Fiona didn't want to go home that night. She feared to be alone, that they might be attacked by those "people". Mercutio took her home with him and sneaked her through his window. He let her use the phone. She called her parent's and made up an excuse for why she hadn't been home in the past couple of days. She then told them that she was going to stay the night at Sarah's house to finish working on a project. Mercutio smirked at her as she lied into the receiver. They sat on the floor at the foot of the bed; Mercutio put a movie in the VCR and threw a blanket over Fiona because his window was left open. The opening credits came on the screen, "Interview with a Vampire". The movie started. Fiona kept glancing at the window every so often and she wrapped her arms around Mercutio. "Don't worry, I'll protect you." Mercutio assured her weakly.
"Please do." Fiona squeezed a little. As the film progressed Mercutio came upon a strange realization. At the mention of the vampire characters feed, he himself acquired an odd craving. Then he noticed that whenever blood or killing was heard, Fiona squeezed for a second.
"What is it Luv?" he asked her.
"What?" she responded.
"Nothing." They went back to the movie. By the time the character "Claudia" had died, Fiona had laid her head on Mercutio's shoulder and fallen asleep. Mercutio turned off the television set and lifted her in his arms. He placed her on the bed, taking one of the pillows and throwing it on the floor, tucked her in and kissed her cheek. Lying down on the floor he let the sleep take him then and he dreamt.
Images came back to him of his life. His childhood, starting elementary school, moving to this new town, and the recent occurrences. He remembered his kidnapper and the smell in the sewers. Those cloaked figures and Fiona's attempted sacrifice. He saw the man in shadow, the gleam in his eye. He saw sorrow and pain in those eyes. Remorse and pity. Mercutio remembered the fangs and Fiona being bitten. He didn’t believe it, How can I be thinking of that? There's no way. But what if? He made a promise to himself that tomorrow he would walk into the sunlight, he would sacrifice himself if need be.
Something startled Mercutio, he awoke at a touch. A million thoughts raced into his head. Oh no. They caught us. And then, I have to get Fiona outta here. He searched his mind; trying to remember anything in his room he could use as a weapon. He snapped his eyes open and peered over his shoulder at his attacker. He snapped his eyes open and peered over his shoulder at his attacker. It was Fiona, her hand was on his chest and she was smiling, her eyes closed. She must have joined me sometime in the night, Mercutio thought, embarrassed. He put his hand on top of hers. Mercutio glanced at his watch, it was 7:30am. He clasped Fiona's shoulder and shook her slightly saying, "Fiona, it’s almost time for school luv." When she finally woke, she drew back her fist like she was going to punch him and then realized it was him and smiled. "Time to get ready for school." He said, sitting up. "Don't I get a good morning kiss?" She asked him. He stared at her and his jaw dropped, his thoughts going blank to match his eyes and vocals. She kissed him on the cheek.
"Thank you my protector." she said mockingly. Mercutio grabbed clothes trying to remember his daily routine.
"The bathrooms down the hall. My parents are gone." He told Fiona. She went off into the bathroom leaving him to guess what she could possibly do empty handed. He got ready and when he was about to tell her it was time to go, she came out looking just as beautiful as the first time he'd seen her. He handed her a poppy seed muffin, "I didn't know what kind you wanted." She smiled and took the muffin seeing he was awe stricken, and they walked to school. At first Mercutio hesitated to exit the house, remembering his thoughts from the night before but he did anyway and everything seemed fine.
Once they reached the school, Mercutio checked all the windows on the way in for his reflection. I must just be thinking crazy. He told himself. Nothing seemed to be wrong with Fiona. They parted with a hug and went to their first period classes. Mercutio was spacing off in Art class when he began to feel the urge again. All the words spoken throughout the classroom faded away. He could hear only "thump-thump". Mercutio checked for his pulse, which he concluded would be speedily pumping along; it moved. Faintly he felt his blood moving through his veins. "Thump-thumps" began to overwhelm him. He tried to tune it out, to focus on the dialog in the room. The beating hearts of his classmates won out. The very rapid, nervous beat of a boy as he talked to the pretty girl next to him. The popular guys slow, calm beat as he gained the praise of the females at his table. Even the teacher’s slow, weak beat that was almost not even there. He could smell them. Their fear, their excitement, their anger. Mercutio shook his head and it was all gone. When first period ended, Mercutio walked down the hall to the Chem room and he came upon an old friend. "Dathen, how was.... the weekend?"
"Pretty boring, and your?"
"Interesting."
"Anything exciting happen?"
"I don't really know."
"You don't know?"
"Fiona stayed the night."
"Oh, cool."
"Where's your other half?"
"She’s not here today."
"Ah, well, gotta go. See you at lunch?"
"Count on it." Dathen walked away and then looked back. His eyes caught the light and a golden gleam fell over them. Both of the young men turned and walked their separate ways. When Mercutio sat down next to Fiona, he asked her, "What do you remember about the weekend, the sewer?"
"Almost nothing. Why?"
"Because I remember those figures bit you."
"What?!"
"Right on the neck, like vampires."
"But I don't have any marks."
"I know. And any normal person would."
"What are you saying?"
"I don't know."
The rest of the period was awkward for them. When lunch came around Mercutio took Fiona with him to the library. "Why?" She asked.
"I have a hunch."
They entered and Dathen was waiting for them. "What's going on!?" Mercutio demanded of him.
Seeing the librarian look up at them, more quietly than Mercutio had been he replied, "What do you mean?"
"Who are you? And WHAT are we?"
"We, the three of us are vampires."
"Vampires?" Fiona questioned; her face clear in the word.
"Yes, vampires."
"But how? I've seen the sun.... How am I still here?" Mercutio said unbelieving.
"I'll tell you how we came to be. Dracula wasn’t the man, Vlad Tepes, as everyone believes. The Impaler gained his title because he was the son of his father Vlad Dracul. The Father of vampires was never a mortal himself, though sometimes he wished just for a second to know what it was like to feel that warmth on his face. He awoke a man, yet with the mind of a child; unknowing. But he learned quickly. The mortals feared and loathed him. They called him the son of the devil. They tried to destroy him, yet they could not. He sat back and watched them. Developing his own genius. The years past and he fed, creating more of his kind, but they were easily dispatched, dying by sunlight or beheading. They became stronger as he did, as he let more of his life force into them. He gained powers of the mind, form, flight as he grew wiser. He was a noble being though, with honor. He treated vampire and mortal alike and both despised him for it. Man with all his arrogance didn’t destroy him no matter how they hint at it. No his death was much more ironic. He fell in love with a human woman, he fed on her but she didn’t turn, her humanity remained. She bore him children, the only two vampires ever born. The other vampires saw this phenomenon of the mortal who won’t die and bears vampire children who can walk the day. Over the years the vampires plotted to eradicate this mockery of nature. One day they gathered and attacked Dracula, but they were outmatched. He depleted their numbers. Bodies lay in the hall of his home. His daughter, the eldest of his offspring, emerged from another room and he bid her to run but she did not. He begged her and pleaded with her to run and yet she remained. The vampires began to circle her. Dracula fought them as any father trying to save the life of his child. She came to him and he put her behind himself now searching for an escape route to take her to safety. As he stared the demons down, the vampires lunged to no avail. They could not contend with his ageless skill. It was his daughter who struck the deafening blow. To this day we know not weather it was physical damage or her betrayal to him which destroyed him. He collapsed to the floor and the trio of remaining vampires fed, drinking up his life. His power raged in them but their bodies couldn’t take it. They past their gifts on before they left our world. The remaining of The House of Iliakos reside in an uninhabited part of Italy. It didn’t take them long to realize that it takes a certain kind of human to become like they. When they find a mortal they believe to be worthy of the gifts they study that individual for months maybe even years. ? Are you of that house? The Iliakos?? ? No I am the last of my house; it will remain forever nameless until I fall. ? Wel-?? No more questions!?
"When a vampire kills, he drains the human of their life. But some people hold their life dearer than others, their energy is stronger and the vampire can't drain them completely so they take that strength as a sign and turn them."
"How?"
"To become a vampire you must die. Not just any normal death, you must be on life edge, your last breath, and then they fill you with their vampiric unlife. That’s what kills you."
The trio departed from each other's company and set about to their own matters. Mercutio walked the halls like a mindless zombie, giving no notice of the presence of others. The bell chimed that the next period was about to begin and Mercutio walked to the door with his head drooped. Burrows appeared and crossed his path obviously trying to start a confrontation. Mercutio raised his eyes and glared through his hair at the giant. Burrows just laughed and said, "Are you trying to be intimidating? Ooh someone's having a bad day. Poor baby." Then he laughed again. A growl rose from within Mercutio and his eyes glew red for an instant. He passed by the larger boy who only looked after him in wonder.
Over the course of ten minutes Mercutio glanced at Fiona every so often, not wanting to stare. She seeing him out the corner of her eye would only look away. Mercutio gathered his belongings quietly and left the room. He trudged through the halls and by rooms full of laugher and cheering. He passed into the infirmary and managed to mutter the words "I don't feel so good" before walking into secluded room. He left the door cracked open a bit and laid down with the lights off. Vampire. A vampire. Am I evil? I’m evil. No I have a choice. I have consciousness. I can do no good. Fiona hates me. Damn it, I don’t want her to hate me. How am I gonna get her to not hate me? I’ll just give her space. God, what did I do to deserve this?! Is this punishment? This’ll change everything. How am I gonna live? He fought with these thoughts over the next hour or so, in a half-sleep, tossing and turning. Mercutio awoke and sluggishly stumbled to his locker. He opened it as people spilled into the halls. Lanei ran up to him.
"I'm here!" She yelled cheerfully as always. She saw him packing up his things and asked, "You gonna skip P.E. are you?" His silence remained. "But you gotta come or I'll be lonely." she said with a fake pout. He agreed and they went to the locker rooms. They dressed down into their P.E. clothes and the class met on the track. The teacher said they were to run four laps. Mercutio and Lanei began to walk father ahead. She turned around to talk to him and saw Dathen coming down the steps. She moved to the farthest lane from Mercutio as Dathen walked up.
"What are you doing here?" Mercutio asked him.
"Let's run." They began jogging.
"What was that whole thing with Lanei about?" Mercutio questioned him.
"She's mad at me." He admitted. Mercutio was surprised at how easily they conversed while running. "You're breathing." Dathen said.
"Yea.... And...?" Mercutio replied cautiously.
"Don't." Dathen responded subtlety. "Follow me." Dathen quickened his pace. Mercutio followed and they sped past the leaders of the race. They jogged in front of them. Trading the first four spots back and fourth. When their laps were finished, everyone waited on the field for the football teams to be picked. The games started with all the best players divided up among three teams and the lacking half divided up among another three. Mercutio was ser in an "under privileged" team while of course Burrows was placed in a team with the other behemoths.
"Remember," Dathen said. "You're much stronger than you used to be. Hold back a little."
"Yea." Mercutio nodded as the Quarterback hiked the football. He played decently in four games, and then it was time to play Burrows' team. The huge boys looked down on Mercutio's scrawny teammates and laughed. Mercutio kicked the ball to begin the game and Burrows picked it up following his defenders toward the endzone. Mercutio sped past one opponent, being smaller and faster than he, He ran in an arch and dove at Burrows from the side, taking him down hard. When he rose Dathen was glaring at him. He shrugged back innocently and smirked. Mercutio played harder than anyone that game and in the end his team was victorious. Mercutio walked home alone that day; Fiona wouldn't even look at him.
When he arrived he went directly to bed trying to put to rest all the controversy going through his mind. He awoke around ten-thirty p.m. and decided he needed some air. He traveled not knowing where his feet would carry him. Before he knew it, Mercutio stood before the alley where he had been abducted only three nights ago. Why do so many bad things come from alleyways? He asked himself. Mercutio awkwardly walked down the path that had led to his mortal destruction, more aware of his surroundings than he first had been. He came upon the wall, the oddly placed wall, which had hidden his attacker from him. He leapt up, placing one hand on the ten foot wall and swung himself over landing in the gravel on the other side. He wanted to take the detour which had unknowingly led to the gift he was now cursed with. Mercutio reached the street and saw a truck in the alley ahead, blocking his most direct route. Not remembering he could simply leap over the obstruction, he took the long way around by the road. As he reached the spot from which he had peered upon the hardship of a young girls life, on the night of his turning, Mercutio yet again saw a figure.
The same girl was sitting on the front steps of the porch. The light shined on her porcelain-like body, making her seem like a beacon of light herself. Her face was lowered. Mercutio could see the streaks upon her cheeks where tears had been. He could hear the short quick breaths of her sobs. And through it all he smelt the blood coursing frantically through her body. He walked down the middle of the street looking at her out the corner of his eye. He couldn't tell if she looked up, his bangs were hampering his vision. He rounded the corner, heading back in the direction of his home. Mercutio strolled about two blocks when he realized Dathen had told him to meet him at the twenty-four hour mart late that night. So he turned around and headed back the way he'd just come. As he walked Mercutio wondered what had happened to him. Why did I just go on by? Why didn't I try to help her? He clenched his fists, angry with himself. He decided to go back and see if she was alright, when he passed by the house again and she was not in sight, Mercutio assumed that she had seen him and decided that only in the privacy of her own bedroom was she safe from the world. Mercutio stopped for a moment under the lone street lamp and then continued onward to meet Dathen.
Under the flickering light of the mini-mart Mercutio saw Dathen's form. Even the lowly creatures that waited for dark to wander about feared to gaze upon him. His somber stare could melt through even the dankest person's resolve. As Mercutio strolled up Dathen walked out to receive him, swinging at moths hovering about his head. "You're late." He scolded the newer creature of the night.
"I wanted to take in the sights." Mercutio replied sarcastically.
"Sounds like a dumbass comment your kind would say."
"My KIND?!" Mercutio exploded.
"Calm down. I asked you to come tonight to explain what you are." Dathen said as they began to walk.
"And what am I?"
"You're a demon, an evil."
"Evil? How could I be evil?"
"You will murder and you will feed on your previous brethren. Vampires are blood-thirsty savages who kill for the fun of it."
"I am not EVIL! I can't be. I won't allow it."
"What can you possibly do about it? You're a vampire, evil by nature."
"I still have some humanity in me; I'm not a villain I'm not."
"But the power will overwhelm you. Power spawns evil."
"I may not be good but I am not evil." Mercutio announced and they stopped in the street.
"Face it," Dathen came back, talking with his hands."You're a virus." At that Mercutio came down on Dathen hard, slamming his fist into his friend’s temple. He then advanced with a right which Dathen easily countered with a raise of his arm. Mercutio responded by throwing a left uppercut that was knocked down by the continuously grieving, cheetah of an arm that Dathen dreadfully had attached left shoulder. The enraged "virus" jabbed at his opponent with his right fist. With a twirl of his arm, Dathen had locked Mercutio's elbow and he squeezed, nearly breaking the young apprentice's arm. Dathen threw his hand out and tapped Mercutio on the cheek mockingly. After a long pause, Mercutio brought his right knee up into his Dathen's gut, then he threw his weight to the right allowing his left foot to connect with the older vampire's head as they fell to a tangled heap on the dirty ground. The pair of vampires scrambled to gather themselves and rise to their feet. Dathen rose first and proceeded to drag Mercutio up by his collar. He then wrapped his arm around the neck of the smaller, weaker being, putting him in a "sleeper hold".
From out the shadows of the nearest building appeared the upper portions of a bald, pale skinned man. The form had red, glowing eyes and cheeks smeared with dirt. In one hand he held the shirt-back of a man lying limp, saturated with the wet, reeking sludge it had been dragged through. Those red, glowing eyes peered from around the corner and focused on Dathen widening as they did. He saw the well feared vampire teen with a young boy in his clutches and began to back away slowly, seizing the opportunity for escape. He flung the unconscious man over one shoulder, steadying it with a hand. He started preparing to turn back to the shadows and flee. The brawling vampires heard the wet griminess and looked toward the sound spotting the creature in shadow and his luminous eyes. He tore off, slashing through the slop down the alleyway. Dathen stared blankly after him for a moment before Mercutio broke his friends grip and dashed after the fiend. The scent of blood and rotting flesh filled the air as Dathen followed his friends lead into the crevasse between the buildings. The chase picked up speed and Dathen stumbled over what seemed to be the would-be-victim. The vampire boy checked the human for injuries the best he could and when he had found none, he continued on.
When he reached his deposit onto the street he saw Mercutio sitting on the other monster, smashing his fists into its face again and again. The beast snarled, baring its fangs and Mercutio drove his knuckles toward the vampire's tonsils. When he retracted his hand the flesh was torn and blood was everywhere. The day-walker filled with testosterone, lifted his enemy a good two feet off the ground and threw him against the side entrance of one of the buildings that caged them from the outside world. A window broke above him and he fell into a stack of boxes and crates. The splintered vampire rose and Mercutio quickly crossed the gap between them. He brought a knee up into the stomach of the villain and then gave him a hard backhand that sent him sprawling to the ground. As his opponent flailed about, trying viciously to stand, Mercutio swiped up a shard amongst the broken crates and leapt backwards coming down nearly on top of the vampire who had now begun to rise, gripping him by the front of his shirt Mercutio pulled the vampire to his knees and stared into him. A look of disbelief came over the tattered creature as Mercutio's arm thrust back and lunged the wooden fragment into his chest. The noises rang out in the little excerpt of town. The sound of tearing flesh and cracking bone echoed off of all the walls. The smell of death crept over Dathen and Mercutio as the staked vampire dissolved away leaving only a bit of ash to dance about on the wind.