Vampires suck (11)

FABIAN

Fan-fucking-tastic. Wait, maybe I should hypnotize her into not coming. Scratch that. What is wrong with me? Only had the special vampire powers for a couple of minutes and I’m already thinking of using them all the time – now I know how politicians feel. But I can’t use them on Laila. It wouldn’t be fair. Besides, she’d snap right out of it just to annoy the hell out of me.

So that’s how a few hours later Laila and I drove off in my car towards the address Gabriel had given me.

“You know, you seem awfully quiet.” Laila was looking outside the window while speaking cautiously.

“You think?” I rolled my eyes at her. Which she couldn’t see having her face turned away, but still, it made me feel better.

“Are you worried about me tagging along? Don’t be, you’ll see…”

“I’ll see what? How you’re such a wonder woman and I was blind to it all this time? Don’t think so, Laila. I’ll tell you what I’ll see – YOU making my life already more complicated than it is.” And then I slammed the engine-wheel hard. Yep, get it all out, boy. I turned my head towards her. She hadn’t even twitched.

“FYI…” she started.

“FYI?” Huh?

“For your information! Would you let me speak already? So, for your information, I was going to say that you’ll see how Gabriel will act more… civil if I’m there too.”

I couldn’t believe my ears. “You think he’d be polite just because I brought a human girl with me? Ha, you’re really something.”

“As a matter of fact, I do think so. He’s too much of a lady’s man.” That was true.

“So this was your intention from the beginning?”

“That and – I’m bored and enjoy being surrounded by dangerous and hot vampires.” I was just about to yell at her again when I heard her giggling. Oh, great, a joke. “Fabian.”

“What is it now?”

“There’s something else bothering you, isn’t it?”

“No.”

“I knew it!”, she jumped in her seat, “there is something bothering you! You’re acting way too cool. What is it?”

“You really shouldn’t take so many liberties around a vamp. Stop acting stupid.”

“I’m not stupid, but you’re not just any vamp, we already…” but her voice was lost and replaced with an awkward silence. Ah, the memory of me drinking her blood. We hadn’t discussed it. I’d actually hoped she would forget about it when she passed out.

“I can hypnotize people.”

“HUH?” Discussion-about-previous-blood-sucking-and-maybe-more avoided. “Seriously?” But I didn’t get to answer her question. A huge warehouse was coming into view just a few feet away.

LAILA

Talk about creepy. Now that’s a Horror movie stereotype – the warehouse. What can I say, I expected more of Gabriel.

The two of us got out of the car without hurrying. To say we weren’t eager to see the spoiled prince again was an understatement. But you can’t put things on hold forever. So we knocked on the metal door and soon enough a red-haired boy, who looked fifteen or so, opened the door.

“C’mon in” he gestured us. God, he was cute, freckles and everything. Plus, he had the advantage of his years. The boy smiled and I saw he was wearing braces. Good for him, thinking of his future apparel. “I’m Payne”, he then said in a calm voice.

“Huh?” I uttered. “You’re in pain?” He just blinked at me several times.

“His name is Payne”, Fabian whispered in my ear. Oh. Well, it’s not my fault his parents were mentally challenged when they named their baby-boy.

“Follow me, the others are already here.” Payne was guiding us towards an empty hall. The others? Fabian and I looked at each other. Friends of Gabriel – oh, this wasn’t going to be pleasant.

“Don’t be alarmed, human.” Payne spoke as he was walking with his back turned to us. Don’t be alarmed? Yeah, sure, tell that to the mice that got caught in the trap. But wait, what did he just call me?

“Human?” Was I slow this day or what? Payne turned around to face me. Fabian instantly acted as my shield. Even with my path blocked, I could still hear a low hiss coming from Payne’s lips. Cute innocent little boy, my ass.

“Why bring an ignorant one with you?” he asked Fabian. Was he talking about me? That fucking –...

FABIAN

... – brat. I was towering over him by a good few inches and yet he still showed no respect. As I recall, vampire protocol was a bit more strict than this. And I did sense power coming from the vampire in front of me, so that was not a new-born mistake. Now that I thought about it, his clothes seemed out of place – or should I say, out of century? Another old geezer like Gabriel? Great, just great.

“Back off. Or else.” This came out as a growl although I hadn’t intended it to. My muscles started pulsing and my pulse was speeding up. The surge of power left behind from the previous feeding was running through my veins like an electric shock. Before I knew it, my fangs were out, saying hello to our new, little and not-so-young-as-he-appeared friend.

And then everything happened in a flash. I pushed him and Payne plunged for my neck. At the same time, I heard something – the sound of metal strings being ripped off. Payne had brought out his fangs to play as well.

LAILA

Now that’s something you don’t see every day. As Payne’s fangs grew long enough for them to show, the realization downed on me – he was a vampire that wore braces! Or at least, that had worn braces up until then. But here comes the really good part: he was a vampire that wore braces because his fangs were crooked! Oh, my God, if only my life were a TV series, the rating would have gone up, up and away and all that thanks to Payne’s little defect.

“Are your fangs...?” It was Fabian’s turn to sound dumb now.

“SHUT UP!” Payne screeched at us. “Look what you made me do! It’s the fourth one already!” But it was too late. Fabian was trembling and was very much on the verge of...

“HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!”

...laughing. Which only caused Payne’s screams to increase and his face to boil up. Oh, yeah, now he was acting like his human years demanded him to – like a boy hitting puberty.

FABIAN

Okay, so I laughed a little. Maybe a little bit more. Down the drain goes my noble-self reputation, but cut me some slack, this was priceless.

As the laughing turned into giggles – yeah, I was literally giggling, Payne resumed his walk and this time ignored us completely. He then stopped in the middle of the floor and pulled out a few loose wooden boards exposing a passageway. Then he disappeared into it.

We followed, of course. Might as well get this over with. I was beginning to think Payne was one to hold a grudge judging by his lack of acknowledgement towards us. He barely paused to see if Laila and I were coming after him.

The passageway was lighted by torches here and there. It looked menacing and medieval. But nothing would look more menacing than what came next.

Payne stood before a beautifully carved door. This time he waited for us to surpass him and politely invited us to go on. I opened it and found myself in an immense ball-room. The only problem was that it was packed full - of vampires that is. 

VS - Christmas Special

Have you ever wondered how the VS characters look like? 

Well, the holidays are coming, so here's a little treat.

FABIAN

 

LAILA

GABRIEL

EMILY

WILL

That's all... hope you like the pictures. 

Happy Holidays!

Vampires suck (10)

LAILA

Ugh, Gabriel’s so full of himself! And what was that all about feeding? Fabian needs a doctor to treat those wounds, for Heaven’s sake.

“Leave now.” Fabian whispered. Was he still in that much pain? But his eyes, those cool fogy eyes burned me with their intensity. Suddenly, his phrase seemed more of a question.

“No. You need help. Let me get you to a hospital...”

“You’re joking, right? They’d study me like the fascinating new discovery I am. Human doctors can’t help me.”

“Then what can?”

“Human blood.” I couldn’t help but shiver. “It will heal me instantly.”

“Then... go and do the blood-baggie snatching thing, you know.”

“I can’t.”

What? You’re a vampire, you’re so fast you can become almost invisible, what do you mean you can’t? Out loud I said, “Why not?”

“Because I’ve lost a lot of blood myself, in case you didn’t notice.” So that made him weak and incapable of inhuman speed now.

“And what happens if you don’t feed?”

“Nothing happens, Laila. I’ll still heal faster than a human, I just won’t be fully recovered for the meeting tomorrow.” He sounded irritated. Good, that made two of us.

“But you’ll need your strength if you’re going to some freaky vampire reunion!”

“Again with the shouting. Forgive me, but how does any of this concern you? I thought I told you to leave.” He was pacing slowly towards me, pushing me against the door.

“No.” I held my ground. “I know I’m being stubborn, but you need my help.”

Fabian raised one very elegantly arched eyebrow at me and asked, “I’m sorry, I don’t think I remember saying I needed a double cheeseburger.”

“No, you need something that I already have on me.” I felt him freeze beside me. Fabian - still and quiet, that was a rare sight. And I would’ve laughed at him too if my heart wouldn’t have been beating like crazy. Oh, my God. What was wrong with me? I just offered myself as a meal to a vampire!

But there was this other voice in my head, somewhere deep down, a voice telling me I had to do this. I couldn’t walk away.

“Do you know what you’re asking of me?”

“Fabian, I’m blonde, not retarded. Go ahead and eat – drink, whatever, before I change my mind.”

“Laila, this will hurt. There’s no pleasure in a vampire’s bite when they’re in a state such as the one I am. It usually feels good, but it won’t now.”

“You promise you won’t kill me?” He looked almost startled.

“Of course, I’d never...”

“Good then, do it. Bite me.”

What a brave little girl I was. At least, on the outside.

FABIAN

Laila sat down on the couch and swept her hair to the side. I followed her and slowly tilted her head to expose her neck. Drinking from a live donor was against everything I stood for, but it didn’t matter anymore. I was past that line. And it had only taken one little human girl.

As I put my lips on her warm neck, gently searching for a spot, the flow of sensations was overwhelming. I remembered the attraction her blood had exampled when we had just recently met. I remembered how I almost forgot myself and jumped at her. But I also remembered her voice, calling me back from the depths of my soul or whatever might be left of it.

Laila had closed her eyes and was looking like an Ancient marble statue. Skin so creamy, so sweet...

And then my fangs came out so suddenly they grazed that beautiful skin a little.

LAILA

At first, it was just a scratch and I almost gasped in surprise. But then, I felt what every vampire victim should really feel – no pleasure, no sexual urge, just pain somewhere in the background. And up in front, there was only the sucking. I felt the blood being sucked from me, the very essence of my life being drained. Not the slightest hint of a turn-on.

I also realized that this pain was a good pain. I was healing Fabian. I was giving him strength. It was like being an over-enthusiastic cheerleader.

But a minute later the energy around me changed. I knew when he’d healed because the biting started feeling good. The hell, it felt great. So great I clutched and clawed at Fabian, whispering over and over again – “closer, closer”. And the vampire defense I barely sensed before abruptly turned into some kind of a vampire magnet – for this particular vampire, that is.

Fabian’s hands were moving on my body now and every touch felt like fire. He had stopped feeding from me and was planting kisses on my collarbone. And then I entangled both my hands in that raven black hair and lifted his head up.

“See, I saw your fangs after all.”

Fabian watched me with such wonder in his eyes that I started feeling drunk with his very presence. He smiled his devilish smile, but this time with a hint of fang. A little bit of my blood was smeared like traces of lipstick on his lips and I bent down to kiss them.

But before I could ever reach them, everything blacked out.

Panic had engulfed me as deeply and completely as the dark. I had dreamed of this place before. Such an endless hall with walls painted in black. That thought didn’t seem to help pretend the pain wasn’t real, though. Such pain, such suffering...

I ran and ran and finally settled on the ground on all fours, gasping for air, but I just couldn’t seem to get enough into my lungs. “NO!” I tried screaming, but my voice didn’t function. Air, I needed air, I needed...

Blood.

I woke up in an unfamiliar bed that I instantly realized belonged to Fabian. He wasn’t there and I was glad. Because I needed to think about that stupid dream by myself. And all he’d do when I’d tell him – no, I’m definitely not telling him. He’ll frown and worry and torment me with questions.

My fear of being alone in the dark must have just gotten the better of me. And it’s understandable, really. I was losing blood, people are bound to hallucinate when they’re dizzy from blood loss, right?

But even as I told myself that I couldn’t stop thinking how my stupid hallucination had felt so terribly much like a real live memory.

the 22^nd of October, 2010

FABIAN

Of course you’re an idiot, Fabian. Of course you couldn’t just have stopped after you were full, you stupid vampire. And of course she fainted from the blood loss.

But even as I blamed myself like this all night, I knew I couldn’t have stopped. Laila’s blood was electrifying, it was... inhuman, actually. And now, that’s impossible. You can see from a mile away just how human she is.

Even so, in all my decades I have never tasted anything like it. Besides healing me instantly, I also felt a surge of power. Vampire power I’ve only witnessed in Gabriel. How do I know for sure? Well, I went down to the grocery store to buy Laila some protein and forgot my wallet. It wasn’t until I told the angry cashier to follow some anger management classes that I found out what Laila’s blood had did to me. The cashier was so delighted with my idea, he just took off, quit his job and headed for the Clinique immediately.

So it’s true. I can hypnotize humans now.

LAILA

“Are you sure you’re alright?” Emily was shrieking at the end of the other line.

“Jeez, Em, if I had a mother, you’d sound just like her.” I laughed at her. “Relax, nothing happened after you two left. Gabriel likes to play pranks on hu- people, that’s all.” Oops, almost said humans. Spending too much time with the vampires, Laila? Neah.

“O...kay”, she finally resigned. “Listen, I have something to tell you that I’m worried about. It’s Will, he’s been having... migraines.”

“Migraines? Did he go see a doctor?”

“It’s not like that. I don’t know how to explain this. Can you please come by tomorrow? I’ll text you the address. And please come alone. No more strange neighbors.”

I finished talking with Emily on the phone and climbed out of bed. I found Fabian at the coffee table in his living room, gazing out the window. It was raining outside.

“Is it okay for you to be doing nothing?” He just ignored me like I thought he will. “I’m going to take a shower and change clothes. How do you think I should dress? Casual? Elegant? Casual-elegant?” Oh, that drew his attention.

“What the hell are you talking about?”

“I’m coming with you, of course.” 

Vampires Suck (9)

LAILA

I have a bad feeling about this. Fabian’s a vampire and vampires don’t just go on screaming every time they see a cockroach or something. This has danger written all over it.

But I can’t just sit here. Plus, Will’s already at the door. Brave man.

To my biggest surprise and horror, when we knocked on Fabian’s door, Gabriel was the one to answer it.

EMILY

I was just about to complain about how nosy people usually get killed or kidnapped and then killed in situations like these, when a tall figure appeared at the next-door apartment. A handsome, no, beautiful man was looking down on us.

“You’re an angel.” I found myself saying. I couldn’t have said that out loud. There’s no way my lips where moving to form such idiotic words. A rich laughter followed them.

“I share names with Gabriel, the Angel of Death. And you, my dear?” He brought my hand to his mouth and was about to kiss it when Laila and Will both pulled me away at the same time. Talk about synchronizing.

“Where’s Fabian? I’d like to have a word with him.” Laila’s voice was obviously strained.

“He’s taking a nap.”

“But we heard...” Will started interrupting the blonde man, but then he stopped in mid-sentence. I could see the tension build up in his shoulders. Was I missing something?

“Oh, that was me. I like it rough.” Gabriel flashed a perfect set of incredible white teeth while watching my brother’s shocked face. Laila stifled a laugh. But then she immediately became alert again.

“All right, enough with the jokes, let us in.”

“You”, Gabriel licked his lips as he eyed Laila, “can come, the other two accessories will unfortunately have to leave us.”

I looked at Will, afraid he might pick a fight with this handsome idiot. But he was utterly calm, his face set in a very pleasant smile.

I knew my eyes must have look abnormally big when I turned to meet Laila’s. She seemed to have noticed Will’s lack of response too. It panicked her even more than it did me.

Gabriel took one step closer and whispered one word to me. “Go.”

The next thing I knew, I was running hand in hand with Will.

LAILA

Gabriel moved aside to let me enter, at the same time managing to remain behind me.

“I know what you’re thinking - thank God those two left. Now the mean big vampire won’t have to play with their weak minds anymore.” He recited all this sounding strangely enough like me.

“Those are my friends, they are not your puppets, Gabriel.” Sweet rage, how good it felt to have it replace all the fear. But I knew that nothing I would say could stop him. And that just served to make me angrier.

And then I saw Fabian. All the anger in the world couldn’t have accounted for the angst I was chocking on now. He lay on the floor utterly still, with his face down and bruises all over his body. But these bruises weren’t the normal shade of purple and yellow, they were pitch black, as if holes had been drilled into his skin.

“Why? Why Fabian?” I gasped, fighting back the tears. ”Why do this to him? Just to prove you’re the bad-ass vampire on the block?” I dropped on my feet and gently cradled the unmoving body in my arms.

“But I am the bad-ass vampire, so that’s irrelevant. Now that you know what we are, try to understand this, Laila. If vampires are real, so are other things, more dangerous things.”

I frowned. “What could be more dangerous than you?”

“I’m flattered, I assure you, but it is just so typical of humans to believe only in what you see.”

“You’re not making any sense.”

“Perhaps I’ve deviated a bit. Let’s put that discussion on hold for a while. You see, I need Fabian for something. And in order to make him cooperate, given his most stubborn attitude, I must take otherwise unnecessary measures. I’ve watched him from afar for the past few decades and thought hard before I decided there was no one else who could help me.”

“And you couldn’t just have asked him nicely?” My question sounded stupid and infantile even to me.

“I forget how young you are sometimes. But don’t you see? Fabian is a vampire with his morals intact. How many humans can you say that about?”

“So you tried to... corrupt him?”

“At first, yes. That was when I invited him to my parties. For a vampire, he is dreadfully... good.”

“I don’t get it, he said most vampires are even more normal than us.” Gabriel looked at me as if I just couldn’t see the point he was making.

“Normal, yes. But not good, never good. Fabian may seem hostile, but he always helps the innocent. Other vamps, me included, don’t care about the innocent. If we do not contribute to their suffering, we mainly ignore it – and that’s evil too.”

“So you’re saying he’s too God damned noble to agree to your plans?”

“Yes, but then I thought of something else.”

“What?”

“You.” Me? I don’t think I was glad of being one of Gabriel’s thoughts. “I realized this side of him was even more useful to me because of you.”

“Wha-?”

“You are too slow, Laila. You must have realized by now what I was about to do to you at the party. And when I tried, Fabian reacted just as I suspected he would. But still, a little lesson like this wouldn’t do him any harm.”

“Wouldn’t do him any harm? Are you demented? He’s not even moving!”

“We don’t breathe. We’re supposed not to move.”

“You idiot, that’s not what I –“

I stopped talking as I felt the stirring in my arms.

WILL

“Emily, stop! STOP!” Em stopped running and was now panting insanely. She was never the athlete of the family, that was my role.

 “Em, refresh my memory here. We were...”

“With Laila...”

“...and her creepy neighbors.”

“Oh!” Emily was blushing a deep shade of red now.

“That’s right! You were oh-ing over that Gabe guy.” I could kill the prick.

“Gabriel, not Gabe.”

“There was screaming. Who was screaming?” My head started to ache. “And when did we leave?” The pain became as sharp as needles. The memory of a low voice whispering in my mind came back – be a good boy, William.

 FABIAN

You’d think that after being that badly injured, people would treat you with some consideration. Even healing at a rapid rate, she was just too much.

“Are you okay? Does it hurt? Can you sit up?” When I didn’t answered, Laila frowned. “Can you talk?”

I rose up and just then realized she had been holding me. Cradling me, actually. Like I were some fragile thing that might break. Ha.

But I did feel weak. But mostly I felt anger and...

“You’re looking good. Rather lively, really.” Gabriel teased.

“Enough.” I could see how surprised the blonde vampire was by the menace in my voice. “Enough.” I said again.

“Then, by all means, let’s get down to business. I trust you’ve heard enough to...”

“Wait, you were awake?” Laila shouted in my direction, but Gabriel continued as if she had merely whispered a question.

“...understand my reasons. Any last minute details you’re interested in?”

I sat down on the coach and studied the carpet for a while. Such an elaborate design, old and complicated. It reminded me of a particular someone.

“Why can it only be me? Is it just because of my oh-so-noble sense of being?” I added mockingly.

“If I said yes, would you take me for a fool?”

“You are a fool.”

“I need a wonderer of the night I can trust. And you, Fabian, as much as you might dislike it, are very much trust worthy.”

“Wonderer of the night, very poetic.” The still indignant Laila rolled her eyes at us.

“I’m sorry, but we don’t have time for your bickering.” I snapped at her. Unfortunately, my wounds weren’t getting any better, so my sentence was abruptly finished when a gush of air came through my gritted teeth.

“I saw that.”

I ignored that.

“I hate to interrupt your lover’s spat, but frankly I’m bored and when I get bored I get creative.” Gabriel eyed Laila as if she were the main course at dinner, but then he finally settled his eyes on me again. “Come tomorrow at this address and I shall explain it all.” He reached out for the block of notes on my table and wrote something in a hurry. “No more schemes, this I promise you. I’ll be having some other guests, some... associates of mine, one could say.” He was heading for the door, when he took one last look at me and taunted. “I recommend a good feeding before coming.”

A flash of gold and he was gone. I heard Laila whispering under her breath “fast”, but then all I could think about was one word Gabriel had uttered – feeding. 

Vampires Suck (8)

the 20^th of October, 2010

LAILA

I know I should be more concerned about Fabian and Gabriel being both vampires, but it’s like I always knew things like that were possible. I’ve always been fascinated with Horror stories that spoke of the creatures of the night. Mum would always frown when I would ask her to read them to me as a little girl.

So, reviewing the situation. My neighbor is a vampire. Comparing him to Gabriel, he is also a very young one, with no special powers. On the other hand, Gabriel is powerful and bored. That just can’t be a good combination.

My skin was slightly cold. The wind caressed the free strands of my hair as I was looking into the night. It was as peaceful as a graveyard, I thought and chuckled at my own dark humor.

I felt a jolt of fear and I was suddenly aware that Fabian was there. In that building with such antique architecture, with me hanging out the window and him on the balcony, it would have almost been romantic.

“I’ve been meaning to ask you something” he said, smiling that devilish smile of his. But I could tell he was serious judging by the way his eyes glowed in the dark.

“Go ahead.”

“Don’t you feel...” and he seemed to be searching for a word, “I mean, when you’re around me, don’t you feel...”

“Pissed? Rejected? Frightened? All the above at once?” He blinked at me in surprise. And then he laughed.

“Okay, so I assume it’s some sort of creepy vampire trick. Explain.” I heard the demand in my own tone and was proud of it. You go, girl.

“It’s not a trick, it’s a natural defense. But what I’m really interested in is how it affects you. Normally, with my vampire shield at its full capacity, people stay the hell out of my way.” Now he was acting frustrated. “But you, you act like it’s not even there.”

“You can stop with the glaring already. It does bother me. But most of the time, it’s just a shadow of an emotion.” I paused for a second to lick my lips. “And if I think about it now, I can’t feel anything.”

“I’ve never met a human being capable of – ... ignoring it.” I couldn’t decide if it was admiration or dread I felt in his voice.

“You’re saying it isn’t possible? At all?” He shook his head lightly. I tried thinking how I felt about the whole thing. So I couldn’t sense the vampire alarm. That seemed irresponsible and could be a threat to my well being, but it didn’t make me any less normal. Or so I thought.

“This shield or whatever, is it permanently active?”

“For some, yes. For instance, I can only tune it down a bit.”

“So you can’t just switch it off?”

“You can switch it off, but the requirements are quite high.” Fabian actually managed to look like a teenager who has having the sex-talk with his parents. I let my face show him that I didn’t know what he was talking about. “You’d have to have blood from a living donor. And I guess Gabriel’s getting plenty of that.”

“Oh. Fresh blood, then.”

“Yeah.”

“This is getting just a little bit awkward...”

We both laughed nervously. As awkward is it might have been, it still felt nice. For the first time since I had been forced to leave home, I felt like I belonged there, sharing Fabian’s secret.

the 21^st of October, 2010

WILL & EMILY

“Do you think this is it, sis?” The voice belonged to a young man named Will. He was neither small nor tall, yet you could tell he didn’t quite blend in with the ordinary crowd. His face was tanned, framed by short chocolate curls. He also had eyes that matched them perfectly. And all those designer clothes still couldn’t cover up a very well worked-out body.

“Could be. But it is just so... not befitting of her.” The small girl sighed. She was all but her brother’s female version – except her hair was long and her constitution was more fragile.

The two of them were in the hallway of a very modest and old apartment building. As impeccably dressed as they were, the door man even asked them if they had the wrong address.

“No, this is it.” Will had answered visibly disappointed.

LAILA

What gives?? It’s only 10 thirty in the morning. Why would anyone want to wake people up at this hour?

I was dragging my feat to answer the door and...

“Oh, my GOD! Em, it’s really you!” A mass of shinny curls got in my face as I hugged the shorter girl. Someone cleared his throat.

“William!” I tried imitating that thing with the check-pinching that aunts always do on television. “My, my, you’ve grown, haven’t you?”

“Cut the crap.” Will laughed and hugged me too.

“I’m... I’m shocked, that’s right. How, I mean, when... Oh, hell. How come you guys are here? I thought you were taking a break and not applying to the world’s greatest universities so you can travel. And where in God’s name did you learn to speak Romanian?”

“Oh, breathe, would ya?” Will guided me into my own living room. “Having money coming out of our asses gets you pretty excellent tutors.”

“And we did it so we could see you. Of course we told our parents it was all for the sake of education – that’s how we got ourselves started on the language anyway.” Emily took my hand in hers and I smiled.

“Yeah, and besides the money, we’re both diabolical masterminds, forgot? Speaking of which, could we please buy you a new place?”

“What?” I snapped at Will. “Uh-huh. You are most definitely not...”

“But Laila, this place looks like a rat could show up any time in the middle of the room.”

“Em, you cannot be serious.” I omitted telling my friends that an actual rat did appear in my bathroom. “Besides, I like this place the way it is. It’s a place of my own and you coming here like this, offering to buy me a new place, is just insulting.”

“Laila, we didn’t mean it that way and you know it.”

“I know, Will. I’m sorry, I just... you guys came all the way here, of all places...”

“Hey, the rich get bored.”

I laughed and then looked at the only two people who cared enough about me to have done what they had done. “Thank you, but you’re crazy, you know that? And stop laughing when I’m crying!” Of course that only made them laugh harder. Rich bastards.

Someone was at the door again. I say someone, though I knew it was Fabian.

“You skipped class again.” He said in that scolding tone of his.

“I overslept. We talked till late last night and I don’t cope that well without a solid eight-hour sleep.”

I heard a whistle from behind me and had to stifle a laugh at Fabian’s expression.

“Emily, Will, this is Fabian - my neighbor. We’re also at the same University. Fabian, these are the Evil Twins, my friends from NY.”

Emily practically jumped of the couch into the hall. “Now I see why you won’t move.” I gave her a nudge in the ribs and she cried out an exaggerated aww.

“This is... fun, but I have to be somewhere.” Sure you have, I thought. Fabian barely glanced at any of us as he closed the door behind him.

“Great manners.” Will smirked.

“Shut up.” I said.

FABIAN

More humans. Ugh.

At least I can spend some quality time with myself at my apartment. No one there. Yes, sir. Quiet as a morgue. Dark and cozy and... not empty?

GABRIEL

Fabian’s expressions are absolutely delicious. Every time he sees me he has this pained one, like someone just hit him in the parts that don’t see the light of day much.

I must admit, though this entire place lacks taste, this couch is very comfortable. Ups, forgot to take my shoes off. Better take them off, this vampire seems ready to spank me for my disobedience.

“Long time no bite, you cute nerd.” Ah, he flinched. So funny.

“How did you get in here?” Seriously, nerds can be stupid too. I raised one eyebrow. “Never mind. What do you want?”

“Must I really be in need for something? Can’t I just visit an old friend?”

“I knew you were ignorant, but a fraud too? Gabriel, you disappoint me.”

“Now that wasn’t nice, was it?”

FABIAN

Gabriel sat up really, really slow. He’s pretending to be harmless again. Those empty eyes fixated on me. So intently staring at me, what the...  

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH!

No, I can’t...

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARG!

Burning. I can feel my flesh burning.

GABRIEL

Poor little arrogant Fabian. I’m afraid I must have gone a bit too far with the whole eye-pain-inflicting thing.

I can hear voices and footsteps. Dearest Laila, she must be concerned what all the screaming was about. But she’s not alone. Oh, goodie, more toys.

Vampires Suck (7)

LAILA

WHAT.THE.HELL.WAS.THAT.

These were the words that were ringing over and over in my head as Fabian was speeding home. I didn’t even bother to tell him to slow down. I needed the speed, the rush it brought. My breath was coming fast. I gripped my purse until my knuckles turned white. And then I started processing.

Yes, the party had been weird. But what had shocked me was Gabriel himself. You could see it in his eyes – how comfortable he was in that atmosphere, seeming more like a perverted royal pain-in-the-ass than ever. And then that rage, that vicious smile he was addressing me and Fabian, the way he touched me... I swear, I start shivering only when I think of it.

The phrase was never more true to me. And in all this, who had been my knight in shining shoes? The dazzling Fabian. I not only feel he stood by me, but that he also rescued me. I just can’t shake the feeling that there was something completely unrelated to Gabriel’s words that was going to happen. Because in those brief minutes we were all standing in his room I had been terrified. But that couldn’t be right.

I risked a quick glance at Fabian as I was opening my door. There was something in the way he held himself – his posture was different. It was almost a battle stance.

“I’m sorry you had to see that” he said in a husky voice, one I’d never heard before. “If it’s of any help, I had no idea he was like that.” I thought I saw a flash of fear in those misty eyes.

“Well, for once, it’s not your fault things went bad.” Who’s to say I’d lose my sense of humor even when in shock?

The corners of his mouth wavered a bit. For the first time since I moved in, I forgot all about the creepy sensation his presence gave me and saw what I think is the real Fabian. Not the one who always avoids having contact with other people at college, but the one who is deeply ironic and yet at the same time, charming in a dark and mysterious way.

“It’s getting late. You should go inside.”

“Yeah.” I twisted the door knob and went into the apartment, feeling ever so slightly dazed by the fact that only one wall separated us. A paper thin wall, I mused and for a second I froze. He lived there. He had been living there before I came here. He had annoyed me from the very beginning. So, why did it bother me now?

But thoughts of the crazy night at Gabriel’s party wielded back in and I forgot all about that unanswered question. I remembered the two men saying something about people being hypnotized. When nobody had answered me when I’d asked about it, I had thought my imagination was playing tricks on me. But as I was unzipping my leather boots, my mind clear of anything, I realized I hadn’t imagined it. Fabian’s statement was ringing crystal clear in my mind.

the 19^th of October, 2010

FABIAN

I decided to skip class today. It’s not like I haven’t majored in literature six times by now. But the reason I did it for is not this. I needed to think some more.

And in order to think I needed to be away from a certain girl and a certain vampire.

Yesterday, Gabriel acted like his usual pretend-to-be-a-rock-star self. No word about our little altercation. The girls from the party were all normal now and resumed their daily routine of tailing Gabriel everywhere.

Laila on the other hand had mostly avoided him. But she was very careful not to make too much of a show of it. Every time the giggling sounds announced his presence, she would graciously go somewhere else.

As I entered the library, I felt a wave of relief at its sight. It was completely empty expect for the old lady at the counter.

I went way in the back of it and started walking between endless bookshelves.

I suspected what theory Gabriel had tested. He had been fairly obvious about it. He’d wanted to see if I would protect Laila or I’d just surrender her to the sharks. But all that show just for that?

My fingers traced the dusty old books in the Horror section. The dust lifted and I stopped with my hand on a Stephen King novel. I wasn’t actually paying any attention to it. My newest question, that shone in my mind even brighter that the other, was even more surprising than the turn of events at Gabriel’s party. Why hadn’t I left Laila to Gabriel? It’s none of my business what he does to the humans.

I was brought out of my trance when my fingers no longer felt the roughness of the book’s cover.

From the other side of the bookshelf, a pair of green eyes was peering at me. If I hadn’t known better, I would have thought they were the knowing eyes of a vampire who’d been walking this earth for centuries.

But instead, they wrinkled at the ends. Laila was smiling.

“Do you always take books other people have already had their hands on?” I asked her quietly.

“Hello to you too. And no, I only want this book.” She waved it in front of me and I caught the title. Salem’s Lot.

“Vampires?” I almost chocked from trying not to laugh. And then she was out of my sight, hiding behind the books. After a half a minute of waiting, she was in front of me with a defiant look on her heart-shaped face.

“For your information, it happens to be a great book.”

“Oh, so you’ve read it already?” I chuckled.

“You... you jerk!” she punched me in arm. The fact that I didn’t seem baffled in the slightest seemed to unnerve her even more.

“I thought you were all about fashion magazines.”

“That doesn’t mean I am as shallow as an empty shell!” She threw the words in my face. “And fashion is a form of art and expression! Not that you’d know anything about it.”

“Hell, no.” I whispered.

“What?”

“I was just saying how lucky you are the librarian is as deaf as a bat. All the unnecessary shouting...” I grinned at her bewildered expression. But the anger faded away and her face was perfectly quiet as she said:

“How did Gabriel hypnotize those girls?”

LAILA

He was staring at me with such intensity I thought he was going to make a hole in my skull. At first, I wanted to laugh at him because I’d finally caught him at a loss for words. But I knew then that I’d asked the right question.

“I don’t know...” Fabian started, but I never let him finish.

“Don’t even think about giving me the whole I-don’t-know-what-you’re-talking-about crap!”

“Laila...”

“Yes?” I said expectantly.

“This is neither the time nor place to talk about this.” His hand seemed to rebel against my demanding tone as well, ruffling his hair over and over.

“I think it’s the perfect time since we bumped into each other like this. And no one can hear us, you said yourself that the old lady can’t hear...”

“But we didn’t bump into each other coincidentally, did we?” He was leaning over me as he whispered the words. “Are you a stalker, Laila?” The irony was back. But I wouldn’t be fooled by this.

“You don’t a have a very good strategy when it comes to dodging questions. It will take more than that to make me change the subject.” I could see how much he hated me for being so stubborn. But he knew something and I was determined to find out what it was. “Tell me.” I leaned closer and he backed away. I wasn’t expecting that.

“I cannot tell you. This is not something of your concern and you’re better off not knowing, trust me.”

“I’ll be de judge of that, Fabian.” I tried to search his face for some reaction, but he had shut all his emotions down. I was left gazing into an expressionless mask. A beautiful carved mask, nevertheless.

“Come on. How bad can it be? It’s not like he’s a supernatural being.” I was babbling while playing with the cover of my book. He wasn’t going to tell me. I was sure of it.

“And what if he was one?”

My head lifted up to his instantly. What had he just said? Had I heard right? But the question was there, floating in the air between us, almost tangible. And then, he suddenly pushed me against the bookshelf. A few books fell and I just couldn’t find my voice.

“I said, what if he was one?” He whispered in my ear. He was so close our bodies were almost touching. I wished I could find a way to shove him away, but my brain only focused on what he said. “What if I were to tell you that I’m one too?”

I felt like a bird trapped in a cage. His hands were on either side of me and his face was all I could see. My heart was pounding like it wanted to burst out of my chest. I knew he was telling me the truth. Not because it was so incredibly plausible, that’s for sure. But I knew because I could feel it deep down at the core of my soul. And that truth brought the dreaded feeling back – the sensation Fabian always caused me. And now that I thought about it, Gabriel did too.

“What are you?” It was barely a whisper, but he heard it.

“Why, your friendly next-door vampire, of course.”

The thudding sound of a book falling could be heard from the Horror section. Stephen King had caught the right monster this time.

FABIAN

To say I’d been stupid to tell Laila the truth was an understatement.

No, she didn’t pass out or start screaming as I expected her to. Her reaction was even worse. She’s interested.

We’re walking down Lipscani Alley which is packed full and she’s beaming at me with an unspoken curiosity. I can sense the fear underneath as well, but for some reason she’s got it under control. Damn it, she’s supposed to be scared of me! I mean, she’s read Salem’s Lot – and the vampire king is quite frightening there.

God, if you’re out there somewhere, and if you receive requests from any vampires at all, please tell me I’m not stuck with this one!

“So you can hypnotize people too?” she asked casually.

“No, only the old ones can.”

“Oh. How old are you?”

A large group was passing us by.

“We can’t talk about this here. Come.”

I noted with a strange sense of uneasiness that she didn’t bother to ask where we were going.

Humans are stupid, so full of trusting instincts.

“Let me see. So none of the classical myths are true?” Laila was pacing in my apartment.

“No.” I had given up trying to convince her it was better for her to just forget or pretend she didn’t know but naturally she didn’t listen. I thought about threatening her with Gabriel erasing her memory, but first of all, I didn’t know if he was capable of doing it and second of all – I wasn’t going to ask him for any favors.

“I can see how sunlight has no effect whatsoever. Oh, but do you ever get a tan?”

“No.” I rolled my eyes in exasperation. “Would you give it a break already?”

“But how about... what you eat” She met my eyes while saying this and was obviously uncomfortable.

“I told you, none of the vampire stereotypes are true. We drink blood, but don’t go out hunting for victims. The blood bank is much more convenient. It’s like going to a free bar with only four drinks available.” I paused and when I saw she was opening her mouth again I went on, “we are stronger that the average Joe and can sense human feelings, but that’s it. No compelling gaze, no deadly attractiveness and no turning into bats.”

“Are you sure about the last one?”

“What? Turning into bats? Laila, this is stupid – “

“No, the other one. What I mean is that both you and Gabriel are the most attractive guys I’ve ever seen, so that one isn’t really true.” I could feel the blood rising to her face even without looking. “But anyway, I have one more. Do you have fangs?”

“Yes.” I felt relieved that her question wasn’t about whether we were vulnerable to garlic.

“Show me.” That left me blinking for a moment.

“What do you think I am? A vampire at the Zoo?”

“I didn’t say that, I’m just curious.”

“Well, curiosity killed the cat. That’s enough for one day, go to your own apartment.”

Reluctantly, she headed for the door and stopped in front of it.

“I’m no ordinary cat. I just thought you should know that.”