Dark Famiglia

Chapter 7

The school nurse senses Sabrina’s nervousness and the fact that she is the vampire he sensed the other day. He smiles to let Sabrina know he doesn’t mean any harm and quell her nerves.

“It’s alright. It’s my fault for not paying attention to where I’m going. Run along now before your friends start worrying about you.” says the school nurse as he steps aside to let Sabrina pass. Sabrina quickly runs past the school nurse without looking back. Once Sabrina is out of sight, the school nurse sighs.

“Looks like she is afraid of me. That’s to be expected, though. A new vampire like her hasn’t had the chance to meet anyone of her kind before now.” says the school nurse with a faint smile.

The school nurse walks back to his office to resume reviewing reports while Sabrina finds Kason and Miguel waiting for her in the school courtyard. The day goes on and Sabrina returns home and drinks the last blood bag. Sabrina runs through the woods as fast as she can. She jumps over and under trees and rocks, chasing her prey. Sabrina corners a buck deer against a rock wall and jumps on top of it. She transforms into her vampire form and bites into the deer’s neck, sucking the blood out of its body until it's dead. After drinking her fill, Sabrina wipes away the blood off her chin and licks it off of her finger. Her eyes return to normal and Sabrina looks up at the sky through the tree canopy. The sun is starting to rise, which means Sabrina has to get back home before her family wakes up. Sabrina runs home and jumps into her room through the window she left open.

Sabrina takes a quick shower and gets dressed for the day. The outfit she chose for today is a pair of skinny blue jeans, a red crop top, and a pair of high heel boots. She ties her hair up in a simple bun and puts makeup on, such as black mascara, black eyeliner, champagne-colored eyeshadow, and red lipstick. It's not too gaudy or bold, just the right amount. She also clasps on a pendant around her neck. Since she first brought the red mini rose encased in amber resin to school three weeks ago, Sabrina decided to take it to the jewelers and turn it into a pendant. Sabrina grabs her book bag and heads to school. Sabrina has been hunting animals in the woods after running out of her supply of human blood. She tried sneaking into the local clinic, but they were short on human blood. She’s been getting weaker each day. It’s currently lunch break at school and Sabrina finally dares to tell Kason and Miguel about being a vampire. Sabrina stops eating and turns toward Kason and Miguel.

“Kason, Miguel?” Sabrina calls out as she gathers her courage.

“What is it, Sabrina?” Miguel asks curiously.

“I have something to tell you. Just don’t freak out about what I’m about to tell you. How should I put this? Well, you see, I'm a vampire. Usually, you would see vampires in books and movies, but they're real. One hundred percent real. I'm living proof of it. I have to drink human blood to stay alive. I've been a vampire since I lived in the orphanage. I didn’t want to tell you about my secret, but lately, I’ve been thinking that I can trust you." Sabrina explains as she holds out her right hand.

Sabrina shows Miguel and Kasen the antique ring on her right hand.

"I wear this ring so I can walk outside during the day. I know this is hard to understand and believe, but you must promise me one thing. Never tell my secret to anyone. There are people out there in this unforgiving world who want to kill vampires.” Sabrina says as her voice shakes with fear.

After listening to Sabrina explain to them that she is a vampire and trusts them enough to tell them her secret, Kason and Miguel are determined to keep Sabrina’s secret hidden. They know that Sabrina is feeling alone and scared. They feel that Sabrina will reveal more of her past to them when she feels ready to speak about it. Besides, Sabrina is their friend. On the other hand, Sabrina is like a sister to Kason. As Kason got to know Sabrina over the last three weeks, she reminded him of his sister. But the question remains: Why is Sabrina’s smile only a façade?

"We won't tell anyone. Besides, you're our friend." Miguel says with a smile.

Kasen smiles as well. When Sabrina hears Miguel say that he is her friend, relief washes over her.

"You mean it? You'll be my friend even though I'm a monster?" Sabrina asks through a teary smile.

"You're not a monster, Sabrina. You chose to be a vampire of your own free will, right? I'm sure you have your reasons, but we want to protect you no matter who or what you are. No matter who comes after you, we won't show mercy to the people who want to hurt our friend. We need to train to fight off any enemies that come across us." Kasen declares.

Kasen smiles and bumps Miguel's fist with his.

"Anyway, that ring of yours is unique. Is it a family heirloom? I also noticed that cross on your bracelet. It reminds me of the vampires on TV." Miguel says jokingly.

Sabrina looks at the antique ring again and wipes away her tears.

"You could say that it’s an heirloom. But I didn’t receive it from my family. This ring was given to me by that person I told you about when we first met." Sabrina says as she gives Kasen and Miguel a sad smile.

Kasen and Miguel become curious about Sabrina’s friend but are hesitant to ask. But by the expression on Sabrina’s face, they know this person she speaks of is important to her.

"So… could you tell us about your friend? If you don't mind, that is?" asks Miguel hesitantly.

"I might as well tell you. It's just that you're the first people I've told about Jayden. It's not something I particularly care to talk about." Sabrina confesses as she sits down on one of the benches in the school courtyard.

"I met Jayden when I was seven years old. I had been living in the orphanage for a few years in Phoenix. Most of the children there constantly bullied me because I was such a timid child," Sabrina explains.

"That’s right. You did mention that you lived in an orphanage until you were adopted.” Kason says.

“My dad is still alive. He brought me to the orphanage and told the woman who cared for the children there that he couldn't take care of me anymore. It was a year after my mom died. I was only five years old then. As I said, I was a timid child back then. I didn't talk to anyone and was shy. Two years after I had come to the orphanage, a young boy came to live there. He saw that the other children were bullying me and protected me from their insults. After that, I just naturally opened up to him. After a short while, Jayden and I became best friends. A few months after Jayden came to live at the orphanage, he and I went to the same foster family. The family was abusive and was always beating me up. Jayden was always protecting me from them. After living with them for so long, it was found out that they were traffickers who sold the children they took in as slaves to other countries. Jayden is the boy who turned me into a vampire." Sabrina says as she touches her daylight ring.