Being Human (9 page)

I broke the stare, looking anywhere but at him. “That's why.”

He let out a breath of air, his voice weak. “Whoa, what was that?”

“A point,” I replied. “At our home, my bed was by the window and yours was against a wall. That had to be how the vampire got me. It must have looked in my window and made eye contact. I wouldn't willingly go with a vampire.”

“How do you know that?” he asked, a hint of hope in his voice.

“It makes sense. Humans don't like vampires and therefore wouldn't go willingly.”

“Oh… Might as well do it now.” He cleared the way, moving clothing, games and books. Pushing, he inched the bed against the wall. Once it was in its new spot, he sat back on it, looking at me thoughtfully. He jumped up, disappearing behind the desk before dragging it over to the window. “Happy now?” He rolled his eyes at my nod. “You hang outside my window all night. What are the odds of another vampire showing up when you're not here and catching me?”

“About the same odds as the one that turned me,” I threw back at him.

“Meh,” he replied.

“I have to go.”

“Why?”

“I'm hungry and you look tasty.”

“Funny. You said you go on smell.” A flicker of panic flashed across his face.

“I do, but I'm hungry. I haven't fed in over a week.”

“Oh, well, have fun,” he awkwardly replied.

I tilted my head at him, waiting for him to explain how I was supposed to have fun hunting. He remained silent, avoiding my tilted gaze. Finally, I slid down the roof, dropping off the edge and let my need lead the way.

Tonight I felt bold, taking to the city to hunt instead of the highways. Like usual, most humans were in packs, staying in well-lit areas. Except for the homeless, but I remembered the first and only one I fed on. I wasn't that desperate.

In a run-down neighborhood, a lone human sat on the steps of a shabby house. A dim light shone above her, casting sharp shadows on her face. Streetlights kept the shadows small and I carefully picked my way towards her. I froze when her head snapped up, eyes falling on me. There was no time to reach her, the distance between us too great. I expected her to scream, alert other humans and run inside the shabby house. Instead, she continued to stare. Then, just as quickly as she looked up, she looked away.

I remained frozen in my spot, confused. She saw me. Why wasn't she running to safety?

“Aren't you going to come closer?”

I walked over to her. She looked up at me expectantly, right into my eyes. Her gaze didn't waver, letting me see her thoughts.

“Why are you waiting for a vampire?”

“No questions, just do it.”

I could have listened to her. She wasn't fighting, she wanted to die obviously. It would have been so easy to sink my fangs into her neck and feed. But her compliance confused me. Why did she want to die? I couldn't see that when I looked in her eyes, only the desire to die.

“Why are you waiting for a vampire?” I repeated.

When she refused to speak, I grabbed her arm, intending on forcing her to speak. She cried out in pain, tears springing in her eyes. Dark bruises covered her arms when I pushed her sleeve up. I looked back at her, noticing more bruises covering her face, the make-up she caked on flaking around the edges of the wounds.

“What happened?”

She refused to meet my eyes now. “I walked into a door.”

I grabbed her chin, forcing her face up. I locked eyes with her and willed answers. They filled her eyes, pouring into my head, telling me what I wanted to know. I looked at the shabby house, listening. A rhythm beat inside, steady and strong.

“He's inside?”

Her eyes widened and she tried to break my grip.

I pulled her back to me, trying to understand. “He hurts you, threatens to kill you, but you want to die. He should be the one that dies.”

“No,” she whimpered.

“If he's dead, he can't hurt you,” I replied darkly. “Welcome me in.”

“No.”

“Why not?”

“Because it will upset his mom, she doesn’t know. It's better if I die, then she'll be protected from the truth and I'll be free,” she whispered.

“You'll be dead,” I stated. “And I don't care about his mother,” I added when she opened her mouth.

Her eyes widen in horror, thoughts speaking loudly.
The rumors are true. Vampires are monsters that kill whoever they want. He'll kill me, then her!

I glared at her. “You don't know anything about me. You think I don't have feelings or that I don't care. If I didn't care, I would kill you. I'd kill you, then him and anyone else I came across tonight. But I'm not going to do that, I'm only going to kill him, he deserves it. That human needs to see the truth about her son. She needs to see that
he
is the monster.” I focused my will, hissing my next words. “Welcome me in.”

****

“Guidance counselors suck,” my brother sighed.

“Why?” I asked, only half paying attention. I was almost winning this round. His character's health meter was nearly empty and mine was half full. This would be the first time I won the first round. With a tap of a few buttons, he sent my character flying out of the ring. I tossed the control down with a growl. “How do you do that? How do you knock them out of the ring?”

He laughed. “I thought you said video games were pointless.”

“They are. I like winning. It's nice.”

“Sore loser, that's a human trait.”

“I am not human,” I indignantly replied.

He laughed harder. “Now you sound like a human in denial.”

“Why do guidance counselors suck?” I asked, not caring for his observations.

His face turned serious as he started another round. “He just asks me stupid questions. How do I feel about our parents' deaths? How do I feel about you being a vampire? What makes me think I need to defend you? Do I know you'd kill me if given the chance? Stuff like that. And I've tried to explain it, the twin bond. He says that's only a myth, there's no proof that twins have a psychic bond that lets them feel the other's emotions. I get to sit my whole free period talking about my feelings so Mr. Vargas can feel good about himself.”

“Lie,” I replied. “I know lying is pointless, but not for that. Lie to the human and tell him you want me dead. I won't mind if it keeps you happy.”

“I'm happy.”

“You're not. What happened with that human caused you pain and not just physical. Tell them what they want to hear and they will leave you alone. You can be happy,” I insisted.

“That won't make me happy,” he sighed. “Being honest about you makes me happy. I want people to understand what I see when I look at you. Sure, I see a vampire, but I also see my brother. You do things my brother did, say things he did. You are still him. Even if you don't remember or feel like it.” He slumped back, eyes distant. “You make me wonder if we've been misjudging vampires. Maybe there is something human left in them. It's small and vague, but it's still human.”

“There's nothing human left in me.”

“Then why are you the only one of us who refers to our parents' deaths as murder? Every other time you've talked about hunting or feeding or blood, you say kill,” he pointed out. “In your mind, you
murdered
our parents. How is that not human?”

“That’s how I see it.”

“That's why I accept you now. So indifferent at times, but I can still see my human brother.
I recognize you
. That’s what I want everyone else to see.”

For a long time, neither of us spoke. We played the video game. I won a few rounds, a grin filling my face each time. He snickered at my smile – along with shuddering. I felt content in the moment, happy to be with him, overjoyed at his feelings for me and at ease with our location. I was starting to feel like we had both found a new home.

“Danny.” The door opened, my aunt froze halfway through, gaze locked on me.

“Tommy, run!”

My body jumped to action, instincts telling me to listen to my brother’s order. I slid off the roof, my feet hitting the ground running. Once tall buildings surrounded me and not a human in sight, I skidded to a halt.

What happened back there? The sudden noise had shocked me, caused my thoughts to freeze in their tracks when I should have automatically melted into the shadows. Now my aunt had seen me with my brother. What would she say to him? After what happened to him at school, I was sure her words would be anything but kind. She might even hurt him.

I whirled around, heading back. My mind raced through everything he had told me about humans and vampires. Any human that sought out a vampire was frowned upon and usually wound up dead. But what happened to the humans that consorted with vampires and survived?

When I reached the house, red and blue lights flashed in the driveway. Humans stood in doorways of homes or watched from windows. I lingered in the shadows, not daring to move any closer.

“And you're sure, Ma'am?” the cop asked my aunt, writing on a small pad of paper.

“Definitely, it was trying to get in,” my aunt replied. She hugged my brother tightly. “Trying to finish what it started and kill poor Danny.”

“No, he wasn't.” My brother pulled free. “He wouldn't hurt me.”

“Now, son.” The cop's voice was patronizing. “I know it may seem like that, especially if it caught your gaze. Those parasites can make you think anything. I need you to remain calm and tell me what happened.”

“We were playing video games.”

“Don't lie!” my uncle snapped.

“I'm not lying,” my brother insisted. “If you'd listen to me, you'd know he doesn't mean any harm. He's my brother.”

“That's enough!” my uncle roared. He grabbed my brother by the arm, almost propelling me out of the shadows. “We've been through this before, when you were suspended. Tommy is dead and you need to stop this nonsense. Mr. Vargas says–”

“Mr. Vargas is an idiot,” my brother interrupted. “He doesn't have siblings or kids even. How exactly is he qualified to be a school guidance counselor?”

My uncle pressed his lips together before speaking. “Dee, take Daniel inside. We will discuss this later.”

My aunt silently led my brother inside.

“Your nephew believes the vampire’s harmless,” the cop noted. “That happens. Some people find it hard to believe someone they love is dead. Especially when there's a monster out there that looks like them.”

“What do I do?” my uncle sighed.

“I know of a therapist, helps victims of vampire loss.” The cop wrote on the paper and tore it off. “Give him a call; I'm sure he can help.”

“What about the vampire? It's going to come back. If it already hasn't.” My uncle peered around.

“We can post a car outside if you want. VF will be over shortly too,” the cop replied. “They’ll probably relocate you and set a trap. Vampires can be slippery leeches, it takes time to bait and catch them. If it wants your nephew dead, you don't want to give it the chance.”

The cop left and my uncle and the other humans disappeared back into their homes. I stayed in my spot, listening to my brother and uncle argue. Finally my uncle ordered him to his room.

I darted out of the shadows and across the street. Hugging the shadows of the next house, I moved around the back. Gauging the distance and scanning windows for faces, I headed across the lawns and up the side. “Danny.”

The window opened a fraction of an inch, curtains still closed. “I'm here.”

“I'm sorry.”

“It's not your fault.”

“Yes, it is, she shouldn't have seen me. I promised you they wouldn't!” I insisted. “What's going to happen now?”

He was silent for a moment. “They're making me leave. Aunt Dee has wanted to move out of the city for a long time and now she has the perfect excuse. But they won’t tell me where.”

I stared at the rows of houses. Lights glimmered in them, but tonight those lights lacked warmth. Every human in those houses hated me. The ones below me hated me. None of them knew me, knew what I felt. All they knew was I was a vampire, and because of that, thought I was a heartless monster. In their opinion, I was only good if I was ash.

The only human that didn't feel that way was my brother, filled with a pain that transferred through our bond and into me.

“You have to go with them,” I whispered.

“Why?”

I leaned over, seeing him through the curtains. “Because I'll find you.”

****

The smell of my brother lingered in the air, faintly drifting on the breeze. I inhaled deeply, the scent as familiar as the house before me. I cautiously moved closer, aware of the truth. My brother wasn't in that house. Or my aunt and uncle. The humans inside were ones I didn't know, would never know. They were decoys, sent to the house, carrying items saturated with my brother's scent in hopes of luring me. Vampire Forces.

I scrambled up the side of the house, leaning next to the window. The spot comforted me, reminding me of the nights spent talking with my brother, learning about him and about myself as a human.