Vampire Blood CHAPTER TWO!
AN: Sorry for the long wait, you guys! Over a year! Yikes! But one of my dear readers said that this was her second-favorite story, and I was like Whaaaaa lol so for this beautiful white sheep, I'll update. I have been working on this for what seems like years, but I never knew how to continue...you ever get like that? Like you have an awesome plot and you don't make an outline, and it just slips away? No? Just me? lol
Woo! Just over 6500 words!:D Hopefully, it counts for something? No? :D
See how many of my careful readers can catch the easter eggs in this chapter! There are at least three, I think.
Hope you enjoy! Happy New Year everyone! See you at the bottom.
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There were times when Ethan still had thought of running away. The fear, both of himself and of the vampire who'd kidnapped him. By no means had any of the negative feelings just gone away into thin air. It's just that it got easier over time. Mostly due to one thing...
The vampire blood.
There were times when Jesse still scared him, absolutely- and times when Jesse would snap at him for all of Ethan's own harsh words and defiance. Sometimes, the vampire would truly lose his temper (never on account of Ethan) and all the seer wanted was to run somewhere safe and hide there...but the thing was, that no matter how much he wished it weren't so, Jesse was the only person or place he had to run to for comfort. He was the only source of comfort he'd had these days, and that same person was the cause of his miserable predicament.
It was so confusing.
For example...almost immediately after Ethan had drank from Jesse for the first time, he'd been moved out of his dusty attic room and into a much more comfortable, spacey room on what turned out to be the third floor. For the first month or so, Ethan hadn't been allowed out of the house, but the house, or mansion, he'd rather say, was big enough to go exploring.
His own room was more modern than the others, but equally as luxurious. It was painted a light blue, spacious, and complete with a huge bathroom, a four-poster bed and canopy, a window seat, a couch, an impressive gaming system, and a TV. No computer, because Jesse had done research before kidnapping him, but who knew vampires knew how to live?
However, all of this only added to his guilt...he should be trying to get away, not trying to take it all in. His family was probably worried sick out of their minds, and Benny...god, Benny...
But Ethan didn't ask for this! If he'd only been stronger, if his stupid gift had come earlier, he might have been able to prevent all of this. Maybe he would still be home, goofing off and doing normal, geeky teenage things with his best friend...
At the same time, he felt strangely...thankful. The vampire could have given him a less favorable place to stay, like the dungeon (and yes, Jesse had one of those too, and it wasn't a pleasant place to even think about). Mind-blowingly..his kidnapper had been nothing but nice to him, if you didn't count the way he would mock Ethan's human roots from time to time. Ethan supposed that came with the immortality, though...what supernatural beast wouldn't look down on puny humans, with all their abilities? Or, simply, if they had the ego that Jesse did.
Ethan was only left to wonder why he was being treated so kindly. If Jesse had just wanted him for his eyes, couldn't he simply have forced him to do whatever he wanted? Not that Ethan was in any way weak-willed, but a being such as Jesse would've had no problem taking a hostage or, (get this) just hypnotizing him with those terrifying vampire eyes of his.
So why all the special treatment? The domestication?
In fact, it all seemed a little too good...like, at any moment, those same downy sheets and pillows could flip over into a bed of nails, and that comfy chair could suddenly grow restraints. He could only ever think about the ulterior motive behind all of this...because there had to be one. Right?
Ethan sometimes supposed it was just his own paranoia...if Jesse had wanted to hurt him, he'd had a thousand and one chances to do so already. Particularly when Ethan refused to cooperate. There was even one time that the seer had accidentally kicked him where it hurts and all Jesse had done was hiss with his bared vampire teeth and blazing yellow eyes and reprimand him sharply to stay still.
But Jesse always got his way. If there was anything Ethan had learned for certain in his time spent with the vampire, it was that what Jesse Black wanted, Jesse Black got.
No matter how ridiculous the comman- EHEM, the requests.
"I don't see the point of this." Ethan scowled as Jesse tied a blindfold around his eyes.
"Well, you will soon, if everything goes well." Jesse gently fastened the silky material, and then let the rest of hang down the back of Ethan's neck, where he placed what felt like a soft kiss, though it could have been his imagination. Ethan tried not to react to it. "I've known a few seer's in my day, and you have the potential to do great things, Morgan. So much more than brief premonitions. To see what's right in front of you without having to look. Without light. Try it."
"All I'm going to do is fall over all these antiques you have lying around." Ethan insisted, and Jesse's hands were gone from his shoulders. "Hey!"
There was a sound of whooshing, and Ethan knew that Jesse had just run around the room, probably to close all of the light-blocking drapes and to turn out all the lights. Knew enough to know that the vampires eyes were probably glowing a fierce yellow.
"Trust me."
The seer sighed, not trusting the vampire one bit, but resigning once again to the fact that he had no choice. Hesitantly, he took a few steps forward, letting his arms open on either side of him so that he could get a feel for where he was. Jesse had taken him to an unfamiliar room, with his eyes closed. Though this particular room MAY have been one of the ballrooms. It might even be unfurnished-
Thud.
"Ow!"
"Ethan, you're not trying." Jesse chastised. Ethan winced, but had learned enough to know that Jesse wasn't about to try and hurt him for his failures. He just needed to...try? Like, what did that even mean?
"How do I do this?" The seer asked, wanting to know. If he was going to do this, it had better be worth something. After all, wasn't that the entire reason he was here?
"Just...see." Jesse seemed to battle with himself for the correct words. "You have more than just your first eyes, Ethan, and you can see more than just what's in front of them. The blindfold, the dark, means nothing when faced with your second sight. See it."
Ethan wrinkled his nose, but started to concentrate, willing himself to feel that strange sensation that always took over him when he was having a vision. Imagined it running through him now, tingling his skin, centering from somewhere in his spine and right behind his eyes...remembering how a haze always came over his sight...
Willing his stupid eyes to see something that should have been impossible for him to see physically. He had to see with the...the magic within his eyes. How lame and girly-sounding was that? If it didn't work, he'd only end up looking like an idiot.
It took a minute or so, but he finally got the feeling right. It was hard, having to force it, but after all, his body had done stranger things in the past, and before long, magic was within his grasp. He just had to push...just had to strain a little...he gasped as a brief flash came across his eyelids. It was the oddest thing, like he wasn't even seeing it, like the image had just come across his mind. Dark, but it had been so vivid.
He took a few, stumbling steps to his right, reached out and touched a chair off to the side of him. The same one he'd seen in the brief flash he'd gotten just a moment ago.
"Woah." He breathe, running his hand across the soft cushioning.
"What did you see?" Jesse's voice came ghosting from just behind him, making Ethan shudder.
"This room." Ethan answered immediately, though unsure of himself. "I think...it's really...full, isn't it?"
"It's a storage room." A smile could be heard in the vampire's voice. "Excellent. This is excellent progress."
A second later, "How are your eyes?"
"Tingling." Ethan responded, trying to blink away what he knew would soon become burning. "It's not so bad."
"Good." Jesse leaned in and wrapped his arms around the teen, pressing soft lips to the side of his face and whispering in his ear, turning gently until Ethan faced another section of the room. "Again."
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Ethan supposed he knew where the situation was going the moment he began to thirst for Jesse's blood. Like craving your favorite food or drink, and the urges were coming more and more often. He wondered if this is what it felt like to smoke cigarettes and become addicted ot the nicotine.
Only, he couldn't believe anything could be more captivating than this. It wasn't so much as a physical need, but a mental and emotional one. He despised the color red. Glistening crimson..
"There now." Jesse shushed him, as he settled Ethan more comfortably than strictly necessary on his lap, and Ethan could could hear the smile in his voice. The seer's eyes were still closed, so as to block the light from his sensitive orbs, but he could physically feel when Jesse reached up to make the cut on himself. "Relax."
The vampire's words were spoken gently, yet Ethan could still hear a hint of cockiness somewhere in the smooth tones. It portrayed a clear message; without a doubt, the vampire was convinced that Ethan was his. Like property.
It left a bad taste in the seer's mouth- figuratively, anyway. The blood itself...how could Ethan describe it? It waslife and death at the same time. Metallic and sweet, rich in essence, but it ran across his tongue so lightly, perfectly. It was more than drinking the fluid from Jesse's veins (which still grossed him out if he bought about it too much) it was like...drinking electricity. There was something in it that rejuvenated his entire being.
When Ethan had hesitantly asked about it one day, Jesse had but smiled and described it as magic.
"It feels good, doesn't it?" Jesse winked. "Don't be ashamed, Ethan. When you drink from me, you should feel nothing but safe. Comforted. After all, you're a prize well sought after, and I have you now. When you drink blood frequently, you come to recognize the taste of magic- and just one sip of my blood should give you an idea of the kind of power that I have."
So far, Ethan had drank blood from Jesse all of five times in the last two and a half months. Each time, he felt like a dead iPhone being recharged to well past it's electrical capacity. At the same time that it made him feel like he could walk up walls, it made him feel incredibly relaxed and blissful. And it made his eyes feel better. When he drank, gone were the irritated blood vessels, and any dark circles under his eyes, any fatigue, physical or otherwise. The pain left peacefully like a raft taking off on a gently flowing stream.
He hated it.
More than anything, Ethan wished that Jesse would be strict with him, would yell at him or even hit him when he got mad. He wished that his blood tasted like blood should, coppery and dull and gag-inducing. It wasn't that Ethan was a masochist- he didn't like the idea of being beaten and living in anxiety that the vampire would hurt him when upset...but it was better than the alternative.
Ethan was no idiot- he knew what Stockholm Syndrome was. He didn't find himself suddenly sympathizing with Jesse's evil cause, whatever it was. He hadn't begun to "understand" Jesse, or fall in love with him. He didn't all of a sudden begin to warm up to the frightening creature, or want to get close to him as a means of coping with the situation...but it had been almost three months. It was a fact that when thrust into strange and new territory, any creature intelligent enough to value their life will be forced to adapt to their surroundings. Ethan still hated the situation, and still hoped somewhere, deep inside that one day, someone from his past would find him, or that he would find a way out himself- Ethan prided himself in his intelligence.
Still, the fear of the unknown persisted. The things he wasn't sure of.
"It's okay, Ethan." Jesse whispered.
There were times Ethan still feared to stray from his room, because he'd heard less than comforting sounds coming from the floors above or below. He missed his family, his best friend Benny, his bedroom, his favorite t-shirts, and anything normal in general. He sometimes lost his temper and blew up on Jesse, holding his aching eyes or attempting to lock himself away in his bedroom. The anger and fear that Jesse had instilled in him when he took him from his room that night had not gone away.
But it had began to ebb, if only just a little.
When Ethan had fearfully witnessed Jesse de-materialize his opponents with just a wave of his hand or pulverize them with speed too great for the human eye to follow, a strange look had come across the vampire's face. Almost like regret, but it was always gone in a moment, and although he usually apologized afterwards for losing his cool, he also mentioned that it was good for Ethan to see what happened to those who didn't follow the rules. When Ethan lost his temper with him, Jesse simply sighed, smiled or grinned in that patronizing way of his, and dismissed him from their practice. Other times, he would hold Ethan still and lick lightly at the seer's eyes and temples, and how disgusting was that? But it made him flush hotly and the pain receded blissfully each and every time he did so.
Each time Ethan had broken down and pleaded with Jesse to let him go or see him family, the vampire had reminded him with false gentleness that Ethan was his now, and he shouldn't be worrying over trivial things such as petty humans. Screaming that he was human, Ethan went off on Jesse, only to be comforted patiently with soft touches and reassurances that Jesse alone would now be responsible for him, and that he would be well looked after. He was a precious treasure, after all.
Ethan didn't believe him one bit, but the thought of never seeing his family again was more painful than not thinking about them at all. So, as often as he could, he actually took to the lessons Jesse was trying to instill into him, found himself cooperating, reading more, taking longer baths, and staring out of his window. He'd thought of escape only twice since being taken from home: once, on the flight (yes, flight!) to the manor, and once after being shown to his room the first night he'd slept there.
It was all useless. Ethan was neither physically strong, nor talented enough with his visual gift yet for him to try and force his way out. Jesse had only held tighter when he struggled in their flight and the unbarred windows of his room, while also wide and tall, seemed to be protected by an invisible barrier. Strangely, wind and rain could still be let in, as he was unfortunate enough to discover last week. He'd gotten a sigh from Jesse, an insult, and a stack of paper towels thrown at him for that.
And for these reasons, fear burned in Ethan's veins now more than ever at being held captive. A fear deep in his heart, because he could feel his will to resist leaving him. More and more thoughts of "This isn't so bad, for being held prisoner" had begun to float through his mind. The more time he spent with the dark vampire, the more he found himself beginning to smile, beginning to look forward to their lessons, feeling with wonder his own eyes tinging with incredible potential...and it was all terrifying. His primal instincts to run and fight had all but been lulled to sleep.
He was no more than a reluctant pet that had been fed and doted on, and was now beginning to...to accept that...
With nothing more ponder on, Ethan simply lied in his bed and waited for tears to come. No matter what he did, he couldn't force them. Absently, he wondered with a half dead and half awakened heart if he'd already cried all the tears his body had been able to- and by no means was Ethan a crybaby. But being away from his family and hometown and Benny, for what felt like the first time ever, had an unpleasant effect on his nerves.
And the absolute worst part? His nerves had found someone new to settle into, someone he should've never allowed himself to relax around, and Ethan was no longer sure he could keep up much more of his defiance. What good was it doing? It might have given him a sense of strength, but Jesse, other than the occasional insult, had always treated him well, since he's known him. Not to mention the interesting staff and other vampires who frequented the area, and not all of them seemed to be totally evil- some were friendly, in fact. Jesse merely kept him there, in his big manor, with two ballrooms, a mini-aquarium, a greenhouse with odd plant life, a library, a games room, and seemingly infinite number of fascinating magical items.
Is that all Ethan would become to Jesse, once his visual training had been completed? A tool? A magical relic to be taken out of a glass case when needed, and placed back on a pedestal when not needed? When had hurt woven its way into his fear?
If Ethan knew anything, it was that he needed to escape. As soon as freakin' possible. Before it was too late, in more ways than one. He might not have had brawn, but he had his brain.
Ethan watched the blood drip from Jesse's wound until it healed to smooth, pale skin again. Flawless. Only then, did he raise a hand and wipe the blood away, only to lick it off his fingers with a sinking feeling in his stomach.
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"How are your studies with Luc going, Ethan?" Jesse asked and made his move on the checkerboard. Ethan didn't see, because he was blindfolded, but could hear the vampire's soft movements, and the clack of the pieces on the wood. Flashes of the board came more and more frequently, and Ethan moved his pieces as quickly as he could, trying to follow the vampire's strategy as much as he could.
"Uh, good I think." Ethan narrowed his eyes behind the cloth and moved one of his last pieces with some hesitance. "I'm able to hold a conversation for longer than I can hold a game of checkers."
"You're doing well."
"I only lasted seventeen moves."
"That's one more than last time." Ever the optimist, Jesse's eternal smirk-smile flashed into his mind. "You're progressing, little by little. ONce you get your positioning down, we may be able to move on to chess."
"Don't talk about it, please?" Ethan whined, taking off the blindfold. "I'm exhausted and my eyes hurt."
"You can rest after this." Jesse assured him. "I have to leave for a few hours anyway. Just to the town archives to do a little research. You know the place."
Ethan did. Although he hadn't set foot past the gardens in the back yard, he'd seen and studied several maps of the area- all of which were in french. That was what his vampire tutor, Luc, was attempting to teach him.
"I'll be in my room." Ethan stood up, reminding himself that he still had some semblance of rebellion within him, and headed for the door. He would not resort to making small conversation with Jesse any more than he had to, no matter how natural it now felt.
"Wait, I have something for you." Jesse stood and handed him a wooden case that looked disturbingly familiar. Ethan had seen cases like this down in the basement where elixirs, tonics and ration blood was stored. It was like one of those, only smaller. "I know I've been gone a lot, but from the state of your skin and eyes, I can tell you've been practicing on your own a lot. I'm sorry I haven't been here to help you."
"Don't worry, I feel fine, just tired." Knowing he couldn't get away without taking the box, Ethan gripped it tight and reached to open the door to the room, only to find that Jesse had beat him to it.
"You look paler than usual, dork." Jesse sighed. "You need sunlight..and fresh air. No more sulking in your corners like the girl no one wants to dance with."
"If I were allowed out, maybe I wouldn't be so pale." Ethan shoved his way out the door, and made his way in the general direction of his room.
"Luc's going into town today for a little shopping spree. Would you like to accompany him?"
Ethan froze in his tracks.
"I can? Seriously?"
"I think I've said this before, but if you want something, Ethan, all you need to do is ask." Jesse smiled. "You could've been outside weeks ago, months ago, in fact."
"Your just now-" Ethan held his tongue. "I can go? Really?"
"I'll leave some money with Luc for you. Buy whatever you want, but do remember what we talked about last week? Or what I talked about and hopefully you listened? This town is holding a cultural festival soon, and the section of the town you'll be going to is going to be heavily strict about it. Everyone will be speaking French." The vampire winked. "Think you can keep up, dork?"
"I should be able to. But just in case, I can speak English, right?" Ethan scratched his head. Everyone will speak French? How weird was that? Those sure are some dedicated townspeople if that really were the case.
"Just don't embarrass me." Jesse dismissed him with a wave of his hand. "Have fun."
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It really was amazing. Everything in this town was so rustic, almost out of France itself. Balconies and arches everywhere, like what part of Canada were they in? Jesse hadn't been wrong, it did sound like everyone was speaking French, fluently, at that.
"Um..." Ethan struggled to ask how much the price of the jacket he was holding was. As it turned out, Luc was nowhere to be found, and Ethan imagined he was just laughing his fangs off somewhere. Before he'd lost track of him, Ethan was sure he'd heard the blonde vampire mention something about immersion. Anything to give the seer a hard time.
The little farmers market and stores surrounding it really was beautiful, and the air was filled with laughter and the scent of spices and food.
Eyeing some strange-looking herbs, Ethan picked one up and sniffed it discreetly. It looked like a mix of grass and asparagus. How weird. There were others unfamiliar to him, but most he already knew. Black pepper, chives, rosemary, ginger...
"Oh! Sorry!" Ethan spoke in English as he realized someone was talking to him. It was an older lady gesturing to the plant in his hand. It took a few moments for him to realize that she was explaining the name and uses for the herb to him, and a moment more for him to formulate a reply in french. This lady really did sound like she had spoken French all her life.
She was gesturing with her hands, towards the general direction that Luc had run off to. The only things Ethan could truly catch were the words "It is related to the" and a bunch of words he hadn't yet memorized. Soon enough, though, he communicated that he was still learning the language and she used what little she knew of other languages. One thing Ethan understood was "natural leak" but he wasn't sure he'd heard her right. In the end, to be polite, he bought a small bag of herbs, and a little plant with purple blossoms that turned out to be ornamental oregano.
It was Jesses's money, after all and "some money" hadn't been a drastic enough description for the amount he'd left for Ethan with Luc. The thing was, it was odd money, but he guessed it was due to the festival. Jesse had seemed to have always been one for style, as long as Ethan knew him, so it wasn't that weird.
"Goodbye!" Ethan called to one stand owner who had given him a low price on scented wax for the burner Ethan had recognized in his room when he'd first moved in. There had also been an off sale on books, and as usual for this place- French! He supposed it was good for his lessons, but it still gave him a headache. He was talented in math and science, not literature and tongues.
"Sweet boy." The lady had cooed at him, and she was very pretty, not to mention kind, so Ethan was feeling pretty good about himself. The sun was shining bright, and it so happened that on the other end of the shopping center, where he'd been when he'd lost Luc, they could see the remnants of fog downhill from the rain the night before. Ethan supposed he really should find Luc, though, or just head back to the manor himself. How it had been possible to lose that bright red jacket of his in a crowd of browns, grays and other boring colors and patterns was beyond him.
He thought only briefly of hailing a cab and attempting to get the hell out of dodge, before he pushed that thought away. Wherever he went, Jesse or Luc would know. He knew that some towns in Canada were so strict about their French linage that they demanded French as their number one language, but had no idea where those towns were or which one he was in. Besides, he was sure Jesse wouldn't mind having cab-driver for a snack, if it came down to it, if only to teach Ethan a lesson.
It was when Ethan tripped and cut himself on a sharp rock that he supposed everything went to hell. From the most peaceful moments he'd experienced in nearly three months to one of the worst.
It was Luc, lying face down in a pit, something underneath him staining the ground dark. He was surrounded by tall grass, and the fog grew thick nearby. Next was Jesse, looking as determined as Ethan had ever seen him, and surrounded by books, reading next to a small, stained glass lamp. Next was...what the hell was that? What the hell was it?! Whatever it was, it had blood on it's serpentine snout and the bristling spikes on it's back. Ethan could sense it's blood lust, it was terrifying, and whatever it was...
Ethan gasped as he came to, and nearly dropped his pack, almost giving himself whiplash as he looked frantically back and forth, trying to remember where he'd seen fog. This hill this part of town was positioned on had one exposed side, past the little outdoor shops, and that was where the fog was visible. Where had he been, when he'd seen it through the alleys between shops? That was where he would find Luc, but for the life of him, he couldn't remember where he'd been. He could head out into open area and circle the place, but that would take too long, there were so many shops, so many roads...
It looked like the vampire had been on the brink of death, if not already there. How much time did Ethan have? Where the hell-
Oregano!
Rushing past the shops, he searched haphazardly for the knife Luc had given him earlier in the day to protect himself against human attackers. Really, what the hell would the pathetic knife do against that porcupine-snake thing? But hell if he was going in empty-handed. Speaking of which, his hand itched and throbbed rather badly, but he could stop to assess the damage. He was almost there!
"Luc!" Ethan panted as he ran through the correct alleyway and stopped short of the tall grass, doubts plaguing his mind.
Luc...while friendly with him, was still a vampire. He was still an ally to Jesse, and helped to keep him locked away, so really, was there a logical point to saving him? That thing looked like it was on it's way to Jesse as well, and by the sorry state Luc was in, it looked like that thing had taken him down rather easily, and...was the blonde vampire really in any state to stop him from getting away?
This could be his chance!
Turning back towards the shopping district, Ethan found that he could take no more then a single step towards the street lights that had begun to illuminate the square. In the distance, he could hear people talking, laughing, and Luc, his vampire tutor and assistant warden was bleeding out, probably suffering. That monster had looked fierce, deadly, and possibly poisonous...
Could he really leave him? It was terrible what had happened to him, but...was that the kind of person Ethan had become in just a few short months? A person who would refuse to help someone in danger, when they had the clear ability to do so? Had he been reduced to that?
Staring with wide eyes towards the edge of town, and remembering all the times the hateful yet quirky vampire had made Ethan laugh, had given him advice and encouragement, time around Ethan seemed to stand still. Until eventually, the seer took a deep, angry breath before turning on his heel. He stumbled with the extra weight of his bag on the slick grass, rushing over to the red jacketed vampire and knelt quickly, spilling much of what he had bought all over the mud. Frantically, he felt for a pulse, thankful that Luc's face was turned away from him.
No pulse!
"No." Ethan rasped, beginning to anxiously shake the vampire's shoulder before he gathered his bearings. Trying to hold down his panic, Ethan re-positioned his fingers on his tutor's neck and felt more firmly for a few moments more. At long last...there was a heartbeat. Very slow and faint, but present. So Luc wasn't dead, yet anyway.
If there was any hope of saving him, he would either need to feed him his blood to boost his strength (potentially dangerous to him, but it could make all the difference) or alert Jesse-
Jesse! That monster was headed for Jesse- how could he have forgotten?!
"What do I do?!" Ethan panicked hands fluttering over the blonde's prone form. "Luc!" He couldn't haul him to town, he might go crazy on the townspeople in his state, but...but if he left him, he could die! If he stayed, he could still die! If he stayed...well, just look what this thing did to Luc, and the blonde vampire was no pushover. If he stayed instead of rushing to warn him, Jesse would without a doubt be hurt, if not worse.
Jesse. Would he truly be more than a match for any force that threatened him, like he so often claimed? Ethan wondered.
That smug bastard. Always bragging about how strong he was...but that strength would definitely be put to the test if all Ethan did was sit there.
Though he worried for Luc's safety, there was a small voice in his mind that kept getting louder, telling him that these people weren't his friends, but his captors. Without them, he could again be free. If he left now, and left Luc and Jesse to whatever fate decided for them, he could easily make it back to the shopping districts main roads and hail a cab to Whitechapel. With all that he'd stocked up on today, and the money left over from Jesse's allowance, he could easily survive a few days alone, if need be.
Wherever he was, he could make it somewhere familiar, to his grandparents in Golden Falls, or the Weir's relatives in Blue Tree, or even Benny's uncle Caleb's house all the way in Quebec. He even knew of some of Rory's family in New Brunswick. This town was strange, leave it to Jesse to confuse the seer as much as possible, but even Ethan knew of some French communities in Canada that held great value in their ancestor's native language. Granted, he knew where none of them were, only that they existed, but Ethan was resourceful- he could find an advantage no matter where he was.
He could leave, if he left now...he could actually do it.
Ethan could do nothing to defend himself against the vampire, and he'd never had reason to, but he still owed nothing to Jesse. The vampire had violated him, humiliated him, drank from and abducted him, stolen him away from his home and family, and made him drink from his own veins. Given him confusing lessons and teachers and forced him to pull a supernatural power from deep within himself everyday, and it hurt! Worse than that, he'd made Ethan doubt himself, doubt his own strength and purpose as a human being, and he'd made the seer come to depend on him. If that wasn't cruelty, Ethan didn't know what was.
Numbly, Ethan gathered everything into his heavy leather bag. Next to the supplies and herbs, Luc, his tutor lie in the mud, in a crater that looked like it had been dug up by something monstrous. His jacket was torn, and his normally perfectly styled hair was wet with blood that was still sinking into the dirt.
With every second Ethan sat there, the monster or demon or whatever the hell it was, got closer and closer to Jesse. he knew that's what it was doing, somehow. It liked vampires.
He was the one who had been wronged here...he owed neither of them anything, so what was the use of running into danger and getting killed for them? If he approached that thing, it would sniff him out, and if his movement wasn't enough to rile it up, the scent of vampire and vampire blood within him definitely would. Of that, he was sure. Plus, his hand still stung from where he'd cut it on that stupid rock, and he doubted he could fight a girl scout with his just his left hand on his best day. Either option presented to him promised struggle and turmoil.
If he left, he might be pursued by those more cruel than Jesse...then again, he might make it home. If he left, Jesse's and Luc's death's would be on him. Yet if he stayed and tried to play hero for those who had imprisoned him, he would likely never see his family again, unless he happened to live, and another perfect opportunity happened by. He may very well suffer for the rest of his life. And through all of it, he knew with certainty that there was no way to win here. Either way, he would end up regretting his decision.
Standing up, Ethan looked towards the shopping district of the little town. It would be dark soon, and he'd lose even his ability to see where he was going in the tall grass without having to use his second sight. Then, he looked toward the general direction he knew the archives building was established. Finally, he looked at Luc, his teacher, his warden, and knew his heartbeat was quickly fading.
Hardening his heart and hefting his burden onto his shoulder with his uninjured hand, Ethan ran up the slippery hill and hurried as fast as he could towards the shopping district.
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AN: Woo! How about that? :D Some inner turmoil, right? I wonder what'll happen next, hm? I'd like to mention that I wrote 75% of this just today, so yay! Maybe I've got some of my writing mojo back! I plan on incorporating the Morgan's and Weir's into the next chapter, but if there's anything in particular you'd like to see, send me a review.
As a matter of fact, send me one anyway! For the sake of this story ;D it has a LOT more followers than I expected, but then again, there are a lot of perverts out there (whispers: don't worry, I'm not a pervert, I'm a SUPER one). lmao
But HELL does it suck balls when you have the ending written perfectly to a fucking T and your PC shuts down so you lose everything. This ever happen to anyone else? I sympathize, bruh.