Putting his arms protectively around Pete, Ovid held him close while the whole of the world seemed to be blanked by screams of faget!
A group of tough boys nudged each other. One almost went over to smack Ovid on the shoulder, and say something nasty about the skanky bitch he was holding
The naked yearning hunger on Pete's delicate, face stopped the boy. That look on what he though was nothing but a pretty boy, that look both frightened him and saddened him. He felt the same about the tall calm boy holding the pretty boy and about the two friends with them. The pale girl with her blue streaked black hair draped around her hungry glamorous face, and the girlish, Goth boy with his knife thin smile. The group seemed to belong in their own separate universe.
Turning away without a word, fearing their seeming loneliness, and their strangeness, the boy got his friends to crowd closer to the stage.
"It amuses me when a mortal becomes aware of our presence and they sense something isn't quite right about us," Ovid whispered in Pete's ear, "I would like to kill him. But I won't. I prefer knowing he'll have nightmares about being so very afraid of us for the rest of his life."
"Think he'll go insane?" Emil whispered lazily to Pete and Ovid.
"He might. Mortals who notice a vampire too closely for their own good often do," Lena laughed.
Sauntering over to the boy, Lena cried, pulled up her shirt, cupped her breasts, saying, "Hey pretty boy check these out."
The lurid light from the stage made her blue flesh an obscenity of red and orange.
Repelled the boy moved further away from her.
Laughing, she stood closer, but not too close to the group of mortals. Eyeing the boy. A predator focusing on the weakest link of the herd.
"She has her dinner picked out," Emil said, watching the boy who out of sheer nervousness and fear was making himself sloppy drunk, "I'm going to find some passed out honey," Emil said amused.
"I wish she wouldn't torment the boy," Pete whispered.
"Oh let her have her fun. She was teased by shits like him in high school because she was into wicca and she had a reputation for being a slut. It's her turn to have her fun," Ovid whispered.
"You said we should forget about being human beings," Pete said, feeling angry for the boy was was obviously suffering.
"It's hard to forget for some of us." Ovid said soothingly, "I will not judge Lena. He bought her notice onto himself."
Pete watched the boy stumble thought the crowd unnerved by Lena's dead, unblinking stare. She calmly followed him through the crowd. Catching up with him, grabbing him by the arm, and quickly pulling him into the darkness.
"He's dead," Ovid murmured, "No more special events for him."
"No," Pete whispered, preferring not to think about Lena and her catch of the night.
Pete's shark cold eye's scanned the crowds, looking for his own catch. His glance fell on a lovely looking couple. A tall, slender, well defined male with spiky hair holding a ravishing girl. A slender gorgeous male who was glaring at him.
"Josh?" Pete whispered.
'WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING IN THAT ASS HOLE'S ARMS!" JOSH SCREAMED OVER THE MUSIC.
The crowd shuddered, their ears ringing, Pete and Ovid put their own hands to their sensitive ears.
"Pete yelled, "Isn't that the girl you were with last night!"
'I'M JUST PRETENDING LIKE I ALWAYS HAVE TO PRETEND! WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING!" Josh roared.
"NOTHING!" Pete roared.
Quickly, Josh put his hand over his ears. The crowds moaned falling to their knees, crucified by sound, feeling like their heads were going to fall apart like smashed pumpkins.
Running as fast as he could from it all Pete disappeared from the concert.
"Hey, I though I got a glimpse of your cousin with what I think was his boy friend, "Amy said, "Man, what the fuck went on with their speakers?"
"That wasn't Pete's boy friend," Josh said angrily, scanning the crowds. The vampire who was dressed in colorful rags and was holding Pete like he owned him was missing too.
"They looked kind of sweet together, "Amy said, 'for queers."
"I so have to take you home. I have a headache. My feet hurt. I'm going to throw up," Josh stammered angrily.
"Josh your a big boy. I'm not leaving," Amy said stonily.
"I cant leave you here all by yourself," Josh cried. "Through you deserve it Do you have to be so homophobic?"
"I'm not! Gays call themselves queers all the time. What's the big deal?"
"I just don't like you calling Pete a queer," Josh said hotly.
"Is it because you're uncomfortable about you cousin being gay? I'm sorry Josh I should have been more sensitive."
Whatever," Josh said, feeling wretched, "We really have to leave."
"The concert is not over. I'm not leaving. And you can't leave me here all by myself," Amy said, "Not if you're a friend."
"Fine," Josh said through clinched teeth, knowing he because he bought her he was responsible for her safety. I better cool of before I confront Pete, Josh thought angrily.
"Pete," Ovid whispered strolling down the cemetery path of Grace Land.
Ducking, Ovid looked up. Flying overhead on his skateboard was Pete doing a half spin in the sky. Pete gracefully landed. Kicking up speed his foot slammed on the back of his board, the acceleration and force sent him up into the sky.
"Slow down " Ovid yelled, chasing after Pete who was heading out of the grave yard to the down town plaza
Sitting alone on a bench by a fountain, Pete silently watched the sharp silver spray of water slicing through the black sky. The strobe lights made the splashing water look like sent up prayers and sliver lined hopes.
"I never wanted to be a vampire scholar like Michael wanted me to be. All I ever wanted to do was skate board, take photos, and be with Josh," Pete whispered.
"What if you can't be with Josh?" Ovid said sitting behind him, "Pete, Josh is right. He is always pretending. It's his way of life to pretend. Me, Emil and Lena we have no desire to pretend to be mortals or to pretend to like them. We don't come out and declare ourselves to be vampires we just live our lives.. When we go amongst mortals we let mortals make that assumption of their own about what we are. We're always ourselves. Josh has to constantly pretend, lying is Josh's way of life."
"It doesn't have to be," Pete said moodily, "He can give it up. The world of mortals. Money, school, career he can become a complete outsider."
"You are an outsider, he isn't. He can live the mortal dream. He can make a niche for himself in the human world You're more of a wild animal, a different species from what human are than he is. Pete come to Europe with me. Be a gypsy with me. We can roam all though out the world on the devil's road. No fixed abode, we can spend centuries not talking to a human being."
Taking Pete by surprise, Ovid grabbed the back of Pete's head being his lips to his.
Slicing his tongue on one of Pete's fangs, Ovid let Pete have a wet taste of him.
Oh, Pete thought Ovid's night-sharp flavour in his mouth. Pete pressed against Ovid. His head spinning as blood soaked his mouth.
Pushing Ovid away Pete cried, "No Ovid You have to help me."
"Help you?" Ovid said coming out of his swoon.
"I want Josh to join your coven. Please your right Josh does have to pretend in a world he doesn't belong in. Josh is a vampire. He belongs with us. Please befriend him for his sake and my sake."
"You want Josh to come to Europe with us?" Ovid said incredulously.
"Yes, yes, please," Pete begged, "I want Josh in our world and out of the world of non blood drinkers."
"Pete!" Ovid protested, "What will Josh do while were sleeping during the day?"
"He would find something to do," Pete said, helplessly, "I want to be like you. Set apart from humans. I want to live a life free like yours. Living life and as if it was nothing but one unplanned for sensation after another. I want you to teach both Josh and I to be like you."
"You're are like me already," Ovid protested.
"I'm not. I'm Chrisov's and Henr's responsibility. I want to runaway with Josh. I want him to taste a life independent of the domesticity his father Damion feels he owes Josh. I want him to live a night walker's life in a night walker's coven."
"I'll have to discuss this with Lena, and Emil," Ovid said bewildered at the very idea.
"Please, you'll like Josh once you get to know him. He's not that different, He only acts different because he has to. We can teach him to live a full vampires' life separate from humans then you'll see he's one of us."
But Pete he is different. I don't know if Emil and Lena will accept him, He thinks more like a mortal,. he relates to mortals more than we do. This won't work."
"It will. It will. Give Josh time and you'll love him as much as you love Emil and Lena and then they'll love him too. As much as they love you."
"And as much as I love you," Ovid said glumly.
"I love you too my friend. At least I know I can learn to love you. I need Josh. I'm in love with him," Pete begged.
"I'll discuss it with Lena and Emil."
"Please with your help Josh and I can escape," Pete said taking his hand, "We can fully experience the rogue night walkers world. Free of fathers and makers. I'm afraid I'll lose Josh some day to a mortal girl or boy. Please if you love me help me to keep Josh. Help me take him away from the lure of beautiful human beings before its too late for us to have a a normal life. Josh has to step out of the world of mortals into our dark, exclusive society."
"Is that what you really want to sell your soul for?" Ovid said in a half mocking voice.
Yes, Pete breathed