Hi! I know you've been waiting a long time for this, so here it is!
"Dustin," someone said, shaking me.
"Hmmm," I groaned in protest. "What?"
"We're needed at Ninja Opts.," another voice said.
"Okay," I said exasperated.
I slowly opened my eyes, seeing Tori and Shane.
"Next time you go anywhere, take us with," Shane said, handing me my shades.
"Yeah," I said sleepily, "Ready? Cause I'm going now.
I thought of Ninja Opts. feeling Tori and Shane grab hold of my hands and in seconds we were there. I stuck my shades on my face.
"Hi, Cam," I yawned.
"Dustin, how."
"I'm fine, tired, but fine."
"How can we trust you?" Shane asked suspiciously.
"I know I can't convince you I'm not evil, but I really am not."
He, Tori and Shane started arguing and I heard Cam's thoughts, I guess, because I didn't see his mouth move to the words.
'Why won't they believe me?' he thought, 'I am good now.'
"Guys, stop," I said.
I guess they didn't hear me.
"Guys, listen," I shouted.
"Yeah, Dustin?" Tori asked.
"He's telling the truth."
"Man, you can't trust everyone. You should know that by now."
"I know what I'm talking about. I could hear his thoughts."
"What?" they asked, at separate times.
"I don't get it either, but I just know I can, like that thing I do where I just think of a place and then I'm there without a lot of work."
"Yeah," Cam said, "It's called Ninja Streaking."
"No, I don't have to move at all, I just think and then I'm there. Look, I'll show you."
Then I closed my eyes, and thought about the waterfall outside the opening. I reopened my eyes and jumped into the water, then thought about Ninja Opts. and I was back in.
"Okay, maybe I was wrong," Cam said.
I spat out some water on the floor. "Yep," I said grinning.
"So you're good, right?" Shane asked.
"Yes," Cam replied, "And I remember everything. I know what happened to Dustin, I saw him before his first hunt."
"Oh, cool," I said, "But I am getting a little hungry."
"Um, I'll work on getting you something," Cam said, "In the meantime; I want you to stay out of trouble."
"Can do," I said, "I'm going to back to bed. Beep me if you need me."
"I'll go too," Shane said, and grabbed my hand as I thought of being back in my room.
"Dude, I am so tired," I said flopping onto my bed.
"So what's it like?" Shane asked.
"Huh?"
"What's it like being.you know?"
"Oh, um, well, about the same as I'm about normal, except for the blood drinking and the sun hurting my eyes, oh, and the tendency to sleep during the day." I yawned. "Speaking of which," I lied down on my bed.
"Don't go to sleep yet, or I'll steal your shades and turn the light on. I have more questions."
"All right, shoot."
"How do those blood lusts of yours feel?"
"Well, uh. You know the feeling when you're hungry but you don't have any money and everyone around you has food, but they won't share?"
"Yeah."
"It's kinda' like that."
"Oh, does the sun actually hurt your eyes?"
"Yeah, hey, check this out." I thought of my old brown eyes.
"Hey, that's cool," Shane approved.
"Yeah," I agreed, "And how 'bout this? If thinking about different things worked for my eyes, then it could work for my hair or me."
I thought about my ranger uniform, and before I knew it, I felt my helmet on and saw that everything was darker.
"Oh, man, that's sick," Shane said.
"Yeah, just a sec," I said. I thought about my normal clothes and felt the helmet no longer on my head.
"Okay, if you're done asking me questions, I'm gonna' get a little shut eye."
"Two more," Shane said. "Do you ever miss it?"
"Miss what?" I asked him.
"Being alive,"
"Oh, yeah, in a way I do. I miss the food, 'course, and the idea that I'd grow old with you guys and die with you guys."
"I don't get it," Shane said uncertainly.
"Well, we're going to be friends forever, right?" Shane nodded. "And we're going to be friends 'till we die, right?"
Shane nodded again. "Yeah, man."
"Well, now it's 'til you guys die, 'cause I can't die, unless I get killed or something."
"Oh."
"Yeah," I said, going into an uneasy sleep.
"Wait," Shane said, "One more. What did it feel like to die?"
"Well," I said with my eyes closed, a little angry that I had been jolted out of sleep. "Well, mine kinda hurt, but afterward it was peaceful. It was free of hurt, guilt and hate." I opened my eyes and sat up. "It was, well, it wasn't the end, but a new beginning, only mine wasn't so happy. When I woke up again, it was so I could cause pain, grief and death."
"Yeah, but I'm not unhappy," Shane said, "Neither is Tori or the others."
"Yeah, but I need human blood to live," I told him.
"Cam's working on that, I thought," Shane said.
"I s'pose," I said, "but I was brought back to kill for my benefit."
"Hey, one more thing, I have to tell you something."
"Yeah, sure," I said, "as long as I can go to sleep afterward."
"Sure, sure, promise not to tell anyone even under pain of torture and or death?"
"Yeah."
"I'm.gay."
"I kinda had a feeling."
"Just go to sleep. Promise you won't tell?"
"Yeah, I promise," I said, as I fell back on my bed and fell into sleep's warm grasp.
Well, that was sort of unexpected, right? I thought it might be a good twist to the story. Hope you like.
"Dustin," someone said, shaking me.
"Hmmm," I groaned in protest. "What?"
"We're needed at Ninja Opts.," another voice said.
"Okay," I said exasperated.
I slowly opened my eyes, seeing Tori and Shane.
"Next time you go anywhere, take us with," Shane said, handing me my shades.
"Yeah," I said sleepily, "Ready? Cause I'm going now.
I thought of Ninja Opts. feeling Tori and Shane grab hold of my hands and in seconds we were there. I stuck my shades on my face.
"Hi, Cam," I yawned.
"Dustin, how."
"I'm fine, tired, but fine."
"How can we trust you?" Shane asked suspiciously.
"I know I can't convince you I'm not evil, but I really am not."
He, Tori and Shane started arguing and I heard Cam's thoughts, I guess, because I didn't see his mouth move to the words.
'Why won't they believe me?' he thought, 'I am good now.'
"Guys, stop," I said.
I guess they didn't hear me.
"Guys, listen," I shouted.
"Yeah, Dustin?" Tori asked.
"He's telling the truth."
"Man, you can't trust everyone. You should know that by now."
"I know what I'm talking about. I could hear his thoughts."
"What?" they asked, at separate times.
"I don't get it either, but I just know I can, like that thing I do where I just think of a place and then I'm there without a lot of work."
"Yeah," Cam said, "It's called Ninja Streaking."
"No, I don't have to move at all, I just think and then I'm there. Look, I'll show you."
Then I closed my eyes, and thought about the waterfall outside the opening. I reopened my eyes and jumped into the water, then thought about Ninja Opts. and I was back in.
"Okay, maybe I was wrong," Cam said.
I spat out some water on the floor. "Yep," I said grinning.
"So you're good, right?" Shane asked.
"Yes," Cam replied, "And I remember everything. I know what happened to Dustin, I saw him before his first hunt."
"Oh, cool," I said, "But I am getting a little hungry."
"Um, I'll work on getting you something," Cam said, "In the meantime; I want you to stay out of trouble."
"Can do," I said, "I'm going to back to bed. Beep me if you need me."
"I'll go too," Shane said, and grabbed my hand as I thought of being back in my room.
"Dude, I am so tired," I said flopping onto my bed.
"So what's it like?" Shane asked.
"Huh?"
"What's it like being.you know?"
"Oh, um, well, about the same as I'm about normal, except for the blood drinking and the sun hurting my eyes, oh, and the tendency to sleep during the day." I yawned. "Speaking of which," I lied down on my bed.
"Don't go to sleep yet, or I'll steal your shades and turn the light on. I have more questions."
"All right, shoot."
"How do those blood lusts of yours feel?"
"Well, uh. You know the feeling when you're hungry but you don't have any money and everyone around you has food, but they won't share?"
"Yeah."
"It's kinda' like that."
"Oh, does the sun actually hurt your eyes?"
"Yeah, hey, check this out." I thought of my old brown eyes.
"Hey, that's cool," Shane approved.
"Yeah," I agreed, "And how 'bout this? If thinking about different things worked for my eyes, then it could work for my hair or me."
I thought about my ranger uniform, and before I knew it, I felt my helmet on and saw that everything was darker.
"Oh, man, that's sick," Shane said.
"Yeah, just a sec," I said. I thought about my normal clothes and felt the helmet no longer on my head.
"Okay, if you're done asking me questions, I'm gonna' get a little shut eye."
"Two more," Shane said. "Do you ever miss it?"
"Miss what?" I asked him.
"Being alive,"
"Oh, yeah, in a way I do. I miss the food, 'course, and the idea that I'd grow old with you guys and die with you guys."
"I don't get it," Shane said uncertainly.
"Well, we're going to be friends forever, right?" Shane nodded. "And we're going to be friends 'till we die, right?"
Shane nodded again. "Yeah, man."
"Well, now it's 'til you guys die, 'cause I can't die, unless I get killed or something."
"Oh."
"Yeah," I said, going into an uneasy sleep.
"Wait," Shane said, "One more. What did it feel like to die?"
"Well," I said with my eyes closed, a little angry that I had been jolted out of sleep. "Well, mine kinda hurt, but afterward it was peaceful. It was free of hurt, guilt and hate." I opened my eyes and sat up. "It was, well, it wasn't the end, but a new beginning, only mine wasn't so happy. When I woke up again, it was so I could cause pain, grief and death."
"Yeah, but I'm not unhappy," Shane said, "Neither is Tori or the others."
"Yeah, but I need human blood to live," I told him.
"Cam's working on that, I thought," Shane said.
"I s'pose," I said, "but I was brought back to kill for my benefit."
"Hey, one more thing, I have to tell you something."
"Yeah, sure," I said, "as long as I can go to sleep afterward."
"Sure, sure, promise not to tell anyone even under pain of torture and or death?"
"Yeah."
"I'm.gay."
"I kinda had a feeling."
"Just go to sleep. Promise you won't tell?"
"Yeah, I promise," I said, as I fell back on my bed and fell into sleep's warm grasp.
Well, that was sort of unexpected, right? I thought it might be a good twist to the story. Hope you like.