Mortal Agent of a Vampire - Chapter 21

I threw a party.
At first, I called everyone I knew and circulated invitations. Then I realized that my social circle was really small. I started making up all sorts of lies, like inadvertently leaking reliable tidbits about ‘an audition for a major role’ to some professional agents, and charity receptions, modified car clubs, the annual Mr. Nice Guy Auction (hell, I don’t know what that is).
I booked balloons, flowers, champagne and a band to turn on all the lights. Houses like the Little Pantheon are made for partying, and when everything was ready, an unprecedented amount of energy radiated from every window like a sparkling lost paradise.
At twelve o’clock, guests began to arrive.
Vince and I stood on the second-floor terrace overlooking the entire courtyard. It looked like a Bruegel painting – happy little people everywhere.
“This ……” he pointed down.
I had a bit of a hunch what he was going to say and I interrupted him, “Count me in.”
Vince raised an eyebrow, “Ready to return to the poverty line?”
I waved my hand with a kind of throwaway thrill, “The point isn’t the money, it’s being happy to be alive. I hope I’m happy, and so are you.”
“I’m not going to thank you.” He said, but his eyes betrayed him.
“You’re welcome.”
The engine roars and we turn back toward the courtyard as a sports car rears up, bringing with it a group of perky, short-skirted girls.
Oh, cheerleaders, perfect.
“I think there’s an emergency here.” Vince gestured to the cheerleader who was walking at the front end, sparkling like a diamond.
“Save the girl, Superman.”
He jumped straight off the second floor. I don’t have immortality, so I had to be a good boy and take the stairs.
I found Dean (someone had to do the finishing touches, right?) sitting by the fountain pool, looking a little lost.
“Hi.” He said hello when he saw me.
I sat down next to him and handed him a soda, “Um, about your sister ……”
“She’s not dead.” He interrupted me, “I already know.”
“What?”
“She told me on the phone.” Dean explained.
“Oh.” I let out a huge sigh of relief, seriously, telling someone that his sister turned into a vampire wasn’t an easy thing to do.
Dean took a sip of his drink and we watched the coming and going crowd together.
“What do you think?” I asked.
He thought for a long time, “I can’t say.”
“Hmm.”
“But I’m glad I got to see her again.”
“Of course.”
“And …… that’s kind of cool.”
We looked at each other and laughed.
At that moment, Vince came strutting up to me with the cheerleader in tow.
“Take the baton.”
Happiness came too quickly, and I caught the jade hand in a panic as he whirled away.
“He’s cool too.” Dean whispered.
We looked together at Vince’s back, “The coolest.” I replied.
The band played a tango and I walked towards the dance floor. Passing the crowd of onlookers, I saw a familiar face.
It was Mina. Needless to say, I invited her with bad intentions.
She’s snuggled up next to her husband and looks a little surprised.
“Lyle?”
“Oh, Mina.” I paused, “Thanks for coming to my party.” I emphasized mine, “Make yourself at home, just mention anything you need.”
“This ……?”
I knew she had a lot of questions and I interrupted her mercilessly, “I’m sorry, I’m a little tied up right now, can we talk about it later when we have time?” I gestured to my dance partner and the cheerleader leaned her head towards my shoulder, her big eyes fluttering.
I stepped away, leaving the dazed Mina behind.
Classic revenge. She probably won’t be in my dreams from now on.
The revelry continued until well into the night.
Except for a few drunks, the guests had gone, leaving a mess behind and the bellboys working on the lawn. A balloon slipped out and floated into the sky.
Vince and I regrouped on the second floor terrace.
“Still enjoying your return party?” I asked.
“Only one thing I didn’t like,” Vince commented, “It ended too soon.”
“Good advice,” I fished out an air pen and made a few scratches, “noted.”
The band played a waltz, ‘The Last Waltz’ to be exact.
Vince held out his hand to me, “Please.”
I glared at him, “You’re not, are you?”
“Shameful waste.” Vince winked, “It’s, well, the last waltz.”
“Yeah, even if it comes in first, it’s still the last waltz.” That said, I still accepted his invitation. What could I do? He blinked, and it was all over the place.
“I’ve never tried it with a guy.” I reminded him to look at his shiny shoes.
“It’s okay, I’ll guide you.”
We’re standing face to face, he’s got his arm around my waist and I’m resting my hand on his shoulder, which is awkward as hell. The first few steps were a little awkward, but after a while, as the saying goes, I got into the music. Vince really was an excellent dance partner.
We glided across the floor, wondering if it was one spin after another, and I began to get misty-eyed.
“You were sympathizing with me when I said I was trying to find a balance, weren’t you?” Vince whispered into my ear.
I turned to him stunned, “No, oh, I was just ……” There was no point in arguing, I had to admit it, “Yes, but ……” I didn’t want him to know, it was too …… hurtful too much.
“Actually, you don’t have to.” Vince interrupted me calmly, “You’d be wrong, I like dealing with humans ……” he looked at me deeply, “purely because …… it’s easier.”
It was as if I had fallen into a vortex, the scene around me blurring more and more, the only thing clear was Vince’s face.
“Wait, slow down, I’m getting dizzy ……”
Vince ignored my protests, his pace keeping to the beat, “You’ve met my kind, and they …… are, to put it nicely, quite individual. But you humans are different.”
A cold chill crept up from the soles of my feet.
Vince continued, “You’re so emotional that with so little favors, I can easily control you, just like you train your watchdogs.” He chuckled softly, “Besides, human blood tastes really good.”
“Your acting skills leave a lot to be desired.” I didn’t believe a word he said, what really worried me was why he was acting this out.
With a headlong rush, I fell forward like a scale, Vince caught me and carried me in a continuing circle, although it felt to me that it wasn’t me that was spinning, but the world around me.
“No, I mean it, that’s the truest reason,” his voice sounded so indifferent, “If there’s any sublime element to it, it’s all a fabrication, something you’ve conjured up out of thin air, Lyle, and we all know how hair-trigger your mind is.”
In my daze, the band sang as if from a very distant land, and I heard the lyrics singing, “…… The fire of love in your eyes fades, my heart breaks in two ……”
Man, this is a sad song.
But I finally caught a bit of a clue, he thought he could hide it from me, but he couldn’t.
“Please, don’t ……” I wanted to say don’t wash away my memories, but the dizziness gradually took over and my consciousness began to fully collapse, slipping away into nothingness. My limbs went numb and my tongue wouldn’t work.
Vince’s hand shook, and he didn’t answer. The dance stopped, and I felt myself being gently flattened to the ground as a coolness came over me.
“Goodbye, my humorous little fool.” Vince whispered in my ear. The rose he had pinned to his chest slipped and landed right in front of me.
Don’t go. I tried to stop him, but the only strength I had left was enough to curl my fingers a little.
He straightens up, turns his back on me, and disappears into the night.
The song is over, and my eyelids fall heavily to the sound of my own heartbeat, which is gradually amplifying.

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