The next day was Saturday, the busiest night of the week on the boardwalk. Marko and Paul went hunting as soon as dusk fell. Michael, Star, and Laddie went out to eat at Laddie's favourite burger bar. When I jumped from my perch, the first thing I thought about was Edgar Frog. I pulled on my boots and strode past Dwayne to the steps leading up to the cliff top.
"Where are you going in such a hurry?" He followed, pulling on his jacket.
"I'm hungry."
"For what?"
"Food." I grinned. "Gonna join me?"
"Nah. I need to hunt. I'll see you later." He took off, leaving me alone. I rode my bike to the boardwalk, parked in my usual spot behind the video store, and peered through the window. Mrs Emerson was talking to Sam, her younger son, who had apparently dropped into the store. I grimaced at his outfit. How the kid could wear such ridiculous clothes and think he looked good was beyond me.
As I watched, he made his way to the door. "I'm going to see Edgar. See you later, Mom." He collected a bicycle from where it leaned against the wall and pedalled off to the comic book store.
I followed slowly on foot. When I reached the store, I heard the two boys arguing. I lurked out of sight beyond the door and listened.
"I'm too busy," Edgar's deep voice said.
"I can hang out here," Sam suggested. "You're on your own all the time."
"Thanks for reminding me."
"I'm sorry. I just want to help."
"Then leave me alone."
"Come on, Edgar. I'm your friend. What happened the other day? Who'd you get in a fight with?"
"I told you. Line of duty."
"I don't believe you. You're not yourself. You're kinda jumpy. Was it one of those bloodsuckers from the cavern?"
My eyes narrowed and I hissed through my teeth.
"No! Go away, Sam," Edgar growled.
"Fine. I'll come back tomorrow. You shouldn't push away the one friend you've got, you know."
Sam turned away and walked out of the shop. I slipped inside. There were no customers.
Edgar glared at me. "What are you doing here?"
"He was right, you know. Your friend. You shouldn't push people away. Never know when you might need him."
"He's a kid."
"So are you." I grinned.
"I'm not a kid. I'm sixteen next week." Edgar's eyes widened, as if he were surprised he'd given anything away.
"Still a kid." I nodded. "You should be in school, not running a business."
"What the fuck?" Edgar's scowl deepened. "What are you, my mother?"
I smirked. "Where is your mother?"
"What's it to you? Why don't you go to hell where you belong?"
His bravado had returned, and my smirk turned into a genuine smile. "That's more like it." I left him alone and headed for the Chinese food stall to get some noodles. He was okay at the moment at least. I didn't question why I cared so much—I wouldn't have been able to come up with an answer. It certainly wasn't what Dwayne had suggested. I wasn't interested in him like that. Not at fifteen. Maybe in three years.
"What the hell are you thinking?" I muttered to myself. "Gonna wait three years—two actually, he's sixteen next week—for him to grow up?" I snapped my mouth shut and silently cursed for talking to myself.
Did I think about him like that? The kid was cute—there was no denying that. He had the voice of a much older man, which on a person of, say, eighteen or twenty, would probably have sent a shiver through me. Other than that, he was short, baby-faced, and definitely not on the scale that would tempt me into attraction. Thank God. I needed to find someone to fuck and forget about him. Perhaps the other day he really had only been in a fight that was now over. I remembered the scared look on his face and the way he trembled, and I squashed the memory. It was nothing.
A week later I found myself a human I was attracted to. I'd stopped hanging round the comic book store and gone to the concerts instead or wandered the boardwalk with the others. Even hung out in the video store and talked politely to Mrs Emerson. She didn't like me because of what I'd done to Michael, but she wasn't able to throw me out when I was being pleasant and helpful. I also sensed she didn't want to provoke me too much in case I went after Sam.
I picked up a young guy choosing a horror movie about vampires. He was cute, hot, and legal, and he was very keen to get in bed with me. He smelled delicious, but I restrained myself from biting and merely enjoyed his body for a couple of weeks, until he got too clingy. When he started talking about taking me back to his place to meet his mother, I decided enough was enough. I thought about changing him, but that wouldn't change the clingy behaviour. I didn't want to kill him—he didn't deserve it and I wasn't tempted to ruin his life and that of his family's, unusually for me. I told him I'd found someone else and it was over. He was upset but accepted it. Paul and Marko taunted me for ditching the guy instead of making him my next meal.
The next day, I found myself outside the comic book store, peering through the window at Edgar and Sam. Once again, Sam was trying to get Edgar to hang out with him, and Edgar was telling him he was too busy and making excuses. I waited until Sam left, then walked in.
"Not you again." Edgar scowled.
I grinned. "Good to see you, too."
"What do you want?"
"David," I supplied.
"What?"
"My name. It's David."
"I didn't ask what your name is." His eyes narrowed.
My gaze wandered over his face. He didn't appear injured in any way. He did, however, seem jumpy. He avoided my eyes and kept looking behind him to the door at the rear of the store.
"What's going on?" I asked.
"You're in my way," he growled. "Again. If you're not gonna buy anything, get out."
I turned to the shelves of comics and selected one I thought Laddie would like. "I'll take this."
"I wouldn't have you down for a Batman fan."
"It's a gift." I pulled out some money and gave it to him.
"Thanks." He curled his lip. "Now you can go."
"I might hang around for a while."
"Why? You're just asking to get staked."
I chuckled. Then the door at the rear of the store opened, and Edgar froze. A man of about thirty emerged, glanced at me, then turned his attention to Edgar. The look on his face was so familiar to me—I'd seen that look a dozen times.
"All right, Eddie?" the man said slyly.
Edgar clenched his fists at his sides and ground his teeth. His heart thumped wildly, and a look of fear came into his eyes. My hackles went up, but I wouldn't get proof of what was going on if I stayed. I rolled up the comic and ambled out of the store. I stopped outside and peered through a gap between the posters stuck on the inside of the window.
"Not too busy tonight. We'll close up early," the man said, resting a hand on Edgar's shoulder. "Relax for a while before your mom gets home."
"I just had a customer. It's always busy on the weekends." Edgar's voice shook, and he backed away.
"Now, come on Eddie. It's been a while since we had some alone time. I've got a treat in store for you. You know how special you are to me."
"What are you doing?" Dwayne spoke in my ear, startling me.
"Get in there and look at the stock. Buy something, whatever," I said under my breath. "Just do it. I'll explain later." I didn't trust myself. My fangs were lengthening, and I'd have torn the guy limb from limb right there in the store.
Dwayne walked into the store without question. "Hey, Edgar. I was hoping to get that new Superman comic that's out this week. Have you got it in yet?"
The man moved away from Edgar and shoved his hands into his pockets, his expression irritated.
"Um, no, it's not in yet. I've, um, I've got some, um, special editions if you want to have a, um, a look." He was shaking from head to foot.
My fangs punched through my lower lip and I cursed, retracted them, and licked at the wounds to heal them.
"That'd be great. Can you point them out to me?" Dwayne said.
"Right here." Edgar walked to a shelf and showed Dwayne the comics he'd mentioned. The man turned and disappeared through the door at the back of the store, slamming it closed behind him.
Dwayne examined the comics and picked one out, then went to pay for it. As he turned to walk back out, Edgar's anxiety rose. His racing heart quickened its pace, and the faint smell of sweat reached my nostrils. I moved to the door and gestured at Dwayne to go back in, then I followed. Edgar's fearful gaze met mine.
"Do you want us to hang around?" I asked quietly, forcing myself to calm down and not snarl.
"Yes." He hung his head, cheeks flushing scarlet.
"Dwayne, watch out for customers," I instructed. Then I ushered Edgar to the seat at the side of the store. He sat and pressed his trembling hands together between his knees. I sat too. "I heard what that guy said. Who is he?"
"M-my uncle. My m-mother's brother."
"He staying here?"
"Yeah. My mother asked him to move in. My dad left about three years ago, and she struggled on her own."
"Did your uncle hurt your brother, too?"
Edgar burst into tears.
"Fuck," I muttered.
"He killed Alan," he sobbed. "He killed him."
"What happened?" I asked.
"He did stuff… to Alan. For months. He couldn't take it anymore. It was me who found him. He hung himself in the bathroom." The words came out interspersed with choking sobs.
"And your uncle moved onto you?"
Edgar put his hands over his face, tears seeping between his fingers. Cautiously, I rested my hand on his shoulder. He stiffened and jerked away from me.
"I won't hurt you," I murmured. "I won't hurt one hair on your head."
He leaned closer again, and when I slid my arm around him, he pressed against me and soaked my neck with his tears. I rested my chin on top of his head and tried not to breathe. I could smell his blood racing through his veins, and it made my mouth water. I'd never wanted to bite so much in my life, and at the same time, I'd never had this curious protective urge either. I was sure of one thing—the uncle wouldn't see another day.