Serum

-Eleven-

When evening came, neither of us felt a need for nourishment, at least that was how I was determined to think of it. So Conner and I decided to go for a walk. We decided to go to the track and walked laps like we had done before. It felt so calming and ritualistic, but my mind couldn’t adjust to how much had changed. My senses were perfectly adjusted to the dark, and I no longer had a need to hurry home or a reason not to stay out late. We walked for a while and then just sat in the bleachers. The night passed slowly as the stars wheeled across the sky and our hushed conversation was barely a whisper on the breeze. I’m not sure when Conner took my hand exactly, but I didn’t pull back, and as the night wore on, I found myself leaning on him, my head resting on his shoulder, just watching the night sky.

We returned home sometime before dawn and I immediately went towards my curtained off “room” to change. I may not have to worry much about sweat, but the night air still clung to my clothing and left a scent. Mingling with the old human scent left clinging to my clothes, it was nearly overpowering. Digging through the small bag of clothes, it took me a while to find something suitable to wear.

“Conner, we have a problem.” I voiced as I came back out from behind the curtain. He walked out of the kitchen area which was actually more or less what the church had used it for, storing their ‘wine’ and ‘bread’. Ok, we all knew it was grape juice and crackers, and with my sense of smell, I could still smell the spilled juice and cracker crumbs.

“What’s that?” Conner asked distractedly.

“Well, I really don’t have anything much to wear. I know that it’s not really that important or anything, but everything that I do have was made for a me about three sizes bigger than I am now. And even the smallest stuff threatens to fall off. So I guess what I’m trying to say is that it would probably be best if we went shopping sometime soon.” I responded helplessly, flapping my arms in a night-shirt that hung off one shoulder with a neckline that came dangerously close to exposing something it shouldn’t.

“Oh! That’s no problem. I don’t know about you though, but I could use a nap, and I try not to go out till after two in the evening because of the sun. I hate wearing sunglasses.” He said with a frown, still not looking up. He was reading something in his hands, so I just assented and headed towards the makeshift bed on my side of the room. Nimbly, I jumped over the back of one pew and landed squarely in the middle without losing my balance. Grimly I smiled, there were a few good things about being a vampire, but my self-satisfaction was short-lived by the sound of Conner’s laughter. I looked up, my head jerking in his direction faster than I’d intended and nearly giving me whiplash.

“Ow.” I mouthed, rubbing my neck, and Conner held up his hands.

“Sorry, sorry.  I just now saw what you were talking about. Are all your shirts like that? The one you wore earlier wasn’t so bad!” Conner chuckled and I looked down to see the shirt hanging halfway to my elbow again. Furious embarrassment worked its way through my system as I saw how close I’d come to exposing my breast. I yanked the shirt up angrily and Conner laughed harder. “Sorry, sorry!” He said again as I gave him an angry glare. “I see what you mean though. Definitely with the shopping.” I hmphed and turned away from him, trying my best to ignore him.

A hand brushed the hair off my neck and a soft kiss was planted on my temple, making me shudder.

“I really am sorry if I embarrassed you. Never be ashamed of your body. You’re beautiful, and I’m not a horney teenage human boy. When and if you want to show it to me, I’ll be waiting.” Conner’s words were breathed so softly by my ear, I wasn’t sure if he really spoke them. By the time I looked around he’d already made it back to his side of the room. A shiver made its way down my spine. Slowly, I settled into my new “bed” and curled up on my side, sighing myself to sleep.

I woke sometime before twelve, vaguely unsettled. Something was going on, I could feel it. I hadn’t really picked up anything throughout my sleep, nor could I sense anything now other than just the vague feeling. It was still dark, and I took note of this with a sense of apprehension. It was nearly noon, there should be strong daylight streaming through the stained glass windows.

“Conner, are you awake? Something’s happening.” I sat up straighter. There was no response, and I couldn’t even pick up the shallow rush of his blood or his breathing.

“Conner?!!” I practically squealed. Leaping from my pew, I raced across the church, not finding him in his sleeping area. I ran from the atrium to the kitchen area, then back through the atrium to the bathroom. I couldn’t find Conner anywhere, nor hear his gentle heartbeat sounds.

“Conner!!!” I screamed, the sound piercing in my own ears, near loud enough to damage my eardrums. I think I might have been panicking. I bolted to the door so quickly I was nothing but a blur. Throwing it open, I was caught breathless. The vacuum effect of the door swinging open so quickly allowed the outside weather to rush at me. There was a complete difference from the inside world I was accustomed to. Outside, all was dark, and though I could see, the sight did not make me comfortable. The wind tossed trees and plants around roughly. It caught at the hem of my nightshirt and slapped it across my skin. The dark clouds covered the sky, as if hiding the sun’s view of the havoc the wind was making of the world below. The change shocked me so much, all I could do was stand there staring. A subtle feeling hummed through my blood. It wanted me to race outside, throw my arms out to the wind, revel in the wildness I was viewing, and run away as fast as I could. Shaking, I resisted the urge and stepped back, throwing the door closed. Slowly I backed up until my legs bumped against a pew. I sank onto it and curled up on it, watching the door. I was once again alone in an alien world, but this time the alien world didn’t really concern my body. Were all storms like this, and as a human being I had just missed out on their intensity?

When the rain finally started thrashing against the roof and windows I listened to it intently, as if waiting to hear an answer. The sound of the drops was another exquisite torture I wasn’t prepared for. The ebb and swell were almost like a heartbeat as the wind blew the rain against the walls. The individual drops never quite made the same sound, but were overwhelming if you tried to pick them out individually, and yet the entire noise of the event was like being in the middle of a marching band’s drumline. I cowered, covering my ears, and tried to concentrate just on the sound it made against the nearest window. It beat against the distorted glass, and then slacked off, throwing itself against the glass again only to soften. Before I knew it, the rain had lulled me to sleep until a sudden squeak sounded in my ears. My eyes shot open automatically and a rain-drenched Conner stood in the doorway.

“Sorry to have disappeared on you like that, but I had a little incident while you were asleep.” Conner remarked dryly, trying ineffectively to wipe water from his skin and clothes. With a cry, I threw myself at him, and he barely caught me, trying to hold me off before I could get soaked.

“What happened to you, all of a sudden the storm woke me up, or something woke me up and I looked around and…” I was babbling. I couldn’t stop myself.

“I wasn’t there. I know. I wouldn’t have left if I’d had any choice. Your first storm, I bet that was scary. Vampires have an even stronger sense of self preservation than humans. Storms affect us in different ways, but many times it makes us go a bit wild. Makes us want to “run for the hills”, so to speak.” Conner stopped trying to hold me at arm’s length and let me collapse against his chest. “I’m sorry I wasn’t here to explain it all when it started. It might have been a bit more comforting.” Conner murmured, smoothing my hair.

“But what happened to you? You look like you’ve been out in this for a long time! Where did you go? Are you ok?” I was still bristling with adrenaline and flooded him with questions as he gingerly sat down on a pew, pulling me down beside him. Conner grimaced, raising a soaked arm, while still keeping one wrapped around me.

“I’m kinda drained” He answered apologetically. “I’ll definitely need to hunt tonight after this, we’ll have to go shopping tomorrow if that’s ok.” He ran a hand through his wet hair, and I could see the exhaustion lining his face, but it felt suspiciously like he was avoiding my questions.

“Yes it’s fine! They’re just clothes! I don’t want to go out in this anyway!” I gestured at the door. “But Conner, what happened?! Please explain it to me, I feel like you’re avoiding the question, and it makes me even more worried. If it’s private, just tell me and I’ll stop asking..” I felt like I was pulling teeth with rusty pliers or something. Conner sighed.

“I just don’t have the energy for this. It would be so much easier if… Would you do something for me?” Conner asked.

“What?” Worriedly, I moved closer to him. “Do you need some of my blood?” Conner gave a small laugh.

“I’m not that desperate. To explain what I meant, I would like to share my memories with you.” Conner answered. I pulled back slightly to look at him.

“How? Is that possible? Do vampires have some new technology that humans don’t?” Curiosity was eating me alive. Conner grinned, but shook his head.

“Technology, no. Vampires, well some vampires have the ability to share memories and emotions, but it’s kinda rare so it may not even work correctly. Look, this is all very draining, just open your mind to me and I’ll explain a bit more later.” Conner gently gripped my hand.

“Open my mind…?” I gasped as a touch seemed to emanate from within my own mind. I automatically shrank from it, but it persisted. Like a switch had been flipped in my head, I recognized a strain running through it that felt to my mind, like Conner’s scent and the sound of his blood felt to my senses. With a dizzying tumble, the soft touch in my head resolved into an image.