all this... I’ve kind of felt cooped up,” I shrugged.

“Same here,” Eldon agreed. “People are really shaken up about this... I find it hard to believe, you know? I mean, it’s going to be weird not seeing her at pep rallies and games and stuff. And Tristan is taking it pretty hard.”

“I guess the team has really rallied around him,” I offered up lamely.

“Yeah,” Eldon nodded. He was only second or third string, so I knew he didn’t know Tristan to well. Still, the football team pretty much had each others backs no matter what. “Well, I’m glad to see you today, just not glad it had to be at a funeral.”

“Same here,” I smiled. Eldon opened his mouth to say something just as Ritchie called across the yard.

“Riley! We’re leaving!” he called. I turned to see Mick and Galiene hopping into the back of his parents’ big SUV.

“Well, I guess I gotta go,” I shrugged. “See you at school on Monday?”

“If they have school on Monday,” Eldon shrugged. “It’s going to be weird... we’ve been out all week...”

“Uncle Joe said we’ll be back in session,” I assured him. “Sure some of the parents don’t like it, but if we loose out on too many more days, it could affect state testing, baseball... whatever he had to say to get the parents to lay off...”

“Riley! Let’s go,” Ritchie yelled.

“Well, see ya,” Eldon said.

“Bye,” I replied. Before I turned, Eldon leaned forward and placed an airy kiss on my cheek, causing me to blush. I stood there for a second, stunned before remembering my big bulky brother was staring at us. I bounded across the yard and into the back of the car, where Ritchie was already sitting, arms folded over his chest.

“I don’t know what you see in that kid,” Ritchie informed me. “He’s too skinny to do defense, too clumsy to run, and couldn’t catch a pass if his life depended on it.”

“I don’t know what Sue-Beth sees in you,” I retorted. “A big dummy who just bullies underclassmen because they don’t play football as well as he does. I wonder what she would say if she heard you right now...”

“I don’t bully underclassmen. Just underclassmen who want to make it with my sister,” Ritchie snorted. “And I think Sue-Beth can respect that.”

“Sue-Beth is a modern woman,” I shot back. “You’re acting like we still live in the Victorian age or something...”

“Why couldn’t you date that Vespasien kids?” Ritchie groaned. “He’s terrified of women. I wouldn’t have to worry about him.”

“Sorry, buddy but Galiene has the hots for Mick and what she wants, she gets,” I snorted.

“She is one pretty scary chick. I mean that in the best way possible,” Ritchie replied. I rolled my eyes and then focused on the conversation my parents were having at the front of the car.

“It was a nice service,” Grandma said.

“Hmphf,” Grandpa said. “Calling a funeral ‘nice’ is like saying an open, festering sore is ‘just a scratch.’”

“I meant it was nice in that Father Brian performed it well. With a lot of grace and tact,” Grandma said.

“Yeah. Unlike about everyone else there,” Grandpa snorted.

“Do you think it’s safe to send the kids back to school Monday like Joe said?” Mom asked Dad.

“It would have been safe to send the kids back to school this week,” Dad replied. “By all accounts, Stacy never made it to the dance. And she was found near the school. Whoever did this did it somewhere else and the water just carried her in that direction. The school is probably the safest place for the kids. Now, if you were to ask if it was safe to send our kids out into the bayous late at night, I would say no.”

“I can’t believe something awful like this happened,” Mom sighed.

“Stacy was young and naive. She probably put her trust in the wrong person,” Dad said. “And, too be quite honest, I don’t think it was smart of Hal and Nancy to let their daughter go out with a young man they never met, never even saw. I mean, they couldn’t even get a clear description on his vehicle...”

“Things like this aren’t supposed to happen here,” Mom shook her head.

“Well, it did,” Dad said. “And the best we can to is be proactive and on alert.”

“I still can’t believe what Nancy said. All of her blood... drained... I can’t even contemplate how someone would do something like that...” Mom sighed.

“Maybe it wasn’t a who,” Dad said. “Maybe it was a what.”

“What on earth is that supposed to mean?” Mom asked. Dad exchanged a look with Grandpa in the rearview mirror. Grandpa shook his head and Dad sighed.

“Nothing, hon,” Dad sighed. “It’s just been a long day.” Dad turned on a soft rock station after that and the car was silent the rest of the way home. I found myself looking out the window, the views of the bayou slowly rolling by. It was beautiful on a late Saturday afternoon, but I was more than afraid that something dark and grisly still lurked within.