Being Human (16 page)

“I told her she wouldn't last as a vampire and now she’s following me.”

A laughed escaped him. “Sorry,” he said sheepishly. “What do you know about her?”

“I know her name,” I replied. “Amber Tally.”

“What does she look like?”

“Long, black hair, pale skin, tall and thin. She wears a lot of black.”

“I've seen a few girls on campus that always dress in black, lit or art majors I think.” He rocked back in his chair, tapping his pen on the desk. “Is there any risk she'll call VF because you rejected her?”

“She threatened, but it was a lie.”

He relaxed a little. “If you're sure she's not going to call VF to spite you, I think we can relax. We have her name and I'll see what I can dig up on her while you're resting.”

****

The next night Fallen was absent from campus. Her scent hung in the air, but it was fading. I slipped through the shadows, on edge from her lack of presence. What if I had been wrong? What if she was at Vampire Forces, telling them about me, saying I hung around the college on a nightly basis? That I'm the vampire the humans on campus gossip about? What if Vampire Forces made the connection between me and what happened in New York City three years ago? I dreaded a repeat of that.

“I don't like girl problems,” I sighed as I slumped to my brother’s bed.

He snorted. “Get used to it. Girls are a nightmare to deal with.” He leaned forward, homework discarded. “Okay, I snooped around and found what dorm Amber Tally is in. I sweet-talked Mrs. Fable, the housing director, saying I needed to return something to Amber and she forgot to tell me her dorm room. Then I asked any black-clad people I saw if they knew her. There were two that looked at me funny when I asked.” He raised an eyebrow.

“Those were probably the two friends she was with when I met her. I found them last night and asked them to talk to her, but they said they tried and she wouldn’t listen to them either. The girl asked me not to kill her,” I replied.

“That definitely explains the stares.” He held up a finger, making sure I didn't interrupt. “Then I noticed something while standing in line trying to decide did I want tacos or pizza for lunch. This girl was staring at me. She was tall, thin with black hair and sad eyes.”

“That's her!” I jumped up. “What did she do?”

“Calm down, killer,” he laughed. “She didn't do anything, just watched me the whole time. It was creepy, she didn't move much, like she was pretending to be a vampire. Or practicing.”

“Then what?”

“I ate my food and left. She didn't follow.”

“Did you see her again?”

“No, I had class, and then I got sucked up doing homework and forgot to look for her. I think I need a math tutor,” he said apologetically. “I did learn a few things about your girlfriend. She's an art major, not from around here and an only child.”

“Wait,” I interrupted. “She told me she had an older sister.”

“Did you tell her I was older?”

“No, I told her I was worried about you always being with your girlfriend. She said she knew what it was like because her older sister abandoned her for another human.” I felt anger shake me. “I believed her. She told me she wouldn’t lie to me.”

“Tommy.” My brother placed a calming hand on my shoulder. There was a mixture of concern and fear on his face. “You know why she lied?”

I shook my head, too angry to speak.

“Because she wanted to get close in hopes that when she finally told you what she wanted, you'd do it because you were connected in a way.”

“I thought she was my friend,” I hissed.

“I know and in a way she was.”

“But she lied.”

“She lied so you'd be her friend.”

“I don't like liars. I should have killed her the first time I thought she was lying.”

“You don't mean that. You're mad and hurt.”

“Yes, I do! I'm going to find her, make her think I'll turn her, then kill her. It's what she deserves.”

He added his other hand on my shoulder, wiping the fear from his face. Even the usual goosebumps were absent from his arms. “I know for you when something goes wrong, you instantly want to kill it, but think about it. Do you really want to kill her?”

“No,” I admitted after a moment. “I want to know why. I want to understand.”

“Okay.” He released me.

“I don't know where she is right now, her scent has faded. This is a mess,” I sighed.

“That's what you get for talking to anyone else but me,” he teased, bent over his homework again.

“You said my life shouldn't revolve around you,” I protested.

“It shouldn't,” he replied. “But you have to be careful around people. Do a little research, push your will against theirs and get them to tell you why they aren't afraid to speak to you first. If it's a sympathizer, fine, but anyone else, get away.”

“Can I kill them?”

“You should know what I'd say by now,” he sighed. “Do whatever you want, just stay safe, for me.”

“Okay.” I fell silent, letting him work on his homework. For a few minutes, then I wondered something. “Why do some humans sympathize and others want to be vampires?”

“Sympathizers believe vampires are still people, there's human in you. I think they're right, but I'm not about to buddy up with any more vampires. You're enough of a handful. Plus, any other vampire, I'd probably wind up dead,” he replied without looking up from his homework.

“You trust me?”

“I trust you,” he agreed. “I think what happened with you was you saw me and our connection sparked what human was left in you. Now it's growing, helping you still be the brother I know.”

“You still think I can be human?”

“You get more and more human every day.”

“Maybe,” I admitted in a small voice.

He looked up at me, smirking. “One day, when I'm old and you still look the same, you're going to do something incredibly human and I'm gonna say,
I told you so
.”

“I do understand friendship now. I like having friends to talk to.” I made another admission. “What about the others? Suck wannabes. Why do they want to be vampires?”

He sighed, tapping his pen on the desk. “Guess they think being human is boring. They get caught up in the glamor of old myths, thinking that's how it will be. Or sometimes, they want to be immortal at any cost.”

“She did say humans were slow and one day she would die.”

He snorted. “I bet she's got a nice life. Both parents, no worries and all she does is whine about how one day she will get old and die.”

“I told her dying was normal.”

“Do you really believe that?”

“Of course.” I motioned to myself. “Do I look normal?”

“You look like a walking corpse.”

“Exactly, I should be six feet under.”

He laughed and shook his head. “Do you even know what that means?”

****

The rest of the night I spent with my brother. After he finished his homework, he went to bed, tossing and turning before settling into sleep. The sleep was fitful, like he was unconsciously aware of the danger I presented.

When the sky started to lighten and the air slowly warmed, I didn’t move from my spot. The unknown was outside my brother's room. Fallen was out there. I expected her to try to force my hand and make me turn her. Which wouldn't happen; if my fangs punctured her flesh, it'd result in her death.

“What are you still doing here?” my brother muttered sleepily.

“I can't go out there, not when I don't know what's waiting for me out there.”

He sat up, shuffled to the window and looked out. “Sun's gonna be up soon. Whatcha gonna do?”

“...Can I stay here?”

His eyes widened in shock. “You serious? What are you gonna do? Rest on the bed? I'm sorry, I don't think I could deal with that. Not without thoroughly washing my sheets.”

His worry was a little trivial in my opinion.

“I wouldn't sleep on the bed,” I replied. “I just need someplace dark.”

He relaxed instantly. “Um, the bathroom doesn’t have windows. Maybe you could crash in the shower and I could cover you with some blankets? It won't be pitch black, but you should be safe from the sun.”

I peeked out the curtains, seeing pink tint the sky. “It will be fine.”

“All right.” He pulled a thick and dark blanket off his bed.

I followed him to the bathroom, wrinkling my nose. “It kind of smells bad.”

“Yeah, well, cleaning the bathroom is a bit low on my to-do list.” He cracked the shower door, peering in. “Floor's dry, that's good. You want some towels to lay on anyways?”

“Doesn't matter.”

“Of course not. Get in and I'll cover you up. I don't know how I'm going to manage taking a piss with you in here.”

“I’m not sure I want to be in here when you have to,” I replied warily.

He smiled wickedly. “Sweet dreams, lil’ bro… or rest,” he said and tossed the blanket over my head.

I settled against the tiled wall, staring at the threads in the blanket and feeling unease settle into my stomach. A new resting spot that was
above
ground? As safe as I felt with my brother, it’d be a lie if I said I didn’t feel a little exposed. It took some time, but I managed drifted away, falling into half awareness.

True to his word, my brother was back in the bathroom, trying to move quietly as he prepared for his classes. After running a lot of water and generally making the room smell worse, he snuck back out.

When the door to his room clicked shut and his footsteps faded down the hallways, I fully woke. Anxiety joined the unease sitting in my stomach. What would happen if a human came in and found me? What would happen to my brother? A vampire found in his room. The other humans would be outraged.

As time ticked by, the day grew hotter and hotter. The blanket was no help. It trapped heat, drawing it in and holding it against my skin. My instincts started screaming at me, pleading for me to go underground where it was always cool and the sun’s rays couldn’t reach me. That was impossible though. I was stuck in the smelly bathroom and trapped under the hot blanket.

At one point, my brother returned, but he left quickly and without checking on me. I wished he had, I was desperate to know how much longer the day had.

What if the sun never went down?

“Tommy?” The scorching blanket fell away, my brother leaning over me. “Hey, what are you still doing in here? The sun's been down for almost an hour. I figured you'd want to be out of this room.”

How could the sun have set an hour ago? I would have known, would have felt energy return to me. All I felt was heat.

I opened my mouth to speak, but nothing came out.

Worry filled his face. He knelt before me and he placed a hot hand on me. His lips moved, but a thumping sound drowned his words out. A pulse accompanied the thumping, both beating against me. My eyes were drawn to his arm, stretched across my vision. I could see his pulse throbbing, beckoning me. He cried out, trying to tear his arm from my grip when I grabbed his wrist and sank my fangs deep.

“Tommy, stop! Please, Tommy, listen to me.
Tommy, I'm your brother!
You know you'll regret it! ...I don't want to die.”

The last words were a terrified whisper, but a loud roar in my ears.

His hand slipped through my fingers and he scrambled back until he hit the wall. There was no color in his skin and terror filled his eyes. His chest heaved with each breath. When I moved towards him, he jerked away.

“I'm sorry!” The words burst from me and I knew I meant them. “Please, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to. Please, don't be scared. Please, I'm sorry.” It wasn't something I had done often, maybe once or twice, but I had seen enough humans do it. I hugged my brother, trying to reassure him. “Danny, don't be afraid of me, I don't want you to.”

He pulled away, leaning against the wall. He kept his arm close to his chest, the blood from the punctures on his wrist running down his arm and dripping onto his clothing. He took a deep, shuddering breath, leaning his head back and closing his eyes. “Never gonna be afraid of my little brother. I'm okay, I'm okay.”

I wasn't sure who he was trying to reassure more: himself or me.

I reached up, gripping his hand, unsure if
I
was trying to reassure him or myself either. “You are okay. It was a little prick, barely any blood loss. You'll be fine in a few minutes.”

He smiled weakly. “I'm not the only one that took by surprise, eh?”

“I told you survival was stronger than anything,” I replied. “I felt your pulse and heard your heart and couldn't stop myself.”

“I guess you spending the day above ground wasn't that great of an idea.”

“Guess not,” I muttered. “I told you I'd never put you in a situation where survival would trump you.”

“Yeah, you did. What the hell?” A trace of a smile was on his face, his voice growing stronger. He motioned for me to sit next to him. I settled against the wall, our shoulders pressed together. His fear was melting, maybe dripping off him like the blood on his wrist. He held his hand out, the tips of his fingers puffed up and red. “You burned me. Your skin was so hot when I touched you, my skin blistered.”