Blood Candy Read online

  Jimmy stepped out onto the porch. “We’re letting all of the cold air out. Come on inside and meet everyone.”

  “Everyone?”

  “Yeah. There’s Melvin and—” he paused when Candy looked as if she might turn and run away. “Felicia!” he said. “You’ll like her. She’s our age. Come in and you can meet her.”

  Candy rubbed her aching temples, feeling more mixed up than she ever had in her life. She had wanted to go with Jimmy and now she was about to hyperventilate. She took a deep breath, swallowed her fear, and went into the house with him. There were stairs on her left as soon as she stepped in through the door and a kitchen on the right. She heard people talking down the hall ahead in hushed tones. A moment later, the light in the kitchen came on and Tinch walked in with a young man who was skinnier than Jimmy and a girl with long, golden-red hair and narrow green eyes. The girl seemed to be studying Candy as if she was an animal at the zoo.

  “This is Felicia and Melvin,” Jimmy said. “This is Candy.” He went into the kitchen and leaned against a wobbly table.

  Tinch lingered at the back near an open entrance into a dining room. “Melvin is the leader of this outfit,” he said. “He’s smart and trustworthy.”

  Candy thought Melvin certainly looked smart with his round glasses, spots of acne, short stature, and lack of muscle. All of that combined with a name like Melvin gave him the downright persona of the worst kind of nerd. She shook her head, not believing that was the first thought that came to mind.

  “You’ll be safe here with them,” Tinch said.

  “Wait, you’re leaving?” Candy said.

  “Yes. I have to get to New York. While I’m away, everyone is to make Candy feel welcome.” He singled out Felicia with his eyes. “She’s our guest until we get everything figured out. Lay low, I shouldn’t be gone long. Stay here and don’t do anything until you hear back from me.”

  Without another word or any acknowledgment from anyone, Tinch left the house. Felicia crossed her arms over her chest and glared at Jimmy. He didn’t seem to notice.

  “It’s nice to meet you,” Melvin said in a voice much deeper than his frame should have allowed. He extended a hand out to Candy and she reluctantly shook it.

  “Where the hell have you been?” Felicia asked Jimmy, still glaring at him.

  “Did you miss the part about having to fight off vampires?” Jimmy said.

  Felicia rolled her eyes and then turned her attention to Candy. “So what’s your deal?”

  “I don’t have a deal.” Candy looked to Jimmy for help. “Do I?”

  “Christ, Felicia,” Jimmy groaned. “We’ve had a rough night, okay? How about being pleasant for once.”

  As if nothing had happened up to that point, Felicia beamed with a wide smile. “Okay.” She turned and went into another room through the dining room, calling back to them, “Let’s get started already.”

  Melvin and Jimmy shared worried glances.

  “It will take our minds off everything,” Melvin said. “Let’s play. There’s not much we can do until we hear back from Tinch.”

  Candy followed them through the dining room and into what she thought was a living room, though there didn’t appear to be anything indicating normal people lived here. Two neglected recliners sat against the back wall, both straddling a couch in dire need of cleaning, or better yet a place in the dumpster. The walls were bare with the exception of random holes. Three guys she had never seen before sat at a table near a sliding glass door. Each of them appeared about the same age as Jimmy and Melvin.

  “Everyone,” Melvin said. “This is Candy.”

  One of the guys had short cut sandy hair and eyes set deep into a gaunt face. The first thing he did was look at her cleavage. His eyes bulged and then he hurriedly looked away. Felicia took a seat at the table across from him and Jimmy sat down on the same side near the sliding glass door. Melvin sat next to the sandy-haired guy.

  One of the other guys stood up. He had thick brown hair beneath a blue baseball cap with a red B stitched on the front. “Hey, beautiful,” he said with a wink. “My name’s White Paul. Is it hot in here, or is it just you?”

  Felicia rolled her eyes and Jimmy glowered at him. Candy wondered what was up with his name.

  The last guy at the table had a shaved head and a prominent nose. He watched Candy with a blank face, not bothering to hide his wandering eyes. It became more than apparent to her that she must look like a cheap hooker in the revealing red dress that looked like it had been dragged behind a car with her still in it.

  “Take a seat,” Melvin said.

  As she looked around, Candy was amazed that all of them were werewolves. They looked liked ordinary young people, if not a little dorky in most cases. She noticed books scattered all over the table along with pencils, paper, and oddly shaped dice. While everyone watched and waited for her to take a seat, except for Felicia who had her back to Candy, a slow realization furrowed her brow.

  “Are you playing Dungeons and Dragons?”

  “Yeah, why?” said Melvin, not bothering to lift his head, instead glancing up at her over the top of his glasses.

  “Why?” Candy said. “Because you’re werewolves.”

  Everyone’s head shot up except for Jimmy; and Felicia, who was again glaring at him. White Paul winked.

  “Not this again,” Felicia said. She turned sideways in her chair to get a better look at her guest, and she didn’t hesitate to flip her long hair around so that all the boys would notice. “It’s perfectly okay for lycanthropes to play Dungeons and Dragons.”

  “It is?” Candy said, not bothering to hide the cynicism on her voice. “It seems kind of . . .” She wanted to refrain from saying “retarded” and instead said, “Dumb.”

  Melvin looked a little angry while Jimmy seemed positively tortured. Felicia gave a heavy sigh as she hefted a backpack from beside her chair onto her lap and started digging around in it.

  “You obviously don’t understand what a role-playing game is,” said the redheaded girl. “The key word is ‘role.’ We assume the role of something completely different than what we are. As a matter of fact, we made it a point to not include lycanthropes of any kind into our world.”

  “Or vampires,” Melvin chimed in.

  Felicia found what she had been digging around for in her pack. She chucked a worn paperback onto the table. Candy read the title out loud, “Tempest Season: Book One of the Urban Wizard Archives.”

  “Now, a wizard who plays Dungeons and Dragons,” Felicia said, nodding her head at the book, “is ‘dumb.’ There’s no reason for someone who can already cast spells to pretend to be in a world where spell casting is an imaginative possibility. And you can’t have Dungeons and Dragons without the wizards and spells, it wouldn’t make any sense. You see? Oh, I can tell you haven’t got a clue.”

  Candy looked from Felicia to Melvin and then to each of the other werewolves, or lycanthrows, or whatever they wanted to be called, with confusion she couldn’t hide had she wanted.

  “You’re all nerds,” she said. “Werewolf nerds. I never thought I’d see the day.”

  “First of all, we’re lycans,” the guy who had introduced himself as White Paul said. “And second, why don’t you sit down and try it before you knock it?”

  “I’ll pass,” Candy said. “I wouldn’t be caught dead playing one of these stupid games.”

  “That’s the second bad adage you’ve used,” Felicia said. “What would you be caught dead doing?”

  “Not this, that’s for sure.”

  The guy with the shaved head said, “Why is she here again?”

  “Everyone shut up!” Melvin said, blue eyes blazing behind his glasses. “We are all going to get along with each other, got it? Tinch gave us orders and we will follow those orders and be civil to our guest. On the same note,” he looked at Candy over his glasses again, “this is our house and we expect some respect. If you don’t like the game and you don’t want to join us, then y
ou can go over there and sit on the couch.”

  “Or I can show you around upstairs,” White Paul offered. “That way you won’t soon forget what a lycan is.”

  Candy ignored him and gave the disgusting couch a sideways glance, the foul smell of which made her nose scrunch. She reluctantly took a seat in the empty chair between Felicia and Jimmy. The redhead beamed at her without an ounce of sincerity while Melvin unfolded a Dungeon Master’s screen and propped it up on the table so the paper and dice couldn’t be seen behind it.

  “I don’t,” Candy began, looking around to all of the eyes that went her way. “I don’t know how to play.”

  “It’s simple,” Felicia said. “You pretend to be something you’re not. That’s the crux of the game. In your case, you’ll want to pretend to be anything other than a massive slut.”

  Everyone’s eyes bulged, but none more so than Candy’s. Her face turned bright red and her bottom lip quivered as everyone gaped from her to Felicia with their mouths hanging open. Felicia winced when Candy’s sobs filled the room.

  “For fucks sake!” Melvin bellowed. “Didn’t I just tell you to be civil?”

  Felicia tried to put an arm around her crying guest. “Shit! I didn’t mean it. I was only kidding, Candy. I didn’t mean it like that.”

  Candy shot up from the chair, ran over to the couch, and threw herself facedown onto it. Everyone could only hang their heads while she cried into a pillow. The last several hours had finally caught up with her and Felicia’s remark was icing on the cake. Candy cried and by God it felt good. She found herself wanting her mother, and her own bed.

  “Hey,” Jimmy said close to her ear. “Why don’t we go outside and get some fresh air?”

  “We can’t play without you,” Felicia said.

  “Then you should have kept your big mouth shut. Come on, Candy. You’ll feel better with some fresh air.”

  As Jimmy took her out through the sliding glass door into the back yard, Felicia muttered, “She started it, the judgmental bitch. Look at how she’s dressed!”

  “Just ignore them,” Jimmy said. He slid the door shut and led Candy around to the side of the house where they couldn’t be seen or heard.

  “I can’t believe I just cried in front of a bunch of nerds.”

  “We’re not nerds,” Jimmy said, and then he frowned. “Well, okay we’re nerds. But what difference does it make? You didn’t like what Felicia said about you so why do the same thing?”

  Candy settled her eyes on him. She couldn’t deny her mixed feelings. She couldn’t refuse that he was handsome in a dorky way. He was so scrawny, though. He probably couldn’t stand up to a single guy she had ever dated, going all the way back to middle school. But he was a werewolf and labels didn’t apply anymore. They never should have anyway.

  “You’re right,” she said. “I deserved it. I’ve been through so much. I don’t know what to think and nothing makes sense. And I am dressed like a cheap tramp.”

  “I think you look nice.”

  Candy smiled for the first time since arriving at the Kennel.

  “You’re so beautiful,” Jimmy said.

  Candy leaned back against the house, remembering the kisses they had shared not so long ago. She grabbed the bottom of his shirt and pulled him towards her.

  “I’ve never dated a werewolf before,” she said. They both smiled and laughed. Then her smile faded and she lowered her eyes. “You’re not like the guys I normally date.” She brushed the bangs away from his eyes. “You’re cute, but—”

  “But?”

  “I don’t know,” she said, feeling terrible for some reason. “Nothing has been right since last night. Since that asshole bit me.”

  “I understand,” Jimmy said, his eyes lowered, betraying his embarrassment. “I’m not the normal type.”

  “It’s not that,” Candy protested. “You’re a werewolf and . . . never mind.”

  “That’s not enough? Then you should know I won my fourth grade spelling bee. I made honor roll almost every year in elementary school. I can do long division in my head. I have good hygiene. I’m funny and I have a sense of humor. I’m kind and courteous to others. I respect my elders. I’m honest. . . .”

  He seemed to get stuck on the honest part.

  “You are funny,” Candy laughed, drawing a blush to his cheeks. Something about what he had said caught her attention, all of those things about school. Once again she found herself thinking how familiar he looked. She wrapped her arms around his neck and drew him into a kissing embrace. At least the start of a kiss; when someone cleared their throat she pushed him away. Melvin stood at the corner of the house.

  “Nice timing,” Jimmy sighed. “You’re worse than Tinch.”

  “You should come inside,” Melvin said. “Felicia says she’s sorry. We all do. Please come back inside with us.”

  Melvin went back around the side of the house. Candy moved to follow him but Jimmy took hold of her arm.

  “Wait,” he said “There’s something I need to tell you, something you need to know.”

  Candy smiled. “There’s plenty of time for that. Come on, I promise this time I won’t be such a bitch.”

  Chapter Five

  Candy had walked out of her mother’s house the night before looking for some fun. She ended up with way more than she bargained for. It could have been worse, she thought.

  She went back into the house Jimmy shared with his friends thinking she needed to make the best of a situation that really wasn’t so bad. She took Jimmy at face value when he spouted off his list of qualities, and these people were his friends. Considering he saved her life and gave her a safe place to stay, getting along with his friends was the least she could do.

  Playing nerdy games couldn’t be as bad as the boredom of her home town. At least she hoped.

  Candy took the seat between Felicia and Jimmy again. Felicia was much more pleasant this time around, though Candy figured the expression was forced. Considering how she had acted, Candy couldn’t blame Felicia for what she said earlier. She could only hope things would go better the second time around.

  Jimmy’s friends had ordered breakfast already, two large pepperoni pizzas. Candy helped herself to a slice while Melvin introduced the rest of what he called “the Misfits.”

  “This is White Paul as you know,” he said.

  White Paul grinned and winked before taking a bite from his pizza. The nickname made Candy curious again (at least she thought it was a nickname; he was a white guy after all), but she didn’t want to interrupt the introductions.

  “Over here is Medium Dave,” Melvin said, indicating with his hand the skinny guy with sandy hair and a gaunt face. Medium Dave didn’t seem to notice he had been introduced. He was paying way too much attention to picking stuff off his pizza and setting it on the side of his plate. He looked a little slow.

  “Last but definitely not least,” Melvin said. The only guy who remained was the one with the shaved head and the dark, tempting eyes. “This is Were-Jew.”

  Candy almost spit out her drink, she coughed so violently. “Were-Jew? Should I ask what that means?”

  “Ask away, sugar,” White Paul said.

  “Don’t bother,” Jimmy said. He hadn’t yet touched his pizza and seemed to be in a foul mood now that he was back inside with his friends. “You’re not going to like the answer.”

  “What’s not to like?” Felicia said. Both she and Jimmy glowered at each other.

  “Oh, nothing,” Candy said. “It’s just you have such interesting . . . nicknames.”

  “Jimmy’s is the best,” White Paul said.

  Jimmy slammed his hand on the table. “Shut up!”

  Everyone burst into laughter except Candy. And Jimmy.

  Were-Jew offered up an explanation when he was done laughing. “Unlike those heathen vampires, us shapeshifters can have a meaningful relationship with God.”

  “Oh,” Candy said, supposing it made sense. “I’m Catholic, are you too
?”

  Everyone gave her blank stares. “I’m . . . Jewish.”

  Candy blushed, embarrassed at her own dumb question.

  “We should get started,” Melvin said, changing the subject.

  Everyone other than Candy pulled out papers, pencils, and dice. Medium Dave was placing his strangely shaped dice on the table in some kind of indiscernible pattern. He picked each one up and held it close to his eye before setting it back down again. No one paid him any mind.

  Candy hadn’t a clue what to do. She looked to Jimmy for help and she had to restrain from saying this was the last way she wanted to spend a Saturday of her summer vacation.

  “Okay,” Jimmy said. He had a sheet of paper with numbers written in all sorts of boxes and lines. “Candy needs to make a character.”

  “Have her roll up some stats,” Melvin said.

  Jimmy placed three dice in front of her. They were normal dice like the kind from board games. Then he put a sheet of paper in front of Candy like the one he had, except there wasn’t anything penciled into it.

  “That’s a character sheet,” he said. “You put all of your information on it.”

  “You mean like when I was born?”

  “No. . . . Well, maybe when your character was born, sure. Here, take the dice. You see the first box on the left side? That’s your character’s ‘strength’ score. Roll the dice to see what it is.”

  Candy couldn’t make heads or tails of what he meant so she just did what he said. She picked up the three six-sided dice and rolled them on the table. They came out 1, 2, and 1.

  “Okay,” Jimmy said when she sat there looking at the dice. “Write ‘four’ in the box labeled strength.”

  Candy did as she was told and noticed several other boxes with titles like “dexterity” and “constitution.” Jimmy had her roll the dice for each. When she was done, the six boxes had the numbers 4, 7, 8, 7, 12, and 16 written in them.