TWO YEARS AGO...
"I hate you! You're a monster! How-How could you? Don't you have a conscience? Of course you don't...you're a vampire. A murderer." Carmine grabs the antique brass lamp off Mason's desk and hurls it towards her father.
Mason dodges the airborne vase with ease, catching it with his right hand. "Carmine. Calm down. Please."
"You didn't have to...You really didn't have to kill him. We don't even murder our ritual victims because you said it would be too dangerous and we could get caught. So how could you do something so risky and heartless? I had everything under control."
Mason's eyes narrow into slits. "You're only fifteen. You have nothing under control. You're just a child."
"Fuck you. You can go burn in hell!" Carmine runs out of her father's study, slamming the door behind her.
Fiery thoughts race through her mind. I will not let myself become a monster like him. I would never murder humans, no matter how loathsome or crass they are. I am not a monster. I am not a monster.
Present Day...
"I want a job," Carmine announces, sinking her teeth into a raw, juicy sausage. It's an idea that has been stewing inside her brain for quite some time. Now that school is out, she needs something more meaningful and substantial to occupy her time.
I want to make something of myself. Be independent...I can't rely on my parents forever. No. I don't WANT to rely on them any longer.There must be something I'm good at doing. Even if I'm limited to the boundaries of this boring town.
"That's a good idea. You can finally earn your keep and help us pay some bills," Mason chuckles.
"I do earn my keep, Father. I bring you fresh blood to drink, don't I?"
Mason sucks happily on his bag of blood."Yes, yes. Of course Carmine. I was only teasing you."
"If it wasn't for me stealing from the blood donation bank, how could you possibly survive?" Carmine huffs jokingly, gesturing at the thawed plastic pouch Mason clutched so greedily.
Of course, frozen blood is not nearly as tasty as the fresh thing, but they don't have many options. "Frozen fast food" is the convenient option. Besides, neither Mason nor Carmine has the power or energy to find a new victim every single day.
So on her last heist two weeks ago, Carmine had stolen enough frozen bags of donated blood to last Mason at least a month. That's a lot of bags, considering he needed at least two of them a day.
She had approached a local blood donation truck pretending to be a donor. When the two volunteers weren't looking, she knocked them unconscious and loaded up Mason's truck with two large duffle bags full of bloody goodness.
Easy peasy.
It had taken every ounce of her restraint driving home not to steal from her father's stash. After all, this was his sole source of nutrition. Her human brain understood that while she could derive nutrients from regular fruits, vegetables and meat, her father could not. But the wicked vampire within her constantly beckoned her to disregard all logic and morality.
Unable to control the vampire lust within her, Carmine begged her father to lock away the frozen bags of blood in his study and hide away the key so she and Blake would not be tempted to snack. For if Mason didn't get enough to drink, he became extremely crabby. And a 'hangry' vampire was not just irritable, he was outright dangerous. If left unchecked, he would be menace to society. There had been times when fresh blood was so scarce that Carmine noticed her father eyeing the rest of the family with hunger in his bright blue eyes. But thankfully he was a master of self-control and suppressed these animal urges by consuming backyard rodents instead. Animal blood, however, whether it was from live mammals or the butcher shop, paled in comparison to fresh human blood. If fresh human blood was premium lobster meat, animal juices would be the equivalent of lobster-flavored chips.
Red clears her throat and sets down her coffee mug. "Don't forget about your monthly duties," she hints, shooting Carmine a grave look. "We need you now more than ever."
"Don't worry Mother, how could I possibly forget about the ritual? I need it just as badly as the rest of you."
"Just a friendly reminder, that's all," Red murmured before crunching on a piece of toast. "Your graduation ceremony is in a few hours. You should get ready."
"I'm not going," Carmine said matter-of-factly. "It's a complete waste of time. I'll pick the diploma up from the office later."
"But Carmine," Mason points out, "you will only graduate from high school once. Don't you want to celebrate your achievements over the past four years along with your classmates?"
"What achievements?" Carmine snorts, feeling a mixture of disdain and self-pity. Her eyes flare with resentment. "You wouldn't let me ace my tests because you said it would draw attention and make people notice me. You and Mother taught me to stay 'average'. So I did. And I never got any awards or scholarships because of that. So what do I have to celebrate today? How well I hid my intelligence? How easily I forfeited my future-"
"That's enough Carmine. You may excuse yourself from the table," Red snaps, shooting Carmine an exasperated glare.
Carmine pushes her chair back and stands up. She wolfs down the last of the sausages on her plate and sets the empty dish in the sink. "I'm going out." Without another word, she rushes out the back door, leaving her family members in stunned silence.
After wandering around the neighbourhood and sulking for a good few hours, trying to blow off steam, Carmine finally stumbles into the school office to collect her diploma.
The rosy-cheeked secretary looks up at Carmine through over-sized glasses. "How can I help you?"
"I'm here to collect my diploma? Carmine Redoza. C-A-R-M-I-N-E. R-E-D-O-Z-A."
"Alright Carmine, please have a seat. I will call you when I have it ready." The middle aged lady gestures toward the row of fold-up chairs lining the way.
A couple other students were already sitting down, waiting. Looks like I'm not the only one who decided to skip the ceremony, Carmine thinks as she takes a seat.
The office is incredibly silent save for the ticking of the wall clock and the occasional clattering of keyboards. Every few minutes, the fat printer beside the secretary's desk hums and comes alive, droning and spitting out sheet after sheet of printed documents. One after another, the students who arrived before her are called up to the desk and handed their diplomas.
Carmine shifts uncomfortably in her seat. This is taking forever. The whole point of not going to the ceremony was so I could grab the damn certificate and go and not have to wait around.
"Carmine Redoza?"
Finally.
Carmine stands up and walks to the secretary's desk. The secretary hands her the thick, embossed certificate with her name across the front and the Principal's signature at the bottom. "Congratulations Carmine. Welcome to the big leagues," the secretary winks. "Please sign here to acknowledge that you've received your graduation certificate."
Carmine scrawls her name on a piece of paper and turns around to leave, desperate to leave this high school and never turn back. Her four years at McAllister High had been lonely and unremarkable. She never made any friends, never achieved anything she was proud of; and most importantly, she was never even noticed by her peers.
"Carmine?"
Oh no. Not that voice again, Carmine cringes. She does not even want to look up. After a brief moment, Carmine lifts her head and pulls the corners of her mouth into a tight smile. "Billy."
"Listen Carmine, about the other night I-"
"It's OKAY, Billy," Carmine laughs, "I didn't even end up going."
"Really?" Billy tilts his head back. "I could've sworn I saw you across the street."
"You're as blind as you are stupid Billy. I felt sorry for you so I said yes to the date but then I changed my mind later and decided not to show after all," Carmine puffs out her chest and straightens her back. "Did I hurt your feelings?"
"No- actually, I-" Billy stops mid-sentence, flustered and slowly turning red.
"Good. I hope you don't hate me." Carmine's eyes twitch. She tries to hold back her rage. He's not worth it. Not worth it at all. "I'll probably never see you again so...good luck with your life."
Carmine smiles and brushes past Billy's shoulder with surprising force. Billy's body stumbles back, his feet tripping over themselves. He wobbles for a few seconds before regaining balance. Stunned, he whispers, "Yeah, you too Carmine. See you around."
Carmine lifts her chin a little higher. I may have had a shitty four years in high school but that doesn't mean I can't make something of my abilities now. School is done and the past is behind me. I bet even in this microscopic town I can find something meaningful to occupy my time.
With a big smile, Carmine hops down the school steps one last time, keen on never coming back.
***What did you think of Carmine's encounter with Billy? Hopefully within a week I will start posting regularly again so stay tuned! Also, don't forget to check out & like the Cutthroat Carmine Official Facebook Page as well as my Author Page (Jackie Wang) Thanks for your patience! ***
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