It fascinates me that Rene would be so completely focused on keeping a family together. Fortunately, I've never been in a situation where I would have to make a choice like that, so I can't completely identify with him, but I can't imagine knowing someone so inherently good they would give up everything just to keep a family together.

Poor Julia. It must have been awful, having someone beg you for the one thing you can't grant them. Especially someone you're so fond of. I think that if one of my sisters had asked me something like that, I would have given them it. Maybe I'm less moral than Julia? I don't know.

I do know that I miss Matias. He was such a sweetheart. He's probably completely at a loss without Julia. :'(

Amazing writing. Keep up the good work!

love it as always.

OMG I couldn't believe Lorraine left! I was like holy cow and poor René. :(

when you had him calling out to his mother i seriously choaked up with tears.

but im glad that Julia is going to finally be going back to Matias :)

I've missed him terribly.

Ah update soon!

Jesus. Man, what the hell is going on here?

Definitely not the most feel-good chapter of the book so far. Extremely heartbreaking for one, but wow. I wouldn't have expected Lorraine to really go off the deep end like that. And I didn't expect her to slap Antoine with Ophelie either.

Parenting seems difficult. Being a vampire probably really complicates matters...Rene's heart was in the right place, but he'd be willing to go that far just to save his failing family? He's a good son indeed. And a poor little puppy you see on the side of the road, cold and hungry, in need of a good home. Just reading this got me depressed. Wouldn't most of us want to help him if we could? I can only guess at the amount of trauma he's going to live through now. Losing your mother is always painful, but when she leaves, and so suddenly too...ergh.

A short review this time (who knew I was capable of that, huh?), but as always, a great chapter, if a real downer too. You really do excel at character interaction, as well as imagery. P

I stumbled across this piece yesterday afternoon, and have been shamelessly addicted to reading it through and through. I wouldn't even know where to begin as to how to tell you how wonderful it is. Your characters are all so different and so real to me that it's amazing, the "elders" especially. Antoine, Camille, and Matias are three of the best sculpted characters I have ever read-it's easy to empathize with them all, and to feel their heartbreaks and warmth. Unarguably, this is the best work I have ever read on fictionpress. Please, do not let it rot. Your talent is so evident, and the plot is definitely going places, even though I do miss Matias and Camille. :)

Wow, now we get 10,0 characters to type out. Yay!

It’s so hard to imagine it being summer here when it’s so agonizingly cold outside now. You folks in the Southern Hemisphere can go die, by the by. T_T Ah, how I wish it were summer now...

I made this comment to you before about René being able to kill with the piano ala Kung Fu Hustle, but taking a more serious approach to it, he could be a “human with powers” and be able to influence people with his music. I can just see him causing someone’s heart to literally break apart with a sad dirge...but then again, I guess if you’re that good with the piano, you don’t need special powers of any kind.

I am saddened. No red-on-white imagery. Just a white couch and the slowly-dying red roses...Heh, just kidding. I think I’ve brought it up once the past two or three reviews by now. Might as well give it a rest for now, huh?

Wow. I would’ve supposed that Julia would have better hopes for Matias than that. I mean, yeah, I can easily take a different approach to this what with all I’ve seen, but come on. Matias doesn’t seem the type to just throw people away-at the very least, not Julia. I can see them riding in Armageddon together! But that’s just me.

What? Lorraine in something that’s NOT red? Now she can’t be three times faster than normal. Aw. Oh, uh, right. Serious review. Right.

It is interesting how much Julia and René have bonded in even this short time. Taking on the heads of the household...that’s a big plate to eat all right. But her intention is definitely in the right place. But tell that to the lioness when she’s snacking on your entrails. That does say a lot about Lorraine though. She’s the type to believe her way of raising a child is right, and anyone else can go to Hell if they disagree. So if she were endangering René in some way, would she even be able to see that? I wonder. Not to say she’s a bad mother, but sometimes mothers can get quite overzealous in their methods.

...maybe I spoke a bit too soon. Talk about a mama bear/vengeful hawk, huh? Geez...

Is it bad that it comes as no surprise to me that a person with so much fire imagery about her has a short fuse? The bit about the “spurned goddess” immediately brought to mind Juno (the goddess, not the movie, of course). Anything with Juno involved can’t be good.

Lorraine’s situation is rather sad too. It’s something none of us can really compare, apart from maybe some of you raising a child that wasn’t yours (and wasn’t adopted, a temporary thing). And that naturally leads into the whole “should he be turned?” issue. Damn. And that in of itself is a massive can of worms that will no doubt divide your fans between the “TURN HIM!” faction and the “NO DON’T TURN HIM!” faction.

“A lot of bad things have happened to you” is a bit of an understatement, isn’t it? Ehehehe. But yeah, she has definitely had a rough life in these past couple of months now.

Ahaha! I can see Camille using her Point of Destruction on Julia after banishing her to the core of the world; a massive “I told you so” sent in her general direction. And just for the spite’s sake, she’ll build a wall over where she buried Julia. :3

...has Camille ever considered being a lawyer? Haw.

I never did stop to think about how Julia’s turning affected Antoine. It’s been light-years ago now, but it’s something I’ll look out for on the reread of the printed novel.

If I were Julia, I’d have had my head out the window like a dog. But hell, I do that already! Imagining doing that on a cool summer night makes a dreamy sigh all right.

You know, we should not notify vampires of the presence of voice-activated security systems. I can see much havoc to be had if this vital secret gets out!

I seriously wish that I had the vampire’s capacity for memory. I would love to spot-learn a foreign language like that. My poor human brain doesn’t have the ability for it! Waah.

I like how Julia is not immune to the “just one” mentality. Immortality doesn’t fix habits, huh? Must be human nature. Just one more crisp. Just one more hour of gaming. Just one more thing stolen. Etc.

Funny how that little prayer made Julia afraid to sleep, and likely countless other children as well.

It is exceedingly unfortunate that it looks like all of the bonds Julia has made with these people are dissolving. Not permanent I’m sure, but it’s always sad to see these things happen. It makes for good entertainment though, I will admit, so go ahead and keep tormenting your creations for all I care!

As always, an interesting chapter and it is concern...able...to see Julia act this way. Ah, but you’ve set up the cliffhanger ending making us chomp at the bit for the next chapter, explaining what’s eating Julia Cross!

:)

post again soon

Wonderful story. I love your characters, they seem so real. They have flaws, and good traits. They have issues including the ones that bother most people, like talking about their problems.

I really like how deeply you question what is good and evil in your story. It seems to me that it is left out of many stories of vampires because it is too hard to deal with. You not only have her question if her actions are evil but what makes another's actions evil. It gives your story a great deal of depth that I rather enjoy.

Thanks Carolyn

hum i wonder where they both went.

post again soon :)

I forgot to tie in the Rene bit with her sleeping / being woken up!... I was going to say, Although, i have to admit, that i dislike being woken up by any one who isnt holding a large mug of tea for any thing short of the universe ending...So its understandable. Further more, René really is quite the persistant little child isnt he!...Which would annoy me as well!

"Are you okay"

"Yes, thank you"

"Are you sure"

..."Yes"...

"Are you sure your sure?"

"No...lemme ask the audience, I'll take 50 50 AND phone a friend..JUST to make sure that im sure that im sure!"

"but...i dont think your rea..."

-THWAP-

"now...THATS better!"

Well...another superb chapter from start to finish (but you already knew that, cause I've told you before now).

I love the character development, especially René's! (the annoying little imp that he is...but more on that shortly).

So we get a new big bad guy...Well thats just intruiging!..Cant wait to hear more on that in the coming chapters...Although..Julia was a bit brave wasnt she!...Kind of a "come and have a go if you think your hard enough" (not sure if you guys have heard that chant across the pond). On top of that...Any one else notice how much of a moody little wench that Julia is in the early evening / late afternoon...

"I need your help and reassurance"

"Go take a long walk off a short pier and let me sleep!"

Another thing i noticed

"Dreams gives us hope, and hope can give us purpose.”

Any one else have that "Yoda-esque" moment there : -

"Dreams give us hope, hope gives us purpose, purpose..leads away from the dark side"

No?..just me...oh well XD.

All in all, a superb chapter, with some nice laughs as well as the aforementioned character development!

Awll, all the suspense you built around that other vampire and now we have to wait for the next chapter. All for the best, I suppose. Very good chapter, though the main focus seemed to be building the suspense when Julia was hunting which was done exceptionally well.

You know, they DO give you people 80 characters for your reviews. Why waste them?

And here I am writing this for a second time. You're lucky.

You keep bringing up the imagery of red-on-white. I'm always reminded of the crying statue of the Virgin Mary, what with the blood tears and all. If I was decent with art, I'd love to paint Julia with those blood tears as well.

Did anyone in your family have impossibly-large furniture when you were a kid? I definitely remember being unable to reach the ground sometimes, even if I sat on the edge...And look at me now, a friggin' giant.

Somehow, the ballpoint pen seems so inelegant compared to what Matias used to write her. Ballpoints are fine for taking notes, writing checks, or making tattoos on your arms. When your lover is an immortal vampire and you are one yourself, take up the quill!

Though, she honestly could've just kissed the page and he'd love it all the same. P

I still do want to see Lorraine and Camille meet. If only to juxtapose their personalities. That and they are the only two mature female vampires we've gotten to know thus far, so it would at least be interesting to see how they interact.

It is adorable how René is so pushy about Julia's condition, even if he means well. He seems like the type of guy to annoy his girlfriend to the point where she breaks up with him because he won't leave her alone (in a non-creepy way of course). Poor kid, already doomed to failure with the ladies. Though, I'm sure many of your fans would be more than happy to have a go with this innocent angel. I can easily see him being exactly like Antoine when he's older. He's already like him enough at the ripe age of 16!

It is interesting to note that she visits the cathedral routinely now. A side-effect of René's reviving her, I'm not sure, but even without the religion aspect of it, maybe hearing someone be so fervent in their belief of something is just what she needed. I wouldn't be surprised if she asked René to read from the Bible for her. Or maybe Matias describe why he loves her so much. P

I don't know, I think our mystery enemy could be Maria. I mean, Maria's not entirely stupid. Attacking Julia on unfamiliar territory doesn't seem to be her thing (especially in another country), and knowing Maria as the creepy stalker type, I would presume she'd flee to possibly do horrible delicious things to Antoine since she can't take a hint.

Aside: I wonder who he has feelings for, if anyone.

Maybe Maria tripped and slammed her head on a rock, getting amnesia and why she acts so differently. I don't know, it can happen!

Interesting how even her killing is different. Instead of dumping a body into the dumpsters (haw, DUMPsters), she just seals the wound and to anyone else, the guy just keeled over dead naturally. A breakthrough in hunting? Probably not, but she did the same thing with Darla. Not sure what to really say about that.

I think that her challenging the mystery enemy even in a sea of people was a bad idea. Julia even says that coven rules naturally don't apply outside of the coven, so what's to stop Maria or anyone else just being a whirlwind of blood and death even in public? Even the most evil of vampires don't care what the people would think about them if they were to find out-they're just humans, what can they possibly do?

Man, I wish I knew how to play the piano. I have a keyboard back home, but, uh...yeah...I'd rather know without learning. P

But this still reminds me of an older Looney Tunes cartoon. Bugs was performing on a piano in a concert hall (complete with the fancy jacket and all), and there was a mouse that apart from getting in the way, would try to play with the music or other hijinxs. Bugs eventually gets to the last piece of the performance, and it's nothing but spam in note form. He kicks the stool away, takes off his jacket, cracks his knuckles, and-the mouse steals the show, playing the piece perfectly with his little piano shaking all over the stage from the sheer epicness of the playing. And Bugs grudgingly gets in the last three notes. What song was this? Have Julia play it for her "final" of sorts!

Hmm, Lorraine being disturbed by the mystery enemy is bad news indeed. Oh dear.

Again with the red-white imagery. "I will paint the snow red with your blood..." especially comes to mind.

Hehe, I remember how she didn't want to sleep in a coffin at first, and hell, before she left she was sleeping with Matias in his own coffin! She's taking to it like we take to our beds on cold winter mornings. Or, any morning when you have to work.

And the dream is...prophetic, isn't it? It seems like she falls into this gaudy tomb of sorts in a forest. It's unsettling in a way, especially in how it constantly seems like there is no escape for her no matter her efforts. What a terrible fate. I wonder what Matias' role is here, if any. Though being kept from him (or kept by him?) sounds bad enough.

I think Julia needs to keep a cardboard box next to her coffin at all times. She may have all of her preternatural abilities and the like, but getting caught by a mortal when she was dealing with her coffin lid...yeah, Solid Snake your way out from now on. No one suspects the cardboard box!

René is such the dutiful son though. I hope he stays this innocent through the entire story. It needs its one beacon of...all that's good in the world. And maybe naivety. I do like how well they get along, though, since the last times they've really seen each other were short. The parents are away, she no longer wants to snack on him, so all's good for conversation.

I would definitely be just as curious about vampires if I were in his shoes (same goes to the lot of you, right?). Apart from being especially polite so as to not piss off the beast before me, I would easily bombard Julia with questions she couldn't answer. There's a lot about vampires I don't understand, and who knows if there are even any around that could answer everything I have to ask?

Gee, I wonder why Julia thinks she's damned, what with you at the helm here, dear author. :3

Great chapter, if only for the great interaction between René and Julia that we never got to see at first. I am reminded greatly of how Matias and Julia got along at first, though of course there's no affection here. If anything, they are more like siblings now than anything. So I wonder further, if maybe Lorraine and Antoine would consider adopting Julia into their family. As it stands, she has none apart from the other vampires (at least officially), and she has certainly had a profound impact upon the three Reinharts as well. René is definitely interested in her like she were an adopted foreigner (which she could be), and teaching Julia French and the piano definitely sounds like mother-daughter relations too.

Though in that case...what would it be like for René to have your mother, sister, and uncle be ageless when you grow old and frail? Of course that can be prevented by turning him as well, but not every mortal should be turned, right? It is quite the strange dilemma...

But I do note that even though René and Julia are around a year of each other in age, she seems so much more mature than he, though this is likely a side-effect of her being the narrator and us not knowing René so well. Being siblings wouldn't be too bad, though of course, therein comes the problem I mentioned earlier with everyone else around you living forever while you yourself slowly die. Heartbreaking.

Keep up the good work. I loved the interactions with the characters, and I want to see what comes of our mystery enemy here too. I guess Julia Cross can never catch a break, huh? Even on vacation, she can't simply kick up her heels and relax. No, she has to deal with whatever lies in the darkness, and who can guess what i

Aw that is so sweet! I just want a hug now! And he didn't feed since wasn't allowed to as well. I wonder if Antoine is okay?

Disregard that extra "e" I was talking about. I was obviously on drugs when I said that. lol My boo boo. Can't wait to read more, I am so not getting my work done. But alas, I cannot hate you the way that I wish.

desole s hould have an extra e because when conjugating with etre you must specify gender and Julia is female.