Chapter 3
THREE
vampire
“Violet?” a voice calls from somewhere I can’t find. “Violet!” it repeats.
“Yes, ma’am?” I answer. Did my words work? “Here!” I try again. Nothing happens. Why is Mother trying to wake me? Was that Mother? The voice sounds different from what I remember.
“Violet!” a lower voice calls.
“Daddy?” What’s going on? I try to force my eyes open without luck.
“She’s not here,” the lower voice answers. “I told you already, there’s nothing here.”
“This is the direction her friends said they walked,” the higher-pitched voice answers.
“Why are we wasting time looking?” the lower voice continues. “She and that boy are young. We both know what happened. She went back to his house, and one thing led to another. She’ll show back up after the embarrassment wears off. They always do.”
“Officer Smith, that’s not appropriate. We don’t know anything other than a young woman is missing, and her family and friends are worried about her.”
“Yeah, well, she’s not here. I’ve searched here. Other people have searched here. If she were in the forest, someone would’ve found her by now.”
Missing? Are they talking about me? “I’m here.”
“You’re sure you searched the entire area?” not Officer Smith asks.
“Positive. There’s nothing here.”
“Maybe he took her somewhere else.”
“That’s what I’ve been saying,” Smith answers. “She’s probably hiding out at his house. I say let the kids do what kids do.”
“Smith, stop. You know they’re not together.
We both saw how distraught Mr. Chamberlin was when asked about her.
He was as worried about her being missing as her family.
I’m a great judge of character, and I have no doubt that man was telling the truth.
Let’s go back to the café,” the higher voice answers with a sigh.
The café? What happened? My mind flashes back to Harrison, meeting him at Café du Monde and walking by the river. Did he hurt me? I put all my energy into opening my eyes…nothing happens. I focus on my body, trying to feel something—anything. I’m met with hollowness. My body simply feels empty.
The singsong whistle of a paddleboat grabs my attention. Why am I near the river? At that moment, memories flood my mind. Memories of my first kiss. Memories of Harrison’s transformation and, worst of all, memories of the pain. The unbearable pain. Oh, my God. Harrison is a vampire.
Warm tears slide down my cheeks as the reality of what happened, of what I allowed to happen, floods me. “Help!” I call, realizing my mouth never opened. “Please, someone help me!”
I don’t know how much time passes before another whistle jars me to reality. Harrison Chamberlin left me for dead. Am I dead? Is this what being dead feels like? The clarity I had moments earlier disappears, and I lose any sense of where or who I am or the path that led me here.
A bird chirps not far away. Soon, it’s joined by a second, and the two of them carry on a conversation that pierces the deafening silence.
Realization and memories flood my mind once again. I’m by the river. A vampire named Harrison Chamberlin killed me. Why was I so stupid? Carol was right. My mother taught me never to be alone with a strange man. I knew better. I know better. Now, I’m dead. Am I dead? Hell, I don’t know what I am.
The bird conversation fades, replaced by the sounds of faraway laughter.
“Hello?” I call. Again, nothing happens.
Instead of the hollow feeling I felt earlier, my body feels…
heavy. Arms and legs each feel like they weigh a million pounds, impossible to move and trapped in awkward positions.
One of my legs, I’m not sure which one, is twisted behind me at an odd angle, while an arm is behind my back, locked beneath me.
Something cold touches my bare skin. It slithers down my leg, leaving wetness behind. I have no idea what, but lying in the woods of Louisiana, I can only imagine. My ears roar as I lose connection to my body once more.
I don’t know how much time passes before the sound of leaves crunching echoes through my ears, sending hope. Please let it be a person. “I’m here!” I try calling again.
The crunching crescendos until stopping next to my ear.
“You’re still here? Fancy meeting you again,” a familiar voice says. It’s the voice of my killer. The man who took my life.
“Fuck you,” I scream through my mind, using a word I’ve only muttered once before. Mother would be humiliated by my language.
“Violet, young ladies don’t use curse words. If you can’t say it with acceptable English, then don’t say it.” Her familiar words play through my mind.
“Your heart is still beating,” Harrison says, interrupting my thought.
“You surprise me, little one. You’re stronger than I expected.
” Something kicks my untwisted leg. “I nearly took every drop of blood from your body. Might I say, you tasted amazing. Certainly not the best blood I’ve had but definitely in the top one hundred.
” His voice sounds amused. Soft fingers slide across my cheek.
“Don’t touch me!”
“I can take the pain away, Violet. Would you like that?” He’s inches from my ear, whispering like his words are a secret.
“One bite, one last drink from that divine blood of yours, and it all goes away.” He laughs softly.
“You should see yourself. You look rather…broken.” He sighs.
“Oh, Violet. You’ve suffered enough. Taking your life is the least I can do, really.
After all, you did share yourself with me. ”
“Kill me,” I silently plead.
“Or,” he says, sounding more serious than before, “you could join me…forever.”
“No.”
“Think of it, Violet. An eternity at my side. An eternity of wealth, health, and taking whatever and whoever you want. Together, we could be unstoppable.”
“No!” I scream. “No!”
“Yes. I think that’s the answer to both of our situations.
I’ve been rather lonely since Penelope left.
Someone to take her place is exactly what I need at the moment.
” A long section of my hair is pulled from behind my head and caressed.
“Your hair is quite…boring. Nothing a bottle of dye can’t fix.
I hope you’re as partial to redheads as I am. ”
“No!” I scream once more. “Kill me! I’d rather be left here at the river than spend one day at your side…let alone centuries.”
He sniffs my neck just before forcing my mouth open. I have no control over what’s being done to me. A soft tearing sound, followed by something metallic touching my tongue. The thick substance slowly runs down the back of my throat and inside my body.
“That’s it. Drink my blood. We’ll be together forever.”
“No!” I continue my mantra. “Let me die!”
More blood enters my mouth. “Keep drinking, Violet.” I don’t have the strength to fight. I don’t have the strength to do anything.
“Now, I need what’s left in you.” Sharp teeth enter my wrist, and the pain, the fear…everything goes away.
……
“Violet?” a familiar voice calls. I don’t know why it’s familiar or who it belongs to. It feels far away, yet nearby, like I’m standing in the middle of a cave, listening to ghosts call from another realm while their voices echo through the stone.
My body is on fire. Every cell, every pore, every inch of my body is alive with something other than living.
The blood rushing through my veins reminds me of electrical storms I’ve watched over the river.
Spidery patterns of bright light fill the sky with images of beauty.
Whatever is happening to me is anything but beautiful.
Inside, I feel the scurry of thousands of ants, making their way through me.
I need to scratch. I need to cry…I need to scream.
Instead, I’m lifeless. Still. Unable to move.
A memory of Ramona asking me to be her maid of honor plays through my mind. We’re on the playground, and it’s recess. Ramona and I are hiding behind the large oak tree that provides shade for the sandy space. It’s our favorite place to get away from everyone.
“When I grow up, I’m going to marry a prince,” I say, kicking the sand with a dirty boot.
“Violet, that’s silly. There aren’t any princes in New Orleans.”
“You don’t know that. I’m going to wear the grandest dress of all time. It’ll be so wide it will barely fit down the aisle.” I smile at the mental image. “You and my baby sister will be waiting for me at the front, along with my prince. He’s going to wear green.”
“Violet Du Four, you have the biggest imagination,” Ramona answers, matching my smile.
“You just wait, Ramona. We’ll honeymoon in Paris, because that’s where some of his family lives. I’ll be wearing a dress I designed, and someone will see me, someone important. They’ll want me to work for them, and I’ll become a famous designer.”
“I have no doubt you’ll be famous, Violet. You are special.” Ramona pats my arm as she speaks. “When I get married, I want something small. I’ll wear my mother’s wedding dress and carry a small bouquet of spring flowers.”
“You have to let me design your dress!” I exclaim.
Ramona smiles. “You’re going to be busy being my maid of honor.”
My memory pulls away from the oak tree, moving to the house I’ve lived in my entire life. The house my mother painted pink when I was an infant. I’m sitting on the front step, and she’s sitting next to me.
“Violet, I’m so proud of the woman you’ve become. You have a job, earning your own money.”
I scoff. “Not much money.”
“But it’s your own. You work for it and earn it alone. Don’t spend your life being dependent on a man. Live your life and your dreams.”
“The telephone company isn’t my dream.” I laugh.
“I know what your dream is. Do it, Violet. Go to New York.” She pulls something from her pocket. “I bought this for you.”
I take the paper, realizing it’s a one-way train ticket to New York. “Mama? How?”
“Your daddy doesn’t have to know everything.” Worn hands lay on top of mine. “It’s open-ended. When you’re ready, the ticket is paid for.”
“I don’t know what to say.” I wipe a tear from my face.
“I believe in you, baby…”
“Violet, dear,” a man’s voice interrupts. “Oh, look. You have tears. Why are you crying?” He sighs deeply. “Since you refuse to answer, I’ll leave you to them.”
Memories leave, and the pain returns. Memories of Harrison, of our walk by the river, of him draining my body. “We’ll be together forever.” His words play through my mind. Is that what’s happening to me? The world returns to black, and the thoughts disappear.
The fire that’s been burning in my veins stops instantly. The pain, the burning…everything stops. “Violet,” the familiar voice calls my name. “Are you in there?” His voice is faint, but I’d recognize it anywhere. A voice that will haunt me forever.
“I’ll be back soon with something to eat.” The sound of a heavy door slamming makes me jump. My eyes refuse to open, but my ears are working overtime. Heavy footsteps leave my room, working their way down a long hallway. His footsteps sound like explosions, each louder than the last.
The sound of a clock pierces my brain as it ticks the seconds with what sounds like anger and annoyance. Somewhere, water drips from a faucet, hitting the porcelain sink louder than any drum I’ve ever heard.
What’s going on? The sounds are so loud, they hurt. My stomach rumbles with hunger. Not an ordinary hunger. A kind of hunger I’ve never experienced before. A kind of hunger that can’t be met. My eyes shoot open, and I sit up in one move. I don’t recognize where I am, but something smells amazing.
I’m on my feet, standing next to the four-poster bed, a heartbeat later. Grabbing the post of the bed, I steady myself to keep from falling. My feet are sturdy, but my stride isn’t.
I turn, facing a mirror leaning against the mahogany wall. The woman staring back at me looks nothing like me. Her face looks like porcelain, and her dark hair is replaced by bright red hair. Is that me? I step toward the mirror, standing in front of it immediately. Why am I moving so fast?
Concentrating on moving slower, I touch my face. The woman in the mirror does the same. Oh, my God. That is me. The modern dress I wore to the café has been replaced with something straight from a museum. Several layers of ruffles and print remind me of pictures I’ve seen in history books.
“You’re awake,” Harrison says, opening the door wide. “What do you think?”
“What did you do to me?” I ignore his question. My voice sounds different. A mixture of deep and raspy, making me sound more like my mother than myself.
“I made you something that men will fear and women will envy. You are a creature humans believe exists purely in mythology. You have the strength to kill anyone who tries to harm you, along with the speed to escape if you should need. You are power. You are brilliance. You are everything you’ve ever wanted to be. ”
“I never wanted this,” I answer, holding back the emotion from my tone.
“That will change,” he answers.
“No, it won’t.”
Harrison scoffs. “I brought something that will change your mind.” He moves through the door, returning seconds later with the source of the smell.
A woman, no older than me, is pulled through the door.
Her hands are bound, and a gag covers her mouth.
She looks terrified and not, all at the same time.
I close my eyes as her scent fills my body.
“Eat, my dear. You are hungry.”
“I…I don’t want to eat. I’m not a monster like you,” I spew.
He takes the gag off the woman’s mouth. “It’s okay. You can drink from me.” She smiles warmly. “I like serving you.”
Harrison unties her hands, and she extends an arm toward me. The scars that cover her skin are sickening. Remnants of times she’s been used for food. “Dorothy is a donneuse. This is what she wants,” he says, encouraging me to drink.
I move closer. “Does it hurt?”
“Sometimes,” she answers softly. “Not if you lick first.” I wrinkle my forehead, unsure what she means. She giggles. “But I like it to hurt.” I try not to think of the implications of her words. This woman willingly feeds vampires and enjoys the pain.
“Eat, Violet,” Harrison encourages.
The sound of blood rushing through her veins and the smell of her life force are more than I can handle. Without another thought, I grab Dorothy’s arm and sink my teeth through her skin. The warmth that fills my mouth is more exhilarating than anything I’ve felt before.
“That’s it, Violet. Take all you need.”
I continue drinking, filling my body with what sustains hers. “That’s enough,” she whispers, trying to pull her arm away. I ignore her words, continuing to ease the hunger.
Dorothy falls to the floor, pulling me down with her. The beating of her heart begins to slow the longer I drink until the thumps stop completely. I pull away, wiping blood from my mouth.
“Dorothy?” I shake her arm with her name. “Dorothy?” I shake harder, hoping to wake her.
“She’s not going to answer, Violet. I’m afraid you’ve killed her.”