grasp.
I said nothing, but I was beginning to wonder how far she was going to take it, when she released him and he crumpled unmoving to the roof. He began raspingly to breathe again, drawing in a huge first breath that caused him to cough and splutter. He awoke then but kept his eyes cast down, refusing to look up at either of us. This was no doubt a harsh lesson for him, who had been coddled and handled with kid gloves up to now.
“Why?” Brid gasped out once he had caught his breath, but he still would not look up to meet our eyes, nor was he daring to look into our minds. He really did not understand.
“Because you are going to anger the wrong Vampire once,” I said, “and he will kill you for it.”
“We should have taught you respect.” Sonafi said, her tone hard and remorseless. A new severity in the way she would deal with her son. I saw that Brid recognized it too. Even a Vampire could be warm and nurturing to her young, but that softness was now departed. A new Sonafi stood over her son. “Get up.” She said, and he slowly rose, but still wouldn't look us in the eyes.
“What do you want?” I demanded coldly.
“The others have sent me to talk to you.” Brid answered, hardly daring to look up.
“We're listening.” Sonafi said.
“We want to do something to make our presence known.” Brid said. “We've been talking about ways to do that, but we think that if we make it too obvious, they won't come. Or they'll find some other way to deal with us.”
“Are you their spokesman? Why don't they just come themselves?” I asked. So far I had met none of the others in this group.
“They are not all in agreement that you should be allowed in with us. There are some that fear you.” Brid said. “I think now I can see why.”
I glared at him but wondered if he had even noted our point. We had only chastised him moments ago and yet here he was already returned to recalcitrance. I continued to glare at him. “Do these others accept your arrogant attitude?” I wondered aloud.
“I know better than to screw with them .” Brid snarled, suddenly angry. “You're my parents! I thought that if there was anyone I was safe with, it would be my own parents!”
I looked at Sonafi. She looked back.
“Have we over reacted?” She asked.
“No.” I said. “Life is a serious business. I think Brid is taking it too lightly. Much too lightly.”
“I think you would be surprised just how serious I am about life, and not only just my own.” Brid replied seriously. “How I have endeavored to find a way to gain the upper hand over our enemies. Do you know why I am accepted by the other of my group? Do you have any idea?”
Brid's mind was closed to me and I suddenly felt the smallest needle of guilt at being barred from his mind. While he had lived under my roof he would never have dared to close his mind to us. We had taught our children to learn to live with one another openly, as Sonafi and I did, because through openness and honesty we hoped to bring the entire Community together, or so we have always hoped. To find his mind closed now to me was a shocking surprise. I did not know what he was hiding.
“No. I guess I don't.” I admitted. I hadn't thought about it, but now that I did, I found that I was a little baffled. What use did they get out of my son? What could they have seen that I hadn't?
“All those hours I wasted sitting in front of the computer.” Brid said. “You don't recall?”
“I could hardly forget.” I said. “That's all you ever did. That or play video games.”
“The video games I wrote?” Brid asked sarcastically. “Are those the ones you refer to? Or the electronics I was always working on. Maybe you refer to those?”
“You mean all those toys you tore apart!” I said, just as sarcastically, remembering how much money Brid ’s hobbies had
Chris Mariano, Agay Llanera, Chrissie Peria