Kip
The Twilight of Kip’s Human Life
It’s obvious that Charlie doesn’t believe me about vampires being real. Not that I blame him. I didn’t believe in this shit until Tyson accidentally turned me into one. It is some pretty crazy shit.
But, it doesn’t really matter if Charlie believes me right now, because here I am at vampire central. Or at least, I’m hoping this club is for actual vampires, not only weirdos who pretend to be vampires. Not that there’s anything wrong with pretending to be a vampire, to each their own, but that’s not for me. I never wanted to be a vampire.
“What can I get you?” The bartender sounds bored. But I notice that his eyes are gray, which Tyson told me was the telltale sign of a vampire.
Mine happened to be blue-gray before being bitten, so the change in the color wasn’t as noticeable. But Tyson had said he used to have brown eyes.
“I’ll take one Vampire’s Kiss. The drink, not like an actual kiss from you, you know, since you’re obviously a vampire.” I wink at the bartender, letting him know that I’m in on the big vampire secret.
The vampire bartender rolls his eyes. “Anything else?”
I lean in close. “Yeah, I’m looking for somethingfresh. If you catch my drift.”
“Look, buddy. I don’t have time for your weird flirting. Either order, or go away.”
“Hey, if I was flirting you would know it. I’m new to this whole ‘vamp thing’. My buddy accidentally turned me yesterday, and he said if I don’tget feed in the next couple of days, it’s lights out for me.” I mime drawing a blade across my throat while crossing my eyes and sticking out my tongue.
The bartender sighs. “Listen. If you’re serious, you gotta pass the initiation first. And you can’t do that until you’re fully fledged. So I can’t help you, unless you want to order another drink beside’s the Vampire’s Kiss.”
“But how do I find someone to feed from?! I don’t wanna die, dude. I’m too young and sexy!”
The bartender doesn’t respond, instead giving me a deadpan stare.
“Fine, I’ll just take two Vampire’s Kisses.” I pout.
“That’ll be forty dollars.”
“What?! Are you serious? Forty dollars for two tiny cocktails? And you’re not even helping me find blood!? What a rip off!”
The bartender stares me down.
Whipping out my wallet, I hand over two twenties and a five as a tip. “For the record, I don’t think you really deserve this tip, but it’s against my morals to not leave one.”
I take the two minuscule glasses filled mostly with ice, and some type of red drink concoction. I don’t have to search hard to pick Charlie out of the crowd. It’s like we’re tied together, my eyes like heat seeking missiles, tracking onto him.
“These drinks were twenty dollars a piece. They better be the best drinks we’ve ever tasted.” I say as I slide in next to Charlie, handing him his drink.
Charlie grimaces. “I’ll get the next round.”
“Good, because I also don’t want to deal with the bartender again. Dude was a dick. And I don’t say that lightly.”
I scoot over until I’m pressed up against Charlie from shoulder to knee. He stiffens against me, unsure about the contact.
After a minute of tense silence (which I’m not about to break, because I’m kinda enjoying seeing him squirm. It means I affect him in some way), Charlie takes a sip of his drink.
“Oooh, that’s actually really good! You gotta try yours!” Charlie lights up, taking another swig.
I take a tentative sip. “Alright, that is pretty good. But not twenty dollars good.”
The night progresses, and we both spend an ungodly amount of money on booze. I know for a fact that Charlie is going to get sick from all the sweet drinks. I don’t know if vampires get stomachaches. And I don’t think the booze hits me as strong as it used to. I’d ask Tyson, but I’m not speaking to him right now. I guess I’m going to have to learn on my own, maybe with the help of Charlie.
Charlie has loosened up since we got here, and let me tell you, he is a chatty little dude when he’s wasted. “Well, there are some—” hiccup “vampires who are pure evil, ya know? Like from that movie ‘Fright Night’? But it all depends on the media. Like in Twilight, there are vampires who are good and vampires who aren’t. Although I don’t think being avegetarianvampire—” Charlie snorts “is common lore. Could you imagine? Hunting and feeding off of helpless little bunnies and squirrels? That’s fucking sick.”
I nod enthusiastically. “Right!? That’s what I thought when I watched Twilight. At least humans can consent.”
