Soulbound Chapter 2

SOULBOUND

By Wes Leigh

This is a work of fiction (or is it?) intended solely for the entertainment of my readers; any resemblance to any real people or places is purely coincidental. Readers who would like to chat are encouraged to contact me at weston.leigh@protonmail.com.

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Chapter Two

The vampire possesses strength that exceeds that of a natural man. He is able to move quickly from place to place, some would claim by transforming himself into a bat, though that is mere conjecture. What is not conjecture is a vampire's ability to control his victims by simply staring into their eyes, working his magical arts upon their minds before striking all memories of the violation, preventing all knowledge of his ensorcelment, save for a vague and uneasy recollection of dark transpirings."

-- From `Conclusions on the Nature of Creatures of the Night' by Fr. Ignatius Benedictus

Daniel felt his head getting fuzzy and the room going dark. His last conscious thought was, `I wonder if someone slipped something into my drink?'

The next few moments were the stuff of dreams, or perhaps nightmares. He felt chills rippling through his body, paralyzing him. He couldn't move his head, his arms, his feet. Only one part of his body remained unfrozen: his cock. It began filling with blood, swelling up and jutting forward. It throbbed as icy waves washed over his body from head to toe. An orgasm started deep in his balls, straining against his frozen muscles, struggling to escape. He tried to groan, but his throat was constricted, unable to suck in even the breath he needed to survive. Panic rose up, replacing the icy waves of sexual pleasure, and the room grew dark around him.

He heard voices. Shouting voices. But his mind couldn't hold onto the sounds the voices made long enough to decipher any meaning. There was anger. That much he could discern. And a fearful response. All as though the ones who spoke were far away, or deep within a tunnel.

Suddenly the paralyzing grip on his body released. He gasped, filling his burning lungs with precious air. He blinked his eyes and looked down, seeing his erection jutting out of his pants. A strand of cum dripped from the end of his cock, falling to the floor, where a pool of fresh cum had splattered. He shook his head, confused, unsure of what had just happened.

He heard voices again, behind him, shouting.

"Who the hell do you think you are? You have no authority over me!"

"Fail to do as I say and you'll find out exactly what authority I possess."

"What's your fucking problem, Xavier? We're all here to feed tonight. We have permission. Whether its him or the others, what difference does it make?"

"I told you to leave him alone, Gregor. If you want to feed, go back to the movie and rejoin the girls. There's plenty of time left for you to get your fill."

"Maybe I don't want to dine on fear tonight. Did you ever think of that, Xavier?"

"I really don't care what your preferences are, Gregor. You'll do as I say. And that's that."

"Leaving you to enjoy this boy, I suppose?"

"Leaving me to clean up the mess you created, Gregor. And that's my last word on the subject."

Daniel struggled to make sense of what he'd heard, but his mind remained fuzzy, disconnected. The words didn't fit together in any meaningful way. The sound of someone stomping off and the door slamming against the wall also didn't register with his confused mind. He wanted to understand, to penetrate the fog in his head. Somehow he was in danger, and he needed to comprehend what was happening or else suffer harm, but he couldn't summon the will or the strength to fight against the debilitating lethargy that gripped him.

He sensed someone walking up from behind. He felt a hand touching his neck, gently squeezing. Lips brushed against his ear. Breath caressed his neck as someone whispered, "I'm very sorry for this ..."

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Daniel blinked his eyes and looked around. He was alone in the restroom, standing at the urinal. His cock was put away and his pants were zipped up. He couldn't remember peeing, nor did he recall putting his junk away or fastening his pants back. He didn't even remember flushing the urinal. Weird.

Looking down at the floor, he half expected to see ... something ... there on the tiled floor. He didn't know what it was he expected, but there was nothing there. The floor was clean and shiny. Spotless.

He turned around, looking for someone, but he couldn't recall who it was he was looking for. The room was empty, save for himself.

Daniel walked slowly to the sink, leaning over and turning the spigots. He splashed cold water on his face and dried off with a paper towel.

Something definitely must have been wrong with his drink, he decided. He wasn't feeling well and decided to skip the rest of the movie and head home.

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August 20

I don't know quite where to begin. So I guess I'll just write down whatever comes into my head.

First of all, I don't fuck with drugs. I don't drink. And I'm sure as hell not crazy. But tonight, some stuff happened at the theatre that makes me think I'm a strung out, drunk-on-my-ass lunatic.

Okay. Maybe that's a bit over the top, but I don't know how else to describe it. When you lose all memory of ten minutes of your life, you kind of start wondering if someone slipped you some bad shit or you're maybe losing your mind. I know I went in that restroom to pee. But I don't remember going to the urinal. I don't remember peeing. I don't remember zipping up. One minute I'm in the hallway with my bladder aching. The next I'm standing there, apparently with my business all finished, but no clue how it happened.

And there's more. I know I was feeling kind of horny when I went to the theatre. To be honest, I was getting a little turned on by the flirty way that guy Xavier kept looking at me. But after the freaky stuff in the bathroom, I wasn't the least bit horny anymore. I just wanted to go home and climb in bed. I didn't feel like jacking off at all, which just doesn't happen. Seems like I always need to beat one out before I can fall asleep, but not last night.

Speaking of Xavier, why do I keep thinking about him? And wanting to be near him. Wanting to talk to him and find out who he is. I'm drawn to him in a way I can't explain, and it's beginning to freak me out.

And for some strange reason, I feel this burning anger for that Gregor guy. I know he was a real douche, and I'm sure I wouldn't like him if I had to hang out with him for very long. But why do I feel like he's some kind of enemy and I should punch him in the face if I ever get the chance? I mean, what has he ever done to make me hate him that way?

Writing in this journal has always been a way for me to figure stuff out. Somehow, the act of writing down my emotions and my frustrations has always helped me to sort out why I'm feeling the way I do.

But not today.

Today, I'm more confused than ever.

This just isn't me. I've never been this way. But I can tell you right now I'm going to figure out what happened. I won't stop until I do.

Daniel closed and locked his journal. His parents were returning soon with food, and then all three of them were headed for their new house to wait for the moving van to show up. Maybe spending the next few days unloading crap and emptying boxes and rearranging furniture would help him forget the confusion swirling through his head. But he doubted it.

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The doorbell rang.

"Can you get that, Daniel?" Judy shouted from the kitchen.

"Yeah," Daniel yelled, tossing the remote for the television onto the coffee table. As he walked to the door, he mumbled, "Now that we're finished unpacking, I'll gladly return to my job as butler." He opened the door and found a tall woman standing there. Dark gray business suit, an off-white belt, a pearl necklace, sunglasses. Next to her, a teenaged boy, dressed in black dress pants, black shoes and belt, black dress shirt, and a blood-red tie. And sunglasses. Daniel immediately recognized Xavier, the boy from the movie theatre.

"Good afternoon," the woman said, her voice soft and professional. She held out her hand. "Minerva Smyth, president of the Chamber of Commerce." Daniel took her hand, surprised by how strong her grip was. She shook hands and nodded at Xavier. "My son, Xavier Finton-Smyth."

Xavier held out his hand.

Daniel gulped and nodded. When he and Xavier shook, he noticed Xavier's hand was cool and soft, and he didn't squeeze Daniel's hand as hard as the woman had.

"Who is it, sweetie?" his mom called, walking up behind him.

"Oh. Ummm. Mrs. Smyth from the Chamber of Commerce and her son Xavier."

Judy pulled the door wide and said, "Please come in. The place is still in a bit of disarray, so excuse the mess."

Minerva smiled grimly. "Moving can be such a hassle. We completely understand and hope we aren't inconveniencing you."

"No, not at all," Judy said with a chuckle. "Please, have a seat." She motioned toward the couch. "I'm Judy Anderson. You've met my son Daniel. And this is my husband, Mike." Mike had come into the room from the garage, carrying a large box.

Mike set the box on the floor and walked up, extending his hand. "Mike Anderson. Pleased to meet you."

Minerva shook his hand and introduced herself and Xavier. "But please call my Minerva, although I do appreciate your son's respectfulness in calling me Ms. Smyth." She emphasized the title Ms., causing Daniel to blush. He'd simply assumed she was married, but apparently she was one of those women who preferred to be called Ms. not Mrs. How was he supposed to know?

Judy placed her hand on Daniel's knee and squeezed. "We've always tried to emphasize being polite and respectful. Daniel has never disappointed us in that regard."

"Yes," Minerva replied, removing her sunglasses. "He does seem to be an impressive young man. Xavier has been telling me all about him."

"Oh?" Judy glanced at Daniel. "The two of you know each other?"

"We, ummm, met at the theatre last week," Daniel explained.

"You didn't tell us you'd made a new friend already," Mike said, grinning.

Daniel shrugged. "We aren't really friends. We just met, is all."

Xavier had removed his sunglasses and was studying Daniel carefully. He spoke up finally, saying, "Daniel and I could be friends, I believe. I'm guessing you're enrolled at the high school?"

Daniel nodded.

"You're fifteen?" Xavier asked.

"No, fourteen," Daniel replied. "I turn fifteen in a few weeks."

Xavier nodded his head slowly. "I'm sixteen. I'll be going into tenth grade this year."

Minerva cleared her throat. "We wanted to drop by and welcome your family to town. Xavier felt he might be able to help Daniel be more comfortable starting school, if he knew someone from the start."

"Well, isn't that sweet of you?" Judy asked, smiling warmly at Xavier.

"Why don't you show Xavier your room while we chat for a bit?" Mike suggested.

Daniel stood up and motioned for Xavier to follow him. He wasn't sure how he felt about all this, or about Xavier, for that matter.

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"You play Halo?" Xavier asked, studying the giant posture Daniel had tacked on his wall.

"Yeah. And a few other games. But Halo is my favorite."

Xavier nodded and moved around the room, noticing the large bookshelf filled with novels. He touched the spines of the books, stroking them with one finger. "And you're an avid reader?"

Daniel grunted. "Uh huh."

"Horror. Science fiction. Fantasy." Xavier turned to look at Daniel. "Quite a variety."

Daniel shrugged. "I like different stuff."

Xavier nodded. He saw the stack of Xbox games and glanced at the titles. "You also like variety in your games, I see." There were first-person shooters, NASCAR, pro golf, and FIFA soccer. "Are you good at all of them?"

Daniel blew out his breath, exasperated. Why was this guy trying so hard? They barely knew each other, but he seemed to be making a major effort to connect with Daniel, and Daniel couldn't figure out why. "Why are you doing this?" Daniel asked.

"Doing what?" Xavier asked.

"Trying so hard to get to know me."

Xavier smiled. "You're very direct. No messing around. I like that."

"You haven't answered my question."

"No, I haven't," Xavier replied. "But then, I'm evasive."

Daniel studied the other youth. The feelings from last week were still there. A desire to get to know Xavier better. A strange compulsion to spend time with him, learning more about him. And that made Daniel nervous, because this guy was someone he barely knew, a guy he'd bumped into at a theatre one afternoon. And now he was here in Daniel's bedroom, chumming up and chatting about stuff. Who was this guy? Was he someone Daniel could trust? Normally, Daniel preferred to spend hours and hours with a guy, getting to know him, playing video games or running around or ... just hanging out, and then if they got along okay, Daniel would let the guy into his life and they could be friends.

But Xavier ...

Something about the guy made Daniel want to crawl into his arms and slide his hands inside his shirt and touch that pale, white skin, slipping his hand slowly down Xavier's stomach and into his pants, finding and touching him ...

FUCK!

Daniel shook his head. What the hell?! Why was he thinking like that? And why the holy hell did he have a boner now? Of all the fucking embarrassing things to have happen!

"Be right back!" Daniel exclaimed. He rushed into the bathroom, shutting the door behind him. Leaning back against the door, he gasped and breathed deeply, trying to calm his beating heart. What the fuck!?

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There was a light rapping on the bathroom door.

"Daniel?"

Daniel looked at the ceiling, frustrated. "What?"

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah. Just fine."

"Can I come in?"

Daniel sighed. He grabbed his pants and tugged the crotch, moving his cock around to a more comfortable position. "Sure, come on in," he said, moving over to lean against the sink counter and face the door.

The door opened slowly, and Xavier peeked inside. Then he looked down at the floor, as though embarrassed. Xavier's voice was soft and apologetic. "I didn't mean for that to ..." His voice trailed off, suddenly unsure of himself. "Look, Daniel, I'm sorry."

"Why are you apologizing?" Daniel asked. "I'm the rude jerk who ran out and left you standing there."

Xavier nodded his head. "I'm still sorry ... if I embarrassed you."

Daniel shook his head in confusion. "You didn't embarrass me. I made a fool of myself."

"No, you didn't," Xavier said, leaning back against the doorframe. "It was my fault. You see, I have this ... effect ... on people, sometimes."

Daniel studied Xavier closely. What was the guy saying? This was certainly a different side of Xavier than Daniel had seen before. The brash, self-confident teen was gone and a nervous, tentative kid now stood before Daniel. Daniel decided to press his advantage. "You know, something happened to me at the theatre last week."

Xavier looked up, surprised. "Oh?"

Daniel nodded. "Yeah, something strange."

"Indeed?"

"I had to pee and when I went to the restroom, something happened to me while I was in there. Something I can't remember. It's like I blacked out. For ten, fifteen minutes."

Xavier's eyes flicked from side to side. "Interesting."

"And afterward, I couldn't get you out of my head. I've been thinking about you every day since then. Wanting to meet you. Wanting to get to know you. And then you just happen to show up at my house. Amazing coincidence, isn't it?"

Xavier nodded. The self-confidence was beginning to return. "Yes, quite amazing. Since I'm here now, we can get to know each other better."

Daniel shook his head. "No, we can't."

Xavier's smile disappeared. "We can't? Why not?"

"Because ... like I said ... something strange happened to me at the theatre, something that involved you, Xavier. It's a mystery, and I don't like unsolved mysteries. I want to know what happened to me. Did you slip something into my drink, Xavier?"

"What? No! Nothing like that!" Xavier exclaimed.

"Then what did happen?"

Xavier looked to the side, thinking, trying to decide what to say.

Daniel frowned. "Well?"

Xavier grimaced. "I'm thinking."

"No. You're being evasive. Again."

Xavier stared calmly at Daniel. "There are some things that are hard to explain."

"I've got all the time in the world."

"Time isn't what we need." Xavier reached behind him and opened the bathroom door. Then he slipped out and left Daniel standing at the sink.

Daniel turned and looked in the mirror. "I guess we won't be friends, after all," he muttered.

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But Daniel didn't count on how persistent Xavier could be.

The doorbell rang the next day while Daniel was toweling off after a shower.

"Daniel," his dad shouted. "You have company."

"Be right out," Daniel yelled back, wondering who it might be. He hurried to pull on underwear, jeans, and a shirt. Walking out into the hall, he saw his dad talking with Xavier.

Xavier turned and looked at Daniel. He nodded his head and waved with one hand. "Hello, Daniel."

Daniel lifted his hand and waved back. "Hey." Then he nodded with his head for Xavier to join him, and the two of them went in Daniel's room and sat next to each other on the bed, in awkward silence.

"I think we got off to a bad start," Xavier said. "I was hoping we could try again."

Daniel turned to face Xavier. "We can. If ..."

Xavier glanced up. "If?"

"If you tell me what happened at the theatre."

Xavier sighed. "It's not that simple, Daniel. I want to tell you, but I don't know you well enough yet to trust you that way."

Daniel had to stop and think about that. After all, there were things about himself that he'd never admitted to anyone else, simply because he'd never had a friend he trusted enough.

Daniel nodded. "Okay. I get it."

Xavier looked up, surprised. "You do?"

"Yes. I have secrets too. Things I've never shared with anyone, because you have to trust someone completely before you share your deepest secrets."

Xavier nodded. "Exactly. I want to tell you, but I need to know you better first."

"Fine," Daniel replied. "I'm not letting you completely off the hook, Xavier. Just so you know. But for now, I'll give us both a chance to get to know each other better."

"Really? Excellent. How do we start?"

"Why don't you tell me something about yourself?"

"Like what?"

"I don't care. Anything."

Xavier nodded. "Okay. I like acting."

"Acting?"

"Yeah. You know, drama. I've been in two plays here in Agony. I played Puck in `A Midsummer Night's Dream' with the community summer theatre. And I was in `A Christmas Carol' last year."

Daniel smiled. "Let me guess. You were Scrooge."

Xavier snorted. "No. The ghost of Christmas Future."

Daniel wiggled his eyebrows. "Scary!"

Nodding, Xavier replied, "I didn't have any lines, so I had to make up for it with creepy hand motions."

Both boys laughed. Perhaps they could be friends, after all.

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Thirty minutes later, Daniel knew that Xavier was intelligent, artistic, and had a very dry sense of humor. He wasn't into sports at all, though he would be attending the school football games starting in a few weeks, since he'd be playing trumpet in the band. He loved the theatre and wanted to be an actor one day, though he didn't think that dream would ever come true. His favorite food was steak and baked potato. He loved cool ranch Doritos and could eat an entire bag in one sitting. He liked Pepsi, only Pepsi, and he'd tried it once with rum that he'd snuck out of his dad's liquor cabinet. It was okay, nothing special, so he wasn't eager to try it again. And he didn't have a girlfriend, although several girls were always hinting.

Daniel smiled when he heard that. "Like that Regina girl?"

Xavier frowned. "Regina?"

"Yeah. In front of the movie theatre. She had her hands all over you."

Xavier nodded. "Oh, yes. I remember now. Yes, Regina would enjoy having me as her boyfriend. But that's not going to happen."

"Why not?" Daniel asked.

Xavier was suddenly quiet. He turned to Daniel and said, "We don't know each other well enough yet for me to answer that question."

Daniel nodded. "Okay. Fair enough."

"And you?"

"Me?"

"Yes. I've told you all about myself. Now I want to know what makes Daniel Anderson tick."

"Other than games of Halo and reading until late into the night?" Daniel asked with a chuckle.

"Sure. And anything else Daniel Anderson does late at night." Xavier glanced coyly at Daniel, leaving his last comment open for interpretation.

Daniel blushed slightly, but jumped into a description of his life, boring as it seemed to him. Other than his games and his novels, he enjoyed slasher flicks and sci-fi. He wasn't athletic either, being too small for most sports. He also liked cool ranch Doritos, though he preferred the original nacho flavor. He loved Chinese food (Xavier interrupted him and said they only had one restaurant in Agony and it didn't serve anything Chinese, making Daniel groan in response). He'd only tried alcohol once. A few sips of beer. Nastiest shit ever (Xavier laughed, agreeing wholeheartedly). He'd never had a girlfriend.

"Do you want one?" Xavier asked.

Daniel shrugged. "Not really."

"Not interested in girls?"

Daniel paused and smiled. "We don't know each other well enough yet for me to answer that question."

Xavier smiled. "Touche', my friend." Xavier stood up. "Can I show you around town? Show you all the places where kids get into trouble?" His lips curled in an impish grin as he said that, and his eyes seemed to twinkle. He offered his hand to Daniel.

Daniel took Xavier's hand and allowed the tall youth to pull him to his feet. "Sure. Let me get a jacket."

"It's not that cold," Xavier said with a smile.

"Yeah. That's something else I've been meaning to ask you ..."

The two walked down the hallway, chatting like the friends they were becoming.

The end of SOULBOUND, Chapter Two