Chapter 9

Octavia walked gracefully forward, looking as sizzling as ever.

She came to stand at the foot of my bed.

"Octavia? What are you doing here?" I asked cluelessly, but then I remember the fight and how she had helped us escape. "Oh my, don't tell me you get hurt, are you okay?"

"I'm good, thank you," she responded quickly. Octavia did look composedly unharmed. I let out a sigh of relief.

"Then why are you here in the hospital?" I asked again, feeling even more confused. Suddenly things began to make sense. I turned to look at Mom again.

"Mom..."

"She knows," she answered the question in my eyes.

"How...? Why...?" I lost my ability to speak. More question-marks orbited around my head.

"Because, she and you are the same, honey," Mom simply stated in a matter-of-fact way.

"What?" My jaw dropped in response.

"Your mom is right," Octavia said, "We both are the half-blood vampires."

At that, my jaw dropped even lower. I always thought she was different, but not that kind of difference, and ironically we were the same.

"Your dad is a vampire, too?"

"No, not my dad," she said sheepishly. "It was my mom."

"Viv," Mom interrupted. "Octavia's mother was an old friend of your father."

"Oh really? Where is she now?" I asked without checking the past-tense messages that delivered to me.

"She died," Octavia just answered. I was speechless. And for a moment, I could see the sadness flickered in her sparkling light-brown eyes.

"I'm sorry," I breathed at last.

"No, don't be," she replied.

Then there was a long awkward moment.

"Well, I think, I'll just let you both talk for a while," Mom barged in to break the silence in the room. She leaned forward to kiss me on my forehead then retreated. Octavia sat down on the visitor chair next to my bed. The yellowy light helped enhance her complexion and the rest of her divine features so dazzlingly. I had to try so hard not to stare.

"I'm here to ask you one thing," she said, turning her angelic face to me.

"What is it?"

"I want you to be my girlfriend," Octavia said in a matter-of-fact tone. My mouth flung open as I looked at her long and hard. Then I let out a nervous laugh.

"You're kidding right?"

"No, I'm serious," she said. "You have to stay with me from now on."

"What are you talking about?" I said in disbelief. "Why do I have to be with you?"

"Listen to me, Vivienne," she said, "You have to leave your friends because that's the only way you stay safe."

"Safe from what?"

"Your predatory side, that is," she said straightforwardly, "You have no idea how dangerous you are. Not only you're a threat to people, but you also put those you love in danger."

"What? You think I would turn into a serial killer overnight?" I yelled back. My body started shaking from rising anger.

"Vivienne, that's exactly what we are. Predators to the humans."

"Go away! You're being ridiculous!"

"I am?"

Suddenly Octavia rose from her chair and rushed toward me so fast, I didn't see her for a moment. But in just a blink, she was already on top of me. I gasped as Octavia straddled my stomach and pinned my hands over my head. A shock was written all over my face.

"Octavia, what are you doing? Get off me!" I struggled against her grip but this girl was stronger than she looked. Octavia's jaw clenched as she stared down at me. Her eyes slightly glowed against the darkness of this room.

"Did you see that?" she said, leaning her face close to mine. "There are abnormal things about us. All these predatory senses we have, not to mention our speed, strength, accelerated healing as if we don't have enough of that. Even our cells heal fifty times faster than normal human cells, so we hardly age. We are even faster than a cheetah and able to move like the wind. On top of that, we crave human blood. More badly than you could imagine. We are born to hunt, Vivienne. What makes you think your friends are safe around you?"

"I will never ever hurt anyone. I know who I am," I hissed back fiercely. I could feel my upper jaw throbbing.

"Are you sure? I have been through it before you." She shrugged. "Look at you now. Obviously you need some basic tips to live this double life. In other words, you have to learn how to control the part of you that is... a vampire."

The word made me flinch.

"Stop it, Octavia," I said as stinging tears started welling up in my eyes. I knew she was right, but I just couldn't bear this painful truth anymore.

"Vivienne," Octavia said in a softer tone this time, "I know it's hard on you, but that's the only way. Either you're with me or you're facing the risk of exposing yourself or doing things you regret."

"But why do I have to be your girlfriend?" I said with a screwed face.

"Because I want you!" she said. And just like that, our eyes locked within a heartbeat. I tried to say something but I couldn't find my voice. We both seemed to get into a trance. Then Octavia's glowing eyes narrowed down to my lips. With no hesitation, she crushed her perfect moist lips into mine. My eyes widened as butterflies burst inside my stomach. The feeling made me light-headed and weightless. Octavia's sleek tongue slid through my parted lips and roamed inside my mouth. I had never been kissed before. The overwhelming sensation caused tears to well up from my eyes. I whimpered and squirmed under her. Was this girl going to rape me right on my hospital bed? But there was this tiny part of me that enjoyed our strange heated moment. I felt my lower half getting hot as Octavia slowly was grinding on me.

But then we heard footsteps coming to the door. My assaulter instantly broke the kiss. She already got off me before I could even push her away. My mom opened the door, holding a tray with a glass of milk.

"I'll let you think about it," Octavia whispered before turned to my mom and put on a bright smile as if nothing happened.

"Thank you for coming to help us, Octavia," Mom spoke to her appreciatively after putting my milk on the nightstand.

"I'm doing what I can," Octavia said politely back. I just wanted gag. And then they both walked to the door, exchanging a few words before she left. I tried to erase the scene from last moment out of my short-term and long-term memory. I didn't want to think about it. I knew I would be fine.

"I guess you better get some milk before you go to sleep," Mom suggested, handing me the milk. I took the glass from her and sipped it. I was even hungrier as I drank it.

Suddenly, a new train of epiphany rushed into my mind.

"Mom, tell me why you always make me drink this?"

Mom smiled and stroked my head affectionately. I took another gulp and waited for her to put the last piece into my jigsaw puzzle.

"Because it's the substitute of human blood," she replied.

"What?" I almost choked.

"Yes, the milk is to soothe your hunger and toy with your vampire instinct. That way, you wouldn't feel the need to drink blood."

"But mom, human blood, and cow's milk are two different things," I said.

"As a matter of fact, Vivienne," Mom began in a sheepish voice, "It's not cow's milk."

"It's not? So...is it goat's milk then?" I asked, raising the glass at eye-level like a scientist and savored it again for a better taste.

"No honey," Mom said again. "It's breast milk."

I spew a mouthful of it out. Mom had to step back and cover herself.

"What did you just say?" I blurted, half choking. Mom quickly went to the bathroom to get a towel. She got back and started cleaning up the mess as I looked on.

"That's the closest thing to human blood we can find for you," she told me at last. "Some are from people who donate it to the orphanages and some..."

Mom looked at me and tried to hide a sheepish smile. "Some are from me. And I can tell that you like mine better..."

"Oh my god, mom!"

"Are you embarrassed that you survive on my breast milk? Because I remember you didn't complain when you were a baby."

"I'm sorry, mom. I didn't mean to react that way," I apologized.

"Sometimes, we refer to breast milk as 'White Blood' because it's from the human body, but only the females," she explained, "It's very fortunate that the breast milk works with your system. You're not physically required blood like other vampires-so it's just a psychological need because you're part of them."

"I see," I nodded understandingly. I recalled the time Cammie and Alyssa drank my milk and said it tasted weird, but I also told them that I didn't like theirs either. I saw Octavia drank it, too. Ha! She wanted to scare me about my blood craving. Nice try.

"There is something else I want to ask you if you don't mind," I said.

"Go ahead, kiddo,"

"Does a vampire have to murder people and drain their blood?"

"Have you forgotten how much blood there is in an average person?" Mom asked to jog my memory. Before I said anything, mom pointed to the tall glass in my hand, "Let me explain you this way, imagine you take some of your milk glasses and fill them in with blood instead. Then you line nine of them up in a row, you will get an average woman's blood. Make it twelve and you've got the average man. Still thirsty?"

I had no word to say. The hardest thing about having my mom as a mother is that, even if I go to genius school; she still outsmarts me most of the time.

"Honey, vampires are not a race of demons," mom continued in a more thoughtful way. "Your father wasn't, and neither are you."

"So how did dad feed when he was alive?"

"He had a friend who owned animal farm, so your father had a substitute, too," mom smiled, but rather sadly this time. "Even as a vampire, he was a great man, and killing people was against his moral belief," Mom's eyes saddened at the thought. I knew mom still loved my dad.

"Alright, you can't have all your questions answered in one night," mom took my empty milk glass away then started to adjust the pillow on my bed and ready to tuck me in.

"Wait, mom," I stopped her, "Can I ask you one more question?"

"Okay, just one more."

"Do we have a name for a half-human and half-vampire?"

Mom pursed her lips as she tried to think.

"Some people would refer to it as 'Dhampire'," she said, "But it doesn't make a difference. You're still my daughter, and being what you are now won't make you a bad person. Vivienne, who you are, is what believe in your heart, that's all it matters," she smoothed my hair back and leaned over to give me a kiss on the forehead. I smiled at her. I couldn't imagine how I would get through this without her.

Then Mom switched off all the lights in the room. As she began to move away, I could still see her beautiful face and kindly smile. When she was gone, I tried not to think about tomorrow. I needed to forget about my upside-down life for a while. At least until dawn.