Vampire Lessons (Completed)

Chapter 6 Dark Fantasies

Chapter 6 Dark Fantasies

I had always marveled at this house. My family was somewhere close to the middle class. I used to fantasize about this place.

Childhood fantasies about princesses, magic, knights, dragons, and balls filled with dancing and beautiful gowns had played a huge part in my life. Now it was other fantasies playing through my mind. Darker ones. Dungeons with skeletons suspended from the wall by heavy rusted chains. Crazy old men in purple robes drinking blood from silver cups. I could see myself chained to the wall by a skeleton. My screams echoing off the walls. Amy lying chained beside me. Blood coating her wrist.

I tightened my grip on Amy's hand. I felt her fingers tighten over my own.

I was terrified and freely admitted it. Amy trembled as much as I did.

We shared a fearful look. I stumbled over a carpeted area rug. Amy kept me on my feet.

"Careful ladies." The creepy butler said over his shoulder.

This elicited another round of fearful looks. Our hands tightened around each other searching for comfort, or at the very least reassurance that we were not alone.

I felt like my heart would break a rib as it thudded in my chest. I bit my lip as he lifted his hand and knocked on the door we had listened at before.

"Enter." We heard called from the other side. Mr. Smith did and we had no choice but to follow.

I suppose we could have run as if the hounds of hell were on our heels but we didn't. I don't know which one of us took the first step but we ended up on the other side of the door.

It turned out to be a large library. The walls were covered in shelves full of books. In the center of the room between two three foot high bookcases sat a rectangle table. Four chairs were arranged around its cluttered surface.

I noticed the old yellow retro type telephone. It even had a spiral cord connecting the two pieces.

"M-Mr. Angelov?" Amy said pulling my attention from the phone. My eyes sought him out. He stood over in the corner a stack of books in his arms. Mr. Smith walked over and took the pile from his arms.

"I've spent decades searching for any mention of the vampire myth." He pulled another book from the shelf. "I've wondered if some authors intentionally get some of the facts right and then completely mislead you with others." He looked up at us and smiled.

Although the smile wasn't creepy I still wasn't comfortable.

He turned back to the shelves. He indicated a large section. "All of these mentioned vampires. I've highlighted the true facts with yellow and the false facts with orange. You are welcome to look through the information but I ask that you do so after your report has been turned in."

"Um... Mr. Angelov?" Amy asked softly.

He looked at her and lifted an eyebrow.

"Can I look at that one?" She asked and point to a book still somewhere on the shelves.

Mr. Angelov seemed to have no trouble determining the book she had meant.

"Of course. That one is safe enough." He said handing her the Twilight book.

I giggled. I doubted that even he found any truth hidden in teen fiction.

"Shall I point out a few facts and inaccuracies?" He asked. Without pausing he continued. "Vampires obviously don't glow or glitter in the sun. They do eat human food. They do sleep. Their bodies are not like granite. Just to name a few inaccuracies." He said with a grin as Amy thumbed through the novel.

"Their skin is cold?" She asks looking down at the book.

"Vampire body temperature is around 87° - 91° Fahrenheit. So it would seem cold to a human."

"What if they were in the cold- in winter?" I heard myself ask. He shook his head.

"Vampires are heterothermic. Their body temperature is constant when awake but can drop approximately as much as eight degrees in sleep."

I didn't understand what he said so I looked it up later. It didn't help. I did figure out that humans are different. Humans are homoeothermic. That just means a fairly constant body temperature regardless of the weather or if they are sleeping.

But I just nodded at Mr. Angelov as if I knew what the heck he was talking about even though I didn't have a clue. Amy did too. No, she didn't know either.

"What about animal blood?" I asked.

"That's not as simple as it sounds. Vampires can survive short periods of time on animal blood but eventually, they must drink human blood."

"I don't understand. If it works for a little while shouldn't it continue to work?" Amy looked up at him as she closed the book. She wrapped her arms around the book and hugged it to her chest.

"As I said it's not really that simple." Mr. Angelov repeated.

I suddenly remembered another myth. "Mirrors?"

"Yes, Miss. Stone. Vampires do cast reflections."

Was it just me, or did this man really just not like me? It seemed he was always using that tone.

"Mr. Angelov, I'm sure your other guests are wondering about their friends." Mr. Smith stated in a calm tone but there was a caution in the look he directed at the library door.

"Yes. Yes, of course." Mr. Angelov mumbled apologetically. The looked at us and smiled. It wasn't a pleased smile but one of resignation. "This isn't the time to get into all the explanations. Mr. Smith will show you back to the study so you don't get lost again." This time when he smiled it appeared amused and knowing.

Amy gave a squeak of surprise. My mouth opened but I had no words to express my thoughts.

"We're sorry, Mr. Angelov. We didn't mean to listen." Amy uttered softly.

"We don't... We don't even know what we... um... heard. Really." I told him. I couldn't keep the anxiety from my voice. Without even thinking about it I moved closer to Amy.

"Yeah. We don't." Amy assured him. Our hands found each other and knitted together.

"That's to be expected." He said. "For now it's best if you go back to your friends in the study."