Pearl: A Vampire Story by Robyn Hunter (phonics reader txt) 📖

and I know I don't have much time left. I can't live like this. Without all this medicine, I'm in too much pain to even function. I want to be like you, Dakota. Just like you. I want to live forever." "You can't be serious, Pearl. What on earth are you talking about? This is the Morphine talking, you must be out of your mind." "Just stop and listen to me. I want you to take me out of this suffering. Take me away from this lonely life" she cried. "Pearl, I might be a vampire but that doesn't mean I'm not lonely! You're all I have!" I started to cry. All of this was just too much to consume. This was my best friend, asking me to do the unthinkable. Why couldn't things go back to the way they used to be. We used to go play bingo every night and watch the sunrise and drink champagne and have picnics with tuna fish sandwiches. I couldn't help but hear her voice echo in my mind. "Make me like you."


Chapter 4-
Midnight Crawlers


The sun was setting on the roof of the hospital building. A sticky hot mess. The end of the rest of our lives. Pearl wants to be just like me. I aim to please. But I'm a monster. We're the hunters of the night. Midnight crawlers. The taste of blood, so sweet on our lips. I hold the power to Pearl's future. Without me, she's as good as dead. Another stack of bones dedicated to the southern soil. Pearl was sitting up in bed watching Jeopardy. "I know all the answers" she said. "Pearl, we need to talk about tonight. If we're going to actually do this, we need to do it right" I stated. "Don't worry so much, Dakota. Everything will go smoothly." In walks a plate of green jello for Pearl, along with her shot of morphine. Wheel of Fortune is ending now, and Pearl looks sleepy. I'll wait until she goes to sleep. In a dream-state of mind she won't even remember what happened. Looking out the window, counting down the minutes, I see a million stars in the distance. Pearl could be one of those stars, but she refuses. She's resting peacefully, it's now or never. I lean in over her body and place a firm grip on her neck. I sink my fangs deep into the right side of her neck and drain her of her blood. It's a beautiful thing. Hours go by. Pearl's body just lay there like a rag doll. Broken and bruised. The clock struck midnight and Pearl's body shot up in bed. She complained of being dizzy and confused. "That's all normal, Pearl. You're going to be fine, just fine" I said. I gave her a glass of water. "We've gotta get you out of here before the nurse comes back." I break the hospital window with a chair. Shards of glass fly all over the room, missing Pearl by inches. "Ok, now I need you to listen to me, and listen good. You're going to fly us out of this place. I'm going to jump on your back and we're going to soar out of here, with the stars to guide us." Pearl just sat there in disbelief. "You're not 72 anymore, little lady. Let's do this" I scolded. With the strength of a thousand men, Pearl stood up. She felt strong, she felt unstoppable. I clung onto her back like I was on a roller coaster, watching my legs dangle underneath me. With a swish of her white granny sweater, we were soaring beneath the clouds, jumping from tree to tree on occasion. We were free to be ourselves. And we were thirsty for blood. It was my responsibility to teach Pearl the ropes. We talked for hours at the top of a pine tree in Grant Park. I told her how to score blood from the drug dealers downtown. And most importantly I taught her how to attack. We live in the shadows. Unlike me, Pearl was 100% vampire. Which meant she required more blood than me. Within a few days, she went from being a cane-carrying 72 year old granny to a beautiful 32 year old woman. Her skin was pale and her fingernails were stained with blood. Pearl insisted on performing her attacks alone. I guess she was shy about the whole neck-biting thing. I personally hadn't attacked anyone in a month. Mid-day lunch rush. Traffic is hell. I begin my walk downtown. Cars crunched in the streets. I see a well-known dealer in a white tee shirt; I flag him down. In broad daylight we exchange money for blood and I am on my way down the street again. I quickly find an alley to hide in, as I drink my treasure.


Chapter 5-
The Monster Inside Me


Today is my 27th birthday. 2:00PM. I begin my day by cleaning up the house. There's dust everywhere and the dishes haven't been done in weeks. There are books thrown all over the place. The kitchen counter, the coffee table, the bathroom tile, everywhere. I thumb through a copy of Kristin Hirsh's "Rat Girl" over a cup of black coffee. The stronger, the better, that's what I always say. Patti Smith's "Pissin' In A River" plays on the record player. Time to pick out the birthday attire. I skim through the clothes in my closet for a few minutes and find a pair of skin tight black jeans, along with a purple v-neck. As I'm lacing up my motorcycle boots, I hear a knock at the door. It's Pearl, I'm sure of it. "Open up, birthday girl!" I don't recognize the voice and my heart starts pounding out of my chest. The hair on my arms stands straight up; I grab my louisville slugger baseball bat from the closet and proceed to the front door. As I turn the knob, a sigh of relief. It's only my Mother. All the way from Florida, how sweet. She waves the taxi cab away and I help her with her orange suitcase. The luggage is pretty heavy, which leads me to assume this is a long trip. Oh joy. "I brought you a special gift all the way from Flagler Beach, honey." She reaches in her purse and pulls out a plaid thermos. As soon as the thermos touches my hand, I smell it: BLOOD. My Mom works as a phlebotomist at a local hospital in Florida, which means she has access to all the blood she wants. It's of no use to her because she's just another human walking the earth. While Mom starts washing my pile of dishes in the kitchen sink, I sneak off to the bathroom with my prize. I open the top of the thermos and inhale. My entire body begins to tingle everywhere. I place the rim up against my lips and sip, enjoying each savory drip. Once all the blood is gone, I throw the container up against the shower door and listen to it clang onto the bathroom tile. It's never enough. I always want more. The craving within me grows deeper everyday. The monster inside me is never satisfied. As I make my way back to the kitchen, I hear yet another knock at the door. PEARL! I run to the front door before she has time to knock again. "Listen Pearly, my Mom is visiting from Florida for a while and she remembers you as a sweet 72 year old cancer patient, not a blood-thirsty vampire. If she finds out what I've turned you into, she'll never talk to me again! We'll have to postpone today's birthday celebration for another day, I'm afraid. I'll make it up to you, I promise." Pearl hung her head and sighed. "So I take it we're not going to bingo tonight, then?" "Nope, sorry Pearl." And with that, she walked away. "Who was at the door, honey?" "Just a bible salesman, Mom." I walk back to the kitchen to make Mom and I some grilled cheese sandwiches, her favorite. The sun is setting behind the trees. Kristin Hersh's "Strange Angels" plays on the record player.


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Publication Date: 11-26-2010

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