Sixteen Candles

Violet’s POV

I followed Pete out the door and down the stairs. I was still holding my wrist as we walked into the kitchen.

The three humans were already in there.

Pete walked over to the fridge and pulled a metal box from the back, then over to a blender.

“So, is Vi short for anything.” One of the humans asked me. He had bushy, curly black hair, and was defiantly the tallest of the four.

“Violet.” I answered.

“Joe.” He informed.

Another guy walked over, holding a bag of chips. “Andy.” He held out his hand. I shook it.

Andy was shorted than Joe but taller than Patrick. About the same height o Pete. He had shoulder length reddish brown hair. From the way his palm felt I guessed he was a drummed. The drum sticks in his back pocket confirmed.

He poured the chips into a bowl.

I pointed to the bowl, “May I?”

He looked a little confused but answered, “Sure.” and held the bowl out to me.

I took a large chip (Sweet and Spicy Doritos) and started eating it.

“I thought vampires couldn’t eat real food.” Joe mentioned.

“They can’t.” I said.

“So if you aren’t a vampire,” Patrick asked. “What are you?”
“Like Pete said, I’m sort of in between. Neither vampire nor human. They refer to me as a Half-blood. The nicer ones prefer the term Halfling.”

“How did you . . .”

“I was killed.” I said. “By William and Brendon.”

They were silent.

“How did they kill you?” Andy asked, offering me a coke.

I nodded. “They drained me.”

“Then how are you here?” Patrick asked.

I thought for a second. “It’s complicated.”

Pete blended whatever he was making. “Can you sum it up?”

“My mom. Or rather her family.” I focused on my soda. My scalp itched for a second, before I continued. “They were ‘gifted’ by some witch. If any of us were ever killed by a vampire, we would get the perfect revenge.”

“How’d you do that?” Patrick asked.
I looked over at him. “Do what?”

“You’re hair.”

I reached back and grabbed my ponytail. Looking, I saw that my hair Black. I focused and changed it back to red. “It’s part of the gift. So that vampires can find us.”

“What’s the revenge part?” Joe asked, grabbing an apple.

I turned to look at Pete, who was holding a glass of yucky looking--and smelling--red stuff. “Do you want to say anything?”

He shrugged. “I’d like to understand myself.”

I nodded. “Revenge refers to our strength, power, our being half vampire.”

“What did you do to William last night?” Andy asked. “And Brendon?”

“That’s the other part. Once we’re made immortal, we can sort of control vampires.” I said. “It comes in handy.”

“Why can’t Brendon kill you?” Patrick remembered.
“For the same reason Pete can’t. Any vampire succeeds in killing me will die from the process. And I’ll just be revived.”

“Which is how you’ve been burned alive?”

I held back the shiver. “Yeah. A coven in Britain. They wanted to end my ‘rein of control’. All five of them burned from the inside out for their choice.”

“You mean you killed them?”

“No, I was dead by then. It worked out fine though. Their coven would never have excepted them for fear of offending The Blood.”

“Who?”

“It’s the term used for my coven. I was the first new Blood in three hundred years.”

“You’re coven knows you’re here?”

“My coven sent me. One of the elders, Orphious turned William.”

“Then why is William here?”

“He ditched.” I looked over at Pete. “Just like you did.”

“How did you kill those vampires last night?” Andy asked.

Thank you, change of subject. “Once you destroy a vampires heart, they’re done. I’ve poked a vampire and he turned to dust. Not fun really, it was over quickly.”

“You said you don’t feed from humans or animals,” Patrick began. “Where do you get your blood.”

The mood in the room. Apparently this was a sore spot for everyone. Patrick knew the answer.
“Vampires.” I answered.

Pete didn’t seem consciously bothered by that, but Andy and Joe looked just as horrible as if I had said puppies.

“Ryan offered you his blood last night.” He said.

I nodded. “Controlling vampires takes a lot of energy. More so the older they are.”

“That’s why you kicked him.”

“If I would have fed, I wouldn’t have stopped.”

“Wouldn’t have been that bad.” Pete mumbled.

I grinned. “Ryan is a friend of mine. This isn’t the first time William has taken over a town.” I added.

“Where else?” Pete asked.

“He ruled New York for a little while, before it got too big for him. I forget all of the others.”

“So why are you here?”

“It’s just something I have to do.” I said.

“Then what?” Pete.
I shrugged. “Apparently I am a very powerful political person, yet I hate politics.” I leaned against the counter. “William and Brendon are two of the only people with the right to talk to me like they do.”

“What about Ryan?”

“I used to date Ryan. He talks to me like a friend.” Speaking of friends. I reached for my phone only to find it not there.

“It’s on the bedside table upstairs.” Pete said.

I quickly zipped upstairs and back. Opening the phone, dread. I had about a dozen missed calls. I sighed. I didn’t feel like talking to him so I decided a text would work. I’m fine. Had trouble last night. Will hunt soon. Send.

I walked back into the kitchen. Stopping at the doorway.

“Problem?” Pete asked.

“Yes and no. A friend of mine was supposed to meet me at my hotel earlier. Except that I was here and he couldn’t get in touch with me.”

“I was going to suggest we go hunting anyway.” Joe said.

“You were not.” Andy said.

“I need to feed.” I mentioned. “Besides that, if I don’t get in touch with my guy he’s going to track me down, which won’t be pretty.”

Patrick raised an eyebrow at how I worded it.

“He’s sort of my body guard.” I said.

“Wait,” Andy cut in, “You mean feed, like from a vampire?”

“Vampires.” I corrected. “And yeah.”

“How much do you eat?” Joe wondered.

“After last night, I could probably dust four, maybe five of them.”

Pete looked amazed and I little bit pale, even for a vampire. “Seriously?”
“My body processes blood faster than yours. I drink three times as much.”

“Alright.” He set his glass in the sink. “You’re coat is up in my room. I’m going change, so I’ll grab it.”

Then he walked off, leaving me in the same room with all three humans.

Andy and Joe looked at each other before running off to their rooms, saying something about ‘might be cold tonight’. Leaving me with Patrick.

There was an awkward silence for a second. I started drumming my fingers to break it. Lightly, so as not to hard the countertops.

Patrick sighed and leaned against the sink.

“So, how exactly do I remind you of Halle Berry?” I asked.

He turned redder than the blood rushing to his face. “You hear that?”

“Yes. Vampire ears come in handy.”

“Then I assume you heard Joe’s colourful snake theory?”

“Yep. I don’t full understand it though.”

“Like when a child sees a colourful snake and wants to pick it up. Then they get bitten. Luring someone in just to kill them.”

I grinned. “Except that I have no intention of killing you. Not yet at least.” I noticed that Joe and Andy were eavesdropping.

He didn’t seem to have an answer for that.

“I assume that being compared to Halle Berry means you think I’m hot?” I was looking at the countertop, rather than at him. Usually looking at humans meant nothing to me. They weren’t a threat. This one, was different.

I could tell he was nodding, but he kept quiet.

I relaxed and let my hair and eyes go back to their natural colors. “Calm down, Patrick.” I looked over at him. “I appreciate the compliment.” I changed my hair to bleach blonde with blue streaks. “And Joe, though I find snakes interesting animals, and I can see the similarities between them and vampires, please keep you comparisons about me to a minimum.”

Joe leaned against the wall and Andy walked into the kitchen. I noticed Pete had been listening upstairs.