The Vampire's Moon

"His fangs have grown since I last saw him," I said.
Benjamin was confused. "When did you see the Emperor?"
I looked up at him. "When he left me with this." I pulled down the neck of my shirt to reveal the bite marks.
I heard everyone gasp.
"When he killed my mother, Christina Barners- her maiden name was Barners- and then tried to kill me," I continued. I decided not to include the information I'd just discovered, that he'd actually let me live, and grimaced. "He was a coward. Trying to kill a ten-year old little girl, right after she's seen him finish off her mother." I smiled, but it wasn't a happy one. "Good thing I bite back."
They were shocked.
Benjamin faced me confusion lighting his eyes. "He's the one who tried to kill your mother?"
"He didn't try, he did." I sounded almost as sad as I felt.
Alexander was extremely surprised at this information. "Christina Barners was your mother?"
I nodded.
"And he killed her, then came after you?"
I nodded again.
"But you survived!"
"I told you, I bite back." I flashed my fangs in a deadly smile. Deliberately not telling them about the vision. It was too personal...and too strange. Why had he let me live?
Alexander winced at my fang flash.
"Good response. I could kill several of you before you even knew what happened. You're right to be afraid." I knew I was trying to scare him, but I had a right to. He needed to know what could happen if he messed with me.
Alexander's jaw dropped. "Have you ever even killed someone?"
I nodded. "Yes. I killed the werewolf that killed my father when I was ten."
"Both of your parents are dead?"
I snarled. "Yes, killed by their own kind. A werewolf killed my father, and a vampire killed my mother. I didn't kill the vampire, but I did kill the werewolf."
"How big was he? Five, six feet?"
"Seven, actually."
He gawked. "You were only ten. How can you kill a seven foot werewolf when you're ten!"
I smiled. "I am a big werewolf. When I was ten I was nine feet. The same size as Ricky." I looked at him when I said his name.
Ricky nodded. "You'll have to show them exactly what you mean by 'big' tonight." Then he turned to his parents. "We do still have the dances and festivities, don't we?"
His father nodded. "Yes, we do. There's one scheduled for tonight."
"Perfect."
"What kind of things will be happening at this event?" I asked.
"Dancing, poetry, story telling, and feasting. They're really fun," answered Benjamin. "They help with keeping up the people's moral."
"But the werewolves," Ricky said, "do their own special event. We have races, length contests, and there's an archery contest."
"Archery?" I raised an eyebrow.
He nodded. "Not very werewolf, I know. It's an event everyone participates in, and normally my sister would give a kiss to the winner." He turned to his parents. "But I haven't seen her here. Where is she?"
"She's gone. She left to go to Italy with her husband," Ricky's mother said. "We need to find a substitute."
"Well, what about Michelle?" He turned to me. "You'd love to wouldn't you?"
I narrowed my eyes. "You had better not be volunteering me for something."
"Great, your in then!"
I willed him to slap himself. I laughed when he did so, and everyone else did, too.
"You make a butler out of me, you throw me into a hallway, you make it so I can't speak, and now you've made me slap myself again!" Ricky complained. "That power is not fair!"
I chuckled. "You shouldn't volunteer me for things. I suppose I'll do it though, now that you've learned your lesson."
"Great, just don't make me hurt myself anymore."
A trumpet sounding outside made us all go silent.
"What was that?" I asked.
"That signals that the festivities are about to start. Everything's been set up in the bowl while we were in here talking," Alexander explained. "Come, let's us go join in the festivities!"
We stood and walked from the cave and into the bowl. I was amazed; these people could work fast. It looked like the place where the archery contest is in one of those Robin Hood movies. When I asked, I was told the first event was the werewolf length contest. I asked if it would be okay if I entered, and was given bright enthusiasm by Ricky and Benjamin. So I walked to where the other werewolves waited to begin in human form. Many of them were men. They scowled when I approached, a teenage girl. Of course though, the werewolf leader was given cheers when he entered. The crowd waited as the announcer explained the rules.
"One by one, you will strip behind this wooden wall," he indicated the wall next to him. "Then you will step out as a wolf and be measured. You will wait on the other side of me until everyone has been measured." The announcer looked at us all to make sure we understood. When it was clear we did, he said, "Let's begin!"
The crowd loved seeing the different colors and sizes of the werewolves when they stepped from behind the wall. I was nervous, I had never been around so many werewolves before. Many clocked in at seven or eight feet, and the crowd roared when the leader of werewolves clocked in at ten feet. It seemed as though he would win. They were going to be surprised.
I was last to go, and I stepped behind the thin wooden wall and quickly stripped. When I emerged as a wolf the crowd went silent. I was clocked in at fourteen feet. I had grown two feet in the last few days. I inevitably won. When I had dressed and reemerged as a human again afterwards, Benjamin ran and caught me up in his arms, kissing me as congratulations.
"Thanks," I said. "That's the best prize I've ever won."
"You're very welcome," Benjamin said. Then he whispered, "There's a lot more where that came from."
I chuckled, but over his shoulder something caught my eye. I saw a boy- who appeared to be seventeen- watching us. He had long blond hair spilling down his back, and grey eyes. When he saw that I had noticed him, he walked away. I ignored the strange thing that had just occurred and went back to kissing Benjamin.
The next event was the werewolf race. I didn't enter that, not wanting to rub it in how good I was. When it came time for the archery contest, targets were set up at different distances. Benjamin entered that, and I waited with the leaders at the starting position to announce the winner when it came time.
Benjamin came to me before the competition began and said, "I shall win a kiss from the fair lady."
I laughed. "I feel like I'm in a Robin Hood movie right now!"
"And your Robin shall win your kiss, just like in the movies; my fair Maid Marian."
Benjamin did well in the competition, and it ended up coming down to him and the boy I had seen watching us earlier. Benjamin tried his best, but to my disappointment the other boy won. He was brought to us, the leaders congratulated him and then handed him over to me. Benjamin watched, jealous no doubt. I'd go over and kiss him once this was over.
I stood on tip-toe to kiss the boy's cheek, but at the last second he turned his head. I ended up kissing him on the lips. I pulled back quickly, and the boy smiled. He walked off before I could gather my thoughts. His lips had been cool, so he was a vampire, something my senses had already noticed. He was going to be a dead vampire the next time I saw him. Benjamin reached me just after the boy had left. He was angry.
"I am going to kill him if he EVER does that again," Benjamin hissed.
"Who was that?" I asked.
"His name's Michael. I never have liked him, he ticks me off. Always doing things just to make me angry."
I smiled at his cute little angry face, and chuckled. "Good, now I know what name to put on the grave marker."
Benjamin laughed. "Mind if I help?"
I grinned. "Sure, you can be my partner in crime. After all, I'll need somebody ALIVE to keep me company."
He wrapped me in his arms. "As long as I'm the one that's living." Then he kissed me, a quick peck, but enough to make my toes curl.
Benjamin led me to a circle of people, where they were reciting poetry. We listened for a while, but Benjamin ended up pushing me out to the front of the crowd, telling me to recite something.
"I don't have my notebook," I protested.
"So make something up!" He made it sound like the simplest thing in the world. Let him try making up rhymes on the spot! He'd probably get stuck when he tried to use the word orange.
"It's not that easy."
"It is for you, now recite some poetry!
I sighed. He wasn't going to give up on this. I turned to face the crowd, swallowing my embarrassment, and began to recite poem I had written in my notebook. One of the few I had memorized.

"There once was a woman
One I held dear
One that loved me
Made me without fear

This woman was my mother
She was so beautiful
Unlike any other
My heart strings she pulled

Outside in the dark she would say
'Come my Little Vampire, child of the night,
Come with me
Into the moonlight'

She showed me the moon
Something I would always love
That bright glowing orb
That hung up above

'You really love it don't you?'
She asked as we stared
'Well then I'll give it a name,
One that can show just how much you cared

For my Little Vampire,
My child of the night,
It's now the Vampire's Moon,
Let it bathe you in light.' "

For a moment no one said anything, but then a roar of applause resonated from the crowd as I walked back to Benjamin.
"You were wonderful," he said. "Better than anything else you've shown me." He kissed my cheek.
"Yeah, yeah," I said unemotionally, but inside I felt an odd surge of happiness at his words. It was nice to finally have my work praised.
Benjamin took my hand. "Come on, let's go see what else there is to do."
We walked to the fire that was in the middle of the bowl, only this time it wasn't smoldering like when I'd first seen it. This time it had a blazing fire in it. When the sun set, everyone started dancing to music played from a portable stereo. Benjamin got me to go out and dance during a slow song, but in the middle we got interrupted.
"Mind if I cut in?" said a voice behind me.
I turned to see the boy from the archery contest, Michael, standing behind me. Before Benjamin, or I, could say no, Michael caught me up and we were dancing.
"What was with the kiss today?" I demanded while we danced. He had a firm grip on my hand and waist, so I couldn't get away unless I threw him off me. Which would cause an unnecessary scene.
"That was just to tick off Benjamin," he answered. "What do you see in that guy?"
My eyes narrowed. "I see more in him than you'll ever have."
He scowled, continuing to turn me on the dance floor.
In the midst of all the twirling, I could see Benjamin get over taken by Sylvia. I hadn't seen her all day; what was she suddenly doing here now? I noticed now that Michael was leading me away from the fire and people. We ended up behind one of the tents set up before he stopped.
"What are we doing here?" I asked.
"This," he said.
He kissed me on the mouth, just as Benjamin came around the corner. I was too shocked to move, to breath, to do anything. I could see the pain on his face from where I was, and I wanted to go to him. Benjamin turned on his heel and ran off, and I came back to my senses. I pushed Michael away, and spat on the ground.
"You sick, twisted person!" I screamed at him, a guttural snarl tearing at the back of my throat.
I turned and ran in the direction Benjamin had gone. I had to find him, explain that it wasn't what he thought it was. One thought made me feel terrible, though.
What if he doesn't believe me?