Do Mine Eyes Deceive Me...A Gorgeous Sadistic Vampire?

There was a fire blazing inside my chest. I couldn't remember where I was or why I was there. All I knew was that I was in agonizing pain that felt like my internal organs were being burned to ash. A blood-curdling screech pierced the air and reverberated back at me ten-fold. I realized then that I must be in some sort of confined space. My arms and legs began thrashing around because of the pain, but they didn't have anywhere to go. My head hit something wooden above me and my fists banged against something cool and solid below me.

I was pulled back to reality by two icy, vice-like hands wrapping around my elbows. It was then that I remembered that I was in a coffin . . . turning into a vampire . . . on top of Harrison Stillhart, whom had just recently kissed me for the first time. I tried to remember what it felt like, but the memory wasn't with me anymore. I couldn't recall the feeling of his lips touching mine, but I really wanted to.

"Joanalie, you have got to stop moving. If you lay still, it won't hurt as much. Please - I know it burns, but you have to trust me," he whispered in my ear. That was all it took for the kiss to flood back into my brain. I recalled his mouth, surprisingly warm (almost hot, even), covering mine in a way that made any other thought incoherent. It was too mind-boggling to give a description to, but the most prominent feeling was bliss.

My body became rigid upon his demand and I squeezed my eyes shut. I had no idea how long we'd been in here, or how long it would be until I could get back out. All I knew was that I wanted the pain to stop, and if I screamed again, I would probably pass out. Oh! That scream earlier had been me. I hadn't known I could make such a wretched noise.

I forced myself to speak through the pain, trying my hardest not to portray how I was feeling through my voice. I didn't want Harrison to feel bad. "What happens . . . if I p-pass out?"

My eyes and fist remained clenched tight, and my toes were even curled up uncomfortably, but this was the only way that I could think of to prevent me from either thrashing or screaming.

"Just don't do it. I will tell you later. But for your sake, do. No.t Lose. Consciousness," he whispered again. I was thankful for that. It was like a hangover times one million where loud voices or sudden movement would just increase the pain.

"It hurt less . . . when you were kissing me," I whispered, just as quietly, but not as gently. A small groan of pain had escaped at the end of the sentence.

His arms moved from my elbows to around my waist, and the coolness of his bare arms seeped through my dress against my skin and helped to tame the fire, but not much. The intensity of the blaze was occurring inwardly, and that couldn't be tamed. In record time, of what I've experienced, he had pressed his lips to mine and his mouth was moving against mine so naturally I wanted to cry. I squeezed my eyes shut tighter, willing myself not to cry, if I wanted to prolong this kiss. Our lips (and maybe tongues, too. I wasn't completely sure because I was so out of it - both from the pain and the bliss at the same time.) danced together in sync and it felt like they fit so perfectly together, they were made that.

He pulled away then, after a while. It was probably a good thing, too, because I'd begun to get drowsy and feel increasingly light-headed. Didn't those signs precede fainting? I didn't have time to think of an answer because the fire returned. I hadn't thought about it all that much when I was in a lip-lock with Harrison. Now, however, I was almost to the point of forgetting where I was again.

"You're doing great, Joanalie," he said, breathing heavily. I felt my own chest heaving against his, too, and realized that we were both breathless from that latest charade. The sensible part inside me that was still thinking clearly, briefly wondered whether or not it was odd that I was kissing the man who had killed some of my friends and had almost done away with me, too. "It won't be long now. You should feel the pain begin to recede."

I concentrated hard on the pain, which only made me feel it more fully, but something told me it was done intensifying, and was slowly decreasing. I couldn't make anything out yet, though.

So I waited, with Harrison's arms around me, and my fists clutching handfuls of his shirt, as the blaze slowly died out. It seemed to literally go down only a tiny notch every half hour or so. I'd completely lost track of time, so for all I knew, it could be by the second, or by the day. I was going to be really angry if it was by the second and it felt like half an hour, but also depressed if it was going by day because I would probably look seriously disgusting after having laid in a claustrophobic coffin for days on end without showering or brushing my teeth, or changing clothes for that matter. Would that still affect me when I was a vampire?

I almost dozed off once or twice, but those were the times when the electricity of Harrison's kisses would wake me right up again.

I felt the fire now. It was like the same tingling sensation I'd gotten when the process had first started. It was moderately painful. Thousands of tiny needles just barely poking my skin enough for me to feel it. It was bearable compared to everything else, though.

Then, it had died out everywhere except for my face. Especially the mouth area. It still kind of felt like I was chomping down on a mouthful of fiery saliva. It left as soon as it came, and my mouth no longer wished for something cold to be pressed against it, namely something cold from beneath me.

"Is it time?" I whispered, afraid my voice might be shrill or creaky.

One of Harrison's arms left my waist and pushed open the coffin lid. It wasn't dark because there weren't any windows in the room, that I remember, at least. It had only been lit by candles.

I carefully maneuvered myself out of the confinement, doing my best not to put too much pressure anywhere on Harrison, and found it quite easy to hoist myself up and out of it. Was that because of my new vampire abilities, or because I had been lying still so long, I didn't notice that I was being clumsy with my movements.

I actually heard Harrison moving behind me to close the lid back after he'd gotten out. Before the transmutation, I could never hear him moving because of his languidity and grace. Did I possess those now, too?

I didn't look back at Harrison, but instead glanced around the room. It was very romantic, really. All of the red interior, which I could now identify the exact material from with everything was made. I could even spot each individual fiber in all of the fabrics. That was cool. The candles were still burning, and I wondered how long we'd been in there. Harrison had told me how long it would be before we'd gotten into the coffin, but I tried to think back on anything from BVT (before vampire transformation) and it was all kind of blurred together. I wondered why that was and was about to ask, but the candle flame distracted me. The longer I stared at the light, the more my eyes hurt but I couldn't look away. It was kind of intoxicating, the way the weightless flame just floated atop of its blackened wick. I wanted to touch it.

"Joanalie, are you alright?" Harrison asked, turning me around by my shoulders. I was about to protest, but his face stopped me. It had never been clearer than right now. I could count every individual, dark, thick eyelash. I could see every curve of his perfect nose. I could see the amalgamation of colors hidden in his purple eyes. There was blue, red, pink, even some green. I'd been meaning to ask him about that since I noticed it at the party, but I never got the chance.

"I'm fine," I breathed. "Why wouldn't I b-"

I stopped, cutting myself off. Was that myvoice. I didn't sound like that! The sound that had just come from my mouth was low, kind of deep for a human, but still wonderfully feminine. It sounded gloriously melodious and kind of wind-chimey, which was what gave it the feminine quality.

"My voice!" I cried in amazement. I wanted to use it some more, but the look on Harrison's face stopped me. "What's wrong?"

His brow was furrowed in confusion. "Put a hand to your chest," he suggested in a hard tone. He wasn't angry with me, I didn't think. He was just seriously bewildered about something.

I did as I was told and didn't feel anything out of the ordinary. I felt the fabric of my dress, which felt wonderfully soft and smooth. I'd noticed it before, but not to this degree. The skin of my chest felt just like it always had. Hey! At least I could remember something from when I was human. My heart was beating just like normal . . .

"My heart isn't supposed to be beating! My skin is supposed to be cool, right? Even to my own touch? How can that be possible? My voice is all different and I can see and hear better! Did something go wrong? I never fell asleep did I?" My worry about my heart still beating was mixed with joy at the sound of my new voice and getting to use it so much.

"I think we need to take you to the Council," Harrison said, holding out his hand for me. I took it and we headed to the door. Was it possible that I was a live vampire? I ran my tongue over my teeth and definitely felt two long teeth that hadn't been quite so defined BVT.

"Okay, but tell me your suspicions. I know you have an idea of what's going on. You always do . . . and can I change clothes first?" I said.

He began to pull me along as he ran in what I assumed was the direction of my room. This was the last time I would need to be shown how to get there. I would remember after this, I was sure of it.

I was actually able to keep pace with him. This meant that we were only running for about ten seconds before we reached my door. I went inside and closed it behind me, on the aghast face of Harrison.

I went to my drawers and pulled out a pair of straight-legged jeans and a purple long-sleeve polo, that was a couple sizes too big, but seemed to match the color of Harrison's eyes. Then I finally, finally stripped out of my dress! It had been way too long in that thing.

Oh My God, I heard. It wasn't my voice, but it hadn't been spoken aloud either. It had sounded like Harrison's voice . . . from inside my mind. I shrugged and went over to the mirror to check out my PVT (post-vampire transformation) body.

Then, I heard a whimper that, again hadn't been uttered aloud. It was coming from inside my mind in the form of Harrison's vocals, I was positive. I thought of something to say in my mind, too.

Harrison, is that you?

Yes. Joanalie . . . you need to get . . . dressed. I'm having . . . a hard time controlling. Myself . . . out here.

You cansee me?

Hurry.

Okay, well that was mortifying. Harrison could not only be inside my mind now, but he could see what I was seeing when we weren't together. I quickly pulled on the clothes I picked out, careful not to look down at myself again, as curious as I was to see what the transmutation has altered. I'd noticed it had erased any flaws, but I didn't get much of a change to check for detail. Now, fully dressed, I stepped back up to the mirror, and looked at my face.

I gasped in surprise at the same time that the door opened behind me. My skin tone hadn't actually changed color. I had already been unnaturally pale, but I hadn't gotten any paler. My eyes seemed to have gotten bigger and more defined. They were once a striking hazel, and now were a dull gray color. They were waiting for blood. My lips had been filled out and reddened. My hair had grown longer, and had a bit of a red tint to it now. It was down to my waist and the color of purest brunette. I didn't look 17 anymore. Although I had no wrinkles or bags under my eyes, there was something about me that seemed to have aged several years. I now looked a lot closer to Harrison's age, which was somewhere in the early-mid twenties. I think he had told me that, too, BVT, but I could remember.

"Why can we hear each other's thoughts, and why could you see what I was seeing. And why do I look older, and why is my heart still beating and my skin not paler?" I asked fluidly. It had taken a good three seconds to get all of that out.

"We can only read each other's thoughts and see what the other is seeing when we're not together in the same room. The reason for this connection at all is because I am your creator. I bit you, so we therefor share an unbreakable bond. You look older because each being to go through the vampire transmutation process undergoes this change. It makes you look the exact age you were meant to be forever. It's a matter of fate, I suppose. It's the same way for those born a vampire, like myself. I just stopped looking older when I became this age." he said, clearly not answering my last two questions. I couldn't read what he was thinking, either, because we were in the same room.

I rolled my eyes, figuring someone at the Council would be able to tell me what was going on. "So, to the council we go. Where is it, exactly?" I asked.

"Just follow me. Do you think you can keep up?"

"Try me."

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