Epilogue

  The young human’s heart raced. I could hear him trying to control his breathing, but it was becoming too ragged. I could see the barrel of the rifle starting to shake. There was no way he was going to make the shot; I smiled as he tried to concentrate. Sorry kid not a chance, I thought to myself.

  The rifle fired. I watched the bullet travel towards the deer, it amazed me that I could watch a .270 bullet fly after being fired. I could see that the trajectory of the bullet was going to take it over the deer’s shoulder, I smiled again.

   ’Damn it!’ the boy grumbled as the bullet missed.

   ’Watch your mouth please Gabriel, you know your Gloria doesn’t like it when you use that kind of language, especially when you use it in English.’

   ’Sorry Conner. I so thought I had that one.’

   ’Not with you breathing and trigger pull.’

   ’Can we look for another one?’

  I looked up at the sky and could see that the sun had drifted off to the west, ’Nah it would take several hours to find one. You know you Gloria doesn’t like it when we stay out here to long.’

   ’I know, but Gloria isn’t even back from Paris yet, she wont know if we’re out here too late.’

   ’I would know though. There’s a reason why Gloria doesn’t like you out Gabriel.’

   ’I know, I belong to a powerful family so I have powerful enemies.’ Gabriel recited Gloria’s line for at least the thousand time.

  I took the rifle from Gabriel and slung it over my shoulder, ‘Shall we head back to the house? I’ll play some that new fighting game if you want; Sebastian is still pissed and wants a rematch.’

  A few years ago Gabriel and I introduced Sebastian to video games, I thought I was going to stop letting him play after having to buy several new televisions because of his temper exploding after losing at one of the golf games. The fighting games were a lot of fun to watch him play because he would start growling and snarling when he lost, something that never seemed to scare or bother Gabriel in the slightest.

  ’We could do that if you don’t mind getting a new TV.’ Gabriel joked.

   ’I don’t mind.’

  The boy and I walked in silence for a time, ’Have you figured out what you want for your twelfth birthday yet?’ I asked.

  Gabriel smiled from ear to ear, ’I take that as a yes?’ I asked.

   ’Do you think Gloria would let me get a dirt bike?’ he asked.

  I laughed, ‘Probably not. But if that’s what you would like I’ll talk to her about it.’

   ’You could just get me one without telling her.’

   ’Yeah like she wouldn’t notice one in the garage.’

   ’Yeah, but you’ll talk to her about it?’

   ’If that’s what you would like, sure.’

  We walked along for awhile in silence again, I loved walking with the boy, he was so noisy when he walked. I loved to listen to all the little creepy crawlies running for their lives at the sound of his approach. The little rodents hearts would sound like they were going to explode in their bodies as they scurried off.

   ’Conner can I ask you something?’

   ’Sure.’

   ’How come you look like something from a monster movie?’ 

  Gabriel didn’t look up at me as we walked; he kept his eye looking down at the ground trying not to trip as we walked back to the house.

  We had never told Gabriel about us being vampires. Of course Gloria and I had always talked about how we would one day tell him, but we had never came to an agreement on what would be said or when the proper time would be. The only agreement that we had come to was that I was going to tell him.

  To the best of my knowledge Gabriel never question what we were. Gloria and I were his parents, though he knew he was adopted and that his real parents were dead, it had never gone beyond that. To Gabriel, Emma was his older sister and Sebastian was her husband. Frank was our crazy cousin that we took care of and that Gloria’s sister Tabitha and her husband live in the United States.

   ’You think I look like something from a monster movie?’ I asked.

   ’Well I kind of always thought that. I mean come on Conner, you and everyone else has red eyes but me.’

  I had forgotten about that, I wondered if Gloria had ever thought about how we never wore contacts anymore.

   ’Yeah the eyes are a little hard to explain aren’t they?’

   ’What are you, I mean I know you’re my dad and all, but are you like a monster or something? Not a bad one, but like a good monster?’

  I laughed at Gabriel’s comment, ’Are you sure you want to know?’

  Gabriel’s face lit up, ’Yeah.’

   ’Well, you’re going to laugh, but we’re…vampires.’ I said.

   ’I so knew it! I so knew you were a vampire.’ Gabriel said full of excitement.

   ’Only you wouldn’t be scared of living with a house full of vampires.’

   Gabriel laughed, ’I so knew you were. Do I get to be a vampire?’

  I laughed, ’If you want to.’

   ’I do! I want that for my birthday.’

   ’Well you can’t have that. At least not right now.’

   ’Why not.’ Gabriel asked full of disappointment.

   ’Well for one, I’m sure you don’t want to be stuck at twelve for the rest of your life.’

   ’Oh, I didn’t think about that.’

   ’Yeah, your sister Emma, she’s was changed at fourteen.’

   ’Really?’

   ’Yeah, you want to hear something funny?’

   ’Yeah.’ Gabriel said getting excited as he learned the truth about our family.

   ’Emma is actually older than me.’

   ’Really?’ he said in awe.

   ’Yeah, and guess what? Gloria is too.’

   ’Holy cow.’

   ’Gloria ate a cow once.’

   ’What?’ he laughed.

   ’Yeah long time ago, before I was changed into a vampire.’

   ’Who changed you?’

   ’Gloria.’

   ’Wow.

   ’I was being clumsy and bumped her mouth with my hand.’

   ’Wow. So who’s older you or Sebastian?’

   ’Sebastian is. Sebastian’s over four thousand years old.

  Gabriel’s eyes about popped out of his head when he heard that.

   ’So how old are you?’ Gabriel asked.

   ’Forty three.’

   ’How old is Gloria?’

   ’Seventy two.’

   ’Wow. How old is Frank?’

   ’We’re not sure. We think between a hundred and twenty and a hundred and thirty. Frank wasn’t always the way he was, there was this vampire named Cline that changed Frank and threw him into a hole and kept him in there for over a hundred years.’

   ’How did he get out?’

   ’I let him out.’

   ’Oh. So when can I become a vampire?’

  I smiled and said, ’When ever you want after you grow up I guess.’

   ’On my eighteenth birthday?’

   ’If you want.’

   ’Cool, what’s it like being a vampire?’

   ’Oh I don’t know. Like being human but different. I’m a lot stronger then I was when I was a human. Faster too.’

   ’How much stronger?’

  I smiled, ’Watch this.’ I said handing Gabriel back his rifle.

  I walked several yards away from him and squared up to a huge tree.

   ’You watching?’

   ’Yeah!’ he said full of excitement.

  With all the speed and strength that I had I punched the tree. My fist when right through the it, then I ripped my arm out the side of the tree and then knocked it down.

   ’Holy s**t!’ Gabriel said in shock, ’I didn’t even see what you did, what did you do.’

   ’I just knocked it down.’

   ’Will I be able to do that too?’

   ’Yeah.’

   ’I can’t wait to become a vampire.’

   ’It hurts becoming a vampire.’ I warned.

   ’Really? How bad.’ Gabriel asked fearfully.

   ’Worse than anything you could imagine I’m afraid.’

   ’Are you just trying to scare me, or are you serious.

   ’Oh I’m serious. Don’t let your mom change you; you might end up looking like me.’

   ’How long does it take?’

   ’I took me about nine days. But I was the exception. It only took Gloria like three days.’

   ’Is it because you all are vampires I’m not allowed to go out?’

   ’Yes.’

   ’Wouldn’t it be better if I was a vampire then?’

   ’Yes, but right now your too young. Once your older, I don’t really see how you could stay human, it’s far too dangerous for you in the world not to be one of us. Gloria does not like the idea of you becoming one of us, so don’t bring it up to her.’

   ’Okay.’

   ’Come on kiddo, let’s get back to the house.’

   ’Will you tell me more about vampires later?’

   ’Sure.’

   ’How come you don’t sleep in coffins?’

  I laughed at Gabriel’s question, ’Don’t worry I’ll explain everything to you before Gloria gets home.’

   ’Promise?’

   ’Promise.’