SCREAMING LUNGS AND RED-EYED STARES
CHAPTER 2 - The Deal
Dust coats my lungs, and I sneeze again. My eyes droop. The world blurs in and out of focus. I'm on the floor of my bedroom. Heavy tomes surround me like a bulwark. Natural light has long ceased. Darkness seems to penetrate the window, sprinkling through like a Catholic baptism.
Perhaps it's time for a break. Oddly enough, Jenna and Elena have yet to bother me today. My stomach screams. I stand on shaky legs, fighting through a head rush. My hand slides along the wall. Flicks on the hallway light.
No one is home.
I stumble around the kitchen. Pop open the fridge's doors and fix myself a sandwich. I savour the last bite. The last shopping trip was this weekend, so the bread I bought is still moist.
RING! RING! My head almost touches the ceiling. My hand flings to slap where my heart has nearly exploded.
"Hello, Gilbert residence." I say, flat and fake.
"Debs?" Jer's voice fuzzes through a cell phone.
"What's wrong?" I pace the floor, evenly placing a foot on each tile, going in a perfect rectangle.
"Vicki's hurt and I don't know what to do!" He whispers. My ear creaks in an attempt to catch everything.
"Alright, everything's going to be alright. Does Matt know?"
"Yes, he's - we're going to the hospital. He's going to meet us there."
"Good. And Elena?"
"She wanted to come but I wouldn't let her."
"Jer, do you want to me to come or are you informing me?"
An audible swallow. "Not that I care, really, but maybe Matt wants you to."
Matt and I haven't had a real conversation since 2nd grade, when he told me the game the boys were playing (something similar to a make-believe medieval combat situation) wasn't for girls. And he wondered how that garter snake appeared in his desk.
"I'll be there as soon as I can."
"Alright." Faint voices leak through the phone. A siren screams.
"Love you."
The line goes dead.
There's no vehicle in the driveway for me to take, so I book it on Jeremy's scooter. Cold evening air rips at my skin. Street lights gleam a ghoulish yellow onto everything they can touch. Birds whistle in the trees, and squirrels rustle up giant cedars. Nature goes slow, but this is no time to attempt to soak in its magic.
I swing through the hospital parking lot, ignoring the frail old ladies and grumpy visitors. The signs lead me to a waiting room for the emergency. Jeremy hunches over a chair, his greasy locks fanned out over his face like a willow tree's protective leaves. Matt stands at my arrival, his jaw set for bad news.
"Hey Jer."
He looks up, eyes near dead and clouded with some sort of intoxicant. I ignore it. Hug him tight and skim a hand across his sweat-covered neck.
"Do either of you need anything?"
"I'm fine." Jeremy grumbles.
Matt frowns. "You don't even like me."
I stretch my face. "With all due respect, my motives don't have anything to do with you. Vicki is important to Jeremy, and that links you to me."
"You never talked to me when I was Elena's boyfriend." Hard blue orbs jab me. He's trying to throw the blame.
I wave my hand as if that's a trifle. Jeremy gives a half-smirk. I'm not very good at keeping my favorite a secret.
"How about I go scramble up some coffee."
Matt nods once. Jer mumbles.
o0o0o0o
When I get back Matt is gone.
Jeremy hunches over his seat, his back tensing further at my footsteps. "Only family are allowed to visit her."
Softly, I dent the chair beside him. Hand over a horrible smelling cup of mostly water and grounds. "Did they at least tell you what's going on?"
His throat makes an audible glug. "She's getting stitches in her neck and they're f**king up her head with some pills."
"An animal attacked her?" A vampire.
He shrugs. "She wanted to be with Tyler. She always will."
I sigh. There's a mottled brown painting against a light pink wall, perhaps trying to represent how quickly s**t can go down. Perhaps not. "Do you want some advice?"
"Maybe." It depends.
"You're a catch. Funny, smart, and your art, don't even get me started on your art." His mouth quirks up. "Any girl who can't see your awesomeness needs to get her eyes checked. Jer, someday someone is gonna like you for you, and won't leave you because a Lockwood comes 'round." I take a breath. Try to make out his expression under all that hair.
"What if I just want Vicki?"
"Then I'll stay with you. It's not my job to make choices for you, alright? It's your life, and if you think Vicki will make you happy, then I'll lend you a hand."
"But you hate her."
"This isn't about me." I say passively. My hands are calloused from writing and guitar. There's a scar around my index finger from where I cut open my hand at age 9. I thought they would find the bruises, but the hospital merely stitched me up and sent me away. Grayson stood watch the whole time.
A sweaty hand gently curls around mine. "Thanks."
He'll release it at the sight of the next nurse, but it still made my day.
o0o0o0o
Finally I manage to drag him home, after he's absolutely certain that Vicki's well cared for and asleep. Jeremy strides quickly. I scooter over the pavement.
Click goes the front door.
"Jeremy! Oh my gosh!" Elena hurtles out the front door and bolts across our darkened lawn. He stiffens like a possum.
Aunt Jenna stands in the doorway, arms crossed. A frown etches in her forehead and tightened cheeks.
"I'm fine. Gosh, I'm not the one who got attacked."
"But you could've! Come on!" Elena drags him up to the house. Jenna squeezes him tight, and the possum returns.
I trample after them. Reach my senses as far as they can go. There's a heaviness in the tree beside Elena's room, a big sturdy oak we used to play in as kids. Or - Elena and Jeremy played in it.
"Do you want me to make something? Have you eaten?" Jenna hovers around the kitchen, tugging at one of her sleeves.
"I'm fine." Jeremy grumbles. His body points to the stairs, he slowly inches towards his freedom.
I gently push Jenna out of the way. "How about some French toast?"
Jer slides onto a chair, and his fingers dance along the island. Elena and Jenna gab to each other - perhaps an attempt to leech all the oxygen from our house. There isn't much conversation required of either of us.
I rinse the dishes in the sink and head up to bed.
o0o0o0o
The Salvatore boarding house is a large, open building. Casement windows line its three floors, and each time I've been inside the rooms were scrubbed to the bone.
Knock, knock, knock. My fist hits the wood. There's a bit a finality to it. A solid rapping.
It creaks open. Zach Salvatore clears his throat. He's a bit of a nerdy looking middle-aged man, his hair greying at the temples. "Can I help you?"
I give him a small smile. "Yes, actually. I'm looking for Damon. Is he home?"
His skin flushes of colour, jaw tightening. "You should stay away from him."
My back straightens, quick, like a jack-in-the-box. "Mr. Salvatore." I say sharply. "I can assure you I'm perfectly aware of Damon's… undead state. I can defend myself just fine."
"We'll see about that." A deep voice rumbles behind him.
Zach's nose crinkles, and he goes to shut the door.
There's a thump and some mumblings. It creaks back open.
"Hello witch." Says the handsome vampire.
"You look so excited to see me."
He scowls, moving away to allow me entry. Perhaps due to what my touch has done to him so far. The living room is large and dark, only one window to allow light in. Large green drapes block out sun like the vicious grip of a python.
Damon saunters over to the alcohol table and downs a crystal glass of bourbon. "You come to finally finish me off?" He turns back with dramatic flair.
"Only if you choose to path of no return." I respond pleasantly. My fingertips slide along a smooth, sanded wood wall. Eyes flicker down the spines of numerous books.
The vampire chuckles. Leans against a couch with a twinkle in his clear blue eye. "And what is your demand, oh great powerful witch?"
"Leave Vicki alone."
He frowns, his tone biting, "I thought you said the little druggie boy was the only one you'd ever ask protection for? Are you going back on your word? Quick, call the investigators of b**chy witches! It's an emergency!" A well-groomed hand slaps at his undead heart. Long black eyelashes flutter like a damsel in distress.
"I'm not sure I appreciate your tone."
Damon laughs. "You think you can just stomp in and get the big bad vampire to do your bidding? Witch b**ch, meet reality." The vampire prowls toward me. A certain coolness zips through the air and raises goosebumps.
I stand my ground, planting my feet firmly. My index finger raises. "What the f**k kind of vampire stays in one place? That doesn't actually kill their hunts? F**k off from my town."
Not leaving time for a defense, he springs forward. A searing pain rips at my throat.
What the f**k? I curl my hands around my biceps. Take whatever power I can get. Anyone who looked in at this moment might assume we're having a rough makeout session.
Damon falls to the ground, skin grey and tangled through with deep purple veins. It's already beginning to pinken. I must hurry.
What can be used as a stake?
A wooden chair slams against the floor. Once, twice, finally a leg breaks off. I bolt over to Damon and hold up the stake.
"You think that'll go in?"
My heart nearly leaps out of my chest. Pain waves through my body. I'm still losing a lot of blood.
Stefan Salvatore walks through the doorway, his sick life force buzzing like a VCR on rewind. "Did my brother attack you?"
"Get the f**k away from me!" I hold up the stick at him, more like a cross than a weapon. He's right, the chair leg is much too blunt to go through a body - without the aid supernatural strength.
He holds up his hands, brown eyes so big it's almost manga-like. "Help me and I'll take him into the cellar."
I scoff. "And what good will that do?" My vision blurs at the edges, as if someone took golden paint and swirled it around to make me in panda bear likeness.
"Come on, Zack." The man scurries in, staring at my neck. I must look like f**king snow white with all that red on white action. "We're going to get him to detox from human blood."
I swallow hard. "That's why your magic is so sick."
A moment of silence. "Let's get him down there."
Stefan says that as if the two humans can help at all. Superman slaps the body over a shoulder. Hidden behind a heavy tapestry is a large door, which leads down around a dozen narrow steps. The walls are rough. Stefan's footprints show sharply in the dust.
He places Damon gently onto the ground. It's a cellar room, with a large plot of purple flowers in the corner. How do they grow without light?
"How long does it take a vampire to dessicate?" I cough in a lungful of dust.
Stefan closes the heavy prison-like door, using a giant key to turn the lock. "A couple of weeks without blood. He won't if he drinks the animal blood, though."
I frown. "What is that supposed to accomplish?" It's worthwhile to question him as much as possible. I've got a bit of Damon's magic (what makes him a vampire) but that doesn't mean I'll win in a fight against Stefan. Besides, this is his territory.
"Without human blood in his system his emotions will dull. It's my hope that he'll stop trying to murder everyone he sees."
"It's your hope?" I spit. "So you're going to risk the lives of this entire town for a murderer?" My vision blurs further, and my legs give out.
"F**k." Stefan spits, managing to keep my head from hitting the stone floor.
I blink frantically. Try to stop the pull of darkness and warmth. A soft wrist presses to my lips. Thick liquid hits my tongue, tangy like a metal necklace.
He's feeding me his blood.
My nose wrinkles up like a raisin, but my hands are too weak to push him away. F**k, who is this human-loving high-school going vampire? Why in the world would he be trying to save me? Maybe it's more fun to kill another vampire.
Finally it stops. Stefan leans over me, green eyes flickering with guilt. "I'm sorry Damon hurt you."
I manage to push myself up. "It's my fault. I tried to threaten him into leaving Jer and Vicki alone."
Stefan plops down beside me. We stare at the heavy metal door.
"I tried to get him to leave. Damon does whatever he wants."
"Why does he care, though? Did you kill his kitten?"
A gulp slicks down his throat. "I forced him to change."
"Into a vampire?"
"Back in 1864."
"S**t, he's been holding a grudge for almost 150 years?"
Stefan turns to me. He is handsome, though how much he hates himself is well apparent. "Vampire are especially good at it. Did Damon lure you here?"
I laugh, short and painful. The world is slowly beginning to stop spinning. My vision clears. "I'm a witch. I thought I could take him."
Green eyes slip down my features, as if to check the divets for dishonesty. "Is Sheila Bennett teaching you?"
My knuckles turn white, thumbs twiddling. "She thinks I'm an abomination." Something squirms in my gut. I'm alone with a vampire. Stop getting distracted, stay on guard.
He frowns. "Why?"
I clear my throat. Never has this type of situation arisen before. Stefan's one of the supernatural - would he… accept me? "I'm a siphoner - which means I don't have any of my own. Elena's magical though, so I skim a bit off of her." His expression twists. "Not enough to hurt her, honestly, just enough to put up a couple of wards for the house. I took a lot away from Damon the first time he threatened me."
"Vampires don't have magic." Stefan ponders.
"But magic keeps you alive. You regenerate so fast that the amount I can take… it's, electrifying."
He looks at me, his eyes filled with a new awareness.
I sigh. "I'm not gonna take any away from you unless you attack me."
Stefan stands, holding out his hand to me. "That's not what worries me. I've heard witches talk about what it's like to have magic - I can't imagine being so close to it and giving it up."
My feet shuffle after him. This subject is giving me too much of the feels. "Look, you keep your brother down here and help me protect my family, and I'm willing to be your converter for anything short of murder."
He shuts the tapestry behind me, a small smile quirking up his lips. "My converter?"
"Yup, I can convert your magic into the useful sort." I shift, bounce my palms on my thighs. "It's a one of a kind offer. So far you seem to wanna keep humans safe-ish. What do you say?"
Stefan examines me. "Alright."
I swallow. "You're going to let me out?"
His eyes darken, mouth tightening. "You're not a prisoner. I'll see you at school, okay?"
"Okay."
Zach's wide eyes follow me out the door.
I breathe in fresh air. What the f**k just happened?
o0o0o0o
Hello y'all! Alright, so I'm kinda fighting a big concern right now. Do the characters seem robotic? Is the pace dragging? More interaction will be seen in the next chapter, but I've got a bit of worry for how it's turning out. Perhaps writer's paranoia?
I'd love to here some thoughts.
