Chapter Nine
1
Thelma, all dressed up in her finest green dress, was making sure that Gerald had everything he needed to survive the night – or at least until 11:00 o’clock - on his own. His dinner was in the oven, there was soda in the fridge, a DVD in the player, popcorn for the microwave, and he was perfectly capable to get whatever else he needed on his own.
“Peter, dear, are you almost ready? It's nearly 5:30, we’ll be leaving soon.”
“Just a second, darling,” Peter called back to her from his bedroom.
2
Gracey helped Mr. White put on his new blue tie. She wore the new red dress that she purchased just for the special occasion of the dinner party. Mr. White rented a tuxedo. It was a black tux and suited him nicely, the tie was a perfect splash of color. His arms still had cuts on them from the raccoon attack the prior night. He managed to poison under the deck earlier that day. So he was now satisfied, although his arms did sting quite a bit.
“What kind of food do you suppose they’ll have, babe?” Gracey asked curiously, both her eyebrows pushed up her forehead.
“I do hope it’s nothing too exotic, like sushi or something.”
“The invitation said it would be formal, but said nothing of the food,” Gracey said, glancing at the invitation that sat there on their dresser.
“I'm sure it will be delicious,” Mr. White said, smiling as he slipped a necklace around his fiance’s slender neck.
3
Hiram sat waiting, with his son, for his wife, Betty, to finish getting ready to leave for the dinner party. Bobby, his son, had moved back in with them for the time being. He was trying to get a grip on the wild and crazy life that he led. Hiram and Betty were determined to get him back on the right track in life. He was not going to end up in jail any more.
4
Ivan rushed down the stairs in his black pin-stripe suit that he owned from when he went to the homecoming dance last year. He'd saved up for three months in order to buy that suit, only to have the girl dump him at the end of the night. But, that did not matter now that he had Latianna. After careful consideration, Ivan realized that he would not be able to kill the Dyebukos until after the dinner party. If he were to kill them during the dinner party, there would be too many witnesses and they would know he did it. So, he decided that he would wait until just after the dinner party to kill them.
He needed a way to protect the people in the town… not to mention himself. So, Ivan, being highly well studied about this sort of thing, knew exactly what to do!
He hurried himself along so he would be on time for the dinner party, although, he knew he was going to be late. Ivan figured that they wouldn't kill somebody right off the bat, it would look too suspicious. But Ivan knew that he could be wrong, so he bolted down the stairs to set up his master plan.
He already was prepared with what to do after the dinner party. He had two freshly carved stakes waiting for him underneath the bush that sat directly under his bedroom window. He would come home with his family and then sneak out to kill the vampires and free his love from the terrible form that trapped her.
“Oh, Ivan, I dropped Christina off at the baby sitter's, where she'll be staying the night. I was hoping you'd be able to pick her up from the day-care tomorrow. I know, I know, it's Saturday, but it's the least you can do to help out and.... Where are you going, Ivan Joshua Harvey?” his mother's voice drastically changed tones for the worst just as Ivan had his hand on the doorknob, ready to turn it and pull the door open. What was up with the middle name thing? This was the third day in a row that his mom had used it on him. Did she actually not trust him that much?
“And why are you dressed up like that?” she asked, placing both hands on her hips. She wore a slinky silver dress that had a black belt around the waist. She'd pulled her blond hair up with complicated swirls that were extremely flat upon her head. Her high-heeled shoes she wore made her easily four – if not five – inches taller.
“I’m going to the dinner party, mother,” Ivan said, trying not to be to terribly obvious that he was rolling his eyes at her overly protective nature.
“I do not think you are eighteen or over. The invitation clearly stated that only people of age were invited to this dinner party. You are to stay here and study all night long. I know you are behind on your schoolwork; you must be if you helped Chad last night. You know how to cook, so you can make yourself dinner with whatever you can find in there.”
“Mom,” Ivan interrupted. He did not like interrupting his mother, but he had to if he was going to try not to be late.
“What is it, young man?” she asked, sounding rather annoyed indeed.
“I got my own invitation,” he stated, and pulled it out of his pocket to show her. She tore the letter out of his hands, reading it and making a lot of hmms and hums.
“Very well, you can go. After all, I know you couldn’t have faked the handwriting, it’s too eloquent for your chicken scratch to compare with.” His mother turned and walked away. Ivan felt like banging his hands against the wall in frustration, perhaps even putting a hole in the wall. Why couldn’t his mother ever just be nice to him?
Suddenly, Ivan's heart sped up, and he spun around and ran in after his mother.
“Mom, you can't go to the dinner party!” he exclaimed, grabbing her by her shoulders.
“Ivan Harvey! You let go of me now! What's gotten into you?”
“Mom, the Dyebukos are very bad people and, well you just shouldn't go! What if something happens to you? Where will Christina and I be without you and dad? Mom, I can't explain everything to you, but you just can't go! Please trust me on this, mom, please!”
His mother returned to her mirror to fix her hair, took a deep breath and sat on her bed.
“Come here, Ivan,” she said, patting a spot on the bed beside her. Ivan sat down next to her and tears rose to his eyes. He wiped them on his sleeve and looked up at his mother.
“Now, I'm not exactly sure what's bothering you,” she said, taking her son's hand in hers. “I do not understand why you don't want me going to this dinner party. It's been a long time since I've gotten out of the house for any fun occasion. It would be very rude not to attend this party after we've been invited. Even you are invited, Ivan! The only person under eighteen who will attend this party, is you. You should feel honored!”
“But mom, you don't understand. This is not a usual dinner party! Mom, something horrible is going to happen tonight and you have to believe me!” Ivan wailed, hugging his mom.
“Honey, please! What is going to happen tonight? Ivan, dear, maybe if you would explain yourself a little more...”
“I can't!”
“Why not?”
“Because you wouldn't understand, mom, you'd think I'm crazy, but I'm not. Mom, I need you to trust me. Mom, as your son I give you my word that at the end of the night you will be very happy you didn't go to the dinner party,” Ivan said, squeezing his mother's hand tightly.
“Ivan, I can't not go if you don't give me a reason,” his mother explained, pressing her lips together.
“Okay mom, I'm going to do the best I can to explain this to you, but you have to promise to keep an open mind and really believe me,” Ivan said, looking his mom directly in the eyes.
“Okay, Ivan, I'll listen.”
Ivan took a deep breath and told his mother everything from visiting the Dyebukos when they first moved in, to his conversation with Latianna earlier that day and his plan for later that night. Dead silence filled the room after he had finished explaining.
“Ivan, do you have any idea how hard this is for me?” his mother asked, squeezing both of her son's hands and biting her lip nervously.
“Mom, please, you gotta believe me! I wouldn't lie to you!”
“Is that right? Ivan, you honestly think I don't know about the horrid books you read? The nonsense about vampires that you just ra
ttled off to me is merely one of the many side-effects and issues that those Godforsaken books bring out in teens and adults alike!”
“Mom, please, this is real!” Ivan screamed, his heart racing and his blood temperature rising.
“Ivan, you've left me with no choice! I will be searching your room thoroughly and taking any books that I think are inappropriate for your eyes to see. First thing Monday morning I'm going to bring you to a psychiatrist! For God's sake, you're talking about killing people, Ivan! Just because somebody moves into town and is not seen an awful lot at first, does not mean that they are vampires, do you hear me?”
“Mom, no!”
“Ivan, I strictly forbid you to go to the dinner party tonight! I will not allow it.”
“But mom!”
“No buts, Ivan, my word is final. Do you have any idea how crazy you sound?” his mother asked, grabbing her son's ear and pulling him out into the living room.
“Mom, I have to go to the party! The entire town is in danger and I have to save them! I promised Latianna, mom! Her father's evil! He killed a three-year-old and probably sexually molested and killed countless more! Little kids go missing all the time! I can't let this go on! He'll turn you into vampires or maybe just kill you! Mom, you can't do this to me! Think of little Christina! Think of me, your son, mom! Please!” Ivan begged as his mother pulled him down the stairs.
“I've heard quite enough, Ivan Joshua Harvey!” his mother said, shoved him into the basement, slammed and locked the door behind her, trapping Ivan in the basement. Ivan screamed and cried and begged for his mother to let him out, but it did no good. Not but five minutes later, he heard the sound of their SUV pulling out of the drive way and speeding off for the Dyebuko Manor, putting themselves in an overly perilous situation.
5
Latianna raced back and forth through the kitchen, slaving over stove and hot oven all the daylong. She prepared the entire meal for the dinner party. She barely had time to run up the stairs and into her bedroom to change when she saw the first car full of guests pull into the driveway.
6
Someone was screaming his name.
“IVAN? IVAN?”
He jumped up, and banged on the door again. His arms, sore and bruised from running and hitting the door, ached with every movement.
“IN HERE!” he screamed, his voice coarse and crackly sounding. He coughed and shouted to the person once again, this time sounding slightly more comprehensible and like himself. He could hear the footsteps above his head and a voice asking him to keep shouting.
“In the basement!” he screeched, sounding like a wicked witch. He called out directions and wondered who was there to rescue him.
“Where the key?” The voice came from right outside the door. Ivan thought for a moment. The key was on his mother's key ring, which she had with her because they drove the SUV.
“It's not here!” Ivan said, his head pounding and a rock rising to his throat. Ivan slid down the door and began to feel defeated once more.
“Ivan, listen to me, get away from the door, okay?” It was Latianna's voice and Ivan wondered how she knew he was there.
“Okay,” Ivan said once he was on the other side of the room. There was clanking and rattling and then a sudden thud as the door caved in
“How did you do that?” Ivan asked, eyes wide and palms sweaty.
“You just have you take out the hinges, it's not that big of a deal as long as you're on the right side of the door,” Latianna said, smiling and running over to Ivan.
“How did you find me?” Ivan asked, clearing his throat once more. Now that the burden of worrying about how he would get out of the basement had passed, he finally started to sound like himself again.
“When your parents showed up and didn't say anything about you, I knew something was wrong. So I checked here and found you!”
They kissed and Latianna was quick to ask what had happened to put him in such a predicament. Ivan explained quickly as he dusted himself off and ran upstairs, Latianna following and listening carefully. Ivan slipped a stake into his coat and searched his room frantically for a cross of some kind. He was unsuccessful.
“I have to kill them during the party, Latianna, before anybody gets hurt!”
“Ivan, I know you're worried about your parents and everyone else in the town, but you have to get a level head about yourself before you just go and kill them,” Latianna insisted, resting her hand upon Ivan's shoulder. Ivan looked in the mirror and saw himself, Latianna flickered in and out.
“I appreciate your help, but I have to fight this one alone,” Ivan stated, looking at the current blank spot in the mirror where Latianna should be.
“I understand and appreciate what you're doing, Ivan. Never before has anyone done anything like this for me at all and I never dreamt anyone ever would.”
“I never dreamt that I would love someone as much as I love you, my precious Latianna,” Ivan said, turning to her. Not seeing her in the mirror was slowly breaking his heart. “I'm going to fix everything, love, and when I do you and I are going to run away and never come back! No matter what happens, as long as I'm with you, I'll be happy.”
“I hope you know what you're saying, because those are big words. Anything can happen, Ivan, and tonight, lots of stuff is going to happen,” Latianna said, her eyes wandering over Ivan and to the mirror.
“I know what I'm saying and I know what I'm going to do tonight,” Ivan stated, clenching his fists together.
“What are you going to do?” Latianna asked, moving closer to him.
“I'm, I'm going, I'm going to make you human.”
“How are you going to do that?” Latianna asked, running her hands down his chest.
“You know,” Ivan stated, holding her small hands in his.
“If you can't say it, then you can't do it.”
“I'm going to kill... I'm... kill... I'm...”
“Oh, Ivan! I'm so scared I'm going to lose you,” Latianna said, pushing herself away from Ivan and facing the doorway. “It's unfair of me to ask this of you. Go away, Ivan, flee town. There soon will be nothing left for you here. I can't expect you to do this for me or for anyone else. It's too big of a task, Ivan, just go away and never come back.”
“Latianna, you know I could never do that! I love you, I love you terribly and I could never just leave you here,” Ivan said, walking up to her and putting his arms around her waist.
“But do you love me so much, you would kill for me?”
“I do.”
“No you don't! You can't even say what you are planning on doing tonight, Ivan. You will find love and not have to kill for it.”
“I've already found love, and I'm willing to do anything to keep that love,” Ivan promised.
“Then say it, say the act you will commit tonight. Tell me that you are going to murder my parents! Tell me that you're going to kill them! Tell me that you don't mind that at the end of the night, you'll be covered in their blood! Ivan, tell me these things or run away, never to come back!” Latianna begged of him, tears streaming down her tender rose colored cheeks. Her eyes stung Ivan when he looked into them. His blood was hot again and he felt anger inside of him.
“You don't believe I can do it!” he screamed. “I give you my word, I plan this, I get locked in a basement for you and yet you don't trust that I love you when I say I do? Latianna, you ask me to commit an act of murder to prove my love for you, I agree and yet you try to force me into speaking what I'm going to do later tonight! This is hard enough without the burden of speaking those words! How dare you ask me to speak them to you!”
“I do not just ask you to commit a random act of murder, I'm asking you to murder my father! You do not know the half of the evil that my father is, Ivan! He messed with my friends, raping and killing them one by one until I was seven years old and I vowed never to have any friends again. He forced me to watch as he sexually molested each and
every one of them, he made me listen as their screams pierced the night! He made me dig graves to bury them in, all the time promising it would end if I would just kill someone to become a full vampire. He stole my innocents at four years old and he continues to hurt me and take me every single time he plans a dinner party! He makes me attend dinner parties so I have a grand choice on who to kill. He plans them because it brings back memories that he loves, yet pains me. Ivan, I'm scared and I don't know what to do. I can't kill my parents, it won't work! I'll be trapped like this forever, unable to be human, unable to be a vampire, slowly starving until I should die but don't. Half vampires can't kill full vampires, it doesn't work that way or I would've already! Ivan, I love you like no other and I will do anything for you, anything you ask of me!”
The room was silent for a minute as Ivan forced Latianna's words down.
“Latianna, tonight I am going to kill your father! I'm going to make him pay for every horrid memory and minute of pain that he has caused you! I love you, Latianna, and I'm going to do everything I can to prove that! I'm going to set you free and I'm going to be by your side for as long as nature will permit! Latianna, I will do anything for you!” Ivan promised, pulling Latianna in for a kiss.
“Thank you, Ivan Harvey,” Latianna whispered into Ivan's ear. Ivan held her tighter and started to kiss her more. His lips traveled down her neck and to her breasts, which were pushed up due to her corset.
“Not now,” Latianna said, pulling away from Ivan with great difficulty. “Later,” Latianna promised, holding Ivan's hand. “I have to get back to the party before someone discovers my absence, and you have to work on a plan to save your parents,” Latianna reminded him. He nodded and promised that he'd show up at the party soon enough, but he had an errand to run beforehand. Latianna said she understood and walked out of the house as Ivan straightened his hair and double checked that the stakes were underneath his bedroom window and in his coat pocket, discretely tucked away where nobody could see.
Ivan started his car and sped through what would be downtown Riverwolf Pass, if Riverwolf Pass did, indeed, have a downtown.
Ivan drove furiously down the street; everything already closed for the night because of the dinner party. The cops were not even out roaming the streets. Ivan drove past Hiram’s store, the place to get your hair cut, Thelma’s house, and the town church… or three. The church that the majority of people went to in this town was Preacher Nelsen’s church… that’s where Ivan drove to.
He skidded to a halt in the empty parking lot. He jumped out of his car, noting that the sun would be setting in just a few minutes. He wanted to feel protected from the vicious vampires before the sun took its twelve-hour break from the sky. He ran up to the church, nearly banging into the two adjoining doors. He pulled hard on the handle, but, try all he might, there was no way to escape the fact that the door was locked. He looked at his watch. Ten ‘till six. Damn it. Maybe if he hurried he could get to Preacher Nelsen’s house before he and his wife left for the dinner party, and then at least Ivan would not be the only one who would wind up being late.
Ivan started his car up again, and drove straight to Preacher Nelsen’s house. There were no other cars on the street, which was good because it made Ivan capable of speeding through the streets of Riverwolf Pass without a repercussion.
Ivan reached Preacher Nelsen’s house at precisely six in the evening. There was no escaping being late to the dinner party at that point. Preacher Nelsen’s car was parked soundly in the driveway. Ivan was relieved to not be the only one arriving fashionably late. Through the midst of all the terrific events taking place, Ivan foolishly wondered if guys could get away with being fashionably late or if, indeed, that was just for the girls. A cheap way out of running late, Ivan thought it to be after a careful moment’s consideration.
He banged on the door of Preacher Nelsen’s house, and his call soon was answered with a smile and an open door.
“Why Ivan Harvey!” Preacher Nelsen’s wife, Katherine, said with open arms. Ivan quickly hugged the dear old woman, and entered the house when she invited him in.
“I do believe it’s been a while since you’ve been here. I was unaware of your dropping by or I would’ve made cookies for the occasion.”
“Well thank you, Mrs. Nelsen, but I’m afraid I’m not going to be here long,” Ivan said, thinking up a way to ask for holy water that did not involve something about vampires.
“Oh, Ivan Harvey!” Preacher Nelsen exclaimed walking into the room.
“Preacher Nelsen,” Ivan said with a nod of greeting.
“And to what do we owe this great pleasure?” he asked, sitting down at the dining room table, looking at Ivan with a smile in his eyes.
“Well, you see, Preacher Nelsen, I’m terribly sorry to interrupt you at this time, I’m sure you must be anxious to get to the dinner party,” Ivan said, stalling, thinking of a way to get that holy water without sounding like a foolish little boy who read a Stephen King book at too young of an age.
“Oh, we’re not going to the dinner party at the Dyebuko Manor tonight,” Katherine said, clutching her apron she wore around her waist.
“Why not?” Ivan asked curiously.
“We weren’t invited,” Preacher Nelsen said. Though he tried hiding the bitterness in his voice, Ivan could make it out.
“Oh,” Ivan said, looking down at the ground.
“Never mind that, deary,” Katherine said. “The Lord works in mysterious ways… now what was it you wanted, Ivan dear?”
Try all he might, Ivan could not come up with a good realistic reason why he needed the holy water. After all, he could not rightfully tell the preacher of all people that vampires had moved to Riverwolf Pass and planned to kill the people of the town. If his own mother wouldn't believe him and locked him up in the basement, the preacher would most likely do worse. But, at least, he came up with an excuse to get a crucifix.
“Well, you see, I lost my crucifix necklace that I usually wear,” Ivan lied, putting on a sad face in order to fool Preacher Nelsen and his wife Katherine.
“Oh,” Katherine said in sympathy.
“And my mom… well, I haven’t exactly told her yet because I’m afraid she’ll get mad at me… So I was hoping that there could be some way of-” Ivan trailed off.
“Oh, of course, we have an extra crucifix lying around that you could surely take,” Katherine said, hurrying out of the room, calling for Ivan to wait just a moment.
“Thank you so much,” Ivan said, grateful that the Preacher and his wife did not remember that Ivan never even owned a crucifix in his life.
“Oh! of course, every boy, every girl, every person should have one of these things. And we wouldn’t want your mother getting mad at you, now would we?” she asked, coming back in the room with a smile.
“Of course not,” Ivan replied, taking the crucifix that she handed him.
“Now you'd better run along or else you’ll be late for that dinner party at the Dyebuko Manor,” Katherine said.
“Oh, yes, of course… Thank you again!” Ivan called back to the both of them as he walked out the door.
“See you in church on Sunday!” he heard Preacher Nelsen exclaim.
“I’ll be there!” Ivan lied through his teeth. If everything went according to his plan, he would be long gone from this town by tomorrow. Tonight is going to prove to be interesting, Ivan thought as he pulled into the driveway. Cars lined the entire street up to the Dyebuko Manor. People were ready to finally see the inside of the renovated Dyebuko Manor.