Requiem for Blood Read online

  Allison nodded at her cryptic words, pushing her frames further atop her nose and pushing her dark coils from her caramel face. A chandelier illuminated the entrance which was an endless space of white against the cherry wood and black iron staircase. The stairs wrapped around in a spiral before them with welcoming oddities at the base of it and mirrors lining the walls. An assortment of small knives were encased in a glass frame and hung on the wall just above a walnut table. Allison and Sam went further into the house and walked passed a room hidden behind double doors made of glass and wood. Through the doors, leather chairs were set up on a Persian rug and light flickered in the fireplace where more knives sat just above the mantle. Olivia walked behind the two girls, down the hall and through the kitchen, her hands sliding across the marble covered island as she headed into another room. The sound of their peers welcomed them as they finally entered the living room. It was another vast space of characterless white but in comparison to Dr. Wilkinson's, it actually resembled a classroom as personal desks were set up facing a wide desk at the end of the living room. Sam and Allison filled the empty desk in the middle of the room while Olivia sat at the desk next to Noah. He leaned over to her and brushed his shoulder against her prompting her to turn and meet eyes with his grinning face.

  “So, you gonna tell me about this dream?”

  “To be honest, I don't remember it...”

  “OK, now I know you're lying. Just tell me 'cause I can see how much it's bothering you.”

  “Can you now?” She put her elbow to the desk and placing her chin in her palm, she turned away.

  He took his hand to her face, cupping her cheek and turning it back to him. “Yes, of course I can. Now come on and tell me.”

  “Well, I tried to save you...” her voice shook, “but he ripped your heart out. There was nothing I could do.”

  “Who?” he whispered and leaned in closer, awaiting her response.

  “I have no idea. His features were covered in this eerie red fog and the woman...”

  “What woman?”

  “She told me that she could give me the immortality to save you but it was too late,” she said as she shook her head. The chatter of the students had quieted as the last word slipped out of her mouth. A figure emerged from the hall, draped entirely in black save for a white lab coat. Her dark brown hair was pulled back in a neat bun and her light brown eyes scanned the room as she pulled the door close. Her intimidating presence could not be matched as she rendered the normally boisterous students to a taciturn group of well mannered children. She placed a book to her desk and only then did they notice a large HDTV on top of it. She turned off the light, leaving everyone enveloped in darkness save for the moonlight pouring through the patio door from behind her. Clearing her throat, she spoke up as she clicked the TV on and put a disc in the player. “Pay close attention to this film because it showcases the rich and accurate history of Vampirism.”

  The ambiance of the room had made it all too hard for Olivia to resist the urge to fall into a slumber. As her eyelids began to waver, Noah leaned over to nudge her back to consciousness with little success. She nodded to him a few times before yet again drifting off, her head resting on top of her folded arms on the desk. While the students watched on, engrossed by the film, Noah studied Olivia's motions as she cringed and murmured in her sleep. He tried to pull back the waves that cascaded down her face but she swatted his hand and turned away, her hair once again shading her face.

  Allison slowly rolled her head to the side to peek behind her where Olivia lay quietly. Noah looked back at the young girl whose eyes were gazing fixedly at Olivia, her lips pulled in as she shifted uncomfortably. Sam was the second to turn back, swallowing hard as she eyed the two. Following Sam's shift backwards, rows of students looked back and from the front of the room their teacher lifted her head as the scent wafted from the back of the “classroom”. The scent finally crept into Noah's nose as their teacher headed in his direction. He looked down to see blood pouring out of a wound that Olivia made from digging her nails into her flesh as she clenched her fist. By the time everything had registered in his mind, it was too late to hide it. The teacher stood before the two with a reserved expression, looking from Noah to Olivia. She turned around to the students who were stealing glances at the sight behind them, “Go home students. Class has been cut short.”

  She looked back down at Noah, “Except you.”

  As the students rose from their seats and exited the home, her glaring expression softened just a bit.

  “I'm sorry Matriarch. I should have noticed this.” He lowered his head and looked at Olivia who slowly began to stir.

  Olivia turned her head to Noah just as he was apologizing and then she noticed the emptiness of the room. She turned to see her mother looking at her bloody hand. “I'm sorry Mother, I didn't… I don't understand—”

  A slender figure emerged from behind Mar, her stealthy appearance only surprising Noah. They looked at the woman, her blue eyes turning into crescents and lines creased around her thin pink lips as she waved her hand at them. She pushed some loose strands of her black hair away from her face with a single skeletal finger as she looked down at Olivia. “Oh, sorry. Private meeting going on?” she asked, backing up.

  “No, Natalie. I had to dismiss my class for a little emergency and I needed your son to stay behind.”

  “I see. He was probably happy to stay behind considering how much trouble he's in.” Natalie shot him a glance and he grinned it away.

  “You can't be mad at me forever Mom.”

  “Actually, yes I can. I'll have a lifetime to be mad at you for skipping half your class and lying to your teacher.”

  Mar and Olivia both looked at Noah who shrugged it off. “Dr. Wilkinson is so dry. I honestly can't learn anything in his class.”

  Olivia's stomach growled and took the attention away from Noah. They all turned to her and Noah offered a sympathetic expression as Mar walked away and moments later returned with a freshly procured blood bag, “Drink.”

  “I am alright,” she insisted.

  “Your stomach is telling you something, you should listen to it.”

  Natalie nodded at Mar's words, but Olivia shook her head and spoke once more, “I am OK, really. I fed not too long ago but I guess my stomach has yet to get the memo.”

  “Fair enough. The sun will not peak for some hours, but I'm going to ground now. You must get plenty of rest before tomorrow as well.”

  “Oh yeah, tomorrow is your birthday isn't it Olivia?” Natalie asked, her eyes lit up.

  Olivia half nodded.

  “Are you excited?” she continued, “You get to hunt for blood all by yourself!”

  “I guess the reality will set in tomorrow.”

  “Well I can tell you there's no greater feeling than tasting blood straight from the vein. The hunt is a close second.”

  Noah tried hard to contain his repulsed expression as his mother went on in detail about hunting humans for their blood. The thought of it all made Noah sick but he tried to hide it when his mother spoke in such high esteem about it. He could see Olivia nodding along, probably only half listening to his mother's words. He knew she had her own reservations of the colony's ways but as the daughter of the Matriarch she kept them to herself and followed orders as she was told. Olivia's former animated character had slipped away from her as she became an android of sorts within the colony, never denying an order. He asked himself how he could save her humanity but nothing concrete ever came to mind.

  “Let's go Noah,” Natalie called back to him, snapping him out of his thoughts.

  “Can I stay with Olivia?”

  Natalie looked at him with disbelief written across her face. “Are you serious? After the stunt you pulled in your class—”

  “If it's not too much trouble to allow Noah to stay, I would appreciate it.”

  Natalie debated for a minute and decided it was too hard to say no to Olivia, especially in her current stat
e and finally gave in. “Just make sure you're home before the sun rises.”

  “Sure, sure. Thanks Mom!” He leaned in and kissed her cold, sunken in cheek.

  Mar had made her way to bed and Natalie left, leaving Noah and Olivia alone in the living room. Automatic shutters went across the windows to keep from letting any light in during the day, except in Olivia's room where manual ones needed to be pulled down. Noah jumped up from his seat, “Let's go to your room!”

  He followed her upstairs and down a hallway to her room. Clothes were strewn about the enormous room and wads of paper filled the trashcan while larger papers covered her bed. Noah hopped over the piles of clothes and mess to get to the window. “Is it me or has your room gotten messier since the last time I was here?”

  “It is messier,” she replied, unashamed to hide it.

  “It's probably worse than my room.”

  “It probably is. I'm not going to argue that.”

  “Well come over here,” he said as he held out his hand.

  Kicking her clothes out of the way, she cleared a pathway to the window and reached for his hand. He pulled her to him and then turned her to the window. “What did you dream about in class?”

  “Death. I keep dreaming about death. Like it's all around me and trying to tell me something.” She put her hand to her head and pushed her bangs out of her face.

  “Maybe it's the blood getting to you?” he suggested. He pulled out something from his pocket, a small item wrapped in plastic and handed it to Olivia.

  “Whats that?”

  “Something better than blood,” he whispered.

  “You are the one who has been sneaking human food into the colony,” she said, taken aback by his indirect confession.

  He covered her mouth and the indulgent scent of something unfamiliar drifted into her nose. “Let's not alert the media Olivia.”

  She shook her head away and spoke softly, “They know. My mother and yours. They know. I heard them talk about someone who brought human food in—”

  “Newsflash friend, we are humans. This vampire stuff is nonsense and besides, blood tastes horrible and even the sight makes me cringe.”

  “I understand this lifestyle isn't ideal, but—”

  “But nothing Olivia. We made a promise to leave this behind. The plan hasn't fallen to pieces because of what happened, please don't tell me you're gonna abandon it,” he pleaded.

  Her eyes lowered as she searched herself for the words to appease her pleading friend, “Nothing is certain Noah, but OK, I will try to leave this place behind.”

  “Even if that means leaving me behind?”

  Her eyes widened as she looked up at him, “What?”

  “Tomorrow is your chance to leave, so just go. Don't come back.”

  Her eyes fell again and she spoke softly in a voice faintly mimicking amusement. “If I do that, it will make it impossible for you to get out. You do know that, right?”

  He rested his hand on her shoulder and looked into her eyes. “Consider this me thinking more about the beginning of the rest of your life than my own.”

  They rested their tired bodies but remained awake as they fell into the loveseat between the two large windows in her room. Noah kicked his feet up on the arm and Olivia sat against his black skinny pants as she contemplated his words. Hours passed by and the moon set giving way for the sun to rise, its rays hitting the window but barely illuminating the room. She sat up and walked back to the window, followed by Noah who looked on, amazed.

  “Is this window film I spot? Pretty cool!” he exclaimed. “I can't believe the Matriarch allowed it...”

  She put a finger to her own mouth and the realization caught up with him.

  “She doesn't even know” He looked at her, shocked. “So sneaky.”

  “I like to look at the sun,” she pressed her hands to the window, “and this blocks the rays. So it is a win-win and my little secret.”

  “Oh, and you don't want me to tell?” he grinned widely at her as he stroked his chin.

  She gave a light, almost non-existent blow to his stomach as he laughed and nodded at her, “Your secrets safe with me.”

  “Thank you. I wonder what the sun feels like.”

  “Amazing....I bet,” he stretched his arms out and yawned, “Probably like the best thing on Earth.”

  “Yes, it probably is.”

  Two

  Olivia slunk through the forest, the leaves crushing beneath her feet as she tiptoed backwards, her breathing light. The branches of trees were a mangled mess of brown with darkened foliage barely hanging on as it rustled in the wind. She looked up and peered through the trees, the moonlight shining between them and glowing her pale skin a milky white while darkened shadows contrasted the color. She caught the sound of footsteps moving in closer and stood up, rattan sticks, in hand and turned to run deeper into the forest. She stopped when she heard the echo of objects fidgeting in someone's hand and wiry string being pulled back. A quiver reverberated through the forest and then she heard the splitting sound of wood cutting through the air, headed towards her. Olivia turned and her rattan stick came down swiftly and collided with the arrow, knocking it away before it could pierce her skin. A second arrow was drawn and came toward Olivia quickly. She didn't have the same reaction time and winced as the serrated arrowhead grazed her arm, cutting through her shirt sleeve. She stumbled back and ignored the blood that oozed from her arm and positioned the sticks in front of her in a defensive stance. She knew she wouldn't have had the energy to fend off the first attack if not for getting a good day's rest due to Noah staying with her to ward off the nightmares. She couldn't dwell on it now though, not while she was in class. She put her right foot over her left slowly then swiftly pointed her feet in that direction, taking slow and silent breaths so that she could listen in for her attacker.

  She heard another tug of string, the arrow poised so steadily between the attacker's fingers that it seemed like there wasn't even one in the person's hand. The string had been let go and Olivia braced herself for the arrow, but it never came. She whipped her head around as she tried to listen in to the sounds in the forest. There was a scurry of feet across the leaves behind her and when she turned back a girl was running toward her with a blade in her hand instead of a bow. She lifted it above her head with both hands, her height over Olivia giving her an advantage as she let it come down on her. Olivia crossed her sticks and crouched, holding them over her head as she blocked the blade from hitting her face. The wood splintered but they were not cut in half. The girl jumped back, her pink lips pulling up into a satisfied smile as she watched Olivia. Her platinum blond hair was a silvery ash in the moonlight and shaped into a pixie cut with long strands falling into her eyes. The girl wiped the sweat from her forehead and pushed the hair away from her face as she let out heavy breaths, “That can't be all you've got!”

  It would've been easier for Olivia to concede defeat but Felicity wouldn't allow it and neither would her teacher, Tomas Stevens. Olivia took the half torn into sticks and slammed each one against the bark of a tree, breaking the top half off and unveiling the jagged splinters of wood at their tips. The blade of Felicity's weapon, a dao, glinted in the moonlight as she twisted the embellished hilt in her hand. She pulled it up to her face, two hands gripping the hilt as she pointed it toward Olivia.

  “Run,” she said, her voice low yet forceful.

  Olivia took off before she could catch the sadistic smile that had crept on Felicity's face as she watched her disappear into the distance. She ran after Olivia, closing the gap between them without much effort. She was running beside Olivia and had pulled something from her waist with her free hand. The item snaked behind her before she whipped it into the air and lashed it at Olivia, the leather biting into her flesh as it wrapped around her wrist. Olivia was halted in her tracks and wrestled to the ground by Felicity's whip. She dragged her back and kicked her foot into Olivia's side, turning her onto her face and twisting her restraine
d arm upward, causing her to let out a scream. She stomped her foot onto Olivia's back.

  “Nothing satisfies like hunting prey,” said Felicity, as she drove her foot deeper into Olivia's back. She undid the whip, releasing Olivia's arm and then finally pulled her foot off of her. Olivia rolled over, red streaming from her lip and cheek where dirt and sticks were affixed to her skin.

  “And once again, I am the winner,” she said, extending a hand to Olivia. She took it and was pulled onto her feet. The trees around them were more spread out where they stood and Olivia could tell they were closer to the entrance to the forest, behind Mr. Stevens' home. They were quiet as they walked out of the forest where Felicity emerged victorious and unscathed. She was met with mostly praise from her peers and she soaked up the cheers, relishing in her own glory. It had only been half their class who met them at the edge of the forest and Olivia knew the others were inside, watching the other fight. Mr. Stevens' class had always been broken up into two types, the hunting and weapons training portion and then the combatives portion.

  When she slid the patio door open she saw her teacher observing two boys sparring on a black mat before him. It was a two story home where the first floor had been fully transformed into an MMA style sparring ring flanked by a cage and in it, a brown haired boy was struggling as he was pinned to the mat by another. Mr. Stevens declared the winner and Noah stood up with a smile then pulled the boy up. His brown eyes were filled with rage as he thought of throwing a punch at Noah, just to wipe that sickening smile off his face but didn't act on it.

  “Good try, Randy,” he said, his chest falling up and down.

  They shook hands and exited the cage where Noah bent his head down toward Allison and wiped his sweaty face on hers playfully. She pulled away, visually disgusted and yelled out in her high pitched childlike voice, “Ah, Noah, stop!” She began laughing as he went in again and rubbed his curls against hers. When he stood up straight he turned to his teacher who looked down at him unimpressed, maybe even a bit annoyed as he took in a long breath and shook his head.