New Habit - Chapter 1 - PG

[Penina Spinka]

NEW HABIT – Chapter 1

1936 – Mick and his friends are 14. He was a lot more outgoing and happy in his pre-vampire days, and also a little more reckless. This is a continuation of First Date. I don’t own any of the characters and Mick’s girlfriend’s name is used with permission.

Coraline posed in front of the mirror, tucking stray curls under her starched wimple. “I can see the habit, but my face keeps blurring. How do I look?” she purred.

Bishop Counting pursed his lips. “Delicious, if I didn’t know you better. Who do you think you’re going to fool in that get-up?” He took a sip of blood from the chalice and looked up at her from his easy chair.

“Not as many as you fool when you play bishop.” Her host scowled, but Coraline’s sweet smile won her instant forgiveness. “It won’t be for long,” she said. “Not that many people will see me. I need an excuse to get closer to a certain boy. I’m evaluating his potential.”

“For what?”

“One of us, when I think he’s ready of course. His name is Mick St. John. He’s 14, but he’s growing up nicely. He’s already starting to notice things. I can’t keep accidentally bumping into him on the streetcar and in front of movie theaters. He might start to wonder what I’m up to. He’s got a girlfriend, so I know he’s not shy. Ronnette is her name, I think. He’s too engrossed with her right now to notice an older woman.” She licked her lips and closed her eyes thoughtfully. “But that doesn’t matter. I have an idea how I can get to know him better, just to plant a seed. He’ll feel a connection when we meet again, but he won’t remember why.”

“I’d be careful with your mind games, Coraline,” Bishop Counting said. “They might backfire some day. I seriously recommend retracting those fangs; don’t turn a boy too young. He’d hold it against you the rest of his unnatural life if you turn him too soon.”

“Hence, the charade,” said Coraline, sighing and posing again, hand on hip. “You’re right. He won’t remember me as a nun at all, but I have a few ideas. He’ll be putty in my hands, that, I’m sure of.” She snapped her fingers and smiled, just the tips of her fangs visible. “Mouse in a trap. Pretty mouse.”

She sat down and piously lowered her smoky-colored eyes. With her chin supported on her crossed fingers, she reminded Bishop Counting of a prayerful cat wondering how long to play with her prey before she pounced for the coup de grâce. “Pretty trap,” said the Bishop.

“I’ll be Sister Anne Marie, on temporary leave from my convent in Paris to teach a special art course to the students at Saint Agatha’s. Tell the Mother Superior I’m staying with you at your residence here, so she won’t expect me to eat in the refectory. I remember enough from my convent school days to pull it off if they don’t look at me closely.”

“Be careful not to make too much of an impression. Your face is memorable. What if this Mick boy remembers you later and thinks the Church is crawling with vampires?” He set down the empty chalice, finished with his meal. “You might scare him off.”

“Don’t worry, Armand. I’ll be a substitute teacher. How many of your teachers do you remember from when you were 14?” He smiled, not saying a word. “I’m not going to be that unforgettable; not this time,” she said. The empty chalice reminded her she felt a bit hungry herself. She nodded toward the curtain-covered icebox. “Is there enough for me in there too? I don’t want to have to look for a bite while I’m dressed like this. Someone might get the right idea. Where do you get this from anyway?”

“From the biggest investor in Hollywood - our friend Josef. He has starlets lined up to give blood in exchange for auditions. He doesn’t tell them why he needs it and they think it has something to do with the movies he’s producing. It’s a new kind of casting couch. That’s aside from his regular fresh donors who know about us. I’m sure he’s made some of them available to you during your visit.” She nodded. “He sends me a supply of fresh blood twice a week. It wouldn’t do for a bishop to be noticed in jazz clubs or houses of ill repute. The Church might hear of it. We all have to keep undercover, as it were, even in Los Angeles.” He nodded to the private icebox. “Help yourself.”

Coraline filled a coffee cup from the bottle and took a swig, rolling the blood on her tongue to savor it before swallowing. “For bottled, it’s good. Who would have thought? No heartbeat, no screams. It could get boring after a while.”

“Still, it’s useful. Who can guess what humans will come up with next to make life easier for vampires? Wipe your lips, girl,” Bishop Counting advised. “You should learn to be less messy when you eat.” He came to a decision. “All right. I’ll put together a little introduction and walk you to the school. You’ll be the youngest daughter of the last curator of the Lourve Museum. Do you think you can keep in character?”

“Let me think. I lived there when it was still a palace, before my dear cousin Louis the Sixteenth, lost his stupid head. I know my way around art, and the French accent comes naturally when I’m not concentrating on sounding American. They won’t cable to France for details with you there to vouch for my authenticity. Let’s do it.”

Coraline set down the empty cup and wiped her mouth with her sleeve. “Damn,” she said. “Blood on my habit.”

[bluedahlia3]

So delightful to see you posting. I guess it would have helped if I had read ch1 before ch2 huh! Still enjoyable. Evaluating his potential... I liked the way you brought Josef in, very much in character.