I got such good feedback from
part one that I just had to start part two right away. Thanks to
everybody who e-mailed me.
Disclaimer
This story is not meant to imply anything about
the sexuality of any of the celebrity characters that appear in it.
It is a work of fiction. If you should not read this then please
don't.
The Darker Path- Part Two
I slowly opened my eyes and squinted in the bright
light. Why was it so bright? After a few minutes my vision
adjusted to the light and I could see that I was in my own room.
The blinds were pulled down letting only diffuse light into the room, but
it was still really bright. I looked at my clock, it was nearly five
in the afternoon. I had slept all day! Normally I didn't do
that unless I had been out really late the night before. The night
before. Slowly I replayed the images of last night's events in
my mind. The car crash. Regan. The girl in the apartment.
It must have been a dream, albeit a very vivid one. I got up, still
squinting a little. I'd have to do something about those blinds,
they were letting too much light in. Yawning I searched for a pair
of shorts to put on. Giving myself a quick glance in the mirror I
turned to go get some breakfast. Or would that be lunch? Or
dinner? I stopped, turned around carefully, and examined myself in
the mirror again.
Last night I had had brown hair bleached blonde,
but grown out. This morning it was ice blonde, with no visible roots.
Last night I had had green eyes. This morning they were bright blue.
My lips looked a little red too. Actually it was almost like there
was something around my lips, like I'd let a blind man put lipstick on
me. I looked closer. It was blood. Dried blood.
It wasn't a dream. It wasn't a nightmare
and it wasn't a hallucination. Last night you drank that girl's blood
and...and what? How did I get home? What happened to the girl?
I
looked in the mirror again and saw Regan standing behind me. When
I turned around he was not there, but his reflection remained in the mirror.
"So you're awake? You slept long young one."
"What has happened to me?"
"I thought you knew. You are being changed.
Your Nosferatu blood calls out. It changes your body both inside
and out, as I told you it would."
"But, how am I supposed to explain this? My
parents will think I'm on crack."
"Did I not also tell you that you could make yourself
appear as you want others to see you. Concentrate on what you looked
like last night. Imagine yourself as you were and you will be again."
"That makes a lot of sense," I said sarcastically.
Nevertheless I did as he asked. I concentrated on making myself look
like I did yesterday. And to my suprise it worked. "It's working!
I really can change the way I look!" As soon as the words were out
of my mouth I changed back.
"It only works as long as you maintain concentration.
It should be enough to convince those who know you though. Now I
can't stay much longer. Other things you will figure out for yourself
but I do need to attend to one small matter before I leave. Look
in your wallet."
I did and I was shocked by what I found. There
was a new driver's license with a picture matching my new appearance.
It still had my real name on it though. There was another driver's
license behind it, this one was for New York. Strange since I lived
in Maryland. It still had my picture on it, but the name was different:
Adrian Mark. And there were credit cards too. For both
names. There were ATM cards and bank account information. Under
the wallet was a new passport for Adrian Mark.
"That is everything you will need for your new life.
Those credit cards each have spending limits of over fifty thousand dollars.
The bank account is Swiss, but linked to several major banks around the
world. There is also a checkbook. You will have more money
than you can ever hope to spend. I suggest you start with a new car."
Before I could ask any more questions he was gone.
In the blink of an eye his image had disappeared from the mirror.
It slowly dawned on me that I was wasting precious time that I could be
using to spend someone else's money. I pushed the nagging feelings
of apprehension and guilt away and went to go take a shower.
I had put on my sunglasses as soon as
I got out of the shower and I could tell I'd be wearing them the rest of
the day. Why was it so damn bright? Since I was alone for the
day I had to call a cab to take me where I was going. I doubt the
driver really appreciated the irony of where he was taking me. How
many people take a cab to a Porsche dealer? I had decided I liked
the suit that Regan had given me so I was wearing it again. This
time with a black shirt and silver tie. I thought I was prepared
for the reactions I was going to get. What self-respecting dealer
would believe a nineteen-year-old was seriously thinking about buying a
Porsche? Strangely enough when I walked in an obsequious man in a
poorly made imitation of an Italian suit came over to me immediately.
"Can I help you sir."
"Yes I'd like to buy a car."
"I see, and what did sir have in mind?"
I looked around the showroom. There were plenty
more cars out on the lot, but I knew what I wanted and I saw it right in
front of me. It was as if the car was there waiting for me.
A metallic black 911 Turbo, with black leather interior and carbon fiber
trim. Even the wheel rims were done in black. I smiled.
"I'll take that one."
"Ah...yes sir. Sir does understand that that
particular car was a custom order that fell through and carries a price
of 149,000 dollars?"
"Yes, sir understands money very well. You
said it was a custom order?"
"That's right. A gentleman was in a few months
ago and ordered it. It just came in yesterday, and he said he didn't
want it."
"Really? How...convinient for me. Well
why don't you go draw up the paper work and let's get this over with.
I have a lot of other things to do today."
"AH...of course sir. And may I ask how you
will be paying for this?"
"I'm going to write you a check."
The dealer looked truly amazed for a minute, then
he shrugged and went into the office. I sat in the waiting area and
made myself comfortable. In a few minutes a secretary came over to
bring me some coffee. The service techs pulled the car out of the
show room and went to gas it up and wash it. I looked around.
No one here was less than ten years older than me. They all should
have been laughing their asses off at me, but instead they thought it was
perfectly natural for me to be buying a car that cost more that some houses.
It was almost bizarre. I did feel kind of strange about it, but underneath
I had a new sense of confidence. It was as if things were as they
should be. And I liked it. In less time than I would have thought
possible I was racing down the highway in my new Porsche.
Power, it is said, corrupts. Had I not been
so blind, perhaps I would have seen it. As things were, however,
I was enjoying my new life. To say my parents were disturbed was
an understatement. Bad enough that I had wrecked my car, but they
were even more worried about how I had come across a 150,000 sports car.
Not to mention all the other things I was buying. They asked too
many questions. Was it drugs? Was I stealing? I told
them I had won the lottery, but they didn't believe me. I grew more
distant from them every day . It didn't take long before I grew tired
of them. Regan had offered me the use of his apartment, and I accepted
gladly. It was much easier to find prey in the city. He said
he was going out of the country and would not be back for some time.
He left me the keys to his beach house in Key West and his penthouse in
New York along with the apartment in Washington. So I left my house,
left behind most of my old clothes and other possessions, left behind the
only family I had ever known. For a while I was pursued by feelings
of remorse and guilt, but I soon drowned them in the sensations of my new
life.
The Nation's Capitol, as Washington is often referred
to, conjures up grand images of towering monuments and stately marble buildings.
In truth it is not a great city, and the decent parts are few, but I kept
myself amused. I stood in the shadows of the Lincoln Memorial, the
moon glinted off the still waters of the reflecting pool, disturbed only
by the occasional free spirit who thought to soak his bare feet in the
warm, shallow waters. I watched the humans with a feeling of disgust.
It had been just over two weeks since I'd met Regan, and little more than
one week since I'd left my family behind. Every night since then
I had wandered the city visiting glamorous nightclubs, trendy coffee bars,
and fine restaurants. Every night I had found new prey with ease.
At first I only went after women because they seemed easier. Last
night though I had tasted my first man. It was a different feeling
all together. I smiled remembering his supple muscles, lean chest,
and eagerness to please me. And his blood, so hot and full of life.
Blood, I had quickly discovered, was more addictive than any drug.
Whenever I looked at a humans I could feel their hearts beating with it.
Sometimes I could almost smell it. It was sweeter than candy to a
child and more refreshing than water to a man dying of thirst. I
glanced around me. Above was the white marble of the monument shaped
like the Greek temples of old. Between the columns I could see the
chisled figure of the "great emancipator." A memory stirred of a
child trying to climb into the seated figure's massive lap. He had
been happy then. That had been a fun day.
I shook myself free of old memories. Memories
were dangerous. They tricked us and made us remember the past more
fondly than we should. Sometimes they made us regret the choices
we had to make. And that served no purpose. Only here and now was
important. I glanced at the city around me again. It was nearly
time to leave. Washington was a lovely city, but there was more to
see and more to do. Only one thing still held me here. A smile
warmed my faced when I thought about it. That had been one of the
first things I did. With enough money one could accomplish nearly
anything.
Procuring backstage passes to a concert was a relatively minor affair.
And tomorrow I would be going to that concert. And I would have that
which I most desired: Justin.
I permitted myself a quiet chuckle. It was
so easy to influence humans. They were so frail in both body and
spirit. And speaking of influence, there was an interesting target
for this evening. I lit a cigarette and took a long drag. Before
Regan I hadn't had one in months, but after everything I had done lately,
cigarettes no longer seemed so bad.
They were walking hand-in-hand, enjoying the warm
summer night and the pleasure of each other's company. Neither was
more than twenty and they radiated that young, carefree love that humans
so often forget as they grow older. The girl was lovely. Long
brown hair, big green eyes and a trim body. The boy was similarly
attractive. His hair was cut short and he was tall and thin, with
deep, dark eyes. Their clothes said their parents were well-off as
did the shiny new sport-ute they had arrived in. Two young lovers
come down to the city for an evening stroll. I smiled again and moved
towards my prey.
David breathed deeply of the night air. He
liked coming into the city. He and Natalie had had a great time at
dinner and a romantic moonlit walk was the perfect follow-up. It
so good to be back home with her. Going away to college and being
apart from her had been hard, but it just made coming home that much better.
He looked down at her and smiled as they walked. She looked back
up at him and stood on her toes to plant a kiss on his lips.
"I love you," she whispered.
"I love you too."
It was true, he did love her. Maybe not in
the "let's get married I want to spend the rest of my life with you" kind
of way, but he did love her. He looked up at the monument with the
majestic figure of President Lincoln and when he turned his gaze back there
was a man standing in front of him. He was the most beautiful person
David had ever seen. His hair was almost shockingly blonde, and his
skin was more smooth and white than marble. He was dressed in black
from head to toe. He wore black shoes, black pants, and a tight black
shirt. Around his neck was a silver chain with a strange design hanging
from it. But the thing that drew David's attention were his eyes.
They were the most vibrant shade of blue he had ever seen. David
was suprised at his feelings. He'd never been attracted to another
guy before, but this was different. He was so beautiful. One
glance at Natalie was all it took to se that she was feeling the same way.
Even before the stranger spoke David had the desire to do whatever he asked.
And when he did speak his voice was like music.
"Good evening young lovebirds. Enjoying the
night?"
David jumped to answer before Natalie could.
He had to be the first to talk. "Yes, it's a beautiful night."
He starred into the stranger's eyes for a moment and then added "I'm David."
"Very nice to meet you David. My name is Adrian."
"And I'm Natalie."
David found himself annoyed by Natalie's presence.
She was merely a distraction taking away Adrian's attention.
"Nice to meet you as well Natalie. May I join
the two of you for your walk? It is such a nice night and I do hate
to walk alone."
They walked for an hour, he and Natalie competing
to tell Adrian all about themselves. He had never competed with Natalie
over anything before, in fact he had wanted to share everything with her
until now. In some distant part of his mind he realized something
was very wrong, but he felt swept along helplessly. He simply could
not resist Adrian, with those piercing eyes. At last he brought himself
back to reality. Adrian was speaking again.
"Well Natalie I have really enjoyed talking with
you. I'm so sorry you have to go."
"But I don't," she began.
"Oh but you do. We wouldn't want your parents
to worry about you, being out so late."
"I'm sure I could..."
"No." There was a sharpness to Adrian's voice
this time. A tone of command. David could recognize it even
though it was not directed at him. "You will leave now. Take
your car and go home. Tomorrow you will remember only that you and
David had an argument and you left him here. You will have no memory
of me."
With that Natalie turned and left. David smiled.
He had won, she was gone! Lucky thing he had let her drive.
But something tugged at his thoughts. Something was wrong.
He was afraid, and yet, everything seemed so right as Adrian turned back
to him.
"Well David, now that we are alone perhaps you would
like to join me at my apartment for a nightcap?"
"Yeah. I'd like that."
"Good, then let's go."
I unlocked the door to my apartment and walked in
without turning on any lights. I knew the layout well enough and
light just got in the way. I walked over to the bar and turned on
the black lights that ran around the edge of it for the benefit of my guest.
I motioned for him to sit on the couch and poured two drinks.
"Do you drink cognac David?"
"Um, no, I've never had it."
"I think you will like it. Like most things
in life it is better if savored."
I sat down next to him on the couch and handed him
a glass. He took a sip and managed to suppress a gag as it went down.
"It's and acquired taste," I said with a shrug.
"I like it. It's just kinda strong."
"Then drink slowly. There is no need to rush."
He nodded and took another small sip. Despite
my words I could feel the desire inside me to simply grab him by his hair
and rip his throat out. But no, as I had said, the best things in
life should be savored. Apparently he felt the need hurry too.
I could feel his eagerness, his anticipation. I could feel his young,
hot blood pumping through his veins. But I could wait. I took
another slow sip of my drink. David was nearly done with his.
Some people have no patience. He finished it and looked at
me expectantly.
I put my glass down and looked at him. He
was quite attractive. I was glad I had chosen him over the girl.
I smiled. It was nearly time, but I could have a little fun first.
"So tell me David, do you love Natalie?"
It was clearly not the question he was expecting.
His face was troubled. I enjoyed watching him squirm and search for
an answer.
"Yeah...I guess I do."
"Then why are you here?"
"I...I don't know. I just thought, I mean
she had to go...and I...I..."
"You weren't ready to go?"
"No, yes...I'm not sure."
"And do you think she's upset with you?"
"I don't know."
He was really disturbed now. He couldn't really
explain why he was here. He had left the girl he was in love with
to come here. I enjoyed watching humans when they got agitated.
There was something else there too though. I couldn't remember what
it was called. It might have been...guilt? That was a strange
sounding word. I looked at David, he was on the verge of tears.
Maybe his feelings for the girl had been stronger than he knew.
"Oh god, what am I doing? Natalie...I...oh
man. Listen, Adrian, thanks for the drink, but maybe I...should...leave."
With an effort he actually stood up and started
to the door. I grabbed his arm stopping him in his tracks.
Anger surged inside me. Of all the insolent things! None of
my guests had ever left before I was finished with them. Actually
I'd never seen one leave at all. In the morning they were just gone.
But this! He was really going to try and leave even as much as he
wanted to stay! I rejected my initial impulse of tearing his head
off. There were better, less messy ways to deal with this.
"David, surely staying a few more minutes wont hurt
anything. Just sit and talk with me while I finish my drink."
"No...I..I think I should go."
"Oh come now," I said gently pulling him back to
the couch, "a few more minutes wont make any difference at all."
He reluctantly sat down, but he was still resisting.
"I really think I need to go. Something about
this is...wrong. I'm really sorry, but I..."
"Don't worry David. Everything will be fine."
I moved closer to him and placed my lips on his.
At first he resisted, but soon he was like a hungry animal. I tore
at my shirt and ground his hips into mine. He pulled away from me
and started kissing my chest, working his way lower. I leaned back
and relaxed. No one could resist me for long. Soon I would
taste his blood, but that could wait until my other needs had been met.
Later, alone in the darkness I felt strange.
David was still asleep on the couch. I knew from experience that
he would be gone by morning. Something was bothering me. The
boy had certainly been good. Not only was his blood sweet but he
had a mouth like a vacuum cleaner. No, physically I felt refreshed,
as I always did after feeding. But there was something less tangible.
I had felt it before I knew, perhaps even given it a name. Those
human emotions still bothered me sometimes. Guilt. I
was shocked at how quickly the word came. And there was a certainty
behind it. Yes, I felt guilty for what I had done. There was
no reason to destroy the happiness that David and Natalie had had.
Really there was no reason for me to have left my home and my family.
I thought about going back. I could never tell them the truth, but
I could make up a convincing story. My gaze fell to the table where
a laminated piece of paper rested. That was why I couldn't go back.
Justin. But I could still go home. I could go to the concert
as my old self. I'm still half human, aren't I? As if in
response to my silent question the first rays of dawn peaked in through
the window. The light hurt my eyes and I roughly closed the blinds.
No I couldn't go back. Without the money and the power I was nothing.
I couldn't have Justin without them. And I craved the blood.
I needed it. Fortunately there were temporary substitutes.
A found my pack of cigarettes and lit one. I remembered one of the
main reasons I quit was because they made me so unattractive to non-smokers.
Now it didn't matter. I was irresistible to anyone. And that
was why I would be waiting backstage when NSYNC finished their concert
tonight. I was irresistible and that would make Justin mine.
I laughed at the idea of giving up this life. Even if I did go to
the concert, in all likelihood I wouldn't even get close enough to talk
to Justin. But how do you know? It doesn't have to be this
way. No, the darkness was the only way to get what I wanted,
what I needed. The darkness and the blood. I put out my cigarette
and crawled into bed.
So Part Two is finished. I hope this wasn't
boring' I know there wasn't much dialogue. But this was sort of a
trasitional slash character-developement chapter. Things will be
getting more intense from here on out. Thanks again to everyone
who has e-mailed me. Your support is much appreciated and I hope
to hear from everybody again. As always it's zack02cool@hotmail.com.
Until next time.