History Report

Emma started playing with the poison ring on her right hand when she noticed her fidgeting had put several creases in her dress. She spent a lot of time last night picking out the perfect things to wear today and didn’t want anything to spoil them. 

She had chosen to arm herself with the pearl earrings Mother had given her after her first kill, her grandmother’s poison ring, her midnight blue dress with embroidered moon phases on the hem and of course a pin bearing the image of Synestra Nightjoy Dracul. The ache in her scalp from brushing and pulling her blonde hair into a razor sharp part before tying each side up into pigtails had finally abated, but the feeling like a hundred moths beating their wings against the inside of her head was still there.

“Miss DelSangre, it’s your turn,” Miss Garrote said, her smile pulling the bleached parchment of her skin even more tightly across her skull.

Gripping her papers, Emma walked up to the front of the class.  She looked at the picture of Torrance Dracul, mounted in the corner the teacher had claimed for her desk, took a deep breath, and started her presentation.

“My report is on Torrance Dracul, a famous prince from the noble house of Dracul. I know I’m supposed to tell you about all the important things he’s done. But that would be dumb. Besides the book Miss Garrote assigned me to read, I read a couple of others in my Mother’s library and have decided that Torrance Dracul is pretty much a disgrace to vampires everywhere.”

“Miss DelSangre,” her teacher said, glaring, with her pale skin pulling even more tautly, so that her veins stood out like the dark purple netting of a widow's mourning cap across her face.

Emma didn’t bother to glare back, but continued in an even louder voice. “It was his wife, Synestra Nightjoy Dracul, who deserves all of the credit for Torrance Dracul’s most famous deeds. The only thing he deserved was to have his blood drained out in front of a crowd.”

Emma’s delight at the gasps from her class was cut short as Miss Garrote dug her bony fingers into Emma’s arm and dragged her to the principal’s office. She shoved Emma onto the couch outside the office door, and slammed the door behind her as she swept in. The secretary, looked down at Emma from behind her desk, shook her head and went back to typing.

That small motion drained the last of her satisfaction in telling the truth about Synestra, and magnified one hundred times all the unease she had felt before getting up to speak. Not that the secretary had ever been especially nice to her, but she’d never just ignored her either. Her normally jolly principal even looked at Emma sternly when she finally opened her door to let Miss Garrote out and Emma in.

Emma barely remembered the rest of that evening at school, only that she said “yes” and “no” at the spots she knew she should say them until the principal was satisfied enough to let Emma sit on the couch outside her office again.  Eventually Bradford, her Grandmother’s butler, came to pick her up.
Emma clutched and twisted her skirt up in her hands on the ride home. Was Mother so angry that she didn’t want to come for her, so she called Grandmother to get her instead? Was Grandmother so angry she sent Bradford? Emma was afraid to ask, and Bradford didn’t volunteer any information on the drive back home. He silently let her into the house, and drove off again.

Emma ran directly to the great room, found the thickest, fluffiest, most blood red throw blanket there and cocooned herself up in it, not saying anything, until she heard her brother's footsteps walking up the hall.

“There you are,” Xander, face settling on what Emma recognized as his usual I-would-rather-be-tearing-throats-than-talking-to-you scowl. “Where were you? I was supposed to walk you home because Mother and Grandmother are at some sort of event until dinner.”

“I forgot,” Emma whispered. At Xander’s snort she said. “I got sent home from school early. Bradford had to pick me up.”

“You?” Xander arched a pale blonde eyebrow. “Are you sick or something? It’s not like you’d ever be sent home for getting in trouble.”

At that Emma started bawling, telling a flustered Xander about her plans to redeem Synestra Nightjoy Dracul’s good name and how they had gone so wrong.

“I don’t know if you’re brave or just crazy,” Xander said, putting his school bag down and sitting next to his sister. “Old Garrote would pour holy water on herself if the ghost of Torrance Dracul asked her to. Why would you do that in the middle of class?”

“To make sure everyone would hear me. Do you think Mother will be mad?” Emma said, curling further into the shelter of her blanket.

“She never got that mad at me and I’ve done way worse,” Xander said.

“Really?” She said, eyes widening. “But you never do anything wrong.”

“Shows what you know. Don’t you remember a bunch of times I was home before you and Mother said to let me be because I needed to dismember things on my own? It was because I got sent home, for way dumber things.”


“Was it because of a girl?”

“None of your business. Anyway, Torrance Dracul really was a mediocre vampire, just like you said. A rock shoved off the side of the mountain is a more inspired master of darkness than he was. But I would have left out the part about the blood draining though.” Xander paused a moment. “At least in front of Garrote.”

Emma hugged Xander who promptly squirmed away. “You really think Mother won’t be mad?” she said.

“Those were her books about Synestra that you read to write your paper weren’t they? I’ll bet you even get an extra helping of eyeballs at dinner.”

____________

Emma belched as she got off the bus. Both Mother and Father had slid her an extra serving of eyeballs at dinner last night. Even Xander, who ate enough eyeballs and innards for a flock of vampires said he was too full to finish his portion and suggested Emma take it to school with her as a snack. She couldn’t help eating a couple on the bus.

She was trying to decide if she should eat one more or save them for lunch when a girl from her class, Vincenzia, came up to her.

“Emma, I liked what you said yesterday. About Synestra. Where did you get that pin with her on it?” Vincenzia said.

“I made it,” Emma said. “And if you’d like, I’ll make you one too.”

“I’d like one,” said another girl, and several other children started asking for one of their own as well.

“I’ll make enough for all of you,” Emma said, baring her fangs in a broad grin.

Song Choice: One Girl Revolution by Superchick

This short story was created for Holly's Horrorland's Vampire's Day Soiree. Go fly over and enjoy more vampiric delights at the main page.

Tea With Grandmother

For Sarah, who wanted more of the story and for Max, who approved

Xander and Emma approached the door of the sprawling mansion carefully. The ragged looking human thrall at the gate let them pass without a question. Even if his tongue hadn’t been ripped out, he would have done so; Grandmother taught all of her servants to recognize her beloved grandbabies.

Xander ran a hand through his hair, hoping it would achieve the careless yet fashionable look his grandmother favored.

“Relax,” Emma said, catching the motion. “She’ll definitely help. She probably won’t even tell Mother. Are my pigtails straight?”

“Pigtails? You’re worried about your stupid pigtails. It’s not as if she wouldn’t take you out to any place you wanted to get your hair done.”

“But that’s so boring! Besides, anytime we go out together she’s always the scariest one. No one even pays attention to me.”

“Is that all you care about?”

The door opened, silencing their argument instantly. The servant that escorted them in was of a higher mental caliber than the one that greeted them at the gate. The creases in his butler’s uniform looked sharp enough to cut skin.

“Master Xander, Mistress Emma your Grandmother is waiting in the conservatory for you.”

“Thank you Bradford,” Xander snapped, all his nervousness replaced with impatient surliness.

The children walked through the foyer and down the long corridor towards the conservatory at the back of the manor. Emma stopped to look at the paintings. They were one of her favorite parts of Grandmother’s house. Every wall bore multiple images of Grandmother enjoying some great triumph. Emma had been told that she favored her Grandmother in looks, so she loved to imagine them as future glories of her own. She was particularly fond of the one where a very youthful Grandmother was caressing the head of a recently deceased American colonialist. A dainty trickle of blood highlighted Grandmother’s serene, deep ruby colored smile, her content look deeply contrasting with the agonized expression of the head in her lap.

A cough from Bradford pulled Emma out of her reverie. Bradford’s face showed no trace of annoyance but Xander’s expressed enough for the both of them. Emma just smiled and skipped to catch up with them.

The tea table was set up in the center of Grandmother’s conservatory filled with night blooming flowers from all over the world. Vines twined themselves around four large pillars around the center area and up to form a canopy of green dotted with pale pink blooms. Emma ran to the table when she saw her favorite included among the delights displayed.

“Eyeballs!” she shouted.

“Come give us a hug my darling before you start gobbling things up like a wild creature! Really dear, you need to compose yourself more as you get older,” Grandmother said.

“Grandmother Amaryllis,” Xander with a formal bow. He hugged his Grandmother with more restraint than his sister had. After an enthusiastic hug Emma sat down and began scooping eyeballs onto her plate.

“Xander, you’ve gotten so tall and handsome."

Xander just nodded. He never knew what to say to things like that and thought it’d just be easier to agree with her until he got around to asking her his question. He sat down. Emma had already poured herself half a cup of Earl Grey tea and was beginning to fill the other half with milk and sugar. 

Xander saw his Grandmother’s right eye twitch ever so slightly at the 5^th cube of sugar Emma added to her cup. He supposed he’d have to have some tea to make his Grandmother happy, but Earl Grey tasted like perfume to him and the surrounding scents from all the night blooming flowers didn’t help. He was about to reach for it when a maid came to the table bearing a small teapot and placed it besides his setting.

“It’s a special lemon blend,” his Grandmother explained. “Your mother said you much prefer it. Honey with your tea Xander dear? Emma darling, stop putting the eyeballs into your teacup.”

Xander turned to thank the maid, letting his eyes linger a bit longer on her than he intended. It wouldn’t do to let his Grandmother see that! He hoped that she was too busy scolding Emma to notice (her pigtails were in fact not straight enough for Grandmother’s standards). He poured tea into his cup and took a scone, spreading it thickly with Grandmother’s special clotted jam. Its warm metallic taste always settled him a bit when he was tense. Now if he could just think of a good way to ask Grandmother Amaryllis for help…

“Xander has something to ask you,” Emma said with a mouthful of ladyfingers and cream.

“Emma, you jerk!”

“What?” Emma said, crunching on the remains of a last ladyfinger. “You need help and Grandmother won’t say no.”

“What’s this Xander?” Grandmother asked. “Darling, you musn’t keep things from me. You know I will always help if I can. Now what is making my sweet boy look so sour?”

“Emma,” he growled. Emma laughed.

“Manners Emma. No laughing with your mouth full.”

“But if I laugh with my mouth closed and full of food I could choke and die.”

“Nonsense sweeting, you’re already dead. Xander, I mean it. I will find out sooner or later so you had best tell me now.”

Xander looked at his plate and mumbled. “Back at our house. In the basement.”

Grandmother Amaryllis called for Bradford to bring the car around and soon she, Xander and Emma arrived at the children’s house.

Together they looked at the corpulent, trembling man bound in the basement.

“That’s a senator,” his Grandmother said.

“I know,” Xander replied, his scowl intensifying.

“This is not a good idea. Do you know why?” his Grandmother asked.

“Ooh! Ooh! Because he’s still alive and it’s bad to waste food. You should let me eat him while Xander watches as punishment,” Emma said.

“No dummy,” Xander yelled. “By the night, stop speaking. It’s infuriating!”

He calmed himself down and looked at his Grandmother. “Because we have to choose our victims carefully so that no one notices too much and a senator going missing is big news.” Xander looked at the man with disgust. “But Grandmother, he told lies!”

“My pet, all politicians do! You can’t go about killing them every time they do.”

“Xander lost his temper. Xander lost his temper,” Emma sang.

“Shut up Emma!”

“That will do Emma,” Grandmother said and Emma fell silent. “Alright, I can settle this matter quite easily. Bradford, take the children back to the manor so they can enjoy the rest of their tea snacks. Oh and call my personal stylist. Emma, it’s time to get your hair trimmed again, it’s looking scraggily.”

Xander smirked at Emma’s pout. “Thank you Grandmother.”

She waved him off. “Of course sweeting. That’s what grandmothers are for! Now run along with Bradford and enjoy your tea. This won’t take too long.”

After they left, Grandmother smiled at the senator. “My grandson is right. You tell a great deal of lies. I was going to have some of my people contact you to see if there were some mutually beneficial arrangements we could come to. Nothing too outrageous. I have several ongoing agreements with many of politicians. But I’m afraid this will complicate things.” She smiled, showing her fangs off to full advantage. “You have two choices. One you chose to work with me as I originally intended. I shall still have to punish you for my dear Xander of course. I’ll just remove your right arm so I can give it to him as a gift. Don’t worry. I have mages on retainer that can conjure you a new one. Of course, it won’t really work as well as your original one, but it will do. Refuse me, and your head will be found in some desert somewhere after I have evidence planted that you were secretly dealing with a drug cartel. It will look as if you meant to cross them so they had to retaliate. Which do you chose?”

The senator’s eyes were blank and glassy. Grandmother put her ear to his chest. “How dare you have a heart attack while I am speaking to you!”

Grandmother Amaryllis contemplated the body. Emma was right. It was a shame to waste good food and the senator looked like he held plenty of blood. She barely touched any of her tea snacks and was rather hungry. Yes, it would be easiest to just arrange for his body to be found someplace since he expired of natural causes, more or less, but it would also be quite helpful to carry out her head in the desert scenario as a warning to some of her other human associates. Plus there was that issue at lunch she needed to deal with.

She rummaged through her purse to pull out her cellphone. “Bradford, please come back around and bring my machete. Oh and please bring the maid that attended us at tea today. No, no, I don’t mean to kill her. If she had flirted with Xander it would be a different thing completely. I just would like her to help me with this body so she understands what happens to people who vex me. My grandson will marry a vampire with wealth and impeccable standing if I have anything to say about it. Thank you.”



This post is part of Holly's Horrorland's Blog Party, Vampire Day Soiree and is the second story about Xander and Emma. You don't need to have read the first to enjoy this one, but if you'd like to check it out, it's here.

Song Choice: Look at Grandma by Bo Diddley

Like Kids in a Candy Store

This post is part of The Vampire Day Soiree at Holly's Horrorland

“It isn’t fair, Xander!” Emma said, stamping her Mary Jane clad foot. “You always get to go first!” Several nonpareils skittered off the counter to join the larger mess of candy on the floor. One of the few unbroken fluorescent lights in the store flickered and died, which would have made it difficult for the average person to navigate around the shambles. Emma scowled at the light, as if it too was part of a larger conspiracy to make sure she was last, but easily made her way to stand beside her brother without so much as a stumble.

Xander looked at his little sister smugly. “It’s very fair. You didn’t get up right away when I knocked so I went hunting alone. I caught it and I get to go first. You’re lucky I came back to get you. What if it had gotten away?”

Emma crossed her arms over her polka dotted dress and pouted. “I hate you,” she hissed.

The teenage boy circled the bound and gagged man struggling on the floor. He nudged the man with the toe of his designer sneaker. “Aw c’mon, look at him Em. He’s bigger than the last one. Plenty for us both.”

“If you waited for me I could have gotten a bigger one, maybe even two or three!” A sly look crossed her face. “I know where some big ones are and I know how to catch them,” she said in a sing song voice. Emma picked up a sprinkle covered candy apple. She started picking off the sprinkles, tossing them at the man one by one as she circled him. “I’m still going to be hungry right after we’re done here.”

“Oh alright,” Xander said, looking at the man appraisingly. “If you're still hungry, we’ll go after the ones you were talking about right after we get done here. You can even lead the hunt. Happy now?”

Emma tossed the apple at the man’s head, clapped her hands and ran over to hug Xander.

“Get off,” he snapped. “God, do you have to do that all the time? You’re such a baby.”

She giggled, pleased that the hug irritated him. Xander dusted himself off and ran his hands through his blonde hair as if to remove some dirt that had gotten on him.

“Can you take out his gag,” she asked, still giggling. “I like to hear the screams.”

“Do it yourself brat.”

Emma stuck her tongue out at Xander and removed the gag. Immediately the man began to plead. “Let me go kid. Please. All that stuff I said before. I was just kidding. I wasn’t going to hurt you. We were going to have fun. We could still have fun, all of us together.”

“Emma, cover your ears,” Xander said.

Emma recognized the face he made meant business and covered her ears right away.

Xander started kicking the man. “Don’t - you – ever- talk like that around my sister! She’s still innocent you fucking asshole!” He grabbed one of the few unbroken glass bins filled with gumballs and smashed it over the man’s head.

Emma uncovered her ears, looked at the dead man and then looked over at Xander. “You said swear words!”

“You were supposed to have your ears covered. And who are you going to tell? Mom? She taught me how to swear.”

Emma looked at the pulpy mess. “He’s not going to scream anymore. It’s not fair.”

Xander shrugged, then smiled for the first time that evening, long incisors gleaming. “There’s still plenty to eat.  And maybe the next ones will scream a lot.”

“You always cheer me up. I love you Xander.”

“Geez Em, make up your mind. You said you hated me a few minutes ago. C’mon. Dinner’s getting cold.”

“You mean appetizer,” Emma said happily, revealing her own set of fangs. She picked up a bright yellow gumball, swirling it in the remains of the man’s head and popped it in her mouth. “You have to try one like this – it’s so good!”

“You are just too weird Em. Can’t you do anything normal?” Xander said before biting down on the man’s neck.

“You’re too scared to try anything new. I’m going to save more of these to dip in tonight’s dinner,” Emma said, grabbing a handful of gumballs and stuffing them in her pocket.

And with that, she settled down and ate.