Soulstice: Luna's Dream. Lance Jr. Dow
year she came upon this Amish family that was setting up a new colony, commune, community or whatever they call it. There was, count them… eight kids, all over the age of thirteen and their two parents. They are out in the boonies clearing land with oxen and plows and building barns and fences around acres of land. They even built a school where the kids are schooled by their school teacher Mom. Anyway, they’re all exhausted at night and sleep like logs. All Lily has to do is show up any time after 9:00 p.m. and leave before they get up at 5:00 a.m. and zippity do dah, in forty-five minutes or less she is done, stomach maxed with blood, and on her way.
Did Lily tell her BFF, Luna about her super situation so she could tag along and share in the good fortune? Nope. So I fell into an equilibrium lull for a month.
“That was last year, Christian. Puberty totally kicked in this year and slid right into adulthood so I’m very fast now,” I say looking right at her. (yeah-- even puberty goes fast for us too)
Surely this defense will work to get Christian and Skyla to leave. Nobody likes to hear the word puberty. It’s one yucky word. Say puberty around a boy and they start twitching and walking funny. It has the same effect as when human girls hear another term for the very first time. We had to sit through the same “hygiene” class as our human-girl counterparts in fifth grade. Yeah, those girls were twitching in their seats all right. We laughed because female vampires don’t need to worry about that particular thing. We’re lucky in that regard. Our internal workings are different. That’s enough on that subject fo’ sho’.
And it was true as far as my body and vampire puberty. Boobs have kicked in and wow… so did the afterburners and the strength. I’m at a whole new level. Same things have happened with Lily. Except her boobs are boobettes. Lily’s hoping there’s more to come. But we’re fully developed by fifteen. What we’ve got by then, is what we’ll have for life. Sorry Lily.
It doesn’t make much difference really as those things (boobs) are left over from our long-ago human past. Vampires don’t suckle. Your neck is our boob. I’m just telling you how it is. Oddly, those things (boobs) still have the same effect on the males of our species though. Those wires, for some reason, did not get re-wired by evolution.
“Puberty, what’s that?” Skyla asks.
“You could miss the Winter Solstice Masquerade Ball if it happens again Luna,” Christian says as she quickly moves past Skyla’s question.
Be still my heart! A school dance. How could I miss that?!
I can’t stand school activities of any kind and I’ll only do the ones I’m obligated to do (a.k.a. forced to do) for grades. A school dance-- I’d rather suck on a rat’s neck.
“Oh, that’s like totally on my “To Do List,” I respond to Christian, as if it even needed a response.
“Lots of boys are going to be there. You’re of age now. Time to get out there and test the waters,” Christian says sweet as fresh blood.
“What’s puberty?!” Skyla insists.
“Nothing,” Christian and I say to her at the same time.
Now Mom and Dad come in.
Is there no end to the torture?!
“What’s the problem?” Dad asks.
“I think puberty, whatever that is?” Skyla blurts innocently.
“What?” Mom and Dad say at the same time exactly as Christian and I did as they look at Skyla.
This is getting funny.
“Luna’s in one of her moods,” Christian says.
Good ‘ol Christian. She easily slides from wicked witch to the blood fairy, back to wicked witch again.
“What’s puberty, people?” Skyla asks with purpose and a little exasperation this time.
"Luna, you know we prefer to go out as a family-- especially at this time of year," Mom says quickly not wanting to get into Skyla's vampire reproduction query right now, and I for one am glad. "You know with all the technology out there now we have to be more careful. It's better as a team-- a family team."
Mom is always worried nowadays. She hides it well behind her easy-going exterior, but she worries all the time.
The world is changing rapidly with the use of camera-cell-phones, and basically cameras just about everywhere with auto-movement triggers, low-light night-vision capabilities, actual night-vision goggles you can buy on the internet or any Army surplus store for cheap. Then you’ve got infrared cameras that pick up heat.
Vampires generate a massive heat signature. Our government is working on clothing that deals with this but there are still lots of problems to work out. The heat has to go somewhere or we’ll cook, and a refrigerator (cooling system) on our backs is not exactly conducive to stalking or attacking. The “next-gen” solution is some kind of spray that we’d simply spray on that has some kind of particles that confuse the infrared into not picking up a heat signature. That seems to be years off though.
We all fear we’re not far off from entering a difficult time for vampires. This is why some vampires want to deal with it by taking over the human world. A “final solution.” By that, they mean conquering and subjugating humans and using them as farm animals. They are gaining voice in vampire society. That’s a world I never want to think about, let alone live in. We should be able to work it out with the humans-- but no one really knows what would happen. Most fear it would lead to an all-out war. The government believes living the way we are as we have for centuries is the only viable solution.
It pains part of me the situation Mom finds herself in. In a way though, it is her problem to deal with; she wanted us. She chose to be a mom, three times over, after the world had already changed. The mother instinct in her gave in to the fear of the future and she and Dad had us. Now the fear is real and its there, facing her, every day.
I’m sure part of having three of us (girls) was Dad wanting to have, a son. Although, I’m not exactly sure why - it’s not like dad vampires and their sons fish, hunt animals, and play ball together. From what I understand, there isn’t much in the way of a father-son, vampire relationship. I think it was just the ‘ol carrying on the name and bloodlines thing that is in the DNA of the male species.
Now vampire girls, they get lots of attention from parents. It’s one of those weird unexplainable things.
Okay, so back to the situation at hand.
Oh, so you understand how I’m able to spend what seems like an awful lot of time telling you things… our minds work much faster than yours so what takes you a few minutes to read, my brain blasted out in about ten seconds.
“It’s my life!” I blurt out. That felt good. I love asserting my independence.
“Great. The “It’s My Life” stuff all over again,” Dad responds.
Dad zeroes his gaze at Christian. “You taught her this Christian. She watched and listened to you.”
Whoa, that was a twist I wasn’t expecting. Haha! LOVES IT!
“Well sorry for growing up. You wanted us. This comes with the territory,” Christian responds to Dad.
Most excellent. Christian is doing a really good job bailing me out here. I am almost there as far as getting them to leave me alone. Every second they waste in conversation is a second they are not hunting.
“Keep it going guys,” I tell myself. I think a smile is escaping my face. Keep it under wraps Luna-- you’re almost home-free girl.
Dad looks to Mom. “I hate this thirteen-to-sixteen year old period,” Dad tells her with his frustration growing.
Mom has heard it all before having gone through this with Christian and she’s not affected by it. Moms learn to take things in stride. Dads never learn. That’s what Mom says anyway.
Not getting satisfaction