Vampire Heart 9

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Scroll 10: The New Resident
“We intend to protect the community where the police and army can’t,” a young man said into the microphone.
“You expect people to believe that there are vampires in modern day…living among us?” the reporter asked.
“People will believe what they want to believe. I’m just telling you how it is. My team and I are always armed to the teeth with vampire banes. Everything from garlic, crucifixes, holy water, stakes, rosary beads, the bible and guns packed with silver bullets.”
“What about werewolves?”
The young man laughed, “Everybody knows that werewolves are just a myth. Vampires are a real threat, and everybody should be warned of how normal they façade.”
“Have you found any proof of vampires in the town?” the reporter asked.
“We’ve gotten a few tips about some overly alluring people with a good bit of money as well as some normal people who went crazy after being outside at night. All of the crazed people are as of now missing in action,” he said gloomily.
“Thank you for your time. Now to commercial,” the reporter wrapped up the interview.
“Can you believe that?” Yoshi snorted.
“I know, right?” Rakela giggled.
Naoko signaled for Vicente to head up to her room while Rakela and Yoshi were distracted with the television and her parents with preparing dinner. "Hey, Rakela, Yoshi, come here for a sec," Naoko called from the bottom step. Rakela and Yoshi smiled and walked over to her.
“Can you believe there are vampire hunters in modern day?” Rakela mindlessly commented.
“Vampire hunters?” Naoko asked before shaking her head.
"What's up sis?" Yoshi asked.
"Come up to my room, I want to talk to you," Naoko said simply.
She opened the door and signaled for them to sit on her bed. She stepped into the room and the door closed behind her revealing Vicente. "Hello again..."
"Do mom and dad know you have a boy in your room?" Rakela scolded.
"Nope, but you two now know my little secret," Naoko said simply. "I know you figured it out before, but you're allowed to know if that makes any sense," Naoko replied.
"Got it," Yoshi agreed.
"Vicente lives here and you two are going to help me hide him," Naoko said sternly.
"But you have to keep your door unlocked or mom and dad will know something's up," Rakela pointed out.
"True," Naoko muttered. "Therefore, I'm going to need you two more than I initially thought."
"As for feeding him...Vicente, I think you should take over," Naoko recommended.
"Sure thing, mistress," Vicente replied, joining her. "I know you've put together that I'm older than I look, and you're right."
"How do you two know what we've inferred?" Yoshi asked.
"I can control what vibes people get from me," Vicente replied. "Anyway, I belong solely to Naoko. And I can't be more than ten feet apart from her at any given time. The consequence," Vicente stepped toward her bedroom window as she stepped toward the door. They both shot toward each other with extreme force and the sound of thunder. "Extreme pain," Vicente continued. "I will do anything to protect her and I have done so since it's now my purpose for living."
"How can that be your soul's purpose for living? You were around way before she was," Rakela muttered.
"I'm not sure how to explain it..." Vicente trailed his thoughts, "Except that I can tell that she's the one person I was destined to encounter." Vicente was smiling as his eyes fell upon Naoko's face.
"What did you mean by the ability to make people do what she wants?" Yoshi asked.
"Vicente, on your knees," Naoko ordered and Vicente obeyed instantly.
"Could you pick something a little less humiliating for the next demonstration?" Vicente complained.
"Get up," Naoko ordered and he obeyed again. "And remember that it takes a lot out of me to order you around."
"If I didn't know what you were talking about, under normal circumstances I'd be laughing hysterically," Vicente commented.
"Why didn't you just say no?" Rakela asked.
"Want to show them?" Naoko asked.
Vicente shrugged and pulled out his replica of Naoko's necklace, minus the fact that his necklace was the inverted version of hers. Naoko revealed her necklace as well.
"That's grandmother's..." Yoshi stopped and looked at Vicente's necklace as well, "It's almost exact, except it's upside is down..."
"It's enchanted," Rakela said simply. "That why he can't say no. He obeyed the first order Naoko gave within the confides of his own free will and now he's bound to her because he protected her of his own free will..."
"I see you remembered the story," Naoko whispered.
"But that's Vampire Heart," Rakela said, pointing to Naoko's necklace. "And that's Human Heart. Which makes Naoko a human, and Vicente a..."
"Vampire," Vicente grinned.
Yoshi snapped his fingers, "That's what we couldn't figure out for the life of us! I knew you were hiding something that only you and Naoko knew!"
"And now you both know why I'm not the average human boy," Vicente replied “Am I that easy to figure out?”
"How old are you?" Rakela asked, partly in disbelief.
"I was changed at the age of 22...about a half millennium ago," Vicente replied.
"But you're a pure vampire...almost human feeling..." Yoshi muttered.
"Partly the necklace and partly my own effort," Vicente replied. "I don't like vamps, so protecting my mistress from them is a perfect job."
"What's your special ability?" Rakela asked.
"I've never found one," Vicente admitted.
"You've been suppressing being a vampire for so long that you haven't even found what makes you special," Rakela shook her head.
"What?" Vicente asked.
"The man protecting my sister should know his own power first," Rakela replied.
"I can protect her just fine with sheer strength, thank you," Vicente growled.
"How do you know that?" Yoshi asked.
"Because when she ordered me to kill the vamp I felt pure power coursing through my veins and I was able to use that to kill instantly. When he was dead, I was back to normal," Vicente replied.
"It sounds like you can draw strength from my sister," Rakela taunted.
Vicente blushed, but said nothing.
"Okay Rakela," Naoko cut in, "Leave him alone. If you want, you can work with him to draw out his ability."
"If you'll be happier with me, mistress," Vicente replied, frustrated.
Naoko mussed his hair, "I'll be happy when the two of you won't be at war and we can live peacefully under one roof, you secretly being here, of course."
Vicente dropped to his knees and took Naoko's hand in his and kissed it, "As you wish, mistress."
"You didn't order him to do that..." Yoshi muttered.
"You don't have to earn my forgiveness," Naoko assured him as she mussed his hair again.
Vicente smiled at her as he rose again, "I feel that I need to anytime I upset you."
"How cool is that? You have the best looking boy in the school doing your every command and living in your bedroom..." Rakela snickered.
Naoko laughed, "I rather like my pet."
"I thought we agreed not to call me that..." Vicente growled.
"I know, I'm sorry..." Naoko replied. "You're just so adorable, though."
"Well, I'm telling mom and dad that you were ranting about your and Vicente's walk," Rakela muttered as she stood up.
"Which means I just nodded and stopped listening somewhere toward the beginning," Yoshi commented as he and Rakela left the room.
“Won’t the vampire hunters be a threat to Vicente?” Yoshi whispered to Rakela.
Rakela stopped for a second, “I don’t know…for all we know they’re just some crazed people that believe in mythology.”
“We have proof that vampires aren’t myth…” Yoshi pointed out, signaling toward Naoko’s bedroom.
“I don’t think we should panic. I mean, we couldn’t figure out that he was a vampire until he told us,” Rakela replied before tiptoeing down the stairs.
"That went pretty well," Vicente commented as he sat on the bed's edge.
"Yeah, but they already guessed most of the conversation," Naoko muttered. "That took the surprise out of it."
"At least they're accepting me," Vicente smiled as Naoko sprawled out on the bed.
"You accepted Yoshi and Rakela knows me," Naoko whispered.
"I'm going to get back to reading," Vicente muttered as he grabbed her poetry book again.
"Please don't..." Naoko begged.
"Why? I love your poetry," Vicente replied.
"It's embarrassing to have you reading it..."
"Why, is there a poem about me in here?" Vicente asked, flipping through the pages eagerly.
"N-not particularly..." Naoko blushed.
"Then, what?" Vicente flipped a few pages toward the back of the book. As Naoko got more nervous, he kept flipping, the second to last page was when she reacted again. Naoko snatched for the book, but Vicente moved it to above his head as he sprawled backwards onto the bed, making Naoko land across his lap. "All that's written back here is your perfect man description."
"Please don't read that..." Naoko begged.
"Why not?" Vicente asked as he closed the book, setting it on the bed. Naoko crawled from his lap up to the foot of the bed where he was staring at the ceiling.
"Because that's an embarrassing personal thing that I need help for even thinking about," Naoko replied calmly.
Vicente turned onto his side to face her, "What do you mean?"
"Really weird fetish," Naoko admitted.
"Like what? I'm a vampire. What can possibly creep me out about you?"
"The fact that this was written five years ago," Naoko replied.
"So you have newer writings for me to read?" Vicente asked, grinning.
"No, because I am through with writing anything since this morning," Naoko replied firmly.
"If it's because I read it, you can just tell me not to ever read any of your poems again. You shouldn't stop writing on my account."
"I don't want to do that because you actually like them which means that I have some potential with writing, but other than that...let's just say that I learned to be careful what I wish for."
"If I'm not allowed to read it, will you at least tell me?"
Naoko turned on her side to face him, "I think you do know it."
"I swear that I didn't read it," Vicente replied truthfully.
"I know you didn't, because I'd be getting the third degree right now," Naoko whispered.
"So, it's indirectly about me?"
"Yes, and written five years ago," Naoko replied.
"I figure that a cool coincidence," Vicente commented. He grabbed her book and handed it to her, "If I can’t read it, then read it to me."
Naoko blushed, "Go ahead and read it."
"Alright," Vicente shrugged and opened her poetry book to the last page. He read the short paragraph and turned to her, "That is a cool coincidence."
"Where's my third degree?"
"I don't do what's expected of me," Vicente said simply.
Dean stared into his oldest daughter's room. Naoko and the boy she liked were relaxed on the bed talking only loud enough for him to hear at the doorway.
"You're a good friend," Naoko whispered before she kissed his forehead.
"Thanks," Vicente replied, his tone shaky, "So are you."
"I'm going back to the head of the bed," Naoko said as she crawled to the top of her mattress.
"Why?"
"Pillows," Naoko replied.
Vicente shrugged and crawled to the top of the bed with her and turned over to face the ceiling. "It is more comfortable up here..."
"What do you really think of that little paragraph?"
"You make me sound like a prince," Vicente replied.
"It's not about you," Naoko corrected him.
"Close enough," Vicente said as he mussed her hair.
Dean smiled at Vicente who glanced up and nodded toward him.
"What is it?" Naoko asked.
"Nothing, I'm just thinking..."
"What about," Naoko asked.
"How happy I am," Vicente replied.
Naoko rolled over to face Vicente who pulled her into an embrace and kissed her forehead, "What was that for?"
"Because I'll always do my best to keep you happy," Vicente replied. “And I think I make you happy.”
Dean shook his head and walked away smiling.
“Do you still believe in your religion?” Naoko asked.
Vicente looked thoughtful, “I have my morals, but I’m not as much of a reader of the good book as I should be…and I’ve killed a few times. But I said before I was changed that God would never turn on me.”
“Do you still believe that?” Naoko turned onto her back.
“He gave me you…” Vicente bit his lip when he blushed.
“You consider having to put yourself in danger for a girl a blessing?”
“Having a known purpose, a dear friend and a place to sleep are all great blessings that are worth fighting for,” he said serenely.

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Vampire Heart 11