Vampire 01 - Daughter of Darkness

too.
    I found a place to park and walked out to the pier. There was already a good-size crowd enjoying the Ferris wheel and games. I overheard a variety of languages from Chinese to Russian being spoken. Young children were charging forward in all directions, only to be pulled back by a parent’s words. They were like human yo-yos, because they’d start in a new direction almost immediately. It brought a smile to my face and then memories of Daddy bringing us here and to other fun parks. We were always well behaved and proud to walk with him, to be seen beside him, to share some of the admiration we saw in the faces of other people.
    “It’s important that you are out here,” he said. “It’s important that you feel the ebb and flow of human emotions and energy, that you, like me, draw your own essence from it. It’s like dipping a cup into a cool stream and then, after you drink, feeling revived and alive and immortal.”
    His words mesmerized us. We soaked in the glow of his smile and, like kittens, purred in his arms. Daddy could explain anything, could meet any challenge, and could keep us forever safe. Anyone looking at us could read the words on our lips.
We are his daughters. We are the Patios. Step away. Don’t touch. Just enjoy what you see.
    “Hey,” I heard, and broke free of my reminiscences. Buddy was right behind me.
    “I thought you might not find me easily in this crowd,” I said as he approached. He was wearing a light blue jacket, a darker blue shirt, and jeans, and he looked spry in his bone-white sneakers. I hadn’t noticed before, but his light brown hair was long and floated over his eyes. He swept it back.
    “Are you kidding? You would stand out in any crowd,” he said. He looked around. “And it is kind of crowded here. Want to take a walk on the beach?”
    “Okay,” I said. He reached for my hand, and we started off the pier.
    “So, what made you decide to make this my lucky day?” he asked.
    I nearly laughed aloud, thinking,
You have no idea how true that might be.
“How do you know it’s your lucky day?”
    “Hey,” he said, leaning closer to lower his voice, “don’t you see those envious guys watching us?”
    I looked around. Once I had dreamed of drawing attention the way Brianna and Ava did. Had my dream come true? They certainly never revealed being as self-conscious about it as I was as we stepped off the sidewalk and onto the sand. I paused to slip off my shoes, and he did the same. The sand was warm, but not so warm that we couldn’t walk barefoot, and as we drew closer to the water, it cooled.
    “Where do you go to high school?” Buddy asked.
    “It’s a private school in Bel Air.”
    “Sounds expensive.”
    “It is.”
    “What do your parents do?”
    “I have only my father,” I said. “My mother died when I was born.”
    “Oh, sorry. What does he do?”
    “He buys and sells very expensive things all over the world.”
    “Jewelry?”
    “Anything expensive.”
    “Elsa is really your sister, then, right? This business about blood relation was just some nonsense.”
    “Yes, she’s my sister.”
    “Is there just you and Elsa?”
    “No. I have a younger sister, too.”
    “Oh, your father remarried?”
    “No.”
    “But how did you get a younger sister?”
    “He didn’t marry her mother. She deserted him after my younger sister was born.”
    “Oh. Sounds like your father’s had it rough.”
    “Yes. That’s also why he’s so protective of us.”
    “Sure. I understand. Well, you and Elsa don’t look that much alike, you know.” He leaned in toward me again to whisper, “You’re much better-looking.”
    “Flattery will get you anywhere,” I said. I remembered that line from a movie I had watched with Marla.
    “With you, I’ll settle for anywhere,” he replied. We walked quietly for a while, and then he took off his jacket and spread it on the sand. “My lady,” he said, offering it to sit on.
    I did, and he sat beside me. We looked out at the waves. Two California brown pelicans were circling over the water to our right. Suddenly, one swooped down and came up with a small fish.
    “Wow,” Buddy said. “See that?”
    “Yes. Everything living feeds on something living,” I recited.
    He looked at me. “Deep,” he said. “Tell me more about yourself. Are you guys originally from California?”
    “You’ve told me nothing about yourself,” I countered.
    He laughed and sprawled out, leaning on his left elbow to look up