The Darker Path- Part Two 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.