The Vampire Pirate's Daughter Read Online Free Page A

last experienced leaving Francois behind. A
feeling I have forgotten.
    Carmine slides into the booth across from
Andrew and I slide in after her. I am sitting in front of Andrew
and for me time stops. His hands are resting on the table mere
centimeters from mine. It feels weird, all these feelings rushing
through me. I have never felt like this before, this total
awareness of my entire body of another person that I did not want
to feed on.
    I hear Andrew talk to me from a distance and
clearing my mind, I hear him say, “You are Susie?”
    I smile. “And you are Andrew?”
    He nods and smiles. “I have seen you in
class. You are new?”
    I am a fool or crazy, or both, because I move
my hand away from his. Although his hand does not touch mine, I
still feel a weird magnetism between us. To get away from the
feeling that seems to take over all of me, I bump against the glass
of orange juice standing near the edge of the table accidentally.
We both go for it and obviously, I am faster. With lightening speed
my hand folds around the glass and without the contents even being
disturbed, I place it back on the table.
    Andrew looks at me shocked while I decide to
stop being such an idiot. I always thought love would be simple,
but this is complicated. I realize that although he is my first, my
perfect crush, it would be too difficult to have a relationship
with someone outside of my community and now he is looking at me as
if I am a freak.
    Drinking my juice silently, I notice Andrew
looking at me every now and again with puzzlement in his eyes. I
can see the questions burning in them.
    Carmine chatters non-stop with Peter and
Martin, not including Andrew and me. The silence between Andrew and
me is awkward and I see him become restless. For some stupid
reason, I feel so sad. It comes from the general direction of my
stomach.
    I lean toward Carmine. “I have to leave.
Will you get your own way back?”
    Carmine smiles toward me and then she smiles
sweetly to Andrew. “Ya. Andrew will give me a lift home.”
    He laughs suddenly. “You cannot just
assume.”
    She pouts. “But you will, won’t
you?”
    He smiles brightly, and I see their eyes
meet.
    I say goodbye, but Andrew only looks up at me
briefly without saying a word.
    Carmine slides into the space I just vacated
and she asks, looking up at me, “See you tomorrow at school?”
    I smile down at her. “Okay.”
    “Bye, Susie,” she calls after me. The good
thing from all of this is that I made a friend, at least.
    As I walk away, I hear Andrew say to Carmine,
“Nice dress. Did you just buy it, because I’ve never seen it
before?”
    I have lived so long and never before have I
ever felt this total, absolute sense of hopelessness.

Chapter Four

    Carmine rushes toward me the next day at
school, and I sigh inwardly. Although she would make life easier
and I would be able to fit in faster, she was silly and inane at
times. She never stopped talking and I wondered amused whether she
ever thinks about anything. If her jaws are always moving, surely
she could never contemplate the deeper things in life.
    She seems overly excited and she says, “I
cannot wait for this weekend. I am looking forward to Andrew’s
party and I am glad you are also coming.”
    I say apologetically, “I won’t be able to go
anymore. I forgot we are going away for the weekend.”
    “That’s very depressing. I was looking
forward to you also going,” she sulks.
    I am not looking forward to it, because house
parties are usually seriously boring and predictable, but I reply
kindly, “I completely forgot. My brother likes stargazing, and this
weekend there is a new moon, so that means he can see the stars
clearer, without the glare of the moon interfering.”
    She asks, “Do you have to go with?”
    “I do. It is like a family tradition
already.”
    She smiles acceptingly, shrugging it off and
then she notices Andrew walking up the corridor. She yells
excitedly, “Andrew!”
    Damn, being