From that night on and for a whole month Paul stayed at Roxanne's house.
He rarely left and he barely had enough free time to actually think of leaving.
He went out only for hunting or to display his newly acquired social skills to his mentor.
Every night when he awoke the lessons started.
The first nightly hours he spent with Liza learning how to be a perfect gentleman and honing his social skills to a level worthy of one of Roxanne's creations.
For a strange reason creatures who bathed in violence and death had a weird fondness for elevated social skills.
''If you can't win against your opponents in the social battlefield you are destined to lose in the real one'' Roxanne kept reminding him.
And Liza knew it well. After all she was meant to be Roxanne's creation and she was perfect. If he didn't look at her face Paul could swear it was Roxanne who stood in front of him.
Her way of moving, her way of speaking and even her way of sitting had an air of nobility.
What's more he had to change his dress code. One of Roxanne's children would never dress in jeans and T-shirts.
And so he did. He bought suits for every occasion. He even got one for hunting.
But Liza was also a bad and rude teacher.
Her being jealous of his status made her rude and bitter towards him.
Up until one night not more than fifteen days into his training.
He was practising on bowing when he made a little mistake and Liza slapped him.
-You worthless punk I should have been the one in your position!
Paul lost control. His inner beast came out roaring and he lost his control.
With frenzied eyes and his fists trembling with rage he charged at her before she could even scream.
He punched her again and again and again until her body fell on the floor unconsious.
Then he roared in victory!
-Never touch me again you lesser being, he shouted at her.
That moment Sarah came to Liza's rescue. The girl was alive for her ghoulish state gave her the endurance to survive such hits.
-Shame on you! Attacking a lesser, as you say, being doesn't make you superior! Sarah told him.
Suddenly his beast disappeared. He did feel ashamed, even Nansy had told him that winning against a human or even a ghoul was not something to be proud of.
And then Roxanne appeared. Liza's scream had awoken her. First she checked on her ghoul.
-She is ok, Sarah, she will live. If she doesn't then she shouldn't be my ghoul, after all.
As for you, I have to congratulate you for not accepting an insult. You see I do not tolerate insults and neither should you.
Paul felt weird.
Then out of a sudden, faster than even Nansy, Roxanne appeared in front of him and punched him in the face.
Paul felt like he was hit by a truck.
The front of his skull got smashed from the hit and for a reason he was quite sure Roxanne hadn't even put any bit of effort on hitting him.
-And as I told you, I do not tolerate being insulted in my own house by my own guest who hits my ghoul and wakes me up with her screaming!
Paul was on the floor and was focusing to regenerate his wounds. He said nothing.
That was Roxanne's justice and he had to learn to live with that. For every vampire a ghoul was it's property and he had messed with her property.
-Now, go on with your lesson and if this happens again I, personally, will have you nailed for two days, both of you.
After that both Liza and Paul behave a little bit more friendly.It was like she understood he was a vampire and she was a servant.
And Paul had understood that messing with an elder's property or patience was not a good thing.
After Liza's lessons it was Suzan's turn to teach him.
Damn! That girl felt like she had been born in Spain.
Paul could only stand there, listening to her speaking.
He knew he could never speak so spanish so fluently but at least he could both speak and understand them.
Paul enjoyed these lessons, not only because he liked spanish but also because he liked the way she was looking at him.
Once again though Suzan was Roxanne's property and he would not dare mess with it again.
But still, she was looking at him right in the eyes like she was trying to mesmerize him. There were times when neither of them would speak for minutes. They just stood there looking each other.
Then later at night Sarah would teach him.
He didn't even know what she was teaching him. Sarah just talked with him, provoking him to remember details and emotions from his human life.
-We are what we choose to be, she kept telling him.
-What did you choose to be then? Paul asked once.
-I chose to be grateful for all the things I earned from my immortality, for all the people I have met and for all the love I can share.
-Love? What do you love?
-Everyone, this whole place we call Earth.
-Even your enemies?
-I don't have enemies, I chose to not. You see there may be people out there who want me dead but at least I don't call them my enemies although they may call me theirs.
-Aren't you afraid they might come for you?
-I am not. I've lived so many lives that I don't mind if I die. I have promised myself that at my final moment I will smile and thank God for this long life i've led.
-What's the point of being immortal if you are to die?
-What's the point of being immortal if you are afraid to live? she answered.
Many times Paul didn't understand Sarah's point of view but he knew that this vampire was more human than most humans out there and that this particular vampire was happy.
Then late at night he would either go out to hunt or stay inside wondering what the outcome of this would be.
He even wondered about Nansy. Did she know he was there with that woman?
And on a few rare nights Roxanne would share her bed with him.
Paul liked that woman and now that he knew she was a vampire elder, he wanted her more.
That was not sex. It was like dying and being brought back to life but getting to know Roxanne he was sure she had no emotional reasons to sleep with him.
Either she knew about Suzan and him and she was testing them or she was following Sarah's advices and was trying to remember how it felt to be human.
''Damn! I would give a fortune to show naked photos of her to my friends at the univercity. They aren't going to believe I slept with her without seeing any proof'' he sometimes thought to himself.
Then he envisioned Roxanne finding out about something like that and tearing him apart.
''Well some victories are better kept secret...''
For a whole month he was preparing to be presented to the town's big bad dracula.
Roxanne had exchanged some favors and the city's Prince had agreed to give her permission to create a new vampire. He only had to meet that prince now and get his permission to stay in his city.
And nothing or noone could have prepared him for that.
He rarely left and he barely had enough free time to actually think of leaving.
He went out only for hunting or to display his newly acquired social skills to his mentor.
Every night when he awoke the lessons started.
The first nightly hours he spent with Liza learning how to be a perfect gentleman and honing his social skills to a level worthy of one of Roxanne's creations.
For a strange reason creatures who bathed in violence and death had a weird fondness for elevated social skills.
''If you can't win against your opponents in the social battlefield you are destined to lose in the real one'' Roxanne kept reminding him.
And Liza knew it well. After all she was meant to be Roxanne's creation and she was perfect. If he didn't look at her face Paul could swear it was Roxanne who stood in front of him.
Her way of moving, her way of speaking and even her way of sitting had an air of nobility.
What's more he had to change his dress code. One of Roxanne's children would never dress in jeans and T-shirts.
And so he did. He bought suits for every occasion. He even got one for hunting.
But Liza was also a bad and rude teacher.
Her being jealous of his status made her rude and bitter towards him.
Up until one night not more than fifteen days into his training.
He was practising on bowing when he made a little mistake and Liza slapped him.
-You worthless punk I should have been the one in your position!
Paul lost control. His inner beast came out roaring and he lost his control.
With frenzied eyes and his fists trembling with rage he charged at her before she could even scream.
He punched her again and again and again until her body fell on the floor unconsious.
Then he roared in victory!
-Never touch me again you lesser being, he shouted at her.
That moment Sarah came to Liza's rescue. The girl was alive for her ghoulish state gave her the endurance to survive such hits.
-Shame on you! Attacking a lesser, as you say, being doesn't make you superior! Sarah told him.
Suddenly his beast disappeared. He did feel ashamed, even Nansy had told him that winning against a human or even a ghoul was not something to be proud of.
And then Roxanne appeared. Liza's scream had awoken her. First she checked on her ghoul.
-She is ok, Sarah, she will live. If she doesn't then she shouldn't be my ghoul, after all.
As for you, I have to congratulate you for not accepting an insult. You see I do not tolerate insults and neither should you.
Paul felt weird.
Then out of a sudden, faster than even Nansy, Roxanne appeared in front of him and punched him in the face.
Paul felt like he was hit by a truck.
The front of his skull got smashed from the hit and for a reason he was quite sure Roxanne hadn't even put any bit of effort on hitting him.
-And as I told you, I do not tolerate being insulted in my own house by my own guest who hits my ghoul and wakes me up with her screaming!
Paul was on the floor and was focusing to regenerate his wounds. He said nothing.
That was Roxanne's justice and he had to learn to live with that. For every vampire a ghoul was it's property and he had messed with her property.
-Now, go on with your lesson and if this happens again I, personally, will have you nailed for two days, both of you.
After that both Liza and Paul behave a little bit more friendly.It was like she understood he was a vampire and she was a servant.
And Paul had understood that messing with an elder's property or patience was not a good thing.
After Liza's lessons it was Suzan's turn to teach him.
Damn! That girl felt like she had been born in Spain.
Paul could only stand there, listening to her speaking.
He knew he could never speak so spanish so fluently but at least he could both speak and understand them.
Paul enjoyed these lessons, not only because he liked spanish but also because he liked the way she was looking at him.
Once again though Suzan was Roxanne's property and he would not dare mess with it again.
But still, she was looking at him right in the eyes like she was trying to mesmerize him. There were times when neither of them would speak for minutes. They just stood there looking each other.
Then later at night Sarah would teach him.
He didn't even know what she was teaching him. Sarah just talked with him, provoking him to remember details and emotions from his human life.
-We are what we choose to be, she kept telling him.
-What did you choose to be then? Paul asked once.
-I chose to be grateful for all the things I earned from my immortality, for all the people I have met and for all the love I can share.
-Love? What do you love?
-Everyone, this whole place we call Earth.
-Even your enemies?
-I don't have enemies, I chose to not. You see there may be people out there who want me dead but at least I don't call them my enemies although they may call me theirs.
-Aren't you afraid they might come for you?
-I am not. I've lived so many lives that I don't mind if I die. I have promised myself that at my final moment I will smile and thank God for this long life i've led.
-What's the point of being immortal if you are to die?
-What's the point of being immortal if you are afraid to live? she answered.
Many times Paul didn't understand Sarah's point of view but he knew that this vampire was more human than most humans out there and that this particular vampire was happy.
Then late at night he would either go out to hunt or stay inside wondering what the outcome of this would be.
He even wondered about Nansy. Did she know he was there with that woman?
And on a few rare nights Roxanne would share her bed with him.
Paul liked that woman and now that he knew she was a vampire elder, he wanted her more.
That was not sex. It was like dying and being brought back to life but getting to know Roxanne he was sure she had no emotional reasons to sleep with him.
Either she knew about Suzan and him and she was testing them or she was following Sarah's advices and was trying to remember how it felt to be human.
''Damn! I would give a fortune to show naked photos of her to my friends at the univercity. They aren't going to believe I slept with her without seeing any proof'' he sometimes thought to himself.
Then he envisioned Roxanne finding out about something like that and tearing him apart.
''Well some victories are better kept secret...''
For a whole month he was preparing to be presented to the town's big bad dracula.
Roxanne had exchanged some favors and the city's Prince had agreed to give her permission to create a new vampire. He only had to meet that prince now and get his permission to stay in his city.
And nothing or noone could have prepared him for that.
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