Authors: Yvonne Bruton
Many times she had imagined herself drinking the blood of a healthy innocent girl. She had often lost herself in this fantasy, literally tasting the rich, red blood of a well fed catch. She had easily attached strong emotion and desire to her vision, after deciding that it was better to think about what she did want, and not what she didn’t want. Then, that had finally led to the manifestation of her wish.
With her parents and sister out on a hunt, Lia had decided to go for a walk in the forest. She had fearlessly gone out into the dark night, and before very long she found herself in a deeper part of the woodland. She had suddenly noticed a swirling bright light, in the distance behind some trees. When she had moved closer, the light had become bigger, and she could see that it was moving in a circular motion. Without any hesitation or fear, Lia had walked straight through it.
After going through the portal she saw that she was in the same woods ,but it appeared somehow different to her. She had started to explore and had been very surprised, when she had found the spot where her house should be and it was not there. Her strong sense of smell had not deserted her, and she had immediately picked up the scent of Elena Hudson. She had followed her nose and seen the young girl hurrying along wearing very strange clothes. The thick glossy hair and the healthy glow on the young girl’s skin, was a far cry from the physical appearance of the pauperised daughters of Maine. Lia had felt the hunger for a feed burn like fire within her, and when she had tasted Elena’s blood she felt that she had been starved for most of her life. She had been both shocked and delighted by the texture of Elena’s salon conditioned hair. Lia had also been intrigued by the girl’s air of intelligence, despite the obvious fear in her eyes. The difference between her and the usual ignorant down trodden girls, with their mucus filled noses, and lice ridden hair was vast. Lia had also been fascinated by Elena’s modern day eye make-up. A strange blue paint had been applied around her eyes, and there was a black substance that lined her lids. Elena in her haste had forgotten to remove it, before her parents who had forbidden that she wore make-up, saw it..
Lia had also caught Elena’s thought of the middle-aged man, that she had assumed to be her pursuer. The vampire had mentally recoiled from that image, and was pleased and quite flattered when it was replaced with Elena’s silent appreciation of her extreme beauty. She had grown used to that from her previous female victims of the 1800s. Lia had felt even more powerful when she had sensed how they had felt fleetingly gauche and embarrassed in their observation of her, even though she was about to take their lives.
Just before Elena had drew her last breath, the two girls had shared one thought of one human being, Jay Patterson. Lia had removed her strange clothes, knowing full well that she would be able to see Jay again with these items in her possession. She congratulated herself on discovering this other world, this other time space reality. She had decided not to tell her family. This was her secret and she intended to keep it to herself.
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When Amberlee Robinson had suggested that she and Libby should go to the mall to buy some clothes for the dance, she was not at all interested in what Libby is going to wear. Libby was still trying to recover from the shock of being told that she was Kevin’s date. She was a smart girl, and she knew that she had been used by Amberlee to ambush Jay Patterson into going on a date. Poor guy, he didn’t stand a chance, because when Amberlee set her mind on something there was no stopping her! Libby thought that she should really have consulted her first, it was only good manners. But she didn’t say anything about the arrangement because Amberlee had a way of always making her feel that she was doing her a favour, and without her Libby’s life would be just books and a laptop computer. However she liked Kevin, she thought he was a really nice boy, and even though Amberlee was always doing things and expecting everyone to fall into line, she was secretly pleased about her date with him.
Amberlee chatted excitedly as she drove along with Libby listening quietly in the passenger seat of her car. She continued to keep up her lie, about how Jay had begged her to be his date for the dance, and how hot he had said that he thought she was, and how great she looked and blah, blah, blah... When Libby’s envious response was not forthcoming, Amberlee stamped on the break at the next red traffic light and snapped:
“You’re not going to wear those awful glasses are you Libby? I hope that you’re going to make an effort.”
Libby felt a little bit hurt. She thought that she looked quite nice in her glasses, and any way it was cool to wear them these days. Before she could answer Amberlee started again.
“You must have some contacts surely? Or you must be able to see something without your glasses.”
“Yes I can see quite well without them, I only really need them for reading, but I keep forgetting to take them off.”
“Well that’s settled then” said Amberlee with a tone of finality, and she removed her right hand from the steering wheel and snatched Libby’s spectacles from her face.
‘She’s getting worse’ thought Libby angrily, ‘I hope Jay Patterson dumps her half acre ass!’
They went from shop to shop, with Libby trailing reluctantly behind Amberlee. The shop girls sweetly offer their assistance, which were rejected offhandedly, while the ample breasted girl rooted through rails of clothing, her face displaying an expression of disgust.
“There’s nothing here that I want” she complained to Libby who is getting bored within an inch of her life. She tried to hurry things along by helping with the search.
“What about this?” she said taking a sedate but elegant dress from the rail, and thrusting it into Amberlee’s face with obvious impatience. Her reaction was one of disdain.
“I’m going to the dance, you know with Jay Patterson, the hottest guy around?”
“Well this is nice, it’s elegant, you don’t want to wear something that will give him the wrong idea.”
Amberlee snatched the unwanted dress from her friend and put it back on the rail.
“I’m not joining a convent Libby, and I do want him to get the wrong idea.”
So the search for the right dress continued. They finally go into a shop where some of the clothes seem to appeal to Amberlee. She chose three dresses and goes into the changing room to try them on, before ordering her friend to wait just outside ,so that she could see her in each item. Libby sat down on a chair, her feet have started to hurt after all the walking around. Amberlee appeared in a black, jersey dress, that is just above the knee with quite a high neckline. Although it is figure hugging, the fabric is such that it give shape to the body by compresses all bumps and bulges. Libby was impressed.
“Wow, that looks good” she said, without even trying to hide the surprise and disbelief from her voice. However the intonation was not lost on the other girl, and she didn’t value Libby’s opinion on fashion and style anyway.
“No I don’t like it, it’s too long.”
“But it’s above your knee” protested Libby but it was too late, Amberlee was back in the changing room putting on another dress.
“What about this one” she asked again, knowing full well that she had no intention of listening to anything that Libby had to say. The dress was a hideous, frilly thing which Libby emphatically shook her head at. As she observed herself in a nearby, full length mirror, Amberlee was inclined to agree with her for this one. She goes back behind the curtain to try on dress number three. She seems to be taking a little longer to get into this one. When she finally comes out Libby’s jaw drops to the ground.
“I know, it’s great isn’t it?”
Amberlee obtusely took her reaction for admiration, but that couldn’t have been further from the truth. The dress was bright red, about two times too small for her, really low cut and it barely covered her hips. Amberlee sashayed up and down the shop, and gave Libby a withering look when she diplomatically suggested that she might like to try a bigger size. But although the shop assistant was in full agreement with that view, she still happily accepted the two hundred and fifty dollars that Amberlee paid for it.
Libby did not get the chance to choose anything for herself, because Amberlee had made their shopping trip all about her and what she wanted. They went to a number of shoe shops next, and she finally hunted down a pair of red, killer six inch heeled pumps. Jay was a little over six feet tall, and the increase in height from her new shoes, meant that he would not have to bend very far down to kiss her. During the ride home it occurred to Libby that she now had good reason to feel sympathy for Jay Patterson.
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The only reason that Jay did not regret agreeing to go to the dance with Amberlee Robinson was that his buddy, Kevin was clearly stoked about getting a date with Libby Peterson. Kevin kept thanking him, he knew he wasn’t really into that other chick, and had sacrificed himself like a lamb to slaughter.
“Thanks a lot Jay I owe you one.”
“Yeah, you do” said Jay good naturedly. They were walking towards Kevin’s car after leaving the Diner.
“Hey what are we going to wear, we could go shopping I guess.”
Jay looked at him with a raised brow, and in unconcealed amusement.
“Dude, we’re not women!”
The two boys laughed.
They hadn’t seen her, no one had. She had sneaked into the Diner wearing a woollen hat over her beautiful dark red hair, and hid herself at a table in the far corner of the room. Even the waitress hadn’t spotted her, her resentment of having to leave school had become magnified when those awful, smug college girls had come in, and made her feel small. It had taken her mind off the job. Lia had seen and heard everything that had taken place between Jay and that girl, who had reminded her so much of some of her victims back home. The ones that stood on the streets, and exchanged their company for money. That girl wouldn’t get in her way. She would be easily illuminated.
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Cora Patterson watched her son as he opened the fridge and put a carton of milk to his lips. She asks him if he has had a good day, he had been a little withdrawn since the Elena Hudson disappearance. Eddy McCann wasn’t the only one that this tragedy had affected.
“Will you be going to the college dance?” she ventured, knowing that if she didn’t ask these things Jay would never volunteer any information. His response to her question pleased her at first.
“Yes, I’m going with Kevin.”
“Is Kevin your date, is there something you’re not telling me honey?” said Cora, in an attempt to joke more details out of him.
“Yeah very funny Mom, you should be doing stand up. Kev’s got a date with a girl called Libby Peterson and I’m going with Amberlee Robinson.” He knew what was coming next.
“Amberlee Robinson, what are you crazy?”
“Leave it Mom.”
“She’s trouble with a capital ‘T’ do you know what that girl has been saying about poor Elena Hudson? About the fact that she was some little home wrecker?”
Jay looked at his mother and shrugged.
“Don’t worry Mom I’m only going with her as a favour for Kevin.”
Then he left the kitchen.
‘That’s some favour’ thought Cora and she started to prepare their evening meal.
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As
her parents and sister would be gone for hours, Lia took this opportunity to go through the portal for the second time. She wanted to explore her newly found world, to see what else she could discover about it. She was aware that the human boy was the main attraction for her, but she could not quite put her finger on why it was so. Lia knew that although she would love to drink Jay Patterson’s blood, that it was not the real reason why she wanted to see him. The strange stirrings inside her, when she pictured his beautiful face confused and excited her. This made her all the more eager to go back through the portal.
Lia knew that she needed to fit into this new time space reality, but couldn’t do so with the clothes that she wore. She could have easily worn Elena’s jeans and shirt, they had been roughly the same height and size. However she knew that to wear her victim’s clothes would be stupid, she certainly did not want to arouse any suspicion. Arabella had not found Elena’s clothes, Lia had made sure of that. She had wrapped them in one of her old dresses, and hidden them under a loose wooden floorboard, under her bed. This she did so that her parents and Kathrin did not pick up their scent in the house. A vampire’s sense of smell could be likened to that of a thousand bloodhounds, but the odour of a human’s clothes could not be detected when wrapped in the clothes of a vampire. Before she bundled them up, Lia went through the jeans pockets for the first time. She pulled out a small white, cotton handkerchief, with a pretty white lace trim. The capital letter ‘E’ is embroidered with a red , silk thread, onto the cotton part. It had been one of Elena’s presents for her recent seventeenth birthday. She had asked her parents for an iPod Touch, but had seen from the disapproving looks on their faces that she wasn’t going to get it. They had, instead bought her the complete Book of Psalms, a pair of furry grey slippers, and the little white handkerchief that Lia now had in her possession. Their daughter had, with great difficulty, hid her disappointment and graciously thanked them for their wonderful, thoughtful gifts.