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Alyssa heard the words that Gabriel was speaking to her, but she didn’t want to believe what he was telling her. He was asking, almost ordering her not to open the drapes because the sunlight would harm them both, not just him. Instead of saying words like me or I, Gabriel was speaking with words like us, meaning them both. She didn’t want to believe what he was telling her, but she couldn’t remember what had happened to her home and was still trying to piece things together. Rather than fight her apparent amnesia, Alyssa instead chose to fight the information she was just provided and look for answers there. She looked back at Gabriel and began to interrogate him from more information.
“I’m a vampire?” She said, disgusted just to hear the words part from her own lips, “When exactly did that happen?”
“While we were flying you back here,” Gabriel started to explain, “You were injured from one of the blasts that destroyed your apartment and even collapsed on top of you. Cornelius and I managed to get you out of there, but you were badly injured.”
“I feel fine,” Alyssa countered, “I couldn’t have been that bad.”
“No, it was much worse than you think.” Gabriel continued, “Halfway here you had stopped breathing, and I was unable to resuscitate you.”
“So, your answer was to make me a monster!” Alyssa roared at him.
“I hate to break this to you,” Gabriel yelled back at her, “But you were dying! That means you were going to turn into a monster that night regardless! The only question that was hanging over us was which one!”
“Shit!” Alyssa said as she turned away from Gabriel as she had started to cry.
“You were dying,” Gabriel explained, “And you were on your way to becoming one of the undead. I didn’t want that to happen, so we did something to stop it.”
“And now I’m a damn vampire!” Alyssa said, angered by the thought.
“It’s not that bad,” Gabriel countered, “There are some perks, and you’re here in the room with me right now. Living and breathing with a mind of your own. You’re not one of those thoughtless meat sacks below looking for a skull to chew on. I didn’t want to do this to you, but the situation there was only one other option that was more horrific than death itself.”
“So, you just had to do it,” Alyssa said, “You had no choice.”
“Well, we had no choice.” Gabriel corrected her.
“What do you mean by that?” Alyssa asked, as she suddenly got the feeling that there was more to the story.
“I didn’t turn you,” Gabriel answered, “It was Cornelius who did it. Not me.”
Alyssa tried to find the words to respond but she was unable to get them past the anger that was boiling within her. She instead chose to take action to respond to that revelation by slapping Gabriel across the face with an open hand, utter disgusted by what was just revealed to her. She then walked back to bed and sat down. Her legs were sore, and she was feeling urges that was making it hard for her to think. She looked back at him and asked the obvious question without saying a word and Gabriel picked up on it and went from there.
“I know, it doesn’t sound right.” Gabriel said, aware of what she might be thinking. “I wanted to do it myself, but Cornelius pulled rank and ordered me to let him do it instead.”
“Why did you let him?” Alyssa finally asked.
“It was the right choice,” Gabriel answered, “He’s been around a lot longer than I have and has a lot more experience with this than I do. I was panicking over your dying, and he knew I was too much of a mess to do it correctly. He was right, and that decision to step aside may have saved your life.”
“And now I’m a vampire,” Alyssa said, “Wonderful.”
“Cornelius and I will help you,” Gabriel added, “He’s mentored many more new vampires than I have and knows what he’s doing but I’ll still be here to help too. You won’t have to take on this challenge alone.”
Alyssa sat there on the corner of the bed and sighed deeply. This wasn’t what she wanted, but she understood what Gabriel was trying to tell her. If Cornelius hadn’t done what he did, she’d be a zombie right now and no better than a walking corpse. At least as a vampire she had her mind and was able to live within a certain means.
“I’m sorry,” Alyssa said, “I shouldn’t take this out on you.”
“I’m the only one here,” Gabriel replied, “I can take it.”
“I just can’t believe it’s all gone,” Alyssa said thinking about her town. “What happened to everyone else?”
“They’re either dead or on the run,” Gabriel answered, “Sean and his family along with Pablo and a few others fled in the trucks we took from Denver. They should be on their way to New Lycan to seek shelter.”
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“Why didn’t we go there too?” Alyssa asked.
“We were supposed to but changed our minds.” Gabriel answered, “The moment we turned you, going to New Lycan was no longer an option.”
“Why not?” Alyssa asked, demanding to know more.
“We didn’t want the other vampires to know we turned you,” Gabriel said, as he started to pace the room. “Something I didn’t tell you was that we’re not allowed to turn humans into vampires without consent from the council. New vampires are only permitted after the transformation is authorized and approved. What Cornelius did was illegal and it’s a crime that could comes with harsh penalties, even for the Dark Prince.”
“Damn,” Alyssa said as she thought about it, “So, if you’re caught turning people you could get into serious trouble. I had no idea it was that strict.”
“That might be the reason why he insisted,” Gabriel added, “Cornelius assumed he might be able to beat the rap as the current interim head of state. He doesn’t seem very concerned about that when we talked about it, so that must be it.”
“I still want to talk to him, right now!” Alyssa insisted.
“He’s not here,” Gabriel said, “He left a few hours ago for New Lycan. He wanted to warn the city about the attack on your town to let them know how close those California soldiers were to their own territory. Since we might need to use them for shelter in the future, it’s best to give them the heads up to keep good relations.”
“That’s fair,” Alyssa said, “So, what do I do now?”
“I’d recommend you lay down and rest,” Gabriel insisted, “And I’ll let you know when Cornelius returns from the city.”
“I’m not that tired,” Alyssa said, “Just fatigued. Walk me into the living room and I’ll make myself comfortable on the couch.”
“Alright,” Gabriel said, as he deemed it a worthy compromise. It took a few moments, but he slowly walked Alyssa into the large living room and over to the big V-shaped couch that looked to be the most comfortable.
“I’m feeling hungry,” Alyssa admitted, “Can you whip up some soup?”
“I could,” Gabriel said, “But that might not help.”
“Oh crap,” Alyssa said, “It’s that kind of hunger, isn’t it?”
“I’m afraid so,” Gabriel confirmed, “But you can’t have any just yet.”
“Why not?” Alyssa asked.
“Because the blood in the fridge is yours,” Gabriel said, trying not to laugh. “We actually have rules against doing something like that. It also feels weird, doesn’t it?”
“Fair enough,” Alyssa said as she laid back on the couch. She wasn’t in the mood to debate the dos and don’ts of vampire life.
“Let’s wait until Cornelius returns,” Gabriel added, “If I know him, he’s also going to bring back supplies for us to stay here for a few days. Like I said, New Lycan isn’t an option just yet.”
“Alright, but he better not keep me waiting too long,” Alyssa said, trying to shift and make herself comfortable on the big couch.
“To be honest,” Gabriel said from the other side of the room, “There is a chance you can still eat food, like Cornelius does. Not everyone stops like I did. The only difference is actual food doesn’t quell your hunger, but it does make you more friendly to other species if you can sit down and break bread with them.”
“I noticed that,” Alyssa said, as she remembered dining with Cornelius in New Lycan when she first met him. The fact that he dined with her made the big vampire easier to get along with as opposed to just drinking blood. She also remembered why he was so nice to her that first weekend they became acquainted, and some of it was now starting to make more sense to Alyssa. If Cornelius somehow knew that she would eventually become one of them, it would clearly explain why the Dark Prince was so pleasant to her when she was just a simple human. It appears Cornelius knew more about what was going on than he was leading everyone to believe. The big vampire and her would have a lot to discuss when he returned from New Lycan. She was tempted to suggest they both fly there right now to confront him, but she trusted that Gabriel was telling her the truth, and that the city of wolves wasn’t an option for the time being.
“Are you alright?” Gabriel called out.
“I will be,” Alyssa said, as she felt nicely tucked in after fidgeting around.
“I realize you didn’t ask for this,” Gabriel said, as he walked over and took a seat in a chair opposite of Alyssa’s couch. “But the alternative was far worse, and I don’t think you wanted that either. At least in this form, you get to see your sister again and make sure she’s doing alright. We can still protect her and the others you care about. I don’t think I need to remind you of how old we all are, do I?”
“I suppose not,” Alyssa conceded.
“We live for a very long time,” Gabriel said, almost bragging, “And while that might result in outliving everyone you know, it also means that we will eventually outlive this apocalypse and watch humanity eventually get back on their feet.”
“Or we could witness the end of it,” Alyssa countered.
“I don’t want to see that,” Gabriel said, “And neither do the other vampires. I am confident that the council and the crown will not allow that to happen.”
“Are you sure about that?” Alyssa asked.
“He is sure about it,” a voice called out, “And so am I.”
Alyssa turned to see that the Dark Prince has returned, and he was also carrying some rather large bags that he had brought with him.
“Apologies for being away so long,” Cornelius started as he handed one of the large, filled bags over to Gabriel. “I picked up some supplies for us to shelter here for as long as we need to. I can also fly back to New Lycan should we need more.”
“How long do we plan to stay here?” Alyssa asked.
“Long enough to complete some of your training,” Cornelius answered.
“Vampire training?” Alyssa said, “That could be fun.”
“I see you told her,” Cornelius said, looking back at his brother. “You could have started with that, dear brother.”
“Sorry,” Gabriel apologized, “But the good news is she’s taking it well.”
“Well, that’s very mature of you,” Cornelius said, as he walked closer to her. “I’ve seen some people break down and even try to kill themselves upon hearing the news that they were turned into a vampire. You’re already showing signs of great strength.”
“Thanks, I guess.” Alyssa replied.
“I brought a big supply of new blood,” Cornelius said, “And I even bought some regular food in case you still wanted to eat it.”
“Worth a try,” Alyssa said, “Would mixing the two up make it easier for me to get used to the fact that I now have to drink blood to survive?”
“It might,” Cornelius said, “But it’s still going to suck at first.”
“Suck!” Alyssa said, laughing loudly at the pun made. “That’s a good one!”
“Very funny,” the Dark Prince said, looking a little sterner now, “But you still have a lot to learn about how things will work moving forward.”
“Then let’s get started,” Alyssa said, “What’s first?”
“I guess we should start with the basics,” Cornelius said, “Starting off with decorum regarding your new master.”
“I’m sorry,” Alyssa started, “Did you say my new master?”
“Yes,” The Dark Prince confirmed, “Every vampire has a master, and they are compelled to obey that person for as long as they are tethered.”
“Then who is my master?” Alyssa asked.
“The person who turns you,” Gabriel answered.
“Which would be me, my dear.” Cornelius added.