Vampires aRe ReaL by R.G. Richards
Connie Benton was in the local post office checking the mailbox. She bent and saw through the glass they had no mail. She straightened, but before leaving, scanned the bulletin board. A flyer for a babysitting job caught her eye.
It read: Babysitting gig: You must be fifteen and strong enough to handle energetic little demons, Satan’s spawn. Only the enthusiatic, fun loving, creative, and authoritative need apply.
Connie took one of the slips of paper with the phone number. She was fifteen with a slim frame and not much height. Constantly on the lookout for a job, she deduced that she would be able to babysit and had done so on a number of occasions, but with little pay. Babysitting for relatives was not profitable. But this would be different; this was an actual job at a Day Care Center. Goose bumps lined her arm as she returned to her car and smiled at her passenger. She sat behind the wheel and held her phone, a phone won after a year of constant nagging on Connie’s part. She loved putting numbers in her new phone and hurriedly put in the new number. She planned to call as soon as she got home.
Having her driving permit on hand, her mother let her drive them to the post office and back home again. It was a Friday with no school and the day she picked to get a job and gain independence. She hurried home and padded to her room to make her call in private. She dialed the number.
“Hello?”
“Hello, I’m calling about the Ad on the bulletin board about a babysitting job.”
“What’s your name?”
“Connie Benton.”
“Hey, Connie, I’m Monica. The children I am talking about are bad seeds, real Hellions. Can you handle Satan’s spawn?” the girl on the phone laughed.
Connie laughed with her. “Of course, I can.”
“Well, you are in luck. I need someone. Someone will meet you at the Barlon day care center in the morning and we will test you out to see if you are a good fit. I hope you are free?”
“Yes, I’m free. I will meet you there.”
“Cya in the morning, Connie.”
“Okay, Cya.” She hung up the phone. Connie had an early dinner and went to bed, anxious to start her new job.
In the morning, she drove to the center and went inside the building. Three boys were arguing over whose turn it was on the video game. She saw one hit another and she smiled, real hellions, indeed.
“Hello, you must be Connie Benton?”
It was a strikingly beautiful woman with long red hair. She had blue eyes, red lips, and pale skin. She wore a three row, white pearl necklace that was connected to a large, emerald-cut ruby jewel in the center that was surrounded by small diamonds. Though her smile was not perfect, she was nonthreatening and put Connie at ease.
“Why yes, I am. Are you the owner?”
“Yes, I’m Bethany. Tell me, Connie, which do you prefer, babies, toddlers, or teens?”
“I’m comfortable with most as long as they are not too old where they act as if they are ruling the roost, if you know what I mean.”
“Yes,” said Bethany. She nodded to a brown-haired girl who came forward. Then she went and sat behind the big desk.
“Hello, Connie. I’m Monica. I will be taking you out today. Ready?”
“Um, sure.”
Monica was slightly taller than Connie’s five-foot stature. She was a brunette with short bouncy styled hair that contained a white streak on the left side and a small, odd, single braid of red, white, and brown on the right. She wore earrings shaped in the forms of crest and a silver cross on a golden chain. A red jewel was in the center of the cross, similar to that of Bethany’s crest, it sparkled as brightly.
Monica led her to an elevator in the back. It was small and cramped. Monica pressed a big red button after they had moved for only a moment. The elevator stopped.
“Listen, Connie. I babysit vampire children.” She watched confusion spread across the girl’s face. The confusion transformed into a snicker. “Seriously, Connie. Listen to me and this is no joke. I am taking you into the woods to meet vampire children. You will spend the day with them and at the end of the day, if you do not like it, you can leave. The reason I am telling you the truth is because if you do not stay, we will erase your memory of everything you have seen. You will not remember anything except that you spoke with Bethany and she filled the job before your arrival. Understand?”
“You are serious?”
“I said so.”
“Vampire children?”
“You will be babysitting vampire children, yes.”
“Vampires? Fangs? Bloodsuckers?”
Monica nodded. “And much more.”
“You’re crazy! Can you start the elevator, please? I’m leaving.”
“Okay.”
Monica understood. Without hesitation, she pressed the button and they felt a jolt as the elevator lifted them upward. The doors opened and Connie moved quickly down the hall for the exit. In the large room, she saw children running and playing in a circle. A group of four boys and four girls were moving in a circle and then they fell down as if dead. They giggled and got up and repeated, turning in the opposite direction. She stopped to observe, wondering. Monica caught up to her.
“Are they vampires?”
“Yes.”
“You are serious, vampires?”
“We can’t disturb them, but if you would like to meet two vampire kids, you can. It will only take a minute of your time. You can judge for yourself. One thing, though. If you go and do not like it, you have to forget everything you have seen. Do you think it is worth it? If you do, follow me. If not, you are free to go.”
With that, Monica turned and walked back to the elevator. She prayed the girl would follow. A few minutes later, she did. Monica pressed the elevator that took them to a hallway. She gave Connie a T-shirt with a crest on it and a silver-cross necklace to wear. Connie took them in good spirit, but never believed she would be facing vampires and need a cross for protection.
After changing, they walked through several doors to arrive at a platform. There, they met two children: a boy and a girl.
“Connie, meet Stav and his sister Misha. Say hello children.”
They scowled, then hissed. Their eyes darkened and they opened their mouth and displayed fangs.
“Oh god!” Connie stepped away from the children, cursing herself for being so curious. They were about to attack her, real live vampires.
Monica held her cross in their faces. Her cross grew bright and a light emitted from the jewel in the center. It cast a red light on both scowling faces. Both children straightened with a calm look on their faces.
“Any more of that and your playtime is over. Say hello, NOW!”
“Hello,” they said.
They were both adorable in their new state. Even after seeing the fangs and attitude, Connie’s brain would not register the events. They could not be vampires, it was morning and would be high noon soon. Everyone knows vampires burst into flames in the sunlight. This was a test and she determined to see it through. She needed the job and this was only some wacky test to see how strong she was.
They walked through a door into a forest of tall trees. Connie looked back and it was nothing more than a small shed they had emerged from, a shed built into a rock face in the side of a mountain. She marveled for a moment before joining the others in a clearing.
“Go through the course, children,” said Monica.
“Yay!” the children raced for the obstacle course.
“Here, you will need this. Hold your arm up.”
It was strange, but Connie obeyed, watching the children and thinking.
Monica gave her a shot in her arm from a syringe. Then, they moved toward the course. They warmed up on the course and when ready, the children ran for a large tree. They began scaling skyward.
“What the hell?”
Connie watched the children scurry up the tree until they were fast out of sight. She stood gaping, her mouth wide open, not uttering a sound.
They stood benea
“Are you kidding? I can’t jump that high.”
“Try it. Humor me.”
“Fine,” said Connie. She leaped upward, not even close to the high branch. She wouldn’t be able to reach it if she had a ladder.
“Try again,” urged Monica.
Connie tried several more unsuccessful attempts until she was out of breath and bent to refresh.
“That is normal,” said Monica, rubbing the girls back, grinning down at her. “Do you trust me?”
Connie nodded , head still bent low. With her approval, Monica waited until she straightened. She pointed skyward and when Connie looked up, Monica drew back and delivered a slap across her upturned face, knocking her backward to the ground.
“What the hell?”
“Whoa!” Monica threw up her hands, grinning, nearly laughing. She enjoyed that. “You said you trusted me, so in a way, you said it was okay. So you cannot get mad. How do you feel?”
“How do I feel?” Connie spat.
“Yeah, can you climb the tree after the children? They are not better than you are they? Come on.” She teased.
Connie gathered her strength for another futile attempt. She leaped upward and landed on top of the high branch. Her friend joined her and at her urging, Connie gave chase to catch the children.
“What took so long?” squeaked Misha.
“Never mind, little lady, we are here now. Misha, your turn, lead the way.”
Misha leaped to a tree thirty feet away. Next was Stav. They took off for a new tree.
“Follow them with your eyes,” said Monica. “Ready? Go get ‘em.”
It did not occur to Connie that she was far from the tree and it was her enhanced eyesight that allowed her to see the children so clearly as if they were standing next to her. It also did not occur to her how fast she was moving in order to keep pace. What she did notice was the wind through her hair as she ran and leapt through the air. It was exhilarating. The faster she moved, the better she felt. It was as if she was walking on air and she loved it. When she reached the tree, without thinking, she leaped and followed, jumping branch to branch to follow the children in front of her.
At the top of a new tree, she had a chance to catch her breath and fully take in where she was and what she had done. The excitement of it filled her with joy. Her heart raced. Her blood pumped. A wave of energy crawled across her body and she wanted more.
“Stav, you lead,” said Monica.
“Okay,” said Stav.
He leaped to a far off tree. His sister followed. Monica told Connie to go next and like a child anxiously waiting Christmas morning, she turned and leaped. She swung from tree to tree without stopping. Laughing, shouting, yelling with the kids. After a while they left the trees and returned to run the obstacle course again. Connie could not believe the things she was doing. How was it all possible? To leap from tree to tree and run faster than the wind itself, how was it all possible? She did not care. They were having fun and she loved having fun. She did not question any longer, she had fun.
They went on until the children stopped ahead of them. The girls caught up and like the children, stared down at a large crystalline structure.
“Can we open it?” asked Misha, panting, wanting to open it immediately.
“Can we?” Stav echoed. Both were excited and moved around as if dancing.
“No,” said Monica. “We have to go back, now. Let’s go.”
“But”
“NOW!” thundered Monica. Without another word, the children hung their heads and turned. They began walking, then they ran, before long, they reached the trees to swing another minute before going inside.
Connie watched them go and did not understand. Why had Monica gotten so angry so fast? She felt as sad as the children, but didn’t know why. “Monica,” she said.
“Yeah.”
“What is that thing? Why can’t we open it like the children wanted?”
“It will get opened later. Come on.” She began walking after the children.
Connie followed. “But what is it?”
“Right of Kalar.”
“What?”
“It’s a teenager, a vampire in the midst of changing. I don’t know how to open it, but the others do. I will let them know where it is when we get back.”
“Can’t we take it to them?”
“We could, but—”
“Why don’t we?” Connie pleaded with enthusiasm sketched into her face. She had proved herself so far. What could it hurt?
“Let’s take the children back and then we will come back for it. Okay?”
“Sounds like a plan to me.”
They ran to catch the children. Connie tested her abilities by seeing how fast she could run. Everything passed by her in a blur of images as she ran with gusto. She loved it.
Chapter Five: Town Hall