Flirting with Danger Bk 1

“He’s not going to tell her until all four of us are together and you can help her understand.” Connelly answered as he took my things away from me.

“I think it’s better that way.” I agreed.

“Yeah.” he said and we started towards the parking lot. We were quiet while we walked among the other students, holding hands again. I saw Dale and Louis looking at us and I sped up before they could start coming over.

“Why such the hurry?” asked Connelly.

“Dale and the guys were looking at me and I don’t want them to come over here. Dale doesn’t like you, remember?” I said.

“Oh.” he said and quickened his step until we were in the car.

“This is nice.” he complemented as he got in the driver’s seat.

“Thank you.” I said and he backed up and we got out of the school limits quickly.

“So, back to my earlier question that you dodged (He gave me a look); how do I make you paralyzed or dizzy when I smile at you?” he asked and smiled softly.

“I don’t think you need to know this.” I said, looking out the window.

“Of course I do.” he said and I could hear that he was smiling.

“Of course you don’t.” I argued.

He looked over at me, a sliver of a smile on his lips, the face of an angel, and said, “Please.”

I looked at him and sighed in nervousness, exasperation, and embarrassment. “Fine. I don’t know why. When you smile, your face lights up and you just look so perfect it’s unreal and unfair.” I said, saying it quickly like the faster I said it, the faster I could get past it. Like ripping off a band-aid; you rip it off fast so you won’t suffer the consequences as bad or as long. I actually left out a few things I noticed when he smiled. Like that his teeth sparkle like diamonds and his lips look so smooth and tender that I have an urge to kiss him.

“I am unreal remember? And why is it not fair?” he asked.

“Because I can’t look like that. I’m just a normal girl and I can’t for the life of me understand why you’re interested in me.” I spit out unthinkingly.

“You’re not usually this vain.” he commented, looking back to the road.

“Well you are normally this criticizing.” I shot back. I couldn’t believe this. We had only known each other for two months, only started talking four Wednesdays ago and we were already fighting for the fifth or sixth time! Was this relationship really supposed to be?

“So are you.” he countered.

“How?” I asked, glaring at him.

“You’re self-criticizing.” he looked at me, glaring also.

“Yeah, well my pride can’t help but take a hit when I see you and your family looking so perfect all the time. It’s not fair.” I didn’t look away from him.

“Well we’re not your normal group of teenagers, are we? And what are you talking about, me not finding you interesting? How could you be boring? You’re so unpredictable.” he said, glaring at me like I should have known this all along.

“How could anyone be predictable?” I asked, still a little annoyed.

“Well, —I have a special thing.” he said, then looked away, his anger now replaced with a slight nervous edge.

“What kind of special thing?” I was confused, my anger dropping down a notch.

“You see, when you become a vampire, the characteristics that you had when you were human get enhanced —Like, for example if someone was very influential, they would, say, be able to control other people’s emotions.” he looked over at me to see if I was keeping up and I waited for him to continue.

“But, we’re not that kind of vampire. We’re not the kind of vampires that were once human. We’re what people call pure bloods, being born a vampire, but since we don’t drink human blood, we’re despised by our fellow vampires.” he continued.

“What kind are you exactly?” I asked, cocking my head to the side curiously.

“We’re the Menschlicher Vampir from Germany.” he said and I gasped.

“I read about you, but it didn’t have that much information.” I said, not being able to keep a smile from rising.

“Really? That’s odd, I didn’t think— What did—” He looked confused as he said this, looking at me like he was asking me something, but then with a shake of his head he said, “Never mind, we’re getting off the subject.”

Obviously, he had no idea that his vampire kind was available to the entire world on the internet. Though I couldn’t really blame him because I mean, who would have thought his kind of vampire would be on there anyway, and I would have definitely never thought of vampires as being real. But reality is a funny thing I guess. I stayed quiet, watching him as he tried to remember where he’d left off.

“Like I was saying, when you become a vampire, the characteristics or senses that were your strongest get even more enhanced when you become a vampire, but we’re not like that. Some of us are born with powers and all of us are born with at least one super enhanced characteristic.”

“You mean there are vampires out there that used to be human?” I asked, slight horror sliding onto my face, not being able to help a scary picture popping into my head.

“Yes there are,” he said sadly, “and they’re a sad sight to behold.”

I was quiet for only a moment, surprised by his sad demeanor, and then asked, “What do you mean? They’re not like you and your family?”

He glanced out his driver side window, down at his lap, and then back to the road. “No, they’re not like my family and I. You have to understand Kota, and I’m sure you do, that not all vampires are good.” He glanced at me to see if I was following and then continued, “You see, the natural vampires, the ones born that way, have a better chance of resisting their thirst for blood, but for the ones turned vampires it’s impossible. For a human, mortal body, mind, and spirit, to be turned into something that now thirsts for what it originally was is not natural and therefore drives them crazy. They have no control over themselves and their minds are only focused on one thing. When they turn they lose their personality, their soul. Turning even changes the way they look, but since it’s not natural they become kind of grotesque and they diminish to little more than a predatory animal. Their incapable of living a normal life.”

He continued looking at the road for a few moments like he was seeing what he was saying happen before his very eyes. Then he looked over at me, and when he did his face looked like he’d just realized something. I was at that moment sitting rigid in my seat, scared to death knowing these wild, blood-thirsty maniac vampires could be lurking anywhere. “I’ve scared you.” he said, and his face filled with guilt and apology.

“No, you didn’t.” I said, trying to calm myself for his sake, but he gave me a knowing look and I sighed.