Book 3 Chapter 8

Slide 2: 

The Literacy: Book 3 Chapter 8 Hello again, reader(s)! If you’re reading this, it must mean that another chapter of The Literacy has been posted. That, or it means you’ve snuck into my room and are reading this off my computer, in which case I thought I locked that door! Get off my laptop! But odds are you’re reading this on the blog. So welcome! I had hoped to get this chapter out a little faster, but it appears that I’m back to the tri-monthly update schedule I maintain during the school year. Wait, would “tri-monthly” mean “every three months,” or “three times a month”? I think it actually means the second thing. No matter! The chapter is finished, so please, enjoy. Expect the next update in a trimonth. (It’s sort of like a fortnight, except I didn’t just make up the word fortnight.)

Slide 3: 

“Right then, that’s unanimous. We shall launch an inquiry into why, exactly, vampires and werewolves are supposed to be enemies. Now, is there any other business?” “Count Goldman, I have a matter to bring before the council.” “Very well, Count Kosmokos. Go ahead.”

Slide 4: 

“Thank you. Last night, I spoke with Bekwa Turner. She…she wishes to become a vampire.”

Slide 5: 

“You refused her, yes? You know very well that we are not taking on any minions!”

Slide 6: 

“I did my best to dissuade her, Contessa Barrett. But she is a Legacy child, accustomed to the world handing her what she wants. I was hoping to get an official refusal from the Council. She is more likely to trust all the Grand Vampires acting together than just myself.” “Fine. Tell her the council refuses her request.”

Slide 7: 

“Now, Contessa, you don’t speak for the Council. The matter has been opened for us to discuss. Perhaps it is time for us to reconsider our ban on Turning.” “Don’t give me that, Joe—” “Uh…have we all stopped using titles now?” “Shut up! We aren’t taking on any minions, and you know damn well why!” “That rule was made centuries ago, Contessa!” “Yes, I remember. The Council chamber was a little more dignified in those days. Maybe you just don’t take our laws seriously anymore since we started meeting in this tacky nightclub ripoff.” “But Contessa Barrett—” “I remember, Goldman. As you apparently do not. I remember the hunters, Joe. Have you forgotten the hunters?” “Nerissa—”

Slide 8: 

“Have you forgotten the vampire hunters, Goldman? Have you forgotten those days? My entire family was hunted down and killed, like so many animals! And the men who did it were hailed in their home cities as heroes! I had a husband once, Goldman! I had a daughter! And do you know why they hunted down our kind? It was because we thought we could Turn members of their kind. Our numbers were decimated because we took on minions! And every minion we took on had a father, or a brother, or a lover, who didn’t like the idea of having a vampire around. So they forced our minions to drink that accursed cure. A cure, Joe. Like our way of life was a disease! Have you forgotten that shock of pain every time a minion was cured? That alone would be enough to swear off Turning forever, but then they sent out the hunters. They didn’t care that our minions always came willingly, oh no! We were the spawn of Hell, as far as they knew, and we had to be hunted down and killed! Torn from our rest, stabbed in the heart, or left to turn to dust in the sunlight, or burned alive! None of that would have ever happened if we had kept to ourselves, Joe. And if we don’t keep to ourselves now, it will happen again!”

Slide 9: 

“No one has forgotten those days, Contessa Barrett. And no one is suggesting we become as brazen as we were in the old days. But times have changed. We can walk the streets at night without fear now. People regard us as nothing worse than harmless oddities now. I think it may be time for us to try a Turning again. Besides, if the girl is really so insistent on becoming a vampire, she may seek out one of the rogue vampires to Turn her, and we can’t risk that.”

Slide 10: 

“But she is a child! She doesn’t know what she’s getting herself into!”

Slide 11: 

“Komei raises another excellent point, Count Goldman.” “That safeguard is already built into the Turning, so we needn’t discuss it here. It can be performed on anyone who has reached adolescence.” “And what if she changes her mind and seeks out the cure?!” “She won’t. You know how it works, Contessa.”

Slide 12: 

“If I may offer a suggestion…” “Yes, Contessa Landchild?” “I side with you, Count Goldman. Which means that the Council is deadlocked. Since the greatest risk in taking on a minion lies with the vampire who does the Turning, why not have whoever it is who would perform the Turning—according to our old order, of course—evaluate the girl and make the decision?” “But none of us have any minions left. There are hardly an vampires left at all. How would the old order even apply here?” “Oh, well that’s quite simple. I never took a minion, so I’m automatically next in line.”

Slide 13: 

“That’s the only reason you’re voting with Count Goldman, isn’t it? You saw that you could bring the vote to a tie and then snatch up a concrete advantage over the rest of us.”

Slide 14: 

“Actually, Contessa Barrett, I side with Contessa Landchild on this particular matter. While I still question the wisdom of Turning Bekwa at all, I agree that Contessa Landchild should make that decision…

Slide 15: 

…So, Contessa Barrett, I’m afraid it’s three against one.”

Slide 16: 

“Then it’s settled. Contessa Landchild will seek out and evaluate this Turner girl, and decide whether or not to…Turn her. As it’s getting close to dark, and we should be waking up soon, I hereby declare this meeting adjourned.”

Slide 17: 

“Jill? Are you coming?”

Slide 18: 

“Hmm? Oh…yes, I’ll be there in a moment.”

Slide 23: 

Meanwhile, in the gods’ bunker… “Come on, Hades. Just because you look like a teenager doesn’t mean you get to act like one.”

Slide 24: 

“Shut up! I hate you! You don’t understand me, nobody does!” “Well…would it help if you told me why you’re suddenly so insufferable?” “She doesn’t love me, Poseidon!” “Who, Persephone? Of course not, she never did. I assumed you knew that.”

Slide 25: 

“I just thought— *sniff*— I just thought it was the age thing. But it turns out she just hates me. And I tried to be all cool and stuff, but all I did was scare her off even more. And I…I…oh, gods, Poseidon…I threatened to rape her!” … “You know you went through with it the other time, right?”

Slide 26: 

“Oh, gods, shut up shut up shut UP!”

Slide 27: 

“Is Hades still in there? I think my regressing him to an adolescent was a little more thorough than I originally anticipated.”

Slide 28: 

“Hades, the emotional response you’re experiencing are just a result of your hormones. If you would just calm down for a moment—” “I said shut up!” “Look, trust me on this. Persephone isn’t even that great in the sack, alright?” “How would you even know that?”

Slide 29: 

“Because I’ve had sex with her, you numbskull! How else would I know that?” “You what?” “I was disguised as you at the time. It’s a long story.” “What?! Why the hell would you do that? And what the hell is up with you and disguises, anyway?”

Slide 30: 

“Look, my point is, there are other fish in the wine-dark sea!” “This isn’t working, Zeus.” “I’m doing the best I can, Poseidon. Unless you have some way of just forcing Persephone to love Hades, this is all we can do.”

Slide 31: 

“Actually, I may have just that.”

Slide 32: 

“Hello, Eros? It’s Poseidon. Listen, I need a favor…”

Slide 33: 

That night, Contessa Jill Landchild arrives at Danse Macabre. “Hi! You must be Contessa Landchild.” “How did you—” “Voice in my head.”

Slide 34: 

“Count Kosmokos presented your case to the Council. The four of us discussed it, and the decision as to whether or not to accept you comes down to me.” “Wait…the four of you?” “Yes. Why does that surprise you?” “I dunno. I just expected this all-powerful council to be bigger.”

Slide 35: 

“The Vampire Council used to be larger, back when there were more vampires. But now our numbers are greatly diminished, and the few vampires who survive are not always easy to find. The Council estimates that there are under a hundred vampires in the world, and many of those are not loyal to us.”

Slide 36: 

“Well, if you guys are so down on your numbers, shouldn’t you be out recruiting? There’s probably plenty of people who’d be happy to sign up. Heck, find a goth club somewhere and you could double your numbers in one night!”

Slide 37: 

“We used to be more eager to Turn people. That was what led to our downfall.” “What happened?” “Bekwa, understand, we do not—we cannot—Turn someone without their consent. But there were some misguided mortals who, seeing a loved one become a vampire, assumed that the Turning had been done by force. They were blind to the gift we offered, and called it a curse. Their best sages developed a cure. For whoever drank it, their life force would be torn from the vampire who had Turned them, and forced back into them. Needless to say, this is quite painful for the master. Still, this was not enough for the mortals. For each minion they cured, they would try to hunt down and kill whoever had Turned them.” “That’s awful!” “That was just the beginning! The mortals soon decided that any vampire at all was a threat to them, and the goal became to destroy every vampire that walked the earth. There were people whose life’s work was the wholesale slaughter of my kind. They were called vampire hunters by their kind. They were called heroes by their kind. They were called murderers by mine.” “I’m…I’m so sorry, Contessa.”

Slide 38: 

“It was a long time ago to mortals. For us it is still in living memory. After the last of my kind went into hiding, the Council decreed that no outsider would ever be Turned again, to prevent such horrible destruction from happening again. However, they may make an exception for your case, providing I find you worthy.” “What do I have to do to be worthy?” “First, I must be sure that you are not undertaking this lightly. You should know that as part of the ritual you would have to swear an oath of loyalty to the Council and to me, including a promise never to cure yourself.” “So…” “So your vampirism would be permanent. And the word of a vampire is unbreakable.” “But if I made the promise when I was still a mortal—” “It applies retroactively.”

Slide 39: 

“Well, I can tell you that I’m fine with that. I mean, I don’t have any plans to cure myself anyway.” “No qualms about the oath, then? You are also willing to become my Minion?” “Well, sure!” “Bekwa, I’m not sure you understand the degree of control I will have over you if I Turn you.” “I…I understand that it’s a lot.” “I will possess your life force, giving me at least some power over your body and your mind for as long as both of us remain vampires. Which, thanks to the oath, would be quite a long time indeed.” “Sure, sure, but there’s so much making up for that! Immortality, super strength, heightened senses, telepathy, shape-shifting…I hear that really powerful vampires can turn into, like, light!” “There was one who could, yes. And you’ve clearly done your research.” “Does that mean I get to be Turned?”

Slide 40: 

“Well, you certainly have potential, but I don’t think you’re mature enough to make this sort of decision. Perhaps in ten years or so…” “Ten years?!” “Ah, Bekwa…immortality requires a good deal of patience, something you evidently still need to learn.”

Slide 41: 

“So what’s the verdict, Bekwa? Are you getting vamped?” “And who is this?” “This is my brother, Eeben.” “Ah. Well, Eeben, I have determined that your sister is not ready to be Turned at this time.” “Please, Contessa. You have no idea how much this would mean to me!” “Bekwa, I’m sorry, but I don’t think you’re ready yet.” “—How much I need this…” “Bekwa, however much you think you need to join my kind, it is nothing that couldn’t wait a few years.” “But—” “The answer is no, Bekwa!”

Slide 42: 

“That’s…that’s fine. I u-understand.” “Bekwa, don’t—” “I have work to do!”

Slide 43: 

“Contessa…” “And what do you want?”

Slide 44: 

“I actually, uh…overheard most of what you and Bekwa were talking about.” “You eavesdropped.” “Whatever. The point is, you’re making a mistake.”

Slide 45: 

“How could you possibly understand—” “Bekwa is going well out of her way to become a vampire. This isn’t just some random goth accosting you at a nightclub.” “Like you?” “I’m not—er, I don’t normally dress like this. The point is, you and the count warned her about the minion thing, and she still wants in. She’s practically throwing herself at you! Why won’t you take her?” “So what if she’s still interested? That’s because she doesn’t know what Turning will do to her. And you certainly don’t. If you really want to help your sister, tell her to sell this hole, go to college, and live out a normal life. If she wants to live forever she can drink Elixir like everyone else.” “If you force her to be a normal person, she won’t have the heart to extend her life.” “Then let her die! She’ll be in good company there.” “You don’t understand! Bekwa was always meant to go out and do great things, and be a part of something greater than herself. Something exactly like this!”

Slide 46: 

“Oh, shut up! Bekwa took the rejection with dignity, at the very least.” “Yeah, but inside she’s dying, and you know it.” “It’s not like I ruled out the possibility of her ever becoming a vampire! She just needs a few years to—” “She’s going to become a vampire as a teenager whether you do the biting or not. Bekwa isn’t just going to wait around for you to decide she’s ready. Right now she’s trying to go about this the right way. She went to a Grand Vampire, and waited on the Council’s decision, and all that.” “And she will continue to wait. I fail to see the problem with that.” “Sooner or later she’ll get sick of waiting. Sooner or later she’ll decide she doesn’t care if the vampire that Turns her is a proper Grand Vampire under the Council’s supervision or not. She’ll just go to Sim City and wander around looking for one of those vampires you guys don’t control.” “The Council is already taking action against the rogue vampires. We have nothing further to discuss. Good evening.”

Slide 47: 

“Think of the power.” “*HISSSS*” “Think about absorbing her life force, and having the first minion in centuries. Think of how jealous the rest of the Council will be when—” “Alright! I’ll reconsider! Just shut up!”

Slide 48: 

Meanwhile, back at home…

Slide 49: 

“Anatole…” “…Baxter?” “You’d nearly forgotten about me, hadn’t you?”

Slide 50: 

“Well, yeah. I haven’t seen you in years. After a while I assumed you were either imaginary or just really unreliable.” “I’m sorry. My other obligations with my pack have required much of my attention. In fact, I am required back at the forest momentarily. I just wanted to speak to you with what little time I had.”

Slide 51: 

“*Sigh*…And you’re just going to say something ridiculously cryptic, aren’t you?” “You’re looking for yourself in the wrong places. Also, spend more time with Christa.” “Wow…actually, part of that made perfect sense. That’s, like, a record or something.” “And now I’m afraid I must leave you.” “Yeah, yeah, of course you must.

Slide 52: 

After that frustratingly brief interlude, we return to Danse Macabre… “Ah, Bekwa. There you are. I’ve decided to Turn you after all.” “You—what? You’ve changed your mind, just like that? Why?” “Suffice it to say that your brother reminded me why I came here in the first place. Just look into my eyes, child.”

Slide 53: 

“The connection between us is growing stronger. You will now take the Oath of Turning. Repeat after me.” “Repeat…after me.” “Er…yes, just like that.” “Er yes just like that.”

Slide 54: 

“Hey guys, what’s goin’ on?” “We’re sort of in the middle of something, Eeben!” “We’re sort of in the middle of something Eeben.”

Slide 55: 

“I, (state your name), take this oath of my own free will.” “I, (state your name), take this oath of my own free will.” “No, wait, you’re supposed to actually, um…” “No, wait, you’re supposed to actually um.”

Slide 56: 

“You know what? Let’s…let’s just start over.” “You know what let’s let’s just start over.” “I, Bekwa Turner, take this oath of my own free will.” “I, Bekwa Turner, take this oath of my own free will.”

Slide 57: 

“In joining the ranks of the vampires, I surrender control of my life force and my very self to my new master, Jill Landchild.” …

Slide 58: 

… “In joining the ranks of the vampires, I…I surrender control of my life force and…and my very…my very self to my new master, Jill Landchild.”

Slide 59: 

“I further swear my allegiance to the Council of Grand Vampires.” “I further swear my allegiance to the Council of Grand Vampires.” “I choose to live forever as a vampire, and will never accept the cure for this, which I know to be a gift.” “I choose to live forever as a vampire, and will never accept the cure for this, which I know to be a gift.” “This I swear by the unbreakable word of the vampires.” “This I swear by the unbreakable word of the vampires.” “Alright, now don’t repeat the next bit.” “Alright, now don’t—oh, wait. Sorry.”

Slide 60: 

“The oath completed, the connection forged, I claim your life force as sustenance, and take you as my minion.” “AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!” “Bekwa? Bekwa, what’s wrong?!” “Having your life force sucked out doesn’t exactly tickle, boy.”

Slide 61: 

*swoon* “Now, I seal our bond.”

Slide 62: 

“Wait, I thought you guys didn’t actually suck blood.” “It’sh shingolic, Eegen. I’n nok ewen ‘reaking the shkin.” “What?” “Neher nind, Eegen, just shu’ uk.”

Slide 63: 

“Aaaahhh. Turning is such fun! I’d better get to do this more often now.”

Slide 64: 

“Wait, she doesn’t look like a vampire at all. She just looks nauseous.” “Wait for iiit…”

Slide 65: 

*(the weird noise that newly-made vampires make that I can’t figure out how to render textually)*

Slide 66: 

“*HISSSSSSSSSSS! Snarl, growl!*” Remember folks, the asterisks mean it’s a sound effect. The scene becomes even dumber than it already is if Bekwa just says the words “snarl” and “growl.”

Slide 67: 

“Yesss, my beautiful minion. Embrace the darkness that—” “Hey, Contessa, how do I solve a—” “Shut up, Eeben!”

Slide 68: 

“*Hisss, HISS!*” “What is it, minion? Is there something you want to say?” “*Grrrrrr*” “Did Komei leave this little detail out when he gave you the talk?”

Slide 69: 

“*RaaAAAR!*” “Vampirism isn’t always quite as elegant and romantic as we Grand Vampires make it appear.” “*Choke! Gasp! GrrrAAR!*” “We can pretend all we like, with our oaths and our titles and our hierarchy, but every vampire lives on the very threshold of mindless savagery.” “*Rrrrr?*” “Oh, the Grand Vampires just make it look easy because we’ve had centuries of practice. But there’s a reason vampires are called monsters, after all.” “*Shuddering gasp*” “You’ll get your speech back soon. That’s the easy part.” … “I…I am…”

Slide 70: 

“That’s a good start, Bekwa.” “…feeling…better.” “Good. Very good.”

Slide 71: 

“I think…I think we should be getting home now. We…we have a Legacy to slog through, after all.” “There, she seems to be back to normal already.” “I’m not sure I like where you put that emphasis, Contessa.” “Shut up, Eeben.”

Slide 72: 

Smooth transitions are for the weak. Danse Macabre having served its purpose, it is sold off to finally buy a garage for the Turners.

Slide 73: 

To avoid Bekwa having to sprint to the bus every morning, she now has her own car to get to school…

Slide 74: 

…and adjacent to the garage, her own living space. Everything she needs is within easy reach of her coffin, which is really, really morbid taken out of context. And still pretty morbid in context.

Slide 75: 

That same night, in a little house on the edge of the forest.

Slide 76: 

“Nathan, could I talk to you about something?”

Slide 77: 

“Of course! Please, come in. Did you find the freshwater source?” “The what?” “You know. A while back I asked you to find out where the island gets its freshwater. Have you?”

Slide 78: 

“What? Oh, yeah, there’s a bunch of freshwater springs scattered around the island…Why did you want to know, anyway?”

Slide 79: 

“I’m so glad you asked! We need a good place to perform baptisms.” “Baptisms? I’m pretty sure the only people who come to our prayer meetings come for the food. You haven’t really won any converts, if you’re planning on baptizing the islanders—” “What about you?” …

Slide 80: 

“Nathan, I told you, I don’t believe in your God. Actually, this is what I wanted to talk to you about. I’ve been giving it a lot of thought, and I think maybe we should go our separate ways.” “But…but we’re doing so much good here! The people are starting to come around, I can feel it!” “Even if that were true, I only agreed to help you with this because I was bored. But this is getting to be the same old song and dance, you know? Every Sunday a few people show up for the free lunch and politely listen while you go on about this God guy. I just think it’s time I moved on to another pursuit. Like, I’ve been wanting to go to college, for one thing.”

Slide 81: 

“Random, please. Don’t leave in a fit of emotion, you’ll only regret it later.” “I’m not in a ‘fit of emotion,’ Nathan. I’m perfectly calm, and I’ve thought this through.” “At the very least, will you sleep on it?” “Alright, fine. But I don’t think it’s going to change anything.”

Slide 82: 

The next day…

Slide 87: 

“Given that I Turned you just last evening, Bekwa, you seem to be awfully pink and alive.”

Slide 88: 

“Bleargh, what? What’s going on?” “And hello to you too, Bekwa.”

Slide 89: 

“Jill? What are you doing here? Why aren’t you burning up?” “Why aren’t you?” “I…I don’t know. Wait…I’m not a vampire! What happened?”

Slide 90: 

“You’re dreaming, Bekwa. And the fact that you’re dreaming about being a human means that some part of you is rejecting my gift. We’ll have to remedy that, of course.” “Wait, I don’t understand. Why are you in my dream?” “It’s the telepathy. Your abilities will be rather limited, since you’ve only just Turned, but will get better with time. We vampires do much of our communication through dreams. That’s how the Council meets, for example. And of course I will always have access to your dreams since you’re my minion…

Slide 91: 

…And since I’ll be spending so much time with you, I have a few changes to make.”

Slide 92: 

“Where are we? Why am I an adult now?” “To answer both of your questions, dear, we’re in my dream now.” “You’re controlling my mind right now. I can sense it.” “Oh, very good! Your telepathy is already developing nicely.”

Slide 93: 

“What are you doing with my mind, Jill?” “In time, you’ll learn to tell on your own. Soon enough you’ll be able to resist me. But for now, since it’s our first dream together, why don’t you just relax, and let this happen?” “Let what happen?”

Slide 94: 

“This…” “…oh.” “Isn’t this nice, Bekwa? Aren’t you just so happy right now?” “Yes…somehow. This seems so wrong on so many levels, but something is making me enjoy this...

Slide 95: 

…oh, wait, now I get it. That’s the mind control I’m sensing. I’m not really enjoying any of this, you’re just forcing me to—” “But you are happy now, right?” “Yes, but only because—”

Slide 96: 

—mmf!” “You are happy now. Nothing else matters.”

Slide 97: 

Meanwhile, back at the gods’ bunker… “Good morning everybody.”

Slide 98: 

“Ah, Eros, welcome! Please, come inside! You’re looking very…fit. And naked.” “Of course, Poseidon. I have nothing to hide from you.” “Clearly. Can I offer you a drink, or perhaps some pants?”

Slide 99: 

“No, thank you. Love makes us let down our guard. In love, we are all totally exposed. So I’m naked for symbolic purposes. I’m sure you understand. Nice diving suit, by the way.” “Er, thank you. But, not to be inhospitable, I didn’t expect you to show up. Not that you aren’t always welcome, of course, it’s just that, since you refused to help us—” “I didn’t refuse to help you, I only refused to force Persephone to fall in love with Hades. We Archetypes work within certain limitations, although even if I could disrupt the story like that I wouldn’t. I’m here because I need to speak with Hades. Alone.” “Well, you’ll have to shout through a door to do it. He locked himself in his room days ago.” “Tell him the God of Love is here. He’ll come out.”

Slide 100: 

“This is about Persephone, isn’t it?” “It is. Were you aware that Poseidon asked me to make Persephone fall in love with you?” “No.” “I refused him, but I wanted to ask you…would you have wanted me to go through with it?”

Slide 101: 

“You’re the one who made me love her, right? So how come sometimes you’re allowed to do that and sometimes you’re not?”

Slide 102: 

“Sometimes love is just unrequited, Hades. It hurts, and it feels stupid, and arbitrary, and meaningless, and that’s because it is!” … “I was expecting something a little more encouraging than that.” “Sometimes love sucks, Hades, but in time everyone moves on…

Slide 103: 

…which is what I want to talk to you about. It’s time for you to give up on Persephone. You don’t even have feelings for her as a person anymore, just as a conquest. You’re letting this turn you into a monster, and it needs to stop before it goes too far again. Everyone who’s come to Literature Island has been given a second chance…

Slide 104: 

…Some characters are breaking free from their old stories and their old limitations, finally free to make their own destinies…

Slide 105: 

…Others are just repeating their old mistakes, falling into familiar patterns because they don’t know what else to do…

Slide 106: 

…Which sort of person will you be, Hades?” Someday I’ll look back on this and think to myself, Good heavens that is a cheap cliffhanger. Nevertheless, I’m ending the chapter here. Look for Chapter 9 in late January. I’ll try to get it out sooner than that, but that looks like how my schedule is going to be for now. Thanks for reading!