Once I Was Human By Mara

You know, once, a long time ago, I was human. Yeah, me! Then I met a vampire named Angelus. He turned me into what I am today. A vampire. What? You wanna know about me before I turned vampire? Why not! I was a bloody (No pun intended) good guy. I took care of my little cousin. Until...well, just listen.

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Spring of 1890 - London, England I, William Chester, was 20 years-old when I was changed. I was walking through the alley, talking with my young cousin, David Chester. David and I were close friends, despite the difference in age. David, who was 15 at the time, was constantly going on about myths and legends, and I was the only one who even pretended to listen to him.

"Well, the legends say that Slayer's hardly ever look tough, they usually look like prissy little ladies, the kind that drive you crazy, but inside they are tougher than anyone or anything! Isn't that amazing I?" David asked me in his usual excited manner.

I chuckled slightly, both at the excitement in David's voice, but also at the idea of prissy ladies fighting demons and vampires. "It is rather amazing, Cousin. I must ask though, what on earth are your sources for this information?"

"Books, cousin, books. Trying reading one every once in a while and you might just understand what I'm saying!" David retorted with a laugh.

I smiled. "Who says I want to understand you?"

David looked at me, a hurt expression on his face until he saw the mischief filling my eyes. "Will! That was not a nice thing to say!"

"Who ever said I was nice?"

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That evening I sneaked out of my family's home, followed quickly by David. A large bruise covered David's thin face and he had been crying. "It'll be all right, David. I've got enough money to get us to America. He can't get either of us there," I whispered comfortingly.

David nodded. "I know, Will. Why does he have to be this way? What did I ever do to him?" he asked as tears began to stream down his face again.

I put his arm around my cousins shoulders. "He's a jerk, that's why. He cares about nobody but himself. You didn't do anything to deserve being hit." I turned around and gazed at the house one last time, and cursed my father, Micheal Chester. The man had been nothing but cruel to poor David since the boy had come to live with them. It wasn't David's fault that his father, Micheal's brother Thomas, had been killed in Egypt! But that didn't matter to Micheal. He took it out on poor David. The teenager was starved half the time, and beaten the rest. The only reason he hadn't died yet was the food I snuck him each evening, and the bandages I put on his injuries. I cursed Micheal one final time before turning and placing his hand on David's back and guiding him away from the hose that had been a living nightmare for the younger man for 7 years. we never noticed the figure in the darkness watching us, and following us. Several minutes later we reached the docks and I bought our tickets. As we sat and waited until morning, which was still a few hours away, David seemed uneasy.

"David, calm down. In a couple of hours we'll be on our way to a whole nother country! He'll never find us!' I chastised gently, not wanting to upset him more.

David shook his head. "It's not that, I... somethings...strange. Something doesn't feel right about being here!"

I patted David's shoulder. "You're just nervous, cousin. Relax. Listen, I'm going to go see if that bloke over there has a watch and'll tell me the time. I'll be back in a moment."

I got up and moved over to the man. "Excuse me, Could you give me the time?" I asked.

The man turned and smiled. "But time won't matter to you for much longer," he said as his face began to change. I gasped, realizing this was a vampire! David had shown me sketches of them before so I recognized it as such. He glanced over my shoulder towards David. "And after I turn you, the boy will make a good snack for us," he told me.

I panicked, terrified for my cousin. I managed to pull away a bit and screamed, "David! Run! It's a vampire!" I saw David stand and look towards me, obviously shocked. "Run!" I screamed again. This time David grabbed his bag and ran as fast as he could away from the vampire.

"Fine, you'll just have to find a different meal." I screamed as the teeth sank into my neck, then cried as I felt the vampire place his cut wrist against my mouth. I didn't want to, but my body insisted that I take the blood. A few minutes later I stopped trying to fight it and a happily took the blood from the vampire's wrist. "There. Now, I gathered your name is Will?" he asked. I nodded, still taking the blood. "Good. I am Angelus. And I am your sire."

I fianlly pulled back. "So, what happens now?" I ask.

Angelus smiled. "We go back to my apartment. I have a lady there you should meet."

I smiled back. As I stood my ticket fell out of my pocket. I looked down at it before picking it up. "I just gotta do one thing," I said as I walked over to the bench. I knew David would be back and he would find the ticket. I turned bakc around and saw the quizical look on Angelus' face. "I have always protected my cousin. I can't leave him with almost nothing."

Angelus shook hsi head. "Your soul's talking. It'll fade soon and you won't care anymore." I nodded, but I knew in my heart it wasn't true. I could never stop caring about David. I protected him. I always would.

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So, that's how I became a vamp. I bet you'd've never guessed I, William Chester, otherwise known as William the Bloody or Spike, was such a caring soul. But I was. At least when it came to David. I didn't see him for a very longtime, so long I was sure he was dead. then he showed up in Sunnydale, alive and well. And immortal. I didn't even recognize him at first, cause I thought he was dead. But when I did he told me what happened after he ran from the docks. But that's a seperate story. That's David's story.