kindergarten

The following story, and all characters, situations, and places contained herein are fictional and the property of Wicked Kisses and her heirs. Any resemblance to people or places, living or dead, is strictly coincidental.
Tuesday, September 29, 1998
Kindergarten

by Wicked Kisses

"My mommy likes you, Teacher." One tiny blonde was heard to state, "I could tell, she thinks you're beautiful. Maybe she'll want to draw you."

"Thank you Cindy. I'm very flattered." I replied.

"I'd be careful if I were you." Cindy warned, loftily.

"Oh, why is that?" I asked, feeling the laughter well up inside, and holding it in.

"Because..." she went on, distractedly "My mommy only draws vampires. She would have to make you one before she would draw you." the smile came, then, and I promised her I would be very careful around her mommy.

I learned later that day, that Cindy was the only child of the famous horror writer, Charlee Braddock. No wonder. The woman wrote stories about vampires. From what I had read they were full of both blood and sex. All kinds of sex.

I met Charlee later that month at the Back to School Night. Gorgeous! I was instantly jealous of the stares she received, from both male and female alike. Even the gay father of one student gaped at her perfect bosom. And her teeth! Small and white with a faint pink tinge and a sharpness to them as though they'd been filed. Her voice was low and she spoke with some old european accent.

I watched her carefully for any clues as to the source of her perfection. No human could possibly look that good without help! No signs of surgery or dieting. She didn't even look old enough to have penned all the books that bore her name. Long, wild black hair and hypnotic eyes were her crowning glory, and he white skin glowed with health.

I realized then that she was looking back at me, smiling as though we shared some naughty secret. I found myself blushing and dropped my eyes until I could only see the tips of her shoes.

I heard a low chuckle, and amusement filtered into my mind as though from some outside source, and my heart began to pound.

I don't know how I managed to get through that evening, each time I looked in her direction, she was smiling and I could hear that amused chuckle in my head. Finally, after seeming years, I reached the end of the little speech, and asked for questions. they were the usual queries about grading and placement. Then, the moment I'd been dreading came, Charlee's hand went up.

"Tell me, Teacher. What do you think is the most important lesson for a child of this age to learn?" she smiled, and I knew that there was more to this question than the words. There was a sense of being tested and found above expectations when I answered,

"The most important thing a child learns here is cooperation. Getting along with others is a valuable lesson in any culture."

"Thank you" she smiled, "May I speak with you in private later on?"

"Certainly" I replied, and tried not to show how nervous she made me feel. I knew that she was single. Every other aspect of her private life was carefully shielded from public view, even that she had a child.

Charlee made it a point to stay after the other parents had gone, and I found myself growing more agitated by the minute. What could she possibly want to speak to me about?

A sense of dread filled me as the last parent left, Charlee was waiting, quietly by the cubbies. I swallowed and moved toward her. I knew that there was no reason to fear her, she was only another human seeking an education for her child. It wasn't as though she were likely to...
Bite me?

Cindy's warning kept replaying through my head as I walked across the room to shake hands with Miss Braddock.
"I'm so glad to finally meet you, in private. Now we can talk of other things, besides how the babies are growing. Nes c'est pas? Come, do not be so nervous, I won't bite, just yet, my dear. I only wish to become your friend. You are new in our little city and do not know about me, or my reputation."

"I am a little nervous. I can't help thinking about all those books you wrote. so many! When I was living in the big city, I would often read them to fill a lonely night."

"Thank you." she spoke with a precision that made me think of ancient rulers from Europe. "I am pleased that my work has filled a need in at least one life."

"One can't help but hear rumors about famous people."

"No, not famous. Merely well liked?"

"Well, yes. What did you wish to speak about?"

"You. You are very lonely, yes?" she tilted her head to one side, evaluating my response. "And you are very lovely. I would like to become your friend, perhaps more. Come to dinner, at my house, on the fifth? I am having a little party for my latest...... friend. You might even like her. she's very pretty and has a mind not unlike my own, but she is much more... um... young?"

"Naive?" I asked, thinking that this would be a good way to understand some of Cindy's more peculiar behaviors.

"It is to be formal, no children. Cindy will be staying at Krystal's house, with my other guest's children. Mrs. C has volunteered to watch them, and I get the feeling that she enjoys such." she smiled, quite sweetly.

"Yes, she runs the local day care."

"Yes." our conversation seemed to run down at this point and I could sense that she wished to say more, but didn't dare just yet.

"I will try to come. I have no children, and it sounds like a good way to be introduced to this town's society."

She laughed. Almost as though I had made some horrible gaffe. I felt the blood leave my face, and I quickly made my good-byes to her. She calmed immediately and picked up her wrap and swept out. No normal exit, but one of quiet dignity and grace, like some ancient movie queen. she stopped and turned in the doorway.

"We begin at Dusk. Please do not bother to come before the sun has set." she smiled back over her shoulder. "I will be looking forward to seeing you."

I dreamed, that night, about her face, and flying through the night with a strange hunger burning within me. I woke at dawn, my head pounding and my skin covered with sweat. I tried to laugh at myself, but all that would come was a shaky moan.

I went to the party on the fifth with a great deal of foreboding, yet could find no good reason not to go. I wore my favorite teal silk dress and my hair loose about my shoulders. I knocked at the door as the sun sank into the hills and the sky turned shades of outraged nature from the pollution of the nearby factory where most of my students parents worked for minimum wages. The door opened on a cadaverous face and a dark hall.
""May I ask who is calling?" he asked.
"I'm Cindy's teacher. Miss Higgens. I was invited to a party tonight." I replied, my heart in my throat.
"This way, please. The mistress is expecting you." He turned and walked down the hall as I followed him into the darkness. I shivered with delicious fear, knowing that the effect of the dark was probably calculated. She was a horror writer, after all. I almost giggled when there was a crash of thunder from outside as the butler opened what looked like drawing room doors.

There, before me, was a tableau that would have made Stephen King giddy with delight. Darkly decorated, an old fashioned parlor with Tiffany lamps and overstuffed chairs. In the chairs were women and men, all with pale skin and perfect looks. they all reminded me of Charlee Braddock. she was not to be seen, though there seemed to be a place for her. I entered the room with strong misgivings, felling like a rabbit on a dinner table, but I took the seat offered me.

I had no sooner seated myself than she was announced. Miss Charlee Braddock swept through the doors and into the room, seeming to breath life into her guests. They immediately flocked about her, and began to chatter. I couldn't understand the language they spoke, but they all seemed to have something important to say. She smiled and kissed them each in turn. Even the women were greeted by a passionate kiss. I would even have said that it was a ritual of some sort, from the feeling in the room. At last, she came more fully into the room, and saw me.

"Miss Higgens!" she exclaimed, "I'm so glad you could come. I was just telling Hillary that you would be here, and she is so impressed with what you've managed to teach out little Cynthia, isn't she dear?" She asked in an aside to another guest, who nodded vigorously. "You must meet the other guests. Mark, this is Cynthia's teacher..."

"Linda." I supplied at her sudden lack. They were all so close to one another, I felt like an intruder at a family reunion.

"Linda, Je suis tres charmant." Mark murmured, his tone suggesting more than merely charm.
"and this is Ann, and here's John, and there's Megan and Hillary, of course, and Paul, and I mustn't forget David. Lida, welcome to our little group. We are commonly known, around here, as the most decadent group in town. We are Pariah's in the so-called decent society around here." She smiled.

"Linda." I murmured, trying to correct her, but lacking courage to do it more effectively.

"Linda?" Hillary was at my elbow, now. "Are you thirsty? Let me get you a drink?"

"Oh, please don't bother." I replied, but she had already left. I sighed. Mark smirked and Ann kicked him. I was reminded of my class of children by this, and smiled. People never really grow up, do they?

" Tell me, Linda." I heard in my ear, soft and low, "Are you married?" it was the one called John, and I got a funny feeling, as though he were very old, although he looked barely twenty.

"No, I'm not. Why, are you suggesting someone for the post?"

"No, my dear. Never. I am merely a curious fellow and I was hoping that New Hope had finally managed to lure some fresh blood into her sorry clutches."

"Fresh blood?" I reacted a bit strongly, but the term was rather insulting.

"Oh, please, don't take that wrong. I only meant that I was hoping that you wouldn't be one of the crowd of so-called people who only live to procreate. This town needs some culture besides bowling." He seemed to sneer, and laugh at once, and I felt a chill go down my spine.

"Here you are. I hope you don't mind wine. We don't drink hard liquor in this house." Hillary said, returning with a goblet filled with what looked like rose in hand. I accepted it as graciously as I could and heard a tinkle of laughter from across the room.

I looked up and saw a delicate creature standing in the doorway. Her hair was nearly white and her skin was like porcelain. The blue of her eyes was so pale as to be barely distinguished from the whites. The lashes framing them were very thick, yet only slightly darker than her hair. She looked at me and I had the sensation of being alone with her. My heart pounded furiously.

"Isn't she beautiful? Couldn't you just devour her?" I heard in my ear, this time from Charlee herself. "It was all I could do to keep my hands off her until she consented." I looked up into Charlee's dark eyes, and saw how proud she was of her new 'conquest'.

"I should think one would be more than pleased when she did?" I asked, thinking about her latest book, the plot of which revolved around the stalking and wooing of a young girl and her eventual transformation into one of the walking dead. I shivered and felt Charlee move away from me. I sipped my wine in an effort to cover up my discomfiture. 'What a bunch of weirdoes!' I thought to myself, and saw John frown at me from the fireplace. In a sudden move, he was at my side, his cold hand on my shoulder.

"You mustn't allow us to frighten you, my dear. I will, if necessary, offer my protection from any offer of harm to you." I blushed, and touched his hand,

"Thank you John. I appreciate the offer."

"Well, we are an odd bunch after all. We all write or have something to do with the arts. I will do whatever is needed to put you at your ease. Charlee, now she would love having you uneasy through the entire evening. what do you think of her new friend?"

"Very beautiful, in a pale sort of way." I looked up into his dark eyes, and saw the glint of some undefined desire in them. He smiled, warmly, and rose, taking a glass of wine from the table beside me.

"A Toast! To Jessica, that she live in beauty all her days!"

The toast was echoed and Jessica blushed, prettily. I drank to it, myself, and thought that Charlee was in her glory, her eyes sparkled whenever they lit on Jessica. I realized that she was in love with the girl and hoped that Jessica could deal with her. I knew that, even if I were gay, I would find Charlee's attentions too intense. I sighed, and John was back at my side, his presence oddly comforting. I smiled up at him and was rewarded with a smirk.

"Dinner is Served!" was announced by the butler, and I rose to be led, by John, after the other guests.

"Rather a small gathering for a formal dinner." I commented.

"Actually, this is a large one, here. Usually there are only one or two of us at one time. I once lived here, with her, when I was her lover. Now, she sees no one but Jessica. Can't say that I blame her, she is rather stunning." John replied.

The table was set with white linen and crystal plates, even the tableware was crystalline. I supposed it must have cost a fortune. John seated me, graciously, and then walked around to sit across from me. I regretted his absence and looked to the man beside me.

Mark. And Paul on the other side, both smiling at me. I looked to the head of the table and saw Charlee being seated by David, his posture one of great respect. the first course was served, and from that moment on, I was engaged in conversation, about the most innocuous things. Who was doing what to whom in the greater world outside of New Hope. The latest scandals were all these people were interested in, or so it seemed.

"So, Charlee told Her where to get off!" Mark exclaimed, with a flourish which knocked over his wine glass. I quickly rose to avoid the wetting and saw John stand also. Our eyes met over the table and I thought I caught his meaning. I would stay closer to him for the rest of the evening. He seemed to be telling me that the incident was no accident. Mark wanted a reason for me to remove the dress I'd worn and perhaps to walk about in someone's robe while my dress was dried. I excused myself and found the bathroom. Elegant and well planned, everything a body could want in a bathroom, but the oddest thing was the toilet itself. It looked as though it had never been used. Bright and clean, with a fine layer of dust on the seat. I shrugged. Perhaps there was no reason for this particular toilet to be used?

I dabbed at the stain on my skirt, silently cursing all red wines, and when I was done, I rested a moment in the chaise lounge provided. I thought about the peculiar mannerisms of Charlee and her guests, and the odd way they all looked at me, as though I were the only fly in a parlor full of spiders. I shuddered. An odd sense of danger seemed to surround me. I wanted very much to just sneak out and go home, but I knew that to do so would be horribly rude, and probably wouldn't take me out of any danger I might be in.

When I returned to the dining room, they were all picking at dessert but not really eating. The room was filled with a heavy silence and only Charlee seemed to be enjoying the quiet.

"Linda, there you are. Come, try this German Chocolate cake. I'm sure you'll love it.' She said as I entered the room.

"Thank you, no. I'm afraid I'm quite full, I couldn't eat another thing." I protested.

"Oh, please, at least one bite." Paul pressed and Mark rose and took my elbow, to steer me back to my seat. "Our chef would be insulted if you didn't at least taste."

"Oh, very well." I acquiesced, hoping to mollify them with only one bite. It was delicious and I found myself eating at least half the serving. Really full now, I leaned back in my chair to see John watching me nervously while Charlee looked pleased. There was a moment of silence, heavy and expectant, and then, the entire group rose to retire to the parlor where coffee waited.

"John served me himself, and hovered close while Megan engaged me in a discussion of the latest teaching techniques. she was an eloquent speaker, and made her points with precision. As she wound down I began to hear music. Hillary had picked up a guitar and was softly singing an old folk song about love gone wrong. I listened quietly, her voice was high and sweet, with clear, pure tones.

"thank you" she replied to the applause, her face flushed, then John took the instrument and played a song I'd never heard.

"Sometimes I see her

Flying in the moonlight

singing in the moonlight

Her hair flowing free.

sometimes I hold her

Flying in the moonlight

Dancing in the moonlight

Our hearts beating free"

He repeated this verse, several times, interspersed with instrumental rapture, faster with each repetition, until his fingers were flying across the strings and his face was a study in meditation, as though he were no longer in the room with us. Finally, he slowed and faded until the sound seemed far away and then vanished. I realized that I'd been holding my breath. I let it out in a long sigh and he smiled at me. I was about to rise and take my leave, but a wave of dizziness came over me, and the room swam before my eyes. Then, all was black and quiet.

I heard voices. Far away and distant, but nonetheless, clear and distinct.

"What did you do to her? Really Charlee, she's no peasant, to be casually used and then discarded, like Kleenex!"

"You. You would have us live like nuns. Like the clergy do. Celibate of all but the most meager sustenance. I told her that I wanted only to taste her. No more."

'And what of the others? They think she's to be as a ritual sacrifice. How will you control them? You have not the power to control them against their wills."

"I don't. You do. You made her a Promise, didn't you , Leach?"

"I did. I will not allow her to be harmed in any way. Not without her knowing consent. You should send her home now."

"No. She will stay and so will you. In that, at least, I can command you."

I sighed, then, in an effort to gain their attention. I felt movement near me, then an icy cold touch on my brow. I moaned, in both pleasure and pain. the cold came from a hand placed on my forehead, not from some cloth or bag. I opened my eyes, and looked at John, bent over me, his hand at my head.

"How are you, pereshli?" He asked, and I frowned.

"What happened to me?"

"Nothing serious. The cake contained an herbal agent which caused you to lose consciousness. You seem to have recovered enough to return home, now."

"No, I will not allow it. You must spend the night. I would hate to think you would be caught in this terrible weather. Please." Charlee stated quite adamantly, and I wondered what she meant by the comment about tasting me.

"I don't know that I should." I frowned, "I mean, who would want to drug me so?"

Charlee frowned down at me, and I could tell that she had been the one to have the agent placed in my food. I felt as though in a dense fog. Unable to decide.

"Come, I will protect you, tonight. Ho harm will come to you as long as I stay near you." John put in. I sighed and gave in.

"You promised. I will stay, but only until the weather clears, not a moment longer." I replied, adamantly.

"There is no danger once the sun has risen." He assured me. Charlee made a huffing noise and left the room.

"What's the matter with her?" I asked.

"Just grumpy I guess. She's been under a bit of a strain." He sighed, then smiled, "Get some sleep, I'll guard you."

"But, don't you need some rest?" I asked, for he did look strained, tired.

"Not the kind you do. I'll be all right, just sleep." His hands on my hands were cold, and I wondered. What did he mean? I couldn't keep my eyes open any longer, and I gave in to his suggestion.

I dreamed about the oddest things. A lover, of some sort, came to me, and I was carried away on waves of pleasure, a feeling of utter lassitude filling all my limbs. I was in a long dark hall and a wind blew my hair away from my face and neck. My lover buried his face against my throat, and I felt as though drained. I cried out in pleasure, I felt as though we were part of one another, never to be parted, as long as I did exactly as I was told.

"Disobey?" I thought, "I would sooner die, than disobey you, my love." and I heard his thoughts.

"Fly with me, lover and friend. Forever in the moonlight will we fly, together." he sighed into my ear, and again pressed his mouth to my throat as I floated below him. Then "Drink this" and my mouth was filled with an elixir that would enable us to remain together forever, young and free from the ties of time. I swallowed and swallowed, until he released me to fall back against the pillows.

I woke, the next morning, feeling as though I'd been ill, and only now woke from delirium. I looked about the sunny room and sighed. Only a dream then. No warm body beside me, no arm across my body, possessing me in loving embrace. I nearly wept for the loneliness that swept over me then. So very alone.

When I tried to rise, however, I found no strength to hold me up. No muscles in my legs, my knees like water. I cried out, then, as I fell to my knees and then my hands. I lay on the floor, not having the fortitude to raise myself and try again.

"Oh, my lady!" I heard the door thrown open, and someone was at my side, helping me back into the bed.

"What's wrong with me?" I managed, my voice a mere ghost of my normal tones.

"You've been ill, my lady." Hillary answered. "Very ill, and the only thing you've done is sleep. Are you hungry?"

"No, just thirsty."

"I'll be right back with something for you."

She swept out, and I closed my eyes. She was soon back, her movements suggesting furtiveness.

"Here, this will set you right." and she handed me a silver goblet, filled with a clear bluish liquid. I sniffed at it, and I was overcome with a desire to drink it down. I did so, and the lethargy overcame me, once again. I slept.

When next I woke, John was at my side, his face drawn down in lines of concern. The room was dim and he didn't seem to notice that I was awake.

"John?" I whispered.

"Seskore! I was worried, how are you feeling?"

"Very strange." I watched his face, "What is wrong with me? I feel so very tired, and my body aches."

"Oh, Goddess! I was afraid of this. I could, very easily, lie to you. I could say you have the flu, but we both know you do not."

"Then, what?"

"I must confess to you. I was forced from your side during the night, and I fear that you are in the process of becoming one of us."

"Excuse me?" I nearly laughed, the thought was quite ludicrous, one of what? "One of you? What, pray tell, are you?"

"Vampyr." he whispered, watching me carefully.

'Vampire?" I laughed, then, unable to hold back, but not for long. It hurt too much. He sighed, and I calmed, breathing heavily.

"It's not a joke, Linda. All of those who were at the dinner party, except for Hillary, are vampires. I don't know which one took you. I was held apart. I did manage to free myself in time to save you. If I had not made you drink of me, you would have died."

"I see." I said, still skeptical, "Then,"

"Yes, you are in what we call the Gansuri. The Transformation."

"And you 'saved' me. Why?"

"Because, I Promised. 'Twas the only way to keep my vow. The only way to..." He seemed unable to finish.

"So, now what?"

"So, now what?" He echoed.

"So, now she needs her rest." Charlee said.

"I think I need an explanation." I replied. Charlee frowned an I sat up. It hurt, but I forced myself to remain silent, and schooled my face into one of determination, not pain. John shot Charlee a venomous look, and she huffed and came to sit beside me.

"You should have died, my dear. Only Leach would feel obligated to keep a Promise made to a mere mortal." She sighed. "Oh, very well. I don't see the harm in keeping her."

"Why, thank you, mistress." John replied, his voice dripping with poisonous sarcasm. "I'm so pleased that you will allow me this small favor."

"Don't start with me, Leach. I'm not in the mood."

"I don' t care what mood you're in. I should call for a trial. You deceived this woman, and now her charges are without a teacher."

"Oh, what day is it?" I suddenly realized the truth of his statement, "I must call the school district for a substitute." I nearly got to my feet in the rush of adrenaline, but John wouldn't have it. I was gently forced back to the bed, and made to lay down. A wave of dizziness swept over me, and I closed my eyes.

"Calm down, Linda. It's already taken care of. Today is Tuesday. We've already notified them. I'm afraid you may have to retire. No more teaching in the daytime for you. Perhaps, when you've stabilized you can teach nights." John said, ut I heard fear in his voice.

"You mean, if I survive." I whispered, unable to gather the strength to truly speak.

"I'm sorry, that is true. Not all seskore live through the gansuri. And your body doesn't seem to be responding very well."

"Leach. If you must have her, then she must drink again. Better if she's held, too. I know that her last drink was from a cup, not the best way." Charlee put in. I wished she would just leave us alone. If she didn't care, she could at least shut up. Shrugging, she did leave, and I wondered if she could read minds.

The door slammed and I jumped, and opened my eyes. John was staring at the door and frowning.

"John?" I said, and he jumped.

"I'm sorry, she's right. If you are to survive, you must cooperate." He sighed, and then held my gaze. "Trust me?" He sighed.

"I already do." I replied and felt the first glimmer of what later bloomed into love, as he bent over me and teased my lips with his.

"Drink." he whispered and his hand went to his chest. He wore no shirt, and he pressed his thumb against a swelling on his breastbone. Blood flowed, and I was overcome with thirst. I should have been nauseated, but when he lifted my head to press my lips against the swelling, I opened my mouth and tasted the sweet flow. I moaned and sucked. The blood filled my mouth and I swallowed. My head was filled with pleasure, and I sucked and swallowed again and again, until, sated, I fell asleep.

    I woke, hungry. I moaned and sat up. there was some small pain, but it wasn't very intense. Only a small aching in the small of my back.
    "John?" I called and rose to my feet. Dizziness poured over me and I leaned against the bedpost. 'please?' I thought.
    "Linda?" I heard, and Charlee entered the room. "Oh!" and she backed up when I moved toward her. I felt as though I hadn't eaten or drunk in weeks. I felt totally hollow. My head began to hurt, then pound.
    "Charlee, what's wrong with me?" I wailed and reached out towards her retreating form. "Please!" I wept, and then John was there, his presence soothing and his arms came about me, to lift me back into the bed.
    "Sh, angel. You'll be all right." He said, his voice ringing in my ears, "Do you thirst?"
    'I hunger! I feel hollow!"
    "But, it's too soon! You've only been in gansuri for three days. Youshuoldn't hunger for three more! Here, drink."
    I opened my mouth and he held my head. I felt my canines pierce flesh, and then my mouth was flooded with blood. the same sweet lightness. The same sweet clarity as before, but this time, I didn't feel sated after the first few swallows. I wanted more, even when he pushed me away. I clung to him and reached for more.
    "Enough, you're killing me!" He cried. He was stronger than even my desperate strength, and he pushed me back into the bed.
    "Please!" I wept, and he frowned. "I want more! I need more!"
    "No, I cannot." He seemed to ponder me, then and he rose to his feet.
    "Where are you going? Please don't leave me!" I cried,
    "I'm afraid that the only thing that will sate thee is a mortal life. I fear that thou wilt die, shouldst thou not kill, tonight."
    He left, and I heard the door shut, and the lock engage. I wept, the tears coursing down my cheeks. I felt hollow still, and I wondered what he meant when he said that the hunger I felt was 'early'? I didn't know that the gansuri usually takes an entire week to go from first taste to first kill. I felt enervated, now, and I rose to try the door. No dizziness, and no weakness. When the doorknob resisted my effort, I threw myself against the wooden panel. It didn't even shake! Nothing affected it! I screamed in frustration, my head pounding anew. I had to get out!
    "Calm down, Linda!" Came Hillary's voice. "Leach has gone to get a mortal for your hunger."
    "Let me out!" I said, trying to convince her that I was fine. "I will give you anything you want, just let me get out of this madhouse. I am being held here against my will! Please, Hillary. If you let me out, I won't press charges."
    "Don't be foolish, child. do you think I'd dare go against the masters? I'd sooner die than risk their anger!" Hillary replied, and I herd fear of them in her voice. " Just be patient and you'll be seen to."
    I went, then, to the window, to find that it was a clever fake. Very clever. From the bed, the light had seemed like moonlight, but was only a lamp behind a tinted glass. Painted brick behind, seeming to be a scene of a moonlit garden. I didn't' bother to break the glass, although I felt like doing so. I'd heard fear in Hillary's voice, and knew that I, too had cause to fear.
    The door opened. I spun about to face John, who had a limp body in his arms. I cringed. I knew the hunger in my body demanded that I take from her the life she held, but the moral part of my brian denied that I could do so.
    "COme, here is that which you crave." He said, and I closed my eyes. the scent of her reached me, and it was as though I could smell the life, the blood she held. I could also smell her impending death. How this was, I didn't know, I only knew that this smell so tantalized me, that I lost all control and flung myself upon her, where she now lay upon the ed. I sank my new fangs into her throat and drank until there came a burst of intense pleasure, like orgasm, but so brief that I could barely grasp it, and I knew that she was dead.
    It felt as though I died then. Certainly the person who I had once been, the shy, somewhat plain, schoolteacher, was no more. I curled up beside her dead body and shook. I felt something stir in my back and loins, but I couldn't pin down what it was, until I looked up to see John looking at me expectantly.
    "What is it?" I asked him. He frowned and touched my face.
    "What are you feeling?"
    "I'm not sure. A kind of stirring in my belly, like a flux."
    "that's all? No pain?"
    "No, none. Why?"
    He held my gaze and then grasped my shoulders, to turn me away from him and studied my back. "The wingslots are incomplete. Why then, did you hunger. Come, I will take you into my nest." He sighed, and lifted me into his arms.
    I felt the pain, then. In the ribs of my back from the pressure of his arms about me. I moaned and then panted for the pain left me breathless...
    "So, there is pain, then. Perhaps, then, all is not lost. I feared that thou wouldst go mad, my love." He opened the door, and carried me down the hall. then, down some stairs. "I fear that all I can offer is a small room, unlike my own home. I wish to keep you with me, and I also wish I could take you away from here. It would be better if you could start anew." He opened another door, to a room that seemed to be nothing but bed. I made some sound, for he was frowning into my face again. Solicitously, he set me down in the soft pillows that filled the room. then, he sat beside me.
    "Are you all right?"
    "I..think...so" I gasped, for the pain was now a fire, burning along all my bones, and stealing all my air. I lay back and closed my eyes, trying to control the need to scream out the pain.
    "What is it?" He asked, and I could hear the fear in his voice.
    "John!" I cried, and curled up on my side "I burn!"
    "So," He sighed, "I feared that you would have a difficult transition."
    That was when I screamed. The pain centered itself in my back and seared along the sides of my ribs. I curled as I felt a tearing there, and a strange unfolding sensation. I cried out again, and thrashed as I felt my wings burst forth.
    "Ah, there. Better?" John asked me. I gasped and looked up at him, and the pain stopped. I sighed in relief.
    "What?" I whispered, and he smiled.

More to Come!