darkSpyro

hey so this is my story. if you've read the first two chapters in my friend goldenfire's topic, this isthe continuation. i'm not gonna disclose anymore... you'll have to read to find out.


2
He couldn’t see through the window –which his father had barred - but he knew that his little friend was sitting on its edge.
“Hello, Ebony,” he sighed, and the black cat mewed back. He knew this cat from when he’d been able to see; it was the only feline that would come near him. For some reason, most cats…disliked him. He wanted so badly to hold the cat to him, for some kind of comfort, but he knew that even if he could, he mustn’t allow himself to do so. His own body would rob the cat of its warmth, and he, no doubt, would try to drink from it after all these years of deprivation. “How have you been, boy? Have you been beaten up again too?” The cat mewed again. He laughed. The cat had a habitof fighting. He always had many battle scars; it seemed to attract other cats into skirmishes. He could smell Ebony’s blood in the air, and knew that he was right. He shivered from his hunger, and swallowed the extra saliva. He couldn’t afford wishful thinking…he shook it off.
“Did you try to beat up a dog again? I told you before, that wouldn’t work. You’re simply too small.” The cat made a growling sound, as if it resented being called small, but soon fell silent. After a few moments, Gabriel sighed.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean that, I know you’re tough… but I do worry. You’re my only friend, Ebony.” Ebony, he could hear, was purring in response. Then he mewed, and just like that, the padded footsteps were fleeing again. “Until tomorrow, then.” He sighed. He had grown used to the cat’s swift retreats. He jumped, startled, as he heard the sound of the lock. Ebony always cut their visits short if his father was coming; he wanted to smack himself for not remembering. The cat seemed to have a supernatural sense, and left as if it had a premonition of his father’s coming.
“Gabriel,” Richard sneered.
“Asshole,” he replied. Then he heard the man pick something up, and grew worried. There was usually a faint swish in the air if it was a whip, but this didn’t sound like that. He yelped in pain, cursing himself for cursing his father, as something square and hard hit him in the back of the head.
“Shut up! You have no privilege to talk. I do hope you like bricks…” and then he was struck again. He used his hands and covered his head, cringing from the pain. He had grown too cocky… he was going to be hurt worse than normal, and he knew it. The brick smashed over his fingers, and he screamed as he realized that Richard had broken the middle three on his right hand, which had been crossed over his left. “I said shut up!” He heard a thud as Richard dropped the brick on the other side of the floor, and heard a ripping sound he recognized as someone pulling duct tape off a role. He tried to move, but his arm was clamped in its chain, so he was trapped. His father grabbed his wrists with one of his hands, taping them together, and covered Gabriel’s mouth in duct tape as well.
He was released, but only for a moment. Then Richard was back; he pushed Gabriel down and pinned him on the floor with his foot. He pushed at the older man’s leg with his arms, a useless attempt. Seconds later, Richard replaced his foot with a strong hand to hold him down, and punched Gabriel in the stomach with the other. The boy breathed in quickly through his nose.
“How’s this feel, you worthless son of a *****??” Richard was shouting, and Gabriel could smell the waves of adrenaline flowing from the human man. He couldn’t speak, however, as his father continued to punch him there, over and over, and then finally stood up to begin kicking him. He coughed up blood, choking as it slid back down his throat. He swallowed it to avoid that, and felt slightly better as a result. Hetried to cover his stomach, but received a kick to the head when he did, so he forced himself to let the man beat him. He had to tire out sooner or later…

It had been an hour. Gabriel lay in his cell, breathing shallowly, as Richard exited with a satisfied smile on his face. Gabriel didn’t have to seeto know the look was there; the man’s smugness was glaringly obvious. He couldn’t make himself care, however; he was, he knew, a pitiful sight. He lay on the floor, half-way in the fetal position, clutching his stomach gently with his trapped arms. Blood was splattered across the floor from Richard’s earlier action; he’d thrown Gabriel’s head into the ground a number of times in a row. He was suffering an enormous headache. There was a puddle of the crimson fluid under his head, and more was adding to it, flowing from his mouth. Richard had removed the duct tape from his mouth earlier, bored with it. He had said he’d wanted to hear Gabriel’s screams… to see his blood.He’d taken off the cloth as well, to see the fear in Gabriel’s eyes. He coughed, and more blood flew a short distance to the wall.He felt surprised that his eyes had made a full recovery, but he was thankful for it. It had probably come from him drinking his own blood…Richard didn’t know how big of a mistake removing that cloth was. Because soon, Gabriel knew as he moved his hand across the floor, he would escape. His eyesight could help him now. He could feel it as he licked the blood off his hand; he would get out of this prison within the next three days… even if it killed him. That much he was sure of, even as he passed out…


“Hey mommy,” Gabriel walked up to Nicole, who was sitting at the kitchen counter.
“Yes, sweetheart?”
“How come you don’t call me Gabe? I have a friend with the same name as me… his parents call him Gabe, though.”
“Because, baby…I didn’t name you Gabe. I named you Gabriel. In our culture, a name like that is never shortened, because of what it stands for.”
“What does it stand for?” He stared at her in wonder, his green eyes wide with interest.
“You have been named after Raina Chevelle’s mate. He was a truly powerful vampire… he was worshipped just as much as she was.”
“Who’s Raina Chevelle?”
“I haven’t told you? Well, she was a goddess…”


Gabriel shot up from where he lay, waking up to the sound of an enormous crack of thunder. It had to be loud to get to him through these walls… he cried out from the shock of pain that tore through his abdomen and fell back. The noise was shortly followed by another thunderous boom, though this one was less fearsome, and harder to hear.
“A storm… only a storm…” He swallowed, and then lay back down. He calmed down after taking a few slow, deep breaths, and closed his eyes. It worked, albeit slowly; the deep breaths had relaxed him, even though they had also caused him pain in his lungs. Within moments, exhausted as he was, he was able to ignore his pain and fall back into a fitful sleep…

Excuse this, dear friend...
...
*ehem*
...
ALL YOU DOLTS WHO WERE READING MY FRIEND'S STORY!!! THIS IS IT!!! THE REST OF IT!!! IF YOU WANT TO READ IT ALL D@MNIT THEN GET YOUR FLUFFY @$$ES IN HERE AND READ IT!!!
Of course, it will be published eventually, but Fox is still gonna put it up here. Right? *is talking to FoxFlash, who i have henceforth nicknamed Fox*

yeah yeah i know. T_T ... i'll put it up.

so. chapter 3. i want more from a response, guys, than just "it's good." if it's gonna be published, then i need feedback!

3

Gabriel opened his eyes, slowly and drowsily. He soon realized that he was a child again. He could hear his parents’ voices in their bedroom, which was only down the hall… he was in his old home again.
“Richard… why do you hate vampires so much?” His mother was asking this because she had just mentioned a vampire in the book she was currently reading. He had thrown the book into the wall.
“They’re despicable.”
“You’ve told me. Why, though, do you think that?” There was silence as he contemplated.
“They attacked me. My parents… I told you they’d died from a disease? …I was lying. They had died because those… things… had attacked them while they were out one night. I only found out a week later why they had disappeared.” They went quiet, as if mourning again, or simply just remembering.
“I see.” Gabriel, alone in his bed, shivered. He had never thought his kind to be evil, but now he understood – slightly- why his mother told him to keep quiet about his ways. Suddenly, the world around him warped, and all he could see was black. He breathed in sharply, listening. He jumped as a woman began to scream, and he recognized it as his mother’s voice.
“Gabriel! My angel, run!” It was all that she said, but as if freeing him, the darkness retreated and was replaced by a memory. He was now running, as if he’d been born to do so, from some unknown force… yet somehow he knew it wasn’t his father. Something else had been hunting him… something with a deep-seeded hatred…but he couldn’t remember what it was…


Gabriel jolted up from his position on the floor, gasping for air. His body was in a cold sweat, but he felt less pain than he had when he was awake before. This was obviously a good sign that he had rested better than usual. He had to wonder, however, why he had dreamed of the memory of a dream. He had never really run like that from anything. He had, however, dreamt of the same exact scene when he was much younger. He’d never managed to figure out the meaning, and guessed he wouldn’t until something happened in real life. He lay back down, wondering what time it was and how long he had slept. He closed his eyes, trying to relax, when his father walked in.
“Still asleep, you lazy good-for-nothing? Figures. Two days and you still aren’t up. Don’t worry, though; I’ll wake you up.”There was something wrong. Something was horribly wrong with Richard and his tone of voice, and Gabriel knew that something very bad was about to happen. The man never came into this room while drunk, assuming that Gabriel would fight back if he did. However, his words were slurring and he had a look in his eyes that frightened Gabriel. He knew, though, that he mustn’t show it; drunk or not, he couldn’t trust that Richard wouldn’t remember seeing him frightened. He never looked frightened when he couldn’t see, because his mother had long ago taught him to never fear the unknown. This, he suspected, pissed off Richard worse than anything. Whatever he did, he resolved, he had to keep this façade up. Richard sneered, and grabbed Gabriel by the hair, pulling him up off the ground. Unlike when he was little, this time he did react; being older, gravity pulled harder on his body from his heavier weight. He reached up at Richard’s hand and groaned from the pain.
“Ready, boy, for your realpunishment?” His breath was disgusting, but he held their faces close together, and Gabriel couldn’t move; he was far too weak. He couldn’t stop thinking about how close he was to strength, and how if he tried, he could bite Richard right there. Fear seized him, however, and the opportunity was gone as he was thrown to the ground. He grunted from the impact, but silenced himself as that fear was replaced with outright panic. What had he just heard? He tried to think of other possibilities, but there were none, and he swallowed as he realized what it was. Richard had just pulled his zipper down.He looked up, and his eyes confirmed it. Prickles stung their way down his spine and he froze.
“NO!” He screamed, feeling an inexplicable amount of fright.That quickly, his resolve had shattered. He didn’t know why that sound frightened him, only that it did. He couldn’t let himself become anymore ruined by this man. But what could he do with that chain holding him there, or with the tape on his arms? He welcomed the epinephrine that was rushing into his body, and tried to think of a good way to use it.
“Oh yes, Gabriel, you little ****. You’re going to pay the ultimate price today. After this… today, your sixteenth birthday… you ‘re gonna die.”
“What are you talking about?! What the hell are you planning?!”
“You’ll see.” A wicked smirk crossed the man’s face. Then, thankfully, Richard made his biggest mistake. He got on top of Gabriel, but front to front. Drunk as he was, he wasn’t thinking things through clearly. Gabrielgave a cruel smile of his own that actually forced Richard to hesitate in his own sudden fear. An odd kind of certainty had taken Gabriel’s mind, and all he knew was that he could not let himself die. Richard gasped, but it was already too late. His throat was too close to escape. Gabriel bit down viciously into the older man’s neck, regaining strength by the second. Richard was weaker than he’d ever thought; the man passed out after only a few seconds.
Gabriel, seizing this chance, used his quickly growing strength and ripped the chain off of his arm. As he stood up, he realized something; he had finally gotten what he had always wanted. His father was dead. The chain was broken. At last… he was free.

This is a wonderful ... Novel, I suppose? Very descriptive, and I love it. Can't see much wrong with it, sorry!

Mm, yeah, reread, Ez. Go back, reread it, it'll make sense. Also, it'll make sense as things progress further. I've already read it, and Fox's given me a summary of the entire book already, sooo...

yeah. it's... pretty creepy. but the guy is gone now. now putting up ch 4.

so. 1st part of ch 4.

4

Gabriel stood over his father’s dead body, a grim look on his face. He stood hunched slightly, with his arms hanging in front of him. His black hair hung down in front of his eyes, and he was breathing deeply. Anyone seeing him like that may very well believe him to be a madman with how dried blood and dirt covered his skin, and how his hair waved down around his face in unnatural curls, filthy. He could see now, just as well as he had when he was younger; if not better. He looked down and was surprised to see the many small pores on the man’s face, and the cracks in his lips. Richard’s eyes were still open, and Gabriel could see the small red vessels in the whites of his eyes.
The adrenaline had left Gabriel’s blood and he was feeling the aftereffects now. He shuddered; the certainty and calm had left him. He was shaken, and though slightly stronger, he was still weak.He looked up promptly when he heard a mew; there stood Ebony, giving him a fixed stare.
“Hey, buddy.” Gabriel smiled, happy to see the friendly face. Oddly enough, he didn’t feel shaken from killing Richard… perhaps because the man had been his captor for so long. He felt taken aback only because this was the first time he had ever harmed another person. He smiled, relieved in an odd way; thank God he hadn’t developed Stockholm Syndrome, which his mother had taught him about when she was still alive. He could barely imagine how it must have been if he had begun to rely on the man that had for so long imprisoned him.
“Ebony!” Another voice, unknown to him, echoed in the halls. He raised an eyebrow, and the cat turned to face the door. There he sat, as if waiting for his owner to come to him. Suddenly an older boy came in, looking to be around nineteen, with dirty blonde hair. He looked at Gabriel apologetically at first, but then, seeing him naked, taped up and scarred, took on a look of shock. His eyes went from Gabriel to Richard and back, examining both of them closely. He paused for a second on the puncture wounds on Richard’s neck.
“Hi,” Gabriel said, and allowed a shy grin to twist his face. It had been so long since he had smiled for real… it seemed almost to be an alien gesture, especially at a time like this.
“Hi. Do you… need help?” The older boy’s voice was urgent, as if he knew something was wrong. Odd, Gabriel thought. The way Richard acted… I always thought it was normal for fathers to hit their kids. Yet… he looks at me as if I’m unusual.
“No, I’m fine… but I could use some clothes.” The boy looked at him, then to Ebony. The cat mewed, walked over to Gabriel and wrapped himself around his leg, purring. A satisfied and understanding look crossed the boy’s face.
“I’m Seth. If Ebony likes you, I’ve got nothing to fear…. You smell like one of us anyway… what is your name?”
“I’m Gabriel. What do you mean… I ‘smell like one of you’?”
“I mean you’re a vampire. Come on to my house, I have clothes you can wear. You look about my size, just a lot skinnier.” He paused, uncertain. Then he continued, “When we get there, would you mind… explaining?” Gabriel simply nodded, and began to head for the doorway, but Seth stopped him.
“Where are you going?”
“We have to go to your house.”
“What? You don’t know how to teleport? You can’t possibly walk to my house like that.”
“Teleport…?” Seth didn’t answer, instead grabbed Gabriel by the arm and held firm. Gabriel sucked in a quick breath as he watched their bodies begin to dissipate into what looked like dust.
“Relax. You won’t be hurt.” Seth’s voice rang through Gabriel’s head, forcing him to be calm. He felt almost as if someone were sedating him, and closed his eyes as they began to fully disappear. Then they were gone. There was a kind of rolling sensation, as if he were turning upside down on a rollercoaster. When he opened his eyes, he found himself in an unfamiliar room. It was rather large compared to the office room he’d been trapped in, and had light blue walls rather than white. There were posters around the room; one, he saw, showed a man with curly white hair, and a slight double-chin. He held a wooden instrument in his hand, which had a number of strings on it, placed against his throat. In his other hand was some kind of straight black stick, with tightened strings on it to make one strong kind of white rope. Underneath of his picture, printed in bold white letters, was his name; Bach. Gabriel could remember his mother teaching him something about that man, though he couldn’t remember exactly what.
A painting also hung on the wall, catching his eye; it depicted a cliff overhanging an ocean. Somehow, this depiction reached out and held meaning to Gabriel. The cliff seemed to be trying to hold up some powerful burden, while the ocean seemed to be trying to tear it down. On top of the land stood a lone tree, its leaves turned a weary auburn, and a wind current was carrying some of those leaves away. Gabriel couldn’t help but think about how it seemed as if the wind and ocean were working together to kill the tree, and that the cliff was protecting it like a mother. He smiled sadly, but was torn out of his thoughts by Seth’s voice.
“Welcome to my room, Gabriel. You should warm up rather quickly, considering that we have a very powerful heater. You’ll need a full covering of clothes and some blood…” Gabriel flinched at the word heater, but looking around, he saw no radiator.
“Where is your heater?” He asked, curious.
“Look up,” Seth replied, pulling a black hooded sweatshirt out of his closet and placing it on the bed. He placed a white T-shirt on top of it. Gabriel stared at the bed longingly; it looked very comfortable, and was covered in indigo bed sheets, which were showing because the black top cover was folded back. He ran his hands over the covers, and feeling how soft they were sighed unhappily. Seth merely watched with a kind of compassionate patience, knowing that it was unlikely that Gabriel had ever slept in a bed before.
“Here,” He whispered. He came over and reached for Gabriel’s arms, but the naked boy flinched away, untrusting. “It’s ok, Gabriel. I won’t hurt you.” He slowly reached over again, and this time Gabriel did not move –though he remained very tense. Seth began to take the tape off of his arms. Gabriel did not see him anymore however; he had relaxed, and was caught up with staring at the pillows, which also looked rather inviting and soft. Finally he looked up, and saw a thick silver bar, with thin white lines running across its surface. He held his now-free right hand up to it and felt the heat radiating.
“Wow…”
“Here,” Seth said, tossing him a pair of pants. Straining to remember how to put them on, he slid his legs through each hole and smiled, successful. He couldn’t shake the feeling that it felt really odd, somehow. Seth only stared.
“When’s the last time you dressed yourself?”
“When I was five, my mother used to. I don’t remember what else to do… did I do something wrong?” Seth smiled at his innocence.
“Here.” He reached over and pulled the jeans back down, then turned them to face the other direction. Gabriel said nothing, feeling embarrassed as he put them on again. He stood, feeling triumphant again until Seth gave another laugh.
“What?” He asked.
“This,” Seth chuckled, and reached over, zipping up the jeans. Hecarefully buttoned the clothing, which was also black.
“Oh.” Gabriel blushed, feeling stupid, but Seth only smiled again. He was up close to Gabriel now, and spotting the frost in his eyelashes he frowned.
“Relax. I always knew your father was a piece of garbage. I presume he was your father?” Gabriel nodded, feeling somehow shocked at not being called some kind of name himself. “Yes. I knew it; I’ve seen him around the neighborhood. He tried to run Ebony over one time. My cat was trotting across the road, you see, and was on the opposite side from him. Yet that despicable man swerved, trying to run over a cat that’s older than he is.”

aaaand ch 4 part 2... (drumrolls) ....tada!

4 (continued)

At this, Gabriel raised his eyebrow again. Seth turned around and picked up the shirt from the bed.
“How old is he?” Gabriel was feeling inquisitive.
“About 120.” Seth seemed pleased at Gabriel’s choice of calling Ebony a ‘he’ rather than an ‘it’. Gabriel’s eyes widened, and he dropped the white shirt Seth had handed him. Seth merely laughed softly, and picked it up. “Here, put it on.” Gabriel did, and then put on the hoodie.
“Hey Seth,” Gabriel paused, interested. “How old are you? You look about nineteen.” Seth gave a knowing grin.
“Do you truly wish to know?
“Yeah, you can’t be that old.”
“I am three centuries old. To be exact, I’m 320.” Gabriel gaped, and Seth laughed again. “You baby vampires. You’re always so … lovable.” He ruffled Gabriel’s hair, who growled slightly, and closed his mouth for him. “Now; come with me, we shall go to the kitchen for some food.” He began to head to the door, showing no signs of waiting, so Gabriel got up and followed. They walked through one hallway, also light blue, and found themselves in the kitchen. These walls were a pleasant blue, slightly darker than before but somehow more welcoming. Perhaps it was a shade of cerulean? There was a steel stove, refrigerator, microwave and sink, separated by a marble, indigo counter top. He looked up at the cabinets, which were glass and see-through, and could see plates and other dishes, also indigo.
“You really like the color blue, don’t you?” Gabriel commented, still looking around, and noted more heaters like the one in Seth’s room. Seth only smiled sideways, opening the fridge and bringing out a bag of blood. Gabriel stared at it, repulsed. A memory blew at the edge of his mind, but he couldn’t remember where he’d last seen a blood bag. All he knew was that he didn’t like it.
“What? …Ah. You last fed from your mother. No problem, I have a few donors.” Seth smiled conspiratorially, and beckoned him to follow again. Now they headed down another hallway, stopping at a bolted steel door.
“How did you know I fed from my mother?” Gabriel asked.
“All vampires do, except those that have lost their mother. I had a feeling about you… that you had fed before despite that disgusting man that lived with you.” Seth pulled out a key and unlocked the door, then proceeded down, and Gabriel was met with the smell of humans. He said nothing though, as they ended their trip down the stairs and walked to a darkened corner of the room. Gabriel accepted this place as the basement, with its darkness and slight smell of mold. Seth turned to him.
“So, Gabriel. Do you remember how to feed, or did your mother simply force you to bite down?” There was no ridicule in his voice, only professional curiosity. It made Seth sound like a doctor asking questions during an annual checkup.
“She did everything she could for me, spoiled me, so to speak. Yes, she helped me bite.”
“I see. Then you don’t know what you have to do. Practice on me,” Seth held out his right wrist. “Put your mouth on my wrist as if to bite me, but let out your fangs first.” That much, Gabriel did know how to do. His fangs, which were his canines, lengthened about one centimeter, and he shivered slightly at the tickling feeling in his gums. Seth smiled, satisfied. “There. Now bite.” Gabriel moved to bend down, but Seth held his wrist in the air for him. Accepting this, he held his new friend’s arm steadily with his own right hand, pulled the wrist close to his mouth and bit. He growled in annoyance as nothing happened.
“Relax,” Seth said calmly. “You are only aggravated that it’s not working this time. When you fed from your father, you were starved, and your body did the work for you. When you are not completely hungry, your body will not do the same thing. You are already biting me, now all you have to do is think. Think about the blood itself.” Gabriel, faced with this new information, was shocked that he should have to think to do anything. However, he tried it anyway. He thought of the blood, of the strength he would gain from it and of its warm comfort, and his body did the rest. Suddenly he felt a sensation as if a thin stream of warm water was being shot into his teeth, and jumped a little. He relaxed, though, when he felt himself getting stronger… much stronger. He was surprised that he was getting so much from it when his father’s blood had given him no real strength whatsoever. Seth nodded slowly.
“Hmm. Odd. You don’t know this either? Your father was an alcoholic. His blood had no good nutrients for you. I on the other hand am much healthier, and am a vampire as well, which gives you a bonus amount of power.” Gabriel heard him, but at the same time did not. His eyes were beginning to darken in color, at which point Seth pulled his wrist away. Gabriel stared at him, irritated at the sudden loss of food.
“Give that back,” he growled.
“No,” Seth smiled apologetically. “I’m sorry, but you were going into thrall. At which point, you would have pinned me, drained my own strength and killed me.”
“…How do you know?” Gabriel was confused, trying to understand this new concept. Was this why his mother had always made excuses to stop him from feeding when he was younger? Being a vampire had more complications than he had thought.
“Your eyes were getting darker. In thrall, a vampire’s eyes turn entirely black. They have no emotions and would kill those closest to them for blood, and have no control. Yet they are still conscious, and so must watch as they hurt those they love. …It’s a rather traumatic experience.” Gabriel nodded. “You are still thirsty though, I can tell. You will get to feed from one of my… donors… and hopefully then you will fully fit into my jeans.” He did notice that the pants weren’t trying to fall down anymore; he had had to hold them up while standing and walking before. Seth suddenly moved, pulling something out of the corner of the room that was too dark for Gabriel to see into. “You see, blood to a vampire is like breast milk to a baby; we need it, thrive on it. It is the most soothing substance in the world to us… and it is also what we need to live. Ironic that something so beautiful must come from suffering… but that too can be helped, if a vampire is willing to be gentle. …but I digress. Anyway, you will also see into these darker spaces when you are healthy again; your vision is the first thing you lose when you are starved.” The thing Seth had pulled over, he now saw, was a garbage bag with small holes in it. It didn’t stink, oddly enough, of garbage, but rather like blood. To him it smelled amazing; though to any human it would smell repulsive. Seth used his nails, which Gabriel now noticed to be finely sharp- though not long- to rip open the bag. There lay a human male, very tan and with a shaved head, sleeping peacefully. He wore a white shirt with no sleeves, and baggy blue jeans. Gabriel couldn’t see his feet.
“Why was he in a bag?” Gabriel asked. “If he is a donor, then why hide him?”
“Well most of the reasons are my own. However, he is an unwilling donor. The willing ones are kept upstairs, on the second floor in their own bedrooms. He is… well, quite frankly, a horrible man. A murderer escaped from prison. I’ve been saving him; I knew someone would come along with a horrible need for blood. With him, you may go into thrall as you please. With my other donors… well, I will control you. I leave you now; meet me upstairs when you are composed. You’ll have to shout; I have to lock you down here. Simply a precaution,” he added, when Gabriel stared at him confusedly.
“I see.” Seth was gone before he finished speaking, moving at inhuman speed. He looked back to the prisoner, and was met by a gaze as steely and gray as that of his father. The murderer was awake…

next will put up ch 5. dunno when. you'll see! ;P

Fox, ya do know you can put the chapter in the same post as the one above it by hitting the Edit button, right? It's in that tiny tool bar thing along the bottom of the post.

Also, I see you've gotten a signature. Need any avi pics I can find ya some.
Also good to see you ON!

yeah but it went over the limit.

i've had the signature since the day i got on this site, cause I got on at Niko's house. avi pics...?

Woah this is really good.

why thank ya. (bows left and right)

Very descriptive and with lots of emotion. All around fantastic. This is wonderful, and I can't wait for the next bit!

thanks so much! i'm going to wait one more day to let some more people see it by chance or something. ch.5 might not be up til monday cause i'm not on usually on weekends.

That's cool.

We live a decent distance away from each other, saddly. Same school, not exactly in the same neighborhood. It's not that simple either.

Ah. Fox, you shouldn't give out names of any sort. SOME people I know *glaring at Ezio pointedly* could end up as stalkers in two years.

... It's just a BOOK! An addicting one, but still ... No need to freak out.

(to GF's most recent post) ... Hmm, too bad. *shrugs*

Addicting? o.o CLover! To think! You! Addicted! TO A BOOK! Just messin witcha!

And yeah... Oh well, eh?

Ignore us.

And just what is that supposed to mean!? JK, but I'm addicted to a lot … *Glances at paused Gears Of War 2 screen* a… lot… of… Yeah, BYE!! *rushes to play game*

But, yeah, I get addicted easily!

*shakes head* Sad, CLove, very sad.

to all of you

so. 5.

5

Gabriel shuddered, caught off guard by the sudden discovery. The man with the cold eyes looked at him observantly, and spoke.
“You gonna kill me, vampire?” His voice was rugged, and Gabriel couldn’t help but compare it to that of some vigilante he’d seen in a cartoon once… whatever it was called.
“Well I don’t intend to,” Gabriel paused, uncertain. “Of course, I am rather thirsty.”
“That’s all you bloodsuckers think about, isn’t it? How thirsty you are… does it ever occur to you that your victim may want to live?”
“You’re a murderer!” He snapped. “What right do you have, to speak like this?”
“…I’m not a human murderer. I killed one of your kind for trying to kill me.” Indignation, for some unknown reason, built up inside him at hearing this. Gabriel couldn’t handle it, and his eyes were already darkening as he grabbed the man by the throat. The last thing he heard before he lost himself was the man’s bloodcurdling scream…


“Gabriel? Gabriel! Wake up.” He opened his eyes slowly, only to meet the lightning blue eyes of Seth. He sat up, his jet-black hair falling into his eyes.
“What happened?” His voice came out groggy, but as if he’d slept like he had never slept before.
“You sound sated. Good. You fed, but you entered thrall, so you had what’s called a black out. Then you fell asleep with a warm stomach.” Seth’s hairfell into his eyes as well. He pushed it back reflexively.
“I … see.” After a moment, Seth stood up; he had been kneeling over Gabriel.
“Well, you’ve been fed. You need a bath.” He agreed; he could use a shower after ten years without. “I’ll lead you.” Seth took Gabriel’s arm and guided him to the bathroom, walking quickly and not giving him much time to notice any more detail. “Forgive me for rushing, but with heightened senses, it’s hard to be around you like this.” Seth’s eyes were remorseful, and Gabriel could sense his genuine manner. He nodded, and looked over the room. Once again the walls were a calming shade of blue… this time it was a kind of gentle aqua. The bathtub, he saw, was filled with hot water… not what he had in mind, but relaxing nonetheless.
“No shower?” He asked.
“No… the shower head doesn’t work. I’ve been meaning to replace it…” Seth shrugged diffidently.
“Don’t worry about it. A bath will do fine.” Gabriel smiled, and Seth nodded.
“Right. Well, let’s get down to business.”
“Wha-” Gabriel was caught off guard, shivering suddenly as he realized he felt exposed. Then he looked down, and saw that he was. “What happened to my clothes?”
“Relax. They’re in the washing machine now.” Seth smiled calmly. “You know, you’re the first not to freak out for being naked in front of me…probably because of earlier. Come to think of it, you didn’t react much when I first found you either… anyways, I usually do that to see people’s reactions. It’s pretty funny.”
“I didn’t know I was supposed to freak out, honestly.”
“Really? …What happened to you all these years?”
“…I’ve been naked for the past ten. I didn’t know it was wrong to be that way.”
“…Well, it’s not wrong per say, it’s just awkward to be nude in front of others. For instance, girls have a love for slapping me when I do that. Guys freak out and call me gay.” He shrugged. “I let them think what they want; it’s not my problem.”
“Why, then, would you put people through the awkwardness of that moment?”
“Because he’s sick.” A girl walked in, looking to be about seventeen. She had beautiful, autumn red hair, and her eyes were a shiny, darkened onyx. She was rather skinny, but she looked friendly enough. A black, feathery scarf was wrapped around her neck loosely, contrasting with her pearl white skin. She wore a light blue shirt, with a black skirt to match her eyes and scarf.

5. part 2.

“I am not sick,” Seth growled. “I only like to find out what kind of a person it is I have invited into my home. I’m best as doing that by judging reactions to extreme situations.”
“Calm down,” She laughed, a warm, somewhat comforting sound, that reminded Gabriel of his mother. He loosened up a little. “As for you, stranger,” She smiled at him. “You should hide yourself in the presence of a woman.” She laughed again as she pushed him, somehow forceful, yet gentle at the same time. He struggled to catch his balance, but failed, and found himself falling into the tub. A great splash wet the floor, as well as Seth, who growled again. Gabriel coughed, recovering from going under unexpectedly.
“You know,” she said, looking at him. “You’ve got gorgeous green eyes. They match the shade of wintergreen trees. …They sort of remind me of mints.”
“…Thanks.” He had no idea what to say now; he only knew that he was butt naked in a tub, and that there were two other people in the bathroom with him. “Um… what is your name?”
“Oh! Sorry,” She smiled, and he realized that she and Seth’s grins were very much alike. “My name is Ky. I’m one of the girls that love to slap Seth.” She laughed mischievously. “I’m just one of the few that stayed his friend.”
“That’s a nice name…” He laughed as well at the image of Seth getting smacked. He paused though, growing nervous. What the hell was he supposed to do now?
“Well, we should get going,” Seth said, lightly tugging on her arm as he headed out. “You’re bound to be hungry, Ky, and he needs to wash.” She nodded, and together they headed out. Gabriel sighed, relieved to be alone. Then he realized; what was it he was supposed to do besides soak? He could slightly remember his mother, lathering some sort of liquid into his hair. He looked around, seeing a few bottles, and decided to try and read their labels. One read shampoo, one conditioner, and one body wash. Obviously, that one wasn’t for hair, so he put it down. What, though, was the difference between shampoo and conditioner? He growled, frustrated. Then he lay back in the warmth of the water, trying to relax. A flashback came to him, and he sighed as he allowed his mind to wander.


“Gabriel, do you know what this is?” His mother said smiling, holding up a transparent plastic bottle with a thick, clear purple liquid in it. He shook his head quickly, forgetting that he was wet, and splashed her with the water. She laughed even as he rushed to apologize. “This is shampoo. Say it?”
“Am poo.” He smiled, and she laughed again.
“Try again. Sham… POO.” She puffed out her cheeks as she said it, and he laughed hard, clapping his hands.
“Hampoo!”
“Almost… make the ‘s’ sound. …What does a snake do?” He stared blankly, and then smiled, an idea striking him. He began to sway like the snake on the movie Aladdin.
“Ssss…” He slowly went under the water, dancing as he did. She laughed again.
“Now, say… shaaam…POO.” He popped back up.
“Sampoo! Sampoo. …Ampoo.”
“Close enough,” She said, gently chuckling. She had a cluster of white soap bubbles on her index finger, and she tapped his nose. He laughed for a little bit, then grew curious.
“Mommy?”
“Yes?”
“What does sampoo do?”
“It cleans your hair. See?” She opened the bottle, poured a small amount of the stuff in her hands, and roughly yet gently lathered it into his hair. He laughed, but kept his eyes closed, afraid of getting the bubbly, strange-smelling stuff in his eyes.


“Shampoo.” He smiled, living in the memory. His mother had always been gentle with him. He took some out, more than she had since his hair had been much shorter then. Then he rubbed it in, staring at the conditioner bottle as he did. Perhaps he had another part of that memory for conditioner? He breathed out, letting the shampoo sit in his hair as she had taught him, and closed his eyes again. He let his body sink into the water.


“Now what about this one?” She held up another clear bottle, this one with an opaque liquid in it, also purple. This one was almost a kind of lavender, lighter in color than the shampoo.
“Dunno.”
“Conditioner.”
“Condisna.”
“Good!” She smiled. “This one helps keep your hair from getting damaged, so it stays easy to brush and handle.”
“Mommy, that’s girl stuff.” He made a pouting face. “Do I have to use it?”
“Yes, sweetheart. You may call it a girl thing if you want, but think about this; do you want to go bald?”
“Bald?”
“Hairless.”
“Ewww!” He sank under the water again, patiently hiding under its surface. He heard his mother’s laugh, though it was changed in sound by the water. He came back up, smiling. “Bald is bad.”
“Yes, sweety,” she chuckled. “Bald is bad, but only if you’re very young.”


“Hmm. Conditioner. …Took me about a year to say that one right.” He smiled ruefully, feeling a tight pulling in his chest. He missed his mother greatly, sixteen years old or not. He felt empty as well, though; he still couldn’t feel the sadness he had felt when he was younger. He felt angry that he couldn’t feel like he had back then…as if he had stopped caring for his mother. He would take care of the rest of the bath in a few minutes… for now, he just wanted to soak in the comforting water and forget about all of his stress. He sighed and lay back, choosing to rest his eyes. He would only be a few minutes, after all…

Nice chapter! Has a touch of comedy, while still maintaining the overall feel of the book itself. Some can't achieve that.

awww why thank ya!

Oh can it Fox! Epicly awesome amazing job as usual. Then again, I already know what's what for the most part...

well yeah just a bit

alright time for chapter 6!

so chapter 6...

6

Gabriel fought his eyes open. He yawned, and then went into a coughing fit as he took in water. He’d forgotten that he’d fallen asleep in the bath, but the water was still warm, so he mustn’t have been in there too long. He stopped coughing with a sore throat, and began to rinse his hair sleepily. He felt incredibly lethargic as he finished bathing. However, ten minutes later he was done and began to step out, shivering just as Ky walked in. She smiled flirtatiously, and he realized that this was what Seth had talked to him about earlier. He tilted his head to the side slightly, not feeling any kind of awkwardness.He was blushing, however.
“Calm down, red face,” She laughed. “I was just bringing you some clothes.”
“Why isn’t Seth doing this?” He asked, still slightly shivering from the cold as he bent to unplug the bath. The water, reddish brown from all the dried blood on his skin, began to drain.
“Because Seth is napping. He is very tired, you know. Doesn’t get much sleep.” He took the clothes, grateful. “Besides, why does it matter who brings you clothes? You have some kind of crush on Seth?”
“What? What’s a crush? I don’t even know what a crush is…hey, do you mind if I ask you a question?”
“What?”
“You didn’t react much when you walked in and saw me earlier… with all my scars and dried blood…Seth looked at me like an alien. Why?”
“I’m used to these kinds of things,” She said softly. “Seth rescues a lot of kids like you; people that live as prisoners and hostages in their own home.”
“Oh.”
“Hey, don’t worry about it. You’re okay now; you‘re pale again. Hell, you looked like a human, you had so much crap on your skin before!Oh, I have something planned for you…” She laughed and walked out. He closed the door behind her, shaking his head at her odd cheerfulness, and slid on the clothes she’d brought; a black, slim-fitting T-shirt that displayed one word on it. In electric blue letters, the word Metallica boldly stood out on the shirt. He slid that on, and found that it hugged his body and was almost as soft as silk. He smiled, and then picked up the pants. They were a pair of skinny black jeans, with crossing thin white lines. He pulled them on, and then walked out.
“Sit.” Ky came around the corner, pulling a chair with her. Confused but not really afraid, he sat, and Ky walked into the bathroom. He heard some noise as she moved things around, and watched in silence as she walked back to him, with a gun-like object in her hand. He recognized it, and had seen his mother use it, so he knew it wasn’t harmful.
“It’s a blow dryer. Your hair’s wet, so I’m just in time.” She pulled out a brush and began to pull it, gentle as his mother used to, through his hair. He was amazed that she got through his hair with no snagging. Seeing the look on his face, she explained. “The conditioner does that. No pain, see?” She brushed straight through in one line, instead of brushing spots over and over as she had been, and the brush went without trouble. “Now keep still, and don’t move your head. You’re getting a haircut.” She pulled out a pair of scissors and snipped the air to prove her point.
So he sat, for a little under half an hour, as she cut away his hair. When she finished, his neck felt stiff from being so stilland somewhat itchy without his hair covering it.
“Go look in the mirror.” He stood up, walked into the bathroom, and breathed in sharply as he saw what was a complete stranger. He could see his face, unhindered by the rest of his hair, contrasting what he had looked like when he had first come in and seen himself.His eyes, shining green, stood out against his now clean pale skin. It shocked him to see that the hair that had once reached well below his shoulders now ended right at the bottom of his neck, with a small tail. He was surprised, as well, to see that there was no acne after ten years of filth. He hadn’t really taken time to look at himself before getting in the bath, so his appearance was breathtaking compared to what he had thought he’d looked like. He jumped as he heard a loud noise start in the hall way, then remembered what it was. Ky was vacuuming the floor to clean up the mess.
“You like?” She said, but her lips didn’t move. He was startled that he could hear her so clearly. Her voice was just as clear as if she’d been speaking in his ear, with no noise whatsoever.
“Yes?” She laughed.
“It’s called telepathy. I’m speaking to you with my mind… you are, so to speak, receiving my thoughts.” He furrowed his eyebrows, still confused.
“You don’t know how to do it yet; you’re still a baby.”
“Then how old are you?”
“How old do you think?”
“Seventeen?” He shrugged. She laughed.
“No! That was ages ago. I’m … about two and a half centuries. I’m actually 270, but hey.” Once again, Gabriel was stunned. “Do you find my age odd? I did say you are only a baby, Gabriel. I did not say it to tease you; it’s a fact. So are Seth and I.”

“What… is old?”
“Hmm… well, teen years are 300 to 400, young adult is 400 to 700, and middle age is between 700 and 1,000. So old would be whenever you hit the thousands.” He sat down against the wall then, trying to wrap his mind around all the information. Transportation… telepathy… thousands of years of age without death? What other secrets did his species hide? What kept humans from doing all this? He was interrupted as Seth walked in, and he realized that Ky had finished her vacuuming and was putting the thing away. It appeared she had also cut his hair; Seth’s hair had been slightly shaggy when they’d met earlier, but now it was a bit shorter and slightly damp.
“Gabriel. It’s almost ten o’clock. It’s time for rest.” His voice was slightly groggy, and he yawned after he said so. Gabriel was shocked that it was so late; he had never really kept track of time. Ky smiled.
“Time for bed sleepyheads.” She walked out, and within seconds they heard the sound of a door closing and locking. Seth smiled.
“You’re sleeping in a guest room…” Before he could finish, Gabriel grew edgy. Sleeping in a guest room meant sleeping alone. Seth saw his reaction, and smiled gently. “You may sleep in my room, if you wish to have company. I have a cot, but it’s not as comfy as a bed.”
“I prefer the cot. I’m not used to beds anyway.” His voice was quiet.
“That’s fine. Come; you may sleep naked if you so wish. If not, I have spare PJ’s.” Gabriel gave a small smile.
“How does it not bother you? My father… he always hated guys like you. He said that two men should never sleep together in the same room naked.”
“You’re father was a jackass.” Seth sighed, some anger showing through his usual gentility. “I hate people like him; they think they know everything. You know what’s truly unnatural, Gabriel? Clothing. We didn’t adapt to magically wear clothing. We adapted to have hair on our bodies. Nudity has nothing to do with sexuality; it only has to do with one’s beliefs.” Gabriel nodded slowly, beginning to understand.
“I’d like the PJ’s just the same; better for warmth. We may have hair, but we don’t have a lot of it.” Seth smiled, having calmed down.
“As you wish.” Seth gestured with his hand as he turned around, and Gabriel followed him back to that calming blue room. “Here you go,” He said when they got there, pulling out an aluminum frame from his closet and opening it. He went back and pulled out a thin mattress, and then a bedspread and pillow. “Would you like sheets?”
“No… as I said before, I’m not even used to this much luxury.” Seth nodded in understanding as he set the mattress down, covering it with the black blanket.
“Right. To bed, then.” He had done everything in darkness, so there was no need to turn out a light. Gabriel lay down on the cot, pulling the covers over himself, and sighed from how good it felt. He lay on his stomach and put his arm under the pillow Seth had set on the cot, growing wonderfully comfortable. In almost moments, sleep cradled him in its warmth.


He was walking through the snow, smiling as he trudged through the ocean of whiteness. It had snowed for a long time, an entire day now. The sea of snowflakes swallowed him up to his knees. Some areas were shoveled, however, and he saw a small white cat in one of them.
“Kitty!” He shrieked in delight. Most cats hated him, he knew, though he knew not why. He wondered if, perhaps, this one was different. He began to walk toward it, but it hissed at him violently. He stopped in confusion. The cat hissed again, its ears back, and its yellow eyes flashed. It jumped at him, and he went to block; instead, he ended up throwing it to the ground. He gasped. “Sorry!” He whispered. “Sorry kitty. Please forgive me. I didn’t mean to hurt you…” The cat had landed on its feet, and now it hissed again, and ran away.
“Kitty…” His voice fell in sadness. Yet, he looked up, hearing very quiet footsteps. There was a black cat, this one with green eyes. It looked at him sideways and mewed. “Go away kitty. You hate me, I know it.” It continued to stare at him, and mewed again. He looked up, a sudden rage flying through him. “Go away kitty! Go away! I hate you!” His eyes were filled with tears. The cat, however, ran up to him and rubbed at his leg, mewing. He glared at it, perplexed. Then it looked straight into his eyes, and mewed again, a drawn out and high-pitched sound. He relaxed, without understanding why or how, and picked up the cat. It put its paw on his forehead and mewed, then licked his cheek. He giggled, calmer though confused.
“What’s your name, kitty?” It mewed at him, and suddenly he knew its name. It stood out clear and strong in his head. Call me Ebony.


In the morning, he awoke to find that Seth was no longer in bed. He could hear sizzling and could smell a mouth-watering, tempting scent in the air. He did not know what it was, but he intended to find out. He pulled himself up and stretched, then walked out to the kitchen.
“Morning,” Seth called, sitting at the table with a cup of coffee. Ky stood at the stove, cooking something that looked like a yellow glob in one pan and brown strips in another.
“Bacon and eggs,” Seth said in clarification. Gabriel nodded, knowing how it would taste by its smell. He sat down, but Seth stood up, suddenly stiff in his movements. He headed out of the kitchen, and Gabriel looked to Ky with a raised eyebrow. She shrugged.
“Don’t look at me. He only does that when he’s got a bad feeling.” She went back to her cooking, and a moment later was pushing some of the eggs out of the pan and onto a plate in front of Gabriel.
“Thank you.”
“Don’t thank me. It’s an easy meal.” She placed a plate with a paper towel on it on the middle of the table, and placed the bacon on it. Gabriel immediately grabbed at it, hungrier than he’d thought.
“Well aren’t you cute,” she remarked. She smiled at him fondly, taking in his adorably sloppy bed-head and the PJ’s Seth had given him. He wore black silk PJ’s that had white lining on them. The shirt had long sleeves, and the pants ended at his toes. He shrugged and grabbed a fork to start eating. Seth called him telepathically from where he was, though, and he got up and went to him. There he was, in the living room. He didn’t bother observing the room at the moment; Seth’s appearance bothered him. So much so, in fact, he forgot his annoyance with him at taking him from his breakfast.
“Gabriel. What is your last name?” Seth’s voice was calm, but he looked like he was scared of something.
“Matthews. Why?”
“…You’re wrong.” He said, his voice shaky, and he turned paler as a man walked out of the shadows behind him looking to be close to twenty. He had dark brown hair, and golden eyes.
“Gabriel… hello. My name is Daniel. Daniel Chevelle. You are my brother.”

... Hrm, didn't see that one coming. Nice! Yet another "you are related to me" scene.

well wait til you see the next chapter!

so. here's 7. be prepared!!!

7

Gabriel stared at this unknown man, stunned speechless. Daniel Chevelle? Who was this man? How could they be brothers, if his father had no other son?
“I see you are confused. Let me clear up this mess for you.” Daniel turned to Seth. “If you wouldn’t mind leaving, this is a personal matter that should be taken care of in private.” Seth nodded, seeming glad to get out of the room. Ky had just walked in, but spotting Daniel followed Seth with a confused look on her face.
“Who are you? Why did you come here? …How are you my brother?” Gabriel felt slapped, as if he were missing something that he desperately needed to know. Something felt wrong. He should know this man… in fact, he felt like he did, but he didn’t understand why.
“I am a son of the vampiric Chevelle family. You are my younger brother. I came here to take you to our family, who will judge whether or not you are fit to become the next king of our family. …Our mother… she was a beautiful woman. I sensed it when she died, but I was… admittedly, too frightened to do anything about it. I am your brother, because we have the same parents.” His voice was tight, as if he abhorred talking about the woman he knew he would never see again. Gabriel knew the pain behind it, and he understood. He didn’t get everything else, though.
“What?”
“The man you lived with… Richard, was it? He was not your real father. Our mother was forced to go into hiding under a different name and with a different mate. Originally, she was the queen of the Chevelles. Your real father, our father, is named Valence.” Gabriel took a deep breath, taking in the information. Finally, at length he spoke.
“…So… what do you mean… when you say they want to see if I…if I am fit to be the next king?”
“King Valence is a strong man, but he is aging. He is soon going to turn his millionth year. When that happens… every time a king hits that age, they retire. The ruler of a family can rule for many years, but… at that age, vampires tend to rebel, calling their leader overly old and weak. In reality, all vampires know that the older we are, the stronger and wiser we are. However, this knowledge does not stop the rebellions. It’s as if they are in denial. This is why we must choose our next king.”
“You’re older than me. Shouldn’t you already be the heir?”
“Not in the Chevelle family. They test our mental and physical ability in many ways, as trials to see which heir is best. In a way, it’s how we avoid the problems that England went through so shortly ago…what was it, the sixteen hundreds when they had their civil war with Charles I?…I am not allowed to rule, even if proved healthy and able, until you have been proven weaker than me.”
“…So what will we do?”
“I teleported here, but there is a barrier that prevents teleportation back to our home. We must go there the hard way. …It will be a long journey, not so much distance-wise. It will be long because… well, I can sense it will be perilous. It couldn’t be called a journey if it weren’t, really.”
“I see. …May I have some time to think this through?”
“Do as you wish. I have more errands to do before we leave anyway. …You aren’t totally well right now, at any rate. You need to rest, for maybe a week or two. Then we will leave.”
“Ok.”Daniel walked out, silent as darkness itself, and Gabriel stood up. He ran his hand through his newly shortened hair and breathed out heavily, unsure of what to do. He had never heard any of this, and hadn’t a clue what to do after breaking out of his personal hell. Now this, of course, gave him at the very least a purpose. Yet… wasn’t there some other option he could do? Couldn’t he maybe find his own house to live in? That would take money though, which he didn’t have… perhaps he could live with Seth. If of course, Seth didn’t mind… he could try to find a job and make a living of some sort. That idea fell apart too, however, when he remembered that he hadn’t been to school. Yes, he was reasonably intelligent, but he wasn’t skilled in any specific field. He could only remember remnants of piano lessons his mother had given him. Hell, he could barely read!
So it was clear, painfully so. He had no choice. He would go to search for this royal family that he supposedly belonged to… but what would come after that? Suddenly he wasn’t so hungry anymore…

O.o Huh ... Didn't see that one coming (again).

yup! i;m getting good at this.

8

The next morning, Gabriel pet Ebony without paying attention, distracted as he was by what Seth had told him the night before. They were going on a trip… but where? Seth had only walked in and told him to pick out a nice pair of clothes from his closet. The cat lay on his lap, contentedly purring, his ears back. It was early morning, the sky still dark blue, as the cat’s green eyes glowed in the darkness of the room. The clock beside him stated in blaring light that it was four AM, its color a very bright blue.
The silence of the house as the older vampires slept was consuming, but it was comforting as well, somehow. He sighed. After all those years of never knowing when to sleep, it was hard to break his habitual insomnia. He let his eyes slide closed, and after almost an hour fell into a very light slumber.


“Gabriel, would you like mommy to play the piano?”
“Yes,” he whispered excitedly. The big black instrument stood in front of him, beautiful and comforting. This, he knew nothing of, but somehow he knew it was one of humankind’s true masterpieces. He wanted nothing more than to learn to make the music flow from his fingers as his mother so often did late at night, and he knew she wanted him to learn. She lifted him up and placed him on the bench, since small as he was he could not yet sit there himself.
“Someday, you will learn to play just as wondrously as Bach and Beethoven themselves.” Then it began. Her slim fingers danced over the black and white keys, quick and sure in their graceful movements. The piano wept elegant music as a woman sheds tears, and Gabriel felt the elation, the bitterness, the anger and the calm as it weaved through him. He felt all these emotions without understanding, and was only confident that this miraculous melody was too stunning for words to describe. He was enraptured by this composition, caught off guard by it. He found himself trapped in the feeling and yet he had no wish to escape. He knew from that moment that he would indeed be a strong, graceful pianist like his mother…someday… someday…


He started at the sound of the door, opening his eyes to meet Seth’s gentle smile. Ebony leapt off his lap, rushing past Seth and out the door. Gabriel yawned lengthily.
“Are you ready, my tired friend? We have a lot to do today.” Gabriel looked at the clock, which now read nine A.M. He was surprised that he had slept so long; four hours was a lot more than normal. He nodded sleepily at Seth, who grabbed him by the hand and roughly pulled him up. Ky came in, a bright smile on her face. She was wearing an attractively tight pair of light blue jeans today, with black converse sneakers. Her shirt was a frilly black one with very short sleeves.
“Where are we going that I have to get dressed up?”
“Well we’re going to the mall. You still have to look somewhat good though, public manners and all. So.” Seth ended the sentence by walking out, leaving him to Ky. She dragged him back to Seth’s room and he sat on the bed he’d admired so fervently earlier. Now he simply wanted to continue the sleep he’d been interrupted from, and lay down silently. This bed could easily help him reach his goal… He started a few moments later as a shirt was flung onto his head.
“Mmph…” he groaned, not wanting to move.
“Dress yourself Gabriel. We need to go get you a lot of outfits so that you can fill a closet with them and stop using Seth’s. After that, we have to go hunting since you prefer live prey. We’re very busy today because after that little hunting trip we have to prepare the things needed for your journey.”
“I thought we were going to wait a week or two,” he growled, grumpy from being disallowed the continuance of his nap.
“Nope. Daniel was called by your parents, and they apparently have ordered the return ASAP. So we’re on the move.”
“Damn it…why should I have to interrupt my life for people I don’t know?”
“They’re your family, Gabriel. Besides, what life do you have? You just escaped from your father and have to start on your own at an age where most kids are in school. Your life hasn’t even started yet.”
“…” Gabriel turned away from her, a betrayed look on his face. He curled into a ball, silently contemplating the reality of what she said.
“I didn’t mean to sound harsh,” she whispered, her tone now soft. “But it’s the truth.”
“…**** you.” He growled, his voice tight as he closed her off from his mind. Mother… He wanted her suddenly, wanted to be held and told that everything would be okay. Somehow he knew though… it wouldn’t be that easy…but he felt so overwhelmed…
He stood up, forcing himself out of those thoughts, and pulled on the clothes she’d set on the bed. Another slim fitting shirt, this one with a skull on it, was the one that had been thrown on his head. The skull had a union jack on it, and a band name ran across the shirt in blood red letters; Bullet For My Valentine. At the bottom of the shirt, two guns faced outwards, with roses intertwined. He smiled at the shirt, slipping it over his head as he threw the one he’d had on into a hamper in a corner of the room. So much for dressing up. He picked up the pair of pants that had lay at his feet when he’d been lying down. This was another pair of black jeans, baggy and slightly faded this time. He slipped them on and turned to Ky, who he knew hadn’t walked out. What was there to hide from her anyway? She had already seen him in the bathroom. He took a deep breath, and looked at her in the eyes.
“Look. I’m sorry,” He said, his tone gentle and low as he stooped to put on a pair of shoes. Coincidentally, he and Seth were the same size. “I didn’t mean to snap like that… I just don’t like being told about myself.” She smiled, slowly but surely. It was a nice contrast to the worry and pain that had been there seconds before.
“It’s ok. I know what you mean.” He was surprised as she rushed forward and hugged him, falling backwards somewhat but catching himself, and hesitantly embraced her back. He looked past her shoulder to the door, where Seth now stood, smiling that same tender smile.
“It’s time to go,” he whispered softly. Ky jumped away, startled and blushing. Gabriel’s face was indifferent, hiding the feelings underneath. It had been a matter of seconds, but he had had a human embrace again… and he was thankful, though confused.
“It’s fine. Let’s go then.” The three of them headed out the door in a mingle of hidden emotions. He got in the back of the black jaguar that was outside without a word. He was impressed by how expensive the car looked, and saw that it was a C-X75 model before stepping inside.
“I see you like my car?” Seth said, his tone light, and they all relaxed a little.
“Yeah… how did you afford it?”
“How do I afford everything I own? Don’t forget that though I look young, I am experienced with age. I have an at-home job that gives me all the money I need.” Gabriel nodded, still sleepy. They all fell silent, and within ten minutes he was nodding off again, his head against the window.

you'll like it even more the next tie i post.

yes, cars are amazing.

soooo... chapter 9 part 1.

9

When Gabriel finally opened his eyes, spreading his arms and yawning, he was greeted by the sight of Seth’s worried face, staring at him intently.
“What is it?” He asked, his voice dragging from sleep.
“You weren’t waking up. I was concerned. Ky went to get water to throw on your face.” As if on cue, he gasped as cold water covered him, closing his eyes instinctively. He opened them seconds later to meet the bottom of a bucket.
“Well he’s certainly awake now,” Seth chuckled quietly. Gabriel hissed in annoyance.
“You’re cute with a bucket on your head.” Ky laughed too, a stark contrast from Seth’s with its chiming joy.
“No I’m not. I’m annoyed.” He took the bucket off, tossing it to the floor of the car.
“Don’t be such a killjoy,” She smiled, and he growled at his own inability to stay angry with her. She knew that she’d been immediately forgiven and stood straight up again. Only then did Gabriel realize that the window he’d been leaning on was open, and that she was outside. They were parked outside of a rather large building, made of white cement and at least three stories tall. He looked at it in quiet awe.
“You’ve never seen a mall, I take it. Just stay with us and you’ll be fine.” Seth grabbed his hand and pulled him out of the car through the window. Gabriel stared at him oddly. Seth smiled, releasing him. “It was faster.”
“What about your seats? Won’t they be ruined?”
“Nope. The seats vacuum any dirt or liquid into a small compartment with a bag in it. A light comes on to tell me when the bag needs changed. I came up with the idea and installed it myself.” Gabriel turned to look at the window and saw that it was already closing automatically.
“Like it? Another feature I installed. The windows and doors only open at my voice command. When the car turns off and everyone is outside, a pressure sensor tells the car that it is empty and the windows and doors close.” Gabriel smiled.
“That’s pretty advanced.”
“He’s a nerd.” Ky walked ahead of them, laughing quietly. “He even made it so that thing is electric!” He and Seth smiled at each other and turned, heading into the gigantic structure of the mall with Ky in the lead.


Gabriel was shocked at the immense size of the inside of the building. It seemed, somehow, as if it were even bigger inside than out!
“First stop,” Ky smiled excitedly, “Hot Topic!”
“Hot…Topic?” Gabriel asked hesitantly. “It’s a bit of a … pretentious name, isn’t it?”
“That’s what I thought when I first heard it,” Seth nodded. “You’ll see; it really is an awesome store!” Gabriel nodded and stayed close to Seth as they continued on. Together they walked up to a store thathad the name ‘Hot Topic’ above the doorway in blazing red letters. It seemed almost as if spider web were around the door, but it was made of steel, and Gabriel smiled at the touch. It was definitely a gothic kind of store, with the entire interior of the store colored black. Someone could be heard singing –if it could be called that; this sounded more like metal than any other kind of music. Speakers on the ceiling explained that, and Gabriel could swear he’d heard the band somewhere before…and then it came to him. The band had been playing in the car when he’d been falling asleep! It sounded like…
“Bullet!” Ky cried out, smiling.
“What?” Gabriel raised an eyebrow, confused. Seth smiled and shook his head.
“Bullet For My Valentine, the band on your – well, my – shirt. It’s one of Ky’s favorites… she got me into them. The singer doesn’t stay screeching all the time, as you can tell.” Suddenly, the singer’s voice became audible instead of his screeching, and Gabriel could make out the words. He listened, thinking to himself that he liked this band now as well as the song continued.
“Heaven, where is my angel? I need her now...” Ky sang along, her voice making a sweet harmony with the singer’s. It broke suddenly as he went back into his screeching.
“What’s his name?” Gabriel asked.
“The singer? Matt Tuck. I never get tired of hearing him…” She smiled and went off into the store, looking at everything around her at once as she spun in a cheery circle.
“Is she always so strange?”
“Yes. It’s the way she is…” Seth sighed and smiled again, then grabbed Gabriel’s arm. “C’mon, let’s find you some clothes.”

ch 9 part twoooooo

When they finally got out of the store, Ky had three bags of clothes on each of her arms. She shoved one at Gabriel.
“Go on! Go to the bathroom across the way. Get changed in a stall. I wanna see!” Gabriel swallowed, unsure of going by himself in this place. After all, the only time he was used to being alone was to stay in one place, not to wander to some room across a building he’d never been in. So many people were in this place!
“You’ll be fine. I’ll go with you. Ky, go and grab some ice cream and come back here.” Seth walked away, and Gabriel hurried after him. In a manner of seconds, they had reached a sign that pointed in two directions, one for men and the other for women. Seth led him in. “Go on.” He gestured to a stall, and Gabriel nodded.
Minutes later, after some struggling in the constricted space, he came out, handing Seth the bag now filled with the clothes Gabriel had worn before.
“Not bad,” Seth laughed. “Girls will definitely appreciate you.” Gabriel sighed, feeling almost unbearably constricted in these tight clothes that were so different than Seth’s baggy ones. He now wore tight black jeans, a silver-studded belt and a plain black tee. The belt lay crookedly across his waist – a tip Ky had told him on the way into the store.They walked out, and a second later Ky came up to them, giving a wolf-whistle.
“Hey sexy,” She smiled, and then laughed again, handing him a cone of mint chocolate chip ice cream.
“Thanks. It’s not really my kind of look, though…”
“That’s fine. There are more waiting for you to try on when we get back.” Seth pointed to the cone in his hand. “Eat, so it doesn’t melt.” He licked at it, unsure of how it would taste. Ky stared at him as if he were crazy, and Seth laughed along with her. Delighted by the taste, he smiled and licked it again.
“You’ve never had it?”
“No! It’s delicious!” Ky looked at him again, then smiled brightly.
“I’ve an idea! You’re gonna try every flavor they have before we leave!”
“Ky, that’s a bit much…”
“Hush, Seth. He hasn’t had ice cream! It’s blasphemous!”
“Yes but he still needs to feed.”
“Ky,” Gabriel piped up. “…Could you go look for books or something? I need to talk to Seth.” Her face brightened and she nodded, heading off in a rush.
“What is it, Gabriel?” Seth asked, concern in his voice.
“…um, Seth… I’m…hungry.”
“Eat your ice cream then.”
“…Not that kind.”
“Oh! Well. We can’t have you eating humans. Follow me.” They headed outside and around a corner, where Seth promptly shoved his wrist in Gabriel’s mouth. Gabriel pushed it away, though.
“Damn it! I’m a ****ing vampire, Seth, not a tick. If I feed then I’m doing it from the proper artery, thank you.” He shoved Seth against the wall and bit into his neck. The older vampire shuddered but said nothing, waiting for Gabriel to finish. Perhaps they could skip the hunt then…
After a few minutes, Gabriel pushed away from him.
“Sorry, Seth. I didn’t mean to force it. I just… was so thirsty…”
“Don’t worry about it; I know the feeling. Come on, we’ve got to find Ky again.” They headed back in, an awkward silence between them on Gabriel’s part. A man walked past them, brushing against Gabriel’s shoulder roughly.
“***got,” He growled. Gabriel tensed, not knowing what he meant. He only knew it was an insult, and looked to Seth, whose face was still flushed from their encounter. Seth shook his head.
“Don’t worry about it, Gabriel. Humans are very presumptuous, and he has gone on his way without giving us any harm. Let’s go.” Gabriel hesitated, and then nodded. Suddenly Ky popped up in front of them.
“Have a nice… talk?” She asked, her face showing a slight impatience despite her smile.
“Well,” Seth started, but she didn’t let him finish.
“For Christ’s sake, Gabriel. I’m a vampire too. I know what problems we have to deal with.” Gabriel, without knowing why, stepped closely behind Seth, feeling the irritation from her. Seth breathed in and out deeply, and looked to her.
“Enough, Ky. Gabriel is still young, and he doesn’t respond well to threatening situations. Do not direct your annoyance at him; he will either run or bare his fangs. I don’t know which. Hell, you’re making me nervous.” Ky nodded slowly, blushing from the awkward moment.
“Sorry… I understand. I just… don’t like being left out.”
“It’s fine,” Gabriel rushed. “I was thirsty… I didn’t want to bite you and hurt you.” At this she laughed.
“You can’t hurt me, sweetheart. I’m tough.” They stopped and stared at Seth as he suddenly stiffened, going slightly pale again. Before they could say anything, a male voice spoke up.
“Enough. You’re wasting time.” Daniel suddenly came up behind them. “The Chevelle family does not tolerate dawdling. We need to move on and get the things for the journey.” Gabriel growled at being rushed, but Seth hushed him.
“You’re right. Besides, this decides more fates than just his. We shouldn’t have taken so long.” He gestured to the door, and the four of them headed for the parking lot. They still had a lot of things to buy…still Gabriel couldn’t shake the feeling that something big would happen in his future. He knew it wasn’t good, but he also had no idea what it was, so he tried to ignore it. If at nothing, he knew he had Seth and Ky beside him for the journey… however long it would be.

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