Today is Monday. This morning I lay in my bed in the dorm room that I share with Justice. I can hear his quiet sleeping noises from the bed across from mine. This is true peace…. I realize that John had mentioned the day before that us trainees would be helping him with something important today…. Well, whatever it is, I’m sure it can wait while I catch some sleep for a few minutes longer….

My eyes burst open as the sound of throbbing wood emanates from the doorway. I sit up in bed and rub my arm across my eyes, trying to ignore the incessant door knocking.

Luke: “Ooh…. Justice, get…”

The door flies open before I can finish speaking. Not at all to my surprise, John stands all perky in our doorway with his arm outstretched.

John: “Ah, good. You’re awake.”

Luke: “….Tragically….”

John: “Hey, I’ve got great news for you guys! Everyone will be helping me out with an important, secret mission today!”

Luke: “Yeah, yeah…. I hear you…..awwwe…. Just let me wake up….”

I yawn as I turn to sit over the edge of my bed.

John: “There’s no time for that, Luke. This is very important! We can’t be late!”

Luke: “What is this secret mission anyway?”

John: “You better get spry, Luke!”

John tosses a neat pile of clothing onto my lap. It's my agent uniform, all folded and washed fresh.

John: “Edwin washed and ironed everyone’s uniforms. Make sure you and Justice get ready, quick, and make sure you look good. Today, we’re going to a wedding!”

With a wide grin on his face John spins around on his heels to leave, but he turns again and walks into our dorm room. He raises his arms and plops Justice’s identical pile of clothes onto where his head lay under the covers. I hear a groan come from the ruffled blankets.

John: “Come on Justice. Get up! We’ve got a wedding to get to!”

John shakes Justice’s body until he falls out of his bed.

Justice: “Ugh! Stop that! I was awake already!…. It's not your wedding I hope….”

John: “No…. But, it is a very special wedding…. It's a wedding for a vampire….and a human!”

John leaves us to get dressed. After a swift breakfast downstairs with the other trainees, the whole group is ready in their uniforms. We wait outside the Bibliotheca Vampiric, standing on the sidewalk in front of the library’s garage.

I scan the group. Everyone is here, only John is missing…. Sheesh, and he was the one nagging us to get ready so fast!

Just then, the garage door shifts and makes an electronic humming sound as it begins to lift open. After the door is fully open, the familiar, white bus owned by the training facility drives out.

The bus pulls out onto the street and parks before us. The driver’s side door opens and out walks John…. It's John, but…. He’s wearing a tuxedo!

John’s tux is crisp black and his pristine shirt is clean, without a single wrinkle. For once, his clothing actually fits him well. His dress shoes shine in the daylight, and the bow tie he wears is an elegant touch. John isn’t even wearing that cheap metal feather earring he always has on; instead a minimalistic stud sits placed on his ear. John looks fantastic…. I would compliment him, if I wasn’t so shocked by it all….

John: “Oh?…. What’s everyone staring at?…. Anyway, I’d like to explain some things before we leave.”

John walks closer to us.

John: “I’ve been requested to help out a friend of mine. He’s a nice vampire, a pretty cool guy... He’s getting married today. Now, that's great and all, but there’s one slight problem…. He’s marrying a human.”

John scratches his chin for a moment before continuing.

John: “A vampire marrying a human. I don’t find anything wrong with that of course, but…. It's just that VLAD has….made marriages between vampires and humans illegal….”

John starts pacing.

John: “Now…. I personally find this to be quite a stupid rule, but…. If you ask me, deep, long lasting connections between vampires and humans should be encouraged, not outlawed….”

John: “Anyway, despite the illegality of the situation, I decided that I’d help my friend get married to a human!”

Dot, who is standing somewhere behind me, pushes to the front of the group.

Dot: “Oh! But John, wouldn’t that be going against VLAD’s laws?….”

John: “….Yeah…. Well, what does the law have to do with anything, if no one’s gonna find out about it?….”

John crosses his arms and stands with his legs straight.

John: “Listen here, this wedding is personally significant to me, so I’m asking everyone to just forget about VLAD’s laws just this once, okay? Now, when we get to the chapel, I’ll need to go help out the bride and groom myself, so all of you will have very important jobs!”

It crosses my mind that John going through with this wedding is technically defying his own organization of employment…. This can’t hurt his position at VLAD, can it?…. I’m sure John knows what he’s doing….

Fern places one hand on her hip and speaks.

Fern: “What do you want us to do, John?”

John: “Hmmm…. While I unify a vampire and a human in a loving marriage, I need all of you to act as security guards, alright?”

John being so open about defying VLAD’s laws has me a little confused however, everyone else seems to be going along with it…. I decide so will I. John returns to the driver’s seat, and all of the trainees move to take their seats in the back of the bus.

John drives us a short way through the city and we arrive at an old stone chapel. The chapel is humble in its appearance with grey stone for walls and dark, wooden support beams at its sides. The chapel’s historic architecture is unique to Bluddington. This must be one of the oldest buildings in the city, right along with the Bibliotheca Vampiric.

John leads the group as we enter the chapel grounds. We all gather within the grassy lawn area in front of the chapel, as he addresses us.

John: “Alrighty, let's get started! Ah, today is a great day! Love is in the air. I can feel it!”

John holds his hands together, as if he were praying, and a slight, rosy blush brightens his cheeks.

Justice: “Ugh…. I think I might vomit….”

Justice stumbles next to me as he makes an attempt to turn away from the rest of the group. The overdone look of disgust on his face makes me chuckle to myself…

John: “Okay! Zora and Lilla, along with Fern and Vanda. You four will secure the chapel’s main entrance. Only a few close relatives are attending this wedding, so don’t let anyone in without a special invitation letter…. Key, Green, I want you guys to watch over the dining hall. Link, Ginger, Ina and Roman. You’ll take the restrooms. Make sure no suspicious people are hiding there….”

Dot: “What about us, John?”

John: “You?…. You three will patrol the outside. Here, on the chapel grounds. Oh, make sure you watch the gate carefully.”

Justice: “What?! So you’re making us stand around outside?!”

Luke: “Yeah, it isn’t exactly the nicest weather out today. What if it starts raining?”

Thick, deep purple and blue clouds span over us, not letting a single ray of sunlight through. The autumn breeze is not yet severe, but it still makes my hands cold.

John: “Don’t worry. I promise, it won’t rain.”

John waves at us as he walks towards the chapel entrance.

Dot: “Awwwe, I was really looking forward to seeing the wedding. Oh well….”

Luke: “So…. VLAD really made it illegal for vampires and humans to marry each other? I only ask because…. Well, my parents were married. I’m half vampire, remember? My mom was a human.”

Dot: “Yes…. Unfortunately it's true. VLAD changed the law only a few years ago…. For some reason they’ve been making such laws more strict, regulating the interactions between vampires and their human counterparts…. I still don’t fully understand why though….”

Dot looks down at the pebbles surrounding her feet for a moment before meeting my gaze once again.

Dot: “You talk about your mom in the past tense…. She died, didn’t she? Oh! I’m sorry for asking that…..”

Dot covers her mouth with her hands. Her eyebrows twist behind her huge glasses.

Luke: “No, no…. It's alright…. Yes, my mom died when I was a baby, so I never really got to know her…. But, my dad was really in love with her! He doesn’t talk about her much, but I know how he must have felt…”

Dot: “I’m so sorry about that, Luke. That’s so sad!”

I think I can see tears building up in Dot’s eyes!… Talking about my dead mother doesn't even make me cry so much anymore…

Luke: “Uh…. Hey, looks like Justice went to patrol over there. Maybe I should go see how he’s doing.”

I gesture over to the left side of the chapel grounds where an old brick wall stands, half toppled over. Justice is wandering around over there. He must have left Dot and I soon after John gave us our instructions….

Dot: “Right! I’ll go check around the other side of the chapel. Let me know if you spot anything!”

Justice got away from us fast; I have to walk across a long, grassy area that slopes down a hill before I can reach him….

I often try to avoid thinking about my parents, but this secret wedding John has brought us to is prompting me to reminisce on uncomfortable memories…. I have only one memory of my mother, actually it isn’t even my memory. While she was still around, I was too young to form any long lasting memories of her. I only have what my father has recounted to me: the story of how my mother died….

My dad told it to me only once, but I can remember every bit of it. I was one year old at the time. I was having trouble sleeping, so my parents decided to take me along for a walk one night, on a trail near our old countryside home. Back when my dad actually owned a house, we lived around the outskirts beyond Bluddington city. I get the feeling that it would’ve been nice to grow up there, but that's not how things played out….

During the walk that night, my parents took a wrong turn on the pathway in the dark. They came across an old cobblestone bridge that stood above a deep torrent. My dad said the moon hung directly above the bridge that night and it looked so big and ancient in the night sky. My mom stood there, under the moonlight so she could see the path better.

I try to let this story hold some sort of significance to me, but I find it's difficult. The thing is, my dad didn’t include every detail of what happened that night….

My father told me that he and my mother got into an argument, right there at the bridge under the moon. He never said what the argument was about, but I can imagine it was important…. My mother was standing halfway across the bridge, while my father held me, still close to the dirt pathway beyond it….

While my parents shouted at each other over the noise of the rushing water below, my dad said there was something like a tremor in the ground. The earth shook, he told me. And with the force that came with no warning, the cobblestone bridge crumbled to pieces right before his eyes. With all of the debris my mother was swept away into the current below, and she was gone in an instant. My father stood at the edge of the torrent, alone, with me in his arms….

Remembering this story feels odd…. Growing up I always understood that I was a child without a mother, but it's the fact that I was there when she died that bothers me…. I want to remember something about that night. What could've caused the earth to tremble like that? Some unknown force, or being? And now, after learning about my relation to vampires, I only have more unanswered questions to keep me wondering…. This self reflection is beginning to make me feel uncomfortable. I shiver within my jacket and cringe, catching my breath.

Justice: “Humph! Luke! Get back here!”

Justice grabs both of my wrists and pulls me to stand behind him. I seem to have made my way over to find Justice while I wandered through my thoughts.

Justice: “Luke! You need to be more aware of your surroundings…. There are some odd people over there…. They might be watching us!”

Justice speaks in a high pitch, raspy whisper. He keeps his body low and his shoulders hunched over.

Luke: “Huh?…. Oh, sorry Justice. I was just thinking about my mom…. Her name was Faith…. She died….”

Justice: “Humph! Listen, my apologies, but I’m being serious here. Those people, they’re acting weird.”

I watch as Justice twists his neck to the side, so he peeks around the corner of the brick wall that we stand behind. I stare at the spiky pieces of black hair that stick out on the back of his neck. He turns to face me.

Justice: “Luke! You’re not listening to me!”

Luke: “….What?...”

Justice: “Look, over there!…..and don't let them see you!”

Justice moves so I can look past the brick wall. He’s right, there are three people standing in a semicircle near where the gate to the chapel grounds is situated.

A young man with an elaborate, yet erratic hairstyle and rather grungy subculture attire stands with his arms crossed. He holds his pointy eyes and brows raised as two females stand on either side of him. The two women, both dark haired and with mysterious auras between them. The one with short hair looks pronounced and unapproachable, but in the most alluring way, with her small chin turned to the side at a slight angle. The other long haired woman wears skinny, shaded glasses, the type that would only be worn for fashion purposes and not for function. I cannot see her eyes behind the glasses, but her expression is confusing. Her cheeks twitch with unknowable restlessness.

I turn to Justice.

Luke: “Who could they be, do you think? Other agents of VLAD?”

Justice does not respond. Instead, he walks right past me in the direction of the three strangers.

Luke: “Huh? Justice—”

I follow behind him. Justice’s arms swing at his sides as he speed walks up to the large gate entrance to the chapel grounds. The voices of the odd trio become louder mumbles as we come near them.

Only steps away from them now, the group spots Justice. They stop speaking immediately, and scowls appear on their faces. Justice takes a stance in front of them as I catch up to him.

Justice has his little hands in front of him and plays with his fingers. As neither of us has the courage to say anything, I feel my stomach twist. There’s something not right here. At least one of these people is a vampire.

I’ve become familiar with the feeling of a vampire’s presence. If I had to describe it, I’d say it's somewhat like the feeling of nearly falling except it's more subtle. I think I heard Dot mention something once that the presence of vampires affects people differently because of the unique mixture of vital and trivial energies. Meeting a vampire for the very first time is….a personal experience.

At least a minute has passed, Justice is frozen. I am reminded of that day in PE class, when I threw that dodgeball at him…. We both are stunned, lingering in inaction.

I kick the back of Justice’s shoe to try and get him to say something.

Justice: “Uhhhm!…. Uh…. Hey! You three! You… You can’t be here. This is a private wedding.”

The woman to the right of the odd man, the one with short hair, begins to speak.

Mysterious Woman: “Oh? What do we have here? You boys don’t look confident enough to be VLAD agents. Trainees perhaps?”

Her voice sounds heavy, like each word is a rolling drop of frigid water.

The other female on the left shifts forward just half a step. Pieces of her black hair fall into her face and she looks even more hyper and crazed all of a sudden.

Crazed Mysterious Woman: “What?! Only trainees?! Bad… Bad idea. VLAD is not very smart. Not very smart. Not at all!”

She flicks her head to the side and her lips shift apart. I glimpse her teeth. Fangs. Oh yes, she is definitely the vampire among this group.

Crazed Mysterious Woman: “I’m smart though. Aren’t I, Monty? I’m smart. I’m slick and smart!”

The man in between them speaks then.

Mysterious Man: “You shut up now! Alright?!”

Mysterious Woman: “Uh? Monty, that’s no way to speak to a lady. As demented as Octavia is, she’s still...”

The crazed female vampire, I suppose she’s called Octavia, presses the backs of her hands against her cheeks.

Octavia: “Venus knows how smart I am! She knows. She knows!”

The man, Monty, the other woman has called him, slumps his shoulders so low I imagine them falling to the ground.

Monty: “Ugh! Dammit, you two…. Huh?”

Monty’s eyes widen. He’s staring right at Justice. If this was happening in some cheesy, dramatic television show, he might burst into tears and jump into Justice’s arms... The mental image somewhat disturbs me.

Justice looks at Monty, but he shows no significant reaction. Huh? Do they recognize each other? These strange people… There's no way Justice knows them…

If there is the slight chance Justice recognizes these individuals, he’s committed himself to hiding the fact. He stares at the young man, Monty, as if he were a brick wall.

Metal decorations on Monty’s boots clank as he walks closer to us.

Monty: “Listen…. Your business here has nothing to do with….our business. I suggest you say nothing about us to whichever higher ups are in charge of you….VLAD trainees.”

These odd strangers… Monty, at least, seems to know quite a lot about VLAD…

Monty raises his eyebrows at the two of us however, I suspect the gesture is intended for Justice alone….

I move forward and decide it's about time I finally speak up.

Luke: “Hey, you heard him. You can’t be here…. Now get lost!”

My voice cracks on the word ‘lost’ nullifying the command.

The trio does not move to leave. Monty doesn’t even shift his feet as he keeps his eyes level with Justice’s gaze.

Monty straightens his posture and then takes a couple steps backwards. His mouth makes a tight line. Monty moves his right arm and pulls on something attached to his belt. From the concealment of his punk style outfit, Monty reveals a small pistol.

My breath makes a strained sound as it flees my lungs.

That gun isn’t like the ones in video games. If either of us gets shot by that….the probability of us respawning is unlikely…..

Monty: “Now then…. You get lost.”

I don’t hesitate to pounce on Justice, pulling him by the arm along with me as we run away.

This can’t be happening! What do we do?!

Luke: “Justice! We gotta do something! Quick! Where’s Dot?! We need to tell John…”

We stop running and I look to Justice. He hangs his head down, and his arms are stiff as he hugs them close to his body.

Justice says nothing.

I am about to say Justice’s name, but the loud ringing of wedding bells echoes from the chapel’s bell tower. A hoard of jolly smiling people dressed in bright fabrics begin descending the chapel steps. Confetti and flowers seem to follow them in a plume out the tall, wooden doors. Some cry tears of joy and some are laughing, but all are oblivious to the imminent danger in our presence…. And it's as if the gun never existed on the chapel grounds at all upon this joyous day…