WELCOME

[tanner brandt]

During the darkest possible hour of the night, a single scream broke any thought of safety and innocence that the locals of the little medieval city of Londonderry thought it might posses. On the wall built around the fortress a boy writhed, suffering the pain of what seemed like a thousand different knives jutting from his deformed figure. His clothes were torn and barely clinging to his body, his skin dripping with sweat, bruises already forming from the beating just minutes before. He tried to stumble a few feet forward, but failed, falling to his hand and knees. Another pain filled howl escaped his lips, echoing across the otherwise silent area. His hands slipped from beneath him, no longer providing the strength to hold him up, and his chest slammed down into the cold stone. He desperately tried to pant, to intake as much air as he could, but he felt himself loosing energy quickly to the point where his being seemed to no longer wish to move at all. He let out a whimper, his body collapsing beneath him. What was happening..?

Earlier that day, everything had been fine. It had been a normal day. He had taken care of the Galle's children today, Janelle and Bryan. They had watched a few Disney movies and then when the children had fallen asleep, he had carried them to their beds and waited for their parents to come home. When they did, he had graciously taken his pay and left after wishing them a good night. Once arriving home, he had thanked Alexandera for a wonderful day's work, hugged her, and then walked her home. Nothing up to that point had been abnormal. Finally, he had gone to his favorite spot, his haven: the wall.

After that, everything was a haze. Head pounded at even the thought of trying to recall it. The boy wearily tried to drag his arms beneath him, trying with all his might to use his forearms to push himself up. It did no good, rather instead caused him to loose his balance, sending his one hundred and forty-eight pounds rolling over the edge of the barrier. His body fell a total of ten feet before he hit something solid, what he did not know. And at the moment, he did not care. He no longer had the strength or the want to try to save himself. If this was what fate had planned, then it was fate. He laid there, a feeble, barely audible noise falling from his blood stained mouth. This was surely the hour when Tanner Charles Brandt would die.

Suddenly, there was something near him. He couldn’t exactly tell, for his eyes no longer would allow themselves to remain open as far as he was aware, but he could just sense it. Something or someone was peering at him, their face only inches from his beaten and tattered body. In his mind he could see the thing above him. Its face loomed over his, smirking, lips thin and skin nearly glowing. Its hair was greasy, sticking to the creature’s face, its mouth tainted with some crimson coloring. He imagined it leaning closer, as if inspecting his face, then leaning away. More figures faded into view, all peering down at him. His skin tingled as he felt something as sharp as glass trace his jaw. Something was uttered, and then he was being lifted by a single pair of ice cold hands. After that, everything went dark. Next thing he knew, he was chained, cold, and conscious.

They were in a cemetery somewhere, where he wasn’t sure, and it was pitch black. Maybe it was a different night, he couldn’t be quite sure. He had some faint memory of more time passing by than he suspected, but now wasn’t a time to question things. There were five beings around him, all faintly resembling the creature he had imagined before, yet not similar at all. He was chained to the column of a mausoleum, his arms above his head and bent backwards at an awkward angel. His vision wasn’t remaining clear at the moment, switching back from the clearest images of this earth he had ever seen to the blurriness of a half dazed person. He looked up to the crowd around him, blinking. What was going on…? Then he felt it. The torturous feeling that could only mean one thing: fire.

He let out a terrified cry, only then noticing another factor that he had somehow amazingly miss. He was naked. He let out another shriek, trying to pull his legs towards his chest in a failing attempt to cover and hide himself. Yet again he had failed to realize a rather important factor. There were another two creatures holding his legs down, one on each leg, making sure that: one, he didn’t try to hide himself, and two, he didn’t try to real back as he realized that the site of the fire were the small pieces of now aflame paper tucked in between his toes. He took all this information in in the length of about one second, then the real screams came.

The boy trashed as hard as he could, trying to break free of the near Hulk like holds the beings had on his legs, but it was no use. His vocal cords and lungs belted out shrieks and howls in octaves that he didn’t even know existed, his eyes tearing as heat of the eight small fires spread throughout his body. In the background the thing who appeared to be the charge peered down at him in a disapproving manner, leaning towards one of the others and whispering something. He closed his eyes, his tear ducts tearing because of the pain. He cried again, his voice cracking into yet another unknown note higher than the one previous before breaking off completely. He let his head fall forward onto his chest, letting out a wild animalistic cry of anger. Suddenly, the thought of the beating from the night before sounded pleasant. Things would have been much better if they had left him there to die.

[adriano vivaldi]

Closing the wooden door behind him, Adriano took a few steps down off his small porch and effortlessly glided his luggage case behind him for a morning's stay in Londonderry, Ireland. He walked across the cracked cement beneath his feet and pulled open a wrought iron gate that closed off his house from the rest of the world. Opening it he stepped onto cement that wasn't as in bad of disrepair and walked along the street into a busier area that would sport taxies to take him to Manchester for his flight. Upon waving one down Adriano sensed something about the place he was going. He wasn’t sure if what he was sensing was a bad thing or just a new thing. And it was more or less the human intuition sort of “sense” that Adriano was experiencing, not the way a vampire can sense a presence or someone’s real thoughts and feelings. Regardless, he traveled with the cab driver in silence peering out the window at the city of Chester that he would leave for a day.

It took about an hour to get to the Manchester Airport where Adriano would be catching a flight to Dublin, Ireland. When the car reached the destination it stopped quietly and Adriano took out his wallet that was neatly lined with fifty dollar bills. He paid his cab fare and the trunk was popped for him to pull his luggage gracefully from the small bed of the car. Once he did so and closed the trunk with just enough force, the cab driver sped out of the airport and Adriano was left by himself. He liked these trips a lot, even if they were for one purpose mainly, to tell his Ireland friends what exactly England was going through. This war was a bitter and distasteful thing according to Adriano who would much rather live in the peaceful shadows of humans. It was their world, not his. He would respectively keep his terror out of as many lives as he could.

After his security check, he breezed through the airport crowd to the waiting area before he was to board. He took a seat in a hard plastic chair and set his luggage next to his right leg. He looked around patiently, observing people. It would’ve been smarter for him to feed in his own territory but that was too late now. He would get to Londonderry in a few hours and his friends there would share. Sometimes he felt so cruel thinking like that. So little of a human life, just there to serve his insatiable dark need. That’s why Adriano picked so carefully. He would never forgive himself if he took someone innocent away from their family. In all actuality, no one was innocent really. Adriano could justify killing killers easier in his mind though. His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a lovely trained employee’s voice telling everyone that they could catch their certain flight at a certain gate and that it would be departing soon. Adriano recognized this as his nonstop flight to Northern Ireland and stood up smoothly and pulled his luggage behind him.

He took his seat down in the ‘premium coach’ section and lay back against the seats. So little time did a vampire actually get to stay awake. His waking hours were roughly that of seven and it never lasted long. There was always so much to do in such little time. But ah, no. He had forever to do whatever he wanted, wasn’t that beautiful? He thought about the little irony there, the night so short but the lifetime so long. Adriano buckled himself in as the plane took off and had some turbulence. It was funny to imagine that he could fall from thirty-thousand feet in the air and not die. He could plummet down throw the night sky with the wind rushing through his hair and feel as free as a bird. He could watch the ground grow closer and closer to him, the lights becoming more visible and the sheer force of gravity acting on him. He could turn over and watch the plane come down and see everyone else screaming as flames consumed the plane from some unknown explosion. He could live through it though, even with broken bones and bleeding useless organs. He smiled to himself; indestructible.

The plane landed in Dublin and Adriano got off the flight with everyone else, he blended in so well despite his vividly pale complexion. The pore-less body that encased his soul shown with bright happiness and warmth. There wasn’t a rich brown hair out of place and his black slacks and white button up shirt were all ordinary, but with a casual elegance on him. He wore a vest over his shirt and held his luggage firmly in his right hand behind him. He traveled out of the fluorescent lights of the airport to the shining night sky above him. He was always lost in those stars. He wondered if seven hours was enough to count all of them, or if he would have to map them and count them out that way. He stopped looking up though at the planes that obstructed his view and hailed another cab. This time to Londonderry.

The hunger in him was growing painful. It almost felt good though, to be so empty inside. To know some rich, warm, thick murderous blood would pour through him later. To know he was ridding the world of some ‘evil’, just to be looked at as ‘evil’ himself. Everything was so interesting to him, the three hour cab ride to Londonderry was peaceful and he was so lost in his head that the pain in him was almost not noticeable. The little town in which he had the taxi stop was where his friends lived. He again paid his fare and took his luggage out of the trunk to be wheeled behind him. He waved goodbye and thanked the cab driver as he walked up to a large house containing his fellow race.

Once inside he learned of a boy who had been just turned moments before Adriano arrived. So close to dawn this had happened. The fledging was sure to die if someone didn’t take him up. But what could anyone do? They were fond of this Tanner Brandt, they had watched him for a long time, he, his Great Aunt and the girl who cared for her. They of course watched most everyone else in the town too, but Tanner was such a different kind of person. He was interesting to them. How had this happened? They could sense it but did not recognize the vampire who had taken hold of the boy and then deserted him on the stone wall. Adriano didn’t know either, but he also hadn’t sensed the presence, he had been too far away.

The coven’s intent was to look for Tanner the next day if he wasn’t already taken in. Adriano of course agreed to this. Once the matter of the Brandt child was settled, he talked of the Luova rising going on in London. Adriano was becoming to hate London and thought of moving to Ireland with this coven. They welcomed him but warned him of the other coven family in Londonderry that wasn’t fond of Valpas believers. Apparently this other coven was very much into old rituals and was trying to build themselves up for Luova’s infantry. It was ridiculous that they come to Veikko himself, the vampire who was selfish and picky. His egotism would lead him to choose personally and not accept anything considered ‘help’. But that discussion was for another time. The big thing in the London news was the suspicion of a spy. Someone working for Veikko Luova but at an inside job in some coven. No one could say who they thought of course, it was just another suspicion. But the sun was rising in the distance the vampires had to leave each other for their coffins. Adriano bid them goodnight and set off for his guest room in the basement.

Adriano wasn’t much a fan of the basement room he had been given, but he wouldn’t look a gift horse in the mouth. Besides, he knew it was for the best. If anyone were to stumble upon the house and launch an attack on the vampires, the basement would be the safest place. So they the vampires had common courtesy and let the guests take the safe-home. Adriano didn’t complain, instead he found his coffin just as he knew it would be, a replica of his one at home. It was a dark mahogany with silver locks on the inside and silver hinges. The interior was lined with a green silk and adorned a soft pillow at the top. The silk was pleated, it reminded Adriano of hearse windows and very morbidly he felt it was fitting. Next to his coffin that was upon a raised stone platform, there was a nightstand. It was very plain with one draw and a shelf at the base of its four legs. On top of the night stand there was a single white, fat candle lit. It had no smell, but the incense next to it was a seafoam green color and when Adriano took the book of matches and struck a little one his noses filled with Cashmere Jasmine. He smiled and opened the drawer; he then turned to his luggage and laid it down. He unzipped it and took out the book he was reading. He went to place it in the drawer when he saw the little silver key for his coffin. As he set the book down he took the key and placed it in his pants pocket.

He took out his pajamas that were no more than a pair of long brown cotton bottoms and a white v-neck shirt. He had two other changes of clothes, another couple pairs of socks, shoes, underwear and a blanket, nothing more. He took the blanket and set it down inside the coffin and looked around in the unfinished old stone basement. He did wish they would spruce it up a little more, hang a picture or something. It was so dreary, but then again, guest rooms were suppose to be natural, right? Adriano had to go to sleep now; the pain of hunger was so strong in him though. Laying down made some sort of difference. He had taken the key out of his pants pocket that he had folded and placed back into the suitcase. With the little old fashion silver key in hand he closed the lid and placed the key into the lock. He heard it click shut and dropped the key into a pocket that was fashioned into the silk lining. With his blanket over him and his head on his pillow, he closed his eyes and drifted into sleep easily.

---

The next night Adriano rose earlier than the others at roughly nine twenty-four p.m. He changed into a pair of dark denim jeans that had a washed look to them and put on a dark green button up cotton shirt. He rolled up the sleeves and reached down to put on his pair of black socks. With those on his perfect white feet he put on his other shoes which were fashionable in the eighties, a pair of black high top Converse. He maybe didn’t look exactly like someone from the nineties but he didn’t stick out like a sore thumb. That’s all he was going for anyway. He liked his style and mended it to somewhat fit the era he was in. Every ten years things got so different, it was hard to keep up sometimes.

With everything in order he went upstairs to see no one roused yet. He would be alone in his wanderings to find the boy. But first he must have something to drink. He was starving now and it was really hurting him. He felt the pain course throughout him, his body lacking the proper fluid and feeling the ill effects to a nasty extent. It was like aching everywhere, a dull throbbing in his muscles. His black heart was the worst though. Striving to pump blood throughout his being but it was running so dry that it heaved and twisted to try and squeeze it out anywhere. Food first and then the boy.

Adriano left the house and went into the town of Londonderry. He had been here many times before and was known by a few people as a frequent visitor. He was welcomed in the pubs and public places of the like. It made it easy for him to get away with murder. The pubs also made great places to pick up those few shady characters in the back that had perverted thoughts of the barista behind the counter. Adriano often wondered if he should move here, but no. Chester had been his home for a good hundred years. He liked Chester despite being in the same country as a mad man. Besides, finding new territory was always asking for trouble. No one liked sharing and barely anybody would give it up completely.

Walking into Sandios on Water St. he spotted a murderer in the back of the pub. He was so easy to pick out it hurt. He was a wife beater and he hate pride welled up in him. He had shown her, hadn’t he? Now, Adriano couldn’t go through and see what he had done to his wife, or if it had even been a girlfriend. But his vampire instincts were almost never wrong and he trusted them. But he had to make friendly with everyone first, show them he was here to have a good time. He would leave shortly after the man and follow him. This was later though, right now Adriano walked up to the barman and ordered drinks for everyone on him. He liked to spend his money; he had so much of it that just sat with him doing nothing. Using it for the good of things (if getting everyone around you drunk was good) made him feel better about how he had obtained it in the first place.

The pub got loud, someone broke out into a song and people started singing along to the popular tune and people started dancing. The murderer found this to his distaste and left. Adriano could tell that the man felt uncomfortable being around so many happy people; he had to wallow in his jealousy. His wife or girlfriend must’ve betrayed him. Adriano didn’t follow him right away. He could tell where the man was headed and waited for a few more songs and rounds before he left. And after it appeared that he had had all he could, he thanked everyone for a good time and left the bar. Of course, liquor hadn’t touched his tongue. That would make him utterly ill and probably have him groaning in pain for several days because adding that to an empty stomach was what someone would consider Hell.

Adriano had sensed where the man planned to go. He followed caught up with him, a dark alley off to the side. Oh, how cliché was that? Adriano didn’t exactly set up a mood before he killed, but cliché is one thing he hated. Dark alley it had to be though; he was starving. He walked up to the man; he never ‘played’ with his food by talking to it. Only did he ever utter the words “I’m sorry” when he felt the remorse come from them. When they realized they were getting their comeuppance and regretted their ugly ‘sin’. This man felt no guilt though, he did what he felt was right. He had to save face and keep his dignity. Of course he was really just throwing it away, it made him weak that he could not live with the truth. Adriano took him from behind and the man collapsed under the strength clutching his arms. Two needle point teeth pierced the ugly, sweaty flesh and Adriano sucked the warm blood into his vigilante mouth. He did his best to concentrate on the life that was driving into his veins and not the smell of the disgusting human or feel of the man’s dirty, sticky neck on his cold, smooth lips.

There was the last heartbeat into Adriano’s being and he felt more revitalized, but a bit groggy now from the drink. The one thing he forgot about picking someone up at a pub was that they were probably drunk in which turn made the drinker drunk. Adriano slumped against the wall for a moment, coarse bricks hurting his head a little. He picked himself up again though; nothing in the man’s system was stronger than beer. Adriano picked up the man, the waterfront was close enough, but this early in the night it was hard for someone to sneak around with a dead body on their backs. So Adriano knew what he had to do. This was no foot job, it had to be done out of anyone’s sight. Up is where Adriano had to go.

He grabbed the man and steadied himself to shoot upwards into the clouds. He collected all his energy and took the man up with him into the gorgeous night sky. It was utterly ruined by the stench coming from the corpse in Adriano’s strong arms. He felt so sick right now that he was sure he would projectile vomit down through the clouds and on to some unaware bystander. He would feel horribly guilty. Right now he was saving his own ass though; if he didn’t bury the body… he wasn’t going to think of that.

He landed on the outskirts of the town near the wall. He spotted the wall some twenty feet away and decided to bury the body on the other side. He took great strides to keep his balance and finally got to the wall. He then flung the body over the stones and rested for a moment. Drunk and nauseous, Adriano couldn’t hold it in. He may have been seven hundred and twenty-six years old, and he knew how to hold his liquor, but flying was a horrible experience he had never mastered. Why try to master something that made you want to throw-up? Speaking of vomit, that’s exactly what Adriano did. All over the side of the wall. Times like these made him want to feed on clean businessmen. A luxury he found was hard to afford.

Picking up the body and taking an easy bound over the wall he walked eleven feet away and lay down the unsightly murderer. He had been a man that stood at about five foot six inches and he had a thick mustache and curly brown hair. He wore a white t-shirt that look pretty old because it had some food stains and holes. His jeans stunk of horse manure too and his shoes were falling apart at the soles. Looking down on the shoes as Adriano dug with his hands in the grass a thought struck him. Isn’t everyone falling apart at the soul? He pondered that as he dug. The soul kept you moving, functioning. It held together your body. Such as a sole of a shoe does, it’s the strong hold of the rest of the shoe’s body. Without a sole you’re just walking with flat feet and no protection. So without a soul, do you just wander in pain? It made sense to Adriano, but he could’ve just been making art out of nothing.

He got the hole deep enough to bury the body. It had taken a good hour and now it was about three hours into the night. Time was so short, he couldn’t believe he didn’t have very long to look for the missing boy. But the body was of importance now, and with that in mind, Adriano picked up the heavy mass and dumped him into the four foot hole. That had been an awful lot of digging with no shovel. Adriano had dirt stuck in his finger nails, but there was no time for personal grooming at a grave. He started to drop dirt on the man inside; it filled up so much nicer without a coffin. Not a lot of displacement to get rid of. With the extra dirt he spread it very evenly across the surrounding grass. Would anyone really look up here for him? Adriano would come back another time to plant some grass seed.

He was feeling better now though, his alcohol shock and flying nausea were gone. He stood up straight and brushed off all the dirt and wished to take a shower just to get the taste out of his mouth. The blood wasn’t enough for him. It was the sustenance of his life but nothing more when it came from someone like that. But his little vampire morals had their place, how could he live with himself if he took someone who wasn’t guilty? He would wrestle with that some other night though, now he needed to find little Timmy who fell down the well.

Where was he to look first? As he left the body and leaped over the wall, he didn’t have to look far and wide. He could smell vampire flesh burning; he could hear the energy coming from a few vampires some way off. It was so strong now because they were all excited. It had built up enough that thirty feet away from the wall it was notable. A flicker of it at that length, but the burning smell… it was horrible. And trying to kill a vampire was ridiculous, if that’s what they were trying to do to this new fledging. God, that smell. It was like burning rubber, flesh, and an overpowering perfume. Adriano followed it, these Luova followers must’ve really believed in some of the old rituals. Adriano thought that was past this age, apparently not.

Adriano had been expecting some sort of torturous ritual but hadn’t exactly prepared himself for it. He had seen unspeakable things through the years, but in recent history such things like that had died away. It was appalling to see something so primitive, embarrassing and useless being practiced in front of him. The Londonderry cemetery had a few vampires in it and the infant. The carelessness to do it in a place where anyone could walk into. It was only one in the morning, teenagers still roamed around at this hour. Naturally though, they were into the whole “Luova Rising” bit and thought they shouldn’t be kept secret, so why hide this? Adriano was shocked at the utter disregard for their own life. They couldn’t think for themselves, they had to take Veikko Luova’s word as gospel?

”Take him down,” Adriano told them with a surprisingly calm voice. He was ready to fight them if they didn’t take him down and they opposed him doing it. He had it in him to beat off each other them for enough time to rescue to poor naked boy tied to the tombstone. His screaming and writhing made Adriano more furious by the second. Wasn’t his race more sophisticated than that? How old were these vampires doing this to the boy? They couldn’t have been more than fifty years old, each of them. They didn’t understand, they were still living there first human life span and couldn’t stretch their minds beyond that.

They didn’t listen to Adriano. They did take notice of him with surprise though. The leader who was standing back from the flames at the young boy’s toes looked over to Adriano and put a wicked smile on his face. An outsider is what he saw, too ignorant to consider that he could even be a close Luova follower, possibly connected to the family. That’s what they wanted, did they? To have Veikko take them up in his arms and shower them with praise, to be noticed. They were selfish.

Adriano stepped forward and each of the coven family members tensed and hunched up there shoulders like cats. They would leap on him if he moved any closer. They would give him a worse fate that Tanner Brandt’s brainwashed future. Adriano’s face grew cold with disgust. He walked closer and beat them off one by one as they leaped to him. The leader was in the mix now. Each vampire coming to tear him down and rip out his heart and leave his corpse in the sun. He pulled at hands and flung the young ones away. The leader was no match, he was elbowed in the face as Adriano did moves just as graceful and swift as something in The Matrix. And there it was, real bullet time in front of everyone. Adriano Vivaldi peeling off these little Agent Smith clones. They didn’t stand a chance. Older, wiser and stronger. He could see their move just as they twitched their arm or moved their foot.

Most of them had had enough; the leader was still after Adriano though. Adriano was not going to have this; he had to get the boy before his toes were damaged to the point of a few life spans to repair. Adriano rapidly made his break for the naked scared boy and tore him from the bindings. He cradled him for a brief moment before a first came barreling at Adriano’s upper cheek. The bone was bruised but he had no time to fight back. He ran with the boy, ‘Hold tight!” he ordered for Tanner to hug his cold body so they could move faster.

---

They arrived back to the house; no one had kept up if they had been following. Adriano had gone into the air again, the experience almost the same as the way there. Of course the experience was probably different all together for the fledging that he held in his arms. As Adriano walked into the house the coven family went to him to examine the boy. Adriano wished to just take him downstairs so he could get some sleep though. It would be light in roughly two hours and he was sure the boy would need some calming down. They let him; they could see something that was pulling in Adriano. He was attached to this boy even though it had not been his burden to handle.

Adriano took the stone steps into the basement where his coffin lay. He had been holding the boy as one might hold a bride or infant. Except he was turned to Adriano’s body so he didn’t have undergo the feeling of being positively horrified to know had been exposed. The basement was cold, another thing Adriano wished he could fix about the place. A fireplace would be nice because there was no way to get electrical sockets down here for a heater. Tonight body heat would have to suffice. He just hoped that Tanner wouldn’t be mortified at the idea of sleeping so close to another man. It was typically hard to let go of the stereotypical sexual orientation. Vampires didn’t feel like that, those organs were dead and had no meaning. Only their black hearts and minds had control and it was not uncommon to find the same sex vampire in love with each other. But right now there was no underlying agenda, just simply the need of sleep and the want of warmth. Adriano would not force the boy to do anything though. He was sure the coven family had some… spare coffin or something.

He put Tanner down to stand on his own feet and he turned to his closed suitcase laying flat next to the night table. He opened it quickly and inhumanly had clothes for Tanner to put over himself. They were the things that Adriano had packed for himself for this mornings sleep; he could just wear his other ones though. Tanner deserved some clean clothes at the very least after what he had gone through. Adriano held out the clothes for Tanner to take from him, underwear and even socks on top if they were desired things. The two were of different build, but oversized or not, they were probably better than nothing. Besides, Adriano had too many manners to just let Tanner freeze to death. Figuratively speaking.

”Don’t be afraid,” Adriano looking to Tanner’s eyes and then turning away. He walked over to his coffin a few feet away and opened the lid with ease. He stepped up on the stone holding the coffin and put his leg over the wood side and sat himself down inside. He propped the little pillow up at the top where it angled, as the old fashion ones do, and sat against it. He grabbed his book off the nightstand and opened it up to the bookmarked page. He was relaxed after all the craziness that had taken place. Adriano didn’t like to dwell on things like that, things that no one would like to remember.

[tanner brandt]

Tanner threw his head back up, belting another scream as one of the monsters drove it's nails into his leg in an attempt to get him to stop trying to kick his way free. Not that kicking would help much. While it would put out the flames in between his toes which seemed so hot that they were cold, he would still be half sitting, half laying their like a lame lamb in the restraints. He felt so helpless, like he was five and his great aunt Michelle held him back by the arms at the air port gate while his parent's boarded the plane. Just like then, tears filled his eyes and he felt weaker, helpless, and more alone than ever. No one ever cared for the poor little Brandt boy.

There seemed to be no way out and, for the second time in what was either a few hours or a few days, the boy was sure he was going to die. Even if he did survive this cruelty, what was next? Were they going to stick pins into his gums and skin until he passed out? Would they clean him up and wash him off only to pour honey or rub jam on his skin and leave him to wait for the creatures that might find him? Besides, at least if he died he would be able to see Sparky.

Convinced that this was the end, again, Tanner closed his eyes tightly and bit down on his bottom lip harder than he ever had before, making it bleed some. He stopped thrashing his legs and took a deep breath through his nose, inhaling the smell of his own burning flesh. It smelt like a revolting, nauseating, overbearingly strong barbeque. Randomly, he wondered how cannibals slept at night. A person feeding off of other human beings; it was horrible.

Suddenly, a new voice entered the array of the inhuman tones, snickers, and cheers. All of the creatures turned to face the new arriver, their cheerfulness seeming to have disappeared instantly. Tanner didn’t bother to look up to see who it was. It could be just a stupid little kid wandering into the wrong place at the wrong time, or maybe it was Superman. He didn’t give a flying shit, as long as it gave him a distraction.

As soon as all eyes were off him, he started thrashing again, the shrill howls coming out naturally as he did. His plan was to hopefully pull one of his legs free while they were busy with Mr/s. Whatshis/herface and smash the fire out in the surrounding dirt. It didn’t work very well. Though their grip had loosened slightly, it was only to nearly triple after his little fit. But maybe it wasn’t because he was fighting anymore.

It was like nothing he had ever seen before, like watching a real life version of a fight of a whole pub against Chuck Norris, but faster. Bodies of the creatures were flying this way and that, and for a moment he could have sworn this had just been a major misunderstanding during a movie shooting and they had pulled him in instead of an actor. But then a short and horror filled snapping and radiating pain shooting up his leg brought him back down to Earth. As one of the creatures holding his legs jumped up to join the fight, he had managed to jump down on Tanner’s foot as be propelled himself forward, breaking one or maybe two toes. Well, at least two fires were out. Six to go.

Within the next second the other being guarding his legs was up as well, making a rather feeble attempt and failing miserably. Tanner shook his left foot as hard as he could, gasping at the pain of even twitching his toes. He got through it though, putting his left foot out of the flaming hell called fire. He couldn’t even begin to imagine what the pain of moving his right foot with the broken toes would feel like, so he settled with turning his attention to the jagged metal cuffs slitting his wrists behind his back. Not that it helped much to look at, but he could always hope that God would randomly send down a lightning bolt that would only attack the shackles and not him, right?

It didn’t matter anyway, because within seconds the random person and/or thing that had attacked the monsters was heading his way. Tanner pulled his deadened legs towards his chest quicker than he had ever moved any part of his body before, as if this would be protection against the thing when (notice not if, when) it attempted it’s assault. He turned his head away from it, tensed, and flinched, letting out the highest pitched sound so far that night. Whoever or whatever it was tore the shackles from his wrists as if it were no effort at all, and when it touched him, his fingers felt just the same as the other beings had. Tanner tensed even more, still carrying his girly cry out without a break, waiting for it to lung into his neck and kill him or something gruesome of the sort. But instead, it cradled him closely and lovingly, silencing the boy completely.

There was still one more of the original gang left, the leader, and it attacked the thing holding him in it’s arms. A punch hit, and then some orders were barked at Tanner, and it was all he could do to agree and follow the instructions immediately. Wait, what was he doing? He was letting a monster take him away from the other monsters! Well, maybe he was overreacting. It could be an undercover cop or something… After the two seconds that it took to scare himself and reassure himself, he noticed something. The creature saving him, it- he had fangs, and he was flying.

________________________________

After passing out during the initial take off, Tanner awoke groggily thinking that it was all just a really screwed up dream. Yes, that was it, it was all just a nightmare. Once he got out of bed he would go into the kitchen to make breakfast for himself and Michelle and tell her all about it. She would laugh at his weird dream and then give him a hug to comfort him, telling him that everything was alright. He smiled, the opened his eyes sleepily, feeling a chill run through his body as his fan blasted on him on full blast. Then he realized that it wasn’t a fan, it was wind; they were still flying through the air, higher than any building in site. He shrieked, then fainted, again.

When he awoke, again, they were landing. He hugged the stranger’s neck for dear life, afraid that they would randomly speed up and crash into the ground or something of the sort. When they were safely back on the crust of the earth, he relaxed a little. Well, maybe things weren’t so bad. The way this guy, er, his rescuer was holding him made him feel safer than before, yet he was still incredibly horrified, frightened, and embarrassed. Life was great (note the sarcasm).

They walked, or the stranger walked, towards a place that Tanner didn’t recognize. That was odd, for he knew ever single building in the city of Londonderry. The place was so small that everyone knew where everyone else lived, when their relatives were coming, and what they would be doing the next weekend, yet this place was entirely new to him. He looked up at the man cradling him with the eyes of the unsure child within him, then looked at the approaching door. He had a feeling that he wasn’t going to like this.

It was a crowd of scientists gathering around and taking notes on a lab rat they had just tested. The moment that even one of his hairs entered the home, someone was staring at him, talking about him, or touching him. Suddenly he was very aware of the state he was in, naked and bared for strangers to gawk at, and he burrowed his head into the chest of the still unknown man. He shook a little, hands grabbing onto the man’s shirt as he felt fingers running over his feet, calves, thighs, spine…

Soon the fingers were gone and the sense of being stared at and studied was gone. He could feel the movement of the older man who carried him as he walked, and soon they were in an extremely cold stairway. Goosebumps rose all over his body, his hair sticking up as he shivered a bit. Or maybe he was still shaking gently, he couldn’t tell. He kept his head pressed against the person’s body, staring at his shirt, eyes squeezed shut.

When they got to the floor, the gentleman lowered him down and left him to stand for himself, throwing Tanner off. For some reason he just kind assumed he would be set in a bed or something. He yelped as his feet touched the floor. Not only was it incredibly painful with the second or third degree burns on his feet, but the two littlest toes on his right foot were definitely broken. He fell backwards against the wall, standing on his heels. If Michelle were here, she surely would have died from the shock of seeing him in this state.

The stone was freezing against his pale back, sending him into a nearly seizure -looking state. He couldn’t control his body when he was cold; it did what it wanted to do. He let out a soft whimper, and then realized that the man was already back with clothes. Tanner slowly turned to look at them, his body seeming to instantly shut down on him. His arms seemed to creak as they moved like molasses to accept the clothing. Oh god, he was a slug.

The man told him not to be afraid, and then turned away, moving about his things and relaxing as if nothing had happened at all. Tanner just stared, then glanced back at the clothes. There were socks, boxers, pants, and a shirt; everything he needed to feel the least bit comfortable. He looked down at his feet. It was going to be a wonder if he was even able to life them a centimeter off the ground without toppling over.

Awkwardly, the boy lowered himself into a squat, letting his back take a good scraping as he used it to remain upright. Stupidly, he extended his left foot first, trying to stick it through the legs of the smooth black boxers. Why stupidly? Well, it left his body to shift towards his right side, forcing his right foot down on the floor and placing all of his body weight on it. He shrieked, fell, and felt like the saddest little kid in the world. What kind of man couldn’t even put on his underwear?

[adriano vivaldi]

When Adriano heard a thud on the floor her looked over. The poor kid had fallen down in attempt to put his boxers on. It was amusing but Adriano knew better than to laugh, he had plenty of self-control and sympathy. Tanner had know idea what had just happened to him, his sire had left him. It was uncommon. Most infants were made out of love or loneliness. In either case Tanner should’ve been with his sire and learning from him. Adriano felt deep sympathy in fact. Even if his own sire had taken him in, he had no idea what was going on with himself. He had to watch and find out by himself. It was up to him to be strong. Adriano was about to overcompensate with the creature lying on the ground.

In his compassion for the boy he got out of the coffin and laying the book on the night stand he walked over the kid on the floor. He grabbed under his arms and helped him up. Silently he pulled his boxers around his ankles up to his waist. He then got the other clothes and one by one put them on with care but without words. He didn’t want to frighten the boy or make the situation awkward with words. He knew the boy probably felt horrified by all this. He might’ve been embarrassed but certainly more enthusiastic to get over it if Adriano had been a girl. Old attachments were still there.

Tanner was dressed now, he still had burnt toes but Adriano was there as a crutch. He had a couple broken ones also, something that would easily heal over night. However this infant was starving. He hadn’t had anything to drink except that fatal turn. Adriano would let him drink from him, if he wanted. He could always reject, it was an odd intimacy to share between strangers. He could very well be afraid from Adriano in some respects. After all, he was just like the ones who had taken him hostage. How much Tanner didn’t know, how much Adriano could teach him. He would, as long as Tanner wanted it. Just like anyone else he told himself. Just like anyone else.

”Don’t mind your toes, they’ll come back to you,” he said holding his arm under Tanner’s arms to support him around his torso. He lead him over to the coffin, the only way the two of them would fit is if they held on to each other. There was going to be some close bodies in there, spooning would have to occur. There was going to be no comfortable bubble for either of them. Adriano wasn’t opposed to this; Tanner could have a few objects though. To put the boy at rest he sat him down on the ledge that the coffin rested on. He sat next to him and let go of his torso but held his hand in reassurance. He wasn’t going anywhere and he wouldn’t hurt him.

”You’re thirsty,” Adriano said noting the starved weakness within the fledging. It was so strange, would he accept? Would he give into that will and feel the ecstasy of the lifeless blood coursing through his veins and giving him a little more strength than before? Of course he couldn’t get carried away. Adriano only had so much to give. To share the murderous blood that ran through his complicated veins. He would teach him to hunt the next night; he couldn’t stay in Londonderry though. He was going to have to take him to Chester. There was enough room for him there. Adriano could better care for him there anyway.

Adriano didn’t know how he would teach Tanner to kill. The boy could make his own choices, there were no codes and regulations when it came to killing, just that this day in age it was best to bury your victims and leave no clues. A vampire caught in a public jail would do no good. Limbo in a place like that was surely what someone had to call hell. But how would the boy cope with the killing? Human life was a t so much more value at this day in age. The justification of killing murderers was even tough. Who was to say they couldn’t reform or that the person had deserved it. Everyone had to be their own judge of things, Adriano would help Tanner as best he could, but ultimately the boy was going to have to make a choice. There was simply no way around it. He didn’t seem like he was strong enough to resist his bloodlust. Only a few vampires did this, they were very old and mainly didn’t have the will to kill anymore.

He imagined taking care of Tanner for many years. He wanted to father the boy in a way, to teach him everything, take him under his black leather wing and keep him from everything. Adriano had never made a vampire child; he couldn’t bring himself to do that to someone. Not even if they asked. It was misery to live without anyone forever. He had to stop thinking that Tanner would stay with him forever. Children leave their parents and Adriano was even less than that, he was just mentor. Or he would be for a short while. How could anyone stand him long enough to stay with him? He didn’t have all the answers, that’s what everyone came to expect from him. Just because he was old meant that he knew life’s answers. But there were so many more older than him. They didn’t know. They may claim they knew, but that was everyone’s own personal journey with no big all conclusive answer such as forty-two.

”Do you know what you are?” Adriano asked doubting very much that Tanner had a good grasp on his new being and life. No one really acknowledged vampires anymore. Nothing more than fiction anyway. This was the real thing. Many who were turned and left or were just not explained to, they thought they were dead for the longest time. That this was either heaven or hell and that explained the powers they had. The beautiful vision and the fingers without the prints. Adriano had imagined that’s what his life was when he had been turned so long ago. His master had said nothing to him. Not a single damn word. Adriano pushed the animosity out of his mind, this was the whole reason he was around still. To help people just like Tanner who needed it. And the poor boy did. He must’ve been traumatized by those advocates in such torture and rituals. Not even the old ones did those things anymore. It was all superstitious counterfeited beliefs.

[tanner brandt]

It's a horrible thing to feel completely and utterly incapable of doing something. While he could have probably gotten it if he had continued trying to pull up the boxers, Tanner knew that there was about a ninety percent chance that if he did that, he would only succeed in passing out again. He lay there on the floor, nose in a small cluster of dirt, face down. What was worse than being mortified? Being chagrined, maybe? Ah, what's the difference; he was just horrified.

A second later, after nearly coughing up a lung from inhaling something that felt like more than just a dust bunny, he felt strong arms lifting him up. Again, goose bumps rose all over his body, and he began to blush and want to cry because of the fact that he knew this man could perfectly well see that they were. Carefully, the kind stranger pulled up the boxers, leaving his skin tingling where ever the other's fingers had touched. Nothing more embarrassing than being dressed because you can't do it yourself. Tanner felt like the largest (and most pathetic) Barbie doll in the world.

The man studied Tanner's feet for a brief second while he dressed him, calmly saying that they would "come back to him," whatever that meant. It wasn't as if they could just detach themselves and hop away. The gentleman led the boy over to where he had just been resting before, the younger one only now noticing that it was a coffin. His eyes went wide, and he was seated right next to it on a ledge. Completely missing the fact that the stranger had taken a seat next to him, he scooted away from the bed of the dead, nearly pushing himself into the other man's lap. Quickly, he shifted back to his original position, embarrassed for nearly the millionth time.

The man took his hand and Tanner just stared at the floor, not gripping it back, yet not pulling it away. He was still utterly confused and wasn't sure what the hell was going on, but for some reason the man holding his hand made him feel a little better. At the moment the boy just wanted to let his body collapse between his legs and fall asleep right there in that awkward position; he felt so weak. He shifted his gaze over to their two hands. The gesture itself was a very kind one, but one usually made between people who had an intimate or at least general knowledge of each other. Tanner didn’t know his man at all, yet miraculously he had come to his rescue and brought him here to this refuge to apparently care for him. Was it possible that the man knew him, or was he just an incredibly nice man?

When the other mentioned thirst, Tanner raised his body slowly and unhunched it, carefully looking around the room for a bottle of water or something. His throat was becoming increasingly dry and harsh and at the moment he would kill for a Brisk raspberry ice tea. There was no liquid in sight though, as well as signs of recently being inhabited by anything really. The only thing that supported the idea that someone was residing in the room was the man’s luggage and incense that had appeared to have been burned. Other than that, the room could have passed off for some sort of honoree chamber grave. The boy shuddered.

“Do you know what you are?” The question took Tanner aback and he was confounded. What kind of a question was that? Of course he knew what he was. He was a battered and scared teen, a human being who had just gone through a horrible event and wanted to do nothing but sleep at the moment. The boy stared at him, blinking. Wha…?

His puppy dog eyes had returned. He had always had the confused kid look nailed down. “Yes…?” he replied, his voice cracking at first as he spoke. He hadn’t talked for a little while, and his throat felt hoarse and speaking was uncomfortable. What did the man mean? Or more importantly, what did he want Tanner to realize? He could feel his face paling even more than it already was, which was nearly cream colored as it was. He was afraid that he wasn’t going to like what was coming next, he could tell.

[adriano vivaldi]

The kid had absolutely no idea what had just happened to him. That much was entirely present. But surely he had heard of vampires in some sort of folklore and had a horrible feeling that this was it. But he could’ve passed it off as a delusion. Which meant he didn’t have a terribly strong conviction in himself. That was sad, but it was also reasonable considering he could only be seventeen or eighteen. No where near the complete self-awareness of the human life span. Now he would be thrown into something greater than the search for himself in a clean safe college and into darkness with a terrible bloodlust that’s uncontrollable. Add that to raging hormones and you get exactly what those idiotic Luova worshipers were craving. Something easily containable within themselves but with enough manipulation could be brainwashed into attacking anyone who spoke about hiding and the old ways. They were certainly an odd group, old rituals with new beliefs.

How was Adriano supposed to explain what Tanner was? He had to make the decision to take human life or sustain it off of an animal, or several in the case of living in Chester with no prominent hunting grounds for bears or the like. If he was going to use his powers or if he was just going to sit and try to rot himself into the ground. There were various ways the following situation could take place and Adriano wasn’t exactly sure what he should tell Tanner right away. The others that had been aided by his help had been familiar with themselves, at least a few months in their new bodies before seeking out advice. Adriano could completely shape Tanner’s viewpoint and that was a scary thing to deal with. He didn’t want to misguide him or anything. The best way he could think of explaining all this was straightforward. He would just try honesty. He would show him how he did things and let Tanner make his own choices based on what he knew. That was all anyone could do, right?

”Tanner I don’t think you do know,” Adriano said trying not to sound condescending. He held the boys hand a little tighter, he was going to need something to hold on to when he finally took in the truth of the new life he had. It might take a while, for some it took several days before they had to absolutely deal with the unnerving and strong force of the hunger. Adriano remembered his past and how things had come about with him. He had to accept it; he saw it happening right before him. He had never merited and explanation. Or a single word with his sire. Tanner probably couldn’t recall the details of how he was even turned, much less the face of the person who had bestowed this unto him. Adriano was interested in that, how could someone just leave their vampire child? It was unthinkable to Adriano. But wasn’t it classic? Parents leave their children all the time. A vampire though, they didn’t have to turn them, it was a process to think about.

”I’ m going to skip the sugarcoated version. It’s too late to wait for an explanation tomorrow, so here it is; you’re a vampire. You are not human anymore,” Adriano said softly but firmly to show he wasn’t joking. Maybe the recent events would make Tanner realize this whole thing wasn’t a joke. How could something so life threatening and bizarre be a joke? Okay, maybe to someone who fell off their rocker it would’ve been an insanely hilarious practical joke, but really. Adriano was ready for any reaction, he was expecting Tanner to not believe him and go into complete denial. The stages of grief basically; denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance. He could of course get stuck on any number of the stages for a huge period of time, he had forever now. Adriano knew these stages well, it seemed to happen to most vampires, they had their lives to grieve for. What is harder than grieving for yourself? What you’ve lost? A human is very egotistical, but if they didn’t care for themselves then who would?

”I’m the same, so don’t think I’m joking with you,” Adriano said giving a small smile to show that he was rather harmless. That being a vampire didn’t have to be scary right now, that it could be new and that it was safe to sleep and not worry. Adriano hoped he could keep Tanner calm so he could not be stuck awake during the day wondering what it was like outside and if he should prove to himself that he wasn’t as pale as he was and that he was not something that he read about in books. That would be a terrible tragedy to Tanner’s short physical life. Torture in the sky was something no vampire looked too, even if they were in a state of depression. Vampires had to deal with life a little differently; they couldn’t just end it and hope that there was a Heaven they could fly into. They had the spaces between spaces for their soul’s vacation. Nothing more but a trap for their conscious while their bodies continuously burn in the sun or some fire.

[tanner brandt]

The man went silent for a while, then began to speak again, holding his hand tighter. Tanner just stared at their interlaced fingers, listening to what he was saying, but not appearing to be doing so. He squinted his eyes a little, looking at his fingertips at the moment. They were different somehow... Usually, his fingers were a bit pinker than they were now, and he never remembered his nails looking so sharp and long before...

The other continued to talk, and when the word sugar was mentioned, the boy looked up. He always tended to do that, to tune out until some talk of deserts or candy or sugar was uttered. "...you’re a vampire. You are not human anymore.” Again, Tanner blinked. He was a vampire? A bloodsucking, sharp toothed, night-bound vampire? Obviously, this guy was off his rocker if he thought someone like Tanner Brandt was a vampire.

Wait a minute... Tanner shifted his gaze straight ahead, a realization coming to him. If this guy was claiming that he was a vampire, everything made sense... The beating, where the safest place in the world was randomly turned into a small city with horrible criminals. The torture, where his feet were nearly burned beyond recognition. The flying, which was just plain strange and the unknown man. It even explained the strange creatures he thought he had imaged before he awoke in the graveyard and the way he had subtly noticed little changes about himself. Everything was falling into place with amazing clarity. He got it.

The boy shifted his legs so they stuck out right in front of him, looking at his feet. It didn’t matter that they were burned or broken anymore, they would be repaired soon enough. He let a small content smile grow on his face. He tried wiggling his toes, his demeanor remaining happy even as he grimaced in pain. It didn’t matter, everything was alright now. Nothing was scary, embarrassing, horrifying, or anything of the sort. In fact, now he was quite at ease.

He turned to the man sitting next to him, managing a small little chuckle before he catching the serious tone that was practically vibrating off the man, despite the smile on his lips. He cut his laughter short and looked down at the ledge where they both rested, studying it with his big brown eyes. His hair felt in front of them and he bit the inside of his lip. The borrowed clothing was just a bit larger than he was, and the white shirt rested lightly on his chest, seeming to enjoy the extra room it had around his body. He looked like a little joyous kid in a way at the moment, but he wasn’t, was he? He was a vampire now.

He flicked the hair out of his eyes, looking about the room yet again. Even the dull room and the coffin were explain. He turned to the bed of the dead, slowing tracing the beautiful wood with his free hand. It was actually quite an attractive piece of furniture, now that he thought about it. Another small laugh slipped through his lips as he left his hand fall back to his lap. This was quite an event.

The stranger had continued talking, saying that that he was one too and not to consider this a joke. He turned back to the man’s smile, looking at it for a moment before observing the rest of the man’s features. He had the razor like teeth to back up his claim, but they weren’t overly obvious; you only noticed them if you took the time to notice them. That, plus his smile was quite nice itself, with every tooth appearing to be in place and a movie star shade of white. The rest of his appearance seemed to be average, yet unique and classic. Quite interesting.

Tanner tilted his head to the left a little bit, his expression resembling that of a curious puppy. He took another observant sweep over the man’s being. Yes, he guessed that’s what a vampire might typically look like, though he had never seen one in a book or a movie. He just assumed that’s what one might look like, because this man was one. It made perfect sense.

”So…” What was the boy supposed to say now that the secret had been spilled, that Tanner had figured everything out? If he were in his normal state of mind, the shy one, he wouldn’t have said anything at all, but this situation was different. Everything was different. Why be his little normal scared self now? He had an opportunity to do things a little out of the ordinary before anything really happened, so why not take it?

”What do we do?” he asked, sincerely wondering. In this world, he wasn’t the boss of what happened, bizarre or not. If anything, his man, his hero, was the one in charge. He thought of how nice and caring this man had been, and how they were still holding hand and had been for a while, and the guy’s kind smile now. Were they supposed to be intimate in some way? ”Are we supposed to kiss now?” he questioned, raising an eyebrow. After all, in fairy tales there was always a damsel in distress who ended up smooching some sap on the lips, and this wasn’t very different really. Maybe all this shit in this messed up dream of his was supposed to turn into a boy on boy kissing kind of dream? If so, this was one very strange dream.

[adriano vivaldi]

He had waited for the usual to happen, the anger or the scared confusion. He thought he had been prepared to handle that. Actually, he had. He had geared up to handle the boy and calm him down. He thought maybe his things would be thrown around or that the boy would weep or start accusing Adriano of being a cruel liar. All things considered, it would be very cruel had the torture been real and Adriano had taken advantage of it by getting Tanner to play in a game of vampires. But it wasn’t like that at all. The reaction was complete acceptance. He skipped all the grieving steps. The boy was at peace with all of this and he took in everything around him like this itself was the meaning of life. The one thing everyone looks for. The kid wasn’t worried or nervous at all. He was composed and not at all like the burning boy who was consumed with fear.

Adriano blinked a few times and watched as Tanner looked around at everything and touched the coffin in which Adriano slept. He touched it gingerly and then brought his hand back to his lap next to his other hand that Adriano had been holding on to. He had not displayed his exquisite strength, there had been no need to like he thought there would be. Tanner had been looking at Adriano when he talked, he was listening and taking it all in. He believed him… at least that was the very strong feeling Adriano was pulling from Tanner’s energy. Adriano felt a bit odd under the scrutiny of Tanner’s eyes, but whatever made him feel comfortable would be fine with Adriano. This scenario was a lot easier to deal with than everything he had expected. But he still felt a bit tense; he didn’t know what could happen. If this would change in moments.

The sincerity in Tanner’s voice when he asked what was next was strange. It was so completely in submission that it was almost unbelievable. Adriano didn’t know how to handle this. He could see what a few other vampires would do, seize the moment to make Tanner what they wanted. Let him be their miniature selves, so they could keep their egotism thriving and so they could have him overcome their own faults and weaknesses. This was the best time to take advantage, there was no way Adriano would do that. He didn’t have those fibers in his being; he was made up of a much different morality.

Before he ever explained that they were to sleep now and everything else would come tomorrow night, Tanner posed the question of kissing. It was an interesting one and something else Adriano had no idea was coming. Apparently the human idea of being sexually attracted to another man didn’t bother this boy. Unless he had always been like this which was no objection of Adriano, just another thing he didn’t have any idea how to handle. He supposed a kiss wouldn’t hurt. A sort of nurturing safety thing. But was that what Tanner meant? He was being very hard to read, Adriano couldn’t grasp his true feelings it seemed.

The last person Adriano had kissed had been… who had it been? Surely some mortal life he took. But when did it mean something? He always apologized to the mortal he was to take the life of; sometimes he kissed it before they went into the great black abyss of nothingness. Even if it was a murderer, the kind that had gone after revenge or who couldn’t control it. Because he was no different than a serial killer. He felt sympathy for them. But a real kiss? He could remember something vague of his teenage years before this pale skin entombed his body. A girl with long brown hair and a large pink flower in her hair. Her clothes were nondescript and it had only been for the summer. His feelings were very mixed at the moment. What would it mean to kiss Tanner? Did it matter with all the time they had? Surely it would mean something, it would to Adriano. There was no way of kissing someone or showing that much affection if there was nothing there. And the way Tanner spoke of it, not as a kiss goodnight or something offhand like that. He asked about kissing, were they supposed to kiss now?

Finally he made the connection! Adriano was his savior at the moment; he had literally swept the boy off his feet. It was actually a logical thing to think, kissing after a moment like that. That’s what all the girls did in the movies, didn’t they? They starting kissing, making out and then having sex. Of course Adriano didn’t really think it would go that far and there was no way that Tanner could last through something like that. He had no blood to give Adriano; it would be too painful for him to endure. He wouldn’t put the boy through that. But a kiss was okay. Wasn’t it? He couldn’t believe himself that he was arguing so much with this little thing.

“If you want to,” Adriano said in his quiet Italian accent. Even after all the traveling and years he had been away from Italy there was no mistaking his heritage. His face yelled it even if it was ‘pale as a ghost.’ Adriano was becoming a little too fond of Tanner a little too intrigued. He felt he could keep everything under control, remember boundaries for his safety. Not let things get out of hand and turn things into a complicated relationship that would never end. He didn’t fully know Tanner and what exactly the kiss was going to mean to him. Or if was going to be more than one kiss. He didn’t know what was going to happen and that was sort of different for him. He wasn’t sure if he liked the feeling he had about it.

[tanner brandt]

Tanner couldn't help but smirk a bit, a strange feeling kind of swelling in his chest, making him sit up straighter in spite of his exhaustion. Maybe it was courage, maybe it was confidence, he wasn’t really sure, but it was amazing. In his dream, he could be whatever he wanted to be, could act however he wanted to, and anything could happen. And right now, he felt he was taking the roll that he had never really before taken: the bold one.

The way the other man had reacted to his calmness made the boy want to laugh. Now he felt as if the rolls had switched. Before, with the other man being the more knowing one, he had been in charge, but with this sudden surprise, he appeared to be unsure of the situation, putting Tanner in power. He looked to the floor, dropping his smirk as he did. Just because he felt confident all of the sudden didn’t mean he should randomly become power hungry and a jerk. Even if it was a dream, the boy knew himself well enough to know that when he awoke, he would still feel guilty for treating a person in his subconscious badly.

He looked back at the other person sitting next to him, head tilted to the right this time. Again, he took a moment to study him, this time trying to see him as a kind and handsome hero, as a girl in position might do. He wasn’t a bad looking young man, even with his “vampire” features. He had a nurturing and caring aura about him that kind of made you feel a little bit more secure in this nasty world. If he had to kiss a guy in his dreams, this guy certainly was the one to pick.

Tanner wondered why in his dream he would be doing this. Sure, he had had dreams in which he had kissed people before, but never one this detailed, or with a guy. In this dream, everything was so vivid, right down to the feel of the man’s skin against his own. He wondered if when he woke up, he would even remember this entire thing, or where the kiss would lead. Surely it wouldn’t hurt anything at all. At the most, things could take a bad turn and then he would wake up, right?

The boy wanted to keep this feeling he had going, this… what to call it,,, this feeling of bravery, like he was the one supposed to make the move first. He felt it fading quickly, but with the man’s quite “if you want” reply, it gave him a new boost. But, sadly, he wasn’t really sure what to do. While he had dreamt up kisses, he had never had a real one and couldn’t really recall what had happened in those previous dreams. And in addition to that, what kind of kiss should it be? A peck, a tender one, a simple one, a fiery one? He was going to loose his nerve if he waited much longer, and sitting there was kind of a lame way to end a fairy tale, so he might as well.

Trying to be the smooth, suave, charming type of person that he wasn’t, he scooted an inch or so towards the man, smiling. He felt as if he has lost the calmness of the moments before, but if you were to look at him, you wouldn’t be able to tell the difference. Even thought it wasn’t in actual life, Tanner could feel nerves messing with his stomach. He ran his thumb over the other man’s, stroking it gently. His other hand came up and touched the man’s cheek in the same fashion that he had touched the coffin: with care. He could feel the man’s subtle stubble, and for some reason, as he ran his finger softly across the side of the other’s face, his stomach unknotted. He leaned forward and took a leap of hope, kissing the stranger in his dream, his mind fluttering as he did so. Anything and everything could happen in dreams, and this certainly was nice.

[adriano vivaldi]

Adriano saw something switch in the boy, like he wasn’t scared anymore. Not just calm and accepting, but with assurance. Like he knew what was going on where Adriano didn’t anymore. This was so strange to him, he was seven hundred and twenty six and this had never happened in his seven and a quarter life times. But there was a change in this day and age, that was the only true constant dependable thing about this world, change. And this would certainly be a change for Adriano. It was bizarre to feel the blood in him rush around a little bit, like it was trying to find its proper place before anything major happened. He felt younger again. He felt young with this younger one and he was still unsure if he liked it or not. He felt almost stupid about it. He was so much older and shouldn’t he be acting like that? But his physical body only held a few years more than Tanner’s, he could be young with him, couldn’t he? Then what was that doom lurking in the back of his mind?

Could a kiss really cause all that much damn confusion? Why did it have to be doom that Adriano would get from this? His heart he had never really opened. He had never told anyone about his past really. He hated to talk about it. The other vampires he had guided never asked about his past, they could sense his apprehension and had enough common sense to not look a gift horse in the mouth. He was unselfish and giving, he probably evoked a feeling of guilt in them when they thought about asking him. It had always stayed secretly guarded with him. And what did this have to do with Tanner now? If he agreed to the kiss, if it went any further than a kiss on the lips for a few fleeting moment, it would mean feeling obligated to explain and reveal. To relive those years would be torture. Adriano had such a moral mind, one filled with manners and common courtesy. He made himself this way and was dooming himself.

He felt Tanner’s hand shift though, over his arm for a moment. His arm tensed for just a split second at the initial shock of the other vampire’s hand over his perfect skin. This hadn’t happened, not affectionately. He had been hurt by his sire, master. He had gotten in fights and such things, nothing loving could be taken from that relationship. Only his mother had held to him gently and lovingly. And the girl in the summer. What a sad pathetic life to not be touched by one of your own kind except in anger. Adriano reveled in the small shiver it sent through his arm and up into his brain. Oh, he wanted to suck his blood. But there was almost none in him. He couldn’t.

Even though he was made as if from marble or steel he still felt vulnerable in his black heart. If only that had changed within him too. He could do as he wanted if he could feel nothing and do whatever he pleased with no reservations or knowledge of principles. But what a horrid world if vampires were made like that, if no one felt bad for killing those they did. There would be massacre everywhere. Adriano could see that within Veikko Luova even if he hadn’t see him. There he was thinking about other things though, not the hand that was now caressing his cheek carefully and lovingly. Returning the kindness that Adriano had delivered so magnanimously before. He felt his blood course more but it really pumped through him as the boy leaned in and kissed him. Adriano had been afraid he was the one who had to go through with it. But he admired the boy for just doing it himself. The complete tranquility the boy was in even to know he was a vampire. Maybe Adriano was going to think too much of it, but maybe the kid was content because before he didn’t know who he was. He had to figure that out himself. Now he knew with a label, some clarity. He wasn’t sure.

Those sort of rambling philosophical thoughts left his head though. The kiss was consuming his feelings. Those hardening lips against his own granite like curved lips. He kissed back before it were to look like he wasn’t enjoying it or receiving it. He leaned in with his own body and took his left arm up and wrapped it onto Tanner’s right shoulder pulling him closer. Adriano tilted his head in the desire, fighting the urge to bite the boy’s lip. His right hand found Tanner’s upper left thigh and it held tight to it as he almost toppled the kid over. The ravenous craving in him was swelling. He hoped it could be controlled within a thousand kisses.

[tanner brandt]

When he felt the other’s lips returning the motions that his had started, it was as if someone had injected pure adrenaline into his veins. The feeling magnified itself, sending little shocks all over his body, sending chills everywhere. It was as if his energy levels were an engine, running slowly, only at the minimum pace it could go without coming to a full stop, but when the other met his actions, all of the gears in the engine not only started working harder, but they pushed themselves to the max, testing exactly how far it could go before it combusted. Maybe it was like Scott Westerfeld, maybe kissing is sort of like nature’s coffee.

First it started simply lips on lips, with only Tanner making an effort, but within a second or two that changed that the older man engaged himself, returning the boy’s small caress gesture with an even bigger one, pulling the boy closer and squeezing his upper left thigh, nearly tipping Tanner over onto to the floor. Suddenly he had lost the leadership role in things, and it felt nice for a second, feeling the other’s hands on him, exchanging kisses back and forth. But he wanted that feeling back, the feeling of being the dominate one for once in the situation. He straightened himself out, making sure that he wouldn’t topple over in the middle of things, scooting his lower half so that it was in a straight line with his upper half, moving closer to the one his lips were on. He placed both hands on the man’s neck, fingers running through the very tip of his brunette hair, taking a moment to suck on the other’s lower lip. Now this was a kiss.

He could feel the excitement rising within him, his heart going into hyperactive mode. His blood was trying to race into ever nook and cranny in his body, then trying to get back to the center of his chest as fast as it could, as if it were in a race against itself. In his mind, all of his brain cells seemed to be doing the jive, moving and hopping everywhere, sending any concentration that he had had straight to hell. He bit down on the other’s lip hard, not realizing it really, then kissed it caringly, kissing the man’s neck next. He turned himself to face him directly instead of twisting his torso slightly, making it more comfortable for himself. This was one hell of a dream.

In the little tiny parts of his brain that could still seem to function correctly, he wondered what it would be like if this were more than just a dream, if everything that had happened was really real instead of just a nighttime unconscious fantasy. Not only would he probably be hysterical at the moment and completely freaking out instead of making out, but that would mean two major life style changes in both one night. Both becoming a “vampire” and exploring the possibility of being bisexual. Not that he technically called himself straight because he had never really felt an incredibly strong attraction to a female, but he liked to think that even though he hadn’t really felt that way, he was. It just made life one thing easier, though this was not the moment to question his sexuality really, considering the event in play.

He kissed the man’s neck, feeling his pulse, then going back up and outlining his jaw, moving back to the lips. He have never had an experience like this before, with things getting like this with a complete and utter stranger. Tanner found it strangely exciting, finding it most pleasing, even if he really had no frame of reference. He opened his mouth wider, spiraling his tongue around the other’s tongue. There was just something about him, an energy radiating off of the stranger, as if he could feel his heartbeat vibrating out of his chest. Maybe he was getting somewhat carried away, but god it was as if the man tasted of an irresistible chocolate, and Tanner could never turn down chocolate.

[adriano vivaldi]

And it had gone too far. Already Adriano was not paying the slight bit attention to what he was doing anymore, he was immersed with the pleasurable feeling. It was nothing like sucking blood, the taste and the ecstasy; oh he wanted it from Tanner. He wanted to make love to him the only way a vampire could, with emotion and the feeling of an orgasm only amplified a hundred fold. He shouldn’t, couldn’t! Tanner would surely fall even more sickly ill than he was, it wasn’t in Adriano’s nature to be so greedy. Adriano felt gluttonous, he didn’t like it at all. He was in no way going to take advantage of Tanner. But wasn’t he already? His mind was going through contradicting feelings and all he could do to hold himself together was feel those cold lips turning colder under him as Tanner changed further into a monster. Surely that’s what they both were. Devils loving each other. Were they allowed to do such a thing?

He felt Tanner move up more straight, taking back his position as the dominate one. Adriano allowed it for a while, he wasn’t sure he liked being under someone so young. How could he submit to someone who didn’t understand themselves, someone so hopelessly lost in false beliefs? Because indubitably Tanner mustn’t know what he really was. How could he? Adriano had only said the basic word without explaining anything. The bloodlust and the daylight, but that was in those books, if Tanner had read anything at all about vampires. Adriano felt those sharp little puppy teeth sink into his lip, they didn’t make it bleed just yet, but Tanner had bruised them. In correcting his wrong his kissed them tenderly.

Away from the lips he moved down to Adriano’s neck. It was the tenderest part of any vampire usually. That’s how it goes, getting drained from the neck and then turned by the wrist. Of course it can happen in of all manner of ways, from the foot even if that’s what the vampire wishes! Except that is a disgusting way to go about it and Adriano had yet met anyone who had done such thing. So the neck it was, he felt the most curious sensation there as Tanner kissed it, his black heart racing murderous blood through his veins, all rushing to that spot it seemed. It was growing, the kiss was so long on the neck, and Adriano felt he would loose himself to the worst part of being a vampire, if that wasn’t exactly what it was all about. But before he did anything rash, like leaning in on Tanner’s neck, he let out a very soft moan and Tanner moved his lips up his jaw to his lips again. Adriano reciprocated more passionately, he was definitely on fire now.

Their tongues were colliding now, twisting around each other while Adriano opened his mouth wider and closed it over Tanner’s for the act of making out. His rational behavior had gone astray now and he lifted Tanner up as he pulled both them into the coffin. Adriano was lying down with Tanner on top of him, still kissing and not thinking about the daylight only an hour and a half away. In about thirty minutes it would be safe to close the coffin lid and wait until night fell again. Of course, even if they waited until the very moment of dawn, they wouldn’t be dead or anything, the sun could barely reach the basement. However it would be an uncomfortable experience. So in a way Adriano was being sneaky by already getting Tanner in the coffin with him, no protest there.

How would the next night play out? Would Tanner be at this same peace and willingness with everything. It seemed they had both changed with the simple act of kissing. When they woke up from their sleep would they walk together and would Adriano explain the finer details of things, would Tanner accept it then and continue this passionate kissing? Adriano wasn’t sure what to expect, it was dangerous for his emotions, and he hadn’t gone through anything like this before. He would find a way to cope though if Tanner shrunk away, changed over night or something. He was a trooper, if he could last some hundred years without speaking, he could last however long he needed too without Tanner’s affection. Or a simple glance if the boy chose to leave him.

Could he really be thinking about such things as they were together in the moment? What a dismal thing to think about. Adriano was more positive than this, he had the optimistic view on most things, even this war. He felt there was something about Luova and Valpas that would end in persuasion. Luova would never last, it was impossible. Or he was killing them all. Maybe that was best in the scheme of thing, weren’t they just intruding on human territory? They had been humans once themselves, which was the argument. But they had had their lifetime; it was supposed to be over for them. Adriano tried to stop pondering all this in the midst of right now though, couldn’t he savor these moments before the sun might change everything again?

[tanner brandt]

Everything continued on, lips on skin, lips on lips, in a cloud of rapture. He could feel his own pulse beating rapidly throughout his body, like one might be able to feel the bass of a song if they are standing close enough to the speakers and the volume is loud enough. They were in full make out mode now, no turning back for an innocent peck or kiss on the cheek. With his tongue he could feel the other’s fangs, sharp enough to cut his lips if they simply brushed up against it. Vampire in deed.

The next thing the boy knew, the man was lifting him with surprising ease. Of course, he had lifted him before, but still his strength startled the younger one a bit. The older man laid himself down in the coffin, pulling Tanner on top of him, but not before he managed to hit his broken toes against the outer side of the mahogany wood. He let out a bit of a monstrous moan in pain, his head pulling away from the kiss for a brief moment, then he turned back, looking at the stranger underneath him with a bit of an unknown glint in his eyes and a small smirk. He was shifting not only from a only slightly dauntless personality, but to a bit of a completely different persona. Within that second of pain, he had somehow transformed from a bolder kid to his drunk self: an untamed charmer who knew what he wanted.

It wasn’t unlike Tanner to have dreams where he was the Austin Powers of his time, attracting everyone from everywhere, but in those dreams he had never really done anything but dance and absorb his fame with the world. Now here he was, a seemingly fearless young lad with the courage of a mountain lion and a grin to match. He had never in his dreams or fantasies even been that before. It was a rush of a feeling, exhilarating really. He wondered if the man he was now straddling could tell the sudden changes in his mood. If so, he probably thought the boy was either bipolar or schizophrenic.

Tanner diving right back in to the things they have been doing before he had hit himself, his lips landing straight on the man’s cheek, kissing the side of his face with desire. In his mind there seemed to be a high tempo song pulsing, driving him on and feeding him energy even though his body was screaming it was exhausted, the beat seeming to spill out of his pores and into the environment surrounding him. There was sprightliness about the whole thing, something that just kept Tanner going. He couldn’t place it, but something about the man was addictive, as if there was something that he was carrying that the boy needed to continue living and he was just trying to find in somewhere in between his cold lips. He needed to figure out what it was.

He moved back to the guy’s lips, sucking on where he had bit the bottom lip a minute ago. The boy scooted himself down the other’s body for a second, pulling down his shirt a little and kissing his clavicle, then the base of his neck. When he did that, he got the same feeling that he had before, with his body suddenly becoming hyperactive. He got that same sense as well, as if he could feel the other’s blood flowing just beneath the skin; the sense was more overwhelming than before.

The lad slid back up a bit, bringing his lips to the soft skin of the other’s neck. He slowed himself down a bit, kissing the man’s throat longer and slower than he had been before, taking in the taste of it, as if to savor it. He could feel his heart rate escalating quickly, but remained a calm appearance. It was ambrosial, the best thing he could ever remember tasting. Tanner sucked on the man’s skin, at first gently, then getting progressively harder, till it was more like he was mildly biting the flesh really. Then he really bit down, not breaking the skin but doing it hard enough to know that there would be a bruise there tomorrow. In his mind there was an excited abo and a tingling sensation shot all throughout his body; this is what he had been looking for.

[adriano vivaldi]

Adriano became concerned when Tanner let out a monstrous yelp of pain. Ah, he hit his healing toes on the coffin. Adriano had become completely unaware of that. He also found it a little strange they weren’t fully healed. But that was probably due to the starvation. He had to remind himself constantly, he could not drink from Tanner without putting him in a miserable mood. But Tanner quickly got over the pain, at least enough to smirk and have a mischievous sparkle in his eye. Adriano could feel him change above him, from what he was a moment ago into something a little more aware of what it wanted and a little less caring on how he would get it.

He didn’t think much of it, vampires could have mood swings just as any other person and it was easy to bring out different personalities if you were caught up in a moment. Adriano knew this right now. He wasn’t giving the boy care and comfort and telling him to get rest and that he would help him hunt tomorrow now. He was all over the boy, addicted to the fervor he felt with his hands upon the boy’s back. Tanner came back into the motion of things though, a kiss to the cheek and Adriano’s hands went up and under Tanner’s borrowed loose shirt. His strength pulled at the turning white flesh against the small of his back with one hand and his upper back with the other. Sort of pulling him closer and pulling him apart.

His face had been moved to the side for the moment in which Tanner was kissing all over it, but now he turned his head to face Tanner, their lips met again. The boy started sucking on the wound that he had almost made earlier but only for a while, his soon found his interest over Adriano’s collar bone. With that his shirt was tugged open more, the buttons to his shirt pulling away from their little holes. The blood was rushing around in Adriano more urgently now. His neck was indeed a danger zone, it was seductive but dangerous all at the same time. If another vampire tried to suck all the blood out of him and render him useless, oh the horror he didn’t even want to fathom. Tanner wasn’t trying to do that though, he was just in the moment as Adriano was.

Suddenly he understood. Tanner had no idea where he was going with this. He was not exactly in control, much less than Adriano was at least. He was kissing and moving to find the right spot. He could feel a pull in him and Adriano was causing it. He was finding the source and trying to tame his empty heart. Adriano wasn’t sure what he should do. He didn’t want to push him away, wouldn’t that make for an awkward few days? Not to mention that Tanner really needed it, so much that he’d probably just try to take it from him anyway. He didn’t want to fight him, he could overpower him but he didn’t want to sleep with an angry fledgling. He would just let him take it. And he wouldn’t pain him by taking it back. They would both be a little weak the next night, nothing that they couldn’t fix though.

And he felt it. The lips sucking at his neck as if to give him a hickey. But that wasn’t the sole purpose of that whole ordeal. He was subconsciously trying to break skin to drink his blood. It was like being tickled but, gratifyingly tickled. It was so intense though, not anything light and fluffy, enough to make him want to yank his throat away from the little razor blade teeth. Adriano groaned a slight bit when those little fangs ripped at the very top layers of skin. Nothing to break the whole fleshy marble, but enough to cause a little pain and concern. Tanner couldn’t go on like this forever, he needed to break through and taste the blood. He had a craving for it when he was made, the blood of his sire. Adriano was going to fill this need to in his best without draining himself to the point of a disadvantage.

He put his hand on the back of Tanner’s head and pushed his face closer to the skin, if that was possible. He turned his head so that his neck was long and exposed, easy to find the right place to bite into. They were going to make a mess in that coffin. Unless Tanner was careful and slow. But infants were voracious when it came to blood; slow and careful wasn’t achieved until a few weeks.

”Bite it, really sink your fangs in,” he instructed trying to overcome his own yearning for Tanner’s neck. This was purely helpful, not anything more. He was not going to cause him more pain than he already had gone through.

[tanner brandt]

Maybe it was just the boy’s imagination, but as he continued to suck, kiss, lick, and softly bite the man’s neck, the flesh felt as if it was growing warmer. When his teeth broke the first layer of skin, it was as if each layer that was broken released more head until finally blood poured out boiling. He kind of froze for a moment, his movements severely slowed as he bit the other’s throat again. His tongue caressed the flesh in mid bite, and it seemed as if everything was suddenly in slow motion. Hm, blood.

He had never really taken a moment to think of blood before, but now it seemed worth it. His lips kept moving, but his mind was only thinking of one thing now. Then something clicked. If, in this dream of his he was turned into a vampire, like the man had said, then wouldn’t that be his ultimate goal? Subconsciously, his lips moved slightly below the other’s jaw, right over the point where the pulse was strongest and you could sense it best. If he concentrated hard enough, which was nearly impossible at this point, he felt that he could feel the blood rushing through the artery in his lips. And then, he felt his head being pushed closer than it had been before; not good.

“Bite it, really sink your fangs in,” was the simple message the man gave, and Tanner had the feeling that if he wasn’t trying to be polite, the other would be cringing right now, eyes closed while waiting for the pain of the bite. The boy pulled his lips reluctantly away from the man underneath him and just gazed into his eyes, understanding what the other wanted him to do for the most part but not quite sure if he should. He could feel himself loosing a little energy with every kiss he laid on the man’s body, and that was generally how he thought vampires got their strength back, but still. Was he willing to do that to another living being, even if this was only a dream?

The boy bit down on his lip with his newer sharper teeth, surprised and letting out a tiny gasp at how effortlessly he had punctured his own lip. He brought his hand up, putting the tip of his index finger on the place where he thought he had bitten himself and pulled his finger away to look at it. Sure enough, he had managed to draw his own blood. He stared at the crimson liquid for a moment, overcome by how appealing and fascinating it looked. He looked between the other’s eyes and his own blood, more dripping down from his own lip, leaving a little trail in the corner of his mouth unknown to him. Finally, he decided; it was only a dream, it wouldn’t matter tomorrow if he did do this or not.

But was it? Tanner was such a caring boy really, he couldn’t imagine hurting anything. He had never brought harm to anything in his lifetime, never even when an animal snuck into their pantry or when a bug randomly showed up somewhere within his house. If he couldn’t even muster up the guts to kill a spider in the bathtub back at home, how could he ever manage to take the blood from this person’s veins, the very thing that sustained life? But he could feel himself very weak, and again, the point came up that this was only a story that his imagination had created while he was sleeping. He might as well, the man was telling him to.

He looked at the man with rueful, not happy about what he was about to do. He let himself fully lay on the man, apposed to how he had kind of been supporting himself before with one knee and an arm, and placed his hands on the man’s face, one on either side, turning his face so he was looking him in the eyes. He leaned in and gave him a meaningful kiss like the ones they had shared before, tongues twirling and eyes closed. He couldn’t’ manage to voice any words, so this was his response to what he had said. Besides, wouldn’t it be rude to just dive straight into the jugular immediately after being invited?