Many nights passed since I saw David. I couldn't stop thinking about him. Seeing him after so many years made me more determined than ever to talk to him again. I was still puzzled over why he called me an outsider. How was I an outsider? I lived in town, I went to school here. What turf was he talking about? I was like him, a vampire. I was a member of the gang, therefore, I was IN, not OUT. The shock of seeing me after all this time must have taken its toll on him. Maybe that was why he killed Mallory the way he had. He needed to collect himself. Yes, I believed he wasn't feeling well and that was why he didn't recognize me as he should have.
The next time I saw David, I decided I would bring him a gift: fresh virgin blood from a college maiden. There was no way he could be muddled after being bestowed such a delight! Then I realized I should bring gifts for Dwayne, Marko, and Paul, too. I didn't forget them. Never! They were all my friends! It was settled: fresh pure blood for all of them.
Now I should tell you about the princess.
Princess Anastasia Rostov was David's beloved. Upon first sight, back in 1906 when we first arrived at the hotel, he was captivated by her dark beauty and full figure. She was a sweet and well educated girl. She fell for David despite his lower class status and it might have worked out between them had Vlad not interfered with our lives. Instead of accepting her fate as a half vampire and becoming one of us, the princess chose to commit suicide, much to David's horror. I thought it was a bit rash, but I blame Vlad. Had this gone differently, I'm sure the princess would have been a fine vampire. She and I never spoke during her lifetime, but it was only when she started to appear to me in my life as a college student did we become friends. She would appear every now and again when my thoughts about David were at their strongest. Our main tie to one another is David and I never saw her appear anywhere else but in my room.
Even though she had been dead for eons, her attachment to David through me was strong. I assumed that was why she was able to return in these short spurts. She was the one person other than Max who understood my frustrations and my misplacement in this current era. I asked her if she wanted to meet Max and she vehemently objected. Understandable, considering that Max was Vlad's older brother, she didn't want to associate with someone who made her a monster.
I woke after sunset and saw her sitting patiently at my writing desk, wearing a white lace dress with a crystal encrusted bodice. Her ghostly aura gave off a gentle glow that no light was needed to see her. With her elegant manner of dress, she might as well have been prepared to attend a fancy ball somewhere. Instead, she was here with me, because she knew I made progress with David.
"How do you feel now that you saw David again after all this time?" she asked me sweetly.
"I wish I could say it was everything I imagined." The princess gave me a puzzled look, so I elaborated as I climbed out of bed. "He didn't remember me. He called me an outsider."
"Oh, I'm so sorry, Jasper."
The princess sounded truly sorry for me. Back then, David must have told her about us, his buddies, how we were like brothers. For a dead girl, she was compassionate. I couldn't remember what type of girl I preferred when I was human, but the more I spoke to her, the more I enjoyed her company. I never bothered trying to court any of the girls in school. I was a vampire, and having a relationship with a human was pointless. I would only end up drinking her blood and disposing of her. Princess Anastasia was different. She knew me because we shared a past even if it was through David. If she were alive, I would consider changing her to be just like me… with her permission, naturally.
There was a knock on the door followed by the turn of the knob. Max entered with some books tucked under one arm and a flashlight in one hand.
"Good evening, Jasper," he greeted as he closed the door behind him. "Are we prepared for tonight's lessons?"
The princess disappeared from my desk. I frowned, wishing she had stayed longer, but knew she refused to be anywhere near Max. I recalled one night where she told me that he gave her the absolute chills. I was amused over how a ghost could be scared. Nothing could hurt them, but perhaps the memories could be unpleasant and not worth tormenting one's self.
"Did I interrupt anything?" Max asked as he caught me looking over at where Princess Anastasia once sat.
"We were talking about David," I replied. Max knew about the princess, of what I've told him about her. He accepted the fact that I had someone else to talk to about certain topics that nobody else could comprehend.
Max set his books down along with the flashlight. The light was pointed up to the ceiling, creating a spotlight. "I wish you would give up on wanting to see my boys," he started to say, but I impatiently cut him off.
"I'm a part of that group, too! I'm just like them! David was just… confused…!"
"Jasper, please, that is enough. I won't have you going on about this. It's not healthy."
Now I was getting angry. Max wasn't raising his voice or being threatening by any means. He came off as reasonable while still keeping himself in charge. I wanted him to lose his patience with me so that I somehow knew I got under his skin. Instead, he announced we should continue our lesson from last time: distinguishing human blood types.
My eyelids grew heavy and my upper chest ached. I was drowsy even though I woke up not that long ago. Max used his influence over me, calming me to the point where I didn't have the energy to maintain my ire.
"That's right, Jasper, relax," Max instructed gently. "Have a seat at your desk and we'll only focus on your studies."
That was when I heard a distant voice speak to me from behind.
Don't fall for Max's tricks. He's too selfish for his own good.
I slowly turned around and saw an elegantly dressed gentleman with marble skin and dark eyes that could pierce steel. He was partially hidden in the shadows, but his eyes glowed red through the darkness, and a ruthless smile form on his face.
Max can't control his boys, so what makes him think he can control you?
I closed my eyes, feeling the wet burn beneath my lids. I hadn't seen Vlad Tepsch in so long. I thought he was dead. David killed him! He disintegrated into nothingness!
"There!" I exclaimed, my eyes open once again and alert as I turned to Max and pointed to where the other elder vampire stood. "See?! Vlad knows what you're putting me through is absolute nonsense!"
Max said nothing.
"Max! Your younger brother—you see him, right? Over there! Remember, he turned me, David, Marko, Dwayne, and Paul into vampires! After his death, you took us under your wing! We rode off into the night together! I'm not crazy! I know what happened to us! We… I…"
My eyes grew heavy once more, but this time my knees buckled. Before I could stop myself, I fell to the floor and blacked out. When I came to, I saw Princess Anastasia hovering above me. Next to her was… David?
"Isn't she so damn lovely, Jasper?" David asked me, curling his lips into a confident smirk.
The princess beamed. "Even if he's a robber and a thief, I find him so charming."
I was groggy and disoriented. Why were they both here?
"Whatever you do," the princess pleaded, her beautiful face reflecting worry and sadness, "please don't listen to what Vlad says. He's evil."
"You already know Max is full of shit," David added. "Watch yourself around him. If Vlad is anything like Max, you know he's going to do whatever it takes to use you to his advantage."
Take what is owed to you by force.
Vlad's sharp voice sliced through, and it made David and the princess vanish into thin air. I screamed out, "NO!" before I sat up.
I was in bed with the blankets twisted around my waist and legs. The writing desk was unoccupied with no sign of the princess anywhere. There was a knock on the door followed by the sound of Max's voice.
"Good evening, Jasper. Are we prepared for tonight's lessons?"
Vlad's cackle echoed all around me.