The Case of the Sketchy Nectar - Part 2 (Companion to videos #3, #4, and #5)
The Case of the Sketchy Nectar - Part 2
Ye continues her story:
I'm please to report that I'm making good progress with my clan recruitment. I met up with Lakesha who is known to be skilled in alchemy and tried to recruit her. However, she was rather stand-offish, and everything I said to her left her unimpressed. Luckily the shop had a potent friendship elixir for sale, so I used it to win Lakesha to my side.
I confessed that I was a vampire and explained how lonely it was to be the only one in town. I asked her if she would like to join me and become immortal.
"I don't know. Isn't converting people to vampirism illegal?" she asked.
"It's only illegal to force them," I replied. "If they willingly offer their arm, they're fair game."
"But I love nachos. Will I still be able to eat them?"
"Of course, you will just need to also consume plasma, that's all. The trade off is worth it to gain all the special powers, trust me."
"But I might want to get married and settle down some day. It would be really awkward if my husband becomes an old man while I remain young."
"I'm sure if the man really loved you, he'd willingly convert so he could be with you for all eternity," I assured her. "Now don't be such a baby about it and offer me your arm!"
Now I had two budding vampire friends. The struggle was to keep them alive. Lakesha called me the following day, saying she had one heck of a sunburn.
"You have to avoid the sun whenever possible, you silly goose! That's rule number one of being a vampire! Stay indoors until the burn subsides!"
I also worry about Kenneth. I loves the outdoors and keeps trying to slip out of the house to play in the sprinkler. I finally had to chuck in the trash. We had words about it.
Despite Lakesha's initial misgivings, she seems to be taking to vampirism pretty well. She invited Kenneth and me to a little party at her house where she also invited a couple mortals for us to feed on.
However, the old woman (Betty) seemed to know we were vampires from the start, and I suspect she advised the younger man (Carson) to stay glued to the couch, because everyone knows we can't feed from someone when they are seated.
Lakesha, the tramp, was shamelessly flirting with Kenneth. She's just lucky I've been having second thoughts about keeping him as a boyfriend. We never mentioned children prior to my converting him, but it turns out he wants kids, and I just can't stand the little snots!
A few nights ago I converted an older gentleman at the Three Fishes Lounge. He may be old, but his blood was like fine aged wine!
His name is Emmitt Spivey. He succumbed to my charms, and I managed to convert him quite easily.
I also converted another man, Jackson Thomason.
We really hit it off, and I thought we'd make a much better pair than Kenneth and me.
I'm not sure his dog approves of us, but then Turtle, Kenneth's dog, took a little time to get used to me too. I felt the time wasn't quite right to bring up the fact that I had a boyfriend. In retrospect, I probably should have.
The Case of the Sketchy Nectar - Part 2
By Alden Lawson
Jolene was relentless in her investigation, gone most nights on stakeouts, tracking down leads to the case. (I admit, Jolene's covert skills need some work. She's almost always spotted by someone.)
She investigated our neighbors, the Lalondes since she saw Diana Lalonde pass a suspicious envelop to Ye.
She called Diana's brother Bernard and invited him over to the house. The poor guy seemed very nervous and agitated. He didn't even go to the door, but hid in the shrubbery outside our house.
"What's wrong, Bernard? You look like you've seen a ghost."
"It's more like I've seen a vampire and she's pursuing me!" he confided. "The other night Ye Gangnam spotted me at the night club, and was looking at me like she wanted to make a meal of me. I headed home soon afterward only to find her at the gate of my house an hour later wanting to be invited in! I don't even know the woman except by reputation. 'I don't know you!' I responded. 'Please leave!' She left, but I've been afraid to leave the house ever since. Thank goodness for that gate on our property."
"I saw Diana passing Ye a note yesterday. Do you know anything about it?" Jolene inquired.
"Diana said she planned on bribing Ye to leave our family alone. That must have been what you saw."
Jolene met up with Kitty Lalonde who confirmed Bernard's story.
"Yes, we did have a ravenous vampire at our gate. No she didn't manage to make a meal of any of us. I'm so glad we had that gate installed to keep the riff-raff out."
Jolene notice Ye's reputed boyfriend Kenneth Medley was nearby, and it looked like he was coercing a pie-faced blonde into offering her arm to him. She noticed an unusual gleam in his eye.
"That man has become a vampire!" she thought, and went to confront him.
"Kenneth Medley! Are you bribing this woman with berry pie to sweeten up her blood? I can tell you've become a vampire!"
"I can't help it, I'm so hungry!" he confessed. "I never really intended to become a vampire. I often let Ye feed on me, but the last time she did, things got out of hand! She swears it was an accident and I'll really like the change once I get used to it. But I really like to be outside, and now she says I can only go out at night for fear of burning up. It's so depressing!"
The man cracked easily under Jolene's expert questioning and confessed that Ye was planning on creating a large clan of vampires, and he was only the first of her converts. He also leaked that she was establishing a lair at Goth Manor Nectary were she would throw parties and feed off unsuspecting townsfolk. He said Ye had been making plasma nectar there all summer, and some inept, but well-meaning employee (or maybe a mean-spirited one, since Hanna was one of the employees tending the register at the time) took some of Ye's nectar from the nectar machine and placed in the nectar racks for public consumption.
Having learned the reason behind the sketchy nectar, Jolene now needed to put an end to it and to Ye's illicit plans to turn the town into her personal plasma supply. She would need the help of the local police. She had a connection with the department - Celina Andreason, a go-getter with a desire to make her mark as top cop in the town. Jolene arranged to meet her at the gym and pass the lead to her.
Celina was on her way to a fund-raiser and couldn't stay long, but Jolene told her the where and when of the party, so she could check out Kenneth's story.
Ye Continues . . .
Lakesha's attempt at a party was a good effort, but with our ranks growing, I figured we needed a larger space to meet and feast. I decided Goth Manor Nectary had some unused upper floors where we could hold our own private parties. I could make nectar for the party and it would be really handy. I've been using the facilities to make nectar for awhile and leaving it to process. I suspect some inexperienced fool has been taking it once it was finished and stocking the shelves with it, because it always seems to disappear. I think this is why there's that illness outbreak, but it's not my fault, if someone messes with my nectar batch. This is what got me thinking about how alone I've been with no one around to enjoy the same things I enjoy.
So I threw a party at the nectary. I had big dreams of us all gathering quietly upstairs, luring a few choice morsels to join us, but things didn't go the way I expected. I learned that it's nearly impossible to wrangle my fellow vampires. The night was a tough one. First, I arrived at the party with Kenneth, which really rubbed Jackson the wrong way.
Jackson accused me of cheating on him! I tried to explain that I was cheating WITH him, and that there was a big difference, but I learned the hard way that the guy's got a temper!
Maybe Jackson and I aren't meant to be after all.
I had invited Celeste Sweet, the woman in charge of public safety at City Hall, to the party. All summer I have made it clear that I was providing large amounts of money to her campaign fund, and I expected her to turn a blind eye to the issues occurring at Goth Manor Nectary. After all, it wasn't really my fault that someone put MY nectar up for public consumption. But the thing is, I'm going broke paying her off, and now with the vampire population growing, I think it's time to use other tactics to keep the authorities from looking too closely at the nectary.
"I wanted to thank you for all your financial support to my campaign fund, Ye. With your help, I'm sure to be elected Mayor next election.
"It's been a pleasure. I think you would be a great mayor. Oh, I have something upstairs I'd like you to see. Come with me.
"Well this is a creepy place. Is that a dead body?!?"
"Oh don't pay that any mind. Here's what I wanted you to see."
"Now, you will do everything in your power to make sure my plans for this place are not disturbed!"
"Whaa? What's happening?"
"Are you going to tell anyone about what is going on here?"
"No, never! I swear!"
"You make sure to keep the health inspectors away, you hear?"
"Uh, Ye, I think we need to leave. A police car has just pulled up. I think it's a raid!"
"Okay, you all make yourself scarce. I'll take care of the cops."
"Ye Gangnam, I have it on good authority that you are a vampire and are plotting on using these premises to feed on the citizens of this town. . .
. . . I am telling you now, if you don't cease and desist, I am prepared to run you and your minions out of town!"
"With all due respect, officer, it's not a crime to be a vampire."
"No it's not, but it is a crime to coerce innocent people into sacrificing their own blood to provide your lunch! If I hear of any more vampire parties being held on these premises or in other public places, you and your clan will be rounded up and run out of town on a rail! . . .
. . . As far as I'm concerned, you are all a bunch of monsters who don't belong here!"
And that was the second slap I received that night. I don't know whether to feed off this woman or file a police brutality complaint. At any rate, she isn't going to stop the parties. I'll see to it!
("This is so traumatizing!" Ashely wailed, "I hate my job!")
The next morning the police woman had the audacity to show up at my house! Of all the nerve!
"I wanted you to know, we've got our eyes on you! Do not step out of line, hear?"
I decided to lie low for a while and teach the clan members how to hunt on their own. Kenneth seems to favor the bookstore for hunting. He reports he drank from an old lady he met there.
Lakesha has been crushing on this guy Troy.
She's been trying to woo him into joining the clan, but he's a bit stand-offish.
"I don't do well with crowds," he explained. "I have a hard enough time dealing with my roommates."
But Lakesha is a sly one. She brewed up some friendship elixirs, and when she found him at the cat cafe, she used one on him.
It was quite effective.
"He'll be one of us in no time!" she reported.
I admit, they seem to be having better luck than me lately. I was as the dance club the other night, and I spotted my old sorority sister Hanna. She and I never hit it off, so I thought she'd be the perfect victim. She didn't fall for my mind games, however.
I got even with her in the end. The following night I found her at The Three Fishes and threw a Tragic Clown elixir at her.
She had to spend the rest of the night looking the fool and making people cry. Maybe that wasn't that different from what she usually does. She likes making people cry anyway.
Hunting as individuals as fine, but I think hunting as a group is more fun, so I decided to throw another party at the nectary. We had a good ol' time.
We could hear sirens in the distance so decided to make ourselves scarce. I think Ashley reported us. She and I will need to have a little talk, real soon.
The Case of the Sketchy Nectar - Part 2
By Alden Lawson
The police received a call from Jolene's best friend Ashely at Goth Manor Nectary. She reported the vampires were in a frenzy and feasting on the blood of innocent bystanders. Officer Andreason notified Jolene and they went to investigate. By the time they got there, the vampires had left, so they spent their time calming and assuring poor Ashley.
"The offer is still open for you to stay with my sister Kathy in Sagehen Mesa," Jolene assured Ashely. "I spoke with Kathy, and she'd be glad to have you there."
"Well, I am done with my studies now. I would like a fresh start. I think I'll take you up on that offer."
"Congratulations on graduating. What do you plan to do next?"
"I'm interested in becoming an interior designer," Ashley responded. "I'm hoping my communications degree will help me grow a strong clientele.
"In the meantime, rest assured, we'll have a patrol car in the area. . . .
. . . We will catch them in the act, and arrests will be made."
As we all knew, Ye could not resist throwing another party. Kenneth Medley alerted Jolene, who alerted the police, and she and Officer Andreason went undercover to the party. This time, Ye snuck the vampires into the basement and they lured the victims there.
Ye made quick work of her first victim, while several of the guest suspected something was wrong with their friend Troy Harper. He was acting oddly. Was he turning into a vampire?
Officer Andreason found her way over to Ye and confronted her. "You were warned about this!"
"You are under arrest!" Ye resisted, so Celina had to take her down.
Jolene was disappointed because she wanted to be the one to beat up on Ye. Officer Andreason then moved on to Lakesha, first threatening her, then taking her down.
While the arrests were taking place, the rest of the vampires escaped. Jolene tracked down Jackson Thomason to the daycare, where she made a citizen's arrest.
With half their number in jail, the rest of the vampires turned themselves in. The whole clan was sentenced to banishment from the town of Sunset Valley, and set off to find a new location where they would be more accepted.
This concludes The Case of the Sketchy Nectar.
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