Chapter Text
Early May, 25 days until David Miller’s 18th birthday
~
A horrific, high pitched, scream tore through the house as a pretty comical volume of blood splattered against the damp, dreary walls. Shouts of desperate protest from sobbing peers worked to no avail. The poor young woman who let out such a harrowing shriek collapsed to the floor just moments after, spasmasing as she gurgled a mouthful of crimson liquid. Deep slashes trailed down her neck with the wet squelches of torn flesh acting as perhaps the only noise distinguishable from the deep, guttural grunts of a beast so horrifying, even the most stoic of souls would surely tremble. The low growls sat heavily in the chests of those around them, onlookers could only gawk with their makeshift weapons in hand; useless against an enemy so dark and sinister.
They were losing.
The pitch black beast manoeuvred its towering form to hover over the bloodied woman, her eyes widening as her fleeting consciousness locked onto the animalistic, white fangs above her. The creature brought a clawed hand to her head, exposing her neck as it lowered its red stained canines. A distasteful purr erupted from the monster’s throat as it inched closer and closer and closer until suddenly it-
“Ah! No, no, no David, turn it off, turn it off!!!” Panicked, and having just jumped out his skin due to Exer’s sudden shouts, David fumbled with the remote. It bounced from hand to hand as he tried to get a firm grasp on it.
“Gah! Okay, hang on! Hang on!”
It proved fairly difficult to press a simple button when the boy beside him had thrown David into an accidental head lock, his arm catching David the second he had flung his hands toward his face to hide. He supposed it was his own fault for ‘non purposely’ trying to inch his way closer to the outstretched arm Exer had slung over the couch. But seriously, who could’ve predicted this outcome?
David wouldn’t normally complain about being squished between his friend’s biceps, but in this case, Exer was desperately trying to block the screen, and in doing so was on the verge of cutting off his oxygen supply.
Not that David really needed it per se, but it still wasn’t the most comfortable feeling in the world.
The pressure was very much on to switch this movie off, Exer bordering on the side of hysterics above him and subconsciously using David as a human stress ball and all. David’s hands desperately sought out the correct button until finally, with little help from the way his legs were kicking and flailing in alert, the screen phased to black with a far too complicated click of a button.
Ah yes. Another relaxing movie night with Exer.
“Dude, it’s gone! You can release me now ha ha” He chuckled awkwardly, face flushing with an annoying obviousness against his pale skin.
“Holy sugar, sorry bro! I shouldn’t have picked such a scary movie!”
And wasn’t that the truth? Honestly, David wasn’t too sure why his best friend always insisted on renting horror films when he clearly hated them. They had quite literally never finished one of these movies. Exer begging for it to be shut off the moment things got too intense.
If David wasn’t on a mission today, he probably would’ve tried to convince Exer to watch just a little bit more. Purely to get their money’s worth.
But no. There was something that David needed to confess today, something that had weighed on his mind from the moment Exer told the group about his magic. So the short lived movie was a blessing he counted.
“Ex, I’m seriously never letting you pick a movie ever again.” Eventually being set free from the muscle prison, David ran a hand through his, certainly, messed up hair before lightly nudging Exer. The poor boy was still looking pretty shell shocked.
“Damn Day, were you scared too?” The seriousness that his friend was exuding might’ve been the sweetest thing David had ever seen, a guilty expression being thrown his way as Exer lightly held onto his forearm.
“Psssh, of course not! I would just like to actually finish a movie for once man!”
“David, you’re such a weirdo! I don’t know how you can stomach all that gore!”
Wow that wasn’t a sentence he heard often. Those phrases were usually directed toward his pretty badass sister.
“Meh..I have seen worse.” His nervous laughter trailed off as David took a glance at the clock.
6:30 pm. William Miller was gonna kick his ass if he is any later than this. Shit, where was Brenda?
“What was that Day?”
“Oh nothing!” His knee bounced slightly as he directed his attention back to Exer.
“Anyway, it might’ve actually been a good thing today, Brenda will be here any minute and I actually wanted to chat to you about something.” Deciding that it was unfortunately time to wrap things up and start the dreaded conversation that he has attempted to have for the last 3 weeks, David untangled himself from the awkward seating position he had adopted following the boy’s unintentional wrestling match.
Although, in hindsight, celebrating his departure from Exer’s arms was a bit too soon, because the moment David stood up familiar black splotches clouded his vision and he stumbled slightly, knees deciding that they didn’t want to work anymore. He really should’ve seen it coming.
The fumble led to Exer declaring a very courteous “Oh shit” before he leaped to his feet.
So naturally, with Ex’s reflexes, before he knew it he was back in his best friend’s hold. The other boy gave him stability with a hand on his waist and another on his back, concerned eyes gazing down into David’s wide ones.
Weird, David felt like he couldn’t breathe again.
“Hey, woah are you alright? This is like the third time this week.”
Exer wasn’t wrong. Things were getting worse, David knew now that the clock was truly ticking. Marching on and pushing him further toward his fate with each passing hand. Ignoring it was growing increasingly difficult.
Now. He should tell him now. David had been planning this for weeks and this certainly felt like a good time to tell him. Harry was at work and Brenda would be here any second if he needed an escape. Just be open. If Exer can tell David about his magic, David can tell him about his….. thing.
“Oh yeah, I’m good. The old iron is low again, you know how it is, Brenda is bringing my pills…anyway…”
Ah shit. He made the mistake of looking straight at the boy. Causing the words to drawl out as he felt himself get slightly lost in the honey vats ahead of him. That wasn’t what he wanted to say, not even close. He wanted to tell the truth, but lying had become muscle memory at this point.
It also wasn’t made easier by the very attractive man that was holding onto him for dear life.
Okay David. You need to think straight!
Literally.
Regardless of their compromising position, neither of the two made any effort to move and David just about caught the deep red that spread against his best friend’s face. Oh…but the alarm slowly turned to confusion as Exer’s eyebrows knitted together, lips parting slightly.
“Day… your eyes kinda..look slightly red?”
That simple phrase was enough to send David scattering from the support, his butt hitting the floor as he wriggled out of the grasp. His hand reached out to snatch his shades off of the coffee table.
That was definitely not supposed to happen.
“Umm…what medication did you say you were on again?” Exer’s trepidation was evident in his voice as he hovered slightly behind David, hands raised in an effort to show that he was still there. That he is an anchor if he needs it. This was bad. This was really bad, these things had happened before but it was getting more and more difficult to keep it under control. If Exer kept catching him in moments like this, he wouldn’t have to tell him a damn thing. But it’ll be too late and he could risk his best friend and love of his life hating him forever. No he has to tell him. And it has to be soon.
God, how he missed the simplicity of it all, when Brenda and himself were children and keeping up their appearances was easy peasy. They didn’t have to worry about any of this. There was a comforting difference between not mentioning something and actively having to fabricate it. Brenda still had those luxuries because she did everything right. She was everything she was supposed to be. Causing her twin brother to look shameful in comparison.
And David was just so sick of lying, the lies only seemed to be piling up as the days came and went. Moving closer to the be all or end all.
“Day?”
The voice pulled him out of his minor spiral.
“Oh sorry… got a little lightheaded. My eyes must be getting all bloodshot with the higher dosage of iron.” Lying through his teeth honestly pained him more than anything else. Especially when it was toward Exer. Exer who had come clean about his secret. Exer who deserved a whole lot better than a best friend who kept things hidden from him his whole life.
David just couldn’t shake the truth that Exer’s magic was scary but so enchanting. David was, and to put it bluntly, just a freak.
David threw the glasses on his face and really hoped that if he stood slowly, he could avoid the room spinning. It definitely wasn’t the most attractive way to get off the floor but his best friend was pretty used to his ‘odd’ behaviour.
“Oh shoot the lights too! Want me to turn off the main light? Sorry Day, you’d think I’d be better on top of it by now.” Guilt twinged in David’s chest at Exer’s words. Now his best friend felt like he was doing something wrong. Great.
“It’s alright Ex, shades will block them out. I should’ve been wearing ‘em.” Trying to bring the lightheartedness back into the room, David wagged his eyebrows, a faux display of confidence.
“You and Brenda have been wearing them, more recently..” There was nothing accusatory in Exer’s voice but it still made David stiffen slightly.
They always say that these days are the most difficult for the ‘juves’. A time where things get a little more hairy. But, lucky for them, you can always rely on handy dandy human stupidity to get away with it.
But Exer wasn’t really human. Not when you look close enough.
“What’s the matter, Exer? Missing my pretty blue eyes already?”
“Maybe I am, sweetheart.” Exer narrowed his eyes at the boy, clearly catching on to what David was trying to do.
Oh Jesus, why did he initiate tease flirting. Stupid, stupid, stupid. David was probably the colour of a tomato right now.
The noise that left his mouth was more akin to gibberish than anything even remotely understandable.
Exer chuckled playfully in reply.
“Okay…Well, on a serious note, I know you’re really struggling with your anaemia at the moment.” David internally winced. It was one thing not being truthful but hearing the fibs being recited back to him? From Exer specifically? That was another level of awful.
“But David, you’ve also hardly been eating. I don’t even remember the last time we sat and both ate lunch.“
“No, no, Ex, you know I’m picky I just-“ His attempt at a cover up was quickly silenced by a raised hand. One that expressed ‘David. No’ in every possible way.
“I just think you need a bit more sugar too, I mean it wouldn’t hurt. Dad and I made some cookies yesterday, so I already packed one up for you.” Okay, why did that make him want to cry?
Eyes trailing after the other, David could only stand there, glued to the floor, with his jaw slightly slack. Exer was perfect. The definition of perfection actually, and he wasn’t sure if that fuelled him to come clean more, or the opposite and simply convince him that he needed to bury a little hole to crawl into and never ever resurface from. A pitiful attempt to keep his claws away before they get too close. Before he himself was seen as the rampaging monster.
Before he once again taints something that is perfect.
The other boy reappeared just as quickly as he left, shuffling his feet with outstretched hands. The small clear container that he clutched carefully held a single, fairly big cookie. On its surface there was a small cat piped out in icing, green eyes that were unmistakably inspired by the wonderful Lucy-furr.
“The design is a little silly, but I know how much you love Lucy so…..” As David looked down at the box he really had to will himself not to start sobbing because that would be a whole new level of lame, one that he isn’t quite ready to reach. Looking at it closer he could see the way that Exer had piped his name at the bottom, yellow swirly icing sitting boldly against the black of ‘cookie Lucy’.
Freezing cold fingertips brushed against Exer’s warm ones as David took the box and both boys locked eyes. Thank the stars for ‘light sensitivity’ and sunglasses because the way his eyes were surely sparkling at the mere presence of his best friend would be all it took to give away any underlying feelings that David felt for the guy. A bright blush crept its way across David’s face and he quickly pulled away.
“Ex, I love it. Thank you so much…”
It’s a shame he didn’t have the energy to stomach human food.
“Of course man, I couldn’t not make you one!” Exer brought a hand up to his neck and retracted his eyes. A small smile tugged at his lips as he avoided eye contact. Was he blushing too? No, no, David needed to focus and tell Exer everything. Who knows when he could get another chance before he truly loses it and exposes himself. Every day was a day closer to what could be his doom. There wasn’t enough time to waste.
“Hey, Ex? Can I tell you something? And then…ask you something?”
“Yeah..Day, absolutely. You know I am here for you.”
Whether that will stick David wasn’t sure, but he bounced on heels and willed the words out of his mouth.
“Exer..I..I am a-“ He cleared his throat. “The thing is, Ex, I-“ And woah.. Exer suddenly appeared sickeningly beautiful, bathed in the soft radiance of the setting sun streaming through the window, casting an enchanting glow upon his tanned skin. David marvelled at how the sun could highlight the true etherealness that was Exer Campbell. This very sun had been the source of numerous problems for him, necessitating meticulous precautions to shield his skin from painful blisters that appeared in smoky, hideous rashes. Yet now, it caressed Exer's complexion as though it had never posed any harm at all.
Exer was the clouds, magical and one with the sun, a persistent excellence that one could stare at for hours. Delicate in many ways but capable of harbouring the most powerful of lightning bolts. Rain or shine, people needed him. Whether it was to protect the suffering from the scorching sun, or to bless the land with precious rain. He was everything. To David at least.
But David was only a forgotten painting. This teeny tiny speck that sat under the wonder that was the clouds. A blur of watercolour which was desperate for meaning, for worth, but ultimately disregarded for all its useless flaws and left out in the sun to fade. Fade until only a ghostly image remained. All his mistakes gone and overlooked in a poof of subtle flame. He was nothing. Not really. The only potential he had was to be inevitably disappointing; regardless of how much paint was used to fix the surface. The sun would always eventually do its damage.
Oh sugar, he couldn’t do this.
“David? What is it?”
“I’m sorry…”
“For what?”
For being what I am.
A car horn interrupted the two and David had never been happier to have his senses so violently assaulted. How that didn’t set off Brenda’s heightened noise sensitivity he wasn’t sure.
“I better not keep Bren waiting..” He hummed, cookie still tightly clenched in his hands.
“Can we talk about this again tomorrow? Or, just whenever you’re ready?” Exer’s voice was so gentle. So small and kind. It made David want to curl up in the sound.
A nod was all he could muster before he scooped up his bag, hauling it over his shoulder. At this point sunglasses were bound to become his new favourite thing as he felt the tears prick at his eyes.
Pathetic.
The two made their way to the door and Exer, ever the chivalrous gentleman, held it open for him. The boy leaning on the door frame as David stepped passed him.
“Hey loser!” Brenda called from the open top vehicle, shades that matched David’s own balancing on her nose as she shot the two a flashy grin. Letting out a puff, He could only roll his eyes at the display, his twin had this enviable ability to look ‘movie star cool’ at all times and it never failed to both irritate and impress David.
“Hi Brenda! How’s it going?” Exer yelled back, arms folded as he lightly smirked at the twins.
“Pretty good! Homework is killing me though.” The door unlocked with a click as David tugged on the handle. Swinging it open, he plopped down next to his sister, causing the twin to scrunch her nose at him in greeting when she placed a familial hand on his shoulder, dark red nail polish standing out boldly against her peaky skin.
“Oh and Exer? I still owe you that money!” David’s head whipped around to her in puzzlement.
“Huh?” Ex was clearly in the same boat.
Brenda’s response came out in a humoured shout as she started the engine.
“You know! Your monthly payment to hang out with this weirdo.” Gesturing to David with her head, she slammed her foot on the gas and drove off from the house, a smug grin gracing her features as Exer’s laughs could still be heard in the distance.
“Brenda! Bye Exer!!!!!” David exclaimed, twisting to face the shrinking house, having had no time to say goodbye to his best friend.
“You’re such an ass!”
“What? I would be failing as a sister if I didn’t tease my baby brother from time to time.”
“You are older than me by literal minutes. You do realise that right?” David deadpanned, but he didn’t fight the bemused smile that followed when Brenda offered him a careless shrug.
But it was then that David caught a glimpse of the fangs his sister was making no effort to hide. They were slowly extending as she let the disguise fade away. Pointed teeth that looked a little too similar to the ones that the sickly beast had bore in that movie. The ones that sent Exer into a fit of fear. The uncanny resemblance sent a shiver down his spine.
“Woah, Bren what are you doing?” He raised a hand to point at his own canines, the ones he was keeping under wraps.
“Oh come on David, it’s past sunset and no ones gonna notice in the car. You know I’m careful.” As if to completely undermine her point, Brenda turned to him with a beam, pearly daggers out in the open,
How his sister could live so far on the risky side he didn’t know.
“Brenda…” He warned, bringing a hand up to rest on his forehead. At least she had her sunglasses on, covering up the scarlet irises that he doubted she was masking either.
“Look, just relax, no one is out. Besides bro, we shouldn’t have to constantly live in fear. It takes a lot out of us to ‘display’ all the time. You know that better than anyone.” That last part was added quietly, a twinge of sadness creeping into her tone.
David wasn’t going to argue. This was something his sister was very proud of and a rant that she would go on often. Yeah, he wasn’t going to open that can of worms. The thought itself made him feel woozy.
“Exer made you a cookie, huh?” A sigh of relief overcame him as his sister changed the conversation for him, her eyebrows raising as she kept her eyes trained on the road. Looking down at the baked treat, he felt a much too familiar blush spread across his cheeks.
“Did you tell him yet…?” She added cautiously, eyes trained to the road.
“No. I didn’t.” There wasn’t any energy left in him to disguise his disappointment, his knee vibrated as he internally celebrated the cool darkness that blanketed the street.
“David…I think he will be fine. He told you about his magic! Even I was on the fence about you telling him, but that changes things. Exer could even understand us.”
“His magic is different and you know it is. I want to, I really do but it’s not easy, Bren. All of those people who have gone missing on the news? The thousands of crime investigations going on at the minute? A mysterious wild animal that no one has ever sighted, snatching people in the dead of night? He’ll piece it together. Exer always does, he isn’t like most. And it’ll all come back toward our kind.”
The silence felt heavy.
“We are monsters Bren..”
“David!”
“What! It’s true! What am I supposed to say!? Ugh.. hey Exer, so funny story. I am a vampire and my whole family are actually vampires and there is this entire secret society of us dotted around the neighbourhood who have been harassing mankind for centuries. Oh but please don’t worry, I haven’t murdered anyone yet !”
David folded his arms because what was supposed to be a 10 minute drive suddenly felt like 5 years. His sister remaining quiet didn’t make it anymore bearable. Her grip tightening around the steering wheel.
There is nothing David hates more than when they disagree like this. No teasing, just a true clash of interest. It hurt.
As the car pulled into the drive, David rested his head against the side of the door. Waves of nausea suddenly hitting him like a brick. Exhaustion seeped into his bones and he really dreaded having to deal with his father right now.
David was not the best at hiding when he wasn’t feeling great. Evident by the way Brenda immediately noticed.
“I brought the supplements…they’re in the glovebox.” His twins’ worried gaze flicked back and forth between the house and her brother, a frown forming as David dived toward the compartment and pocketed the deep red pills like a feral animal.
“You look really unwell David.” She huffed.
“You can’t keep this up forever. I mean, when was the last time you drank fresh blood? You know it’s not good to rely solely on ‘the’ pills.” The volume of her voice was lowered slightly, taking shape as a whisper in case any neighbours listened. And although David felt slightly scolded, the comforting hand that Brenda rested against him took away any of the defensiveness he might’ve felt.
She was just worried. As always, and this was in no way the first time they have had this conversation.
“I don’t know, a few days? Bren, I gotta go. Dad will be pissed.”
Brenda apparently had no intention of letting him go yet because she hooked onto his arm, leaning out of the car from her torso to stop her brother.
“There isn’t long left now David. I am scared for you. More scared than I have ever been…our connection..I can feel you fading all the time! It’s stronger now, than ever.” The hand that she raised to wipe the tears from her cheek shook and David was pretty sure he could feel the fragments of his shattered heart dig into his anatomy as he was taken aback by the sudden emotion.
Oh Brenda.
David leant over to press a kiss to the top of her head. “I have a plan sis. I won’t leave you, I promise. I just have to work some things out first.
“Thank you for coming to get me and for bringing the-“ He cleared his throat, “pills.”
Giving him a nod, Brenda sniffed, her shoulders drooping at his words.
“I love you David.”
“I love you too Brenda. You’re the best sister in the entire world.”
The sad giggle that escaped his twin was all it took for David to relax himself.
“I’ll see you later tonight, okay?”
“Okay.” However, Brenda leaving set a pit in David’s stomach. He already felt guilty for making her drive out to bring him home, purely because he needed his fix. And now she was very obviously being eaten alive by stress. Damn, if vampires needed the human amount of sleep, she would be losing buckets of it. All because of him.
World’s best sister, stuck with the world’s worst brother. Typical.
Now for his least favourite part of the day. Entering his house.
The door opened with a creak and David really hoped he could sneak off upstairs and just pretend that he isn’t even-
“David.”
Great.
“Hey..dad.” Please don’t vomit, for all the stars in the sky, please do not vomit.
There was no shame in admitting that William Miller was a scary being. Even in his human display, all tall, broad shoulders with piercing eyes. A shadow of a scowl permanently etched onto his features. But his true appearance? Now that was horror movie worthy. The man’s eyes were an oily red, the coppery ginger locks stained with vermillion after years of ruthless killing. David took no pleasure in acknowledging that his father was responsible for most of the missing persons cases. Coming from a long line of heartless vampires, he believed that he had a right to kill relentlessly and efficiently. The need to remain inconspicuous acting as the states only mercy. It was no secret that David was nothing like his father, and that caused the supernatural man to despise him more than anything.
David hated killing. So William hated David.
“What time do you call this? Champ.” God, David hated when his dad called him that. It felt more like a punishment than an endearing pet name at the best of times. But now? It was a warning.
“Sorry, Brenda and I got caught behind a slow car..” Terrible excuse David. Nice.
“Your sister didn’t want to say hello then?” Stretching his head up to meet his father, David fidgeted uncomfortably.
“She had to shoot off.. but we are meeting up later tonight. To eat.”
The vampire in front of him grunted, ready to turn away, satisfied with his disgraced son’s answer. Until he spotted the small container gripped in David’s palms.
“The hell is that?”
Oh shit. Yep he is gonna hurl.
“Nothing!” David tried to yank the tub behind his back but his father was too quick, digging his fingers into his arm and swiping the cookie from his now limp hand.
“Ow! Dad! That hurts!” His eyes widened in a panic, he was far too weak to be dealing with any manhandling right now. If he could just sneak off and take his pill, he could keep it all together.
The hand was far too furious to allow that and as his father’s grip tightened David let out a hiss.
“I said, what the hell is this David!?”
“Agh!” He whined, trying to wedge his own hand between his dad’s fingertips.
“Just a cookie!! Exer made it for me!” Trying desperately to free himself from the large hand wrapped around his wrist, David came to the conclusion that lying right now, would only prolong the sharp pains travelling up his arm.
Burning eyes grew somehow darker and it felt as though William was trying to look right through him. Clasp constricting impossibly taut.
“Please…” Like always, here he was. Begging like a dog. His chest pounded and his eyes were going blurry, he was uncertain whether it was because he was on the edge of sobbing or because he really needed to take his supplement.
“William! What is going on here?” Raven, bouncy curls entered his peripheral, soft scarlet eyes boring into the nasty snarl of William Miller.
Wow , it really just occurred to him that he barely made it past the front door before he did something wrong. His stepmom’s entrance from across the home emphasising how cornered he was.
Linda really felt like an angel right now. Not that an angel would ever aid a being so vile as a vampire. But she was here, and it prompted his father to release his clenched fist. He tore himself away, sighing at the relief coming from his red raw wrist. It was then David decided that he very much had to go, so he ignored the angry excuses of his father and raced past, stumbling up the staircase as he rubbed his skin. He can feel guilty about not saying hello to Linda later.
Shoving his way into the bathroom, David locked himself away and forced his unsteady weight onto the sink. He pushed the sunglasses off of his face and let them topple to the ground. The room danced around him in a nonsensical waltz, head thumping as his normally freezing cold body became sticky with heat.
He felt terrible.
This was one of the worst days he has had in a while. Like Brenda had said, he could feel himself wearing down. And it was only going to get worse and worse and worse.
When 12 o’clock strikes on his 18th birthday, David Miller, for the first time ever, will be forced to kill and drink human blood. By his sister’s side, they would feed, corrupt and steal a life force to solidify their vigour and strength. It was named the hour of truth. Their vampiric nature being honoured and nourished, setting a hunger in their instincts that they would need to feed for the rest of their prolonged lives.
When 12 o’ clock strikes on his 18th birthday, David Miller will die. Whether it will be through vampiric hunting, his own father, or simple starvation. It will be the end. Because David would not take the life of a human being.
It was something he simply couldn’t do. He couldn’t even handle killing an animal, the memory of his father forcing him to take the life of a small bunny still sticking to the walls of his skull. Haunting him every night because it simply wasn’t his nature. When it came to a human, no matter how terrible the crime, he just knew he wouldn’t be able to do it. Death by draining was a fate he couldn’t bestow upon anyone. It was plain to see that something was terribly wrong with David. Vampires were supposed to lack empathy when it came to their victims. They were designed to give into the starving desperation that warped them into nothing more than hungry vipers, blood sniffing killers with little regard for their prey. But he had never experienced that mindless trance. Not with the bunny and not with the various other animals he had tried to drain over the years. The pangs of shame and remorse would always snake their way into his conscience, marking him as unworthy whilst he bawled over the defenceless.
David was a defective vampire and it will be his downfall.
Unless his plan works.
When David jolted his head upward there was no reflection in the mirror. The first indication that he was on his last legs and frantically needed to feed. When a vampire goes too long without drinking blood, they lose their abilities to hide their true form. To be able to fight the sun’s beams and sleep in the night. The abilities to fit in as human.
It could be detrimental to their safety as vampire hunters lurked everywhere, waiting for confirmation that their suspect is for sure an abomination. That is why the days leading up to a juves 18th birthday is so dangerous. It was too easy to lose control when your deepest desires began to switch to human blood. Not supplements or animal blood. They needed to feed off humans and it made their power weak.
David just hoped that his sister and him weren’t acting too weirdly. Brenda especially.
Reaching into his pocket, David brought the supplements to the light. They reminded him of pools of blood, crammed into a tiny clear capsule. These were manufactured to contain everything a young vampire may need and used to feed young juveniles who weren’t ready to drain. They weren’t exactly strong, nor a proper meal, but that’s why David takes a few at a time.
If William knew David was relying on these instead of draining nightly, it would be over. Everything he had been hiding for years, gone. Just picture it now, the son of a very rich heritage of vampires, not even being able to feed off a rat every night.
The consequences would be catastrophic.
Popping a couple of the supplements from the tray, David couldn’t contain the burning greed that overcame him. He quickly swallowed 3 of the capsules and stuffed the rest of the pills back in his pocket.
An addicting surge travelled through his body, his mind going like static as he let the buzz overcome him. It was working, his eyes scanned the room, eager to find out if his brain was still spinning.
What he didn’t prepare for was the face that greeted him in the mirror. David’s pale skin looked gaunt and stretched. Somehow even whiter than his usual supernatural complexion. His hair was a mess of blonde curls, stuck to his forehead in a hot sweat and framing his slender bone structure. Deep bags settled under his tearful gaze, dark and bruised against its porcelain canvas. The wetness from his sorrow caused his red eyes to stand out grimly against the rest of his lighter features, it made him appear so disgustingly unsettling, like bloodied splotches decorating a white carpet.
And to top it all off his pointed molars laid menacingly against his lips, impossibly white from his aversion to drinking blood.
Only one word came to mind. Monstrous.
He liked when he looked human. When blue eyes, like the ocean, filled the mirror and made him feel gentle. David would use them to bat his eyelashes at Exer, whose own optics would ignite in the sunlight. It made a different kind of longing swirl in David’s stomach. One that wasn’t fuelled by a selfish starvation. Just a forgiving nature. Being human could be so breathtaking at times.
The only issue was that it wasn’t real.
But it could be.
One last glance at the mirror solidified it.
Unlocking the door with haste and plucking his glasses off the floor, David all but ran the way to his room. Thankful that his father had decided to retreat into whatever dark crevice he belonged in so he didn’t need to worry about bumping into him. He threw himself into his room, energy dramatically increased thanks to the supplements.
The supplements but also his determination. David Miller was going to tell Exer Campbell everything. Everything about his life, but also his soon to be death.
And more importantly, how they could potentially prevent it. David made a promise to his sister, he looked her in the eye and told her that he wouldn’t leave her. He had to at least try and honour that. For her sake.
Grabbing a pen and paper, David huddled over his desk and offloaded anything he could possibly write down. Tearing the pages that were no good and starting fresh over and over again. He needed to get this right and talking would only fail him. Everyone knew he wasn’t any good with words. But if he could somehow take the time to pick them apart and rearrange them till they made sense? He will take it, and writing allows that.
He scribbled like a madman and every now and then he’d catch a reflection of hideous fangs in the closed window and it would only encourage this decision more. This note wasn’t just a confession, a right to a wrong. No, it was a request. In just under a month, David would have to kill, but maybe Exer could change that. That fateful day at the lake where Exer demonstrated his magic, where David had recoiled in fear, had actually planted a seed in his mind.
What if Exer was his cure? What if he could free him from this cage? This curse? They could live their lives how they had planned when they were just small children and start a life like they had dreamed.
Maybe David could tell him how he feels one day, how madly in love he was. Or maybe he would have to let himself live in agony without it, a soul destined to pine, he didn’t care as long as Exer was at his side.
On the other hand, his father could destroy him before they even had the chance to live a new life. But David couldn’t say that sounded too bad either. David Miller would rather be six feet under than be seen as one of those creatures from the horror movies. Not by Exer. And not by himself.
At least he would’ve tried; at least there would be no blood spilt by his hands.
And at least Exer would know the truth, the reality behind everything and so he and Ron could be there for Brenda.
David didn’t stop rewriting the letter until it said exactly what he needed it to say. A love letter to the life he wanted to live.
Soon enough, there it was. Permanently scribed in smudgy black ink. David was going to ask Exer Campbell to turn him human.
As David placed his pen on the desk, the hands of the clock hit midnight.
24 days until David Miller’s 18th birthday.