Chapter 1: Abusive start
Jazz sat in the kitchen, worriedly stirring a mug of hot chocolate. She had long since given up sleeping. Her mind was way too crammed with nervous thoughts to allow even one moment of relaxation. She was so worried about Danny. He'd gone off to fight a ghost over two hours ago. Sure, his battles lasted awhile, but this was pushing it-even for him! It was past midnight for goodness sake, and she knew he had a huge exam tomorrow. He had, in fact, been studying for it when his ghost sense went off.
She briefly considered going to find him, but quickly discarded the idea. If nothing was wrong and she showed up, it would irritate Danny to no end. He had probably just decided to fly around afterwards and lost track of time. That, she knew, wasn't out of the ordinary. Besides, high powered ghosts didn't really come through anymore, since Danny had gotten better at fighting. It was probably Skulker or the Box Ghost. He could handle them- couldn't he?
Jazz took a sip of her hot chocolate, then immediately spat it back into the cup. It was stone cold. With a sigh, she dumped it down the sink and prepared to make another. This was the twelve cup she had dumped down the drain, if she was remembering correctly. As she pulled another packet out of the cupboard, she tried again to calm herself. Danny could take care of himself, he was fifteen. Tears came to her eyes at that thought. Her baby brother was growing up, and she was missing it. She didn't regret accepting a scholarship to Yale, not at all. She had learned so much and her career as a psychiatrist was progressing faster than anyone imagined. But ever since she had started classes, Danny and her had been drifting farther and farther apart. And he needed people close to him, especially since Sam was at an all girls boarding school that didn't allow electronics. Even Tucker, Danny's constant companion since kindergarten, had moved away when his father lost his job. Danny still hadn't made any new friends since then, and any psychiatrist knew that was a red flag. He still seemed like his happy, ghost fighting self, but she had noticed that he'd gotten a lot better at lying.
Her thoughts were interrupted by a thump from upstairs. Jazz sighed with relief and started toward the stairs. She figured she'd check on him, just to be sure everything was alright.
When she entered the room, she was shocked to find Danny already asleep. That wasn't a bad thing, really. What was bad was that he'd fallen asleep on the floor, his posterior stuck in the only way she could figure that he was this way was that he'd fallen asleep the second he came through the window. Jazz rubbed her forehead, deciding to ignore this new development in favor of helping Danny. Maybe she could get him in his bed. She walked over and gripped his arms, grunting as she attempted to lift him off the floor. When had he gotten so heavy? Then again, maybe she was just weak. She began pulling him toward the bed, wondering how she could possibly get him in the bed if dragging him was so hard. Finally, she settled for covering him with a blanket on the floor. As she left the room, she glanced back at his still form. She bit her lip. Even though he was home, something just seemed...off. Jazz shook her head, quietly closing the door as she left. She was probably overreacting, it was clear that nothing was wrong.
As she left the room, she failed to notice two tiny wounds on his wrist, slowly pulsing with a faint green light.

-One month later-

"What is this, young man? These grades are horrible!"
Danny faced him, trying to calm his emotions. On one hand, he wanted to yell that he had other stuff besides school. Like- oh, he didn't know, the meaningless chores Jack gave him just to feel in control? But on the other hand, he wanted to curl up in a corner and sob himself to death.
Jack scowled. "Why do I even bother trying to talk to you? You might as well be a lump of clay. Unlike your sister, you do nothing for this family, nothing! You need to be taught a lesson."
Danny blanched. He unconsciously rubbed his forearm. It was still bruised from Jack's hard grip the other night. Still, he had been a bit slow carrying those dishes.
Jack lashed out at him, slapping him hard across the face. Danny stumbled back, stepping aside to avoid a precarious looking vase. The last thing Danny wanted to do was make him angrier.
After a few more strikes, Jack finally stopped. He panted, clearly having more to say. But before he could, Maddie's voice called softly from the doorway. "Jack, honey? I made your favorite- turkey casserole. Come and get it before it gets cold."
Jack dropped Danny to the floor and hurried to the kitchen to get some of his favorite. Maddie entered the room very quietly. "Danny? Sweetie, you can stop pretending."
Danny slowly got up from the floor. He rolled his neck, popping it several times. His eyes fell on his mom, who had shuffled closer and put her hand on his shoulder. She looked so frail nowadays. He could see a bit of gray coming into her hair, and she walked slightly hunched over. He had grown several inches over the year, making them even in height.
"I'll try to bring you some dinner later." She whispered. Danny just nodded, heading for the stairs.
"And try to get your grades up. I don't like seeing Jack hit you."
"Alright mom. Thanks." Danny called back softly. He went into his room, closing the door softly behind him. He looked around, slightly depressed by what he saw. All his posters and trinkets had been taken by Jack awhile ago, probably shoved into some spare room. He had a desk, a lamp, and a bed, but that was about it. He staggered toward the desk and took out his English book, intent on finishing his homework.
But his thoughts simply wouldn't leave him alone. His cheek still stung where Jack had slapped him, but it didn't sting half as much as his current situation. Jack's temper was getting worse and worse. Danny had to keep his grades, the house, and attitude impeccable to keep from being hit. And mom... He didn't even know what to think about mom. She just seemed- empty. Like all her emotions and thoughts had been scooped out.
He stood up and walked to the middle of the room. With a little effort, he pried up one of the floor boards. He reached down and pulled out a bottle. He returned to his desk after replacing the floor board, sitting down on the rickety chair next to it. He expertly popped the bottle cap off with his teeth, spitting it onto the desk. He'd gotten pretty good at it over the past month. He took a sip of the thick, red liquid and sighed. All these new urges. He could smell it in everyone, and the urge to feed was always there.
A soft knocking came from the door. Danny set the bottle down and said, "Come in." He already knew who it was. Jack never bothered to knock.
Maddie came in, a plate in her hands. Danny raised an eyebrow at the plates contents- or, lack thereof. "Danny, honey. How are you?" She looked at the empty plate in her hands. "Your father ate so much, he left hardly any at all for us." She said it in a joking way, but it almost seemed like she was trying too hard to be optimistic. In fact, this only confirmed Danny's thought that his mother was starting to lose it.
"Mom. We need to talk." Danny got up and motioned for her to sit with him on the bed. Maddie, looking concerned, set the plate down and followed him.
"This can't go on. We need to tell someone what's going on."
"But sweetheart, nothing's going on." Maddie tried to counter, but Danny shook his head. "Mom, every day you live afraid that Jack is going to hurt you. We need to-"
"No!" Maddie snapped, her tone turning angry. "You listen here, young man. This is just a- some sort of phase Jack is going through. He'll come around, and when he does we're going to be there for him. You will tell no one. Do I make myself clear?"
Danny had been afraid something like this would happen. He'd been working up the courage for days. He had considered telling Jazz, but she had enough on her plate. And he couldn't contact either of his friends because Jack had taken the phones. What could he do? Maybe mom was right. Maybe it was just a phase.
With a sigh, he answered. "Very clear."
Maddie's anger faded and she gave him a gentle smile. "I'm glad we see eye to eye." She placed a hand on his shoulder. "How are you doing with your...condition? I don't know much about it, but..." Maddie trailed off.
"It's okay, mom." Danny assured her. "I have enough for now." Maddie nodded, getting up and leaving the room without another word.
Danny slumped down, putting his head in his hands. What kind of life was he living? Could he even be considered alive anymore? He went to his desk and picked up the bottle. He sipped again, tasting it as it went down. Probably from a cow, maybe a pig, he couldn't really tell. All the livestock animals tended to taste the same. As he drank, he allowed his fangs to slide from his gums. He felt one of them with his index finger, nearly cutting it as he pressed it to the point. He was so confused. When he'd first figured out what he'd become, he had thought it would be pretty straight forward. But it turned out, he wasn't even like a normal vampire!
Vampire. It was out in the open now. Danny had been avoiding thinking it, but he could no longer deny what was right in his face. He was a vampire. At least, he thought he was. But he could walk in sunlight, he had a reflection, and he only healed slightly faster than a normal person! What was up with that? He even had a heart beat- the one thing a vampire was never supposed to have!
Danny sighed. He replaced the bottle cap and put the it back underneath the floorboard. He glanced at the empty plate and pile of homework on his desk, then sighed and got into bed, setting his alarm back an hour. He'd need to get up early. Again. Hopefully the turkey casserole would make Jack slightly less irritable tomorrow.

Yeah, Danny's a vampire. Don't worry, I'll explain more in later chapters. Please review. (Do I even need to say I own nothing? *Gun pressed to my head* I OWN NOTHING!)