Not Even Human

Chapter Four

"Huh.” I stared at the map, examining it in detail. “So the wolves have Lune Scapes and the witches have Haven… the humans area is just fair game…. and your guys’ is Skylar Heights?”

Nico had left to do some homework, so it was only Gabe and I now.

Gabriel ruffled my hair, “You’re a part of us now. So yes, we do.”

I scowled and swatted his hand away. “So it’s that easy? I’m a Vampyr and I join just like that?”

“Well, you do have to pull your weight around here. And technically I’m not supposed to give you this yet but…” He scratched his head, before nodding in the other direction as to follow him.

He led me to a suite on another floor that looked like a punk rocker had been living in it. There were guitars, electric, acoustic, and bass mounted on the wall in the living room, and posters of what I assumed to be bands. The couch was a navy blue, and the floor was a black carpet.

He went into another room, and I stood there feeling a little awkward. “So is this… your place?”

“Yep.” He came out of his room with new sunglasses, but an exact replica of the ones before. I frowned, but didn’t say anything because it wasn’t exactly my choice. His hands were behind his back, and he coyly kept them there. I raised an eyebrow, intrigued. “Close your eyes, love.”

I groaned and closed my eyes. The surprises I got were usually lethal, so it was a little hard to be used to good ones.

“Open.”

I gasped softly, looking at the gold and simplistic necklace. It had a thin chain, and a small gold circle dangled down with an engraving. Looking back, everyone here wore it. I looked at Gabriel’s chest, seeing a matching on as well. I gently held it, feeling the texture. “Is this real gold?”

“Of course. Only the finest.” I looked up, almost skeptical.

“You just had this lying around?”

He shrugged. It was probably something about his past, but that could be discovered later. I smiled, amused and grateful.

“Thank you. Could you…?”

He nodded as I handed him the necklace. I moved my hair to the side, and then felt the close proximity of his body. He put his arms above and around my neck, clasping the necklace behind my neck. I moved my hair outside the chain, and pressed my hand against the necklace and felt the engraved symbol. A new habit that would form, no doubt.

“So why does everybody wear it?” I turned, noticing he was still very close.

“It’s kind of a brand. The Vampyrs who aren’t rogues wear these… the wolves wear an earring… and the witches wear a ring. All branded with an engraving or symbol… ours is the fancy R.”

“For Romaro. Hmm.” I looked up at him, wishing his sunglasses weren’t in the way. “Also, I have a question…”

“Yes?”

“If I live in the human area… I don’t have to move, do I?”

He shrugged, “It doesn’t really matter much. Usually the turned ones do though…”

I frowned, “Why?”

“Well, the turned ones can’t be in the sunlight.” He sighed, scratching the back of his neck.

My eyes widened, “What?”

“Yeah. I don’t know what it is, but us vampires are really sensitive, and the turned ones even more so… they die in the sun…”

I looked away towards the night’s skyline, outside his clear glass wall behind the couch as any penthouse in this building would have. Not being able to go out must be agonizing for them…

“My dad thinks cause our cells are too powerful, and since humans can be sensitive to the sun too, it basically overloads on them…”

I nodded, and suddenly thought about the time. I checked my phone, cursing under my breath when I saw it was already ten o’clock. Had it been that long? It wasn’t that bad, I usually stayed up anyways, and I need to learn more.

“Do you know why we need to feed?” I looked, somewhat worried about the answer. If there was a way to avoid killing, I’d do it. He frowned, then held up a finger.

“Wait right here. I’m gonna go down to the library and come right back. Make yourself at home.” He entered the elevator, giving me a small thumbs up before the doors closed on him.

I looked back towards the open windows, marveling in his living space as well. It wasn’t much of a mess, just your typical clutter. I saw some cute plants on the window sill, taken care of nicely if I say so myself. I sat down on the couch crisscross, massaging my face in an attempt to relax myself. Today, although I was glad with the many revelations, it had been very exhausting. I saw a thin leather book on the armrest, and frowned as to why I didn’t notice that before. I took it gingerly, opening the first page with a gasp. Was this a journal? Was this Gabe’s journal?

The elevator dinged, and I threw it across the room in a frenzied panic. Gabe raised an eyebrow, holding the same stack of books plus some others that we had initially been reading in the library, “What was that?”

“I kind of…” I scratched the back of my head, feeling sheepish, “...totally found a journal of yours and immediately closed it before reading it, then you entered and I panicked and threw it.” I nodded to myself, feeling somewhat awkward as he slightly flustered up at the mention of his journal.

“Well…” Gabe shrugged, his blush fading and walked towards me with a smirk. He plopped the books down beside me, and sat beside them. “I wouldn’t mind if you did read it.”

I perked up, suddenly interested, “Wait, really?”

He smiled at my sudden eagerness, “I mean, why not? You should get to know who's showing you our ways.”

I laughed, “You’d really let me read your diary?”

He shrugged again, “It’d be nice to share something with another royal, especially one who’s not related to me.”

“Have you really never met the others?” I frowned, grabbing one of the books about the history of supernatural lineages and creatures. The spine was rough, and the texture even rougher. The author’s name was faded out, I could barely make out any letters on the title as well, and my eyes slightly widened at how old these books were.

“Not in a long time, at least.” He sighed, placing the books elsewhere while leaning in closer to see what I was reading as I opened to the first page. He was actually quiet alongside me, just reading with me, and it was quite enjoyable.

Apparently, first were the witches who had molded into society. They were naturally born, relying on the earth and other natural resources, but they eventually grew in power. The werewolves came from ancient tribes, which honestly helped explain some dynamics like alphas and betas, but what was more interesting was the origin story. A witch and a man had fallen in love, but his cruel father forbid him to see someone who practiced “evil crafts”. However, being discovered in secret together, the father struck her in a fit of rage. She had gone blind, and the son who was once desperately in love with her, had left her behind in sorrow. He couldn’t bare to see her get hurt anymore. Yet, as a witch, her anger gave her power, and she cursed him and all of his kin, including all of his village, to become beast.

I scoffed. Gabe raised a brow, “What?”

“This witch has, like, zero hindsight. Did she not think of her true love?”

“Just keep reading.” I rolled my eyes at his response but kept going.

This was done on purpose. When her love came to her for help when he was turned into a beast, she turned him human, and gave him the ability to shift in and out of it for their protection if her father figured it out. Making man’s first werewolf… their next of kin, and so on gained the ability. Yet most werewolves who have no knowledge of their origins believe this was a story of a moon goddess, and a human. It went on to list their abilities, and I smiled despite myself.

“Huh.”

Gabe raised a brow, and I shrugged. “It had a nice ending. Wasn’t expecting that.”

“They’re very rare, huh?”

I nodded, sighing as I turned the page to vampires. Our origins were very different. We were once humans… I huffed, noticing our origins were darker. A woman and her five children, on the brink of death, approached a well-known witch who she was good friends with. Her family had been attacked, and her children barely survived. The woman died after making her witch friend promise she would save her children. The witch gathered more of her kind to help, and they did. They blessed the children with god-like gifts, speed, strength, agility, and senses. But with this came consequences, they needed a natural resource to gain power from. As always said, magic comes with a price. They were burdened with bloodlust, first to raw meat, then to animals, but those were never enough. It was humans that they needed. They slaughtered countless people, until eventually, they found themselves again. They were reminded of who they were, they settled down, they had children… and eventually died from old age.

I looked to Gabe in confusion, “I thought we lived forever.”

“If we want to…”

“But it says here they died from old age.”

He nodded with a smug expression, almost prideful about who we were, “If you stop drinking human blood, you start to age a little. If not, you can live as long as you want… it’s all right there.”

I nodded, going back to reading. I read everything: from the wars that went on between the species to how the mixed children between the species were unpredictable when it came to who they would take after. I read for ages more, grabbing another book about Gabriel’s lineage instead, and was fascinated by his family history. I heard a loud snore, and giggled at his head that rest on the back of the couch. I grabbed the books, placing them on the floor. After a moment of hesitation, I ended up laying next to him. I was tired, and he seemed to have enough space on his large couch.

I don’t know why, but I was put at ease with him. Maybe cause he was helping me with what I was… I didn’t know why, but seeing his relaxed face made me calm, just as it did before. I closed my eyes, allowing the darkness and sleep to overcome me.