Vampire Heart 11

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Scroll 12: The Uninvited Guest
"They're...cute..." Dean whispered as he ambled into the kitchen. He couldn’t believe what he had seen.
"Who?" Nora asked as she stirred the boiling pasta.
"Naoko and Vicente. I can't believe I'm saying this..." Dean shook his head in disbelief, "but, if she asks if he can stay...I'm not objected to it."
Nora turned around to face her husband, "Were you reading him again?"
"No," Dean replied. "I peeked in her room and they were calmly laying on her bed. It seemed like they were having a heart-to-heart discussion as if they were old friends."
"Spying...that's much better than invading their minds via psychic abilities," Nora shook her head. “There’s no way she’s so open with a new boy after her last break up…”
“Hey, I know what I saw…” Dean defended himself.
"You were eavesdropping with us, too," Rakela remarked as she entered the room, scolding her mother.
"She knew we were there, though. There's a difference," Nora said firmly.
"Anyway, Vicente's easy on the eyes and I'd vote to have him stay," Rakela sat down at the table, grinning.
"Being good looking isn't a good reason to have him stay," Yoshi muttered.
"Okay, then," Rakela thought for a moment, "Yoshi and I know what he and Naoko haven't told anybody else, beside us."
Nora and Dean exchanged expressions before glancing at their two youngest children again, "What?" Dean asked.
"Do you remember the stories that Grandma Bonnie used to tell?" Yoshi asked.
Dean nodded, "About vampires being real and humans being able to control them with jewelry and incantations and other nonsense. She was a great story teller, though. I never got tired of the legends, even when I outgrew them."
"It's what's happened that can't be undone," Rakela muttered. “They’re not just legends.”
"What?" Nora asked, clearly disbelieving the claim.
"Vicente is Naoko's pet--erm...her protector and..." Yoshi looked toward Rakela, hoping for assistance.
"Look at their pendants," Rakela added. "They're the same thing that was chained at a different angle. And nobody but Naoko and Vicente can touch them without feeling extreme amounts of pain."
"What are you saying happened to your sister?" Nora asked.
"You see...a vampire was about to feed on her blood, but Vicente saw him climb into her room and climbed in after him--stopping the evil vampire just in time. He knew it was her room because he met her two days before that and enrolled in her school and walked her home.
Anyway, Vicente told her to give him an order and she told him to kill the other vampire and he did. The necklace just appeared around his neck magically. Now they can't be more than ten feet apart at any given time and Vicente can't refuse an order from his mistress, who is Naoko," Yoshi explained in one breath.
Dean spoke slowly, "I think he's telling the truth.”
"B-but...if he's a vampire..." Nora started. She shook the thought from her mind, “They’re just silly legends. And if you keep believing in them you’ll be just like those ridiculous grown men and women who call themselves vampire hunters.”
"He wouldn't dare feed on her. He's in love with her and he knows that him being reckless can kill her. He also knows that if he ever fed from one of us she would kill him," Rakela stated, “I know you’re trying to look the other way…but listen to us…”
"How can you be so sure?" Nora asked.
"Be up tonight at midnight," Rakela said simply. "And stir the pasta."
Nora turned around and stirred the noodles mindlessly. "Go tell Naoko that dinner is done."
"Do you know Vicente's here?" Yoshi asked.
"No, and we haven't seen you either," Dean answered, collapsing into a chair.
“What?” Nora asked her husband.
“Oh, nothing. I’m just reconsidering all of reality and the things I know…” Dean slumped further down in the chair.
“Don’ be impractical,” Nora scolded.
"Naoko," Yoshi poked his head in her bedroom, "Dinner's finished cooking."
"Thanks. Do mom and dad know he's here?" Naoko motioned toward Vicente.
Yoshi shook his head, "No, they just told me to come and get you."
"I'll be back in about fifteen minutes," Naoko promised as she mussed his hair, "Which means you need to hide near the top of the stairs so we don't get shocked."
"Or you can tell them that he's been hanging out with you and make things easier on yourself," Yoshi suggested.
"Please don't hide me like an unwanted puppy," Vicente pleaded.
Naoko sighed, "Have you been upstairs most of the time?"
"The entire time since I saw you both come in," Yoshi replied.
"You were lazing about in here with us. We were just talking about this and that, nothing special--got it?" Naoko growled.
"Yes..." Vicente and Yoshi nodded.
Naoko sat at the dinner table and motioned for Vicente to join her, "Mom, we have an extra guest today."
"No problem. I've made plenty," Nora replied, her tone clearly fake.
Everybody sat around the table eating the dishes that were before them, nearly in silence. "What made you start school at Naoko's high school?" Dean asked between bites.
Vicente blinked, "I met her the day I was looking for schools to enroll in and she suggested a high school that my parents approved of so I took the placement testing and passed."
"With flying colors," Naoko added with a motion of her fork.
Vicente glanced over at Naoko, "Did you have to add on to that?"
"No need to be modest about your intelligence, Vicente," Naoko replied.
"With flying colors? How good?" Nora asked.
"The score to get in is 800 like the SATs..." Vicente started, "The perfect score is 1600..."
"And he scored a 1590," Naoko finished his thought before slurping another noodle.
The other four at the table exchanged glances as Naoko blushed and stared at his plate. "That's amazing..." Yoshi commented.
"That's what Naoko scored," Dean whispered, “Isn’t it, Naoko?”
Naoko nodded once, trying to mask her chagrin.
"I know..." Vicente muttered.
"What's wrong?" Rakela asked.
"N-nothing..." Vicente whispered before taking another bite.
"You're smart, you have to live with that, hun," Naoko whispered.
Vicente grew ten shades more red, "Thanks."
"We're not going to tease you," Rakela promised.
Vicente just met her eyes without replying to her. He turned to Naoko, "I'm a nerd...I know...but still..."
"But what? I scored the same thing that you did," Naoko replied.
"The only thing that I hate is-" Vicente started.
"Gym?" Dean guessed.
Vicente nodded, "I'm athletic and all, but I don't like the structured activities that we have to do in order to pass."
Dean and Nora stared at each other before glancing back and forth between Naoko and Vicente.
"What?" Naoko asked.
"It's nothing," her parents chorused.
"Can you two be any more alike?" Yoshi blurted, revealing the synchronized thoughts of the entire room.
Naoko and Vicente were puce from mortification. A loud cracking noise cut through the air, interrupting the dinner. Naoko and Vicente glanced toward the front door and at each other before simultaneously standing and heading toward the door.
"What do you think it is?" Naoko asked.
"No doubt in my mind what it is," Vicente's tone was grim as he pushed out his chair.
"Then...we have to tell them..." Naoko glanced back at her family who were standing around the kitchen, now.
"It's more of your secret than mine," Vicente replied as he stood up.
"Mom, dad..." Naoko started but was interrupted when the front door splintered in and a quick vampire headed straight for Naoko's family.
"Get away from them!" Vicente snarled.
"I'm thirsty, and they're human!" the vampire growled.
"Then take me instead," Vicente offered. He stepped toward the vampire with his arms held out at his sides.
"What are you doing?" Yoshi asked.
"As soon as he drains some of my blood he'll leave," Vicente said quickly. The thirsty vampire stepped toward Vicente, threw him to the ground and headed for his neck.
"Kill him!" Naoko ordered.
Vicente's eyes glowed a dark green color, matching Naoko's eye color as he slashed the vampire's throat. Vicente's eyes faded back to blue as the vampire faded into ash and Naoko held out her hand. Vicente took her hand and helped him to his feet, "Another newborn vampire...he couldn't even smell that I'm a full-fledged vampire."
"At least he didn't get to feed," Naoko whispered before she turned to her bewildered family.
"Oh...about this..." Vicente started as he and Naoko inched toward the kitchen hand in hand.
"Told ya so..." Yoshi sighed.
"Y-you're really?" Nora asked.
Vicente rubbed the back of his head nervously with his free hand, "I've been a vampire for 500 years. I'm the vampire who's destined to protect Naoko with my life," Vicente smiled. "And I'll pay for the front door..."
"My mother wasn't lying..." Dean muttered.
"Yeah, he's my pet..." Naoko stammered. "And we can't be apart by more than 10 feet."
"How can this be fixed?" Nora asked coldly.
"There's nothing to fix," Naoko replied. "What's done is done and it's not like it's a mistake anyhow," Naoko gripped Vicente's hand tighter as she spoke.
"My daughter being put in danger because of some necklace?! Of course it's a mistake!" Nora snapped. "And you! You probably snuck into her room for a free feast or some twisted perverted fantasy!"
"No, I wasn't going to let Naoko die!" Vicente replied.
"If you can't fix this by tomorrow night at midnight, you're out of the house!" Nora brandished her finger at Naoko.
"Then at least do me the favor of signing the paper so I can drop out of school," Naoko said before dragging Vicente up the stairs.
"And he can sleep outside of your bathroom window!" Nora shouted before she heard the door slam.
"Mom, you're a psychic and you can't even empathize with Naoko?" Yoshi asked.
Rakela shook her head, "This is exactly why she wanted to hide it from you."
Rakela and Yoshi climbed the stairs and shut their bedroom doors behind themselves as well.
"What are you doing?" Vicente asked.
"Packing since I can't live here starting tomorrow," Naoko replied as she emptied her dresser into a suit case.
"You're being a little rash," Vicente objected. "I can pay for us to live somewhere, though."
"That's good. We can get somewhere after we make it back from Bonnie Valentine's house," Naoko commented as she threw several tablets, pillows and blankets into her suit case. She pocketed a few pencils and pens as well as her wallet. She emptied her hamper and picked up Vicente's shirt that was still on the floor and handed it to him. She opened the bag that contained the item that Vicente bought her and slipped into a long black trench coat.
Vicente opened his suit case and placed the shirt inside before closing it again and taking Naoko's hand. Naoko led him down the stairs and out the door, into the busy streets and finally into the wilderness.
"Are you sure..." Vicente started to ask, but he stopped in mid-thought when Naoko squeezed his hand and started to cry. He dropped his suitcase and took her into his arms. She dropped her suitcase as well and embraced him tightly, sobbing out her pain.
"I wanted to tell her that I'll fix this...so she'll still love me..." Naoko sobbed, "But I don't want to fix this. It feels so right to me. You feel so right to me."
Vicente's cheeks were instantly red, "I know what you mean. I should be objected to being a pet...but you make everything right."
Naoko's teary eyes glanced up at Vicente's emotional eyes, "You can feel the bond between us, too?"
Vicente smiled, "If I wasn't already determined to protect you with my life, I'd feel the sense of duty that it instills, but this makes it more powerful than I could ever articulate."
Naoko broke their embrace and took both of his hands in hers, "We should get to my grandmother's house as soon as possible."
Vicente nodded, "Let's be on our way."

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Vampire Heart 13