Vampire Auction

“My eighteenth birthday was coming up, so my family and I were getting ready for my, uh, going-away ceremony. Y’know, the ‘you-finally-made-it-to-adulthood-now-get-out’ type of party.
“Anyway,” he continued on when he saw the look of confusion flash across my face, “we were almost done sending out all the invitations when Bastien returned home after disappearing for a year. He left when he was sixteen, he was old enough to bond to a human, why wait? That’s what he said anyway. He wanted to talk to me. Though sneer or complain would be a more accurate word. He came back and told me that everything was my fault, that I’m the reason he’s an inferior outcast, blah, blah, blah. Whatever “everything” might be.
James scowled. “He was always such an ass. I don’t know why our parents bothered to try and be nice to him, they hate him just as much as I do. Hate his complaining, his attitude, and his crazy convictions. Technically you don’t leave home until you’re eighteen, but in some cases some vampire parents give their son or daughter consent to leave at sixteen. Our parents wouldn’t have minded letting him go at sixteen, but he didn’t ask and just ran off. That was a serious insult to them as parents and as vampires. Tradition is a very big thing in the vampire world, if you hadn’t already noticed. So, Bastien’s actions left my parents – not to mention the rest of the family – seriously pissed off. The I-want-to-rip- his-damn-head-off-the-next-time-I-see-him type of pissed off.
“But now that he showed up for the first time in a year, everyone is getting rattled up about it. The “family reunion” I mentioned that’s downstairs? Well, it’s not a normal family reunion, it’s more of a hunting party. They are all planning on how to imprison him, or kill him.” I shivered slightly. I don’t know what scared me more: the fact that family was going to try and kill family, or the matter-of-fact like tone that James said it with. I shivered again.
If James noticed me shivering, he didn’t give any notice that he saw, nor did he act on it.
“But, why did you choose me to bond to? What exactly is the bond? Or did you not choose me specifically and just went eenie meenie miney moe?” I asked.
“Didn’t I tell you not to ask questions until I was done? He replied.
“Oops.” I pretended to lock my mouth closed and throw away the key. James rolled his eyes and continued with his story.
“Anyway, the hunting party is going be here until Bastian is dead or gone. So you better warn all your friends not to be out alone at night.” He paused. “Or during day.”
I waited for him to say something else, but he stayed silent.
“That’s it?” I was bit disappointed by his lack of any personal information for whatever reason unknown reason.
“What?” James looked at me, a bit confused.
“I mean that’s it? You’re not going to tell me how you came here, where you came from, or what’s your favorite color or something else that’s about you?”
“Was I supposed to? Why would you want to know about me?” He was honestly confused. I grit my teeth together. Boys.
“Okay, firstly, you’re a vampire. That itself is bound to bring up some curiosity. Second, you forged some bond with me that may kill me if you die or whatever, which, by the way, I’m still totally NOT okay with. And thirdly, I was almost killed anyways because of your psychotic brother!” I hissed. “Do you want me to keep going?”
“I didn’t know you were curious about vampires. A few minutes ago you didn’t want to have to deal with us at all!” Jams rolled his eyes. “You humans are so weird.”
“I am not weird! It’s not every day I meet a vampire, you jerk!”
“Oh, you’d be surprised. About a third of the world’s population is vampires. Humans see them every day, they just don’t know what they are looking at.” He laughed.
I was a bit shocked and horrified. I started to wonder if the neighborhood children were vampires too.
“Does that include children?” If that was the case, I’m never being a babysitter ever again.
“No. Vampire children can’t go outside until they reach a certain age.” I mentally breathed a sigh of relief. “They don’t have fangs until about 10 to 11 years old. So until then, they drink donated blood. Saving lives in the most unexpected ways.” He laughed again.
I found that interesting. It was like me losing baby teeth and getting adult teeth.
“I guess that sounds more normal than I expected.”
James stopped laughing and studied my with appraising eyes. “What were you expecting?”
“Well,” I began thoughtfully, “If you hadn’t already said I was wrong, I would have thought they would burn up in the sun. Or throw a tantrum, killing off the town’s population. Or stealing energy from human bystanders. Something like that.” I finished with a type of nonchalant tone. I swear James was going to laugh again.
“That has to be the most absurd thing I’ve heard in all my eighteen years of life. You honestly couldn’t get more far off than that.” He snorted. “Have any more crazy assumptions?”
“No,” I said coolly. “But maybe you could tell me more about this little bond I have with you?”
“What’s there to know? Your life is tied to mine and vice versa.” He shrugged.
“There’s everything to know! You treat me like a snack or a pet! What does the bond mean?” Why wouldn’t he just tell me? Does everything with him have to be a secret?
“The bond is just a way to live for vampires. Maybe you are just a snack. Maybe you are just a pet.” He said coldly. “But you’re human. You’re not good for anything else.”
I didn’t want to admit it, but I was hurt. He had protected me from Bastion, like I was worth something. He probably only did it because his own life was in danger.
To cover the pain from his words, I practically spat my next words with whatever pride I had left.
“Well, from my perspective, you vampires aren’t worth that much more, only using other people and beings like possession and slaves.” I got off the bed and turned away from him. My body was shaking from the surprising amount of rage boiling up inside me.
I never heard him get up, but suddenly he was right there behind me. I didn’t freeze up like I did the first time I met him, but I didn’t move either. I didn’t think he was going to kill me, I mean, his life is tied to mine, but I was expecting anything but what he really did.
I felt him breathe calmly, no anger or resentment.
“I apologize. I didn’t mean what I said. I was being bitter and harsh. Will you forgive me?” I still didn’t move. Had he just apologized to me? I blinked a few times. Nope, not dreaming, I was still standing in Jame’s room.
I swear I felt him smirk when he gave a near silent laugh. “What? You didn’t think I could swallow my pride to apologize? I’m not that much of an asshole.” I blushed. He was copying me.
Still facing away from him, I asked, “Oh, so this is all a competition? Well, I still win. I’m human.” I used the same tone he had used to tell me I was just the snack.
James grabbed my arm and spun me around to face him. I tried to break his grip on my arm, but it wouldn’t budge. I glared at him. He sighed wearily.
“I said I was sorry. I, James O’Dell, a vampire, am begging for your forgiveness.” I was a bit off balanced by James’s change of personality. Could vampires be diagnosed with split personalities?
But honestly, I was arrogantly satisfied. I made him beg for forgiveness.
I looked away from him. “Do you have brain damage or something?” He just looked at me with an innocent expression I never thought I’d see on his face. “Fine, you’re forgiven.” I grumbled.
James let go of my arm and just stood there. I was going to say something, he still hasn’t answered any of my questions, but he held up a hand to stop me and looked towards the bedroom door.
After a moment of silence, he said, “Stay here. And no talking.”
Before I could ask what was wrong, he was gone. Out the door, the closed door mind you, and leaving me alone. He seemed to have gone through the door like some sort of ghost. I never saw the door move.
I went to sit on the bed and wondered why James wouldn’t tell me anything. I mean, would he die if he told me? I ran my hand along the bed comforter, tracing the design with my index finger, and letting my mind wander.
“Didn’t know you were home, James. How rude of you not to tell me.”
Startled, I just about jumped off the bed. The voice came from the hallway.
“Not quite as rude as you going through my family’s things, Yvette.”
Hm. That voice belonged to James. Process of elimination told me that this “Yvette” person must be the female voice I heard.
“I was looking for you. I heard you’ve bonded. May I ask to whom?”
From what I could hear, it sounded like she was trying to flirt with him, or trying to eat him. I grimaced. What a disgusting image.
“No you may not. Now get lost.” James’s voice was cold and unyielding. Man, I hope that girl gets out fast. I’d hate to be in her spot.
“If you so wish. I’ll come back later.”
I heard a set of footstep fading away. She was taking her time. James mumbled something under his breath that sounded a lot like “or never”.
I waited a few seconds, then went to open the door. James was standing statue solid a few feet down the hallway.
“James?” I called out tentatively. In three seconds flat, James pushed me back into the room, closed the door, and locked it. He turned back to me.
“Didn’t I say no talking?” James wasn’t serious. His tone was light.
“Yeah, well, you’re a great example.” I said sarcastically. He smirked, and I grinned. But then my smile faded away.
“James, what is this bond? Or rather, how does it affect me?”
He replied with silence. I exploded.
“Why can’t you just tell me!? Is it really so hard? Will my eyeballs fall out? Will I bleed to death? What IS IT?”
“All I’m going to tell you is that the bond can’t be broken. If you do ever figure out how to bond works, keep that in mind.”
My jaw dropped. He really wasn’t going to tell me. “Anyway,” He continued, changing to subject, “Here.” He handed me a folded set of clothes. I took them and walked to the closet.
I came out wearing a pair of jeans that were just a half-size too big and a t-shirt that was still too big, but smaller than the first one. Still peeved that James wouldn’t tell me anything about the bond, I asked a tad bit sullenly, “What am I going to do now? Am I just going to stay here until the party is over?”
James ran a hand through his hair in thought. “Actually, no. Your parents and your sister will notice if you’re gone too long. Something is going to distract the party downstairs while I take the chance to slip out the window with you”
“Huh? What distraction?” Just as I asked the question, a large uproar came from downstairs which I could hear perfectly well, even with the door closed.
“That one.” Said James. He picked me up and jumped out the open window with that freaky vampire speed he had. Before I could even think about squeaking in surprise and fear, James was already on the ground running full speed away from the magic-like mansion, with me in his arms.
We didn’t talk much on the trip back to my house. He just put me down as we approached my front door. “I’ll meet you in your room.” With that, he was gone.
I found the spare house key we kept in the flower pot and opened the door. It turned out that Jade or my parents weren’t home. Jade left a note saying that she’s over at a friend’s house again and my parents left a message on the phone saying that they’ll be home late. I took my time eating dinner: leftover smoked salmon. I wasn’t in any rush to see James again. When I finally couldn’t stretch my time out longer, I dragged myself upstairs to my bedroom. Not unexpectedly, James was there waiting.
“Well, look who decided to come check on me.” I rolled my eyes at his sarcastic tone.
“Are you just planning to live in my room until the end of time?” I noticed he was laying on my bed in a definitely way-too-comfortable-in-someone-else’s-house type of way.
“Close enough. I might be away for a night every once in a while. Don’t worry, though. I’ll hurry back when I can.” He leered at me. I grimaced.
“Whatever.” I started to sit on James coffin, since I didn’t want to sit next to him on the bed, when I suddenly remembered something. “Oh, crap!”
“What?” James sat up quickly. “Something you didn’t tell me?”
“No.” I frowned. “Dr. Carmen’s hospital. We never showed up!”
“Oh,” James visibly relaxed, “That sucks for you, doesn’t it?” He laughed when I stuck my tongue at him.