Twice Bitten

Sara showed her friends the scar. "See? This is what I get for staring at the art work. I got lost and fell down some stairs"
"cool!" Said one classmate. "Hey, these look like claws!"
"Well they're not" Sara said. "That old castle hasn't been lived in for like, 5 centuries"
Elizabeth groaned as she came into the class. She looked drugged up and miserable. "Everything hurts" She mumbled.
Sara hurried over. "How are you not dead?" She whispered. "Why'd you even come to class"
"I'm not missing this exam. I need it" Elizabeth whined.
Sara snorted a laugh. "you're kidding right? Elizabeth, you haven't done your homework for a month. There's no way you'd know the stuff for the test."
Elizabeth was on the bring of tears; but it was mostly because of the pain pills and the soreness of where the vampire bit her.
"Ok, ok. Since it's the end of the year, how about next year, I help you with the core classes, you help me with the electives" Sara offered a pact.
Elizabeth looked into the eyes of her enemy. "Ok. Deal." She gave a shy but sincere smile, making a Sara grin.
So in their 8th year of school, the girls helped one another with weakness in schooling. This mutual agreement soon turned into a delicate friendship that blossomed into a strong one, thanks to discovered similarities that were never considered before the pact. By the time they reached Junior year in high school, Sara and Elizabeth (Liz) were best friends. By Senior year, they were like sisters.
"Liz!" Sara called. "are you excited for Prom?"
Liz squealed. "Of course! I'm going with Tomas!"
"The art major in Mr. Harding's class"
Liz nodded hard and fast. "Yup! I'm getting a massage, a facial, a mani and pedi and a getting my hair done! What a bout you?"
"I have this beautiful purple dress with one shoulder strap..."
"Lets go to my house and we can try them on!" Liz got all excited. "Mine's blue and looks like an old English queen's dress."
"getting into history are we?" Sara teased.
"I can't help it!" Liz said. "The dresses were beautiful back then"
Sara smiled. "I'm glad that we made the deal way back in junior high."
Liz stopped and smiled back. "Me too. Thanks."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"please. Please let go" Miles weakly lifted his head. "I... I'm clean I promise" for 9 years, he was under a UV black light, bound with silver chains. It was cruel, but it was the only way to keep him clean since he attacked the last witnesses; 2 middle school girls. Miles had already been clean for 4 centuries and some decades; plus the bite he delivered gave him very little blood before James pulled him off. It wasn't enough to make a full transformation. However, the scratch and the bite that Miles and James had given had already started to take effect. James confirmed this by keeping an eye on the girls from time to time. As he stared down at his weakened friend, James turned off the Black Light. After 9 years of it, Miles had become clean. Clean meant free of human craving. If one has been clean for more than 1 1/2 centuries, they no longer desire human as a food source but after that, if they consume enough human blood or flesh, they will revert back to the monsters that they once were. The ones that the legends tell of. That's how Cain, the wolf came to be the creature that caused chaos lately.
Miles was released and James made sure that he was clean. For a week, the vampire was not aloud out of the castle. Once that week was over, James still kept an eye on his friend. It was a necessary caution.
"James , I assure you, I'm clean." Miles said. He took a deep breath as he put jacket on. As he let it out, he closed his eyes. "How are the girls?"
"Changing" James said. "It's been 9 years, which I don't get. Your venom usually takes effect in less than a year. Mine less than 5"
"Odd." Miles tilted his head. "Perhaps we should pop a visit." He gave a toothy grin, his fangs glinted in the moonlight.
"Miles" James deep voice carried through the halls.
Miles sighed. He started the clean act, trying to clear the names of his people. Only a handful succeeded but were killed due to the monstrous reputations of their ancestors. Miles closed his eyes. "James, I'm clean"
James folded his arms. "I'm still watching you. But you're right. We should check on them."
Miles nodded. "James, if they're changed, there's more of us."
"miles, no. I know what you're thinking. We are not taking on Cain."
Miles gave a sheepish grin. "that's... not what I meant. The girls would be immortal in a few years or so."
James stared at his friends. "Miles, really"
Miles shrugged innocently. "What? It's just a suggestion"
James growls as the 2 leave into the night. It would take a few days to get to the city, then a few more in hiding to reach the college that the girls were in.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sara whined. "I'm scared"
"It's only thunder" Elizabeth shrugged. "and rain"
A loud thunder crack sounded over head. This spring rain was heavy and lasted days. The sky was dark and a bluish grey. A steady rain fell with frequent thunder. Sara has a slight phobia of thunder and huddled into her blankets with a cup of hot chocolate.
Elizabeth was on the computer talking to all of her followers. "It's fine, it'll pass in a few days. I'm sure of it. Then we an go out and meet a few guys."
"Yeah ok" Sara said. "Tell that to your pale skin"
Liz whined. "You have no idea! I used to have a good tan in high school! Now I burn so easily I can't even go outside! If I can't get a tan, I can't get looked at then I won't get talked to then I won't get a boy friend, and I'll never be able to get married and have a dream wedding!"
Sara rolled her eyes. "Oh god, Lizzie. You're so dramatic" The girls had forgotten about the consequences of the actions 9 yeas ago. The bite and the scratch.
"don't you think it's odd that our teeth have gotten longer?" Elizabeth asked as she looked in the mirror. "Oh, and your mirror's dirty. I cant even see my reflection"
"Really?" Sara asked s she got up. "Oh and not really about the teeth." She looked in the mirror at her own reflection. "wow, my skin is so grey." Her reflection was clear but Liz's was not there. "holy... what?"
"um... what's going on?" Liz asked, starting to get scared. "please tell me this is a prank"
Sara shook her head slowly. "um... no.... sorry"
A thunder strike sounded and both the girls jumped and screamed. After a few minutes later of intense superstition, the girls started to laugh. Realizing their foolish behavior.
"ok, so maybe it's just a coincidence" Sara said. "After all..."
"No it's not"
Elizabeth screamed as a man appeared in front the girls.
"Hello Elizabeth"
"you! You!" Elizabeth stuttered.
"yes, me"
Sara stared in awe at the unchanged face from her first encounter. "You're the one that bit Elizabeth"
"I'm truly sorry for that" he said. "But It's in the past and we need to focus on the present. I'm not letting you end up like Cain."
"A wolf?" Liz squeaked.
"No" Miles said sharply.
"Wait, don't w have to invite you into our home?" Sara asked.
"you did" Miles said.
"No we didn't!" Sara shot. "We never said 'come on in'!"
"yes but you left the window open. You saw me just before but took no incentive to say 'stay out'"
Sara twitched her mouth. "Fine"
"you do have to invite my friend into your home. Having him stay out in the rain is quite rude"
"Tell me your name first!" Sara demanded. "So I can control you!"
The man laughed hard. "That doesn't work on us! Only on witches! That's why they have names that are not true"
"you mean a alias?" Sara asked. "Good to know"
"Why are you talking with him!" Liz shouted. "That..." Her mouth was covered quickly by Sara's hand.
"you say it, you get bit again" Sara warned. "remember what I told you" Vampires pride themselves in their intelligence and cunning. Any insult of stupidity or lack of intelligence was death wish. Sara let Liz go.
"he bit me!" Liz cried. "Bit me!"
Sara glared at the vampire with hate in her eyes. he smiled but it soon faded into an expression of interest. "you're eyes are changing; And your skin"
"Yeah so?" Sara said. "If we were to change it'd happen in a week."
"a year" the vampire said. "5 for you"
"it's been 9" Sara said. "I'm not changed"
"She is" the vampire smirked at Liz. "Could you let my friend in? He's awfully wet"
"Promise not to eat us and we might!" Liz screamed.
The vampire liked to smile and did so once again. It was almost like he flashed his teeth as a threat rather than a smile of amusement. "We don't eat people. We have a more... four legged diet." He subtly licked his lips as a small dog walked in. Liz frantically grabbed the puppy with a scowl. "do it and I'll bite you"
"there's a threat that I recognize" he said. "you're not a dumb as I thought"
Liz hissed at him then was taken aback by her unusual behavior. Just as most newly bitten vampires, Liz was unaware that she had changed.
"have you been hungry, but no food will satisfy you?" the vampire asked. "Sunlight hurts you eyes? Get sunburns easily?" he walked over and pushed her sleeve up. "Or recently?" Elizabeth slapped his hand hard but he kept talking. "Stronger than normal, al thought you've never worked out? Faster too? Heal quicker than your normal people? A night owl?"
Sara stared at him. "Yeah, we both have on the last part."
"Ok so fine" Liz folded her arms. "We both have weird symptoms"
"Reflection gone?" The vampire added.
The girls went silent, string in shock.
"That's because if we saw our real reflection, they could kill us. Take the mirrors at fun houses. They are cursed. Humans are unaffected and see a twisted reflection. But for us, it shows our reflection as a man sees his in a normal mirror. Our reflections can kill us. Only cursed mirrors will allow us to see them." He smiled again. "don't go to a fun house."
Liz whimpered. "ok, no fun house. So I'm... a..." She couldn't bring herself to saw it. It was just too ridiculous.
"yup. I'm Miles. A fellow Vampire" Miles looked at the window. "Please let James in"
Sara looked over and saw a giant. "the gargoyle" She looked over and nodded at Miles. "He's welcome. but take him through the back. He won't fit in there."
5 minutes later, the girls were standing with their attackers from 9 years past.