The Concert
I couldn't believe I was about to let Ally get her way again. She was so good at getting her way. There she stood in front of me, her short blond hair spiking in all directions and her blue eyes wide like a puppy's. She stared at me with her pathetic begging and held up the three concert tickets.
"Please, Laoise! Me, you and Ivan! It'll be so much fun! I got pit tickets," she rambled on all the reasons she wanted to go.
I sighed.
It wasn't like I hated concerts; I was just genuinely not in the mood. She began to bounce up and down impatiently while I mulled over my answer. I could go, stand in the front smashed against the stage, packed in the small venue like a sardine with a couple hundred people, or sit here and read in peace and quiet. Despite being deaf for a week it would be fun I suppose. If I didn't go it would just be her and our irresponsible brother. Well that answered the question for me. I finally smiled and Ally had her answer. She jumped up and down and wrapped her tiny arms around me. I tended to forget how small she was. Her head barely reached my shoulders. She'd always be trapped in that seventeen year old body. Despite her size, however, she could take care of herself.
"Oh! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" she said raising her voice an octave higher each time she thanked me. I nodded and rolled my eyes. "Ivan! Laoise is going with us!"
I watched as Ally ran upstairs calling for Ivan. Sarah walked into the living room and sat on the couch next to me. She folded her long legs beside me and combed her long, pale fingers through her long dark hair.
"So Ally got her way again?" she asked me in her gentle British accent. I let my eyes roll again but didn't break away from the TV. I wasn't even sure what I was watching. I never really paid attention to it anymore. There was never anything good on.
"She's really good at it," I replied.
"Well I'd go with you but Cillian and I are going out tonight. He's taking me to dinner at the top of the Space Needle," she smiled to herself.
"Again?" I asked flatly. I saw her glare at me from the corner of my eyes but didn't acknowledge it.
"We love the food up there and the view never gets old," she replied.
I sighed again.
Sarah and Cillian were soul mates. They were the cutest couple I'd ever seen that drew the envious attention of any other couple out there. It almost made me sick sometimes. Maybe because I was one of the jealous onlookers or maybe because I really didn't want a cutesy little relationship like theirs. I didn't know what I wanted. It was probably just because it was like watching my parents get all oogly over each other. As though on cue with my thought process, Cillian came into the room and leaned in kissing Sarah gently on the cheek.
"Are you ready to go?" he asked in his familiar smooth Irish tone.
"Do I look like I'm ready?" she growled grabbing the ends of her hair. He laughed, satisfied with her reaction.
"So did Ally get her way, Laoise?" he smiled already knowing the answer. I faked a smile and tore my attention from the TV. I think it was some kind of documentary on lions.
"Yep." I replied through my teeth. Cillian laughed.
"You will have fun. I have no doubt. After the show we can all go out to dinner." Cillian flashed me a white grin.
"I would think dinner would be better before you squeeze three of use in a room with a couple hundred people." I let out a smirk and Cillian became a bit more serious.
"I trust you to look after Ally and Ivan."
"Well I am the oldest." I said with an edge of sarcasm.
The concert was starting to sound more and more appealing to me. The band we were seeing however, Exsanguinate, seemed painfully and comically ironic. Cillian glided up the stairs without a sound and disappeared into his room. Sarah sprung from the couch and quickly followed behind.
"Ally! When are we leaving?" I called up the stairs to her.
"In an hour! We should get there early for parking and so we can get near the front," she called back to me.
The front. Amazing how two little words could immediately extinguish all the excitement I had spent so much effort to gain. I pushed myself heavily off the couch and headed upstairs where everyone else was getting ready for their night out. I went into my room and walked into my closet to pick out a wardrobe worthy of a sweaty rock show. I really did love concerts, even more so, dressing for them.
I found a nice black number that made me look a thousand times paler than I really was and called it good. I headed into the bathroom and threw on some black eyeliner and pulled my hair back into a high ponytail. My Irish red, ridiculously curly hair would only smother me in the crowd if I tried to do anything fancy with it. By the end of the show it would have looked like a greasy red bush exploding out of my head. No need to make a fool of myself now; especially in front of the band since most likely we would end up meeting them. Ally had a knack for getting us backstage. When I came out of the bathroom Ally was standing there with Ivan. Both had overly excited looks on their faces.
"What car are you taking?" I asked them letting a smile grow on my own face.
"The Mustang," Ivan replied through his light German accent and grinned. He knew why I asked.
"I'll follow you two on my bike." My smile grew even larger just saying the words.
I was so proud of my new motorcycle. Between the speed and the jealous, shocked looks from the men, I was completely in love with my new black Hayabusa. I beat them downstairs, grabbing my leather jacket on the way and walked into the garage. There my baby sat. Shiny and perfect. Ally walked passed me rolling her eyes at my admiration. Ivan gawked at it a minute.
"I need to get me one." He said the same thing every time he saw it.
I smiled zipping up my jacket and pulled my black helmet over my head. The visor was tinted so that when I rode it around town I looked like a skinny ninja on a crotch rocket. I loved it. The hum of my engine echoed in the garage and I took off down the road followed close by the yellow Mustang. After so long in Seattle I wondered if we were planning on taking our flashy rides back to Ireland. We tried to blend in as much as possible which was easy to do in Seattle even with the flashy cars. Ireland would be a bit different though.
I didn't want to think about that though. I pushed the thoughts out of my head and concentrated on the wind and light rain drips that whizzed passed me. The distance between my bike and the Mustang began to grow as I hit a hundred miles per hour and soon began to push one-fifty. We were going to get there much too early at this rate. I eased off the throttle and waited until the Mustang caught back up with me. I could have left ten minutes before the show started and still scored a barrier position.
After so many shows, where I stood in the audience didn't mean so much to me anymore. Ally would never tire of it though. The mosh pits and the deafening music was Ally's thrill. I had the speed of my bikes for that. Ivan was simply her loyal puppy dog and followed her everywhere. It was cute in some aspects but other times it would get on her nerves.
We crossed into downtown Seattle and headed toward the water. The concert was at a smaller venue in a less populated part of the city. I fell behind the Mustang and let Ally lead the way. A couple minutes later I spotted the line already forming outside the club. I sighed to myself thinking about having to stand outside for an hour and followed the car into a parking lot a couple blacks away. Ally and Ivan got out of the car and I locked my helmet in the backseat of the Mustang and paid for the parking. Ally was bouncing all the way to the back of the line with her arm locked in Ivan's. Our graceful pale forms often caught people's attention and this time was no exception. I was sure half of the line turned around to watch the three of us take our places on the sidewalk. Time passed slowly while we waited for the security team to finally start letting us in. By the time we were let in the line stretched down the street clear back to where we had parked.
The crowd filed into the venue and rushed to the front where the high steel barriers stood. Ally pushed her way to the front pulling Ivan and a reluctant me along with her. I was always thankful for my superior strength when it came to shows like this. Any other person would have been shoved over and jerked back but I simply stood as solid as a statue. I could hear chatter below the loud hum of the crowd of people complaining how cold my skin was to the touch or commenting on my pale skin. Most were simply annoyed because I was the only one that seemed to stand steady in the bustle of people. They would have to get over it.
Ally dropped her arms over the barrier and waited anxiously through the opening bands. There was a half an hour period while the techies set up the stage for the headlining band and I took the time to listen in on more conversations. A couple girls behind me went on about how good looking the band was between complaining about me. I had lost track of what they were complaining about. They must have been sixteen years old at the most so I really didn't let anything they said bother me. I should have expected the immature ranting from their superficial heads.
Finally the lights dimmed and the cheers erupted from the crowd as the band came onto the stage one by one. But something happened then I didn't expect. As the air condition turned on and blew into the audience I caught the most breathtaking scent. I was further shocked when I realized it was coming from the guitar player of the band. It was intoxicating. Never before had I been so caught off guard by a humans scent. It took every bit of control I had not to leap out of the crowd and drain his blood. I looked down at Ally and Ivan who were both jumping along with the music. Neither of them showed signs they had noticed the smell. For over one-hundred and sixty years I had controlled my vampire instincts and this guitarist suddenly threatened everything Cillian had worked to prevent. Out of habit, though I really didn't need to breathe, I took a deep breath then stopped. I had to keep from breathing to keep this smell from turning me hostel. Ally looked up at me with a large smile baring her short, razor sharp fangs. Her smile was suddenly replaced by a look of panic. She pointed to her eyes signaling the change in my own. They must have gone black. Our eyes were the first to change when we transformed into our feeding forms. I shook myself trying to get my hunger back under control. Maybe we should have eaten before the show. I could feel my fangs start to grow under my lip. The second part of transformation. I had to get myself under control immediately before the last step of my hunting form appeared. That wouldn't be as easy to hide.
Ally nudged Ivan still in a panic and he looked over at me, his eyes growing wide. I held my breath and shook myself one more time. I could feel the hunger leaving. When I opened my eyes I could see the relief in both their faces.
"Do you need to leave?" Ally asked me at a normal volume but I could easily hear her over the music.
"I'm okay. It's under control," I replied and looked back up at the stage.
The guitarist was gorgeous. He had dark hair cut like a rock star that spiked out in different directions making you wonder if it actually somehow defied gravity. His eyeliner brought out his bright blue eyes and a thin yet toned body hinted through his tight t-shirt and black jeans. His arms were mostly covered in tattoos and a lip ring reflected in the stage lights. Who thought an eighteenth century Irish vampire like me could be so irresistibly attracted to a rock star like him. Ally and Ivan continued to watch the show but not without glancing back to check on me several times. I was the one supposed to be keeping an eye on them. Especially Ally and how young of a vampire she was. I stared up at the guitarist not able to look away. Something deep inside me told me not to let him go. Maybe this was what Cillian and Sarah felt for each other. But they were both vampires. Could it be possible for a vampire to feel so strongly for a human? So many questions filled my mind. Cillian and I would have a long conversation when I got home.
When I thought it couldn't get stranger the guitarist looked down into the audience. Our eyes met and, if I hadn't already been holding my needless breath, would have lost it then. It looked as though he had the same reaction. Suddenly he blushed and quickly looked away when he realized I was staring back. It couldn't have been me that caused a reaction like that. Maybe one of the girls behind me held up a sign with a marriage proposal on it. I was just relieved that when he had made eye contact with me my eyes weren't black and fierce as they had been moments before. The concert ended but not before he made several other glances at me, each time turning away quickly when he realized my eyes hadn't left his. What was wrong with me? Ally and Ivan turned to me as the crowds began to shuffle towards the merchandise booths and the exit. They waited until we had some space between us and the crowd before hammering me with questions.
"What happened?" Ally asked quietly.
"Are you okay?" Ivan asked not a half a second later.
"Do we need to call Cillian?" Ally asked barely letting Ivan finish his question.
I held up my hands to shut them up.
"I think I'm okay. Something weird happened though when I caught the scent of the guitarist," I said letting myself breath again now that the band was off the stage.
"His name is Nick," Ally said grinning then went serious again. "You looked like you were about to attack him!" I looked into her eyes. I could feel the fear and anger building in my stare.
"I was about to. I had to hold my breath to keep from attacking him. I don't know what happened but we need to leave before he finds me."
I saw him give me one last glance as he set his guitar in the holder on stage and rush down the stairs. His intentions were clear. Despite how badly I wanted him I couldn't let him find me. What if I lost control again? I hoped it would be a onetime thing and that I had just been caught off guard. It wouldn't happen again. I couldn't let it happen again.
"Laoise! Why would he try and find you?" Ivan asked again. I realized he was talking to me as he pulled me out of my thoughts.
"Let's just say I wasn't the only breathless one in the room when our eyes met," I replied and started leading them towards the exit with the crowd.
It felt like we were following a herd of cows outside. Good thing we were vegetarians. I laughed at myself. Ally and Ivan both followed close keeping an eye on me, watching for any changes. We made it outside and I breathed in the fresh air. Being in a crowd of people for that long felt like being in a candy store to long. I'd eventually got sick from all the sweets. When we went to concerts it was the ultimate test of our self control. It would be so easy for us to pick off the crowd one by one before they knew what was going on. I was always surprised how well Ally did in the crowds. For being such a new vampire she had the best self control I had ever seen. Fifty years was young for a vampire despite what she thought. Joseph was nearly one-hundred and ten and still had trouble in public. That was why he usually stayed inside and wrote. That's also why I hadn't even bothered suggesting he go to the concert in my place. Not only was he caught up in his newest novel but bringing him to the concert would have been like bringing an alcoholic to a liquor store. Ivan joined the family in Germany in 1898 so he had some self control but he was often irresponsible which tended to get him into trouble.
Once again a voice pulled me out of my thoughts. The three of us had just made it to the parking lot when someone behind us called out. I skidded to a halt next to my bike when I realized who it was. A small breeze blew in my direction and I caught my breath. He had followed us out here. I thought about how fast I could throw on my helmet and ride away from him but a sudden sickening pain in my stomach kept me from going through with it. Apparently my body was as desperate to not leave him as I was despite the obvious danger it posed. Ally and Ivan turned around to meet him and I hesitantly spun on my heal staying behind them. Ally and Ivan were the only two that could save his life if this meeting went south.
2008 copyrighted by Stephanie Graber