VAMPIRE WEEKEND

FRIDAY

Gabriel Grimmel is a day walker, just one among a dying breed, forging truces and creating alliances wherever he goes, though when it comes right down to it, just how much trust can be confidently placed with one who is a Vampire?

'Can you see it?' asks a male voice Janice does not recognize, well not completely recognized that is.

She couldn't help but see what the intended it is, so she simply replies 'yes.'

Truth is that Janice could more than just see it. She could also almost touch it, feel it, taste it, smell it, and even hear it. Exactly what this it actually is, is a drop of blood, just hanging in mid-air for what seems like minutes, almost as if time is standing still while Janice keeps on going.

Everything else surrounding that seemingly large drop of dark red blood appears only as a bright blur. As well as that, just where Janice was or is at this very moment in time she does not know. A dream perhaps or maybe she is witnessing some kind of vision. Where this voice is coming from and just who it belongs to is also a mystery though there is more than just a slight and strange air of familiarity to it.

Time would resume in slow motion and gradually pick up speed until that drop of blood falls to become part of a red pool which appears to have gathered on a tiled floor. At this point, Janice opens both her eyes wide. She has awakened on the morning of the first day of a three-day weekend, a weekend which would forever change her world and her dream like vision quickly fades from her waking memory.

***

Janice and Alice didn't particularly want to go away on a family trip unless they could choose as to where the destination would be. Their mum, Denise, didn't mind where they all would go to as long as they get to go away together, as a family. Dad Brian wanted to go the cabin that he owns in the woods close to the lake ... some chance of his choice winning that battle.

To Brian the location of the cabin was perfect, peaceful. He would, if he got to go there that is, even get to do a bit of hunting or even a bit of fishing, but to the girls the cabin is home to boredom central. There was no way in hell they wanted to go there with their parents. If it was just the two of them with a couple of friends, maybe even with some boys too then the cabin might just be an interesting spot, but alone with their parents, no way.

It had been quite a while since they all last went to the cabin together as a family, but Brian eventually gave in to his twin daughters and he agreed to let them choose the venue for a family break away. Sure, going to the cabin as children and going as teenagers are two completely different things.

The fifteen-year-old identical sisters could not look any more different to each other than they already do at this point in time. As kids their look was perfectly symmetrical, almost identical in every way from the hair on their head to the clothes they wore. Now however ... now is a completely different ball game.

Janice loves her dark gothic look, her dark clothes, hair, and makeup, and she has really been looking forward to becoming old enough so she can make her own decisions as to if she can get a tattoo or two, she knows what tattoo's she would like to have done as well as where she would have them placed too.

Everything for Janice matches how she generally feels on the inside, the ever-growing void of darkness is ever present, and it is very much at home within her. For some time, she has had a longing for something more and that something more was and is most definitely on the way.

Alice on the other hand loves her angelic white look. She loves all things white, and nothing she wears ever lasts very long. She gets so annoyed when her clothes lose their bright white look. Generally, it is difficult to imagine Alice ever being annoyed for she is mostly jovial and upbeat, ready to enjoy everything and anything the world has to offer but annoyed she can most definitely get. Her long and curly blonde hair too is something that really sets the two girls apart in contrast to her sister's straightened shorter dark hair.

In many ways she also has her own darkness hidden somewhere within, somewhere beyond the outer brightness. It is her will, her desire, her positive easy-going outlook that ensures that her darker side stays well hidden.

Despite their clothing and hair differences both Janice and Alice have a connection on so many other levels like a lot of twins seem to have. They can almost sense each other's feelings and they seem to know instantly if the other is hurting either physically or emotionally.

An advert for a hotel group advertising the upcoming few days as a VAMPIRE WEEKEND caught the attention of both girls. Not knowing anything more than what the advert included which was not very much, this particular hotel is where the twins immediately decided they wanted to go, and Brian almost feels like he is forced into giving in to his daughter's wishes.

***

Gabriel Grimmel arrives at the Castlemount Arms hotel. He heads straight for the front desk, all the while being totally aware of every aspect of his surroundings.

'Good to have you back Mister Grimmel' speaks the desk clerk, a guy who had seemed to have already spent an eternity working as the desk clerk to this particular hotel.

'Good to be back' is Gabriel's response while looking around the foyer, '... and please call me Gabriel.'

Gabriel takes in a deep breath through his nose, removes his sunglasses and smiles before picking up a pen to sign into the hotel. A bright yellow glare in the iris of both his eyes soon settled to a strong dark blue colour. To Gabriel it does indeed feel good to be back.

'Usual room sir?'

'Yes, that would be nice; calling me Gabriel would also be nice.'

'Room 211 it is sir ...'. Another iris colour would soon take precedence as Gabriel's eyes began to glow a dark red for only just a moment forcing the clerk to continue '... Gabriel ... sir.'

Gabriel moves to sit on a couch in the hotel lobby. On front of where it is he sits there stands a small coffee table which has a wooden frame and a large glass center. On the other side of that table there is another couch facing his way where a man sits reading a newspaper that shields his face.

'Hello Lucius.'

'Well, if it isn't Gabriel Grimmel' speaks this Lucius fellow, a man in his late twenties as he begins to close and fold that newspaper, placing it down to his left before sitting right back into the couch on his side of the table.

The reason, the objective as to why this Lucius is where he currently sits, is something he has inherited, something that has been handed down through generations, and something that has happily been taken on board. He has been well taught, well trained and has been active now for quite some time.

'Somehow I doubt that this meeting is just an accidental coincidence and as for your buddies, Luke and Daniel, I bet that I would be right in saying that they are not very far away either.'

Glancing down at the table Gabriel would also move to sit back into his own seat.

'What is wrong Gabriel? Not afraid of a little glass, are we?'

'You don't really want me to comment on that, now do you?'

Gabriel allows his fangs to descend and was sure to let Lucius see this.

'Relax Gabriel. We, my friends and I that is, respect what you have going this weekend and we will continue to respect it. I have no problem though to inform you that come daylight Monday morning, all bets are off.'

'I wouldn't expect anything less, your father has indeed taught you well.'

Gabriel stands, puts on his sunglasses and smiles, 'by the way, who says that I am not relaxed?'

Lucius picks his newspaper up and opens it at where he had stopped reading while Gabriel moves away.

***

Brian and his family are the next guests to arrive to this particular hotel on this particular Friday. Lucius having taken notice of this arrival makes his way into the hotel bar area. The first thing Brian asks about is what the whole VAMPIRE WEEKEND thing is all about. He wondered if it was a themed weekend and if so, should he and his family have come in some sort of fancy dress? Although he did think to himself that his daughter Janice may have already come prepared and maybe in some ways so too had Alice.

The desk clerk explained that this weekend had no gimmick to it at all and that it was just a weekend whereby there would be a truce in operation between vampires and humans, and any other creature wishing to par-take, so they can co-exist within the same establishment without anything going a-rye.

In reply to the response he received, Brian gave the clerk such a look as if to say 'vampires? Really? Yeah right'. The clerk could almost read Brian's thoughts just by looking at him and would speak in an almost convincing manor.

'I assure you sir, vampires are very real, and they'll be staying at this establishment throughout the weekend.'

Slightly disappointed and relieved at the same time while also thinking the desk clerk needs his head examined, Brian signed in and asked for two rooms. He still wanted to go to his cabin in the woods, but he was most definitely not in the mood to try to convince any of the others to force a change to the scenery.

'We have two rooms together on the second-floor, rooms 212 and 213.'

The girls complained. If they could have their way, they would stay in a room as far away as possible from their parents, but their dad wasn't having any of it, the girls may have got to choose the holiday destination, but they were to stay in the room right next to their parents.

'That will be fine' Brian told the clerk.

It was just before four on the Friday afternoon when the family entered their rooms, mum Denise told the girls to be ready for five o'clock so they could go for dinner together as a family. The girls were fine with that, they usually argue with their parents over everything, but they were getting hungry, so they were happy enough to go for food in an hour or so.

As they entered their room and began to get themselves ready, the girls failed to realize that they had left the door to their hotel room slightly open. Gabriel Grimmel, however, did notice this as he passed by, having only just left his own room. He stopped turned and returned to stand in front of the door to the twin sisters' room.

While Alice was in the shower, Janice from inside the hotel room finally did notice that the door was indeed slightly open. For some reason or another she began to feel uneasy as she approached to close it. She felt a strange sensation, something she in this moment could not be sure as to if she ever felt like this before.

Within this moment things definitely did not feel right. There was a strange sense of familiarity to it too but despite that Janice couldn't do anything to prevent her own heartbeat from quickening. Janice knew she should just close the door over, but she was compelled to open it fully, as if she were expecting to see someone or something out there.

As she got closer, Janice picked up a small lamp in her right hand and with her left hand opened the door in one swift motion definitely half expecting to see ... something on the other side of that door but there was nothing out of the ordinary in sight. She stuck her head out into the hallway being sure to look both ways but at that she could see no one.

Silence, there is quiet. This is not right. Not just the fact there is no one moving through a lengthy corridor of what is supposed to be a busy hotel coming upon a weekend but ...