Disclaimer: I don't own "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" or any characters from that show. I do however own the characters that I've made up so don't try to steal them without asking or I'll have to poke you with something very, very sharp. ^.^
Author's starting notes: For the first few chapters the story might jump around a bit time wise so I'll say if the time changes drastically before the beginning of the chapter. The story will jump into season seven of Buffy and I'll try to use most of the story line from the real season, but for reasons that will eventually be obvious I won't be able to follow exactly. This is my first Buffy fic, and isn't the traditional type, but if you read it I'd appreciate all comments, even criticism if you feel like it. Last, but not least, I'm going to be writing another story while I work on this one so I might get the chapters out a little slow, (slow being maybe only once every two to three weeks, though I'm aiming for once everyone week or somewhere near there.)
The Night Buffy Died, End of Season Five
Chapter 1
I watched as the sun began to slowly set over the horizon. The graves were outlined in the bright orange-red that made the sky so beautiful this time of night. The whole effect seamed more than a little Goth as the sky grew darker, but that was rather a rather common effect for one who spends as much time as I do in graveyards.
Not that I minded in the least. These places kept me entertained, which was more than I could say about the human world, so I made the best of both. The fact that I lead a double life was something I tried to keep to myself for the most part. The humans I knew where too lost in their world of what's 'real' that they wouldn't understand my nightlife. My other friends, the not so living ones, they just can't think of a human as anything more than dinner.
"Their loss," I muttered under my breath as I leaned back against one of my favorite tombstones. It was an old one, all the cool ones were. They just don't make them like they used to.
I continued to watch the sunset until it was dark. Tonight was blessed with starlight, which was one of the many traits western Washington wasn't normally seen with, but it was getting closer to summer so it wasn't completely unheard of.
The night itself was feeling just a little weird. That didn't make any sense. It was normal, or as normal as life gets for me, and I hadn't had a sense of impending doom for literally over a hundred years. I'd have to ask some of the guys about it, or at least if they felt anything. They were more likely to know if something was up anyway. Thinking of them, I realized that they should be showing up any time now.
"Hey, Liz, where are you?" I heard the familiar shout and smiled to myself. The only thing predictable about my night life was when it started.
With absolutely no grace I got to my feet, awkwardly and loud. The owner of the voice found me simply enough and greeted me with a smile. He didn't look like the classic vampire stereotype. There was no cape, no black hair, his skin wasn't even that pale. He was dressed quite casually in blue jeans and a hooded dark blue sweatshirt. He had plain brown hair and equally brown eyes. Despite his casual appearance you could still tell he was dangerous. Even the most non-believing human would know that he was a force to be reconded with. He carried that vibe with him as both a protective cloak and a threat to any idiot who might try to challenge him. But me, I wasn't scared. Even if he wasn't my best friend he couldn't kill me.
"Good morning Zeke. What's up?" I said, greeting him cheerfully.
He shrugged. "The normal Sunnydale crap. Something's up with the slayer again." There was just a tad of sarcasm in his voice but you could tell he really didn't care. He was a demon, if the world ended tomorrow he'd be okay. I wasn't so sure about myself, but nothing else had killed me yet. "So how was your day?" he asked.
I shrugged. "I hate high school." I said simply. "I should have said I was a junior."
"Hey, you're the one who chose to go back to school," Zeke pointed out with a laugh.
I wrinkled my nose at him. He was right though, but going to school helped me keep up on the latest news and information. I had gone to high school at Puyallup High ten years ago. Things had changed a lot sense then, and I wanted to keep track of that change. So I chose one of the other high schools in Puyallup and enrolled as a sophomore. That gave me three years to catch up on everything. I would have just gotten a job and a house and changed my work every few years, but I was trapped in the body of a seventeen year old. I could pass for eighteen or nineteen, and I was mature enough to pull off twenty, but that was always a long shot.
"So what do you want to do tonight?" Zeke asked, messing up my train of thought.
"I don't know," I murmured, "Where's everyone else?"
He shrugged. "Some event at the fair I think. They're out for a blood bath to say the least.
I'd have joined them but we'd agreed to meet here tonight."
"If you want we can join them," I said, not wanting to keep him from having fun.
Zeke shrugged, "Nah, that's okay. There are a few parties we can crash, though. If you're up to it that is," He said. "After all it is a school night and we wouldn't want you falling asleep in class."
"I'd sleep though most of it anyway," I said with a smirk. That wasn't completely true though. I didn't have to sleep, it was one of the good things about my curse, that and not eating, though not eating got annoying every now and then. Zeke didn't know that though, so I let him tease me.
He just continued to grin and motioned me to follow him. "Some new vamps are passing through town, why they came here is a mystery to me, but they have a party going. There'll be some humans there but they're just for a snack."
I considered what he said and not for the first time I wondered how the vamps managed to kill so many people and not draw attention to themselves. It helped that they didn't kill everyone they fed on, but there were still a lot of victims, and not many were made into vampires. The undead around here were trying to keep their numbers down. They didn't want to attract any humans who wanted to try to be slayers. Most were idiots, but every now and then you get groups who are actually a threat.
The graveyard wasn't far from town, and it wasn't far from town. The graveyard was on a hill, and if you continued down it you could see the fair. The house was on the outskirts, not far away.
The house was an old one. It had been abandoned for years, but the house was still owned by the same old couple that had lived in it when it was in decent shape. I had seen kids sneak in to smoke or on dares because the place did look haunted, but it had never been used for a party before. Most people avoided it. It was a great place for vamps though. If they found a way to spread the word there'd be plenty of people here to feed on. The music was already blaring as we walked into the house.
Most the people in the front room where human. Two vampires were watching the door. They saw Zeke and recognized him as what he was. They motioned for him to go into a certain hallway. They saw me watching but thought nothing of it when Zeke draped his arm across my shoulder. If I was with him then I was safe. We went to the hallway and followed it to the end where a staircase led to the basement.
"Ten bucks says these vamps aren't more than twenty years dead," I murmured softly.
"No bet," he replied. I shrugged my indifference right before we walked into where the real party was.
The basement was huge, more then big enough for the twenty some odd vamps and the couple of humans that they were passing around. Some of the vampires I recognized from around town. They greeted Zeke with as much friendship as vampires ever used, and some of them acknowledged me as well. The vampires that were sponsoring the get together looked at me as nothing more than dinner. I grinned at all of them, daring them to bite me. I couldn't stop them if they tried, but they would still get a less than pleasant surprise. Not to mention I had been right, all the vampires were young.
"You must be Zeke," said a vampire that seemed to appear out of nowhere. I was used to them doing that, but this one still made it look spooky.
Zeke nodded, "In the flesh. And who might you be?" There was a territorial note in his voice. The other vamp must have done something to intimidate him.
The vamp already appeared to loose interest in him, and was now staring at me. "Just a friend--I think. You can call me Alucard." I glanced at Zeke to see if he caught the joke. I lost track of all the vamps who've said they were 'Alucard,' most were actually trying to use it as a name. This guy was keeping it as a joke. "So who's your human?" he asked.
"She's also a friend," Zeke answered carefully, watching Alucard as he answered. I could tell that he was worried about something.
Alucard shrugged but continued to stare at me. I stared back with a blank face. "Is she too close a friend for me to have a taste?" he asked softly. Even though I still felt tension between the two vampires Zeke Suddenly relaxed making it appear that nothing was wrong. The sudden shift in moods was felt by everyone though most of the vampires ignored it.
Zeke smiled to himself and I knew what he was thinking. "If she doesn't mind than neither do I. I simply request that you don't force yourself on her." Zeke sounded completely sincere but every aspect of his appearance was mocking Alucard and he couldn't quite figure out why.
So Alucard raised an eyebrow at me. I knew that Zeke meant what he said and what I decided would be fine with him, but his arm was still around me at a silent claim that I was his. Some people interpreted that fact as us being lovers or at least in a romantic relationship, but both assumptions were wrong. We were just good friends.
"I don't care if you bite me," I said with complete honesty, and with my offer Zeke stepped aside. Alucard didn't look surprised at my statement, his expression hadn't changed at all, but there was no doubt in my mind that he had switched to being cautious and he didn't even know why.
To emphasize my offer I pulled back my hair and tilted my head so that he'd have the best access to my neck. Alucard watched my every movement with curiosity and now stood looking at my exposed neck. Slowly he moved his hand to my neck. I recognized the spot he touched as he brushed two fingers against it.
"You've only been bitten once," he stated. "I'd have thought Zeke would have tasted you more than that."
I smiled to myself. It was true that Zeke bit me only once, but the scar he was looking at wasn't from him. It was from the first time I was bitten, back when I was normal. The vampire that gave me the scar was long dead, but I'd let Alucard think whatever he wanted for now.
Alucard's bite came quick and I hadn't expected him to move so fast after his previous drawn-out movements. His teeth sank into my neck and locked in place as he pulled me closer to his body with an animal like fierceness. Gasping I grabbed onto his arm even as he pulled me closer simply for support. He tasted something he liked and clenched his teeth harder. I suffered through the pain. After all, I knew what was coming next.
Alucard was expecting a flow of blood, and didn't know what to do when none came. I felt him hesitate for a second, then felt his body clench. The fact that he was in pain was obvious, just how much pain few could guess at. It started in the mouth and in literally under a second your whole jaw felt like it was on fire. Right after that your head explodes into a mass of aches and pains. Basically the worst headache that you've ever had. It continued to get worse until the vamp let go of me, and normally they let go right away. Alucard didn't. The pain grew steadily worse, for both of us, but he didn't let go.
Nausea swept over me and I let go of Alucrad, but it had nothing to do with him. For a moment I was completely out of it, I couldn't think or move and if it wasn't for Alucard holding me to him I would have collapsed. Then just as soon as it had come the nausea passed and Alucrad let go.
He all but threw me away from him as he took a few steps back while struggling to think through the remnants of pain that were screaming in his head. I understood his jerky movements because I was moving and feeling the same way. The only difference was that I had a hole in my neck. Even that was healing, though. It could just be the extra pain that I wasn't used to, but it seamed to be taking longer than normal to heal.
I felt Zeke come and grab my shoulders to help steady me. That was at the same time I realized that we had developed an audience. Most of the vamps looked completely surprised. They couldn't figure out why Alucard was clutching his head and I had no blood coming out of the obvious bite in my neck. The rest of the vamps knew though, and all of them shared in the joke.
The fact that the bite was still there was starting to bother me. I was almost positive it should have been gone by now. I could tell that Zeke was thinking the same thing as he rubbed his thumb over the bite. As if that was some signal the wound began to heal itself and soon disappeared as if had never been there, taking the pain away with it.
In moments I was standing steadily on my own, which was more then I could say for Alucard. He was still swaying back and forth, but the headache had faded enough for him to think.
"By any chance will you tell me what the hell that was?" Alucard asked through clenched teeth.
I shrugged. "A self defense mechanism" I said quite bluntly. I had fully recovered and was standing with a grin, joining in on the joke that Zeke and I had pulled off.
Alucard took a moment to get control over himself before he said anything else. In a matter of seconds he was the same dangerous guy that had snuck up on us when we walked in. The effect would have been ruined by his bout of pain, but the recovery was so complete that he seamed almost more dangerous, but the vampires were still silently laughing at him. He stared daggers at Zeke, blaming him for the humiliation. He'd all but forgotten me. I might have been the tool used to make him look like a fool, but Zeke was my 'master' as far as he was concerned, and I was only human. As much as I hated being treated as a pet, I'd gotten use to it. Zeke didn't treat me that way though, that was what mattered.
Instead of trying to talk his way out of looking stupid he just shrugged and forced a smile. Any attempt he made to get back at Zeke he would have to win. So he decided not to do anything more tonight. He might even brush it off. It would be that or a long grudge. But either way it was over for now, and the party continued.
Zeke and I separated. He went off to greet the other visiting vamps while I said hi to some I knew. Many commented on my unique ability, not really caring that Alucard fell for it. Some of them had suffered the same fate, but all of the local vamps knew that it was just one of Zeke's jokes.
The party got rather boring after awhile. It wasn't really supposed to be anything but a greeting so there wasn't really anything I found interesting. I was glad the guys hadn't showed up, they would be agreeing that it was dull while considering how to make it more interesting. I was happy when Zeke finally came over and said that he had a ride home. I tagged along in the back seat as the female vamp driving flirted with Zeke trough out the entire trip. It was a longer ride than normal having to listen to her, but it made getting to Zeke's apartment all the better.
He kept the good byes brief, but I was already heading for his door. I had my own key so I could come over in case I ever need a place to stay. The sound of music coming from his apartment told me I wouldn't be needing the key though. I opened the door and walked into a mess.
My other vampire friends had stormed the place, rearranging the furniture to their liking. They had started out watch something on TV but had long sense stopped paying attention and were now shouting to each other as they carried out two or three conversations. All looked over to me before jumping out of their seats to say hi.
They finished with me about the time Zeke walked in, so they all went over and started shouting at him. Zeke greeted them all in turn and they soon settled down. We all found a seat and went over everything we had done that night.
The guys had spent a few hours at the fair, but had to leave as it closed. They didn't actually kill anyone because of a bet that Josh had made with Steve that Steve couldn't live off of non-human blood for a week. So Steve got them to leave early.
"What are you going to drink then?" I asked.
Steve shrugged. "I don't know, what ever they have at the butcher shop. I'll have to get them to stay open late so I can pick it up," he answered.
"Or I can just pick some up for you," I pointed out.
Steve shrugged again. "That would be convenient if you don't mind," he said.
"Not at all."
Then the conversation changed as it did quite often for the rest of the night. I barely paid attention to the time, but when we all wanted to go out and do something it was too close to dawn and we knew that we better not. I waited till the last minute to leave, promising to be back at dusk.
School had been normal. I had been able to finish all of my homework with out a problem, leaving my afternoon free for whatever I wanted to do. I didn't have a job anymore so I didn't have anything to worry about. I did however have plenty of money and spent it with ease on a few new books and a couple of CDs. I stopped by the butcher's store with just enough time to pick up the blood and get back to the bus station so I could catch a ride back to Zeke's apartment.
Pushing the door to the shop open I heard the familiar ring, signaling to the staff that someone was there. The man who walked out was in his mid forties and already going bald. He was big and strong looking dressed in white with a stained apron on.
"Hello Frank, got the order?" I asked cheerfully.
He looked at me with a glare filled with resentment and disgust, but he pulled out a large brown paper bag and dropped it on the counter. He punched some numbers into the till and waited for me to pay the bill. I pulled out the money and handed it over to him. He opened the register while muttering to himself. I couldn't be sure what he said, but it sounded somewhat like "I can't believe this bitch."
I smiled sweetly to him. "What bothers you most about me? The fact that I hang out with vamps or that I'm doing their errands?" I asked.
Frank looked up from the cash register as he handed me my change. "I sell to you freaks because this blood might keep one of you from killing someone. You... you care nothing for us humans."
My smile went away for just a moment as I got serious. "You speak as if I was a vampire," I murmured.
"You might as well be," He growled. I could feel I wasn't welcome so I took his hint and left, but I walked out casually as if what he said didn't bother me.
The truth was, it didn't. At one point I hated the undead as much as the butcher, but that was a long time ago. Now it just didn't matter. Technically I was 137 years old, thirteen of those years were normal, most were sent in a half-life state. Most of my conscience disappeared with my normal life.
My mind had already switched to a different topic when I got to a stoplight. I hit the button and waited for the don't walk sign to change to green. I stared as the cars drove by, not paying much attention to anything. I didn't see the sign turn green until some of the other people who needed to cross started walking. I blinked a couple of times then followed them. The same thing happened at the next light, even though I was paying attention. I shook my head as I tried to clear it. Then suddenly everything got dizzy.
I stopped walking right in front of a coffee shop. I found the smell nauseating but had a bad feeling in my gut and I didn't trust myself with walking. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. That was when it hit me.
I was breathing.
Everything seamed to stop around me. The fact that I was breathing was easily overlooked, sense I can make myself inhale and exhale air, it just didn't go through my body. Yet this was real.
Fear made me breath faster. I barely noticed as I dropped the bags that I had been carrying. Slowly and nervously I moved my hand to my neck and checked for a pulse. Unconsciously my body relaxed when I didn't feel anything. Then I felt a single beat. My body froze again. I waited and a few seconds latter I felt another one. Then another, and another...
"What's happening to me?" I whispered. I think someone was trying to say something to me, but I wasn't listening. I felt my heartbeat speed up under my fingers. "What the hell is going on?"
Panic was flooding trough me. I didn't know what to do. Suddenly my brain was going into over drive. I was breathing and my heart was beating and I was pretty sure that I was tired. I think I was even starting to hyperventilate. All of these things could mean only one thing.
"Oh-my-god," I murmured, "I'm alive."
I collapsed to my knees and just stayed that way. I couldn't think strait, I could barely keep myself on my knees. Distantly I heard someone tell someone else to call 911. My body started to shake. The blurriness was getting worse. Things began to darken. I felt weak. The last thing I remembered thinking was that I was dying. Then things went black.
So... What'd you think? The next chapter will be out soon, I hope. Look forward to hearing what you have to say.
~Rave
Author's starting notes: For the first few chapters the story might jump around a bit time wise so I'll say if the time changes drastically before the beginning of the chapter. The story will jump into season seven of Buffy and I'll try to use most of the story line from the real season, but for reasons that will eventually be obvious I won't be able to follow exactly. This is my first Buffy fic, and isn't the traditional type, but if you read it I'd appreciate all comments, even criticism if you feel like it. Last, but not least, I'm going to be writing another story while I work on this one so I might get the chapters out a little slow, (slow being maybe only once every two to three weeks, though I'm aiming for once everyone week or somewhere near there.)
The Night Buffy Died, End of Season Five
Chapter 1
I watched as the sun began to slowly set over the horizon. The graves were outlined in the bright orange-red that made the sky so beautiful this time of night. The whole effect seamed more than a little Goth as the sky grew darker, but that was rather a rather common effect for one who spends as much time as I do in graveyards.
Not that I minded in the least. These places kept me entertained, which was more than I could say about the human world, so I made the best of both. The fact that I lead a double life was something I tried to keep to myself for the most part. The humans I knew where too lost in their world of what's 'real' that they wouldn't understand my nightlife. My other friends, the not so living ones, they just can't think of a human as anything more than dinner.
"Their loss," I muttered under my breath as I leaned back against one of my favorite tombstones. It was an old one, all the cool ones were. They just don't make them like they used to.
I continued to watch the sunset until it was dark. Tonight was blessed with starlight, which was one of the many traits western Washington wasn't normally seen with, but it was getting closer to summer so it wasn't completely unheard of.
The night itself was feeling just a little weird. That didn't make any sense. It was normal, or as normal as life gets for me, and I hadn't had a sense of impending doom for literally over a hundred years. I'd have to ask some of the guys about it, or at least if they felt anything. They were more likely to know if something was up anyway. Thinking of them, I realized that they should be showing up any time now.
"Hey, Liz, where are you?" I heard the familiar shout and smiled to myself. The only thing predictable about my night life was when it started.
With absolutely no grace I got to my feet, awkwardly and loud. The owner of the voice found me simply enough and greeted me with a smile. He didn't look like the classic vampire stereotype. There was no cape, no black hair, his skin wasn't even that pale. He was dressed quite casually in blue jeans and a hooded dark blue sweatshirt. He had plain brown hair and equally brown eyes. Despite his casual appearance you could still tell he was dangerous. Even the most non-believing human would know that he was a force to be reconded with. He carried that vibe with him as both a protective cloak and a threat to any idiot who might try to challenge him. But me, I wasn't scared. Even if he wasn't my best friend he couldn't kill me.
"Good morning Zeke. What's up?" I said, greeting him cheerfully.
He shrugged. "The normal Sunnydale crap. Something's up with the slayer again." There was just a tad of sarcasm in his voice but you could tell he really didn't care. He was a demon, if the world ended tomorrow he'd be okay. I wasn't so sure about myself, but nothing else had killed me yet. "So how was your day?" he asked.
I shrugged. "I hate high school." I said simply. "I should have said I was a junior."
"Hey, you're the one who chose to go back to school," Zeke pointed out with a laugh.
I wrinkled my nose at him. He was right though, but going to school helped me keep up on the latest news and information. I had gone to high school at Puyallup High ten years ago. Things had changed a lot sense then, and I wanted to keep track of that change. So I chose one of the other high schools in Puyallup and enrolled as a sophomore. That gave me three years to catch up on everything. I would have just gotten a job and a house and changed my work every few years, but I was trapped in the body of a seventeen year old. I could pass for eighteen or nineteen, and I was mature enough to pull off twenty, but that was always a long shot.
"So what do you want to do tonight?" Zeke asked, messing up my train of thought.
"I don't know," I murmured, "Where's everyone else?"
He shrugged. "Some event at the fair I think. They're out for a blood bath to say the least.
I'd have joined them but we'd agreed to meet here tonight."
"If you want we can join them," I said, not wanting to keep him from having fun.
Zeke shrugged, "Nah, that's okay. There are a few parties we can crash, though. If you're up to it that is," He said. "After all it is a school night and we wouldn't want you falling asleep in class."
"I'd sleep though most of it anyway," I said with a smirk. That wasn't completely true though. I didn't have to sleep, it was one of the good things about my curse, that and not eating, though not eating got annoying every now and then. Zeke didn't know that though, so I let him tease me.
He just continued to grin and motioned me to follow him. "Some new vamps are passing through town, why they came here is a mystery to me, but they have a party going. There'll be some humans there but they're just for a snack."
I considered what he said and not for the first time I wondered how the vamps managed to kill so many people and not draw attention to themselves. It helped that they didn't kill everyone they fed on, but there were still a lot of victims, and not many were made into vampires. The undead around here were trying to keep their numbers down. They didn't want to attract any humans who wanted to try to be slayers. Most were idiots, but every now and then you get groups who are actually a threat.
The graveyard wasn't far from town, and it wasn't far from town. The graveyard was on a hill, and if you continued down it you could see the fair. The house was on the outskirts, not far away.
The house was an old one. It had been abandoned for years, but the house was still owned by the same old couple that had lived in it when it was in decent shape. I had seen kids sneak in to smoke or on dares because the place did look haunted, but it had never been used for a party before. Most people avoided it. It was a great place for vamps though. If they found a way to spread the word there'd be plenty of people here to feed on. The music was already blaring as we walked into the house.
Most the people in the front room where human. Two vampires were watching the door. They saw Zeke and recognized him as what he was. They motioned for him to go into a certain hallway. They saw me watching but thought nothing of it when Zeke draped his arm across my shoulder. If I was with him then I was safe. We went to the hallway and followed it to the end where a staircase led to the basement.
"Ten bucks says these vamps aren't more than twenty years dead," I murmured softly.
"No bet," he replied. I shrugged my indifference right before we walked into where the real party was.
The basement was huge, more then big enough for the twenty some odd vamps and the couple of humans that they were passing around. Some of the vampires I recognized from around town. They greeted Zeke with as much friendship as vampires ever used, and some of them acknowledged me as well. The vampires that were sponsoring the get together looked at me as nothing more than dinner. I grinned at all of them, daring them to bite me. I couldn't stop them if they tried, but they would still get a less than pleasant surprise. Not to mention I had been right, all the vampires were young.
"You must be Zeke," said a vampire that seemed to appear out of nowhere. I was used to them doing that, but this one still made it look spooky.
Zeke nodded, "In the flesh. And who might you be?" There was a territorial note in his voice. The other vamp must have done something to intimidate him.
The vamp already appeared to loose interest in him, and was now staring at me. "Just a friend--I think. You can call me Alucard." I glanced at Zeke to see if he caught the joke. I lost track of all the vamps who've said they were 'Alucard,' most were actually trying to use it as a name. This guy was keeping it as a joke. "So who's your human?" he asked.
"She's also a friend," Zeke answered carefully, watching Alucard as he answered. I could tell that he was worried about something.
Alucard shrugged but continued to stare at me. I stared back with a blank face. "Is she too close a friend for me to have a taste?" he asked softly. Even though I still felt tension between the two vampires Zeke Suddenly relaxed making it appear that nothing was wrong. The sudden shift in moods was felt by everyone though most of the vampires ignored it.
Zeke smiled to himself and I knew what he was thinking. "If she doesn't mind than neither do I. I simply request that you don't force yourself on her." Zeke sounded completely sincere but every aspect of his appearance was mocking Alucard and he couldn't quite figure out why.
So Alucard raised an eyebrow at me. I knew that Zeke meant what he said and what I decided would be fine with him, but his arm was still around me at a silent claim that I was his. Some people interpreted that fact as us being lovers or at least in a romantic relationship, but both assumptions were wrong. We were just good friends.
"I don't care if you bite me," I said with complete honesty, and with my offer Zeke stepped aside. Alucard didn't look surprised at my statement, his expression hadn't changed at all, but there was no doubt in my mind that he had switched to being cautious and he didn't even know why.
To emphasize my offer I pulled back my hair and tilted my head so that he'd have the best access to my neck. Alucard watched my every movement with curiosity and now stood looking at my exposed neck. Slowly he moved his hand to my neck. I recognized the spot he touched as he brushed two fingers against it.
"You've only been bitten once," he stated. "I'd have thought Zeke would have tasted you more than that."
I smiled to myself. It was true that Zeke bit me only once, but the scar he was looking at wasn't from him. It was from the first time I was bitten, back when I was normal. The vampire that gave me the scar was long dead, but I'd let Alucard think whatever he wanted for now.
Alucard's bite came quick and I hadn't expected him to move so fast after his previous drawn-out movements. His teeth sank into my neck and locked in place as he pulled me closer to his body with an animal like fierceness. Gasping I grabbed onto his arm even as he pulled me closer simply for support. He tasted something he liked and clenched his teeth harder. I suffered through the pain. After all, I knew what was coming next.
Alucard was expecting a flow of blood, and didn't know what to do when none came. I felt him hesitate for a second, then felt his body clench. The fact that he was in pain was obvious, just how much pain few could guess at. It started in the mouth and in literally under a second your whole jaw felt like it was on fire. Right after that your head explodes into a mass of aches and pains. Basically the worst headache that you've ever had. It continued to get worse until the vamp let go of me, and normally they let go right away. Alucard didn't. The pain grew steadily worse, for both of us, but he didn't let go.
Nausea swept over me and I let go of Alucrad, but it had nothing to do with him. For a moment I was completely out of it, I couldn't think or move and if it wasn't for Alucard holding me to him I would have collapsed. Then just as soon as it had come the nausea passed and Alucrad let go.
He all but threw me away from him as he took a few steps back while struggling to think through the remnants of pain that were screaming in his head. I understood his jerky movements because I was moving and feeling the same way. The only difference was that I had a hole in my neck. Even that was healing, though. It could just be the extra pain that I wasn't used to, but it seamed to be taking longer than normal to heal.
I felt Zeke come and grab my shoulders to help steady me. That was at the same time I realized that we had developed an audience. Most of the vamps looked completely surprised. They couldn't figure out why Alucard was clutching his head and I had no blood coming out of the obvious bite in my neck. The rest of the vamps knew though, and all of them shared in the joke.
The fact that the bite was still there was starting to bother me. I was almost positive it should have been gone by now. I could tell that Zeke was thinking the same thing as he rubbed his thumb over the bite. As if that was some signal the wound began to heal itself and soon disappeared as if had never been there, taking the pain away with it.
In moments I was standing steadily on my own, which was more then I could say for Alucard. He was still swaying back and forth, but the headache had faded enough for him to think.
"By any chance will you tell me what the hell that was?" Alucard asked through clenched teeth.
I shrugged. "A self defense mechanism" I said quite bluntly. I had fully recovered and was standing with a grin, joining in on the joke that Zeke and I had pulled off.
Alucard took a moment to get control over himself before he said anything else. In a matter of seconds he was the same dangerous guy that had snuck up on us when we walked in. The effect would have been ruined by his bout of pain, but the recovery was so complete that he seamed almost more dangerous, but the vampires were still silently laughing at him. He stared daggers at Zeke, blaming him for the humiliation. He'd all but forgotten me. I might have been the tool used to make him look like a fool, but Zeke was my 'master' as far as he was concerned, and I was only human. As much as I hated being treated as a pet, I'd gotten use to it. Zeke didn't treat me that way though, that was what mattered.
Instead of trying to talk his way out of looking stupid he just shrugged and forced a smile. Any attempt he made to get back at Zeke he would have to win. So he decided not to do anything more tonight. He might even brush it off. It would be that or a long grudge. But either way it was over for now, and the party continued.
Zeke and I separated. He went off to greet the other visiting vamps while I said hi to some I knew. Many commented on my unique ability, not really caring that Alucard fell for it. Some of them had suffered the same fate, but all of the local vamps knew that it was just one of Zeke's jokes.
The party got rather boring after awhile. It wasn't really supposed to be anything but a greeting so there wasn't really anything I found interesting. I was glad the guys hadn't showed up, they would be agreeing that it was dull while considering how to make it more interesting. I was happy when Zeke finally came over and said that he had a ride home. I tagged along in the back seat as the female vamp driving flirted with Zeke trough out the entire trip. It was a longer ride than normal having to listen to her, but it made getting to Zeke's apartment all the better.
He kept the good byes brief, but I was already heading for his door. I had my own key so I could come over in case I ever need a place to stay. The sound of music coming from his apartment told me I wouldn't be needing the key though. I opened the door and walked into a mess.
My other vampire friends had stormed the place, rearranging the furniture to their liking. They had started out watch something on TV but had long sense stopped paying attention and were now shouting to each other as they carried out two or three conversations. All looked over to me before jumping out of their seats to say hi.
They finished with me about the time Zeke walked in, so they all went over and started shouting at him. Zeke greeted them all in turn and they soon settled down. We all found a seat and went over everything we had done that night.
The guys had spent a few hours at the fair, but had to leave as it closed. They didn't actually kill anyone because of a bet that Josh had made with Steve that Steve couldn't live off of non-human blood for a week. So Steve got them to leave early.
"What are you going to drink then?" I asked.
Steve shrugged. "I don't know, what ever they have at the butcher shop. I'll have to get them to stay open late so I can pick it up," he answered.
"Or I can just pick some up for you," I pointed out.
Steve shrugged again. "That would be convenient if you don't mind," he said.
"Not at all."
Then the conversation changed as it did quite often for the rest of the night. I barely paid attention to the time, but when we all wanted to go out and do something it was too close to dawn and we knew that we better not. I waited till the last minute to leave, promising to be back at dusk.
School had been normal. I had been able to finish all of my homework with out a problem, leaving my afternoon free for whatever I wanted to do. I didn't have a job anymore so I didn't have anything to worry about. I did however have plenty of money and spent it with ease on a few new books and a couple of CDs. I stopped by the butcher's store with just enough time to pick up the blood and get back to the bus station so I could catch a ride back to Zeke's apartment.
Pushing the door to the shop open I heard the familiar ring, signaling to the staff that someone was there. The man who walked out was in his mid forties and already going bald. He was big and strong looking dressed in white with a stained apron on.
"Hello Frank, got the order?" I asked cheerfully.
He looked at me with a glare filled with resentment and disgust, but he pulled out a large brown paper bag and dropped it on the counter. He punched some numbers into the till and waited for me to pay the bill. I pulled out the money and handed it over to him. He opened the register while muttering to himself. I couldn't be sure what he said, but it sounded somewhat like "I can't believe this bitch."
I smiled sweetly to him. "What bothers you most about me? The fact that I hang out with vamps or that I'm doing their errands?" I asked.
Frank looked up from the cash register as he handed me my change. "I sell to you freaks because this blood might keep one of you from killing someone. You... you care nothing for us humans."
My smile went away for just a moment as I got serious. "You speak as if I was a vampire," I murmured.
"You might as well be," He growled. I could feel I wasn't welcome so I took his hint and left, but I walked out casually as if what he said didn't bother me.
The truth was, it didn't. At one point I hated the undead as much as the butcher, but that was a long time ago. Now it just didn't matter. Technically I was 137 years old, thirteen of those years were normal, most were sent in a half-life state. Most of my conscience disappeared with my normal life.
My mind had already switched to a different topic when I got to a stoplight. I hit the button and waited for the don't walk sign to change to green. I stared as the cars drove by, not paying much attention to anything. I didn't see the sign turn green until some of the other people who needed to cross started walking. I blinked a couple of times then followed them. The same thing happened at the next light, even though I was paying attention. I shook my head as I tried to clear it. Then suddenly everything got dizzy.
I stopped walking right in front of a coffee shop. I found the smell nauseating but had a bad feeling in my gut and I didn't trust myself with walking. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. That was when it hit me.
I was breathing.
Everything seamed to stop around me. The fact that I was breathing was easily overlooked, sense I can make myself inhale and exhale air, it just didn't go through my body. Yet this was real.
Fear made me breath faster. I barely noticed as I dropped the bags that I had been carrying. Slowly and nervously I moved my hand to my neck and checked for a pulse. Unconsciously my body relaxed when I didn't feel anything. Then I felt a single beat. My body froze again. I waited and a few seconds latter I felt another one. Then another, and another...
"What's happening to me?" I whispered. I think someone was trying to say something to me, but I wasn't listening. I felt my heartbeat speed up under my fingers. "What the hell is going on?"
Panic was flooding trough me. I didn't know what to do. Suddenly my brain was going into over drive. I was breathing and my heart was beating and I was pretty sure that I was tired. I think I was even starting to hyperventilate. All of these things could mean only one thing.
"Oh-my-god," I murmured, "I'm alive."
I collapsed to my knees and just stayed that way. I couldn't think strait, I could barely keep myself on my knees. Distantly I heard someone tell someone else to call 911. My body started to shake. The blurriness was getting worse. Things began to darken. I felt weak. The last thing I remembered thinking was that I was dying. Then things went black.
So... What'd you think? The next chapter will be out soon, I hope. Look forward to hearing what you have to say.
~Rave