Vampire Lessons (Completed)

Chapter 1 Lecturing Professor

Chapter 1 Lecturing Professor

"Vampires? You want to know about vampires? Are you sure? Once you know something, there is almost no unknowing it. Sometimes I would give everything I own to forget most of what I know. I'm not just talking about vampires, either. Alas, that is not why you're here. You want to know about vampires?" Mr. Angelov sat in the high backed chair that he had been in when we were led into the room by Mr. Smith.

I had called Mr. Angelov to get the appointment a month ago and it had taken all of ten minutes to explain what I wanted. At first, Mr. Angelov had refused, through Mr. Smith, but I left my name and number with Mr. Smith and Mr. Angelov had called me back the next day agreeing to see us.

Mr. Angelov lived only five miles from me in a giant Victorian Mansion built in 1856. The elegant Italianate style Mansion sat on over 5 1/2 acres and I had always wanted to see inside its walled boundaries.

Mr. Angelov was known throughout New Hope as a crazy old extravagant recluse. There were so many rumors about the man they could fill a book. Hmm... we could have done our paper on Mr. Angelov. I smiled at the thought.

"First, know that vampires do exist. Although the creatures of mythology largely contradict the popular view of most vampires, they do exist. They exist at all corners of the world and in nearly every culture known to man. Although they exist as superstition and folklore, they persist in appearing in the dark shadows of humanity. Often times, those things we consider mythology, have, in some small way, a foundation of truth to them.

"One of the purposes of my research was to find the origin of the myths and try to ascertain whether any truth ever existed in them during the long-forgotten history of mankind. They've spent many millennia among humans, and keeping their existence secret has always been paramount to their survival."

He sounded like a dry lecturing professor and I was already starting to get bored. My mouth was dry and the back of my throat was irritated like I had eaten a spoonful of peanut butter and wasn't able to swallow it all. I tried to look like I was paying attention when I was really looking at the antiques all around the room. Anything to keep from thinking about the feeling in the back of my throat.

"We only know about them because they can't be everywhere at once. I have always gotten the truth or I don't stop looking for it. However, they have worked hard to make each story become myth and fable."

There was an antique desk along the wall I was facing. It was a roll top with a dark red-brown finish. There were stacks of papers, folders, books, files, newspaper clippings, preventing it from being rolled closed. High on the top of the desk was what looked like a skull. In front of it, there were piles of jars, old ink jars, tiny pieces of paper piled atop of each other so my view from that angle wasn't the best.

"They have their own forms of government. It's much like our own. Some offices are based on election while others are designated by age, ability, or birth. It's quite complicated really. Much more so than our own governments.

"They are immensely like humans and can, and do, coexist with them. They eat, drink, live, play, love and sleep as humans do. The difference is a gene in their DNA. They are extremely anemic. Now, I don't mean they have an iron deficiency as humans do. It is deeper, much deeper than that.

"To truly understand, you would need to be a genetic biologist or some such. I am not and therefore cannot explain it meticulously enough. Suffice to say; regardless of the cause, they do drink blood. They have adapted to the disorder in ways that allows them to survive.

"Now, we all know vampires can't go out in the sun, right?" He paused. I noticed Kyle roll his eyes and nod. "Wrong. I've already told you. They blend in. Wouldn't you notice a neighbor that always avoided the sun? One who never walked down the drive to check the mail, mowed the lawn only at night, someone would notice." he lifted a bushy eyebrow quizzically.

"But more importantly they," he stressed the word, "do have fangs." He paused, the old man laughed, then continued, "I can see the disbelief in your eyes. I assure you that it is true." He did not sound the least bit old or weak. Although he defiantly sounded crazy.

This had got my attention; I turned from studying the fireplace to look at Mr. Angelov instead. Eric, Kyle's twin brother, seemed just as uninterested as possible. He was inspecting the room as I had been.

Angelov had paused and waited for our reaction. He was right; we didn't believe him. We had to write a term paper for English class but we didn't have to believe it. It had been Amy's idea to write about vampire lore. I wanted to do a piece about famous women in history; Kyle had wanted to do one on wrestling. Eric had not expressed an opinion, he simply said it was up to us. Brandon hadn't cared, he just wanted to pass. We ended up pulling the subject out of a hat. Bad luck that!

Ha-ha, I made a rhyme.

"If they have fangs wouldn't that make it harder to 'blend' in," Kyle asked sarcastically. He even made the air quotation marks as he said 'blend in'. He was still mad that we weren't doing wrestling.

Usually Kyle was a few bricks shy of a full load, still, I had to agree with him on this one. "I would notice if my English teacher had fangs," I spoke up. The tickle in my throat had been a nuisance for three days. I knew I was getting a sore throat but I hoped that it wouldn't last long. I forced myself not to clear my throat even though I wanted too.

I'm not sure if it was just me or if Eric really gave Kyle a scathing look of reproach and shook his head slightly. Eric grinned at his brother and turned back to Angelov. Eric shook his head and turned back to the overstuffed desk.

"Oh, I'm sure you would, if he came to school fangs fully extended." Angelov looked at each of us in turn, eyeing us intensely. It was unnerving, he looked to be at least 80, and rumors said he was senile, but the eyes that studied us were ominously lucid. I shifted uncomfortably in my seat. I surreptitiously cleared my throat.

"What do you mean, Mr. Angelov," Amy said. She had always been the innocently quizzical one. Don't get me wrong, Amy wasn't stupid. She looks like the typical cheerleader. Blond hair, blue eyes, extremely slim, perky and she had an air of innocence. She was also extremely smart. That's the thing about our school, if you want to participate in extracurricular activities, like football, cheerleaders, band or track then you had to keep your grades up. That's why it was important for Brandon to get an A on this assignment, he needed at least a C average to continue football.

Immediately, Mr. Angelov's eyes reverted from me to Amy. I was so thankful I could have kissed her. His expression didn't really soften but it didn't seem as hard. "They can extend their fangs at will in most cases." He tapped his pipe on a large almost flat piece of Heliotrope that sat centered on the table. After bringing the pipe to his lips he struck a match and lit the tobacco inside. The scent of tobacco and cloves infuse the air. It actually smelled quite good. The scent of the cloves was more overpowering than tobacco.

"What do you mean in most cases," Amy prompted.

Amy was my best friend and add to that that we happened to share the same birthday. I smile as I watch her grin at Mr. Angelov. She can charm anyone and it seems that the creepy man is no exception.

He took a long draw from the pipe and slowly released it. "Control, child. It's a learned trait. The first time is usually around sixteen, seventeen or so. Until their fangs descend, they're almost normal. Human-like. The gene that affects vampirism starts to manifest at puberty. I don't know why," he added, quickly glancing at Kyle.

My eyebrows drew together. It was almost like he had answered a question, but Kyle hadn't asked one. I looked over at Kyle, he looks just as stunned as I was. He was now staring at Mr. Angelov. His mouth slightly open as if he forgot to close it.

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4/7/2019

I have done some mild editing while re-reading the story. I will continue to make correction as I see them but can't promise to catch them all. I'm trying to overcome writers block, wish me luck.

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Happy Reading, 

Asha