While Luca had fallen asleep, miss Angelica returned to her infirmary, where Sister Collins and Father Roberts holding the white pigeon free from its cage, sat chatting.
“...ery unusual case, normally places around the summoning circle have a trace of fire damage, or are just burned to the ground. This one had obvious water traces on all walls, no runes or blood either. Can’t have anything to do with Hell, Bertha is fine. Hmm…” Angelica came to hear Father Roberts recounting his visit to Luca’s apartment.
“You suspect the boy?” asked calmly Sister Collins.
“No, not really. Power required to do this much damage is beyond some little brat, his story and Granger family predicament all check out. Doesn’t mean we shouldn’t pay attention, his eyes are a bit sketchy, that's why you will try to give me his full examination result as soon as possible, Angelica.” ordered Father Roberts looking at the nurse.
“Yes, I’m off for the weekend with his and Oz samples. Monday should be ready.” said Angelica moving two syringes of blood into a portable cooling container, removing her lab coat and changing boots quickly.
“When will Oz get better…” sighed Sister Collins.
“That is up to God and medical experts doing His work.” said the priest stroking happily purring Bertha.
“Goodbye.” nodded Angelica while leaving.
“May the Lord bless you.” said Sister Collins while Father Roberts nodded back.
Walking out of the orphanage, Angelica went to her motorcycle, a painted yellow Honda Shadow 750. After she secured the container to a special back trunk, engine revving sounded under the moonlight. Galloping under the city lights with her hair let loose, joy of high-speed travel accompanying all bikers took possession of her emotions.
Finally forced to a stop in front of a shabby, smeared with graffiti and profanities apartment complex, she took the container and stepped into an elevator smelling of urine. Wrinkling her nose in disgust, she pressed the underground level button. The elevator door opened to a pair of young-looking men sharing one cigar between them. Their eyes lit up upon seeing the beauty.
“Hey Angie, how much this time?” asked the idle one.
“Just two bottles for Mike. Have to let my little piggy banks rest.” she smiled and passed them by.
“Shame, last week it tasted great.” licking his lips muttered the man.
Knocking on the door of an unnumbered flat, Angelica heard a muffled ‘Come in!’ coming from inside.
With a flattering expression on her face, she went in and along the dimly lit corridor until reaching the salon with a bored man watching TV in a black bathrobe with his legs on the table.
“Here master, freshly squeezed blood.” bowed to put the container on the table, said Angelica trying to make her cleavage more prominent.
“Mhm…” moving to take out the syringes, Mike took a spoon laying around and squirted some blood onto it. Flashing his long fangs, the vampire slowly tasted it.
“AB negative, delicious as always. We could make actual greens if it came from a girl, but not cheap as it is. What about the second one?” Mike asked.
“Got a new cutie at the shelter, he should be deeelish.” biting on her finger she watched him pour another sip. This time, he frowned in confusion just as the first drop fell. Attention fully focused, he carefully brought up the spoon into his mouth. With a slight shiver, his body stood upright, instinctively transforming into a vampire form. Pale-grey wrinkled face with nose receded into slits, hairless scalp, and black claws protruding from his elongated hands, a common form of a lower purity bloodkin. Angelica jumped aside timidly, a look of fear mixed with worship in her eyes.
“By Beelzebub’s balls!” he groaned hoarsely, eyes fixated on the syringe in his hand. Eagerly putting the tip of it inside his mouth, Mike started savoring Luca’s blood with an intoxicated expression. Each drop made him feel an increase in strength and his skin turned visibly more akin to a human. After drinking it empty, he smashed the glass onto the table and started madly licking the shards for any little residue remaining. Not able to find any more, he looked at Angelica and blurred in motion towards her.
“Whose damn blood is it?!” he shouted pressing her to the wall with a manic expression. Trying to squeeze a smile, she answered.
“Ki-kid from work, Luca Granger. How is it master, is he tasty?”
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“Hehe.” chuckled Mike recovering his human form and kissing her lips with force. Taken by surprise at yet another sudden change of his mood, she didn’t react much to it until he let her go with a smile.
“Tasty doesn’t begin to describe it. There was a name for blood of gods, shit, you are educated, what was it?” impatient and waving his arms around he said.
“Ichor?”
“Yeah, must be fabled wizard blood, haha, we got rich, squeeze this brat for all you can from now on. I saw five liters of wizard blood go for a hundred grand at Walmart, and it was adult. Maybe some real big shot buys from us, those pricks have such ambrosia daily.” smacking his lips said the vampire.
“Sooo, what about turning me? I’m getting old master, look at that saggy skin.” acting pitiful she squeezed her breasts together.
“Of course baby, but not now.” patted her backside Mike, “That exorcist will surely notice if you turn, right? You need to take care of our fragile moneybags. I had a book just about that laying here. Look if you can further improve little Luca’s aroma.” with that said he went to the bookshelf containing some curious titles like, ‘Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them’, ‘Werewolf Types and Why to Kill Them on Sight’, ‘Hell and Back, my Story’, ‘Dracula’s Guide to Raising Bloodslaves’, the last one intended gift to Angelica.
“Here, follow what is written and we can make millions off this kid. Be extra careful, understood? If you screw it up, I screw your head off.” threatened Mike.
Woken up by the sound of church bells ringing, Luca opened his eyes to an unfamiliar ceiling. Officially recognized as being left alone lingered on his mind, part of him disgusted and eager to forget his outbreak of force weakened in favor of trying to understand and figure out why his parents abandoned him because of mere witness to it. Various ideas colliding in his brain got interrupted by the voice of Sister Collins outside the door.
“Luca, are you up? There are fifteen minutes to get ready after bells ring before coming down for breakfast.” in a raised voice she explained.
“I’m up, Sister.” opened the door Luca.
“Great, cafeteria is on the first floor. Go and wash now, you will have to introduce yourself soon. After eating go and read the rules hanging on the board, you had to see it yesterday, just in front of the entrance.” she told him and left.
Luca took his toiletries and went to the bathroom already occupied by a dozen boys washing their teeth and faces. One of them was strangely familiar from the back, at least his recognizable hair.
“Oz?” surprised Luca exclaimed.
“What's up?” turning around, it really was Luca’s friend, “Luca? What you doing here?”
“I’m homeless since Monday.” naturally threw it out Luca.
“Ha? Why not tell our gang?” wondered Oz.
“Like you told us about living in an orphanage? Seriously, Buffy thought parents might abuse you with that beaten-down look going on. We even tried to follow you home, but you disappeared into the park woods.” complained Luca.
“Lame tracking skillz then, homie. I’m here since birth, Father Roberts picked me up, but didn’t say from where yet. All that ‘You have to grow up’ stuff.” Oz forgot about time chatting with his friend, luckily a boy next to them reminded them.
“Hurry up and go down newbie, Sister Collins cares about her grand timetable the most.” with a bit of resentment in his voice, the boy left.
“Yeah, gotta lay you down the rules here.” walking quickly after him, Oz explained the basics of life here to Luca. Going into the cafeteria, they saw more than forty children of varied ages sitting and making noise while restaurant ladies helped by older-looking youths pushed carts around and put food on the tables.
“Come here, everyone welcome a new friend. Luca, tell us about yourself.” beckoned Father Roberts sitting near the entrance.
“Good morning, I’m Luca Granger. My father lost everything on the stock market and he took mom and left me. I’m going to Mattahunt Elementary School with Oz, nine years old.” looking around Luca tried to keep a steady face.
“Good, sit down and pray with us.” after Luca took a seat and the hall got quiet, Father Roberts continued, “Bless us, Lord God, and these Your gifts, which from your generosity we are to eat, that we may praise you. Through our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.” the entire room repeated after Father Roberts and started eating.
Later, Oz introduced Luca to the library and playroom, took him to copy the timetable, and did homework together. Luca quickly tried to adapt himself to new surroundings. Sun eventually descended below the horizon, with that sign for all diurnal creatures to rest.
“Good night.” saying this he closed the door, finally back to being alone, free to rack his brains dealing with ‘The Force’ as he decided to call it, having watched Return of the Jedi recently with his friends and their parents on an outing.
“So, how do I train?” Luca muttered to himself. Three scenes came to his mind, one of Luke Skywalker deflecting lasers with his lightsaber got quickly discarded due to complete lack of either an autonomous laser-shooting drone or a lightsaber. Two, possible to be implemented immediately is standing on hands while trying to balance something on soles. With no delay, Luca tried to do a handstand. Jumping awkwardly for a while, his hands seemed not attuned to Force yet enough to hold his weight. Panting and disheveled, he tried training number three: to concentrate Force in a hand, then point towards the direction of an item and move it.
“Move, move, move.” ordered Luca one of his textbooks, it gracefully ignoring him. Perhaps I should ‘feel’ The Force? Inside me somewhere… I don’t feel anything besides heartbeat though… What a weird thing, I know there are so many organs inside and they belong to me but can’t feel them at all. Thought Luca curiously. Teachings of both Obi-Wan and that green goblin, whose name he forgot flashed with inspiration. He took off his shirt and tied it around his head to block the sight. Then, kneeled on the bed and emptied his mind. Ten minutes later, light sounds of snoring spread.