vampire series part 9: flight

Vampire.

Sometimes she still couldn’t quite wrap her mind around the concept. One day she was happily married, content in her role as wife and mother. Then she met Amado, who turned her world upside down.

Her human memories are not as clear as the vampire ones, having faded over the centuries. She vaguely remembers the shock at learning Amado's secret and her naive response - that it did not matter what he was, as long as he was hers. If she stretches her memory, she can recall the details of their courtship. They danced around the subject for months. When they were together out in public, he was the perfect gentleman. On paper, they were both free to express their true desires. They would leave notes for each other in secret hiding places, each one more passionate and desperate than the last. She knew every detail of his every fantasy and he knew all of hers.

So many times they were on the verge of consummating their relationship, but each time fear held him back. He was afraid he could not control himself, that the desire to sink his teeth into her neck at the moment of release would be too great. He loved her, always wanted them to be together, but could not bring himself to turn her. Amado did not want this existence for her.

She remembers the night it happened. It is her first crystal clear memory, one so vivid she could still feel everything - the pleasure and the pain. He had to leave during her transformation, unable to bear watching what he had done to her, planning to return before dawn and lead her on their first hunt together.

His plan went terribly wrong. Amado had no idea that her transformation would be so fast. When he returned to the cottage, her eyes glowed a brilliant red from the human blood she'd consumed. His footsteps on the porch boomed in her ears, distracting her from her blood lust.

He found her in the kitchen, shaking and not fully comprehending what she had done. Her husband's body lay crumpled on the floor, a bloodless husk. Her son was also lifeless on the floor. She looked down at the blood on her hands and screamed.

Amado tried to catch her as she fled, but she was too fast, literally taking flight into the darkness.

Missed parts 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2 or 1? Or take flight with the other Theme Thursday posts.

wordless wednesday

The law and order edition...

Vampire Series Part 8: the rest stop

She closed her eyes firmly against the memory. Though the events occurred centuries ago, her mind was crystal clear on what happened next. Every day of her cursed existence, she would remember. Her first kill. So many more would follow. And there would be more blood tonight.

"James! Pull over now! I'm getting out," she called to the driver. He sighed deeply. His long servitude to his mistress meant knowing exactly what would come next. He eased the car off the highway and into the truck stop.

She slid out of the car, smoothing her skirt over her hips and shaking wild curls back from her shoulders. Then the hunter began to prowl, looking for the tastiest prey. She found him quickly.

The man sat alone at the table furthest from the door. He had a handsome, lonely look to him. He grabbed her wrist as she tried to saunter past his table. He gave his name and gestured for her to join him. She forgot the name instantly. Names didn't matter. The only men who ever meant anything to her were gone. The rest were no more than a faceless means to an end.

Through their conversation, he seemed shy and amazed at his luck that to be sharing a cup of coffee with her. He finally looked her directly in the eye, telling her how beautiful she looked. That simple statement was all she needed to make her move. She leaned forward, her soft lips closing down on his. The kiss was brief, but a prelude of things to come.

"Let's get out of here" she commanded in a husky voice thick with desire. He readily agreed, trying to contain his excitement as they made their way back to his truck.

He lifted her into the cab, though she could have jumped that high effortlessly. When he climbed into the cab, all illusions of his shyness slid away. He fell on her, tearing her blouse open, hands grasping and groping her roughly.

She rolled her eyes and pretended to struggle, faking surprise that the sweet man she met was already unzipping his pants. It was like a game for her. Though she loved the acting, tonight she lacked patience for make believe.

She pushed them both upright then quickly scrambled onto his lap. Her legs pinned him in place as she straddled him. Unaware of the danger, his eyes gleamed in excitement as he made some innane comment about her liking it rough.

This time she couldn't control her rage. Her hand flew across his face, shattering his jaw. She laughed biterly. "You bitch!" he screamed. He grabbed her shoulders, dirty fingernails digging into her arms as he tried to force her back down on the seat. "You're going to pay for that!"

When he couldn't push her away, he took a swing at her. Though she could have easily ducked his fist, she let it land on her cheek. He landed another blow. This one would have brought an instant black eye, if she were capable of getting one that is.

"You disappoint me. Is that the best you've got?" she teased as he continued to struggle under her to free himself. "Do you have any idea what I am?"

That caught his attention.

As he turned to face her, she noticed blood dripping from the corner of his mouth. Sighing in pleasure, she grabbed his chin and tilted his face up to hers. Her tongue flicked across his cheek, greedily lapping up the blood. When she pulled back, she allowed him a glimpse at her fangs.

"What -"

"Don't be so stupid as to ask the question. You know what I am. " she chided him. "This could have been over quickly. But now...I think I will enjoy taking my time with you."

He screamed as her fangs sank into his flesh. She almost felt sorry for him when he passed out from the the repeated puncture wounds and her venom. Draining him quickly, she flipped open a mirror. Examining her reflection, she straightened her tattered clothes as best she could and licked away the blood at the corners of her mouth.

Jumping down from the cab, she flicked opened her cell, pressing 1 on the speed dial. "Come quickly." she ordered. "I have a job for you."

Missed parts 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2 or 1?

vampire series part 7: wild

The sheets were tangled around her naked body. Her heart raced and then suddenly stopped thudding in her chest. Her fingers grazed the two tiny puncture marks in her neck. Beneath her touch, the wound was already - inexplicably - healing.

Though the house was dark, she could see everything clearly, though she hardly knew what she was searching for. Amado? Where did he go?

The thirst burned at the back of her throat. She ran to the kitchen, legs carrying her faster than she thought possible. A half empty glass of water lay on the counter. She lifted it to her lips, ready to greedily consume its contents. But when her fist closed around the cup, it shattered into pieces in her hand.

What is happening to me? she thought in a panic.

She smelled the blood before she saw it dripping from her hand. The odor made her knees weak. She tentatively touched the tip of her tongue to the wound. The taste of the blood, so fresh and warm, was better than finest meal she'd ever sampled - so good it brought an animalistic moan.

Like a wild animal, she sniffed at the air, catching the scent of something she didn't fully understand. Footsteps fell softly on the stairs. Instinct took over and carried her to the noise.
Though she didn't understand the urges taking her over, sensing the impending danger, she hoped that no one she knew would be on the other side of the door.

Missed parts 6, 5, 4, 3, 2 or 1? Check out other the other Theme Thursday wild stories

Choices: Over the hill

The sunlight streamed through her windows as she firmly shut her eyes against the glare. It wouldn't stop the inevitable though. She had always been one of those annoying morning people - leaping out of bed at least 5 minutes before her alarm, eager to great the day.

Today was different. She had been dreading her 30th birthday. She didn't feel old. She wasn't old. But in Hollywood, she was now officially over the hill. It was a hard thing to swallow.

There was a knock at her bedroom door. Her kids spilled into the room, jumping onto her bed. The girls planted kisses on her cheeks, screaming "happy birthday mommy!" at the top of their lungs. Her husband followed behind them, smiling broadly, carrying a tray loaded with breakfast goodies. The pancakes and syrup were for the twins, the cinnamon roll with its sugary icing for him. It had been ages since she ate any of those foods - back when she didn't have to watch her figure religiously and spend half her day exercising like a fiend.

She never dreamed of being an actress, falling into it completely by accident. In college, she studied journalism and had won national awards for her writing. Her roommate - Jill - was the actress. Senior year, Jill earned herself the lead in Romeo & Juliet and spent every waking moment rehearsing in the room. Then, taking the expression "break a leg" a little too literally, Jill fell down the stairs on her way to the theater for the performance, shattering her tibia.

On the way to the hospital, Jill begged her to take the role. Julie was terrified of the stage and refused, until Jill started to cry. She could never resist her roommate's tears.

Julie dressed in Jill's costume, put on way too much makeup so the lights wouldn't wash her out, and stepped out onto the stage making a seamless transition into her role. And Hollywood's hottest new actress was born...

As she tried to pretend like her birthday, like she wasn't aging in dog years and over the hill , she wondered how things would be different if she never set foot on that stupid stage.

Missed Part 1?

this sucks

So...this has officially been one of the suckiest weeks ever. And it's only fucking Tuesday. I can't WAIT to see what the rest of the damn week brings.

I work my ass off for my office. I not only work my ass off for my office, I'm still pulling double duty working for 2 firms and juggle 2 full case loads on a daily basis. Plus I'm trying to train the newbies at my dad's office and mentor the not so newbies, while trying not to throttle them for their incompetence which isn't all entirely their fault. In the past 2 weeks, I've taken my first case to trial on absolutely no notice and won, I've been appointed to 2 state bar committees, received an appointed position as an editor on a national publication, been appointed to a county bar committee, settled a big case and actually managed to appease the world's most demanding client, even getting a compliment or two in the process from someone who NEVER gives them out. All wonderful things. Yahoo for me.

And in the next breath, I've been screamed at for having the audacity to leave the office early on Friday (to observe a religious holiday), cursed at my a client who is stiffing us on our legal bills after we saved him from multi-million dollar liability in a case, and basically told that I'm totally incompetent at my job.

So, to those people who actually recognize talent when it's staring them in the face, I hope that's enough because I can't take much more of the abuse.

What a week. Someone pour me a drink. And keep them coming!

On the other side

In my last post, you got to see me totally freaked out. I put on a good front and people very rarely see me rattled at work. But damn was I scared as hell.

Before I went to sleep, I talked to my dad and he told me that I was now experiencing what every attorney goes through. He told me that before his first trial, he spent the entire night hanging over the toilet puking his guts up he was so nervous. Then he made me cry, telling me that there's no one he trusts more to handle this case for him.

I fared slightly better than my dad before his first trial last night. By midnight, I had read my entire file. I prepped my argument for the pretrial motions and my direct examination of my client. I decided not to care about the cross of the defendant, hoping that I would never get to the point in the case where I'd need to cross the defendant.

As usually happens when there's something on my mind before bed, I dreamed the case. I conjured up images of conferencing the case with the judge before trial. I saw myself arguing the summary judgment motion. Then I saw myself questioning the witnesses. The damn alarm went off and the images went hazy before I could tell whether I settled the case, the outcome of the motion and - most importantly - the outcome of the damn trial.

But morning came, and despite being nervous as hell, I kissed my boys goodbye and trudged off into battle.

I had 2 attorneys from my dad 's office watching me. I didn't know what kind of example I was going to set for them. And, as we were about to start, my boss cruised into the courtroom, smiling broadly, telling me he was there to watch a great trial. Part of me was surprised to see him, but a larger part of me always knew he'd show up to support me.

My last conscious thought was that I better not screw up my appearance. It's hard working for 2 firms. I really have to concentrate when I introduce myself so I identify the correct office! At that point, I kind of went on autopilot.

But at the end of the day, I emerged victorious. I won my first trial! It felt so good. I rode that high for about an hour before the exhaustion and relief set in, totally wiping me out.

I'm still feeling equal parts excitement and exhaustion. And I can't wait for the next one.

Thanks to all of you for your support. I couldn't ask for better cheerleaders! (Don't you think Otin and Mr. Condescending look cute in their little uniforms???)

While you have nothing better to do this weekend, check out my latest post over at Grow Up Learning. Any parents whose kids are past the vaulting out of the crib stage, I'd LOVE to hear from you over there.

My First

I had a totally different post planned for today. And then last night, as I was bleary eyed after a night in the ER with my son (who is fine now and seemed perfectly fine 6 hours before they let us go home), I got a call from my dad. I got pitched a trial - my first - on for Thursday.

And, as if the pressure of my first trial wasn't enough...the trial is in my county, where I work and clerked, and where it will be known immediately if I fuck this up. And, as if that pressure wasn't enough, my dad lays it on me that the fate of him getting this client's contested litigation work in the future hangs in the balance of the outcome of this trial.

So I literally just walked through the door after picking up the client from the airport. I didn't get to spend the kind of time I wanted to prepping this trial during the day. I will probably be up all night cramming, prepping, stressing and generally tying myself into knots over this.

My boss is totally psyched that I'm doing this trial tomorrow and can't wait for me to get back to the office to do the postmortem on how things went. My dad is totally pumped for me to knock this first one off. My family is all cheering me on telling me that I could do this in my sleep...

And I am slowly trudging up the hill to getting prepared, gaining my confidence and putting on my game face. So, wish me luck and I'll see you guys on the other side.

While you're at it, check out the other Theme Thursday "over the hill" stories.

Choices: Part 1

I'm taking a brief break from the Vampire Series while I try to
figure out what I want to do with it. Plus I think it'd be pretty
hard to work this week's theme into the plot. "Over the hill"
doesn't go too well with vampires... Anyway, enjoy the
beginning of the latest story...

______________________


We make a million choices a day without thinking about
them. Do you wear the black shirt or the gray one?
Starbucks or Dunkin Donuts? The decision of whether to
go for a double or triple shot in your vente iced caramel soy
latte is not likely to haunt you years later, no matter how silly
you sounded ordering that drink in front of that hot guy.
Most of the decisions we make on a daily basis are
forgotten seconds later.

She lived her life the way she wanted so, looking back, there
would be no regrets. The path she has taken has brought
tremendous successes, the love of a good man and the
greatest joy in her life, her twin girls. She should be happy,
basking in the contentment of the life she has built
for herself. A million girls dream of being her.

Her name was known throughout the world. She can't turn
on the television without seeing her face, hearing about her
latest project or the speculation about what role she
would take on next. When she walked into the room,
heads turned. People cared what she had to say.

She was in the glorious days between films, giving her
some much needed rest and time with her family.
They sunned themselves on the private beach during
the day, dropped insane amounts of money in the shops in
the afternoon and hosted lavish parties at night. All the
best and most beautiful were in attendance.

During one of these parties, she escaped upstairs. She
sat before her mirror and stared at her reflection, barely
recognizing herself. Polishing off her glass of
champagne quickly, she dissolved into tears.

These days her every movement is marked with a
sadness that reaches her very core. Beneath the
perfect surface, she grapples with the choice that has
always haunted her. She wonders how things would be
if she could just go back in time and relive that one
moment. She would give anything -
everything - to just be able to turn back the clock and
make that one choice differently...

Rhythm

It's late. The rest of the house has been asleep for hours. A few precious moments to herself. These days, those moments are few and far between. She finds peace in the quiet of the house.

In sharp contrast to the stillness indoors, outside leaves rustle on the trees. The wind batters the shutters against the house. Thunder booms off in the distance as the storm brews.

She sits curled up on the couch. The only light in the room comes from the moon and a single flickering taper. Lost in thought, she analyzes each word he'd spoken for hidden meaning, searching for the secret subtext that had to be there.

Never before had she met someone like him. From the moment they met, he had a way of invading her thoughts, her dreams, her heart. Though she hadn't known anything was missing from her life, when she was with him, she was complete.

He would be dangerous. Exciting. And oh so amazing.

As she drifted to sleep, carried away by the rhythm of the night, her last conscious thought was how she couldn't wait to see him again.

For more Theme Thursday rhythm, click here. Was this part of the Vampire Series? I don't know... You be the judge.

Return from Camp Andrew

So I survived the trip to Maine in the little plane. Despite my safe arrival back in Jersey, I still hate little planes... Let's recap why you shouldn't fly in a little plane. (I'll keep this to my top 5 reasons, although not necessarily in this order)

#1 - You feel every bump to a far greater degree.

#2 - No bathrooms.

#3 - You NEVER want to see your pilot in blinders! (I get that to keep up the instrument rating, you have to do a certain number of take offs and landings with the hood on so you do the approach just using the instruments...But DAMN! I DO NOT want to see that!)

#4 - It's really scary seeing all the gauges and lights and hearing the plane beep at you.

#5 - It's also really scary seeing the pilot and co-pilot looking out the windows, trying to spot the other airplanes in the vicinity.

But - other than the flying and the fact that apparently I can't eat sugar without getting sick - it was a good trip. The in-laws set up a whole camp for Andrew in their living room. He had his own tent, sleeping bag, cooking supplies and a horse. My father in law actually made it for him. (One of these days, maybe I'll stop being shocked that he's so good at building stuff. The man did build a garage by himself that's larger than my townhouse! But it's totally foreign to me. In my family, we can change light bulbs and sew buttons, but beyond that, we call in professional reinforcements.)

Andrew got to see real horses, lots of dogs and spent tots of time flirting with every girl he saw. He also spent quite a bit of time trying to eat ice cream, but more of it ended up all over him than actually got into his mouth :)

It was nice to get away, blow off work for a couple days. But it's good to be home.

Weekend randomness

So I'm up in Maine in the middle of nowhere. There's no cell phone reception, unless you have crap AT&T service. I do not have said crappy service, which means that the only way anyone can reach me is if they call me on my in-law's phones. There's literally 2 tv channels and 4 radio stations. I don't know how we're going to entertain the little guy up there.

Have I mentioned that I hate little airplanes? They make me sick. We flew up here in a 6 seater. Hubby thoroughly enjoyed it because he was piloting most of the time. But munchkin and I were in the back, which means that while I'm trying not to lose my cookies, I'm also trying to entertain Andrew. Not an easy task.

Lately I seem to be plagued with the most boring of depositions. I know. The billables are good and I'm getting out of the office, so I shouldn't complain. But Thursday's moron took SIX HOURS to authenticate documents! That was all he accomplished, other than disqualifying himself from the case because the dumbass made himself a material witness. Did I mention that he's been practicing longer than I've been alive?

On the other hand, I completed my questioning in 15 minutes... and I had to take this woman back to events that happened in 1998! 15 minutes, probably 20 questions and I managed to take what appeared to be a slam dunk loser for the client and turned it into a grand slam home run. Yes, I'm mixing sports metaphors but THAT is how you take a freaking deposition.

Andrew vaulted himself out of bed the other day. I guess it's time for a big boy bed! It was scary as hell. We heard a massive crash and went sprinting up the stairs to find Andrew opening his door!

A little shameless self promotion never hurt anyone...so check out my first post as Friday Mom over on GrowUp Learning's blog. Otin (and the rest of you) keep it clean if you comment over there! ;)

For those of you who have been following my vampire series, be honest, what do you think of the story? I've been toying with the idea of trying to turn it into an actual book... But, then again, I get upset when I don't get a lot of comments on my posts. I can't imagine how I'd feel if I actually turned the story into something larger and then it didn't go anywhere...

Hope you all are having a good weekend.

Vampire Series Part 6: The Beginning

She forced herself to step down from the carriage. He had kissed her hand as a farewell gesture and, when she closed her eyes, still felt the tingle of his touch. It was a conscious effort to put one foot in front of the other, slowly making her way up the front walk. She didn't - couldn't - turn around to watch Amado go.

There was a swing on her front porch. It was her favorite spot. She spent hours there - reading, watching the water sparkling off the bluffs, rocking her baby to sleep. It was her escape from the world.

As she passed by the porch, a small package sat in the center of the swing. The white box was wrapped with a crimson ribbon and the delicate bloom of the amaryllis, her namesake. She inhaled its fragrant aroma, wondering who left her this surprise.

A heavy ivory envelope fell to the floor when she lifted the box. She carefully broke the embossed seal and unfolded the pages. It was addressed to "My flower." The name brought a tear to her eyes. No one had called her that since her mother had died.

Her eyes swam when she read the words: From the moment I first saw you, I knew that we had been put on this earth for each other. I have searched for you for eternity. My darling, this is only the beginning.

Only the beginning. She felt it too. The undeniable connection. She hung on his every word. The rush of pleasure that accompanied his touch. The way being in his presence made her feel...complete.

Please accept this small token of my affection. It pales in comparison to your beauty.

She tore open the box, finding a necklace nestled inside. A diamond twinkled from the end of its gold chain. It was the most beautiful thing she'd ever seen. Quickly fastening the chain around her neck, she looked down at the diamond dangling between her breasts. She twirled it between her fingers.

Yes. This was the beginning of something that would be amazing, special, dangerous. She longed to see him again.

She would not have to wait long. For when she turned back to the house, she was surprised to find Amado leaning casually against the door frame.


Missed parts 5, 4, 3, 2 or 1? For more Theme Thursday beginnings, click here.

wordless wednesday

I'm sick...I'm tired...And I have to read through a stack of discovery taller than my son for this dep on Thursday...This is the best I got today...