Savor

  Savor

  By

  Megan Duncan

  Copyright © August 2011 by Megan Duncan

  http://meganduncan.blogspot.com/

  These stories are works of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this publication can be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, without permission in writing from Megan Duncan.

  Cover art by Robin Ludwig Design Inc.

  http://www.rldprint.com/portfolio/book.html

  Table of Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 1

  As much as I had been dreaming about this day, I had been dreading it just as much. I knew my mom would say I was over reacting, but I didn’t want to spend any part of my birthday getting poked and prodded. “Why can’t turning eighteen be just about celebrating?” I asked my fat orange cat, Louie, as he bathed himself on my bed.

  I gave Louie a good scratch before I hopped out of bed and headed to my closet. I wanted to make sure I looked great in my picture; otherwise I would never hear the end of it from my best friend Liz.

  She spent a record four hours and countless wardrobe changes before we were able to nail down the perfect outfit, hair and make-up combination. As annoying as that day was, I had to admit she did look great in her picture ID.

  So, here I stood in front of my closet with no clue as to what I should wear. I pulled out the fanciest clothes I owned but quickly sent them flying to the bed behind me, which in turn sent Louie running away with a meow.

  I glanced over to my desk and stared at the pile of clothes draped over the back of the chair. Liz had brought over a number of items, which I would describe as risqué, but she would say they were simply her everyday clothes. I thought they were a bit flashy, but Liz had an eye for fashion and was known in our group of friends to be an “H to T” girl. No matter what the circumstance she was always perfectly put together from head to toe. She said she hated the term, but I could tell she relished the fact that people thought of her that way and was only pretending to be modest.

  We were an odd couple, she and I, but we had known each other our whole lives. With moms that were too busy to notice much of anything we did and dads that were out of the picture, we quickly bonded as if we were sisters.

  I quickly decided to save the fashion options Liz had given me for later that night, and slipped on my favorite pair of jeans with a simple black tank top. Less was more right?

  “Hurry it up Claire! I want to get there before it gets too busy.” My mom’s muffled voice echoed from down the hallway to my bedroom. I was starting to think that she was more excited that I was getting a Donor ID than the fact that I was turning eighteen.

  I knew how important it was to have that identification, because everyone who is anyone got one when they turned eighteen. It was a vital part of our society. So, naturally I didn’t feel it was a very big deal. Everyone with a Donor ID would have their blood tested for the specific type, the quality, any diseases they might have, and the mineral content among other things. Once they have all this information a Donor ID was issued specifying all of that information.

  Having this identification did mean that I would be required to donate blood on a regular basis to the blood bank, who would in turn prepare the blood for the reigning vampire royal family in our region. Since the royals lived in my city, all the blood banks were stricter about everyone getting their identification as soon as they turned eighteen. There were those who refused and those individuals were charged a hefty tax for their lack of fealty.

  It was probably much more complicated than that, but I didn’t pay as much attention in school as I should have. Taking a class on the rules, regulations and structure of the vampire monarchy was a required course and even with my limited knowledge I managed to pass.

  Society saw so little of the vampires that were in the royal families. They had grown into more of a reclusive celebrity type, but they were still our rulers. They controlled our government, managed our laws and protected us. All they asked was a blood donation in return. I thought our forefathers made a pretty good deal with the vampires and it had worked quite well for the last few hundred years.

  So, in a nutshell, that was my plan for my eighteenth birthday. I would make my first donation to the vampire family, get my Donor ID and then it was time to party.

  I rushed down the stairs taking two steps at a time and stopped at a mirror in the living room to look at my reflection. I smiled at myself for having remembered the tips Liz gave me for styling my hair and appreciated my new less-frizzy hairdo.

  My mom was perched at the kitchen counter, leaning on her massive brown purse and watching the news on a tiny television. The news anchor reported on a group of picketers that were protesting outside of a blood bank. Not everyone liked the idea of having to donate their blood to feed vampires, calling them monsters and other foul names.

  “How can you watch that junk?” I asked her as I flipped the television off.

  “Can you believe those people? I can’t imagine what anyone has to complain about. They’re lucky we aren’t still living in the dark ages when vampires used to hunt people down and murder them like cattle.”

  I didn’t say anything because I knew if I replied I would send her off on some endless tangent about how we should be so thankful to the vampires for civilizing our region, for showing mercy and blah, blah, blah. My mom was well known for her support of the blood donation system, which was probably why she was so eager to have me get my ID so quickly. Every city in our region had set up a committee to encourage support of the vampires, to enlist new donors and spread the word of our valiant and brave leader, King Nicolae Noire, who pulled our region from the ashes of the dark ages. My mom is the head of the committee in our city.

  “You all set?” She grabbed the keys and headed for the door.

  “Yeah, I think so. How long do you think this is going to take?” I asked.

  “As long as it takes. Why, do you have something you need to do?”

  “Well, yeah Mom. It’s my birthday. I wanted to hang out with Liz and my friends.”

  “You’ll have plenty of time to do that tonight. Okay?”

  I again chose not to respond and simply followed my mom as we walked briskly to the train station a few blocks from the house. As always she commented on how convenient the train was, and how much the vampires had improved our way of life with such changes. If I didn’t know better I would think she was brainwashed, but I suppose being the head vampire committee representative would make a person a little wrapped up in every detail of what vampires had done.

  My mom used to make me go with her on weekends, walking door-to-door handing out pamphlets trying to get unregistered humans to get their Donor IDs. More often than not, we would simply get a door slammed in our faces, but she never gave up trying.

  The trains where we lived in midtown were much nicer than the ones we used to take when we went, what I liked to call “preaching”.

  We walked through the toll booths and stood on the platform with the rest of the morning rush of people. There were people carrying briefcases,
others holding onto fussy children, people soliciting this or that, vendors hawking coffee or vampire memorabilia, and teenagers obviously heading home after a night of partying which made me want to get this whole ID business quickly done with, so I could do some partying of my own.

  The train arrived after a short wait and we clamored in with the rest of the crowd making our way uptown. My mom clicked away on her phone, checking emails and the news or planning something to counter the protestors outside the blood bank, I was sure of it.

  Our stop let out right outside the blood bank in uptown. My mom insisted we go to this one and I quickly noticed why. Everything in uptown was prettier and just plain better, because the rich people really did know a thing or two about architecture. A tall cylinder shaped structure with small windows evenly circling it towered over me. Right next to it, was a pyramid shaped building made out of glass. As we made our way up the hedged walkway I surveyed the landscape. All of the bushes were trimmed perfectly and beautiful fragrant flowers lined unique looking stone statues that I noticed were vampire royal family members of the past.

  They looked very regal gazing down at people who made their way into the blood bank. Each statue had a plaque providing a brief history of that specific vampire. There were a few people who stopped to read the passages and some who even took time to have their photo taken with one of the statues.

  I quickly realized that reading about the vampires in school and seeing this place in person were two quite different things. The awe of it and the beauty really did put things into perspective. Everyone looked so happy and I felt a little ashamed for being so put out about having to spend a small portion of my birthday here.

  A cute guy held the door open for us as we made our way through the entry doors and I couldn’t help but return his smile. My mom grabbed a pamphlet out of his hand and handed it to me. Once inside the huge glass building, I was again struck with awe at the beauty of the large tinted windows that softened the bright sunlight from outside, allowing a ton of tropical plants to grow inside. A large fountain bubbled in the center of the room, covered in an intricate mosaic of tiles. Each appeared meticulously placed to achieve the full beauty of its design. I peered in as we walked around it and the bottom of the fountain was speckled with coins.

  “Some people believe that if you toss in a coin, King Nicolae Noire will make your wish come true,” my mom said as she pointed to a beautifully painted portrait of the eldest and leader of the vampire family, with a smile in her voice. I nodded at her and saw a young couple toss in a coin. I made a mental note to toss one in before we left, and give myself one birthday wish.

  We were checked in by a friendly receptionist who wore a simple white dress with a square cut collar. I soon realized that was the uniform for all the ladies who worked at the blood bank. The men, however, wore white pants with a white shirt that looked similar to a tunic. Although it was an odd choice of clothing I’m sure Liz could give me an earful on everything that was wrong with their attire, it looked good. The minimalist style of the employee’s uniform really made the beauty of the décor stand out.

  “I told you it wasn’t going to be that bad.” my mom pinched my arm as we made our way to a waiting area.

  “It’s not what I expected at all. I was thinking it was going to be some sterile smelling, hospital type building, but this…this is like a hotel.”

  “They really do have an eye for beauty, don’t they?” she beamed.

  As I looked around the room, my jaw hanging open, I admired more of the style and noted other teenagers looking anxious to get their IDs. There were other people that I guessed were making their donations and several with clean, white bandages on their arms. They didn’t look the least put out after making their donation and were comfortably standing around looking at the portraits and artwork that lined the walls enjoying the beauty of it.

  A large television was anchored to a far wall, and it scrolled names and numbers. As a new name appeared on the screen, someone would get up and head through a set of double doors labeled Donations.

  “You nervous?” My mom asked, patting my knee.

  “Not really.” I lied. I was a little nervous - not a big fan of needles.

  “Good. You’ll do just fine. So, what do you girls have planned for tonight?”

  “We’re going to eat at the Sushi House and then I think we are going to Club Crimson.”

  “Is that the place I’ve been hearing about on the radio?”

  “Yeah, don’t worry Mom, it’s a minor’s only club and it’s close to uptown, so it should be really nice.” I enunciated the really as best I could.

  “Fine. Just don’t come home too late. Oh, look there’s your name, you’re next. I’ll be here when you are done.”

  I got up and headed for the double doors, clinging to my small clutch with a deathgrip, even though the lady who was waiting to greet me was probably the friendliest looking person I had ever seen.

  “Claire Miller?” she asked with a warm smile on her face.

  “Yep,” I said futily, trying to return the smile.

  “Alright sweetie, come with me. You’re here for your first Donor ID, right?”

  “Mhm.” I was sure my one word answers were making me look a bit dumb, but I was feeling nervous.

  The long white hallway was lit with simple sconces and even more pricey artwork hung from the walls, filling the narrow corridor with vibrant splashes of color.

  “Well, congratulations on making such a responsible decision to contribute to society and show your support for the vampire royal family. King Nicolae Noire and the rest of the family appreciate each and every donation made.”

  She led us to a door marked with the number seven and opened it for me. The room was lit with natural light from a large window, which offered a view of an expansive courtyard. Rooms that lined the courtyard were visible and I squinted trying to see if I could peer into anyone else’s room. An exam chair stood idly in the middle of the room with a small counter that held a perfectly organized assortment of gauze, cotton balls, swabs and some other items that I didn’t know.

  “Alright Claire, if you would just take a seat we’ll get started.”

  The nurse closed the door behind us and took a seat on a small stool. She flipped through a folder in her hands and then began to open drawers, pulling out needles and other items I didn’t like. I stared out the window to distract myself.

  “First I want to ask you if you have watched the introduction video to blood donation?”

  “Yeah, my Mom had me sign up online. I watched it a couple weeks ago, I think.”

  “Okay, good. Did you have any questions or would you like to watch it again?”

  I vaguely remembered watching the video and then asked the first question that popped into my head. “Yeah, how often will I have to donate? Not that I don’t want to or anything, I’m just a little scared of needles.”

  “That’s perfectly normal. Now, that can range on your results of course, but typically it’s only once or twice a month.” She typed information into her computer and walked over to my chair, adjusting the arm rest for me to lay my arm out straight. When instructed I pressed my finger down on a small pad, so that she could scan my print and enter it into their database.

  I started to bite my lip when she tied my arm off and started patting the vein on my arm to get it to show up better. After a few tries she was satisfied and gently sterilized the area. “Don’t tense up now sweetie. I’ll be gentle on ya, I’m a professional. I do this every day.”

  She smiled at me and pulled a tray close to her before opening up a new syringe. I held my breath as she pushed the needle into the delicate flesh. I was relieved to find that she hadn’t lied to me. It really wasn’t as horribly painful as I had thought it would be.

  Four quick vials later, “All done.” she said as she wrapped my arm.

  “Wow, that wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be.” I cradled my arm while she filled out some more inf
ormation in the folder and reached into a cabinet pulling out a slip of paper.

  “All we need to do is take your photo. If you’ll just stand against the wall over there.” She pointed to a bare part of the wall.

  I hopped down and silently wished I would have given myself one more look-over before we left. She snapped my picture before I had a chance to smile and I wanted to ask if she could retake it, but bit my tongue. I was starting to sound like Liz. She asked me the basic identifying questions, hair color, eye color, height, weight and then she printed off a small slip of paper from a printer tucked inside a cabinet.

  “This is your temporary ID card. Once your blood has been fully tested we will issue you an official card. Okay? We will give you a call and you can come pick it up.”

  “Great, thanks.” I took the card from her and resisted the urge to look at the picture - I would wait to torture myself in private for that. “So, I’m all set then?”

  “Yes.”

  I tried to not look too eager and I headed out of the room then back down the hallway. I made my way back through the double doors and saw my mom clicking away on her cell phone as usual. She was worse than the average teenager.

  “All done,” I announced as I stuffed my temporary paper ID into my wallet.

  She snapped her phone shut and looked up at me relieved. “Well that was quick.”

  “Yep, looks like we made it before the rush,” I said as I looked around the newly filled room. Dozens of people had shown up during the short amount of time I had spent in the room.

  “Well, that gives us some extra time. Do you want to get some coffee before I head into work?”

  “No, it’s cool. Liz will probably be over soon.” I could tell she wanted to protest on my hanging out with Liz so much, but she didn’t say anything. The desire to get to work was too much for her to resist, and I knew it.

  The ride home was quick and I said goodbye to my mom while her attention stayed plastered to her cellphone. I walked the short trip home realizing my mom hadn’t even told me happy birthday yet. It didn’t bother me as much as it used to, but it still sucked big time.