"Time of death, three twenty-six a.m." Dr. Rosenburg laid down his tongs on the cold metal. The room began to clear out as the other doctors began to prep the body of Vladimir Tod for the family. It was too late; he couldn't have been saved. The infection had spread too quickly to stop, and now, he was dead. Dr. Rosenburg had grew quite fond of the fifteen year old boy over the past few years, and had always thought he was a good kid. His somewhat 'distant family' was waiting for the news in the waiting area, praying and hoping for good news. Well, it wasn't technically a waiting room. Dr. Rosenburg was sort of a 'backyard doctor', who tended for people with 'special conditions'. His specialty was dealing with vampire venom and werewolf bites. Of course, every amount of treatment comes with a grand price; your medical aid depends on how much you are willing to lose for the gamble. However, in Vladimir's case, he had been attacked by a vampire and had venom spread into his blood stream. In an attempt to save him, his godfather Klaus gave him some of his hybrid blood, trying to keep his godson alive. Although, the vampire cells were fighting off the blood transition. It was his only chance of survival to get the venom out... but he failed.
Dr. Rosenburg was sitting in a chair outside of the operation room, staring into the whiteness of his friend's death. His body began to shake; how was he to tell the family?
Suddenly, something began to move on the table. No... someone. He stood up, knocking the chair behind him over. Is he alive? He thought to himself. He took off his cap and pushed the door open. Walking over to the table, he began to examine the body.
"Vladimir?" He said in a harsh whisper. He didn't expect him to die then come back to life, but knowing the supernatural, anything was possible. He took hold of the light blue sheet and uncovered the head, revealing a deathly pale Vladimir Tod. He placed the back on his hand on the boy's cheek. His skin was so pale, so cold, so hard. It felt like a slab of stone that had been sitting away in a freezer. "Vladimir," he said once more.
Suddenly, the boy's eyes shot open. They were an ember gold and he was forming what looked like black veins around his sockets. "What...? Where am I? Dr. Rosenburg? What's going on?" He sat up, rubbing his throat. "I need something to drink. I'm so thirty."
Jesse Rosenburg sighed in relief. Of course! One must die before the transition is complete. However, the family and the new hybrid in front of him might as well have chosen death for Vladimir. Now, to complete the transition, he needs to drink human blood; preferably from the source. He helped the boy off of the table, and draped his arm around Jesse's shoulder, giving the weak hybrid more support.
"Dr. Rosenburg, why am I here? I don't remember anything." The boy's voice was filled with fear. Not the type of fear that one would show if they were fixing to look death in the eye, but the kind as if one thought they were going insane; not knowing what happened was probably scaring the hell out of him.
Jesse sat Vladimir down on a gurdy, draping a small quilt over his arms. "Vladimir... You were attacked by a vampire," the boys eyes became large. "Klaus fed you his blood to try to save you from the pain of the venom. I tried to clean out your body from both the vampire venom and the hybrid blood... but your damages were too severe. I had called your time of death, and I thought that was the end of you.." He pulled the young boy into a tight embrace, something he had done only a mere few times. His body was as cold as winter, and as hard as stone. The hard, white newborn hybrid would be strong, indeed, as he was once just the same as he is now. Although, he begged for a normal life to the gods above, and had been granted on one condition: he must not use his human life to produce offspring. For some reason, the gods did not want him to reproduce. Maybe it was because he still carried some special abilities, and they shouldn't be given to the next generation.
Even so, Vladimir being who he is-practically a weapon of the gods above-he was able to reproduce in his hybrid body. Faster, stronger, smarter, and more gorgeous than any other vampire or mutation, he was able to lure in his prey with nearly all of his features. His face, his smell, even his voice attracted his targets. He was invincible; but now, he was back in his cursed body.
Tears started to flow down the boys pale cheeks. "Jesse, I'm so scared. I'm not ready to go back to that world... I can't stand the pain everyday, the burning in my throat telling me to drink from someone. I can't go back."
He could hear the boy's pain in his words, and he was more sorry than he could imagine. "Vladimir, we need to go to Vikas. He hasn't gotten any word of how the operation went." The boy wiped his nose and nodded his head.
Vikas was waiting anxiously in the waiting room, pacing the yellow tinted floors in his brown seal skin boots. The Russian man was hoping for the best of news, but knowing the severity of his nephew's damages... he might not get that news. Just then, Jesse Rosenburg and Vladimir came through the swinging doors, and Vikas' heart melted. Vladimir ran up to him and jumped into his arms, embracing the warm Russian with the widest of arms. Vikas noticed that his nephew was cold, too cold for the normal body temperature. He also noticed a powerful force as Vladimir jumped into his embrace. It happened, Vikas thought. He tried to hide his frown with a forced smile, but Vladimir could see right through it.
"Vikas... I don't know if I'll be able to make it like this again." He thought he would die at the boy's words. When someone told him something like this, that normally meant they were asking for him to take their life. He was not going to do that to one of the only pieces of family he had left.
Everyone who was waiting for Vladimir-Klaus, Rebekah, Caroline, Elena, Stefan, Damon, the Cullen family, and the Denali family. Vladimir hadn't been around such a group of love since the passing of his parents in the house fire. After that, Klaus had decided to take care of him.
Vladimir let go of Vikas, and looked over at Klaus, who was coming over towards him with open arms. Without hesitation, he entered his godfather's arms and hugged him so tight that the man groaned in pain. "Son, do not forget you are stronger than me." He loosed his hug and muttered a 'sorry'. He pulled away, and saw that Klaus' eyes were watering. "I'm so sorry, mate. I tried to save you from getting like this. I expected you would still have the softness and warmth that you always had, but I guess you still had hybrid blood in your bloodstream before I had even gave you mine." He placed his hand on his godson's shoulder.
Rebekah called from behind Klaus, "At least you didn't lose your looks, little nephew." That gave him a small smile, that made everyone in the room seem just a little bit happier.
Vladimir was like family to each and every one of them. He was more than just one of those people you spill your troubles to; he listened and gave the most inspirational advice. He was a true friend, but now, his life would be much different.
As Klaus drove Rebekah and Vladimir home in his black Escalade, the silence was impossible for Rebekah to stand.
"So what shall we do today, brother? Refresh Vladimir on the rules of hunting?" Rebekah was looking at Vladimir through the mirror above her head as he sat in the backseat, as he stared out the window beside him. She sighed. "Vladimir, it's not as bad as you think. Imagine, now we can spend more time together. We can hunt and explore the forests outside of this town." Rebekah was all about spending quality time with her nephew, for she loved him as much as Klaus.
But at times, Vladimir found her quite annoying. So, instead of acknowledging her existence, he just said, "Can you please turn on the radio?" She put in one of his favorite Falling In Reverse CD's and turned it up until they couldn't hear the engine of the car. The first song played as he sat quietly and thought to himself.
Gods, why did this have to happen again? I can't believe this... I wish I could just die right now.
He knew that there was only one way to complete the transition... and he didn't want to go through the guilt again.
Forgetting that him and Klaus can communicate by telepathy, his voice came into his head. "Vladimir, you will do fine. The taste makes up for the guilt you go through. Trust me, you will feel much better after you have had someone to drink"
"Well, what if I don't want to be a monster? What if I want to just... end it all. I'd rather give up my life than risk others losing theirs." He argued. It wasn't worth it.
They pulled into the Mikaelson Manor driveway, and stared up at the three-story, nine bedroom, seven bathroom house. It was a beauty, and had been owned by the original Mikaelson family. Now that Klaus and Rebekah lived here, they tried to make it as home-y as possible. The rooms were filled with elegeant decor from what looked like a mix of the 1920s and modern day decoratives. Lush floral scents gave the house an innocent outlook, while the hidden dungeons underground are filled with wolfsbane and vervain, the overwhelming smell strong enought to knock out a regular vampire or werewolf.
Before the car even stopped, Vladimir had opened the door and ran walked up to the house. He just wanted to try and go to sleep-if that were even possible. He glided up the steps of the elgeant, spiraling stairs, turning left to a narrow corridor. Walking to the very end on the left, there was a door. He opened it to reveal his room. Black walls and charcoal wood floors left a gloomy glow to the room as the sun from the window shined in. The kingsize bed with columns and a canopy top with black curtains and black sheets was fixed perfectly for his arrival. The black bear skin rug on the floor in front of his tv had been vacuumed and cleaned in the washer. Everything was in order, like it hadn't been touched since he left; but he knew better. Rebekah always cleaned his room for him when he was away. He even thought that in some way, she had a crush on him sometimes by the way she treated him.
He lay back on his bed, hoping, praying that somehow he would be okay. He didn't want to go through this again. No one had any idea the pain it caused him. His throat still burned, but he started to ignore it as he drifted off into a deep sleep.
When he awoke, he looked over at his clock. Seven fourty-five. He had slept a little over twenty four hours, something that he never did. Nor did he ever wake up that late. The black sheets were twisted around his legs, and his shirt was ripped. He kicked his legs out of the sheets and pulled off his shirt. Throwing it on the ground, and letting the sheet hang halfway off the bed, he tousled his hair as he made his way downstairs to the kitchen.
He was greeted by a sleepy looking Rebekah and a well-rested Niklaus at the long dining table. They were eating raw chicken and drinking O+ blood out of the golden goblets they had kept since the 1800s.
"Good morning, Vladimir. Care to sit down?" Klaus handed him a goblet full of blood. He had a smile on his face and Vladimir sniffed the cup. He wrinkled his nose and handed it back to Klaus, whose smile slowly faded away.
"That kind doesn't smell too good. I think maybe an A- or B+. You said those were...good, right?" Vladimir was repulsed of the thought of drinking blood, but better from a blood bag than directly from the source.
Klaus' smile returned. "It's alright, mate. I'll go look and see what I have." He stood up from his chair, creating a scratching noise on the floor. He walked past the hallway to the living room and down into the dungeons.
Vladimir and Rebekah sat in silence until he returned with two blood bags in each hand. He smiled at him. "Choose one."
Vladimir pointed to the one in his left hand. Klaus handed it to him; it was A- and warm. Klaus must have heated it up in the microwave in the dungeon. Vladimir's throat began to burn with such an intensity that he felt like ripping it out. His eyes turned a dark gold and the black veins became transparent. His fangs popped from his gums as he bit down on the bag, sucking in the crimson as more washed over his tongue and moved down his throat, quenching the burn. After he sucked the bag dry and it was completely clear and flat, he wiped his mouth with his hand, surprised that there was only a small stain on his pale skin. He licked his lips, trying to savor the taste of the liquid rubies he still longed for.
"Will my transition be complete?" He said as his eyes went back to normal and his fangs were back in his gums.
Klaus smiled and nodded, bringing him in for a short embrace. He pat him on the back and whispered an 'atta boy' into his ear. Rebekah clapped her hands together as she finished off the other blood bag that had been poured into her goblet.
"Rebekah, love, have you not been taught to share?" Klaus beckoned.
"Brother, he doesn't need to overfill himself. He needs the amount to complete the transition and when it is complete, he shall drink as much as he wants." She said as she winked to Vladimir, turning her back and making her way to the back porch.
He shook his head. "I'm going to go change. Damon needed me over at his house at nine." He was making his way up the stairs when Klaus called him out.
"I thought you said you were sick of him. Why on Earth would you want to go over there?" He questioned.
Vladimir laughed sarcastically and turned around, "I'm going over there because he owes me money. Not only that, but I've outgrown most of my clothes; mainly my underwear and pants, so I'm going shopping at Nordstrom." He winked at his godfather and made his way up the stairs, changing into something more comftorable.
Vladimir pulled up into the Salvatore's driveway in his black Lamborghini Murcielago. He put it in park as he got out, leaving it running. He would make this quick. He didn't bother knocking on the door; but then again, no one did. Inside was quiet.
"Damon!" He yelled, his voice boom through the house.
The tall vampire appeared from the kitchen with a glass of Burbon in his hand. "Nice of you to show up. How are you doing? With your transition, I mean."
Wow. For the first time, he seemed like he was being... nice.
Vladimir cleared his throat. "I think I'm good. I drank this morning so I should be fine. Do you have my money?" He asked.
Damon pulled out a waud of hundreds from his pocket and tossed it from across the room. Vladimir caught it and put it in his own. He turned around and headed to the door before Damon whistled to him.
"Hey... I'm sorry for being a dick last week. I know you and me used to be close, and I don't want you thinking that since you prefer Stefan with Elena that it makes you hate you. I know you want what's best for her." He raised his glass slightly and turned around, walking back into the kitchen.
Vladimir pulled into the large-and nearly full-parking lot of Seattle's Nordstrom, finding a spot near the front entrance. He parked there and opened his car door, putting on his Paul Smith polarized sunglasses to block out the July sun. He shut the door and starting walking to the entrance, where a group of girls, around eighteen or ninetoon, were also entering the department store.
When he stepped into the over-sized closet in which was Nordstrom, he caught a whiff of everyone inside. Floating around were O+ and mainly AB-. He also smelled the perfumes and colognes towards the front that were being set out as samplers.
Without hesitation on where to begin, he made his way over towards the Men's section upstairs. He found himself in the Underwear isle first, glancing over the brand names and such. He had noticed that he had become a big fan of Calvin Klein and Ethika boxer briefs. Since the store didn't carry Ethika, he took four packages of Calvin Klein.
He then was in the jeans. Vladimir had a favorite brand in these, as well: DIESEL. There were always many to choose from. However, he liked to stick with the distressed wash. He had, in his arms, two pair of DIESEL, three pair of Joe's, one of True Religion, and another of PRPS. Feeling confident in his current wardrobe, he placed them up at the front counter for holding and moved on to tops.
With three Alternative brand v-necks, a few Obey graphic tees, three or four long-sleeved thermals, and five cut-off tank tops, he finally decided to contemplate on shoes.
This was always rather difficult for him, because he was a complete shoe freak. Although, Nordstrom didn't exactly carry the best brands. But, without hesitation, he found the perfect pair of dark brown Frye rugged boots to wear while hunting. He checked out, and his total came to $2,311 even.
On his way home, he passed by a Zumiez store. It caught his eye and he immediately did a turn around. He hadn't been to one in the Gods know how long. He parked in one of the empty spots just outside.
In the store, he thought he was in heaven. Shoes and other clothing articles lined the walls, and behind the cashier counter were dozens of skateboards. He needed new shoes, and a new skateboard. Now was the perfect opportunity. He sauntered straight over towards the shoes, taking in the sight of the gorgeous Supras that stood before him. The first pair his reddish gold eyes wandered over was the completely black skytops. He got those down and tried on a Supra Skytop 2 Kamikaze, which fit him in a seven and a half. Then, something gleamed in his eye. He looked over to his right and saw the most beautiful pair of golden skytop Surpas he had ever seen. He immediately took them down and had the cashier ring up his shoes while he wondered at them.
"Hey, man, wanna buy a board?" The blonde-haired surfer-looking cashier said.
Vladimir, exiting out of his trance, nodded, "Yeah, man, can I take a look at that Johnny Appleyard Element board?" He said, pointing to the red, black and white underside.
The cashier got it down and patted it, "This here is a beaut. One-eights thicker than the average board for maximum landing and grinding. You look the type to take skateboarding seriously."
Vladimir chuckled to himself. "I haven't boarded in the Gods know how long; but I think I'll buy that board. It's been awhile since I last got a new one."
So, Vladimir Tod payed a total of $330.99, half of that came from the board and shoes. The rest was spent on some logo shirts and sweatshirts, and a few more snapbacks.
The drive home was nearly silent. The radio was off, and the only noise came from the engine of his car. He sighed loudly, thinking to himself about his new, monstrous lifestyle.