Souls vs Blood 13

Souls vs Blood 13

In the car, Alice started blushing. She thought rather loudly in her head,
"When did he see me sleeping? He saw me glitter indirectly means he saw me sleeping? But I've never let him in my room before, and I'm on the second floor! He couldn't have just peeked in could he?! He isn't THAT tall... right? Did... Did I drool? Was my belly button showing? Did I snore?! AHHHHH"
Rebecca wished she could read Alice's mind at that moment because her expressions were just SO CUTE.
She had to stop herself from wanting to pinch Alice's cheeks so they wouldn't get into a car accident. She warped a few roads again and they were home in a jiffy.

"Good. We're back before James. Less explaining to be done" thought Rebecca after sniffing for his scent.

"Had fun today darling?" Rebecca asked as Alice absent mindedly got out of the car.
"Uh-huh" Alice nodded rather bashfully. "But Klar, how do you know Harold, how did you know the person I met was Harold?"
It was a really good teasing moment... but Rebecca stopped herself.
"I'm someone indebted to that person since long ago. But I only met him because of you darling."
"Indebted?"
"That's a story for another time dear. Go on in for tonight."
"Okay..." Alice went straight to her room, washed up, then went to bed immediately.
*So obedient.* Rebecca squealed slightly on the inside.
Rebecca was feeling deprived because she hadn't been teasing Alice and James for a really long (long only to her) but Alice's behaviour today had raised her spirits slightly. She smiled to herself. An hour or so later, James returned. Rebecca was waiting for him with a glass of (ehem) cocktail that had alcohol and blood content (ehem). She was sitting down on the sofa, and on the short table in front of her, was another glass of similar content at the opposite end. She gestured towards it.
"Sit down." Rebecca said calmly.
James who had been holding his bag over his shoulder, sighed to the floor really loudly, before flinging his bag against the wall and getting into the seat opposite Rebecca. Elbows resting on his knees and hands clasped, he glared at her. Rebecca loved his attitude, it entertained her greatly.
"So, I've told you about the chop. But this time,  Alice's mark was renewed by Harold himself. Just this once."
James opened his eyes a little wider, and raised an eyebrow.
"It has been a month since that night."
James doesn't respond.
"But he'll take a little longer to come out."
"That's good news."
"So how's it going?"
"With what?"
"With Alice of course!"
James, had been looking down for a while now and slowly looked upwards, straight into Rebecca's eyes.
"Why do you ask?"
Rebecca wasn't happy. She wanted to tease him but he wasn't reacting much. She pouted. Then quite surprisingly, James spoke.
"It's good she doesn't remember. I wouldn't... know what to say or how to look at her if she did."
Rebecca started to smile inwardly...
"So you regret attacking Harold?"
"I definitely wouldn't have attacked a soul sucker when a human was present. Not if I were thinking straight! I-" James cut himself off half way once he realised he was ranting like a bullet train. He sunk in hands in his palms.
Rebecca liked this. More than that, her opinion of James improved as well. She decided to help him a little, even if it wouldn't help Harold. She conjured a little glass bottle and jangled it beside her face.
"Do you want this?" She jangled it a little more.
James looks up where the jingling could be heard from. Blood pills?
"I'm doing this for Alice. I'm giving it to you for free. Never, be on a lack of blood in front of Alice."
"But I-"
"It's fine. These pills aren't normal blood pills. Even if you are the type of vampire that can only consume fresh blood in order to be satiated, these pills work. Within each pill is highly condensed fresh blood kept fresh by a specially created casing made by me. You wouldn't be able to buy these, please know their worth!" Rebecca does not put it into James' outreached palm but on the end of the table nearer to her.
"Aren't you giving it to me?"
"One more thing. your fangs. Blood isn't the only part of the craving. Sinking your fangs into live flesh is too. Here is instalment number 2. Artificial flesh. The amazing work of alchemy combined with vampire and soul sucking magic. I actually made this by accident though." Rebecca glows in pride. Once again she doesn't place it in James' outstretched arm. James glares at her.
"I will give them to you. Just remember it's not for you but for Alice."
James stands up and reaches out for them, grabbing them and standing up abruptly at the same time.
"I won't forget! ... Thank you." But the "Thank you" was so soft, human ears would never have heard them. Rebecca nodded with a genuine smile as James clumsily made his way into his room. When he came out on his way to wash up, he downed the drink made by Rebecca. He even washed the cup even though remotely. Rebecca was starting to pity him. She could tell he really loved Alice but Alice was drifting from him. And she was working against him. When James emerged from the washroom, she asked him:
"Hey, if you mated with a human, what would your child be?"
James froze. He hadn't thought that far. If he really got together with Alice and they had kids, the kid would be... a half vampire and a half human? Unable to live in either world... roaming... like Rebecca? Rebecca continued talking.
"There have been cases in the past." *silence* "You could check them out yourself."
James returned to his room. Rebecca sipped her cocktail. They hadn't been nice cases. But James was an orphan, a loner in the vampire world, that made a whole new circumstance that has never occurred before. It might be interesting. Human and Vampire blood. Rebecca didn't want to get attached though. Even though she loved her own position, she wouldn't know how her kid would survive, if the kid did survive at all, with such a messed up blood ratio. Soon, the sun rose and life in the human world went on as it usually did.
______________________________________________

Back in The Dungeon

With Mashup's help, Harold made his way back to the 6th level of the dungeon, and found Johnathon sitting up, waiting for him.
"That didn't take too long!"
"You were waiting? What if it did! Go sleep!"
"So, did you meet her?"
Harold slipped under his blanket and turned away from Johnathon.
"Come on, tell me man!"
"I..."
"Go on!"
Harold hid his head under the blanket.
".. brought her to the tree platform."
*silence*
"You what?... That's... That's... That's our place! wow! without even asking! You..."
"Sorry..."
Johnathon sighed.
"Hey it's... it's okay. I understand. I don't think anyone would mind that much other than Eunice."
Harold didn't understand why only Eunice wouldn't understand but he didn't question it.
"Nite John."
"Nite Harold."
Mashup poked Harold. He held out a little scroll to Harold though his eyes were closed tight and his face was turned to a completely different direction. Harold unhid himself and took the scroll. Unrolling it, Rebecca had written, "As you know, we've found a little about the glitter. Her grandmother had a diary and wrote about it. It ran in the family. This scroll will only reveal what is written on it to it's supposed receiver so don't worry about others finding out and tell me what you know!" The words disappeared once Harold had read them. Taking a pen offered by Mashup, Harold pens his reply: "spell. castor dies. originates from love story between soul sucker wizard and human. memory loss when soul is sucked out. Spell has been cast twice. Other family line may have the same spell. Help find out more." He then rolls the scroll up and places it with the pen gently into Mashup's wing-held-open tummy pocket. Mashup promptly takes his leave. The next day, Harold told Johnathon: "Let's train some more. Please?"
Johnathon was flabbergasted. "Really?"
"Yeah. back to those horrible combat lessons. I think I'll really need those."
"BOO YEAH!" Johnathon shouted really loudly to the annoyance of those still sleeping. But even his apology was loud.
"OH SORRY BOUT THAT MATES. WHOOHOOHOO!!"
"Hey Quiet Down!!" Harold tried to whisper loudly.
They really went back all the way to the first floor, and took even the really tough courses. Amazingly, Harold did really well even in those physically straining courses. Though not close to as well as Johnathon, but much better than before. He really wanted to protect Alice. Seeing her made him ever more motivated, and Johnathon was happier than ever about it. They trained on for 5 weeks straight, Mashup regularly came and found Harold with updates and teases once a week. Mashup also brought the chop once so Harold could replace the mark. Finally, Harold and Johnathon stood at the exit gate of the dungeon.
"Thanks for the company John."
"Same to you Hal."
"Been a while since you called me that."
"Well, you never really liked it."
"But now... it's nostalgic."
"Hey how old are you?" laughs Johnathon.
This small talk continues as two bats fly above their heads calculating they journey and completing administrative details. The bats eventually bring them their reports and the gates open to let them out. Their small talk ended. The world outside had went through mega changes. The whole area had turned into a battlefield. People had been evacuated, there were rations and curfews. Children no longer ran around, soldiers made rounds. The war was nearing.
"Hal..."
"What?"
"I don't think you can put off collecting souls anymore."
They walked back to their homes in silence after that.