I can't believe Pocketful Of Sunshine fucked me over. My jam fucked me over.
The last thing I can remember is that song and some guy biting me. Oh and James breaking up/cheating on (with) me. Besides my hazy memory, my hearing came back first. A low hum of a AC Unit and a fan lightly shaking. Must be hot where ever I am. I could hear muffled voices. They were too quiet and low but I could easily infer that I wasn't alone wherever I am. Must be that man, ugh what's-his-name. Daniel? No. Something more Central European. Dominick! That's it.
It was rather warm in the room. Even with both the AC and the fan. It wasn't a dry heat though. There was a sticky quality to the air that just made me slightly uncomfortable. We were probably some place near the equator.
The next sense I got was smell. It wasn't bad. Rather nice actually. Where ever I was smelled like fresh linen, linen that was hung out to dry in the breeze rather than a dryer. Also a faint smell of fruit and the ocean lingered in the air. I rather liked it. It was soothing. But I was too on edge too be totally soothed.
My taste was next. Lets just say I could live without getting that sense back. I don't know how long I have been out but I really need to brush my teeth.
About twenty minutes later, I think, I have no real way to tell time in my head, I finally managed to open my leaden eyelids.
You know that feeling when you've spent all day inside and when you finally go outside the sun and the general brightness just blinds you? For me it was like that except times thirty. Everything was so bright I had to close my eyes immediately. Slowly I opened one eye, letting my pupil get accustomed to the light, then the next until I could easily keep both of my eyes open without pain.
I was in a hotel. Or maybe a Bed and Breakfast. Either way the walls were scarcely decorated and all white. Only one painting of the beach hung above the bureau, one of those no descriptive artworks that all hotels have to not offend anyone. The bed that I was on was soft, a spacious queen size mattress. A chair and a wooden desk sat in the corner of the room, and there was large french doors that lead out to a small balcony terrace. Wherever I am it must be rather expensive.
I gingerly sat up from the bed, each motion of my body hurting my sore frame. I tottered over to the bathroom which lied just beyond the queen bed, I had to brush my teeth to get rid of the awful taste. With my head down I quickly ran my hand over the wall inside the bathroom in search of the light switch, turned it on, and quickly grabbed the first tooth brush I saw, not caring whoever was the owner. I found some Crest lying on the granite countertop of the sink and squirted a nice dollop onto the bristles. I shoved the toothbrush into my mouth and started brushing. After I started to loose the foul taste in my mouth, I looked up into the mirror and gasped.
I had large dark circles under my eyes, my skin was paler than I had ever been before, my hair was greasy and I was in terrible need of a moisturizer. But I was beautiful. More beautiful than I ever was before. All of my past flaws were gone and all was left was a slightly unkempt perfect me. I had a defined jawline now, and all body fat had washed away from my face, my eyes now instead of a unknown mixed between green and blue were like two different jewels in my visage, one lapiz lazuli and one a bright emerald. My lips plumped up a bit more and my nose lost its oily sheen. My red hair, before a slightly dull auburn was a roaring fire on top of my head, strand between dark red and a light orange covered my head as if I actually had my hair caught on fire. My skin was a pale alabaster, as if I was a porcelain doll that has never seen the light of day. All together, although I'm trying not to be vain, I was the most beautiful and striking person I had ever scene.
My body even though did not get bigger in height, did get slightly bigger in muscles. I was now clearly defined in raw sinew. All fat on my body vanished, leaving me with a toned, significantly lighter, slightly bigger muscled body. Looking around I realized where all of my fat had went. To my ass. My butt was huge. Before I had a relatively nice butt, but now I could easily put Jennifer Lopez to shame with my badonkadonk. They were like two bowls of jello shaking with every step I took. Also it seemed that all my body hair was gone as well. I still had a small amount underneath my armpits but from there down I was completely hairless. I was now the perfect twink that anyone could asked for.
I quickly backed away from the mirror not quite believing what I saw. It was me all right, but a version of me where all of my past faults vanished into a new and improved appearance. I raised my right hand and my reflection followed, then my left, I stuck out my tongue, I patted my head and rubbed my belly but the reflection easily mimicked all of these actions.
"Well fuck," I thought out loud, "my appearance has changed, I've been out cold for only god knows how long, and I have no clue where I am. Okay, think, Quinten, Think. The climate is clearly tropical so I must be somewhere near the equator. I'm in a fairly nice hotel so I must be sorta close to a metropolis area. Okay, I'll find a phone outside and try to call my ..."
Suddenly, the clicks of a electronic key card could be heard from the front door right outside of the bathroom. Fearing the worst I did the only plausible thing, I grabbed the toothbrush as a weapon and hid behind the shower curtain. Right when I pulled the plastic fabric shut, the door swung open. Heavy footsteps could be heard walking to the bed then they stopped.
"He woked up sooner than I thought," the stranger mumbled. >From the bathroom you could heat the man searching around the room, obviously looking for me. The situation was stressful for me, I can't handle stress. When ever I got slightly overwhelmed in the past I would crack my knuckles (yeah I know it's gross, sue me!), and this moment was no different. A surreptitiously as possible I tried to pull on my fingers so the wouldn't make a noise.
Pull, pop; the sound of the man searching stopped. I held my breath but he quickly continued his search for me. Pull, pop; this time the man stopped but he didn't start searching again, everything was just silent. Pull, pop; cap, you could hear his footsteps coming closer to the bathroom. Pull, pop, Pull, pop, Pull, pop. I quickly tried to finish cracking the last of my knuckles before the man arrived but right when I was about to pop the last one the shower curtain was ripped open and there stood the 6'6 giant, Dominik.
"Don't come any closer!" I yelled at him. Damn, he's still extremely hot. "I have a ... uh, toothbrush and I'm not afraid to use it." my fearsome facade soon crumbled away when I realized the odds were against me. And judging by him smirk, he clearly knew it as well.
"Quinten, just sit down on the bed and relax, I promise I won't hurt you. You should know by now that you won't be able to run away from me and that you can clearly not overpower me. If you just sit on the bed and stay there no harm will come to you, scout's honor." Dominik already stopped me from running out of the door twice, my only option was to sit on the bed and hope he was telling the truth about that not hurting me part. Well, I could jump off of the terrace. I was at least a good seven floors up. Nah, he would probably have grabbed me before I have even took three steps.
"How can I trust you?!" I yelled incredulously, he could keep me stationary but he could not control my temper. "You kidnapped me, you drink human blood and call yourself a vampire, let alone you fucking bit me! Now I wake up in a unknown location, at a unknown time and you just stroll in here thinking everything's fine and say I should trust you?"
"All of that is true. But please, just hear me out." In all of my life I had never seen a man look at me the way that he did. There was a sad look in his eyes, almost pleading. Like if I didn't hear him out all of his hope would be crushed. It was unnerving to say the least, especially from a man I had only saw smirk and frown at this point.
"Fine. I'll listen to your story." I said with a grimace. His face brightened just a bit and somehow that slight smile on his face made my heart flutter. God, I hope I'm not getting stockholm syndrome.
"Okay, I should start off saying everything you know about vampires is pretty much wrong. We can go out into the sunlight easily, we don't fly or turn into bats. We're basically just humans except more powerful. Our reflexes are sharper, we're stronger and being immortal is all part of the package. We do need to drink blood to survive but not constantly and we're not driven by bloodlust at all like the myths. The longer we go without blood the weaker we get and that's when we start to crave blood, but the intense craving only really starts at the two week point. The only things that can kill us is either decapitation, a stake to the heart or fire. Also we heal quickly as well, let me show you." Grabbing a knife on the table he started to raise it to this palm.
"What are you do..." With a quick slice, Dominik cut open his hand. But before I could even start to yell at him, the wound started to heal until about five seconds later it was like he never picked up the knife in the first place.
"See? We heal. Do you believe me now? Or do I have to show you the fangs?" Fuck. Fuck. Just, just fuck. Vampire's exist. I can't just write him off as a crazy psychopath now. Vampire's exist?! "Quentin, you look pale, well paler than before if you can imagine. Are you okay?"
"Yeah... It's just a lot to wrap my head around." After some deep breaths and new found determination to listen to him now, I looked him straight into the eyes and nodded for him to continue.
"The thing is, to become a vampire you must be bitten, and well, you were. But it's not a curse at all, if anything a blessing."
"I'm a vampire! You turned me into a vampire!?" I yelled incredulously. I quickly jumped off the bed and grabbed the knife from where Dominik had just left it. Even faster than he could stop me I followed his previous example and sliced open my left palm. A sting sensation quickly shot through my body, but as quickly as it came it left, healing my cut along the way. Seeing it on him was one thing but me? I dropped the knife out of a mix between fear and despair. "I'm a vampire?" my voice sounded meek even to my own ears. Even though I ended the sentence with an upwards inflection it was clear to both of us that I already knew the answer.
At the same time I felt leaden and full of helium. I wanted to sink down into the floor or just float away from my problems. I didn't try to leave the hotel room, I knew better by now. Instead I shuffled out to the terrace, thankful Dominik didn't follow.
I have to admit, the view from where I was was stunning. Palm trees framed a beach filled with tourists and natives alike and the setting sun casted a red glow across the sky. I don't remember how long I was out there but I just stared into the ocean with my mind blank, completely void of both emotion and thought until the sun set and the stars came out. I've lived in the city for most of my life, but here away from the 20 story buildings I could actually see the stars for the first time. I know it sounds dumb but they were fascinating, bright little pin pricks in a sea of darkness. The stars relaxed me.
"Hey, I know I threw a lot of information at you." Dominik walk onto the terrace from the hotel room carrying two mugs. "Hot Cocoa? Here ya go. I know it's not easy going through all of this, but trust me, it will get better." We sipped on the warm drink for a while just staring at the stars. I knew I should be mad at him and run away but what would that accomplish? I would just be alone in a unknown place with a new unknown body. I would have no idea how to just function normally as a Vampire. And as dire as the situation could get, I can't kill myself, I'm not strong enough to go through it. My only real option was to stay here with Dominik and just try to get accustomed to my new life, no matter how depression it might be. And besides being stuck with a gorgeous 6'6 man showing me the ropes of life can't be that bad and he actually seems pretty nice if slightly distant and cold.
"I just have one question. Why did you turn me to a vampire?" I whispered the words but I could tell his ear picked them up. Judging by his reaction he knew I was going to ask this question sooner or later.
"You learned my secret. I know it sounds like bullcrap but I try not to kill humans, have hot sex with them sure, but death, no. When you ran I knew the only way out of this situation was to turn you. I listened to you before, you just broke up with your long time boyfriend and both of your parents live far away. I don't know, I felt bad for you." With an empty mug in his hand, his arms crossed over his body in case of any attacks coming from my way. But honestly, I was too tired and worn out to even care that passionately. Plus he was right, I had nothing going for me. My boyfriend broke up with me, my job sucks, my parents are divorced and pushed me in the middle between them. I was a loser.
"I can understand that." I whispered. "Look, I'm really tired. I'm going to go to bed." Storm clouds hung heavy overhead, threatening us with the occasional lightning and thunder far away, too far for us to actually feel rain yet. With that we both walked back into the room, him going to the armchair in the corner and me to the bed. Immediately I felt a wave of drowsiness wash over me, melatonin rushed through my bloodstream if I still had one.
"Tomorrow, we can talk more Quinten. You're going to need your rest, there's a reason why I brought you to Antigua." Ah, Antigua. That's where we are. My eyes closed thinking about the ominous omen the stormclouds stood for, and how that could possibly reflect on my future.
Hi there! That is my story so far. I know it took a while for the second instalment to come out but life has a way of distracting you now and then. I know this chapter was pretty rough but I just needed to pump out a diving board so that we can really go into a great story from here on out. Email me with any comments or criticism. Everything is appreciated! Email: logan.a.montgomery@gmail.com