PART III

I awoke in my bed with a fright, gasping for breath and wondering what scared me so. I flicked on my bedside lamp and breathed in deeply. My room smelt musty, as though it hadn't been used in quite some time. But that was preposterous. I hadn't slept anywhere else, and my family and I hadn't left home for quite some time.

I pulled back my curtains and immediately cringed at the sunlight, then wondered why. Why was I so afraid of the sun? I loved the sun! I opened my balcony doors and stepped slowly out into the light. I breathed in the fresh air and felt the afternoon sun warming my skin, though the air was a bit cool. My heart was pounding, something within me screaming to get out of the light, to take refuge in my room and close the curtains. I ignored it.

Not long after, I re-entered my room and left the doors open behind me. The place could use a little fresh air. I showered and dressed for the day with a smile on my face, feeling so very much alive. It was strange; I felt as though I had awakened from a very long sleep. "I suppose it is rather late," I chuckled.

Must be a Sunday if my parents didn't wake me up, which meant that they'd be home soon with brunch in tow. I hopped down the stairs in excitement, ready to relish my meal.

"Emma?" my mom asked, dropping the teacup she'd been drinking from.

The cup smashed against the floor, but I was the only one who jumped. "I thought it was a Sunday," I said. "Why aren't you at church?"

"It's Tuesday," she said absentmindedly. "How are you here? I thought you'd gone, with Tony's friends."

"Tony has friends?" I wondered. "When did this happen? And how can it be Tuesday? I went to sleep on a Saturday. And where are dad and Tony?"

"Work and school," she replied, staring blankly.

"What's wrong with you?" I asked. "Do you want me to call a doctor? Do you need to sit down?"

"You're alive," she whispered.

"I've been alive for fifteen years, mom," I said slowly. "Are you feeling alright?"

"But you were dead!" she contested.

"I never died, mom," I told her. What was wrong with her?

"I suppose not," she murmured. "Vampires are alive in their own way."

I choked on my saliva. "Vampires?" I asked. "Are you on drugs? Do you need more sleep? Tony's been keeping you up all night, hasn't he?"

"He doesn't have nightmares anymore."

"One night doesn't exactly equal forever," I said. "I think—"

"I have to pick Tony up from school," she interrupted.

"School isn't in session yet though," I said.

"Thankfully those horrible McAshton boys are leaving him alone now," she went on. "Nigel and Lint or something..."

Two faces flashed before my eyes, staring at me with absolute horror. I could hear their furious heartbeats, smell their sweet blood. My mouth salivated.

I shook my head, suddenly afraid again – and hungry. "I'll come with you," I said, hurrying after my mom.

She seemed not to notice me as I climbed into the car and she pulled away from the house before I even closed the door. Something was seriously wrong here, I thought. My mom wouldn't even turn on the car until we wore our seatbelts, and here she was pressing on the gas before I even sat down comfortably. I was really worried.

OOOOOoooooOOOOO

We pulled into the parking lot of an elementary school and I realized that, yes, school was already in session. Kids were running out of the building, chatting excitedly now that they were away from teachers. "Tony!" I called, spotting my brother.

There were two others beside him, holding his things, and the moment they spotted me they paled drastically. I thought that they were going to faint. "Emma!" Tony yelled with wide eyes. "You're here!"

"Yeah," I said, quickly approaching the trio. "I guess I must have slept through a couple of days or something. Who're your friends?"

"These aren't my friends," Tony said bluntly.

Confused, I turned to the boys and two very similar people flashed before my eyes. Though the two before me were not in pyjamas, they were evidently the same people. "Did you sleep over at our house once?" I asked.

They shook their heads furiously before the taller one blurted, "We haven't been mean to him! Honest! You – you can have the rest of our lunches – or, we'll bring you whatever you want to eat! Just not us, not again!"

"I am a little hungry," I said slowly, confused as to why this statement drew my eyes to their necks.

"You can't!" the taller one claimed, bravely apparently if the way his brother looked at him said anything.

"I can't what, be hungry?" I wondered.

"You can't feed in broad daylight," the boy whimpered. "There are too many people around; they'll see you!"

"I'm pretty sure it's not illegal to eat around others," I said slowly. "Tony, get your stuff and come on. Mom's acting funny; I think she might be sick."

My brother's eyes were flashing between me and the brothers, comprehension dawning. "You ate them!" he accused while I pulled him away from the strange kids.

"I'm not a cannibal," I snapped. "That's disgusting!"

Something sweet, sweeter still with the smell of fear. Their hearts pounding, pumping blood, preparing for quick consumption.

I shook my head, clearing it of cobwebs. I must have had a nightmare, and it must still be bothering me.

"—but now you're human again!" Tony finished.

"Sorry," I said, licking my dry lips, "what were you just saying?"

"I said that you must have fed from them when you were a vampire, but you're not anymore so you won't do it again. Even though it's kind of funny," he laughed.

Vampire.

Now why did that word seem to call forth such emotion from me? And why were both Tony and my mother speaking as though they were real? "What happened?" I asked him as we climbed into the car. "Both of you are acting so funny."

"Emma," Tony said slowly, "you died."

"No I didn't," I argued. "I'm right here, aren't I? Why do both of you keep treating me like I'm not – like I'm not really living here?"

"You were dead," Tony said adamantly. "Gregory turned you into a vampire—"

Gregory. Red eyes staring into mine. Fear, euphoria, pain, horror, anger, and the terrible need to obey.

"Sorry," I said again. "Something about a – a Gregory turning me into a... vampire?"

"Yes!" Tony shouted. "You remember?"

"Remember what?" I asked.

Tony groaned, smacking himself in the face. "You try, mom," he begged.

We pulled into the driveway and my mom turned off the car, but remained sitting. We all did, feeling the rising tension. "Gregory turned you into a vampire," my mom said monotonously. "I guess he visited you and took you flying or something. I'm not sure.

"You died. We had your funeral. Then two weeks later we saw you at the cliffs with the rest of the Sackville-Baggs. Tony used the amulet to wish..."

"I wished that all of the vampires would become human again," Tony finished. "And you are! But where's Rudolph? If you're here, then he must be alive too."

"You guys are crazy," I accused, slamming the car door behind me and entering the house.

I climbed up the stairs to my room but paused before the door. I turned and faced the heavy door that led to the tower. I slowly pushed the door open, hearing it creak loudly. The stairs were bathed in sunlight, and on most there were stains. "This looks like blood," I whispered.

"We think that you met Gregory up there," Tony said quietly.

I jumped and spun around quickly, staring at my brother. "What?"

"Well, we wondered where you two met all the time. We thought it was your room, like how Rudolph and I met, but I tried to go up there one day to see if maybe you left something, and I found this," he motioned to the drops of aging blood.

"Have you gone all the way up there?" I asked.

Tony shook his head, "I... I didn't want to."

I nodded in understanding. If he felt even a fraction of the apprehension I felt just staring at these familiar stairs, I couldn't blame him at all. "Will you come with me?" I asked.

He gave me a small smile and took my hand, then faced the stairs determinedly. We climbed them and pushed the final door open. "There's nothing," I breathed.

And it was true; only the chair was upturned. There was no sign of blood anywhere, no sign of a struggle. Tony walked over to the window and looked out at the green land before him. "I don't know why you like it up here," he told me.

"I don't like it anymore," I said, shivering. "Let's go back downstairs."

He nodded and we climbed back down, closing both doors behind us.

That night, Tony filled me in on everything he could possibly think of. I'd been a vampire for about two weeks – I could remember some things while Tony described what had happened – and then I had vanished completely for a couple of days. Neither of us knew what had happened to me during this time.

Eventually my dad came home and hugged me fiercely. My mom finally came out of her slump and began baking all the sweets I could possibly want and then some. Tony was still sad that Rudolph hadn't come back, but he figured that since I had trouble remembering until nudged, then Rudolph and his family would probably have the same problem.

Our problem was convincing everyone else that I was still alive. They had to do DNA tests to prove it, and there were a lot of questions, but I pretended to have lost my memory. My parents supported this decision and filled in the blanks of how I retrieved my identity – they found me wandering by the cliffs, they said. The doctors were horrified, of course, for having falsely declared my death. We pretended to forgive them.

My problem was much worse. They dug up my coffin and discovered the body of the boy I had killed. They didn't realize that I'd killed him, of course, but they knew that something funny had gone on. The police said that someone must have killed the gravedigger, and they already had a prime suspect. Apparently Rookery had provoked many complaints, and because the hunter had always gone on about vampires – and the truck the cops had found crashed in the sea was mighty suspicious – he was the main suspect. Luckily enough he was already dead and unavailable for questioning, so the police closed the case and declared me an innocent bystander. I was relieved.

But I'd killed someone, and that memory would never leave me. The police thought that it had been Rookery who'd killed the boy, but I knew better. My parents suspected this as well, but my dad never said anything because he'd been the one to push Rookery off the cliff; my dad had killed the hunter and I'd killed the gravedigger. My mom gave me sympathetic looks. My brother, though, was the worst. He constantly asked me about my brief life as a vampire. Most of the time I refused to answer him, but when I did answer him, the stories were never happy ones. He was convinced that I was lying. I was convinced that he was a bastard.

OOOOOoooooOOOOO

On the last Sunday of the month, I went to church with my family. My reasoning was that if vampires feared the cross, then this must be the true religion. Church was insufferable though, so I quickly dropped that illusion. It wasn't worth it. Besides, my soul was already damned for having killed someone, and it felt utterly wrong to enter a place that was supposed to be sacred when I was already so tainted. I was also still terrified of crucifixes. Seeing anything related to Christianity made a deep fear bubble up within me. I cringed and hissed when Tony had playfully thrown a cross at me, and though it hadn't actually hurt me, he never did it again.

After our horrible time at church (and I noticed that it was all of us and not just I who suffered), we went out to breakfast and to the outdoor market. It was there, at the market, that Tony spotted his friends Rudolph and Anna. He ran over, calling out to them, "Hey! It's me! Tony!"

They obviously didn't remember him, as they looked at him funny and began to walk away. Tony suddenly whistled loudly, a sound that pierced my ears. Rudolph and Anna turned back, eyes fogged for a moment before staring in recognition. They remembered a lot quicker than I had. The two skipped over to my brother while the rest of their family showed up walking toward their moving van. Gregory was there. "Mom, dad," I said, "I'm going back to the car."

They nodded in understanding but told me that they were going over to talk to the Sackville-Baggs. While they did that, I hid my face and snuck back to the car. "You're not hiding from me, are you?" someone asked.

I gasped and faced my sire – no, Gregory. "I don't want to talk to you," I snarled, turning away from him and reaching for the car's handle.

"Look at me," he demanded.

I wanted to ignore him, to slam and lock the door behind me, but that wretched part of me turned and my eyes rose slowly to meet his. "What?" I snapped.

"You're not fully human," he said, not sounding terribly surprised.

My chest tightened. I wanted to deny it; it couldn't be true. But it was. "I suspected," I whispered.

He took a step forward and backed me into the car. I couldn't move – moving meant looking away, and I couldn't do that. "You never managed to control your instincts," he said.

"Can you blame me?" I asked. "I was only a vampire for two weeks."

The back of his hand rubbed against my cheek gently and he stared at me with regret. "I should never have left you alone," he admitted.

I didn't know what to say to that. If he'd brought me with him, I might not have retained my instincts, but I would have had to spend loads of time with the one who'd killed me. "Can't you just keep leaving me alone?" I beseeched.

He shook his head and cupped my chin, staring at me with such dark eyes. I swallowed heavily, wanting so badly to look away. "You will learn to control it," he promised, "but you will have to do so with me."

"Why?"

"Because I'm your sire. Your instincts recognize that, and they will not feel the need to react but for obedience's sake in my presence. You feel safe with me," he explained quietly.

I exhaled slowly, begging him with my eyes. I wanted him to tell me that I could stop looking at him, that I was free to do as I desired. He slowly brought his lips to meet mine, and we shared our second kiss. At least there was no blood this time, I thought snidely.

"Close your eyes," he whispered.

I did as told and licked my lips nervously. His soft lips descended onto mine once more and, feeling how badly he wished for me to return his gesture, I kissed him back. My hands were fisted in his shirt; one of his remained on my face, cupping my cheek gently, and the other wrapped around my waist, pulling me flush against him. His body was warm. I moaned quietly, unintentionally, when Gregory's tongue glided along my bottom lip.

"See! They were having an affair!" Anna cried.

"Act as you wish," he whispered against my mouth before pulling away.

I opened my eyes and turned to see Anna pointing in an evident 'I-told-you-so' fashion, and Tony and Rudolph were staring at Gregory and me in horror. "Ew!" they exclaimed.

I tried to pull away from Gregory, but his hand remained firm on my waist. My sire did not wish to let me go quite yet. My instincts were gleeful and satisfied, but I was sickened. Gregory would be able to do whatever he wished to me, and I couldn't protest. I stood silently while my sire explained to our siblings that I was not yet entirely human, but that with his aid I would be able to shed my vampire instincts and learn to live naturally, humanly. They ate it up like candy, Anna with hearts in her eyes, and our brothers with surprising rationality. Our parents reacted in much the same way, though Gregory's parents were much more understanding than my own. Mine, I could tell, wanted to keep me as far away from my killer as physically possible – a sentiment that I quietly shared.

OOOOOoooooOOOOO

That night, the Sackville-Baggs came for dinner at our house. My dad was bursting with excitement at being able to cook for people who had never eaten an American meal, and my mom was happy to learn about the family's life from centuries ago. Tony was just glad he'd gotten his friend back. I, however, was not excited, happy, or glad. I was terrified.

We ate dinner and then my parents brought Mr and Mrs Sackville-Bagg into the living room to share drinks and swap stories, or whatever it was that parents did, while my brother and his friends went to play outside. Gregory led me up the stairs and paused before walking over to the tower door. "Let's go up here," he smirked.

I swallowed heavily an tried to protest, but he took my hand and brought me up there regardless. The tower was cold and becoming darker as the sun started to set. My heart pounded heavily in my chest and I wondered what was going to happen. He walked over to the window and stared before facing me again. "You do realize," he began, "that I lied."

"What?" I asked.

"You will never lose your instincts. You can control them around everyone else, but you can never hide them from me," he swore.

"Why would you lie?" I demanded to know.

He chuckled before answering, "Because now no one will think twice about the time you spend with me. Even your parents can't contest it, if I'm supposedly able to help you. And you won't be able to tell them otherwise."

"You're crazy," I whispered. "There's no way that someone won't find out eventually."

"You're forgetting, Emma, that you are my creation. I turned you, and your instincts will always crave for my company," he said smugly.

"They didn't when I was a vampire," I argued. "Why should it be any different now?"

"Blood," he said simply. "When a vampire drinks his victim's blood, he gains strength."

"Then I'll just have to find a donor, won't I?"

"But you won't," he assured me.

"And why not?" I demanded.

"Because you will never take another's blood, offered or stolen," he ordered.

I felt my instincts rise up and agree with him. "Why are you doing this?" I wondered aloud.

"I didn't give up my instincts," he revealed. "The rest of my family were stupid enough to become fully human, to give up their powers."

I gasped softly, understanding that this was not Gregory the human who stood before me, but the vampire in human flesh. He, unlike the rest of his family, had not changed. This was still the creature that had killed me. "You're a monster," I growled.

"Mm," he agreed, "but no one else will know that, because you are not going to tell anyone the truth of my existence."

I nodded obediently. Gregory smiled at me. My eyes flickered to the window and an impossible idea entered my head, though I kept my frightened expression. What if I killed him? I'd already killed someone – a human, a good soul – so what difference would it make if I killed this monster? Wouldn't his hold on me disappear with his death? There'd be no more sire to obey. It was perfect!

Determined, I advanced toward the window and stared out, waiting for the creature to follow as I knew he would. He closed the gap between us, wrapping his arms around me and breathing deeply from my neck. "I can still smell your blood," he confessed.

I shuddered. If I had to do this, I would do it now. I turned around, facing him with my back to the window. He smirked, obviously thinking that he had succeeded in... breaking my spirit, or whatever it is he'd wanted to do. Using all my strength, I switched our positions and then thrust him out of the tower. His eyes widened as gravity pulled him toward the earth, but he seemed disconcerted. I watched in fright as he paused in mid-air and rose back up, floating gently through the window and staring at me in disappointment. "Really?" he asked.

"Y-you can fly!" I stuttered.

"Of course I can," he snapped. "Didn't I just tell you that I kept my powers?"

"But I thought—"

"You thought that I meant instincts alone, a pathetic existence like yours?" he laughed.

"Yes," I whimpered.

"I'm still a vampire," he divulged. "The only difference between now and then is that I do not fear sunlight or crosses. I am fearless."

"You can still be killed," I breathed out in relief.

"That may be true," he admitted, "but what hunter could ever suspect me of being a vampire?"

I sniffed suddenly, trying to hold back tears. This was hopeless! I was – I was doomed! I had thought, after remembering my time as a vampire, that I would continue on with my life, that I would be able to think back on it as a particularly vivid nightmare; that was impossible now.

A lone drop slid down my cheek and Gregory wiped it away, pressing me against the tower wall. "This doesn't have to be unpleasant," he promised.

"How could it possibly not be?"

"Well," he said, cupping my face and neck with both of his hands, "if you would just succumb to me, you'd find that this life can be... euphoric."

I started to object, but he kissed me once more. The kiss was fierce and possessive, consuming. I wouldn't have it! My lips parted and I sunk my teeth into his bottom lip, drawing blood. Gregory, rather than getting angry, became aroused and pressed me harder against the wall, groaning. I could taste his blood in my mouth, that delectable metallic taste. I closed my mouth and stopped moving at once. "What?" he growled.

"I can't take your blood," I replied.

"You can have blood so long as it's mine," he said impatiently, pressing bloody lips against my neck.

Blood meant strength. If I could just—

"Emma, Gregory! It's time for desert!" my mom called from below.

Gregory growled once more, but licked up the last remnants of blood and pulled away. "You won't tell anyone about this," he said once more for emphasis.

I nodded, grimacing. We walked downstairs and entered the lounge where plates full of pastries waited to be eaten. "Gregory!" his mother gasped. "Why do you have blood on your lips?"

Gregory licked the blood away and smiled sheepishly, "We were working on her control. She still wants blood even though she doesn't need it."

Mrs. Sackville-Bagg nodded in understanding, "Blood lust is very powerful, but it should get easier since she won't be drinking any."

We sat down on the sofa and Gregory insisted on sitting very close to me. Anna thought it was sweet, still under the delusion that we were in love. No doubt that delusion would spread when Gregory decided to bring a false representation of our relationship to light. That would make it easier for him, wouldn't it? Gregory offered me a plate of cookies and smiled threateningly. I swallowed and took a sugar cookie, nodding at him. I would have to obey for now.

Mark my words, I thought darkly, you may think you have succeeded, but this is far from over. Somehow, I would kill him. I would destroy him, and when I did, I would finally be free from this curse.