Beth got to the Boardwalk at 11:55pm and piled her two rucksacks on the wooden bench at the end of the pier, smoothed out her green jumper and sat next to her bags and waited for him...
...and waited...
...and waited...
...
"Beth..."
Beth's eyes shot open in panic, her Mom's face swimming in front of her blurry eyes in the early morning sun. Her Mom crouched down in front of her, rubbing her daughters freezing cold arms as she sat rigidly on the bench at the end of the Pier.
Beth's heart felt like it was being ripped out and a pained sob wrenched free from her dry lips, fat tears instantly falling down her pale cheeks.
"Oh, honey"
"He didn't come" Beth wailed against her mother's shoulder as she wrapped her protectively in her arms, smoothing her hair, rubbing her back, hushing her gently, "I waited...he didn't come, he promised"
"We have to go honey, I'm sorry" her Mom pressed gently.
"No...I have to find him!" Beth yelled, wiping the tears from her cheeks with the sleeve of her jumper, though it didn't stop more form falling.
"Beth, we don't have time, we have to get to the airport" her Mom spoke softly.
"But Mom, I love him!" she yelled, balling her small fists at her side.
Her Mom smiled sadly. Hadn't she been young once, hadn't she felt love's first heartbreak, and hadn't it been all consuming? She looked at her daughter, long hair blowing in the ocean breeze, pale face stained with tear tracks, eyes pained and hopeful and she understood. She understood that at eighteen, this feels like the end of the world, like you can't possibly go on but she also knew that it would pass. Looking into Beth's watery eyes made her heart ache, whilst she was heartbroken that her only daughter had planned to run away with Santa Carla's up and coming bad boy, she knew she would've called, would've reconciled, and that this, him not showing up, was probably for the best. He'd seen how her little girl looked at him, how she was so completely and utterly under his spell, like she'd walk off a cliff if he asked her to and it scared her a little. But she also knew Beth wasn't going anywhere until she'd seen him and she sighed heavily.
"How about we stop by Max's on the way to the airport, see if he's there"? She bargained.
"Let's go" Beth said, hauling her bags onto her shoulders, a stony expression hardening her delicate features, practically running to the car.
Beth's Mom drove the four miles or so up the hills to Max's house, her stomach knotting with worry, desperately hoping to spare her daughter further heartbreak, hoping David just wouldn't be there.
She'd barley switched off the ignition as Beth flung herself out the passenger door, hurtling down the wooden path and throwing her fists against the front door, banging wildly.
"David!" she screamed; vision blurry from blinding tears.
"David!..."
...
"Don't open that door David" Max threatened darkly as David's pale hand hovered over the handle.
"I have to talk to her" David spat back, grasping the handle tightly.
"If you do, you won't be able to control yourself...you don't want to hurt her, do you David" Max said gleefully, an evil smirk curling around his teeth.
"I'd never hurt her" David ground out, turning to Max with a hard stare.
"You will David, you won't be able to stop yourself..." Max sneered "...you can hear it can't you, her young blood flowing through her, even from behind the door"
David grimaced, recognising this as the pounding reverberating through his head, making him restless and his throat ache with painful thirst. His eyes widened in horror as he knew Max was right.
"But, I..."
"What, you love her? Ha"! Max teased "...do you really think she'd love you now?"
David's hand dropped slowly from the handle, Beth's heart wrenching yells still echoing from the other side of the door.
"You're my son now David, you know she wouldn't be able to love you for who you are" Max said quietly, gently placing his hand on the teenager's shoulder. David hung his head in defeat as a single tear travelled down from his icy blue eyes..."there's no going back now" Max said around an evil smirk.
"But I haven't even..." David hesitated, not really wanting to finish that sentence, not really wanting to think about what he could do, what he wanted to do...
"Oh but you will David, you will, you may be able to fight it, fight it for a long time, but the thirst will win in the end David, it always does and you wouldn't want her to get in the way, would you, wouldn't want her to see what you are?" Max said, placing his other hand on the boy's shoulder, turning him to face him.
David knew he was right. He could feel it, the way his body wanted it, needed it, his throat ached painfully and his head throbbed. He felt weak.
David's eyes turned icy-cold and his beautiful face hardened as he steeled himself against Beth's rallying, he turned his back on the front door and slunk back into the darkness, trying to ignore the way his heart broke, trying to ignore the way his body felt the pull toward her, no longer out of love. His stomach churned as he became utterly disgusted and horrified at himself for wanting her in his arms for only one reason now...
And Max was right, David was able to fight the thirst for a long time, for a very long time, almost three years, longer than Max had ever seen before. David had continued to age as his half human-self battled for control inside him, had resisted not wanting to fully turn into what he'd seen Max become that awful night, knowing that if he did Beth would never love him again, ever.
But it was becoming harder, and David was weak, so weak now...
When Max ordered take out one night he could hear the rush of the kid's blood from halfway down the street and his throat ached so hard he thought it was actually bleeding, as if he'd swallowed handfuls of jagged glass and rough, dry sand and the only thing that could free him from the unbearable thirst was walking right to him.
The kid didn't stand a chance.
As soon as Max had opened the door David launched himself at him with a deep growl, dragging the kid inside, his talons scratching and tearing at his flesh. Max slammed the door shut before the kid's wild screams could be heard all over the neighbourhood, the pizza boxes crushed and its contents smeared all over the thick carpet.
David's skull ached as it transformed slowly into the monster he knew he was now becoming, but he didn't care. What was the point in resisting, Beth hadn't come back for him and he was no longer the guy she knew anyway, he'd become cold and cruel. Max was right, she'd never love him now.
David let out a harrowing growl before he messily sunk his long fangs into the kid's long bronzed neck, the carotid artery releasing a fountain of deep red blood, spraying over David's face and shoulders. David finally submitted to his darker self and his fingers clutched and grabbed at the kid's mass of golden curls as he drank from him. The kid's dark grey eyes brimmed with tears, his angelic features contorted into indescribable pain, blood seeping from his neck as David drank messily, blood smearing around his mouth, running down his chin, his chest, staining the white carpet beneath them.
The kid's struggling slowed, the life draining from him. His big, sad grey eyes becoming lifeless, his bronzed skin became paler as David finished guzzling from him, a struggled, gurgling breath escaped him and David scrambled breathlessly away from the kid, smashing his back against the large stone fireplace, wiping the blood out of his eyes and smearing it on his leather trousers, unable to get it all off as it had already starting to congeal in the light scruff on his face.
Max looked on, his yellow eyes filled with joy, his mouth turned up in a malicious smile.
David groaned in exquisite pain as he felt the kid's blood course through his dry veins.
"You feel it don't you David" Max hissed excitedly.
David's head felt like it was going to crack open with the sound of blood rushing through him once again as he threw it back, but as he calmed slightly, he clenched his fists, looking at his pale arms he felt strong, really strong, powerful even. David stopped trying to fight it and let the feeling flood his senses, all five of which seemed to explode within him as if he'd never really been alive before this moment. He was suddenly hyper aware of everything, he felt as though he could feel every fibre of his blood-soaked t-shirt as it clung to his body, he could hear everything, the shallow puffs of breath from the kid slowly dying in Max's living room, Thorn panting wildly out on the patio, the rumble of the kid's motorcycle out by the front gate, the heartbeat of the two women jogging up the hill. His eyes rolled back into his head in and he had to stifle a groan of pleasure as he smelled the overpowering and now hedonistic scent of coppery blood filling the house, he could smell the still hot pizza discarded on the hallway floor. He could still taste the heavenly sweet, thick blood coating his tongue and as he opened his burning yellow eyes, he could see everything in striking clarity even though the house was cast in midnight shadow.
David knew there and then he was a slave to this feeling, the excruciating ecstasy that was flooding him and he knew he'd chase it for the rest of eternity.
Max knelt down next to the kid, brushing sunshine gold curls out of his eyes, letting his gaze travel over his form. He had been strong and healthy before David's attack; he could be again with max's help...
A gurgled cry slipped between small, full lips and Max hushed him gently.
"You don't want to die do you..." Max fished around in the kid's pockets and found a small leather wallet attached at the jeans with a silver chain. He flipped it open and smiled "...Marko...you don't want to die"
Marko's deep grey eyes pleaded silently with Max as he continued to gurgle and spit blood over his delicate chin.
"No, of course you don't" Max teased "...you always wanted a brother, didn't you David" Max stated looking over at the blood-soaked creature resting against his fireplace. David's eyes darkened and a slow, dangerous smirk graced his lips.
Max turned back to look deep into Marko's eyes as he quickly sliced his talons down the palm of his large hand, watching the almost black blood drip onto Marko's white t-shirt. He raised his hand over Marko's lips and balled it into a tight fist, watching the dark droplets fall into Marko's gasping mouth, his tongue instinctively flashed out and licked, smearing Max's blood over his pale, dry lips.
"Welcome to the family Marko" Max hissed.
