A/N: I'm sorry, but I think I've confused some of you about where they are etc. so, this is a brief account of Monica's family history. Her dad is from Italy, her mum is English. Her mum went to Italy where she met her dad, they then both moved back to England and had Monica and Beppe (years apart, obviously), they then divorced but since Monica would still have to see her mother at regular intervals due to custody stuff and her dad didn't want to tear her and Beppe away from their lives, her dad stayed in England instead of going back to Italy, but they do visit there occasionally, which is how Monica and Beppe know a little bit of Italian. So, the story is set in England.
I didn't bother buying a ticket after that – there was nobody hanging around to make sure I didn't. I sighed and slipped through the barrier, cradling my bleeding lip in my fingertips. If there was one thing Chris was good at, it was being violent, and judging by the throbbing sensation throughout the left side of my face and the blood pouring from my lip, he was very good.
I sat around the station for about twenty minutes, ignoring two metros that went past, before I saw who I wanted to see. Larten Crepsley with more flyers in hand, looking less than happy.
"You are bleeding," he muttered before looking in my direction.
"I need to talk to you," I said simply, wincing as my mouth made it painful to talk.
He was taken-aback at that, regarding me carefully before making his way to where I was standing.
"Yes?"
"I want to join the Cirque."
He froze before the corners of his mouth twitched upwards in an amused manner.
"Oh? And why is that?"
"It's not funny," I snapped, moving my hand from my mouth so he could see it "This is what's going to happen to me every single day unless I get out."
Some of the amusement in his eyes vanished as her frowned.
"You are too young," he said simply.
"You don't know how old I am."
"I know you are too young."
"Please, Mr Crepsley," I resorted to begging, pointing to my lip "This isn't even half of it and unless I do this...well, there are other ways of getting out, that I'm really not going to be above much longer."
"Do not be ridiculous," he almost snapped.
"I'm not being ridiculous. This is going to happen to me every single day on top with everything else they do. Then I'll be going home and either arguing with my mum or watching my dad fall even further into financial ruin. I can't handle it."
He glanced at his fingertips briefly before talking again.
"There must be something you could do to sort this out. Other than running or ending your own life, of course."
"The school can't do shit, if my brother does anything he'll get arrested and none of them can get arrested considering they're all either related to, or friends with somebody related to police. I'm stuck."
"You are considering long term solutions for short term problems."
"Yeah, because this," I gestured to my lip "is a short term problem. Getting jumped or spat on every single day until I graduate sixth form what, three years from now? Having a horrible relationship with my mum is a short term problem, and of course, so is the fact that we literally have no money, I mean, I'm sure my dad'll win the lottery tonight or something."
Confusion flickered in his eyes for a moment. I winced, my lip stinging in revenge for my short tirade. He sighed and a thoughtful expression passed across his face.
"You would need a guardian."
"Why not you? I'm not the type to cause or get into trouble – it'd be as though I wasn't there!"
"Is it not as simple at that," the orange haired man sighed, rubbing the scar on his face.
"Why not?" I frowned "What's so complicated?"
"You do not understand, do you?" he sighed "You would be leaving behind your family...your friends."
"Right now I'm just a nuisance to them," I frowned "My dad'll be better off without another kid to support, anyways...Plus, I figured if I join the Cirque and end up getting wages for working there, despite how small they could be, I could always mail my family money - they wouldn't have to know where I was."
He sighed again.
"It would not quite work like that, I am afraid."
I frowned.
"Look, Mr Crepsley, I know I'm asking a lot, but if I don't get out of here soon...I have to..."
At my words he frowned again, scratching the scar before sighing.
"Do you live nearby?"
"It's like a fifteen minute walk," I replied, confused.
"Walk home, I shall accompany you, I have a proposition that you may either hate...or you may be interested in."
"Thank you...So, so much," I breathed, practically forgetting about the pain in my face.
He nodded wordlessly and we left the metro station and walked into the night. He seemed to be deep in thought for a few moments before he finally spoke.
"I have a way you can leave this place, nobody will know anything..."
"And what is this way?" I asked, beginning to get frustrated at how mysterious he was beginning to be.
"You would be my assistant."
"What, like on stage?" I frowned "I haven't really got much stage presence."
He seemed to find that funny as he let out a low chuckle, shaking his head slowly before speaking again.
"Not quite...Are you interested in legends? Fictional creatures and the like?"
"Depends on the creature, but what's this got to do anything? Are you just messing around with me? I'm being serious..." I frowned at the thought that he wasn't taking me serious.
"No, not at all," he shook his head "I know how serious you are. I am about to tell you something that you probably will not believe, but I give you my word that I speak no lie."
"...Go on," I frowned.
"I am, what you might like to call...A vampire."
I growled in annoyance. He really was messing about with me.
"Look, I know it was a far stretch that you'd let me join and you think I'm just being some kind of dramatic teenager, but you didn't have to be such an arse about it," I snapped, glaring at him before picking up my speed to get away from him, only to give a loud shreik when I walked right into him.
How had he...? He had been a good few feet behind me just a few seconds before.
"I told you. I speak no lie," he stated simply, one eyebrow raised as he surveyed my reaction that was one of pure shock.
"So...you're...a..."
"Vampire, creature of the night, blood sucker and whatever other name we're referred to as. Yes, I am."
"And you want me to...?"
"Be my assistant," he sighed, looking slightly regretful "It would involve you being blooded - you would still be able to walk in sun light for now. You would travel with me at all times, guard me during the daylight hours and cook for me, in return I would teach you about our ways."
I stared at his bright red cloak in shock. He was serious. Totally, utterly serious. I mean, I'd never totally dismissed the idea of creatures other than humans wandering around the Earth - but to actually meet one? To be asked to become one?
"...What would happen if I agreed to this? How do you know I won't run off and tell somebody I met a real life vampire?" I asked with a frown after a few moments.
"I would blood you now - simply to know that you would keep up your end of this deal. Then we would probably fake your death,,," he said slowly "and as for the idea of you telling somebody - I would be miles away before anything could even be thought of to do against me."
"Fake my death?" I practically choked "Why not just...disappear? If you can be miles away so fast."
"It would be complicated. For months people would be looking for you - a missing teenage girl is rarely taken lightly in these times. If you were spotted anywhere, havoc could break loose."
"...So I'd never be able to see my friends or family again."
"I warned you that this was not a decision to be taken lightly," he replied, but his voice was not without sympathy.
"I know but...God..." I sighed, running a hand through my hair.
"The choice is yours," he said slowly "I will not force you to agree to this, you are free to say no, but once your decision is made, you can not go back, Do you wish to travel and see things most humans will never even dream of, but never see your friends or family again, or do you wish to stay here and live a totally mortal...yet respectable," he added pointedly "Life, but deal with those sad excuses for human beings day in and day out."
I bit my lip but immediately regretted the decision when pain flared up in it. The offer...it was truly extraordinary and I wouldn't have this chance again in my life, as he had said, but to never see my friends and family again...I sighed, running a hand through my hair. The decision was a tough one - probably the toughest I'd ever have to make in my life...But what to choose. I sighed, playing out each scenario in my head.
If I said no, I would go home, watch a film, do homework and go to bed. I would then return to school the next day...I'd get stuff thrown at me, snide comments hissed in my direction...Footballs aimed at my head at lunch time...and beaten up on the way home. Then I'd either go to my mum's and argue with her or go back to my dad's, watching him struggle with the bills or watching my brother seduce whatever giggling idiot he'd found in the town that day.
If I said yes...Soon I'd be miles away from this godforsaken city, seeing things that most people didn't know existed...and I'd be a vampire. Written down, it seems like a no-brainer, but the thought of never joking around with Beppe again or having a sleepover with Allie, Bianca and Frasier...
But then the scowling face of Chris popped into my head. The thought of Beppe getting in trouble for what he'd end up doing to him if he found out about my injuries. I cringed.
"...I'll...I'll do it," I spoke finally, staring at the ground as I did.
He nodded.
"Your family and friends...do they know your unhappiness?"
"Probably, yeah," I nodded "But why?"
"Well, then, it is decided. We will fake your suicide."
"No. We can't do that! They'll blame themselves! They'll...they'll hate me."
"We must, it would be more believable," he sighed "No matter how it goes, your death will upset them, best make it believable."
I gave a small nod, blinking back tears.
He looked around briefly before spotting an alley way between the city library and swimming pool, making his way over to it, he gestured for me to follow.
"I must blood you now, but I warn you, it will be painful. Very painful."
I nodded slowly, feeling apprehension well up in the pit of my stomach.
"So...uh...how's it done?"
"I must test your, blood first, give me your arm."
I did so with a small frown. He made a small, not very painful cut in my forearm and attached his lips to it, sucking some of the blood out of it that felt...bizarre to say the least. Once he was done, he stood for a moment, as if tasting the blood, before swallowing and nodding.
"Give me your hands," he said simply.
I did so with a frown, expecting there to be some level of neck-biting and fang-growing involved. He promptly seized my fingers and began cutting one, very deep and very painful cut into each fingertip with his fingernails. I hissed in pain, going to pull my hand back from him but he shook his head, just tightening his grip as he did the same to the other the hand.
With a small wince he then did the same to himself before joining our fingertips. The effect was almost immediate, and "very painful" wasn't exactly the phrase I'd use to describe it. I went to pull my hands back but he simply shook his head.
"Do not break the contact! My blood must flow into you!" he commanded with a hiss of pain of his own as I clenched my teeth but obeyed.
Eventually he pulled his hands back and I breathed a sigh of relief, muttering every Italian curse word in my vocabulary under my breath. Much to my annoyance, he seized hold of my hands again and I was expecting more pain but much to my surprise he licked each fingertip.
"Vampire spit has healing properties," he explained briefly, his lips twitching upwards at my expression before rubbing spit into the small cut on my arm.
"...So am I a vampire now?" I frowned.
"No, only half," he shook his head "You will be able to stand sunlight as normal and you will not need as much blood as a full grown vampire. You will find yourself getting stronger and faster, be very careful."
We continued walking to my mum's.
"You will soon crave blood, possibly as early as tomorrow evening, if you do, drink this," he said, reaching into his jacket and producing a vial of red liquid which was obviously blood "if you do not, you may end up injuring somebody. Tomorrow will be your first full day among your family and friends. I will approach you two nights from now. I suggest you, ah...write a note."
At the thought of writing my own suicide note, I winced. Soon we were at the block of flats.
"Which one is your bedroom?" he asked, gesturing up to the many windows.
"Very bottom left hand corner," I said, pointing towards the ground-level window.
He nodded and I unlocked the front gate. I turned around to speak, but he had gone. I sighed, entering the building and making my way across the courtyard of sorts before finally reaching the door. I found it, once again, open and I walked in, feeling a bit ill. I'd just practically signed my life away...and there really was no going back.
I felt regretful, but strangely peaceful and relieved. I really hadn't been lying to Mr Crepsley - I doubted I would have been able to survive had he refused. I sighed, making my way into the living room, dreading my mum's reaction once she saw my face.
A/N: I've been trying to reply to the reviews but when I'm at my mum's it doesn't even let me on which is why there's been a lack of updates recently, which has also been due to my personal life becoming very, very confusing lately, as it does when you're a teenage girl.