Chapter 4

*I APOLOGIZE FOR THE SPELLING AND OTHER ERRORS IN THIS CHAPTER - I WAS TIRED AND SICKLY WHEN TYPING IT.*

I woke up about an hour later, back in bed, with a very concerned Jarol sitting watch. Everything was blurry though and my head was pounding as if I had a king size hangover. To to it off my arms and face stucg like the devil, and when I touched my cheek, I felt huge blisters give way and burst beneath my fingers. Puss ran down my chin and Jarol gently wiped it off wtih a handkercheif.
"What happened?" I asked him, already half expecting the answer.
"You went out in the sun. You cant do that, remember?"
"You didnt actually expect me to believe your whole vampire story, did you? I mean, come on. You said it to someone who believed it was all just a fairy tale til..." I trailed off. I wasnt quite ready to accept the thought just yet.
"Till now...?" He finished gently.
"Yeah.." I replied. "I´m still not so sure if I believe it yet..."
"Oh, you believe. You´re just not letting yourself admit it."

Maybe he was right. How else could I explain the third-degree burns all over me? No one gets sun burnt that fast.
He handed me a silver wineglass and I took an absent minded sip, and gagged as the liquid hit my tongue. Blood! It would figure, but, yuck! I didnt think I could do it. I tore my eyes away from the crimson fluid to look at Jarol. He just raised his eyebrows and glanced down at the cup and then back at me. It was then that I realized that my headache had lost some of its intensity.
"Two and two - put it together." I thought. I guiltily downed the rest of the liquid, trying to hold back my disgust at the thought of drinking someones lifeblood.
I placed the cup slowly back down on the coffee table, wiping a bit that had dripped down the side of my mouth. I felt horible and Jarol could tell.

"I´m really sorry it has to be this way." He started. "I dont really know waht to say, except, you´ll get used to it evnetually. We all have."
I couldnt find anything to say so I just nodded agian. I supposed he was right, but I still really really didnt like it. Then i noticed my hands. The skin on the tips of my fingers wasn´t blistered anymore. It looked completely new. I watched, awestruck, as the healing crept up my fingers and hands, and then up my arms. I felt the sting on my face on my face slowly dull till it was just a memory.
"No way!" I said, almost afraid to believe my skin ws healed just like that. My head didnt hurt anymore either.
"Yes way." Jarol said. "There ARE good points to being a vampire you know."
"Gosh, yeah, I see." I gasped. Still not quite believing my eyes. Jarol laughed. "Okay, get some moe rest. Your skin may be healed but theres a bit more to it than that. You ant be up while the suns out anyways so you might as well get a bit more sleep. You can meet some of the others tonight."
"Alright." I replied over my shoulder, while examining my face in the miror. It seemed too good to be true, yet it was. Gosh. A vampire. What crazy turn could my life possibly take next?
I puttered around the room for a few more mintes, not wanting to climb back into bed just yet. I stood in front of hte mirror combing my fingers through my hair, not realying tinking about anything when suddenly a ray of sunshine sliced through a crack in the curtain and trailed down the side of my body. I gasped in a breath as it sapped what little strength I had. I quickly clamored into bed, exhausted, and dutifully covered myself up. I eyed the ray tha still shone through the crack and onto the opposite wall. It stayed there, reminding me of what it could do to me.

I woke in the early evening - the sun had just set. There was a note by my bed from Jarol telling me to meet him in his study. As if i knew where THAT was. I got up and realized that I had slept in my clothes. None worse fo the wear though. I straightened my toussled hair and made my way towards the hall. Again, it seemed silent and completely deserted.
I lookd up and down the hall, looking for clues as to where the study could possibly be. Only scores of closed doors greeted me. Duh! I smacked my head. The study is always on the ground floor. So downstairs I went. I ended up in the enterance, by the huge front doors. I gulped and shyed away, backing towards the dining hall.
Suddenly I froze. A muffled laugh floated from the silence. That laugh was for me, I knew it. Why, I had no idea. My eyes darted about searching for the owner of the laugh,when somebody tapped my shoulder. I spun around.
"Not there!" The someone said. No one was behind me. Again, my shoulder was tapped from behind and I span around yet again.
"Not there either!" The voice giggled from behind me: I heard another snigger off to the side of the room. "No way." I thought. "Not in my time." I slowly began backing up. I heard movement behind me but I kept going. Finally my back touched the wall - no, wait, it touched a body BETWEEN me and the wall.
I spun around - "Aha!!" But there was no one there. I saw out of the corner of my eye something moving along the top of the wall. I sighed. Leaning back against hte wall, and sliding down till I sat on the floor. ·"Fine, I give up!" I said. I tilted my head back until i could see the ceiling and then closed my eyes. I heard giggles and scuffling along the walls for a few seconds, then it went silent. I could feel someone approaching from the wall above me but I kept my eyes shut and tried to suress a smirk. What did they think? I was a vampire too after all. I could sense them.
A second before I anticiated it, I opened my eyes. An upside-down face hovered inches from mine, mouth poised in an un-spoken "boo".
"HA! I got you!!" I yelped as I jumped up, and then laughed as he lost his grip and tumbled to the floor, a tangle of arms and legs. He scrambled to pick himself up and straighten his clothes. I heard laughing behind me and another vampire, a female, zipped to the others side, still laughing, at him this time, i realized. She grabbed his arm and yanked him up and they both turned to face me.
"I apologize for Marvis" the female said. "He tends to do silly foolish things, but, what to do. Thats just how these brainless things are." She yelped as Marvis smacked her upside the head.
"Dont listen to Jade. Shes as brainless as they come."
Jade´s green eyes flashed from behind her snow-white hair. "Excuse us for a moment." she quipped as she pounced on Marvis´ back, returning him to the floor, and pumeling him repeatedly with her fists.
"I am NOT brainless! Say it Marvis! Admit I´m not brainless!" Marvis yelped, trying to throw her off his back. I just stood there and laughed as they both started tickling eachother. "You guys are such kids you know..." At that they both stopped and stared at me. "Shall we get her?" said Marvis. "She called us kids."
"Nah, shes the new girl. We gotta be nice." Jade replied.
"Awwww, come on. She´ll like it, I´m sure." His grin couldnt have gotten bigger.
"Nope."
"COME ON"
"I´m gona tell Jarol..."
"Ooooh fine." Marvis spat out and rolled his eyes. He threw me a look that said "I´m gona get you later" I laughed again as he turned to walk down the hall, his head thrown back in moch defiance. Jade started after him, then suddenly turned back, as if remembering something. "Ohhh yeah, Jarol said to bring you to his study, so come on."
I uttered afte them down the hall, still trying to take the whole place in. I was amazed that I hadnt gotten lost in this place. I mean, I´d oly been coherently "here" for the last 12 or 13 hours, and I hadnt even been around yet so scratch that. I could barely keep up in my mind all the twists and turns we were taking, but at the same time, somehow, it all seemed strangely familiar to me.
Suddenly, I collided with Marvis´ back. They´d stopped walking. He turned and stuck out his tongue at me and I giggled. "Wait here." Jade said. She quietly opened the door and slipped in. I could hear talking on the other side and strained to see in, but Jade closed the door.
"Tsk tsk, Emily. Peeking isnt good you know." Marivs retorted. I was about to smack him one when i saw the mischeivous grin. "Oh gosh, you´re too much, you know?" I said.
"Yup." he replied with a grin. I rolled my eyes and fell silent, choosing instead to study the specimine before me Pale skinned with short, red siked hair, he stood a head taller than me, which was close to alarming, seeing as I stood almost at six feet. He had a cocky face and high, arched eyebrows over midnight blue eyes. he also seemed to have piercings everywhere, and a tattoo, on teh back of his neck. I carefully leaned in closer to get a better look. It was writing of some sort, but in a script i couldnt understand.
"Hey Marvis...?"
"Yeah?"
"What´s that tattoo say? I cant figure it out."
His hand snapped up to the back of his neck, covering the tattoo protectively. I could sware he blushed.
"...what tattoo?" he said, almost innocently.
"It´s there! I saw it!"
"Oh fine. So I have a tattoo. Doesnt mean I´m telling YOU what it means."
"Oh come on!" I huffed "You cant just have a tattoo like that and keep it a secret! You´ll drive me loony!"
Jade came back out the door just then, and looked back and forth between Marvis and I. Marvis had his head hung, his feet scuffing the floor. He looked like a bashful child. I just looked exhasperated. A grin slowly stretched on her face and she shot it at Marvis.
"...So... she asked you about the tattoo?" She said, quite enjoying his embarrassment.
"It´s nothing."
"No, its no.."
"It´s NOTHING Jade!"
"Oh gosh, okay." She said, the smile never leaving he lips. Then she looked at me. "We can go in now."
"Great" I said, pushing past Marvis. Oddly enough, I had begun missing Jarol. He was sitting behind his desk. He stood when he saw us enter. There wasnt anyone else in the room. Odd, because I was sure I had heard another voice. My eyes met with Jarols. Had I acutally missed him that much? He gave me a smile, an almost secretive smile. My heart skipped a beat before I hastily commanded it to calm itslef. I´d just met the man for one, and now he seemed to be some sort of "big cheese" item. Not for the likes of you, Emily dear. I reminded myself. Plus, he probably had scores of other ravishing vampire females just waiting on him, lusting after his every move. Oh gosh.. Now I was being obsessive.
I broke eye contact ans I sat down in a deep sea-green arm chair. I kept my eyes focused on my hands and concentrated on thinking about absolutely nothing.
"Emily..." My head shot up. Jarol was looking at me with an xpectant face. "Come sit over here" he patted the desk in front of him. I looked at Jade with hesitancy in my eyes, but she just noded and motioned towards the table. I hoisted myself up on the table, and sat, legs dangling off the side and, one again, eyes dutifully examining my hands. Everyone was silent, as if we were waiting for something, or someone. I glanced up at Marvis, I was surprised he was able to keep quiet at all. He caught my eye for a moment, then looked at Jarol and then back at me with a knowing grin. He opened his mouth like he was about to say something. I threw him the meanest glare I could muster and his hand flew up to his mouth, desperately trying to stifle a massive guffaw.
I rolled my eyes hoping to show him that whatever he was insinuating was utter bollucks, but he just shook a finger at me and I knew that I wasnt going to hear the end of it. I craned my neck instead to look at Jarol He was sitting with his elbows on the table, his forehead resting on his hands. I looked questioning at Jade yet again "we´re waiting for s..." she mouthed to me. Someone? "Who?" I mouthed back. "Simon..." Jarol said from behindme. My head spun around. I thought I´d been stone silent, but Jarol was looking towards the door.
The other vampire from the night Jarol brought me here stood in the doorway.
"You returned."
"Yes, master." Master?
"The hunt, did it go well?"
"Yes master, but..."
Jarols eyebrows raised the tinyest bit as Simon continued.
"We have a problem." He reached back and pulled someone into the room. The figure stumbled forward and stay, huddled on teh floor for a moment. She was tiny, short and waif like with short scragly black hair. She was shaking - scared? But then she looked up, at each of us in turn, a desperate eagerness shining in her eyes. They finally landed on Jarol and I shuddered. Naked lust oozed from her eyes. Forget eager. Her pale lips parted, shattering the silence
"Real vampires - COOL!!"
All our eyebrows shot up at one.