~O~

Shun couldn't get back to sleep after that dream; not that he really wanted to. He was somewhat afraid to allow himself to fall back asleep, afraid that the dream would return and make him relive the horror of what he did to Alice all over again. But his mind and eyes were heavy with fatigue; he hadn't really gotten enough sleep the past couple of days.

He had been awake through an entire day, and most of last night while helping out with the training sessions before he fell into withdrawal. And then there was the couple of hours he had laid on the bathroom floor, unconscious from the bombardment of blood mixture he had pumped into his veins. Now, that horrible nightmare had ripped him awake as well, and for once, his body wasn't screaming for the drug like he had been almost nonstop.

No. Instead, it was begging for some sleep, a rest from being conscious and dealing with all of the stress and problems that the world brought along with it. But with those dreams, Shun didn't want to risk falling back asleep, only to have another nightmare like the one he had just had.

It had been so vivid, so lifelike. Shun recalled how when he woke up, it was like he could taste Alice's blood, as if he had really drained her of the life-giving fluid like he had done in the dream. That bothered Shun, but he didn't really know entirely why. But did he really have to have a reason to be bothered by waking up from a nightmare like he had had, and then tasting the blood that enticed him so much?

He didn't think so. Shun ran a hand through his hair and glanced down at the pillow beside him. The case and much of the pillow itself was ripped to shreds from where he had grabbed a hold of it in the midst of his nightmare and dug into it with his nails.

He made a mental note to ask Loran or Sinclair to find him a new pillow. Hopefully they wouldn't ask what happened to the old one; he didn't really feel like explaining how his pillow got torn to shreds. If he did, then that would involved delving back into that dream and revealing to Sinclair that he had been fantasizing about tasting the blood of one of his friends again, which, in turn, would tell the Vampire Lord that he had taken blood directly from the source.

And that wouldn't go over well for Shun, seeing as that was one of the few rules he had to follow. Shun sighed heavily and glanced over at a digital clock that rested on the nightstand beside his bed; it read two in the afternoon. Daytime. Everyone else was sound asleep, or, at least, should be.

The thought of walking around the enclave by himself, without running the risk of being seen or stopped by anyone enticed Shun. He could stand to get a bit of air or walk to try and clear his mind. Or there was something else he could do by taking advantage of the time; he could break into the supply room and take more blood mixture now.

He had used up the last of what he had stolen the first time, and he knew it wouldn't be much longer before his body craved more. So, this seemed like the perfect time to take care of this before it became a problem. Shun stood up from his bed, his legs wobbling a bit underneath the sudden weight that was placed on them.

But he held his balance and walked out of his room, making sure to glance down the hallways to make sure he was really alone. And, of course, he was. Shun started down the hallway. He would have to go through the main room and veer off down another hallway to get to Sinclair's study, where he would take the supply room key from its secret hiding spot, and then go back to the main room and turn down the hallway where the supply room was.

All of that would seem like too much work to some people, but most people also didn't understand Shun's situation. All of that work was worth it in the end, because it gave him what his body needed and provided him relief from the aches of want that came with going so long without the drug.

People just wouldn't understand. They would criticize him, call him a bad person because he was addicted. But it wasn't something that Shun could help now. It was well out of his control. He was at the mercy of his body and mind's cravings for the substance.

All he was, was the servant that fed the monsters to keep them quiet for just a bit longer before they wanted more. Shun held onto the sides of his arms when a chill slithered down them at the realization. No control. Out of control. Nothing more than another victim, that's what he was.

The thought brought a single tear to his eye, but he quickly pushed it back down before it had a chance to spill over and run down his face. Shun reached the main room, with its massive area of space, fancy paintings, and torches that hung on the walls and were lit with fire during the night to provide some light.

He was about to turn down the hallway that would take him down to Sinclair's study when he heard a voice behind him say, "Is the monster hungry again?" Shun tensed up. He knew the voice, of course, and turned around to face Zoran.

How did he keep forgetting that Zoran roamed the enclave during the day, acting like a person, a human? He was nothing of the sort, of course. He was a Vampire like everyone else there. Zoran narrowed his uncovered eye at Shun and said, "So, how much longer do you think till that monster breaks out?"

Shun returned the narrowed glare at Zoran. All the unstable Vampire spoke about were monsters. Nothing else. "I still find it hard to believe that a monster like you has been able to keep all of the things you've had. Your friends. Your family. You still have it all, while the rest of us have lost everything," the recluse Vampire snapped, and tears glittered in his eyes.

Shun knew what he was talking about, though. Zoran was referring to how he and his brother lost their family, how they fled from their abusive father. But Shun wasn't feeling any sympathy towards the Vampire now. If anything, he was growing sick of Zoran and his fear of monsters, even to the point that he could now see why their father abused the Vampire.

Just like Shun, their father had probably grown tired of the headache Zoran gave him by speaking openly of his fear and hatred of 'monsters,' and he didn't blame him. Shun knew that those thoughts probably made him a bad person, but he was far past caring at the moment.

He was on edge from the restless sleep he had been getting, the nightmares, and the drugs. Shun was not in the mood to be messed with, much less tolerate Zoran dogging him about being a monster. Monster this. Monster that. Shun was truly and utterly sick of it.

How can Loran deal with that? How can any of them deal with it? Shun silently asked himself. Zoran stepped the rest of the way from his shadows and said, "I'm still going to wait, though, and see what kind of monster emerges from you. I want to see how you look when you realize what you really are…It's always been amusing to me to see the expressions of Vampires like you when they finally see that they are something horrible….Although, many still don't ever accept that they are monsters, beasts disguised as humans….That still sickens me….Why can't they see that what they are, are creatures that hardly deserve to exist? Why?"

It was like Zoran was asking Shun that question, but Shun knew better. He knew the Vampire was just drabbling on to himself, asking himself those rhetorical questions with no answers.

Zoran then turned his attention back to Shun and said harshly, "Just keep doing what you're doing. Keep on destroying yourself like you are. Continue to erode that wall that holds that monster inside until it's able to break free, because I'm eager to see how it will tear you to pieces. And after that, there will be one less scourge left to plague this world."

That had done it. That had been the last straw, the last nerve. Shun had had enough of this. Before he could even realize what he was doing, he found himself running at Zoran, and his hands wrapped tightly around the Vampire's small throat as he pinned him down on the cold ground. The turtle-neck like shirt that Zoran wore to cover half of his face fell down, revealing what he always kept hidden; his fangs.

There were scars on his face, more than likely from abuse from their father, but Shun could care less. He wanted to shut the whining Vampire up, to silence him. He could hear cartilage popping as Shun applied more force to the chokehold he had on the Vampire's throat.

And much to the raven-haired teen's surprise, a low, almost feral growl escaped from the back of his throat. This caught him off guard, and caused him to loosen his grip on the Vampire's throat. Next thing Shun knew, Zoran had worked his feet underneath him and kicked Shun off of him.

The raven-haired teen fell backwards, landing on the hard ground. Shun quickly scrambled back up to his feet, and found that Zoran had done the same. For somebody that was made out and acted so docile, Shun hadn't expected any fight from the Vampire.

Zoran scowled, revealing razor-sharp fangs that he tried to hide from the world. "I don't like to fight. That's what animals do, and I'm no animal. But it looks like you're leaving me little choice but to stood to such a low and filthy level," the Vampire said harshly.

Shun narrowed his eyes further and growled again before charging back at Zoran. The two met halfway, locked in hand-to-hand combat. Shun was genuinely surprised by how much fighting skill Zoran really had; the Vampire was holding his own very well. But Shun had the advantage in speed, as Zoran was having a bit of trouble keeping up with him.

The raven-haired teen had worked his way behind Zoran and grabbed hold of the Vampire's wrist, pulling him down to the ground. Shun was about to latch back onto Zoran's neck, but when he looked down, he found that his target was gone.

He began to look around frantically. Then, over towards a far corner of the main room, Shun noticed that shadows had began to circle around like smoke, and they then formed together and Zoran materialized from there. He's got powers?

Shun suddenly felt a bit unsure about just how well he could hold his own against Zoran; it was clear that the raven-haired teen had seriously underestimated his opponent. "Monsters are no different than animals. They'll fight as long as they think they can win, but the moment they realize that their opponent might be stronger than them, they go on the offense and try to back down," Zoran said stoically.

Shun felt his anger bubble back up a bit again. He was sick of Zoran acting like he knew everything about him, of acting as if Shun were an open book, so easy to read. So easy to predict. It was really beginning to grind on his nerves. Shun tightened his jaw and growled again.

He wanted to put Zoran in his place, to put an end to that superiority complex. He tightened his hands into fists at his sides. The anger and rage that had been building up for the past several days felt like it was seething up to the surface. The anger at himself, the anger at how weak he was towards the drug, and the anger at this whole new and unfair life he had been thrown into were the most prominent.

Those three fueled the fire that raged inside of him the most. Shun shut his eyes tightly and let out of cry of aggravation. When he snapped his eyes open, it was like a powerful rush of air or a sonic blast shot towards Zoran, slamming the Vampire into the cavernous wall with enough force to actually knock a torch off its holder.

Zoran slid down the wall and fell to the floor, holding onto his sides and groaning in pain. Shun felt his eyes widen. What had just happened? Had he done that? If he had, then how? Zoran was trying to get up to his feet, but not without some difficulty.

And if things couldn't have gotten any worse, Sinclair, Alucard, and Loran rushed into the main room. "What the hell is going on in here? It's three in the afternoon, for God's sake! Sane people are trying to sleep!" the Vampire Lord shouted, but when his eyes fell onto the scene before him, his own eyes widened a bit in surprise. Sinclair quite obviously wasn't expecting to find himself faced with the remnants of a fight between Shun and Zoran.

Loran's gray eyes fell onto his brother, who was leaning against the rocky wall for support. "Zoran!" he shouted and hurried over to his brother, helping support him on his feet and making sure he was alright. Sinclair glanced back and forth between the two Vampires and asked harshly, "What the hell went on in here? Tell me. I want to know right now."

The anger in the Vampire Lord's voice was enough to shoot a chill down Shun's spine. Loran helped his injured brother towards the center of the room to rejoin with Sinclair and Alucard, only a few feet from Shun. Zoran then glanced up and said coldly, "This is why monsters are unable to live civilized. They're nothing but animals."

Shun felt his anger spark up again and he dove for Zoran; the Vampire did the same thing. But Loran held his brother back, and Alucard stepped in and kept Shun at bay. The two of them shot cold glares at each other while being held apart. Loran shook his head and said with disbelief, "Zoran, what's gotten into you? This isn't like you. Calm down."

But Zoran ignored his brother and only kept his death glare on Shun. Sinclair shook his head and said, "Alright, that's enough! Both of you, to my study right now. We'll get this sorted out there." Loran and Alucard stood between Shun and Zoran to keep them from diving at each other again as they made their way to Sinclair's study.

Shun found it ironic that the study had been where he was going anywhere. He didn't like that he was going there now under these kinds of circumstances, seeing as he knew he would probably have to face Sinclair's anger. They reached the study and Sinclair leaned against his desk and asked flatly, "Alright, now talk. What the hell was that back there? Fighting like that is severely looked down upon here."

Shun wondered how to tell Sinclair what happened. True, he had thrown the first punch, but only because Zoran had been provoking him. Plus, he would probably have to explain what he was doing out of his room during the day, especially when he had supposedly been 'sick' a few hours ago.

Shun bit down nervously on his lower lip. This wasn't looking good for him. Zoran spoke up and said, "It's simple, really. He's a monster like the rest of us, and I was doing nothing more than reminding him of that….He's the one who took it farther than needed."

The raven-haired teen dove for Zoran again as his anger spiked again. Shun couldn't believe this. How could this be the innocent, scared brother that Loran looked out for all the time, the one he defended and wanted to make a better world for?

And by Loran's expression, Shun could tell the gray-haired Vampire was wondering the same thing. Alucard held Shun back, but the raven-haired teen struggled against the second-in-command's hold and almost reached Zoran when he felt a sharp sting spread through his face.

The force had been enough to knock Shun from Alucard's hold and onto the floor, knocking over a chair in the process. The raven-haired teen clutched the stinging side of his face and looked up to find Sinclair shooting a hostile glare down at him; the Vampire Lord's hand was raised and starting to turn red.

It had been Sinclair. Sinclair had stuck him. "That is enough!" he bellowed, "I suggest you leave now, Shun, seeing as blood is bad enough between you two at the moment to where you both can't be in the same room. So, I have no choice but to ask both of you what happened separately. Now, leave this study and wait until you are called back in here to give your explanation. Understood?"

Shun adverted his gaze from Sinclair and said, "Understood, Sir." He then stood up and left out of the study as he had been asked; no point in further angering the Vampire Lord and getting something worse than a mere slap to the face.

Shun just hated that he would probably end up receiving the punishment for this. It wasn't entirely his fault that Zoran had started saying those things while Shun had been teetering on the edge of his own sanity. He couldn't help that he had snapped and Zoran just happened to be the only one standing there, on top of being the one who also helped to finally push him over the edge.

Shun walked back to his room and slammed the door closed behind him with enough force that a picture rattled on the wall beside him. He then strode over to the dresser that leaned against the wall, and looked into the mirror that rested on top of it. His amber eyes still blazed with anger.

Shun ran a hand through his hair. What if all of his secrets came into the light now? What if, in an attempt to get in another shot at him, Zoran told Sinclair about how Shun had been breaking into the supply room and stealing blood mixtures for his addiction? It would all be game over then.

He looked back into the mirror at his reflection, of the person he could hardly recognize now. The sight before Shun sickened himself. He growled and tightened his hands into fists at his sides, and next thing he knew, the mirror in front of him spilt into several large pieces, sending cracks running down the reflective glass.

Shun jumped back and stared at the mirror in surprise. He hadn't even touched the glass, but it looked as if he or somebody else had thrown a punch right in the center and shattered the mirror. Shun stumbled back until he found his bed, where he sat on the edge of the mattress and buried his hands into his hair.

"I'm losing my mind…..I'm losing my mind…..," he repeated to himself over and over again. His eyes then drifted over to the phone on the nightstand, the one that Alice had given him. He found himself reaching for it and now holding it in his hands, staring at the time on the screen; it read ten minutes before five.

He wanted to talk to her. No. He needed to talk to her. Shun remembered how close to losing it he felt before he told her the truth about what he was now, and he then recalled the elated feeling he had afterwards when the weight was off his shoulders.

Alice could help. She could help to provide him some solace and maybe keep him right in his mind, if not for just a little bit longer before he completely lost it. Shun swiped the phone unlocked and began to scroll through for her number.

~O~

"So, he just attacked you for what you said?" Sinclair asked Zoran once the Vampire finished telling his side of the story. Zoran nodded and said, "I was speaking the truth. Apparently he can't handle it." Sinclair could kind of understand why this had provoked Shun.

Zoran had been known to sometimes voice his opinions a bit too much, especially towards those who he feared or didn't trust. It was like a defense mechanism for the young Vampire, if that made any sense. But just because Shun might have grown tired of listening to Zoran's rants, didn't give him any right to start an altercation, even if he was provoked.

Zoran grimaced as he shifted around in his chair, which Sinclair noticed. "Is something wrong? Are you hurt?" the Vampire Lord asked. Upon bringing the two Vampires to the study, they had asked Zoran if he was hurt, seeing as he had been struggling to get to his own feet.

He had said no, naturally. The young Vampire adverted his gaze and said, "Just a bit sore from where I was thrown into the wall." Sinclair raised an eyebrow and said, "Thrown into the wall?" Zoran nodded and explained, "Yeah. Right before you guys showed up. Shun had landed the last hit by slamming me into the wall with some kind of invisible force. He seemed just as surprised by it as I was."

Sinclair felt his worry build a bit, but he didn't want to show it just yet. Instead, he nodded his head and said, "I see. Well, Zoran, I think I've heard enough. It's time I hear Shun's side of the story. You can leave now." Zoran nodded and left out of the room.

Right after that, Loran stood up and asked, "Can I be excused as well? I want to speak to my brother in private." Sinclair nodded and permitted Loran's request. The gray-haired Vampire hurried out of the room. Sinclair ran a hand through his hair, allowing his worry to finally show, and turned to Alucard and asked, "Did you hear the last thing Zoran said?"

Alucard nodded once. "Yeah, I did, Sir," the second-in-command said flatly. Sinclair pushed himself from the edge of his desk, which he had been leaning on, and started to pace the room. "I didn't think he'd develop my telekinetic powers. I thought it might just stop at my speed and strength. Not my mental powers that are meant to be my birthright alone," Sinclair said darkly.

He honestly didn't think Shun would develop those powers. He figured strength and speed, seeing as that was something common to any Vampire. But the telekinesis, which was a trait strictly reserved to Sinclair and his bloodline, hadn't even crossed his mind as a possibility.

He didn't even know it was possible for a Turned-Vampire to obtain a power that was passed down only by birthright. Alucard picked up on Sinclair's distress and said, "Sir, you have to remember that he was the first human you've ever Turned, and he survived the Transition. That means he received the strongest, most potent dose of your blood that you'd ever be able to give to a mere human. Most humans don't even live through a Transition like he did. They usually die."

Alucard had a point. Sinclair's blood, being that it was pure and remained untouched for hundreds of years, was potent and strong. It was very possible because of that, and the fact that Shun survived that Transition, that he might develop powers that most humans that are Turned would never gain.

Sinclair bit down on his thumbnail and said, "If this is the case, then that means he probably received more than a small fraction of my strength like I thought. He might have more like half of my strength and powers. That would make him stronger than most of the Vampires in the Clan, if not all of them."

Other than Sinclair himself, of course. Another thought crossed the Vampire Lord's mind. "He might even be one of the strongest Turned Vampires that's been around for hundreds of years," he said, surprised by the disbelief that was in his own voice. Sinclair recalled the last Turned Vampire that was that powerful.

That Vampire had had the gall to challenge the Society, and had almost succeeded in taking them down. It was only because of Pureblooded, Noble Vampires like Sinclair and his parents that had been able to take the Turned Vampire down and stop him.

After that, some rather strict new rules had been placed on Vampires concerning the Turning of humans. In fact, it almost made the act illegal. But when the Vampire population started to dwindle, it became common practice again. Sinclair didn't know how he felt about being responsible for possibly creating the first strongest Turned Vampire in all these years.

He shook his head and told Alucard, "Bring Shun in. I'm ready to hear his story." The second-in-command nodded and left out of the study, leaving Sinclair alone to his thoughts for a little while. The Vampire Lord knew what he was going to do when Shun got there.

First, he would ask for the raven-haired teen's explanation, and then he would confront him about the telekinetic powers that had suddenly surfaced. And, depending on how strong they were and how much control Shun had on them, would determine if Sinclair would have to spend time and help Shun gain control over them.

But when Alucard returned to the study fifteen minutes later, Sinclair noticed that Shun wasn't with the second-in-command. "Where's Shun, Alucard?" he asked, panic rising a bit in his voice.

Alucard shook his head and told him, "I can't find him anywhere in the enclave. He's gone, Sir. I looked everywhere. It appears he's run off." Sinclair leaned back against his desk in disbelief and muttered to himself, "What the hell is going on here…."

chapter title based off the song The Art of Breaking by Thousand Foot Krutch. long chapter, huh? There's still a lot more that is going on right now in the story that I wanted to include in this chapter, but they'll be put in the next one for time's sake. There's going to be a part between Zoran and Loran where a lot of stuff is said and happens. And then there's Shun's little disappearance he just pulled. That will all go down tomorrow. Read and leave a review on the way out. ~Copperpelt~