Chapter Sixteen
~History Revealed~
Later that night, Laura sat in front of a small cookfire. Night had fallen, and all the sounds from the forest around her seemed amplified in the dark. Thankfully, Logan was with her.
He was diligently watching over a small hare that roasted over the fire. He had found and caught if for her, and was now preparing her meal. Laura watched as he meticulously rotated the branch the rabbit was speared on, watched as he kept it a perfect distance away from the fire to let the meat cook. She was absolutely ravenous, and aside from a few berries she found on the trip, hadn’t eaten all day.
“It’s ready,” Logan finally said, handing the branch to her. Laura took it, and was surprised at the weight of the animal. It was much heavier than it looked.
She took a bite – and was surprised again at the rich flavor the rabbit contained. Logan had cooked it perfectly, and all the juices flowed into her mouth deliciously. She was careful not to get any on the dress she was wearing, though.
“Hungry, huh?” Logan laughed. “I’ve forgotten what it’s like to eat a regular meal like that.”
“But apparently not how to cook,” Laura replied. “Where did you learn to do that?”
“I’ve been alive for a long time, remember?”
“Right.” Laura took another bite, and chewed it thoughtfully. “Can I ask you a question?”
“Now would be the best time.”
“Is it true what that other vampire said? About the punishment you’d face if they caught you?”
“I… I believe so,” Logan replied.
“It seems a little harsh, doesn’t it? When you think about it compared to the severity of the crime, I mean. From what little of it all I understand, it’s all because you took me into the dream world, isn’t it?”
Logan sighed. “It’s not that simple, Laura. What I did was prohibited by a doctrine sacred to our race. It’s a doctrine that has kept us alive and safe for all these years. It’s what keeps order in what we do, in who we are. It keeps us safe.
“Now, to be honest, I didn’t think anybody would notice if I showed that world to you. If we entered the dream world together. It was your dream, after all, and you have just as much a right to be there as anybody else. More, in fact. But typically humans only enter fleetingly, and not in full as we did.
“Usually, vampires stay away from human dreams, from human realms. The only time they would do so is in the hunt.”
“The hunt?”
“Yes. The dream world isn’t quite as wonderful as I made it seem. When it was discovered by vampires, they started taking full advantage. They would jump into humans’ dreams, haunt their dreams. It was used by hunters, to find and stalk their prey.”
“Wait, it was discovered? So you mean you didn’t always know you had the ability to enter that world?”
“No,” Logan admitted. “the first of our kind didn’t have the ability. It was only the first converts, the first vampires who were born human, who discovered it. A purebred vampire – one who is born a vampire, not converted – lacks the ability to dream. The ones who were converted, they knew of dreams from their previous lives. And with their new abilities, they learned to enter that world.”
“What abilities do you mean? Is it like the mind thing you showed me? Can every vampire do that?”
“No. I’m the only one I know of. Although, that doesn’t necessarily mean there aren’t others. You see, aside from the physical benefits of our race – speed, strength, vision, all that – each Vassiz has another, more mysterious ability. Most keep theirs secret, and don’t share with others. Not even with others in their own pack. We’re a selfish bunch, you see,” he laughed.
“But you shared with me,” she marveled.
“Yes, I did. But understand that I’m not like most others. When a human is newly converted… as I was, all those years ago… they want nothing to do with other humans. Except to take their blood. Most converts go into hiding, and the packs seek them out. Slowly, as converts acclimatize their new… talents… they can withstand human contact better.”
“What do you mean, ‘withstand’? Is there something wrong with humans, for vampires? For the Vassiz, I mean?”
“Well, first of all, you stink,” Logan laughed. “New converts are repulsed by humans as a species. Taking their blood, feeding on them, killing them – it becomes an obsession. The drive to do so can overwhelm a convert without the proper guidance. And too much blood too quickly can kill a vampire, if he’s not careful.
“Now, the purebreds, they don’t have that problem with humans. They have the same drive to feed, the same need for blood, but they aren’t repulsed by humans, either. That’s why they can be found living right beside humans in society.”
“But you were living amongst humans, right? Before you came to my school?”
“Yes,” he laughed. “My conversion did not go as smoothly as it could have. I am told I fought it, resisted the poison until I nearly died. Because of that, I think I retained a better… affinity for humans. A better regard for them.
“It helps that I have little love for my own kind. Most are a selfish, hating breed. There are some who are not like that, though…” his eyes became sad, “… though most of them were killed a long time ago. ‘Purification,’ the elders called it. To get rid of the weakest of our race.
“I was around when it happened, and only nearly avoided getting caught in it myself. It was a ridiculous undertaking. It spread as a wild cult idea, at first, the notion of purification. But then the elders started to listen, and they were seduced by the poisonous whispers of their followers. The peace that existed between the vampires was broken, and warring factions broke out.
“There was one I knew. One I cared deeply about. And she was caught on the wrong side of it all.” His jaw clenched.
“Who was she?” Laura asked. “What happened to her?”
Logan sighed. “Her name was Maria. She was the love of my life.” Laura felt an inexplicable stab of jealousy as he said that. “She was one of the first to take pity on humans, and dreamed of coexistence with them in the future. A world where vampires did not have to hide their true selves. And where humans did not have to fear us.
“She was the first to be targeted in the purification. She was set up as an example of the weakest of our race. But nothing could be further from the truth…” He trailed off, staring into the distance.
“…was this very long ago?” Laura asked.
“Almost two centuries.” Logan sighed. “But that’s neither here nor there.”
“Do you… still love her?” A small voice in the back of Laura’s head told her she was a fool for asking such a question, for bringing up ghosts of the past. But she had a burning desire to know.
“I… ahh. She was a part of my life, but you must understand it was a very long time ago. The memories I still hold… they have paled and dulled as the years have gone by. The truth is, I do not think I can still remember her face.” He shook his head gruffly. “This is a poor subject to draw our attention to. I shouldn’t have brought it up. We have more pressing matters to attend to now.” He picked up a twig and started poking at the fire haphazardly. “The vampires that are after us… that is of importance. I’ve told you nearly all I know about our species. Laura, you have to understand the danger we face. The ones coming after us, they’re perfect killing machines. And if they ever catch us, they will not show mercy.”
“Your eyes,” Laura said suddenly, remembering she felt when they first met. “You haven’t mentioned your eyes.”
“Oh?” Logan raised an eyebrow. “And what would I have said?”
“When I first met you,” Laura explained, “and you first looked on me… I felt an enormous stab of fear. It was gone as soon as I blinked, but it was there. Why?”
“Ah. Well, yes, that might have happened. Our eyes can strike fear, irrational and completely primal fear, into humans. It’s always different, how people react. And the effect gets stronger the further away we are from a feeding. Usually, we can control it, decide when to let it work, but sometimes that control falters… the further we’ve been from a feeding.”
“The longer you go without blood?”
“That’s right. When the hunger strikes, it’s difficult to control yourself. That’s why I was so… withdrawn… that first week you met me. If I had been engaged, with all those humans at the school, well… let’s just say that murder would have struck slightly closer to home for many of you.”
“So you were controlling yourself? Restricting your desire?”
“Yes. I had to find a… target… for my feeding. Somebody I would have no moral qualms overtaking. Well, maybe that’s not quite right. There are always morals that fight in conflict deep within me, every time I take a life, but – I try to push them down by feeding only on those who deserve to die.” He barked a laugh. “But who am I to make such decisions? The truth is, what I am repulses me in those moments. But it’s the only way to survive.”
Laura felt a yawn coming, and tried to stifle it, but it escaped anyway. She didn’t want to be disrespectful, and what Logan was telling her was fascinating. “You need to sleep, don’t you?” Logan said.
“Yes,” she admitted. “What about you?”
“I’ll stay guard and watch.” Logan put out the fire by kicking some dirt over it. “I wish I had something you could sleep on, but…” he spread his hands, “…looks like the ground will have to do for tonight.”
“That’s alright,” Laura answered. She thought it a shame to soil the dress by sleeping on the ground, but it wasn’t like there were any other options. Logan sat down, facing the direction they had come from, away from her, and Laura tried to find a comfortable position on the dirt. It was hard. Roots and rocks poked at her, and there was no comfort on the rigid earth. She lay awake for what seemed like hours. When she finally found sleep, it was of a restless sort, and dark nightmares haunted her dreams.