Playing the Game

         Jess stood on the balcony and watched the colorless world below her. The world was bright yet everything was grey and missing the wonderful colors of life that could only be seen during the day.  The honking of car horns and people laughing made her long for the life she didn’t have anymore.

         “We are leaving in a few minutes. Make sure you are ready.”

         Jess turned to see Wesley standing in the doorway.  He was dressed in his usual attire of all black.  This made her wish he would put some color into his wardrobe.  Their life was so filled with darkness and his color choices made it so much worst.  Black was the color of death and Jess was tired of being reminded of it.

         “I’ll be ready in a few minutes, came out to get some air..”

         He stepped up behind her and wrapped his arms around her middle. She could feel his lips press against her neck and then the slightest pressure of his teeth against her skin. It was his way of warning her. The teeth were removed and replaced by his lips as he kissed her neck gently. “Get ready now!”

                   

         Wesley had chosen one of the night clubs where the younger people hung out.  He always felt that the young people who just started going to night clubs were gullible and able to fall for anything. Jess guessed that he was correct since it was a place exactly like this that he had found her.

         Before they had entered the bar he had pulled her aside and reminded her that the night she was turned, she had became his property. The bite marks on her arm still stung, even though they healed instantly. She knew it was more in her head than anything else.

         He walked into the club with the air of someone who belonged.  Jess followed, holding her head down, not wanting to be there.  She had on her favorite jeans and a silk shirt that was in a soft pink color.  The feeling of silk against her skin, almost made her feel normal and like everyone else who was in the place. Still these materials things couldn’t make her forget what she had become and was destined to be the rest of her eternal life.

         “There’s an empty table over there.  Why don’t you go there and I’ll head to the bar.”  He whispered into her ear.

         “Whatever.”

         “This is your life now, get use to what you have to do.”

         “Not by choice,” Jess whispered as she turned away from Wesley. The night she had met Wesley, she was celebrating her seventh birthday. She was out with some friends and this incredible hot looking guy came up to her. After that night she was completely at his mercy. It wasn’t until her eighteenth birthday that he made her completely his. Nothing like on those teenage movies about vampires that everyone watches.

         She made her way to the table that Wesley had pointed out. Of course, it wasn’t in a secluded corner like she would have picked, but in a place prominent where everyone would see her. A little bit of excitement grew in her stomach. This made her even more disgusted with herself.

         Once she settled in the seat, she looked around the place. It wasn’t packed, but the volume was still loud. Music and people talking always created loudness. The ratio to men versus woman was certainly in the men’s favor and Jess couldn’t help but wonder how many of the men were here to play a game.

         Wesley appeared with a drink and placed it in front of Jess. He had a beer in his left hand and took a sip while sitting beside her.  He also did a scan of the room. When he leaned closer, the first thing Jess wanted to do was lean away, but stayed where she was.

         “There should be plenty to pick from.  I’ll be over at the bar to see if anyone will come to me. We’ll use the regular signals.”

         He got up just as quickly as he appeared and headed toward an area across the room. They were both in position.

         Jess took the drink Wesley had given her and took a sip. After a year, she had learned the best way to get what she wanted. She needed to be the shy one. Acting like she wasn’t interested in anything but her drink and a book.

         She reached into the bag she always carried and pulled out a book she had gotten earlier in the night before Wesley gotten around. Jess always got up before Wesley and savored her time when the night first came.

         Jess flipped open the book to the last page she had read and took another sip of the drink. The sweetness of the drink covered her taste buds. She hoped that everyone would ignore her and she would be able to just continue reading her book.  The book really intrigued her and this was the only time she had to read.

         She found the book in an all night shop which featured items which catered to people’s interest in the occult.  The place smelled like incense and had objects which couldn’t be found in the local superstores. What had gotten Jess’s attention were the rows of books. She had spent hours looking through the books. Coming back night after night, hoping to find something.

         The smell of blood pumping through veins brought her out of the spell of the book. She knew instantly that the time to play the game had come. A few deep breaths calmed her. Although she had done this a hundred times, she always got nervous when someone approached her. If anyone knew what she was up to, they could destroy her.

         She knew when the person sat beside her and she looked up. The shop owner smiled at her and she smiled back.

         “I hate to bother you while you’re reading, but I wanted to say hello and offer to buy you a drink.”

         “Um…. Sure.”

         He got up and headed to the bar. She caught sight of Wesley and he nodded his head, but she didn’t nod back. She hadn’t decided if she wanted this. Before she came to a decision, the man was back with to glasses of red wine. He sat one in front of Jess and held the other one between his hands.

         “I wanted to thank you,” he said as he watched Jess.

         “For what?”

         “My nights are typically boring with people coming in to find ways to put spells on people. You were the first normal person who’d come in for a while.”

         “I’m not so normal.”

         “Why would you say that?”

         “Just trust me.”

         The guy gave Jess a curious look. She knew by the look that he was wondering what was going on with her. The strange thing was that she wanted to tell him. She wanted to tell him what had changed her entire life. The real reason she was sitting here tonight, but she couldn’t.

         “Are you enjoying the book?” the man pointed to the book that Jess had her hands on as if protecting it.

         Jess nodded her head. “I can’t believe what some people will believe.”

         “You’re not a believer?”

         “No.”

         “Then why read it?”

         “Because it’s interested to see what some people will believe.”          Suddenly her phone that was sitting on the table decided to go off. She picked it up, reading the text message from Wesley.

         IS IT A GO?

         She hit the end button and ignored the phone, placing it onto the table on top of the book.

         The guy nodded his head as if understanding the situation without another word said.

         Jess took a sip of the wine which the man had given her. It was delicious, but also made her hungry. She relaxed a little while coming to understand that this meeting would end just like it was planned to. With a nod of her head to allow her brother to know things were good, she was also accepting her fate in a way.

         Jess looked at the man, sitting across from her. “Can I ask you something?”

“Sure.”

         “What made you decided to own a shop like you do?”

         “Looking for answers.”

         “For what answers?”

         “I guess for what people can really believe in.”

         The conversation moved to different subjects from there. They talked about more books, movies, and other things of interest.  Throughout the whole time, Jess never asked his name. It would make things easier in the end. They ended up talking for three hours. Wesley would text her telling her to hurry up, but something made her keep talking.

Finally, she knew it couldn’t be prolonged anymore. She looked at her watch, hoping he would take the hint.

         “Are you ready to leave?”

         “Yeah. I promised my brother I would meet his new girlfriend for a drink.”

         “Can I walk you to your car?”

         “I don’t drive, but you could walk me to my brothers.”

         Jess put her book and phone back into her bag, followed the man out of the door. The air was chillier than it had been earlier, but it felt good after sitting in the club for so long.

         She walked beside the man, her heart beating faster with every step. Her hunger was also growing.  The anticipation was terrible. Knowing so much about this man made everything feel right, which wasn’t something that had ever happened to her before.

         Jess turned the corner into an alley, starting to search through her bag as if looking for her keys. She could tell that the man had followed her. Stepping into a doorway, she waited for the man to get into place. She continued to search for the imaginary keys as the man stepped behind her. It was time to finish the game

         As she allowed her fangs to drop, she could see Wesley walking up behind Grant. Without really thinking, she pushed Grant backwards and watched as his fangs also dropped down.

         Grant swiveled and attacked Wesley with no sound. Although Jess was prepared to fight, she didn’t need to. Before she could even take a few steps forward, there were at least half a dozen other vampires who were also attacking Wesley.

         It was over quickly and a pile of dust was all that was left of the man who turned her into a vampire and a slave. Jess found herself staring down at the pile and wondering how her life would have been different if she had never meant Wesley at the club two years ago.

         “Happy birthday!” Grant whispered in her ear and he wrapped his arm around her shoulders. “You won’t ever have to deal with him again.”



The End