Chapter 10: First Meeting, Part 2

Years ago, I used to take the deer meat to orphanages to feed the hungry bellies of the children. At that time, the caregivers welcomed any food donations they could get, for it was difficult to provide enough food to feed forty some children. They didn't ask questions. Today, there were no more orphanages, but if there were, they would ask too many questions, questions I couldn't answer. There were laws against it, as well.

The white-tailed deer wasn't much of a challenge, but I had already had my workout for the night. After I had my fill, I wiped a spot of crimson blood from my lips. Evergreens brushed past me in a blur as I ran, quickly making my way back home. Home. We had just arrived and already I thought of it as home. Twenty minutes later, I walked into the front door of our cottage. It was really more like a mansion, but there was something about the stone walls that made me think of it as a cottage.

"Well ..." Rick was waiting in the kitchen with a cup of coffee, probably not having rested, not that he needed any. Looking around, Rick must have worked through the night making the house livable. "It's about time you got here!"

"Hey, I have plenty of time," I countered, then looked at the clock and quickly poured myself a cup of coffee. Twenty minutes left to spare. Not bad. "See? I told you I'd be on time!"

"Well, the days of miracles aren't over," Rick joked, washing up the dishes. "It's good to see that some things have changed for the better!"

I thought back through many times over the years when I arrived just in time to save the day. "I've reformed."

"Hah!" Rick laughed. "Yeah, right!"

Placing the cup gingerly on the counter, I turned for the stairs. "I'm going to get ready. Are you going like that?"

Rick looked dashing in a black button-up shirt, blue jeans, and black boots, his bronze curls neatly coiffed. "What? Do you want me to wear a suit?"

"No, you look dashing! Don't change a thing!" I said, smiling.

"Yeah, you say that to all the guys."

"No, only to my father." I laughed, heading up the stairs, as Rick's laughter followed.

I carefully shut the door to my suite, and quickly jumped into the shower. It had a wide shower nozzle, allowing pulsing water to caress my entire body. A moment later, I dried off, wrapping the towel around me, then headed back into the bedroom and pulled open the duffle bag filled with my clothes. In it were a few pairs of jeans: one black, two regular pairs of blue jeans; a few shirts; and a dress. A dress? What was Rick thinking? And where was my leather? Then, I found what I was looking for: a cute, short plaid uniform skirt in variations of blue and an Armani white button-up shirt. I slipped into it, leaving the shirt untucked. I donned a pair of low strappy heels, then added a thin navy lady's tie, leaving it loose around my neck under my collar. I looked in the mirror and approved. I looked just like any other high school student. I quickly ran a brush through my long brown waves, threw my wallet into my backpack and slung it over my shoulder, then ran with vamp speed down the stairs. Rick was already waiting with the keys in his hand.

"Tonight, I'm going shopping," I announced. Let's see ... I'll need clothes, a decent but not over-the-top car, and a decent cell. I'll have to ditch mine soon. In my business, it's good to change cell phones periodically so it isn't hacked.

Rick shook his head. "We're not here for a fashion show," he said, opening the door.

"I can't very well bring my Mercedes SLS AMG now, can I?" I replied, walking out. "I need a car, too, Rick," I interjected. "I can't very well run everywhere or depend on you to take me."

"Why not? That's what fathers are for!" Rick teased, opening the passenger door for me.

"Go away," I said, getting in. "You're going to run the dad thing into the ground, aren't you?"

Rick moved with vamp speed to the driver's side and was in the car the next second. "Pretty much, yeah."

I punched him in the arm again.

"Stop that!" Rick bellowed then started the car, and soon we were on our way to Cooperstown Central High School.

"No," I replied, rolling down my window a crack. "It's too much fun."

Rick pretended to flex his muscle from pain. I knew better. He was as tough as they come. "Just don't have too much fun."

I laughed. "Hey, I have to make up for lost time. Haven't seen you in a while."

"Yeah, we'll talk about it later," Rick replied as we pulled into the parking lot. "First, we have to register you for school."

"Yeah, don't remind me."

"Hey," Rick said, gently grabbing my arm, a move that could have gotten anyone else killed. "Here's your alias, by the way. I took the liberty of making one up for you since there wasn't much time. This has your fake ID, social security card, birth certificate, and passport just in case you need it."

"Thanks," I said, slipping the driver's license and social security card into my backpack. I had a hundred aliases at home. We both did, but a new one never hurt.

And a moment later, we were strolling into the front office of the school. I took a seat in the waiting room while Rick told a nice plump woman with white hair that I was Lisa Miller, and that he had already mailed in the paperwork. He also told her that I was a senior and we had relocated because of a family emergency. He just didn't say whose family.

"You're still missing a few items, like transcripts," the nice lady said, smiling sweetly.

Rick smiled, too, and looked the white haired woman in the eye. Although I couldn't see his eyes from my direction, I knew his eyes would be glowing faintly. He was using his mind control on her. Then he said in a low voice, "The missing paperwork is coming, but won't be here for a few weeks. I'm sure that will be okay, will it not? By the way, she's a gifted student. Please place her in all honors classes."

After Rick released her from his gaze, she blinked a few times, then replied, "That's right, over the phone you said that her old school from Florida was sending the rest of her transcripts. Not a problem, Mr. Miller. And I understand Lisa is a gifted student! How exciting! I'll get Lisa enrolled right away. And my name is Ms. Sutherland if you need anything." She indicated for Rick to have a seat. She would have no recollection of him speaking to her or controlling her mind.

Of course, my mind control was good, too, but Rick's was better since he was feeding on human blood. And for him to be feeding on human blood meant that he felt he really needed the strength for what was coming. What was coming? I knew it was The Others, but who was egging them on? The Others are vampires who feed on humans whenever they feel the urge, without regard for human life. They are truly monsters in every sense of the word. Somehow within the transition, they lost all sense of compassion and human morality. Killing, to them, is a way of life. They only keep a low profile in fear of the humans finding out. Of course, they aren't afraid of humans per se, but are afraid of the other vamps that would quite literally crucify any vamp that came out of the closet, sort of speak. Usually, The Others were the derelicts of society, criminals, convicted felons with no sense of morality before they were turned. They have weak minds and are easily controlled. Another thing about The Others is that they tend to gravitate toward each other, grouping together. This is much better for the one controlling them, but who could be doing it? That was what I wanted to find out.