Ben didn't return to school the next day, or week, or month for that matter. Atticus figured Ben was probably feeling insecure about everything that has happened, and the trauma of it all didn't help. So, Atticus really thought nothing of it. Of course, the whole school was talking about it who wouldn't? A kid gets kidnapped in the parking lot of the school and survives? Big news. Then two weeks into the next month Guinevere finally came back to school.
"Hey, Guin! How's Ben?" He called after her. Jogging up beside her in the main hallway. Atticus gave her a little smile. She did not return the smile. In fact, she scowled deeper at him and quickly turned walking away from him. Well, that was rude. Atticus stood there for a moment before following her. "Did I do something?" He asked her.
"You know, we all trusted you," She snapped suddenly at him turning to look into his face.
"Excuse me? What did I do?" He asked putting a hand on his chest. She was still as brazen as before as she, with no warning, slapped his face. This caused several students to stop, and look at what just happened. Atticus was just in shock at the slap. Putting his hand on his face he could only stand there as he cheek stung.
"You can drop the act. Mr. Noel!" With that Guinevere stormed off leaving Atticus there with several students still staring at him.
"Whew, what did you do to piss her off?" Justin asked as he walked up to Atticus.
"I… really don't know," Atticus softly confessed as he continued to touch his stinging cheek. He was truly confused. Guinevere was fine with him before, and now it just seems like she went off of the deep end out of nowhere.
"So, can I borrow your homework?" Justin asked out of the blue.
"I'm a grade ahead of you, mate."
"Worth a shot. New kid won't let me copy off of him-"
"New kid?" Atticus asked looking at Justin now.
"Yeah, some hotshot from what I gathered. He hardly speaks. When he does do work he refuses to let me cheat off him. He even put his folder up next to me to stop me. He's smart," Justin gave a bit of shrug in response.
"When he does work?" Atticus repeated.
"He sits there and reads these big journals. I think he's a cheater himself because those journals are all handwritten." Atticus had several more questions for Justin, but the bell rang and Justin just simply punched Atticus's shoulder. "That homework?"
"I'm still a grade ahead of you."
"Right… see you in class."
"I'm still a grade ahead of you!" Atticus finally yelled at Justin. The guy needs to stop smoking so much reefer. He might get somewhere in life. With another huff, Atticus straightened out his plaid jacket. Nothing fancy today. Just blue jeans, t-shirt, and a plaid jacket. Putting his hands on his hips he stood there despite the fact he still had several questions on everything thing just given to him. From Guinevere's behavior to the story of this new kid. He decided to go a little off course and go directly to the Greenblooms himself. Grabbing his keys out of his pocket he twirled them on his finger for a moment before walking over towards the front desk.
After a rather snide comment from the woman at the front desk about his leaving so often. Atticus was off. Driving to the Greenbloom's home, he wasn't too surprised to see that Barnabas must have been gone. The man did have work to attend to after all. He wondered if Vita was home or not. Still, he walked up to the door and gave it a good knock. He'd normally just waltz on in, but not today. There were a few seconds of silence before the door opened. It was Twigleg. Twigleg gave him a wide-eyed look before silently slipping out of the house, and shutting the stained glass door.
"You shouldn't be here," Twigleg greeted him.
"I'm getting that vibe, Twiggy. Guinevere just slapped me out of the blue. What is going on? I thought you guys were okay with me?" Atticus asked as he put his hand on his hip. Twigleg looked nervous as he messed around his own fingers, and seemed to just fidget all over as he was trying to right words.
"I shouldn't tell you, but… Ben went off the deep end after he was saved-"
"What do you mean 'off the deep end'?" Atticus cut him off as he as he crossed his arms in a defensive stance.
"Ben… thinks you had something to do with his kidnapping-"
"Why would he think that? I've done nothing to him!" Atticus snapped. "Let me talk to him. I'll clear this over in a heartbeat!" Atticus then went to go past Twigleg, and walk through that door, but Twigleg put a hand on Atticus's chest and pushed him back.
"Ben's not here right now, he's out seeing Firedrake with Barnabas. Look… I'll put it this way. I'm not even supposed to be talking to you. Barnabas believes Ben-"
"Why?! What did I do here?!"
"It's not what you did. It's the fact that it was another vampire that kidnapped Ben. I've tried to bring Ben back, but he's not listening to any reasons."
"Another vampire? A half-blood?"
Twigleg shrugged, "Ben never said. He just thinks you have something to do with it because, well…"
"... Bullocks…" Atticus swore as he put his hand on his face. "What am I going to do? Wait… why aren't you on their side? No offense, but you'd follow Ben off of a volcano."
"I don't think they're right," Was all Twigleg said in response to that with a shrug of his shoulders.
Ben looked at the barren farmland. His breath hung in the chilly air as he walked over to the massive dragon laying in the abandoned cornfield. It was starting to become winter meaning the farmers and farmhands were gone until spring comes around again. So this place was perfect for meeting Firedrake. Ben didn't make it ten steps before Firedrake lifted his head, and turned in his direction. Instantly, his eyes went wide at Ben's battered state. 'No Sorrel? I wonder why." Ben thought to himself as he walked a few more paces to Firedrake. Ben could tell by the look on Firedrake's face that he was not expecting to see Ben in this battered state.
Ben was still in the process of healing, his bruises were mostly turning a sickly green color, only his eye stayed a good purple color. He can see out of it, which was good, but it still hurt horribly. The fingerprints around his neck may be gone, but he could still feel them. At night he'd sometimes wake up in a cold sweat thinking Finch was choking him. On more than one occasion Twigleg would have to calm him down from his panic.
"Lola told me you looked bad. I would never have guess…" Firedrake breathed out softly as Ben sat down next to the dragon on the cold muddy farmland.
"It's not so bad I'm battered but alive," Ben shrugged trying sound like it was really no big deal.
"You cannot pull that on me. Lola told me everything. So, tell me: how are you feeling for real?" Firedrake asked him softly as he gave Ben's shoulder a bit of a nuzzle.
"I… it's been hard. I'm not going to lie," Ben finally admitted as he let out a loud sigh. "I've been having nightmares, and dad has been talking about me seeing a therapist. I've never liked the idea of a therapist," Ben explained as he shook his head. Firedrake laid his head against Ben's stomach and looked up at his human friend.
"Tell me. Lola brought up the vampire, she told me that you said he was part of your kidnapping? Despite the fact that he seemed like he was concerned for you while you were missing?" Firedrake questioned never moving his head from against Ben's stomach. Ben could feel Firedrakes hot breath against his stomach as the dragon breathed out softly.
"Yeah."
"Yeah? Just yeah?" Now Firedrake lifted his head up and looked Ben in his eyes now.
"I mean it only makes sense."
"In what world?" Firedrake challenged actually throwing Ben off by this.
"What do you mean?"
"How does that make sense? He was concerned for you, therefore, he must be part of your kidnapping?"
There was a moment of silence as Ben wrapped his jacket tighter around his chest as he started to feel a little uncomfortable, finally Ben spoke. "My kidnapper is a vampire."
"I see, but just because your kidnapper is a vampire, doesn't mean the vampire trying to befriend you has anything to do with it."
"You think?"
"From what I was told."
"I don't know. It just all seems like such a coincidence. A vampire tries to befriend me when suddenly I get kidnapped by another vampire? It just seems too connected."
"I'm sure you're thinking irrationally about this."
"You really think so?" Ben asked now feeling like he was under interrogation again. As he rubbed his arms uncomfortably.
"I'll ask you this. If a dragon were to kidnap you would you think I was involved?"
"Of course not!" Ben gasped at the idea. He could see what Firedrake was starting to get at. Why he was defending a vampire was strange to Ben. Then again, Firedrake has always been a peaceful creature. Firedrake gave Ben a look. This caused Ben to shrink up a little as he tried to avoid the dragon's judgemental stare.
"Then why would you accuse this vampire of doing the same thing?" Firedrake finally asked him. "What proof do you have to this accusation aside from Atticus's species?" Ben opened his mouth only to close it. He repeated this process several times before finally remaining silent. '... Oh my god… I'm horrible!' Ben finally came to the realization of what his accusation entailed with his entire family shunning Atticus for no reason. Put his hand to his mouth he almost wanted to jump and rush away to school to talk to Atticus before it was too late. Before he could even get to his knees he was pushed back by Firedrake. "Calm down, Ben. You still have some things to explain to me, and I'm not letting you get away that easily just yet."
"Oh…" Ben softly breathed out. 'What else could there be?' Ben thought as he got himself comfortable by Firedrakes side once again.
"Your kidnapper? He is still alive and out there? Correct?" Firedrake asked throwing Ben for a bit of a loop.
"Yeah. I think so anyway. He got out of a moving car going way over the speed limit. So odds are he's in no position to be out hunting for me again." Ben tried once again to sound like he was calm about it, but in reality, that was far from the truth. 'He is still out there despite being banged up. He'll come back eventually.' Ben thought as he kept his eyes downcast to the harsh farmland.
"You're still scared," Firedrake put it bluntly almost as if he was reading Ben's mind. Ben looked up at his friend and gave a weak nod in response.
"Yeah."
There was a bit of silence between them as Ben looked forward at the barren trees just a little ways away from them. He could hear the soft sound of chirping off in the distance as birds flew around the trees. Ben watched the birds for a good while before Firedrake finally broke the silence. "Do you need me to stay for a while?"
"What?" Ben asked looking at the dragon.
"I can stay nearby if you feel unsafe around humans."
"Oh, Firedrake. I don't want you to almost get caught because of me."
"I worry about you. I worry about you a lot, really," Firedrake gave a sudden noise that sounded like a soft coo leaving his throat as he nuzzled against Ben's cheek. "I can stay for the winter months. The farmers, as you say, won't return till the spring. I can at least make sure you are safe for a little while."
"Firedrake?"
"Yes?"
"I honestly would like nothing better than to have you around for a short while." Ben finally spoke as he hugged Firedrakes head close to his chest now. 'I know with him around me, I can feel safe again, even if just for a while.'
"Good, because I wasn't planning on leaving no matter what you say. Now, hold still, and let me heal you. It's been driving me crazy," Firedrake plainly as he lifted his head up to look at Ben. Ben gave Firedrake a bit of a smile, and Firedrake gave him a bit of a nudge in response. "C'mon, smile more than that, Benjamin," Firedrake ordered. Ben gave Firedrake a big of a bigger, if not awkward, smile. "There it is."
"Firedrake, why isn't Sorrel with you?" Ben finally asked the dragon.
"Oh Right. Poor thing, her sister is with child, and both of them have become sick. The dragons and brownies are doing all they can to help the poor Brownie. Sorrel requested to stay behind to help her sister heal," Firedrake filled Ben in. Ben gave a nod in response.
"I hope her sister gets better."
"We all do. Now, please, let me heal you. You are easier to heal than a pregnant brownie."
Atticus sat in his recliner a glass of whiskey in his hands. Atticus knew he wasn't going to get drunk; it'd actually take a lot more than a small glass of whiskey to do that. He was Irish after all. He might not have been able to digest normal human food. Hence why if he ever has to come in contact with it he either declines or spits it out, but whiskey was one of the very few things he could actually stomach. Looking at the wall, Atticus brought his drink to his lips and took a small sip of the bitter liquid. He just needed a moment alone in his thoughts. He was a vampire, and nothing could be changed about that. He found that out a long time ago. Still, even though times changed he was still the target of hatred amongst people because of it. A part of him wanted to talk to Ben and smooth things over, but another part of him knew that Ben would never fully trust him or befriend him because of what he was. Atticus went to take another sip when suddenly an ice cube hit his nose, making him retract his arm and wipe his nose quickly. With a low and loud grunt, he pulled himself out of the chair and got ready to pour himself another glass.
His house wasn't big, not at all, just a small one-story house with two bedrooms and a bathroom. The living room was the main focal point of the whole house. Seeing how it was the first thing people would see anyway. The living room attached to the kitchen and dining room just to his left, then down the hallway on the right were both rooms, one being where he stored his machines and the master bedroom. Then finally there was the bathroom on the right. No carpets. Absolutely no carpets. Blood stains did not look good on carpets, and they were awful at getting out once set.
Rubbing the back of his neck. Atticus padded barefoot into the tiled kitchen and set his glass down on the counter. Reaching up to the cabinet he pulled down his bottle of whiskey, opened it, and started to pour the drink into the cup. Once filled, he went to put the whiskey away when he heard something surprising: a knock on his door. Narrowing his eyes Atticus snatched his glass off the counter. 'Now, who could that be?' Walking past the dining room table, he grabbed his switchblade and stuffed that in his pocket. Just in case.
Walking rather slowly to the door he looked through the peephole and got his second surprise that day. Unlocking his door, Atticus allowed it to open as he looked at Ben with narrowed eyes.
"What are you doing here?" Atticus questioned maybe a little too rudely to the boy.
Ben fidgeted for a moment allowing Atticus to look at him. He was healed completely. No bruises, no blood vessel damage, nothing. Not a scratch on him. He was in a beanie, blue jeans, and a thick winter jacket. Ben also had a box in his hands. Ben looked at Atticus then quickly looked at the ground. "Here!" With one simple word, Ben thrust the box into Atticus's hands. Almost causing the vampire to drop his whiskey. Atticus raised an eyebrow and set his whiskey down so he could open the box. Before he did, he looked at Ben once more.
"Is it going to explode?"
Ben vigorously shook his head as his cheeks suddenly reddened as he pulled his hat down above his eyes. Ben's behavior was more than confusing at the moment. Still, hoping there was no explosive in the box, he opened it. 'What in the…' Atticus then looked at Ben with a bit of confusion before pulling a cheap piece of cloth out of the box. It was black, and he thought it was all black until he let it unfold and saw the bright red on the other side.
"Cheap material, black on one side, red on the other, and two flimsy strings. This is a Dracula cloak from the Halloween store, isn't it?" Atticus asked as he held the cloak out.
"... It's actually a cape. You see a cloak-"
"Ben. What are you doing here?" Atticus finally asked. He almost stuffed the cloak back into the box until he realized it still had weight in it. Scrunching his nose up he looked into the box and pulled out a sausage labeled plain as day as Black Pudding.
"Ben, what are you doing?"
"I'm sorry!" Ben finally yelled. "I had a long talk with Firedrake, and he made me come to my senses about everything. I've been an irrational moron for the last month and I turned all my family against you and SoIwantedtomakeituptoyouandIgotyouthecapethinkingitwouldmakeyoulaughatleast-" Ben started to yell near the end of his sentence and Atticus was quick to realize he wasn't breathing either.
"Whoa! Whoa! Slow down, Ben!" Atticus ordered, dropping the box Atticus put both hands on Ben's shoulders. "Breath! In… out…." Atticus instructed. Ben took in several deep breaths, before swallowing hard. "Now, repeat the last part of your sentence to me slowly."
"I wanted to make it up to you, and I got you the cape thinking you might get a laugh out of it, but you didn't, and I feel horrible." Ben half whined as he buried his face in his hands. "I'm so sorry, Atticus. I was thinking irrationally about everything. I turned my entire family against you, and Guinevere told me she slapped you today, and I just felt horrible." Ben confessed. "I just figured because it was another vampire that kidnapped me that you were somehow involved."
Atticus let out a soft sigh, and let go of Ben's shoulders. He looked at Ben, he truly did look remorseful for what he's done. "Ben-"
"I understand if you don't forgive me! I wouldn't forgive me either!"
"Ben-"
"I'm so sorry!"
"Ben! Stop." Atticus sternly ordered. That got Ben to look at him finally. "Apology accepted. Now please calm down before you give yourself a stroke, and just listen to me for a second." Atticus took in a deep breath. "I understand why you did it, but I want you to know this: I will never harm you. I never intended to harm you. The fact that it was another vampire was just a horrible coincidence."
Ben gave a soft sniffle as he wiped some tears from his eyes. "As I was told." Ben gave a nod.
"Would you like to come in?" Atticus asked as he moved out of the doorway. Ben gave another nod in response and walked into the vampire's home. Atticus walked past Ben and placed the box on the dining room table. Atticus sharply turned into the hallway. Going into his bedroom, he opened the top drawer to his dresser and pulled out several pages. Going back to Ben, he put the papers in Ben's hands. "These… are the papers that were torn out of the journal. I think you need to read them in order to fully understand everything, why I wanted to befriend you," Atticus told Ben as he handed Ben the papers. Ben looked down at the papers then back up at Atticus with a confused look on his face.
"You do understand that I can't read ancient Latin right?" Ben finally asked.
"... crap… well, why don't you go and give it to Twigleg or Barnabas? I know one of them can translate it," Atticus told Ben softly.
"Okay."
"By the way, how did you know where I live? And, furthermore, how did you get here?" Atticus asked Ben as his friend was caressing the pages. Ben might not have been able to read what was on those pages, but he sure was fascinated by them.
"I snuck out with Twigleg's help. Finding your house wasn't that hard all I had to do was just mention your name to the neighbors, and they pointed me to the only house with windows that were painted black." To prove his point Ben pointed towards Atticus's front windows, where they were indeed spray painted black to keep the sunlight out. Atticus may have been able to tolerate it and go out into the sun, but that didn't mean he liked it when sunlight streamed into his house. Of course, this had caused some interesting reactions from his neighbors. He got some pretty interesting notes in his mailbox about once a week demanding that he take the paint off his windows, or there would be consequences. So far he had also had to replace three windows because someone kept throwing rocks at them.
"Ah, yep, that might be a giveaway." Atticus gave a bit of a wry smile to Ben. "Look, go home. You'll probably get in trouble if you stay here for too long. Explain to your crackpot family that I'm not the bad guy in this situation, please, and stay safe," Atticus told Ben as he ushered Ben out the door. Ben gave another nod in response.
"Okay, Atti. Bye." With that Ben turned and walked down the steps. Atticus leaned against the doorframe watching him leave until he was out of sight. Shutting the door behind him, Atticus silently picked his whiskey back up, walked into the kitchen, and promptly poured the drink down the drain.
Stumbling along the cold hallways of the institute, Finch grumbled to himself. He didn't look that great, nor did he really feel like putting up with James and his son at the moment, but it had to be done if he didn't want a red target on his back. If James deemed Finch an enemy, then his short-lived life would be over before he could blink. 'He's safe…'
Passing a mirror, Finch looked at himself. The whole right side of his face was torn to shreds from the pavement. Bailing from the car was the only way he could escape those cops. His neck also suffered from his recent skinning as well. His right eye was damaged, too, to the point that he was completely blind in that eye. It didn't matter. If James could maybe grant him mercy, then he could possibly get the healing that he needs. Walking into the elevator, Finch pushed the top floor button and waited, straightening his torn shirt out to the best of his abilities. Finch heard the ding of the elevator and shambled out. His left knee was twisted when he fell. It hurt, of course, but he could still walk, and that was all that mattered at the moment. Getting to the double doors, Finch looked at them. Cherry oak, only the best for James. Those doors would either lead to his doom or his salvation. Raising one hand up Finch knocked. He didn't have to wait long for the doors to open. 'Turn around. You can still change.'
"You're late," Marie snapped at him. Marie Williams, James' personal assistant. She wasn't really much to look at. She was a tall, thin-faced woman with small eyes and a thin mouth that was always pursed. She was old, maybe in her late seventies, but this woman would rather die than give up being James's assistant. Her white hair always pulled back into a tight bun.
"Marie, let him in," Came James's cool yet intimidating voice. "I mean, it's not his fault he has a limp now, is it?" Marie growled slightly but stepped to the side allowing Finch to walk through the door. Finch ignored the room for the moment and made a bee-line straight for James's desk. Again, cherry wood, very expensive, very much like James.
James was no older than forty-five. He had thick brown hair and almost shaped blue eyes... bright blue eyes that could honestly rival Ben's own blue. He had an aura of authority around him as he sat at his desk, his large hands clasped together. "It seems our little dragon rider escaped."
"Yes. I don't understand how I made simple mistakes, but he did if you grant me one last chance-"
"Hush."
Finch shut his mouth at the command. 'He's a bad man. He'll harm all I loved.'
"No, I cannot focus on Benjamin at the moment. As you see, my son, Ivan, has escaped. Again. No doubt going after Ben for his own needs. He's taken several of my journals with him. So, I have a feeling the dragon rider will be very much aware and on edge, coming here shortly. No, Finch. After thinking about several things for the upcoming future, I've decided on a different fate for you." Finch looked at James long and hard as the man now stood. The two of them were the same height, though James was a bit more on the lean side while Finch had more muscle. "Marie, go get Joshua please," James ordered the elderly woman. The woman left quickly. "Now, we don't have to worry about Ivan for the time being. I have a little spy in the school who's been feeding me all the information I need on Benjamin. I know they'll keep Ivan in line for me." Finch gave another nod to James as James continued on.
"You've mentioned to me many times your desire to learn modern day technology, and today I've decided to put that to the test. Joshua will be the one to train you in doing so." James spoke calmly to Finch. "But, be warned. If you fail me on this, no more chances will be given to you. Understood?" James cupped Finch's face in his hands, forcing the vampire to look at him with his one good eye. James's hands were hot against Finch's cold skin. 'Nobody deserves this fate.'
"Of course."
"Now, you must be starving. If I am correct, vampires heal through their meals, and I cannot have you attempt to learn computers and code with only one working eye. In the next room, you'll see my old hacker. He couldn't find Ivan within a reasonable time limit. Therefore I have no use for him. Be quick, Finch." With that, James sat back down at his desk. Finch turned to the door on his right and opened it.
It was a small room, no bigger than a cubical really. In the middle of the room was some poor sod. The man watched as Finch shut the door behind him.
"Are you here to help?" he asked Finch with a bit of hope. Finch opened his mouth revealing all of his vampire teeth. 'I'm so sorry.'
"What do you think?" With that, the vampire lunged grabbing the screaming man. Finch was hungry, starving, really. He needed something to eat to quell the voice inside his head, and this man was just that meal.
