The Vampire Pirate's Daughter (18 page)

I shiver, and realize that I feel cold, so
very cold. When last have I felt a chill in my bones?

Opening my eyes, I look into the worried eyes
of Amanda.

“What is going on?” I ask softly. My neck is
painfully sore, I move my hand up and tentatively I touch the
origin of the pain.

Amanda is frantic and she whispers, “Oh,
Susie. When I said you would die when a vampire bites you, I did
not mean drop dead immediately. Because your father was a vampire
and your mother human and you survived the fever, if another
vampire bit you, you would turn human again. Thus your immortality
is taken away from you, and you will indeed die eventually when the
course of your life has run out.”

I look up at her confused. “Human?”

A dry sob escapes her. “Yes,
human.”

“Why has nobody ever told me this before?” I
struggle to say.

“I was going to, but I have never felt the
need before. When we got here, I thought there could be a
possibility with the others, but although they seemed savage they
turned out to be quite civilized.”

I suddenly remember something and I ask, “So
why did William not turn human for my mother?”

“I don’t know Susie. Maybe he wanted it to be
forever and he did not want to lose her eventually anyway through
natural death. I really don’t know.”

I have so many questions, but I cannot fight
the darkness as it drifts closer.

*

I sleep fitfully for weeks. By the time I
walk out of my bedroom weakly, the wine has been barreled and the
frost lies thick on the ground outside.

I walk toward the kitchen. I have never
before realized how draughty and cold this big house is, as I fold
my arms around my body and I shiver.

Claude is in the kitchen and he stands up
concerned when he sees me. He looks at me apprehensively, not
knowing how to deal with me now that I am a human.

I ask him softly, “Would you mind lighting a
fire in the wood stove for me?” We never replaced the old stove,
because we did not need cooking facilities.

He says, “Sure.”

He rushes out of the kitchen in search of
wood and I sit down on a chair. I am hungry. I want a big bowl of
warm oats, the way I used to eat it when I was only six years old,
sitting here at this very same table. I want to pour large spoons
full of sugar and then watch it melt into the warm oats, before I
pour the warm milk over it. I hear my stomach growl. The sound is
loud and it gives me a fright. I laugh cynically, because I cannot
remember when last I heard that sound.

Claude comes back into the kitchen and
silently he puts the wood into the little door in front of the
large black stove.

I stare at him and I can see he feels
uncomfortable being here with me all alone. I ask kindly, “Where is
Amanda?”

“They are pruning the vines.”

“Already?”

“You were sleeping a long, long time.”

Softly I say, “I thought I died.”

He does not reply.

After a while, I say, “I am still the same
person, you know?”

He looks up apologetically. “I know. It just
feels… It is …”

“
Don’t bother. I know it can’t be
easy.”

When he has the fire going, he walks toward
the cupboards on the opposite side of the kitchen. I stand up and
pull the chair I am sitting on closer to the stove and then I sit
closely beside it, so that I can feel the warmth.

I hear him say uncertainly, “Amanda bought
you some food…Human food. There are a lot of different things here
and then there are these tubs of chocolate things in the
fridge.”

I stand up from the chair and I open the
fridge. I smile pleased when I see the little tubs of decadent
chocolate mousse. I lean into the fridge and break one of the tubs
away from the six-pack.

Eagerly I pull the silver lining from the top
and I dip my finger into the pot. I stick the big lump of chocolate
on my finger into my mouth. My eyes close involuntarily. It is
total bliss. The bubbles and the decadent chocolate melt onto my
tongue.

I open my eyes when I hear a drawer open and
then Claude leans across to me with a spoon.

They come into the kitchen noisily and then
they stop talking as one. The silence is immediate. I see the
relief on Claude’s face. Amanda rushes toward me and then I see her
hesitate for a moment, before she hugs me.

Edward, Herman, Claude, Justin and Peter
remain standing on the other side of the room, while Amanda sits
down by the table. Amanda starts talking first and not long after
they all join in. Soon we are laughing and talking, but when Amanda
leaves the room, the silence once again descends upon the room.

I sit staring down at my hands awkwardly and
decide that this is my home, so if they cannot stand the thought of
living with a mere mortal, they can move.

Resolved in my decision, I stand up and I am
about to say that they are all welcome to leave, when Amanda comes
back into the room and I feel the room heave a sigh of relief.

This carries on for a few weeks and when I
cannot stand it anymore, I stand up one night and I wait for them
to stop talking amongst themselves.

They all turn toward me anxiously. Amanda
smiles up at me encouragingly.

I take a deep breath. Weird to do this,
but it really does happens naturally. At first, I used to take
measured breaths every second and then I forgot all about
breathing.

They all look at me in anticipation and I
start to feel nervous, but I am standing now and I will feel even
more awkward if I sat back down. I clear my throat and then I say,
“I am still the same person. I know you all feel funny having me
around, but don’t worry, I am not scared of you. I am not scared
that you would want to feed on me.” I laugh dryly. “It would be
interesting to see what would happen to me next if one of you
did!”

Edward starts laughing nervously and then
they all join in. Amanda looks at me warily.

I say warningly, “That was not an invitation
though and I am not dinner. If your urges get too much, you
leave.”

Claude walks toward me. He is the one who
saved me that dreadful night from being drained completely and
hesitantly he hugs me closely to him. It feels nice to be held and
he is so bear-like I almost disappear into him. He turns away from
me toward the rest of them, but keeping his arm over my shoulders.
He glances down at me, smiling his lopsided grin, and he says, “We
will never feed on you. You are like our baby sister.”

Individually they each come toward me, they
hug me close and suddenly I do feel like the little sister. I feel
safe and know instinctively that they will protect me.

I start cooking for myself, because you
can only have so many chocolate mousse tubs, before the decadent
chocolate starts to taste tart and too sweet. Cooking is difficult.
Justin teaches me a few things, because he tells me proudly that he
used to be chef once, a long time ago. During my cooking lessons, I
learn more about him and his relationship with Peter, than I do
about cooking.

One day, while Justin shows me how to make
Crème Brulè, he tells me, “Peter and I met one night very long ago.
I was already turned, but Peter was still human. I always felt
different, and in my nineteen human years I never felt any
attraction to girls. Even Veronica, the woman who turned me, never
had any appeal for me.” He smiles delightfully. “Then in a pub one
night, looking for a man to love for a little while, and then kill
him afterwards, I saw Peter across the room.”

I laugh without being able to help myself.
“You are saying that you used to be like the black widow spider,
luring your unsuspecting victims with promises of love and
devotion.”

He laughs with me. “Precisely and then when I
was satisfied, I literally ate them.”

I gasp and Amanda walks into kitchen,
reprimanding Justin sternly, “Justin, don’t talk like that in front
of Susie, she is only sixteen.”

Apologetically Justin says, “Sorry,” but he
winks at me when Amanda turns her back.

A few days later, I am roasting a chicken,
and I keep a close eye on it, because I do not want to burn it –
again.

I have gotten used to the faces around me,
watching me while I sat eating, while they sat chewing on their raw
meat popsicles. The looks I got were either yearning or
revulsion
- it all
depended on the day.

I hear Peter call me from the hall, “Susie,
there is someone at the door for you.”

I look toward Justin, who is teaching me how
to steam pumpkin. “Me?”

Justin smiles, “And he smells delicious.”

“A human?”

He nods his head. “And a him.”

I mumble, “Him,” while I walk out of the
kitchen. I say across my shoulder, “Justin. You better watch that
chicken!”

I hear his delightful laugh follow me, while
I walk down the hall toward the large double front door and I take
a step backwards when I recognize the person standing in the
hall.

He is twirling his hands nervously in front
of him and he is swaying on the balls of his feet. I cannot help
smiling when he lifts his eyes and I look into those broodingly
dark eyes.

I see him sigh with relief and then I rush
toward him. I fall into his arms. His arms feel stronger and his
chest feels bigger. He is older now and I try to work it out but I
cannot remember when I last saw him. It feels like decades ago, but
I know it was only a few years, possibly two, maybe three.

He moves away from me gently and then he
holds onto my shoulders, while he looks down at me. “Hey,” he says
softly.

I smile. “Andrew, I have not seen you in so
long. What are you doing here?”

“I am here for you.”

I turn away from him and holding onto his
hand, I lead him back to the kitchen, while I explain, “I have a
chicken roasting, and I don’t want it to burn. I cannot trust
Justin, because he is probably doing his nails by now. I have to
stay with him, or my dinner will be ruined.”

Andrew says, “Wait. Chicken? Dinner?”

I laugh dismissively. “Do you like
chicken?”

He answers apprehensively, “I do. Are you
talking of real chicken.”

“Yes, the cluck, cluck kind. What other kinds
of chicken are there? I would like to know, maybe there is chicken
that is easier to cook.”

He stops me. “Wait, Susie. You look
different. You are talking of chicken. What is going on?”

Edward says from behind us, “She is human
now, but you must still be careful of us.”

Andrew looks flabbergasted. “Human?”

I look at Edward reproachfully. “Don’t
mind Edward. They won’t do anything to you.”

Andrew shakes his head. “Susie? Is it true
that you are human now?”

I shrug. “Yes. It’s no big deal.” Andrew
still wants to say something, but I interrupt him, “My chicken,
Andrew. I am serious. Follow me.”

I walk into the kitchen and the yummy smell
of roasting chicken fills my nostrils. I walk toward the stove, but
Justin stops me from opening the oven door again. “The chicken is
fine, Susie. Leave it to roast now.”

I tell Andrew to sit, while Justin and I
continue making the pumpkin.

Edward starts to talk to Andrew and I listen
amused to their conversation. Edward always thinks he is funny. In
another life, he could have been a comedian, he always foretells,
but nobody else thinks so.

Later I dish up for Andrew and I, and the
chicken is delicious. I eat it skin and all and the fat runs down
my chin. I wipe it away with the back of my hand, when Herman
apologizes to Andrew, “Excuse her, she is new at eating and we
still need to teach her a few manners.”

Andrew laughs through a mouthful of food and
I glance up at him. He is so endearing. I forgot the warm mushy
feelings he used to give me.

The only awful thing about eating is that
now I have to wash dishes. My family of vampires usually leaves the
room after I am finished eating, because I refuse to let them help
me. Later when the kitchen is clean and tidy, I will join them in
the lounge. On the nights when they go out to hunt, I lock myself
in my room or I hide in Callum’s cellar. I am scared after my
experience with violence.

Tonight Andrew stays with me and because he
also ate, I let him help me.

He asks me how it happened that I became
human again, and I only tell him the bare minimum. He wants to know
how I manage to live with vampires, and I explain that it is no
different from when I was a vampire myself.

Later we join my little dysfunctional
family.

The next day, Peter delegate jobs to Andrew
and tells him that he needs to earn his keep.

Andrew fits in well.

*

Andrew has been here a while and we have
not really been alone. Subconsciously I avoid having a personal
conversation with him, but one night, while we are washing the
dishes he takes the plate I am washing from my hands. He gently
turns me toward him and I look up at him anxiously.

Softly he asks, “When will we get a chance
to talk?”

I shrug and start to turn back toward the
basin, but he puts his hand on my shoulder and stops me. “I have
come all this way to see you and it was not easy. I love you Susie.
Always have.”

I look down. I did love him once, before I
met Callum. Am I only foolish though, still waiting for Callum?
Callum has been gone almost three years now, and when he gets back
the first thing he will notice is my humanness. The night Amanda
gave Andrew, Callum’s room it felt as if she ripped my heart out of
my chest.

Humans have so many, many emotions.
Although vampires have them as well, they are more powerful and
painful as a human. They rip holes in your heart and shoot straight
through the pit of your stomach.