Phoenix Hood: Red Riding Hood Revamped

Blood

 TWO MONTHS LATER

I never thought it would ever come to this. I looked down at the text on my phone.

Yes, but I have conditions.

Scurrying to my sedan, I jumped in and locked the doors. My foot was eager to step on the gas and speed through the town. But I could risk getting caught speeding. Sweat was dripping down my face as a deep sadness made a home in my heart.

“Crim,” she doesn’t even know what’s going on.

I shook my head. The less she knew, the safer she would be. I’d be lying to say that this wasn’t hurting me. But, it’s the lesser of two evils, right?

If someone had asked how long I was driving, I wouldn’t know. It didn’t really matter. I parked my car in the driveway belonging to an old Victorian style home. Stepping towards the ash gray door with a rusted door knocker I waited. I loved an old home. Our house was an old tudor built in the 1800’s. The energy of the old Victorian felt like home in a sense.

The door opened, “I’m telling you know that I don’t like this at all!”

At the slighted crack, I pushed myself inside, “Thanks Faven, I owe you one.”

Her eyes were dark red, and the air tasted metallic.

“Yeah, you do. Starting right now! What the hell is going on?”

I fell to my knees and cried.

“Red!” Faven slowly sat on her knees to embrace me. “We'll get through this together.”

“The dreams! They won’t stop! And yesterday, it was like I could see my sister's veins pulsating, calling to me from her neck. The spell! It’s wearing off. I don’t know what to do. I don’t know how to be a vampire, much less a pureblood. The Hunter’s, Kieran, they’re going to hunt me-”

“Red! Stop!” She dragged me to my feet effortlessly. “You’ve been a vampire way longer than you’ve been pretending to be human. Something is calling you to feed. The only way to not go mad is to feed. There’s no way around it. Spell or no spell, twenty years is a long time without blood. Human food doesn’t nourish us, only blood.”

“Crim would never forgive me-”

“Your body will put you to sleep if you don’t do something. You’ll sleep for at least ten years or so. And guess what, when you wake up everyone will know that you’re a vampire. Everyone around you will be aging, except you. They’ll know. Red, you have to feed.”

She walked me over to the couch. And I collapsed, I felt so weak. Faven left and hurried to the kitchen. I could hear the clinking of glasses followed by rushed footsteps to return to the living room where I sat, my vision blurring.

“Red! Stay with me!” I could feel her sit beside me. Her hands felt oddly hot as she cupped my hands around the glass. The smell that perked my senses, wasn’t whatever red concoction was in the glass, but the blood in her veins. I looked at her neck, my teeth were shifting in my mouth making room for fangs and my mouth watered.

“No!” She slapped my face gently. I brought the glass to my lips and took a sip. Two months ago I would have revolted at the thought of feeding, but now I was desperate. The texture was like silk in my mouth. It was not sweet, but had a mild savory flavor. I sigh escaped my lips as my senses immediately turned to normal.

“I’m so sorry,” I whispered, returning the glass to her.

“It’s normal. Nothing can change the fact that you are a pureblood. I am curious as to why all of a sudden you are feeling blood lust.”