Blood Relatives

17. Getting Into The Swing Of It

Carmine wanted to go out with her friends one last time before she tried hunting on her own. Both Anna and Mia had assured her they would go out whenever she wanted; she didn't ever have to go alone if she didn't want to. Carmine definitely appreciated it, but she knew she wasn't going to be able to rely on them forever. At some point, she was probably going to have to do this on her own – at least every now and then.

Still, that didn't mean Carmine was ready to go solo just yet. She'd gone out three or four times with her friends, but she was still nervous. One or two more group runs, she thought. On the off-chance that anything went wrong, Carmine wanted someone there to help her.

As soon as her parents were asleep, Carmine carefully climbed out of bed. She cracked open her bedroom door and listened outside. When she was positive that no one was awake, she snuck down the hallway, turned the corner, and was at the front door.

She could still hear the snores coming from down the hallway. Good. She really couldn't afford to get caught. How would she even begin to explain this to her family? But they were all asleep. And once Carmine was absolutely sure, she turned towards the door. Slowly, she turned the lock and opened it. There was a dull creak as the door adjusted on its hinges, but otherwise nothing. She had to remember to ask her dad how to fix that. Then, she slipped outside, shut the door, and locked it again.

As she made her way across the lawn, she glanced back, making sure no lights had come on. The house stayed dark. Someone moved in the shadows across the street. Carmine headed straight over without a second thought.

"Sorry I'm late." Carmine told her. She was about to explain, but Anna didn't seem to need it.

"Parents – I know." Anna told her. "Mia has the same problem sometimes."

"You go out with Mia a lot?" Carmine asked. She said it nicely enough, but she couldn't help but be a little jealous. Did her friends do things without her that much?

"Sometimes." Anna said. "It's kind of nice to have a friend every now and then. And I know you both have family to worry about."

Suddenly, Carmine felt sorry for Anna. It might be really great to not have to worry about family when she wanted to sneak out, but what about all the other times? And if Anna ever went missing, who would look for her?

"So where are we going?" Carmine asked. She wanted to tell Anna she was sorry that her family was long gone, but she didn't know how. She felt like an even bigger jerk for saying nothing.

"Where do you want to go?" Anna asked.

"Me?"

"You're going to need a spot of your own sooner or later." Anna said. "May as well pick one now. What's near here that's open late?"

"Only the movie theater." Carmine said automatically.

"Let's go there then." Anna said. "Which way?"

"I don't know..." Carmine hesitated.

The first attack she'd ever witnessed was Anna's old boyfriend going after a girl at that place. She wasn't really sure she wanted to do it there. Anna patted her shoulder awkwardly, as if she already knew.

"It'll be ok. Frederick's gone. And you're nothing like him."

Carmine nodded uncertainty. "This way." she said, motioning to the left. They walked on in silence.

Carmine couldn't help but remember that night, back before she knew for sure that either of her two best friends were vampires. She'd started to suspect it, of course. But she wouldn't be able to prove it until later.

The girls had taken bikes from Carmine's house and followed Frederick's car. He'd come from the other end of Carmine's neighborhood, and the ride had been tough. But they'd done it. And their reward was to see the most brutal attack Carmine had ever witnessed. It had really changed her whole idea about the supernatural.

Before that, it had been kind of a hobby for Carmine – she liked to see who in town fit the profile for some otherworldly being. But that had all been in fun. Carmine might have definitely believed in that stuff, but she was never completely convinced that whoever she was studying was actually anything but an ordinary human. But seeing Frederick that night had shown her not only how real it all was, but how dangerous her accusations could be.

And seeing that attack, while secretly suspecting her friends might also be vampires, had put everything in a whole new light. She'd pretended to be sick the next day, trying to figure out if her friends knew she suspected them – and if she might end up on either of their hit lists.

"You ready?" Anna asked, pulling Carmine from her dark thoughts. Carmine hadn't even realized they'd hit the edge of the theater parking lot.

"Just give me a minute." Carmine said, taking a deep breath.

"I know you don't like this place." Anna said. Then, after a minute, "I don't really like it either."

Carmine was almost surprised to hear her friend say that. Then again, she had been engaged to Fredrick – a long time ago.

"But we have to do this." Anna continued. "It'll be good for us. And we're already all the way out here."

"It would be nice to have a place where I can find out when large groups of people are leaving." Carmine said slowly, trying to convince herself.

"That's the best. This is a good starting place." Anna told her. She looked at Carmine. "You ready to make this place yours?"

"As ready as I'll ever be." Carmine mumbled.

The two set out across the parking lot. A small crowd was already coming through the doors. At least they wouldn't have to spend much time waiting.

Two college girls walked through the doors and made a left towards the far end of the parking lot. Even Carmine knew that these two would be the easiest to get. She and Anna started walking across the lot, angling to meet up with them before they reached any of the cars.

"You start." Anna whispered as they approached. "It'll be good practice."

Carmine nodded. They walked up behind the girls.

"Umm, excuse me." Carmine said. The girls turned around, stopping whatever conversation they'd been having.

"Yeah?" the shorter one said, adjusting her purse strap on her shoulder. Carmine disliked her instantly.

She took a deep breath, remembering what she'd learned. Relax. Don't be nervous; just get them to pay attention to her. And don't let them look away.

Carmine gave her best smile, under the circumstances. The girl was getting impatient, but Carmine didn't care – let her. She seemed like kind of a snot anyway. Besides, Carmine could already feel her eyes starting to change. In a few minutes the girl wouldn't be impatient anymore.

Out of the corner of her eye, Carmine saw Anna approaching the second girl from the other side. She put her hand lightly on her shoulder, drawing her attention away from Carmine. And by this time, Carmine's own girl was starting to look a little tired. Her eyes began to close; it wouldn't be long now.

The girl started to wobble, and Carmine kindly helped her sit.

"Thanks." she mumbled drowsily, making Carmine grin. Fortunately, the girl was too far gone to notice the fangs. As the girl finally closed her eyes, Carmine leaned in. She was starting to get really good at this. Even though it had only been a few weeks, she was starting to forget why this was so hard the first time. She bit the girl, not even bothering to feel guilty.