Turned By Him

They all got in spate cars. Jordan drove a large U-Haul truck. Eliza got into a black impala with Tom, Harper and Mathew. Mathew was dressed in a suit and bow tie, Eliza liked to speak with him whenever possible. Mathew was smart and Eliza appreciated and found comfort in that. Unfortunately, he spent much of his time with his nose in a book.

The coven made its way through midtown Manhattan toward Queens. Eliza was surprised to find that they pulled up into the long driveway of Queens Borough Cemetery, also known as St. John’s Cemetery. Eliza actually knew a good deal about the grounds, founded in 1879, she had covered it heavily in the ‘Post Anti-Bellum” chapter of her thesis. Despite her enthusiasm, Eliza was still baffled by the nature of their venture.

As they met Jordan at the back of the U-Haul, Tom found it fit to explain. “This is how we survive,” Tom said. “We host a party every week where we can invite people from all over the city. We can feel normal here. We can make friends, make money and,” Tom hesitated a moment, “we can eat.” The truck had been filled with sound equipment, lights, staging, and alcohol. Her new coven, Eliza knew, had put on the party she attended a week ago. For whatever reason, Eliza had not considered that as the place where they would feed; she abandoned her suspicion of Jordan. But Tom did say it was how they survive and she got the feeling he meant more than social interaction.

Eliza assisted in helping the others set up the stages over the tombstones. She set up the bar around a small mausoleum and securely erected the lights with Tom’s assistance. Eliza knew she had become stronger, it surprised her however, how easily she could move the heavy pieces of equipment. They finished setting up just as the sun set over the city. From atop the hill in St. John’s, Eliza contemplated her first night with the NuBlood coven. She knew so little of the vampire world, and indeed the magical world, operated outside the security of Novum Sanguinem. She had to confess to herself however, that she had become increasingly hungry throughout the week and the pains of guilt would not quell her hunger forever.

As guests started to arrive, the members of NuBlood took their positions around the cemetery. Harper was to be the first DJ with Tom up second. The coven took shifts, each week they worked for half of the rave. Eliza was permitted to enjoy her first ‘blood party’ as a vampire with no responsibilities. Mirana insisted that Eliza be accompanied at all times however, and many who would otherwise be enjoying the evening had been assigned to chaperone. Mirana herself changed her face to become a beautiful black haired woman with caramel colored skin. Her deep brown eyes left no evidence of Mirana’s intense stare. Before she took the stage, Harper pulled Eliza aside. “There is something I should tell you, in case you don’t already know,” Harper said. “When we feed, we are more than full. We are more powerful. We are confident and drunk. And,” Harper hesitated a second, “we are insatiably lustful.”

Eliza was surprised and at the same time easily accepted the claim. After all, she first had s*x with Tom after drinking George. “Why?” Eliza asked. It was a question she found herself asking a lot and very often the answer was “I don’t know.” Harper shrugged, it seemed to be the answer now as well.

“I think that when we drink, when we are full, we are most alive. We are the closest we become to our old, primal, selves.” Eliza had noticed that many members of NuBlood embraced their curse and found themselves superior to who they once were. “Have fun,” Harper said kissing Eliza on the cheek. “Be safe.”

As three hundred or so people trickled into the party, Eliza observed all of the members of the coven at their stations. Each seemed so pleased to be out. As her eyes scanned the scene, Eliza noticed Jordan sitting on a couch with his arm around a young woman. She was clearly human and wore a very low cut red dress which barely came below her waist. Jordan brushed the woman’s blond hair from over her shoulder to expose her fleshy neck. With a quick glance around, Jordan leaned in and sunk his teeth deep into the woman in red. She wrapped her arms around him. At first, Eliza thought she was resisting but, as made evident by her sliding and arching spine, she was actually enjoying it. The woman ran her fingers through his hair and slid one leg over his lap. She straddled him and cradled his head on her shoulder has Jordan greedily drank the woman in. After about twenty seconds, Jordan released the woman with what appeared to require a significant amount of will power. Jordan wiped the crimson blood from his lips and leaned back satisfied. The woman hung on him like a piece of clothing.

Eliza explored the graveyard which was now, ironically, alive with music, dance and drink. People sat on and swayed from century old mausoleums and gravestones. Statues of angels held electric lights which cast alternating colors of pink and blue on the mass of dancing people. Some who attended, Eliza suspected, were vampires, warlocks, skin changers and psychics. Tom had told Eliza that he could tell the difference between different magic- folk after he’d spent enough time among them. His congregation was a healthy mix of what he called “repentant monsters and guilty men.” The air was alive with an energy which electrified Eliza’s senses.

Two hours passed in the blink of an eye as she immersed herself in conversations with strangers. All the while, Mathew followed her. Mathew explained that he was in line next to spin the discs. He also informed Eliza, in the endearingly nerdy way Mathew explained things, that the DJ platform and mixer had complete control over the party. Everything from the music to the lights was controlled by one person at a time. Eliza considered asking what Mirana did but did not want to seem antagonistic. To Eliza’s observation, Mirana and Devlin simply moved through the crowds of dancing and gyrating dancers only occasionally stopping to have a quick snack on one of their guests. Eliza couldn’t help but wonder if Heather knew that raves were actually called ‘blood parties’ and that their very attendance implied a compliance with being the main course for a coven of hungry vampires.