Good & Dead #1 by Jamie Wahl

longest of the spoons.
    “Thank you,” Michael said quietly.
    “I guess it’s just the two of us,” she said with a deep and deeply fake sigh, serving herself a large helping as well. 
    Michael couldn’t help but glance over at the vacant place setting that was meant for Chad.
    “Don’t be so nervous, Michael,” Bell took an enthusiastic bite.
    Michael picked up the normal fork, and tried a bite of shrimp.  It was so good he forgot where he was for a moment.
    “Good?” Bell asked.
    “Mmmhmmm,” Michael said, his mouth full of warm pasta.
    “See,” she leaned forward and patted his knee.  “We aren’t so scary.  Relax.”
    Michael swallowed hard.  He was surprised by the beauty of the clan home, as Bell had called it.  He was surprised to see Bell acting so courteous to the cook.  He was surprised by everything.  If someone had looked in the window it would have seemed like two friends were having a casual, if overindulgent, meal together.  You would sooner assume Bell was an heiress than a vampire. 
    Bell placed another large tray on the table and lifted the lid.  This one was full of steaming broccoli.  “Ah, yes, we must eat our veggies,” Bell said, giving them both a generous helping.  Michael hated broccoli.  But, not wanting to be rude, he took a bite.  It was almost as good as the main dish. 
    Bell took a bite, too, and smiled.  “We are so glad to have Linda.  We were miserable for years without her.  I went out of my way to turn one of the best chefs in the city and his food was dreadful.  And Linda had been here the whole time.  She was a student at Le Cordon Bleu, and we had her working in the bootleg business.  Such a waste.”
    “Bootleg?  Like, prada bags?”
    “No,” she laughed, “like alcohol.  During the delightfully lucrative prohibition era.”  She smiled wistfully. “Great fashion, too.”
    “Oh.” Michael glanced toward the doors to the kitchen, and back to Bell.  How old are these people?
    Very old.
    Michael jumped so badly his forkful of broccoli flung across the table.
    Bell’s voice rang out crystal clear in his mind, though her mouth hadn’t moved one bit.
    “How did you do that?”
    It’s something all vampires can do .  Her voice echoed in his mind even as she raised her glass to her lips.  Some of us over a mile or two.
    Michael forced his throat to swallow.  How many of his thoughts had been overheard by Tanish and Joseph?  He played the evening over in his mind.  That explained the awkward pauses and random laughter between the two.  
    “I say ‘all’ vampires, but that doesn’t include you.  Yet,” she gestured at him with her fork.  “But you’ll get there.  There is a lot to learn around here.  And a lot I want to learn a lot about you.
    “What are your talents, Michael?  Your interests?”
    Michael smiled uncomfortably.  He couldn’t imagine there was anything she’d find worth knowing. “Um…”
    “Come on,” she said, “This is a family, Michael.  If you’re going to be a part of it, you’ll have to contribute to it.  What can you do for us?”
    Absolutely nothing came to mind.  His skills were all useless.  “I almost have a degree in accounting,” he offered.
    “Hmm,” she seemed surprised, “I wouldn’t have pegged you for a numbers guy.”
    Michael shrugged.  Accounting was his mother’s idea, and Michael hadn’t had a better one.
    “That’s good.  Very practical.”
    “My family is very practical.”
    “Yes we are,” she winked over her wine glass.  “Anything else?  How do you spend your spare time?” She leaned back in her chair, swirling ruby liquid in the bottom of her glass.
    “D&D.”
    “D and what?”
    “Dungeons and Dragons,” Michael felt heat rise in his face, “It’s a role playing game.”
    “Like a board game?”
    “No.  Well, you can use a map if you want.  But you don’t need that, really.”
    “Huh.  So, you just sit around and talk about dragons