RULE NO. 1

Catherine watched them go by; the sounds of their laughter ringer through the cold night.


Funny, she thought. There was a time she'd have given almost anything to be part of the joke; or at least know what the punch-line was.


There was a time when she'd have given anything to walk with them through the streets; with knee-high boots and short skirts.


 It seemed like the best place to be. She looked at the the hair on jacklyn's head. Peruvian hair was still all the rage like Iphones, skinny jeans and Lady gaga. Its funny how all that seemed so unimportant to her now.




"Excuse me," came the voice of a middle aged woman with freckles. The woman had almost bumped into her. Catherine smiled and stared at her. The woman's form froze the instant their eyes met. The woman's heartbeat became like drum-beats in Catherine's ears. All the blood drained from her face as she beheld the teenager's features. The woman gulped and quickly drew an invisible crucifix across her body and muttered a  prayer. The woman was caught a conjealed moment of fight of flight; the latter being the stronger option.


"Keep walking." Catherine whispered letting out a small fog. The woman scuttled away, clearly doubting her eyes. Catherine watched her go. She had half a mind to go after her but thought better of it. Another time perhaps. She thought.


"I'm impressed," Korn's voice said inside her head. "I didn't think you were capable of such restraint."


"I told you," her eyes returned to Jacklyn and her crew. The three were almost at the end of the street. She could still smell the bitch's perfume in the air. "I'm not here for the innocent."


"Are you certain you want to do this?" Korn's voice said. As usual, his tone was flat -- without feeling. "once you go down this path --,"


"There's no turning back. Yeah, I got it!" Her voice was a little louder than she'd intended.


She looked around her at the faces going by.


Many looked away the instant they saw her eyes. She had to learn to conceal it better, she thought. Korn had told her that would take practice. There was so much she had to learn.


This little outing of hers was ill-advised -- and stupid. "You might as well be a child wielding an explosive device. "  Korn had said.


 But they'd had a deal. She sighed. As part of her turning, he'd agreed to let her do this. It was either that, or spend another Eight centuries on his own again.


"Stay outta my mind,Korn" She said pulling the hood over her head.


"Merely here as a reminder of our contract --- nothing more."


"I know what I signed up for," she said making her way towards Jacklyn and her clones.


"Good," Korn's voice said. "It would be a shame to kill you."


She halted in the middle of the street.


"Fuck's that supposed to mean?"


But he was gone, just like he'd come -- Poof!
No more Korn; at least for the time being.


She looked around, knowing searching was futile. The dude had had tons of practice in the art of being invisible.


She watched the three teenage girls disappear into an alley. A smile played across her lips.


This was almost too easy.








"Its dark," June whispered. "I really don't think this a good ----."


"Oh, quit whinning!" Sky said with enough exasperation to fill a room. "If you stand the heat, ----,"


"Don't talk to me like that!"


"Why, cuz you've got a hundred likes for a stupid profile photo? You looked fat!"


"Its not my fault, you cant look that hot,"


"What did you say to me?" Sky made for her with clear violent intent.


"Will you two just shut up!" Jacklyn yelled.
God!"


"She started it." June retorted.


"A skank is a skank!" Sky spat.


"One more word, and I'm deleting someone from my Facebook friends list." Jacklyn said.


A heavy silence descended upon the alley.


Both girls exchanged angry looks but kept their peace.


"Now," Jacklyn said rubbing her hands together with pure glee. "You guys ready to get started?"


"Yeah," Sky said with mad excitement in her voice.


June simply shrugged and looked away. Some where in the distance, a dog was barking. That, coupled with the dark-urine smelling alley, made the exercise distasteful. But she was going to stick it out. She had to. Being in a member of Jacklyn's inner circle was as close she would ever be to stardom. She wasn't going  to throw that away for anything.


Jacklyn emptied the contents of her bag on the ground. "You guys ready with the candles?"


"You wont need candles where you're going" Catherine's voice said.


Sky almost jumped out of her own skin in fright.


"What the ---?"


"Cool it, Sky," Jacklyn said. "I've got this."


There was a little light coming from one of the nearby windows. Catherine stepped into it so they could see her face.


"Shit!" June gasped.


"Surprised to see me?" Catherine showed her fangs. " You should be, since you left me for dead."


"Oh Jesus! Its her!"


"Cool it, Sky." Jacklyn placed herself between Catherine and the two girls. "She just made her last big mistake."


Catherine advanced slowly; she had all the time in the world. But something about the scenario was a little off.


"I'm curious," she paused a few paces away.


"Why aren't you scared? its not every day one runs into a pissed off vampire in an alley."


Jacklyn began to laugh.


Catherine continued staring at her curiously.


Even June and Sky seemed a little confused.


Jacklyn's laughter was  a Hyena-like Cackle inside the alley. She laughed like someone totally devoid of fear.


More laughter.


"What the fucks so funny?" Catherine was losing her patience.


"I'm sorry ---," Jacklyn tried steadying herself.


"This --- is just hilarious."


"What's so funny?" Catherine was grinding her teeth. This wasn't how she'd pictured this scenario. In her version of the scene, Jacklyn, June and Sky were screaming. In her version, they were scared out of their pants. She was turned on just thinking about how terrified they were before she tore their throats out.


 The last thing in Bitchdom she'd envisioned was this.


"You --- wanted to be popular--," Jacklyn giggled. "--- so you make friends with us ---- at school ----,"


A series of uncontrollable giggles went through her.


June and Sky exchanged looks.


"--- just so you can feel unshitty in your shitty little life ---- but you're fucked cuz your new friends run you over with a car --- and leave you for dead,"
Catherine let her nails elongate a few more inches. Her fangs dug into the flesh of her lower lip until it bled.


" --- and now," she went on. " --- your somehow back from the ----dead, and now --- you want to --- kick my ass ---?"


She started laughing again.


Catherine had heard enough. With all her supernatural strength, she lunged at the three girls. At that speed, she was too fast to the human eye to see. She intended tearing out the bitch's face off. But in the mili-second of her charge, Jacklyn spoke in an unearthly voice:


"UROHK!"


Catherine felt her entire body go still. She lost control of her limbs. She forced herself to move, but she remained motionless. Her anger intensified.


"What --- have you ---done to m-me ---?"


"Wow!" June whispered. "-- that was really neat. Will you teach me that, please-please-please?"


"Shut-up, tramp." Sky spat. "It's an easy spell to master --- any half-decent witch could ---,"
Jacklyn shot her a cold stare.


"-- its a --- very hard spell," Sky said, suddenly looking away.


"She's disrespecting you, Jacks," June said with maniacal delight. "Fuck her up -- turn her into a rat or something."


"Shut-up bitch." Sky spat.


"That's enough you two," Jacklyn waved a hand. She moved towards Catherine's statute-like form and smiled.


If Catherine had more control of her facial features, she might've frowned. But all she could do was move her lips.


"Fucking --- cunt!" She snapped, "What --- are you --- huh?"


Jacklyn continued smiling. She stared at Catherine with amused curiousity.


"Allow me to re-introduce myself," She began with a bow. "I am Jacklyn, and these are my cohorts: June and Sky."


"Hi," June said with an excited wave.


"I'm sure all this is a surprise to you," Jacklyn went on. "So lemme explain. We're witches --- a few nights ago, an old Vampire approached us with a proposition: He wanted to be free of his curse."


Jacklyn was pacing  slowly around Catherine's still form. June and Sky were like excited students in the presence of their favourite teacher.


"--- I was like, Whoa!" Jacklyn went on. "In return for our 'services' he gives us what I've always craved."


Jacklyn leaned into Catherine's face and blew a kiss.
" ---- the heart of a  vengeful newly formed Vampire!" She shrieked.


"Bullshit!" Spittle rained from Catherine's mouth.


Jacklyn laughed and threw her hair back. The sound hurt Catherine's ears.


"-- did you hear that, girls? She thinks we're bullshitting ---." The three girls laughed together.


Catherine wondered why Korn wasn't responding to her calls.


"A telepathic link exists between every new born vampire and her maker," he had told her.


 So why wasn't he responding to her calls -- or was she even doing it right? Then it hit her! If Jacklyn was telling the truth ----
"Have you figured it out yet?" Jacklyn chuckled.


"Your maker sold you out just so he can get his soul back!" Sky yelled.


Jacklyn paused and turned around.


" --- I'm sorry Jacks," Sky said fearfully. "I --- just thought ----"


An invisible force flung Sky into the air, bashing her body against the side of a wall.


The teenager fell to the ground groaning in pain.


"Nobody steals my punch line." Jacklyn said calmly.


"Bravo!" June exclaimed clapping. "That should shut the bitch up!"


"Now, where were we?" Jacklyn returned her attention to Catherine.


Then something happened; something too fast for even Vampiric eyes to see. A strong gust of wind blew past Catherine. In a fraction of a heartbeat, She saw Jacklyn open her mouth for a scream that never came. Her head was literally torn off her shoulders, an explosion of blood splattered across  Catherine's face; blinding her. She could taste the exquisiteness of the warm liquid on her lips. She swooned and blacked out everything else; including the screams of the other two girls.


Suddenly, she could move. She fell to the ground, feeling the whole weight of her body.


 Then she felt a hand on her shoulder. She panicked and lashed out with her nails. But her wrists were easily caught by fingers at least ten times stronger than hers.


"Do not be afraid," Korn's voice said.


"You fucker --- you set me up ---!" She struggled.


"You did not really think I would give up my dark soul, did you?" He said. She could smell the fresh blood all around her. It excited her, it intoxicated her. She wanted to drown in it.


"But --- Jacklyn," she muttered. "She ---- ?"
"Lesson number one," His finger touched her lips. "We only trust or make deals with our own kind."


She stopped struggling and let the delicious scents of death envelop her.


Long silence.


"You need to feed," He said softly. "The bodies are still warm. Drink, my love. Tomorrow we venture out again."


He slowly let her go and she dashed towards Jacklyn's corpse. Being a vamp might not be so bad after all.


LIFE IS A CHOICE MY FRIEND
SO CHOOSE WISELY
ENOUGH SAID