Chapter 2 (losing my old best friend but gaining a new one)

I hadn't seen Evra for a good 2 hours, the last I saw of him he was underneath a truck hiding from David our head organiser here at the cirque, I have just left his tent on the far side of camp, he had been obsessed with that crate I and a few other people help carry into his tend, and after our strange conversation, I was still lost as to what he meant by "Please keep this conversation we just had between me and you." All he did was answer my questions with a riddle.

"Well no point worrying about it, it isn't doing any harm to me or others so it's none of my concern." I let the matter about the crate slide, "I can't believe he said I sounded like Mr. Crepsley. Well maybe I do sometimes but that's not the point, to be told by somebody else that must mean it's noticeable to everyone…" I stopped dead I'm my tracks and looked around for the first person I set eyes on. Mr. Tall. I dashed over to him as fast as my legs would carry me, before he had the chance to disappear into thin air.

"Excuse me Mr. Tall can I ask you a really quick question." He was standing with his back towards me.

"Yes you do very much so." He didn't even look at me or wait for me to ask my question.

"Yes I do very much so what?" if I was using my head at the time I would have known where this was going.

"Yes you do sound incredibly similar to Larten." I stood shell shocked.

"Please tell me you're joking." I looked at him heartbroken.

"Master Shan I would not lie or joke about it, what is so wrong about sounding so much like him?" Mr. Tall had somehow manned to turn around to face me without me realising, he tends to dart round the camp anyway so it's something you get used to.

"He is just so strict and his speech is the same as well, I don't want to end up sounding strict." I started pouting. Mr. Tall laughed "Do not take it to heart Master Shan, he is a closed man, you more than anyone should know that. Events in his life have not been easy, He is just the way he is." and with that walked away. I didn't bother to follow him, or try and ask him more questions, there was no point, and I knew when it came to Mr. Crepsley's past to leave well enough alone.

I wondered around the camp a little, making sure no one needed me; I started headed back to mine and Evra's tent which we had shared since I first arrived. Hopefully he's stopped his SAS mission and gone back to normal.

"Hay Evra, you in here?" I looked around, his hammock was empty but Bippo was still in his tank. I wondered around a little then jumped in my hammock; I could grab a quick nap before Mr. Crepsley would wake up. I had just fall asleep when Evra burst into the tent and pushed me off my hammock.

I looked around a little dazed, I must have hit my head hard. Eventually my vision came into focus and I was greeted with Evra scowling at me. I stood up slowly and held my head. "What the hell was that for? I might be bleeding you idiot." I wasn't at all happy; he had a lot of explaining to do.

"You spent awhile in David's tent didn't you…what was you talking about?" Evra looked odd but I just couldn't work it out.

"Seriously... That's all you have to say, you could have done some serious damage" I sat back in my hammock feeling slightly sick and dizzy.

"What's in the crate then? And how did he know about what happened in 1850?"

"I don't know and I don't know. He didn't tell me what was in the crate and he didn't tell me how he knew. What's wrong with you; why are you all suspicious of him; his really nice, same can't be said about you at the moment." I stood up and headed for the door to find someone who could sort out my head, but Evra grabbed my arm stopping me in my tracks.

"You've gone soft. We should sneak into his tend and have a look ourselves what's in the crate." He started grinning evilly and I knew something was defiantly wrong. I pulled my arm out of his grasp and pushed him back.

"What the hell is going on with you lately, we are not sneaking into anyone's tend. Got it?" I was still dizzy but I pushed it aside, Evra's behaviour had really put me on edge and I had a feeling it may lead to a fight.

"HA you're just a weak, little, poor excuse of a vampire who's always been scared of getting court. You're a joke." Evra was laughing uncontrollably now at my hurt exception. I walked back over to my hammock, took it down, and collected my things. It took every ounce of will power I had to stop me from retaliating. "Going to run off to daddy like always. Oh ye that's right... you don't have a dad do ya." I snapped, blind with rage I dropped everything and within the blinking of an eye I had Evra by the scruff of the neck glaring hatefully into his eyes.

"At least I have someone." I didn't shout but my words dripped with hatred. I let him go and watched as he fell on a heap on the floor. I glared again at Evra while I made my exit, someone else could grab my stuff I just had to get out before I did something I would regret. I noticed quite a large crowd had gathered outside I looked down and the floor and just marched on.

I heard Evra throw back the flaps of our once shared tent, "OI DARREN!" I stopped but didn't turn around. "You failed as a human, I hope I live long enough to see you fail as a vampire to." and again the laughter began, some of the crowd members gasped at how unnatural it really sounded, some even looked at me for a response. I clenched my fists, I was about to snap there was only so much I could hold back, the only reason I had managed to hold back from hitting him this long was the all too real knowledge of if I did snap and hit him there was a good chance I would kill him with one blow.

After realising I wasn't going to react or respond a few members of the crew stepped in and restrained Evra on the floor who was still laughing hysterically. I looked around the crowd a little some shook their heads at Evra, a few even came over to try and talk to me and make sure I was alright. One cirque performer two bellies came over to me "You know he didn't mean it Darren, Evra's just having a funny time right now." He tried his best to comfort me but I didn't want comforting or sympathy, I just wanted to get away from the area to be left alone. Eventually the laughter stopped. But I was gone by the time Evra was dragged to Mr. Tall.

After a short walk I was at my destination. I entered Mr. Crepsley's van and walked over to his coffin lid and lay a hand on it, a few stray tears where rolling down my cheek. The person I needed to talk to the most couldn't be there for me at the moment I needed him the most. I would have to wait at least half an hour before I could contemplate waking him up, but half an hour was to long I needed to talk now. "That's the second best friend I've lost now." I wrapped my arms around myself and turned away from the coffin, "Maybe I should try sleeping again?" but as I started walking away, a hand emerged from the slightly open lid and grabbed my hand. I jumped from the shock but realised it was just Mr. Crepsley, he must of heard me. I walked back and looked through the little gap left by the open lid. "Sorry I didn't mean to wake you." I looked at the floor trying to hold back tears. Then Mr. Crepsley did the one think I never thought was possible.

He sat up in his coffin using his lid to block the light coming from the small window, and with his free hand he lifted me up and placed me next to him in his coffin, I was speechless but after a while I nestled my face into his chest and held onto him for dear life as his red shirt soaked up my flowing tears. He was still holding the lid open but when he felt me relax he slowly closed it and surrounded us in complete darkness. Normally I would of freaked out but I think being with Mr. Crepsley helped, instead of fearing the darkness, I welcomed it. After the tears had stopped I just lay there, my head on his chest listening to his steady breathing and the thumping of his heart. I was completely relaxed.

"So what is going on? Who has upset you?" he sounded half asleep and I could tell he was desperately trying to stay awake so I could let out my anger and hurt. I was touched by this rare show of affection and told him everything, from arriving where we were, to the first conversation David and myself had, every last little detail until I got to the part where I entered his van.

"I see, it is unlike Evra to act in this way, maybe he has contracted something of his snake?" while he was talking he had moved around a bit and ended up resting one hand on my head and the other still holding my hand on his stomach. He gave my hand a gentle squeeze. "I am sure he did not mean it, and you two will be sharing a tent again with in the week." I instinctive started rubbing his hand I was holding with my thumb.

"He called me a little, weak, poor excuse of a vampire and started laughing at me, and... he mentioned my dad and me being human, he said I failed as a human and he wanted to watch me fail as a vampire." I felt Mr. Crepsley hold tighten on me like he was protecting me from what I was saying.

"Darren you most certainly did not fail as a human as I know you will not fail as a vampire. You have made me so proud over these past years, and I am honoured to be your mentor." Mr. Crepsley closed his arms around me and out of nowhere kissed me on the top of the head, It didn't shock me though, I was too happy in the knowledge that he was here for me when I needed him. I stopped crying and smiled into his chest, "Besides what does he know about vampires, if he had any sense he would not have tried to provoke you. You could of seriously injured him or killed him if you had of retaliated." He ruffled my hair and patted my hand. "Come now, it is 10 minutes pasted nightfall and we are in need of fresh blood today."

He opened the coffin lid and we both sat up and stretched, I jumped out of his coffin first and looked out the small window "I will have to talk to Mr. Tall tomorrow." I couldn't get over how much like Mr. Crepsley I just sounded.

"Oh and why is that, I am positive he is aware you are no longer willing to share a tent with Evra." He had taken off his tear soaked shirt and was currently rummaging through his collection of bags for another.

"There in the grey coloured bag, next to the black one." He smiled his thanks and signalled for me to continue, "Anyway it's not like I can stay here with you in the van. It's far too small for my hammock and your coffin and it isn't like we can share a coffin as I'm up during the day and you're fast asleep." I looked over to him expecting some witty comment or agreement but all I saw was a disappointed look on his face. I didn't want to ruin the good run we were having so far, I started thinking really rapidly. *PING* I had the solution, "That is of course you don't mind moving to a bigger van where there would be enough room for the both of us." I walked over to the door and started opening it. "I know you don't make decisions hastily, so just let me know when you've thought about it if it's ok with you or not." I turned towards him and gave him a loving smile and walked out of the door leaving him standing there, mouth wide open completely stunned.

That night, after Mr. Crepsley had gotten over the shock at what just happened, we wondered round the camp saying good night to people who was just turning in. We also went and found Alice, one of the human helpers, who had agreed to 'donate' some of her blood to myself and Mr. Crepsley when we were too far away from civilization and blood was in short supply. Luckily we found her just before she was about to jump in bed, "You boys need a top up?" She smiled sweetly at us and invited us into her tent; she sat down and presented her arm. We drank our fill, thanked her for her kind 'donation' and left her to sleep. I was very reluctant to drink from Alice when I was first told we would be drinking from her, but understood she was doing this to help us and I never had a problem with it since.

When everything was deadly silent apart from the odd crackle from the open fire, and the sound of the water in the distance, we were sitting by the fire when the noise reached my ears the way it did when we first came to this camp site, I looked in it's the direction,

"It's the sea; we are about a mile off the coast line."

"Wow all this time and I didn't even notice, if I had of known sooner me and Evra could…" I stopped mid-sentence remembering we wasn't friends anymore and sighed heavily. Mr. Crepsley could tell I was hurting and got up. "Come on, stand up." He held his hand out to me, I took hold of it curiously, wondering what he was going to do, he turned his back to me, "Hop on" I again followed his orders and hopped onto his back and asked. "Where are we going?" my only reply "you will see." Then boom, we were off flitting to the direction of the sea, leaving a sleeping camp and a now unlit camp fire behind.