Warnings: Mentions of blood-drinking, might be cursing, sort-of character death, and slash beginnings.
Rating: PG-13
Chapter Four: The Dionysian Vampire Ring
Louis woke with a start. It had been a month sence the party, and exactly four weeks sence Twitty had approached him, requesting a private word. Louis, slightly puzzled but not at all suspicious, had followed his friend into the boys bathroom, and into the handicap stall, which the blonde promptly locked. What had happened next had been the single most terrifying experience of his nearly seventeen years.
~Flashback~
"What did you want to talk to me about?" Louis asked, quietly, after nearly ten minutes of silence in which Twitty had lay his forehead ageinst the door, unmoving, an eerily silent. It was as if even his breathing had stilled.
"Just a second." Twitty had replied. "I'm smelling. Hang on."
Louis raised his eyebrows, and waited. He was about to say that they had to be in class soon, when Twitty turned around. Louis's eyes widened.
In that instant- no flashing special effects, no sudden bursts of light, no nothing. Just Twitty- except his eyes had darkened several shades, and his hair had suddenly changed colors. It was lavender, now. Pale lavender, and it had grown about three inches.
Before Louis could process what he had just seen, before he could react in any way, he was in Twittys arms. He could feel the other boys body, and he knew it was him, but there was something- off about it. He felt something hard, and smooth brush his throat.
He put two and two together in an instant, coming up with a glorious, blood-stained four, but it was already to late.
The fangs, razor-sharp, and curved like hooks, were sinking into the soft, tender flesh over his carotid artery*. Louis gasped as he felt them penetrate him, and, then, when his shock faded, he wondered why this felt so nice.
Surly having your blood taken by sure means wasn't supposed to be like this? It was supposed to hurt. So why did he feel himself sighing softly? Why were his eyes slipping closed, and his body sinking deeper into Twitty's arms?
Only on the most basic level did Louis register Twittys hand rise, to hold his head up.
It's getting warmer, something in his clouded mind said. That's what was off before. He was so COLD. Why didn't you ever notice that before?
Louis didn't reply to the voice, and banished it to someone who cared. Before it left, the voice told him he should pull away, because soon Twitty would surly kill him. But, by the time the logic behind that thought reached him, he had already blacked out.
~End Flashback~
He hadn't died, though. He had been remade, but he hadn't died. Or perhaps he had died, if for just an hour, or two, while Roxie, and all the others made him a new body, tapping into his mind to see what he wanted it to be like.
He wasn't entirely used to his new look. His hair was still as curly as it had been, but the curls were sleeker, and fell neatly to his shoulders. It had turned a sort of beige-green that should have been alot uglier then it was. His eyes remained more or less the same when you were looking at them, but his vision had improved. He was also infinatly paler then he had been.
Of course, he couldn't go around like that all the time, so he'd been taught to revert back to his old appearance at will. Twitty had explained it to him, what had happened, as Louis cried into his chest. He hadn't been sure why he was crying- only that he felt as though he'd left a part of himself behind. Louis was comforted as he remembered his friends words.
"You're still you. You feel lost becouse your body doesn't know what's happened to you, why you have all these new instincts to respond to. You're not human anymore. Roxie, and all the others- we've changed you- modified your body. You're a new species. A completely different race- one that will outlast the humans. But, don't be sad. It's hard at first- I know it is- but you aren't alone. You've got me, and you've got Roxie, and you've got all of us. You'll only be alone if you want to be. And I don't think you want to be."
Louis sighted softly. He looked down at his hands. One of the more subtle changes to his appearance- invisible, unless you were looking hard- was the way the edges of his finger and toenails had become razor sharp. It did murder to his socks, but he couldn't care.
He looked around, slowly. He wasn't at home- he hadn't been home sence he'd been Changed, but, for some reason, no one had come looking for him. He suspected it had something to do with Roxie, but he couldn't find it within himself to care.
Until they figured out what to do with him, he was staying in the infirmary. The elderly woman in the bed next to him talked to him, when she was awake, but for the most part he was alone. So far, what she'd told him had helped him try to peice together every-thing that had happened to him.
She told him that Twitty's real name was not Alan Twitty- his original name had been Allen (he changed the spelling so it wouldn't be as geeky) Preener. Twitty was the original last name of his Helper, so he'd taken the name out of gratitude for her, and thus was his official name. He'd known he'd encounter skepticism if he told people that, so he combined his original first name (changed spelling for previously stated reasons) with his real name, so he could continue using it.
From what Louis could understand, a Helper was someone who searched for the natural borns (he couldn't bring himself to use the word 'vampire' in relation to himself yet) and helped them harness their power. Twitty had been natural born, roughly seventy-five years ago. That was one of the more difficult concepts to grasp, his friend being in his seventies. When he mentioned it to the woman- Mizza- she'd said he didn't need to grasp it, and he was still a child, by their terms. She then told him that she would be five-hundred-forty-six in the coming winter.
Twitty had become an Actor, meaning he went out into the world of mortals, and kept the others posted on everything that happened. The title also meant he had to help the other ranks- Dreamers, Seers, ect.- do whatever needed done. Mizza had been intentionally vague on what these things were, and just how Actors like Twitty were supposed to help.
There were only a few Actors in the Dionysian Ring- the group they were a part of. There was Twitty and now Louis- they had to work in pairs, when it was made possible, and generally the pairs were romantically involved- Marz and Andromeda (who were an exception to the rule, and actually natural-born twins), and Sam and the blonde boy he'd gone to meet, who, Louis learned, was called Helios. There was also another pair who was 'away on business'. They were one of the few heterosexual couples, and their names were Venus, and Nothing.
Roxie, Mizza had said, was an Inner, as well as the head of the Dionysian Ring. There were even fewer Inners. As the title implied, they were the very center of the Ring, and knew all of the inner workings. Every non-standard action had to be run by Roxie, or one of the other Inners.
All of the groups, it turned out, worked in pair, including the Inners. Even though Roxie was head of the Ring, her partners name was Leah. The other Inners were Roxie and Sinead, and two boys named Djinn and Sheedem.
Then, there was the whole seemingly backwards homosexual-heterosexual ratio. Mizza had shrugged, seeming some-what bemused, and told him she had no idea, then said something that kind of made sence, if you thought about it hard enough.
"Men and woman don't think the same. You should know that, however young you are. It's always made more sence- to me, at least- to fall for someone who thinks like you. But humans have to mate to reproduce, so they've adapted to fall for those who can give them children, and, eventually, it became the norm. We don't have to mate for reproduction, so our breed hasn't made such adaptions."
After a long while, Louis' thoughts were interrupted by Twitty and Roxie walking in, talking very fast about him. They stopped a few feet from his bed, and he listened to them.
"I'm an Actor, right?" Twitty asked. "Thus, he is, too. Thus, he stays in the Actor chambers, with me, and the others."
"Have you two Bonded?" Roxie asked.
Twitty faded into an embarrassed silence, and didn't answer.
"No Bonding, no moving." she said, smiling. "At least not into the Actor chambers. I'm going to bunk him in the old concubine chambers behind the Inner's wing."
Twitty made a face which looked suspiciously like a pout, but didn't say anything.
"Damnit." he grumbled, when it had no effect on her, except to make her smile wider. He glanced at Louis out of the corner of his eye, then said, "Can we have a bit of privacy? I'd like to talk to Louis."
Roxie grinned, and was gone.
Twitty sighed deeply, and looked at Louis helplessly. He sat down on the edge of his friends bed, rather closer to him then was probobly nessicary, and folded one leg beneath him, so he could face him.
"Sorry." he said. "I'm trying to get you out of here- I have been sence you got here- but it's not working. I dunno why Roxie's being so damned stubborn." He glared at nothing out of the corner of his eye.
Louis didn't answer. He wasn't particularly comfortable with Twitty, partly because he was always in his 'natural' form, and partly because he had, put bluntly, bitten his neck open, and turned him into a vampire, all without a word of warning.
Twitty, as if reading his friends mind, reached out, and took his hands, one in each of his own, and held them, wrapping his around Louis' fingers. Louis involuntarily gripped his hands- he surprised himself with his desire to have physical sort-of-human contact, agein. He hadn't realized how much he'd missed it sence last time Twitty had been to see him.**
"Look," he said. "I don't expect you to accept all this over-night. It takes a very long time to get used to. I don't expect you to forgive me over-night. I know what I did probobly strikes you as, at the very least, immoral. But, I have to tell you this. It's a Mystery, yes, and I know I shouldn't be telling you. But, as I said, I have to. This couldn't have happened if it hadn't been meant to. It's destiny. Do you want to be dragged into your destiny, kicking and screaming, or are you going to meet it, and save yourself your dignity, time, effort, and alot of heartache?"
Twitty lifted his left hand, and kissed his knuckles gently. A chill went down Louis' spine, as his friend continued.
"Also, I want you to keep this in mind." he said, not looking up, his lips hovering mere centimeters from his hand. "No matter what, I'm still me. I've always been this way- it's not any new development, and it doesn't change who I am. It just means you have to expand your definition of who I am. I'm your friend, Louis. You know I am. I'm not any less your friend now then I was a month ago, or even ten days ago. And, because I'm your friend, I hope- I'd pray, if I thought it would do any good- but I hope with all my heart you can forgive me. If not now, then, when someday comes, I hope you'll fogive me. "
Twitty lifted his other hand, and kissed its knuckles, as well.
"You'll never know how much I want your forgiveness."
Louis didn't answer. He tugged his hands out of Twittys grip, and reached out, slipping his arms around his friends neck. He pulled him into a tight hug, and buried his face in his shoulder.
Twitty sighed softly. It wasn't frustration, or contentment- it held no emotion, at all- it was simply a sigh, letting Louis know Twitty didn't mind if he clutched him like this, agein. It seemed that every time Twitty came to speak to him, Louis more or less jumped on him.
"Louis?" Twitty said, after a long moment. He disentangled himself from his friend, and said, "I wish you'd stop doing this to me."
No response. Louis had barely spoken to Twitty sence the first day he'd awoken in the infirmary- he's enjoyed his company, and Twitty knew it, but he'd enjoyed it in silence. Another sigh, this one sad, and a bit irritatted.
"I've gotta go." he said. "Me and Annie have to go meet Reno. She's completed her mission, though the results weren't quite what she imagined. I'll bring GG to you once we finish our business."
He disentangled himself from Louis, and rose. Louis looked up at him, a slight pout on his lips. He wasn't quite sure exactly /why/ he was pouting, just that it seemed like a good thing to do.
Twitty gave a half-smile, then turned, and swept out of the infirmary, the full-length black leather trench coat he hadn't been wearing billowing behind him.
To Be Continued...
A/N: Well, how was that? I'm considering making them kiss in the next chapter, though maybe not. Next, Annie is going to show Louis around the HQ, and more will be found out about the Dionysian ring. Oh, yeah. GG is another one of Annie's kittens, and has taken a liking to Louis through an encounter that will also be discussed in the discussed in te next chapter.
Explantion: I did this chapter like this, rather then by just going a chapter about Twitty changing him because I already the bite scene typed out (that was the first thing I wrote for this story) and there wasn't much else I could have added to it. I figured that would have been way to short. Also, I think that leads into the chapter better then him waking up, and just going into talking to Mizza. That would seem kind of awkward, at least to me.
Second A/N: Alan Twitty /is/ supposed to be his full name, right? I haven't watched as Even Stevens as I probably should have before writing this- about three weeks of episodes, and I had the movie forced on me three and a half times, then I watched it of my free will a few more, simply because the cable system at the beach sucked, which is what drew me in, in the first place.
Dedication: This chapter is for Noel, who didn't laugh at me, and Alice, who was sitting next to me trying to make conversation throughout the writing of the middle third of this chapter. I checked on my reveiws while they were at my house, one thing led to another, and I've been outed to them. -_-;;; That was at two in the morning, so the moment it hits Noel what she saw, I'll be getting a phone call. Wish me luck.
*Though vampires traditionally feed off of the jugular artery, carotid arterys seem, to me, to be a more likely choice, as they carry blood with more nutrients, and oxygen, while jugular arterys have used-up blood being taken back to the heart. There's also less chance of mess, because the walls of carotids arterys aren't as difficult to peirce, and aren't as high-pressure as jugular arterys. I've been reading more vampire books then is strictly nessicary, one of which is called The Science of Vampires, and discussed this factor. That's probobly why I decided to write this.
** Twitty had come to see him every day at first, but Louis hadn't seen him in over a week, at this point.
Rating: PG-13
Chapter Four: The Dionysian Vampire Ring
Louis woke with a start. It had been a month sence the party, and exactly four weeks sence Twitty had approached him, requesting a private word. Louis, slightly puzzled but not at all suspicious, had followed his friend into the boys bathroom, and into the handicap stall, which the blonde promptly locked. What had happened next had been the single most terrifying experience of his nearly seventeen years.
~Flashback~
"What did you want to talk to me about?" Louis asked, quietly, after nearly ten minutes of silence in which Twitty had lay his forehead ageinst the door, unmoving, an eerily silent. It was as if even his breathing had stilled.
"Just a second." Twitty had replied. "I'm smelling. Hang on."
Louis raised his eyebrows, and waited. He was about to say that they had to be in class soon, when Twitty turned around. Louis's eyes widened.
In that instant- no flashing special effects, no sudden bursts of light, no nothing. Just Twitty- except his eyes had darkened several shades, and his hair had suddenly changed colors. It was lavender, now. Pale lavender, and it had grown about three inches.
Before Louis could process what he had just seen, before he could react in any way, he was in Twittys arms. He could feel the other boys body, and he knew it was him, but there was something- off about it. He felt something hard, and smooth brush his throat.
He put two and two together in an instant, coming up with a glorious, blood-stained four, but it was already to late.
The fangs, razor-sharp, and curved like hooks, were sinking into the soft, tender flesh over his carotid artery*. Louis gasped as he felt them penetrate him, and, then, when his shock faded, he wondered why this felt so nice.
Surly having your blood taken by sure means wasn't supposed to be like this? It was supposed to hurt. So why did he feel himself sighing softly? Why were his eyes slipping closed, and his body sinking deeper into Twitty's arms?
Only on the most basic level did Louis register Twittys hand rise, to hold his head up.
It's getting warmer, something in his clouded mind said. That's what was off before. He was so COLD. Why didn't you ever notice that before?
Louis didn't reply to the voice, and banished it to someone who cared. Before it left, the voice told him he should pull away, because soon Twitty would surly kill him. But, by the time the logic behind that thought reached him, he had already blacked out.
~End Flashback~
He hadn't died, though. He had been remade, but he hadn't died. Or perhaps he had died, if for just an hour, or two, while Roxie, and all the others made him a new body, tapping into his mind to see what he wanted it to be like.
He wasn't entirely used to his new look. His hair was still as curly as it had been, but the curls were sleeker, and fell neatly to his shoulders. It had turned a sort of beige-green that should have been alot uglier then it was. His eyes remained more or less the same when you were looking at them, but his vision had improved. He was also infinatly paler then he had been.
Of course, he couldn't go around like that all the time, so he'd been taught to revert back to his old appearance at will. Twitty had explained it to him, what had happened, as Louis cried into his chest. He hadn't been sure why he was crying- only that he felt as though he'd left a part of himself behind. Louis was comforted as he remembered his friends words.
"You're still you. You feel lost becouse your body doesn't know what's happened to you, why you have all these new instincts to respond to. You're not human anymore. Roxie, and all the others- we've changed you- modified your body. You're a new species. A completely different race- one that will outlast the humans. But, don't be sad. It's hard at first- I know it is- but you aren't alone. You've got me, and you've got Roxie, and you've got all of us. You'll only be alone if you want to be. And I don't think you want to be."
Louis sighted softly. He looked down at his hands. One of the more subtle changes to his appearance- invisible, unless you were looking hard- was the way the edges of his finger and toenails had become razor sharp. It did murder to his socks, but he couldn't care.
He looked around, slowly. He wasn't at home- he hadn't been home sence he'd been Changed, but, for some reason, no one had come looking for him. He suspected it had something to do with Roxie, but he couldn't find it within himself to care.
Until they figured out what to do with him, he was staying in the infirmary. The elderly woman in the bed next to him talked to him, when she was awake, but for the most part he was alone. So far, what she'd told him had helped him try to peice together every-thing that had happened to him.
She told him that Twitty's real name was not Alan Twitty- his original name had been Allen (he changed the spelling so it wouldn't be as geeky) Preener. Twitty was the original last name of his Helper, so he'd taken the name out of gratitude for her, and thus was his official name. He'd known he'd encounter skepticism if he told people that, so he combined his original first name (changed spelling for previously stated reasons) with his real name, so he could continue using it.
From what Louis could understand, a Helper was someone who searched for the natural borns (he couldn't bring himself to use the word 'vampire' in relation to himself yet) and helped them harness their power. Twitty had been natural born, roughly seventy-five years ago. That was one of the more difficult concepts to grasp, his friend being in his seventies. When he mentioned it to the woman- Mizza- she'd said he didn't need to grasp it, and he was still a child, by their terms. She then told him that she would be five-hundred-forty-six in the coming winter.
Twitty had become an Actor, meaning he went out into the world of mortals, and kept the others posted on everything that happened. The title also meant he had to help the other ranks- Dreamers, Seers, ect.- do whatever needed done. Mizza had been intentionally vague on what these things were, and just how Actors like Twitty were supposed to help.
There were only a few Actors in the Dionysian Ring- the group they were a part of. There was Twitty and now Louis- they had to work in pairs, when it was made possible, and generally the pairs were romantically involved- Marz and Andromeda (who were an exception to the rule, and actually natural-born twins), and Sam and the blonde boy he'd gone to meet, who, Louis learned, was called Helios. There was also another pair who was 'away on business'. They were one of the few heterosexual couples, and their names were Venus, and Nothing.
Roxie, Mizza had said, was an Inner, as well as the head of the Dionysian Ring. There were even fewer Inners. As the title implied, they were the very center of the Ring, and knew all of the inner workings. Every non-standard action had to be run by Roxie, or one of the other Inners.
All of the groups, it turned out, worked in pair, including the Inners. Even though Roxie was head of the Ring, her partners name was Leah. The other Inners were Roxie and Sinead, and two boys named Djinn and Sheedem.
Then, there was the whole seemingly backwards homosexual-heterosexual ratio. Mizza had shrugged, seeming some-what bemused, and told him she had no idea, then said something that kind of made sence, if you thought about it hard enough.
"Men and woman don't think the same. You should know that, however young you are. It's always made more sence- to me, at least- to fall for someone who thinks like you. But humans have to mate to reproduce, so they've adapted to fall for those who can give them children, and, eventually, it became the norm. We don't have to mate for reproduction, so our breed hasn't made such adaptions."
After a long while, Louis' thoughts were interrupted by Twitty and Roxie walking in, talking very fast about him. They stopped a few feet from his bed, and he listened to them.
"I'm an Actor, right?" Twitty asked. "Thus, he is, too. Thus, he stays in the Actor chambers, with me, and the others."
"Have you two Bonded?" Roxie asked.
Twitty faded into an embarrassed silence, and didn't answer.
"No Bonding, no moving." she said, smiling. "At least not into the Actor chambers. I'm going to bunk him in the old concubine chambers behind the Inner's wing."
Twitty made a face which looked suspiciously like a pout, but didn't say anything.
"Damnit." he grumbled, when it had no effect on her, except to make her smile wider. He glanced at Louis out of the corner of his eye, then said, "Can we have a bit of privacy? I'd like to talk to Louis."
Roxie grinned, and was gone.
Twitty sighed deeply, and looked at Louis helplessly. He sat down on the edge of his friends bed, rather closer to him then was probobly nessicary, and folded one leg beneath him, so he could face him.
"Sorry." he said. "I'm trying to get you out of here- I have been sence you got here- but it's not working. I dunno why Roxie's being so damned stubborn." He glared at nothing out of the corner of his eye.
Louis didn't answer. He wasn't particularly comfortable with Twitty, partly because he was always in his 'natural' form, and partly because he had, put bluntly, bitten his neck open, and turned him into a vampire, all without a word of warning.
Twitty, as if reading his friends mind, reached out, and took his hands, one in each of his own, and held them, wrapping his around Louis' fingers. Louis involuntarily gripped his hands- he surprised himself with his desire to have physical sort-of-human contact, agein. He hadn't realized how much he'd missed it sence last time Twitty had been to see him.**
"Look," he said. "I don't expect you to accept all this over-night. It takes a very long time to get used to. I don't expect you to forgive me over-night. I know what I did probobly strikes you as, at the very least, immoral. But, I have to tell you this. It's a Mystery, yes, and I know I shouldn't be telling you. But, as I said, I have to. This couldn't have happened if it hadn't been meant to. It's destiny. Do you want to be dragged into your destiny, kicking and screaming, or are you going to meet it, and save yourself your dignity, time, effort, and alot of heartache?"
Twitty lifted his left hand, and kissed his knuckles gently. A chill went down Louis' spine, as his friend continued.
"Also, I want you to keep this in mind." he said, not looking up, his lips hovering mere centimeters from his hand. "No matter what, I'm still me. I've always been this way- it's not any new development, and it doesn't change who I am. It just means you have to expand your definition of who I am. I'm your friend, Louis. You know I am. I'm not any less your friend now then I was a month ago, or even ten days ago. And, because I'm your friend, I hope- I'd pray, if I thought it would do any good- but I hope with all my heart you can forgive me. If not now, then, when someday comes, I hope you'll fogive me. "
Twitty lifted his other hand, and kissed its knuckles, as well.
"You'll never know how much I want your forgiveness."
Louis didn't answer. He tugged his hands out of Twittys grip, and reached out, slipping his arms around his friends neck. He pulled him into a tight hug, and buried his face in his shoulder.
Twitty sighed softly. It wasn't frustration, or contentment- it held no emotion, at all- it was simply a sigh, letting Louis know Twitty didn't mind if he clutched him like this, agein. It seemed that every time Twitty came to speak to him, Louis more or less jumped on him.
"Louis?" Twitty said, after a long moment. He disentangled himself from his friend, and said, "I wish you'd stop doing this to me."
No response. Louis had barely spoken to Twitty sence the first day he'd awoken in the infirmary- he's enjoyed his company, and Twitty knew it, but he'd enjoyed it in silence. Another sigh, this one sad, and a bit irritatted.
"I've gotta go." he said. "Me and Annie have to go meet Reno. She's completed her mission, though the results weren't quite what she imagined. I'll bring GG to you once we finish our business."
He disentangled himself from Louis, and rose. Louis looked up at him, a slight pout on his lips. He wasn't quite sure exactly /why/ he was pouting, just that it seemed like a good thing to do.
Twitty gave a half-smile, then turned, and swept out of the infirmary, the full-length black leather trench coat he hadn't been wearing billowing behind him.
To Be Continued...
A/N: Well, how was that? I'm considering making them kiss in the next chapter, though maybe not. Next, Annie is going to show Louis around the HQ, and more will be found out about the Dionysian ring. Oh, yeah. GG is another one of Annie's kittens, and has taken a liking to Louis through an encounter that will also be discussed in the discussed in te next chapter.
Explantion: I did this chapter like this, rather then by just going a chapter about Twitty changing him because I already the bite scene typed out (that was the first thing I wrote for this story) and there wasn't much else I could have added to it. I figured that would have been way to short. Also, I think that leads into the chapter better then him waking up, and just going into talking to Mizza. That would seem kind of awkward, at least to me.
Second A/N: Alan Twitty /is/ supposed to be his full name, right? I haven't watched as Even Stevens as I probably should have before writing this- about three weeks of episodes, and I had the movie forced on me three and a half times, then I watched it of my free will a few more, simply because the cable system at the beach sucked, which is what drew me in, in the first place.
Dedication: This chapter is for Noel, who didn't laugh at me, and Alice, who was sitting next to me trying to make conversation throughout the writing of the middle third of this chapter. I checked on my reveiws while they were at my house, one thing led to another, and I've been outed to them. -_-;;; That was at two in the morning, so the moment it hits Noel what she saw, I'll be getting a phone call. Wish me luck.
*Though vampires traditionally feed off of the jugular artery, carotid arterys seem, to me, to be a more likely choice, as they carry blood with more nutrients, and oxygen, while jugular arterys have used-up blood being taken back to the heart. There's also less chance of mess, because the walls of carotids arterys aren't as difficult to peirce, and aren't as high-pressure as jugular arterys. I've been reading more vampire books then is strictly nessicary, one of which is called The Science of Vampires, and discussed this factor. That's probobly why I decided to write this.
** Twitty had come to see him every day at first, but Louis hadn't seen him in over a week, at this point.