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Chapter 2

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Chichi slowly rose up out of the comforting darkness of her sleep and when she realised she was awake she sat up with a start. She quickly got a grip on herself and tried to make sense of things. She was awake, she could feel the bed and the sweat dampened nightgown she was wearing, she could hear someone moving about somewhere outside. Chichi looked at herself in amazement, she was alive, she was sure that she would wake up a vampyre and run off and kill everyone she came across but it looked like she was stronger than that thing had thought.

Then she became aware of her hunger, god was she hungry, it was only natural she thought, she hadn’t eaten since the morning before yesterday. She started to get out of bed and then noticed that there was a change of clothes waiting for her on the dresser, a dark blue t-shirt, denim jeans and a black jacket. She quickly rummaged around in the dresser for some underwear and got dressed. She was surprised at how good she felt, if she remembered right she had been a tired wreck even before that monster tried to turn her the first time, Chichi shivered at the memory, but now she felt like she could take on the vampyre and all his kind single-handedly, it was a good feeling.

By now her hunger had become something of a nuisance, she had to get something to eat or she would loose this great feeling really fast. Just as she was about to head out to find something to eat she heard someone coming and climbed back into bed, taking the nightdress with her, to pretend she was still asleep. "You can stop pretending Chichi my dear, I could hear you moving about just as easily as you heard me coming." said a now sadly familiar voice. She sat up and swung her legs over the side of the bed, she then just glared at Drake, she still felt like she could rip him to shreds despite how easily he had defeated her before.

"You failed, Drake, I'm still me." she said smugly "and now that I've rested, I'm going to make you pay for the hell you put me through last night."

He gave a small chuckle and smiled at her in an annoying way (like when a parent smiles at the naïveté of a child), "No, I do not believe so," he replied still smiling, "you have turned, you died last night."

Chichi gave him a look of pity, "Nice try, but I think it's a bit late to be pretending and bluffing, I succeeded and you failed, there's no use in continuing further." she said.

He sat down on a soft chair that she had not noticed before and put a paper bag down next to him. "Very well. Let us stop 'Pretending' as you put it," Drake said and his smile broadened showing one of his large canines, "Listen carefully, what do hear?"

"Not much, there's someone sweeping outside the room but that it."

"Is that all? Are you sure?"

"Yes I'm sure, is this leading anywhere I'm kind of hungry?"

The smile is still there, "Yes, well the person sweeping is actually down the hall, it is a long hall. But that is not the point; you seem to be missing something."

Chichi frowned, she was hungry and getting irritated, "I'm not missing anything" she growled.

"Oh really, I guess your heart beat is not something worth missing, and you seem to have been holding your breath for a long time, you might want to breath if you are truly so alive." he said with grin.

Chichi stared at him in irritated confusion for a while before she realised he was right, she hadn't been breathing and she couldn't hear her heart, in a panic she tried to take her pulse, after a minute she felt something weak under her finger, that was wrong she should have a strong regular pulse. It dawned on her slowly and she turned to stare at Drake in astonishment, she was dead. Drake, who had watched this with mild interest and amusement, spoke, "Now you see who has been pretending." his smile faded, which pleased Chichi to no end, "As to your second claim," he began, "you are a long way from strong enough to make me 'pay' as you put it, for anything. Now about your hunger, I guessed you would need something when you awoke, I hear it is difficult for some to control themselves when they first experience it." He retrieved the paper bag and pulled out a large red bottle and a glass. "I have brought you your first meal; I would not like Michael or one of the maids to be your first meal so I brought you this."

"I wouldn't eat anyone, just as I will not take that," Chichi said disgusted, "Just because I haven't killed them doesn't mean that I will drink the poor person's blood. And just for interest why do you care if I eat Michael or one of your maids?"

"Michael is a good friend of mine and I do not wish any unnecessary killing any more than you do. You are a vampyre now; do you suddenly feel you need to kill people? No? Well now you know, just because you are a vampyre does not mean you must be evil." Drake replied with a scornful look, "Now, if you are quite finished being childish and prejudiced, why not assuage your thirst?" He put his hand up for silence when it looked like she would object, "I know what you are going to say, but I thought that you might feel this way so I have brought you some pig’s blood, not human, pigs blood. Now drink." he commanded pouring some into the glass and handing it to her.

Chichi hesitantly took the glass and looked down at the slightly thick liquid in it, she sniffed it and although the smell of ham confirmed Drake's word it also made her stomach clench in its need for the blood and it was all she could do not to tip it all down her throat in one go. She would drink, she had to, but she would do it in a dignified way so as not to give him the satisfaction of seeing her dire need. She slowly drank from the glass, it was like drinking soggy fried bacon without the saltiness, but she couldn't stop her self from drinking it, it made the hunger lessen, and even though it tasted vile it also tasted unexplainable good. *Oh God, is this what my life will be like?* she thought with a shudder.

"Disgusting, is it not?" asked Drake, observing her reaction with interest; "I thought that you should know why sooner or later all vampyres switch to human blood."

Chichi pondered this, so this was why he hadn't tried to trick her into taking human blood, he knew that anything else tasted like liquefied tires. She gave a grudging smile, he was smart, she'd give him that. "Don't act all smug yet, just because it tastes gross doesn't mean I'll immediately go out and bite someone, I can handle a little harsh flavouring." she said.

"Hmm? Yes I expect you can, but you will need much more of that to satisfy your hunger than you would if you would just accept that humans are on the menu now." Drake replied, "And also you will not be as strong or have as much energy if keep up your alternate diet. You know, feeding and killing are not the same thing, I am sure you do not believe me but I will show you what I mean sometime." and with that he handed her the red bottle and stood up. "This is your room, there are some clothes in the wardrobe and dresser as I see you have discovered already. Feel free to walk about and explore, it is now 2:30 in the morning, do not open the curtains between 4:30 and 8:00 if you do not want to burn like a roman candle. See you when I get back." he said walking out.

Chichi just sat there shocked, holding the glass and the bottle, she had expected him to try and get her to accept being a vampyre or to go out and hunt or something, she didn't really know what she expected but it wasn't for him to simply leave her to her own devices, and in his house too. He was right about one thing, she still felt ravenous, no longer needing to hide the severity of her thirst she left the glass on a night table that she had also not noticed before and simply drank straight from the bottle. When she felt satisfied she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and grimaced at the taste of the stuff, 'I guess I'll just have to get used to it.' she thought, *I can't possibly drink someone's blood, I can't and I won't!* she added firmly to herself.

Once sure of herself again Chichi put aside the half empty bottle and got up to go explore. She walked up and down the hall, looking in rooms at random, her room was up stairs, it seemed and she went down to look around some more. She found a couple of maids dusting and cleaning in the usual manner, Chichi located the kitchen and found it well stocked and used, walking around some more she came to the dinning hall and a study. She was surprised to find that the study had a computer and looked like any normal small office, as she was leaving she stumbled across Michael. He gave her a button and told her to press it if she needed him, Chichi thought she could do with a nice bath (it had been a while since she'd had one), so she asked where the bathroom was, he smiled and told her that there was an en suite bathroom in her room. A little embarrassed, Chichi thanked him politely and rushed off.

As she sat in the bath washing, Chichi thought about her life, her situation and what it all meant. It was true what Drake had said, she did understand, at least a little anyway. She was a vampyre but as far as she could tell she was still the same person, apart from the craving for blood and the increase in her senses she had yet to find anything different about herself, so when he said that not all vampyres are the same, he had been right, they are as diverse as people. A vampyre is not evil because it is a vampyre but because the person that is a vampyre is them self evil. No! What was she thinking? Vampyres not evil? All vampyres need blood so they all have to kill sooner or later, she couldn't allow herself to get distracted. Vampyres tortured and killed her family, they left her deliberately so she would hurt and it was more than just one so it couldn't have been just the odd bad one. She could remember it all, the pain and torment....

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Chichi woke when she heard the sound of her mother talking to someone at the front door, her older brother and sister would be up still but she was only ten and had to go to bed early. She heard her mother invite the person in and a second later heard the person call out to someone outside. "What is going on here?" her fathers voice, "I don't remember saying you could invite anyone in!" Peeking over her covers she saw her sister come out of her room to investigate.

"Mom, what's going on?" she asked moving towards the stairs, "Mom!" she shouted as she saw something that Chichi could not see but could hear the sound of something being knocked over. Chichi wanted to know what was happening too so as her sister ran down stairs, Chichi climbed out of bed and taking Mr. Snuggles, her bear, she went to the hall. She could hear better as she approached, "...know what you think you're doing but if you don't leave now I'll have no choice but to shoot." Her father, "Mom, are you ok?" that was her sister, "Hey! Move near my wife again and I'll kill you!" her father again. Chichi could see what was going on now; some people had come into the house and now they were being nasty, shoving things about and wouldn't leave. Her dad had his rifle out and was pointing it at a tall man in a business suit; there were three others in gang leathers and jeans, two men and a woman. One of the others smiled derisively and went toward her mother and her father shot him without hesitation, the man collapsed holding his gut with groan. Chichi screamed and ran down the stairs to her mother, “Mummy I’m scared!” she cried.

“Its ok honey, it’ll be alright.” Soothed her mother, Chichi nodded and looked around, she gave another whimper and hid behind her mother as the man that got shot chuckled and got up.

“I never would have thought he’d have the guts to do that.” He said as four shocked people looked on. “I guess, since the secrets out, we can have our fun now, right boss?”

“Yes, I suppose you might as well, go on then Lutious have your fun.” The man in the suit replied, “But remember; the woman is mine.”

Just then Chichi heard a loud bang and the man called Lutious flew back into a wall. She looked up the stairs and saw her older brother holding the still smoking shotgun her father kept in his room; he must have heard everything from his room and got it. “Lutious!” screamed the female one, “Right, he’s mine, got that Wolf?!” she growled to the other man in leathers.

Then it all went to hell, the three spit off, Lutious climbed to his feet and dove at Chichi’s sister, the female attacked her brother and Wolf charged her father. She was left watching this, clinging to her mother as the man in the suit slowly walked towards her mother. Her dad was shooting at Wolf until he had no bullets but Wolf never even slowed, he was a giant of a man, he wore a sleeveless jacket so his huge muscled arms showed, he had to stoop slightly to not hit his head o the ceiling. Wolf grinned like a Cheshire cat and growled like the animal he was named after, then he tore into Chichi’s father so fast it was difficult to see, his hands beat and ripped and tore. Some of the blood splattered onto her and she was too stunned to do anything. Lutious had dragged her sister off into the kitchen and she couldn’t tell what he was doing. The Man in the suit had reached them now and her mother covered Chichi with her body to protect her. Then she was lifted off as if she weighed nothing. Distractedly Chichi could hear her sister start screaming.

“Now miss, I think we can’t have any fun if you sit like that.” He said and then threw her to the floor, as he reached down again his hand landed on the low hung silver cross her mother always wore around her neck. “Argh! What! You believe, fine; worship him if you want I shall send you to meet him. Die!” and he plunged his hand into Chichi’s mother’s stomach.

“Chichi….run.” she heard her mother get out before she collapsed, Chichi never even thought, she just got up and ran, she got as far as the stairs before the female came tumbling down them. She landed on a stunned Wolf and the next thing Chichi knew, her brother had run down the stairs and dragged her out of the front door, he was carrying her in his arms and she could see the house behind them. Suddenly there was a flicker of passing shadow and she felt her brother stop with a gasp, he put her down and when she looked again she saw the woman and a viscously grinning Wolf blocking their way.

In the time that they stared at each other Chichi had enough coherent thought to examine the two, Wolf was a huge man probably 7ft tall with great muscled arms and tree trunk legs, the gang leathers stretched against his large frame. He had wild black hair sweeping back from his head and startling light green eyes that glinted with a mad hunger. His face seemed to always be in a hungry violent expression like he was always on the verge of ripping them to shreds and eating the leftovers, he held himself hunched over, legs bent and perched on the balls of his feet like he was about to pounce, the overall impression really was of a mad hungry wolf. The woman on the other hand was of average height, she had fine, slim arms and a shapely figure, her long legs lightly muscled and her face might have been pretty if not for the scowl that had twisted into, her dark blue eyes burning with hate. She brought up a hand to brush a few strands of her short dark brown hair out of her eyes and she stood up proud and straight.

"Going somewhere?" the female snarled, "But I'm not finished with you yet boy, just for running out on me your sister has to watch." and with that she shot forward and grabbed him by the throat, lifting him up so his feet kicked uselessly in the air. It was strange for Chichi to see her big brother being lifted so easily by such a physically weak looking person, he was not small and he had always been there protecting her and comforting her. "Jason?" she said quietly to her brother as he was lifted and tried to struggle free of the woman’s grip, clawing at her arms and kicking wildly. Chichi couldn't take it; she ran at the woman and beat at her with all her tiny might yelling, "Leave my brother alone! Let him go! Let him go!"

Wolf grabbed her and pinned her arms to her sides and the female turned to look at her with a sadistic smile, "You want me to let him go, ok I can do that..." and she dropped him to the ground in front of Chichi. He collapsed to his hands and knees gasping in breaths and looked at Chichi with a sad knowing look, then the woman clutched his hair and pulled him back from behind, "...let him go to Hell!" she snarled and showing her great fangs bit down into his neck. Chichi screamed and bit down on one of Wolfs hands while stamping on his foot, she rand to her brothers aid but the evil female just snapped out a hand and knocked her back, she could do nothing as her brother was drained of his life, he looked at her with sad, tearful eyes and whispered his last words, "My little fighter..." Then the woman snarled and tore out part of his neck, Chichi fainted.

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Oh yes, Chichi remembered it all, when she had woke up they had taken her back to the house so that she could watch them drink her beaten and broken sister, then they burned the house and left her. Chichi didn't want to think about what happened to her sister in the kitchen. Vampyres all of them. Chichi had also heard other horror stories from people whose lives had been scarred or ruined by those filthy creatures. It hadn't been easy for her to survive alone, a ten-year-old child with no family to look after her. It had taken three years to locate her grandparents, they had moved to Georgia and she had had to learn to look after herself in the mean time. Her grandparents grieved the loss and they tried to comfort her but by then there was no need for comfort, no tears left only a need to get revenge and to wipe out the creatures forever.

She had studied every book and article she could find that looked even remotely connected to her quest, she had trained herself and she had let the hate grow. Chichi continued school and went to high school and college; she worked hard to make sure that her grandparents didn't have a hard time supporting and raising her. She was always polite and quiet but her grandparents still knew about the shadows and sadness that never seemed to leave her eyes.

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As he stalked the tunnels in the sewers beneath the city suburbs, heading home, Drake thought about Chichi, she was driven and strong willed, she was special in an unidentifiable way. The thing that she was still getting to grips with was the fact that being a vampyre did not immediately make you an evil person, it could amplify the evil that was already there if you let it but it was usually only with truly cruel people that this happened. Hunting is not evil, it is survival, if only he could make her see this maybe he could get her to stop choking down animal blood, he had an idea in mind but it was unpleasant and he wanted her to get used to what had happened already, it is not everyday, after all, that you get turned into a vampyre.

Drake turned down the tunnels automatically, not thinking, his mind on other matters. Why did she hate vampyres SO much? So some had killed her family, that was not reason enough to generate the burning hate that he saw in her eyes when he first saw her. And she had said 'vampyres', plural, that in and of itself was strange; there were not many vampyres that would share their kill; he would understand if it was a large number of people, then it could have been planned hunt, but a single family? Very strange. Well whatever the circumstances were, he would have to work on her trust and she also needed training to get her used to her new abilities.

Drake distractedly reached into some nearby shadows and twisted hard, there was a clearly audible -crack- and the body of the stalker fell to the ground for the rats to chew on, Drake continued on with almost no sign to indicate his awareness of what had just happened.

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When Chichi had finished her bath she dressed and went off to find the library or Michael (so he could show her the library), she thought she might as well see what was around and maybe read up on what she didn't know about vampyres. It turned out that she found the library by herself; it was, like everything else here, large and well looked after. Chichi looked for books on vampyres and their traits and weaknesses; she found however that the library didn't seem to have anything on vampyres besides the famous 'Dracula' novel by Bram Stoker. She was about to leave to find something else to do when she remembered the button that Michael had given her, I wonder if this works, I could ask him about the books too test it. she thought, she pressed the button and waited. After a minute or two she heard someone coming down the hall, Michael soon appeared in the doorway and looked at her expectantly, "Can I help you with something Miss Sanders?" he asked politely.

"Yes, I was looking around here for books about Vampyres; there don't seem to be any."

"The master keeps those in the dedicated section." He said, "Through here please." and he led her through a hidden side door similar to the one to her bathroom, "The master likes to keep his special books here, away from uninformed eyes." he commented.

"Err... thank you." Chichi replied as looked at the wall to wall books in the small room, she didn't even notice as Michael gave a slight bow and left, she was already looking over the first volume she had reached; "Creatures of the Night" Ok, this is a slightly unoriginal title, she thought but opened it anyway. The book seemed not to have a contents page, on the first page was the chapter title "Abominations", the chapter went on to describe various type of strange creature and information how to kill them. The next chapter was "Daemons" Chichi skipped past these pages trying to find "Vampyres", she stopped when she found a chapter titled "Vampires", This might be it. She thought and started reading; -- The Vampire or Vampiricus Noctali should not be mistaken for the Vampyre, the vampire is a creature of humanoid shape and size, capable of assuming a human appearance it can be live among humans quite easily. When in danger or during feeding it will shed this form for its true form, this is a much more easily recognisable form; the creature is large and well muscled with long arms and claws, it has a slightly elongated mouth for a better bite and though Vampires are also blood feeders they are far less intelligent or powerful than Vampyres. They are however greater in number, how these are spawned is unknown but it is thought... -- Chichi stopped reading, there are more than one type of vampyre like creature? Chichi stored this information away and was just about to continue on to the Vampyre chapter when she felt a chill run up her spine. She turn around and standing in the doorway was Drake, he was leaning against the doorframe, "So, you want to know about our kind, you will not find the true secrets of our race in that book, the most detailed information is in our language and I have yet to teach you that, as I have yet to teach you many things... Come, I have something I wish to tell you." He said and unhurriedly left. Chichi was curious as to the ancient creatures words, she closed the book, put it down and hurried after him.

"So old man, what did you want to talk about and why couldn't you tell me in the library?" Chichi asked as she walked into a large room that looked like it was a Gymnasium.

"I wanted to tell you that you will have to trust me, you need me to help you get accustomed to your new body and abilities, you need to learn how to fight better, you need to learn all the benefits and dangers that this new world has in store for you, this I wanted to tell you. If you want to get your revenge on the Vampyres that killed your family you WILL need help or you WILL get killed." Drake said, "I know what you are thinking, - This is bull, he wants something from me. - well I shall tell you this I do not intend to try and force you, this is entirely your choice but know this, I will not have you use my house and resources if you will not let yourself respect me, so if you refuse you may leave anytime before next week; after that I will throw you out. Now, make your choice."

Chichi thought about this, on the one hand he was a vampyre and was responsible for her current state, he had proven that he could be as ruthless as an animal. But on the other hand he had helped her overcome the shock of the change, given her first meal and an alternate to humans and given her some access to his library. She wasn't entirely sure about his reasons for choosing her or any of his actions but she had made her choice, it was surprisingly easy to make. She looked at him and answered, "If there is something you think I need to learn then teach me. I will stay here."

§ Chapter 1 ~ The Heart of a Vampire Main ~ Chapter 3 ~ Main Library §