The Progeny

by Shelley Crowley

  He wanted to know the answers. But he also felt his eyelids drooping.

  Sleep took him under. He buried his face into the pillow and crossed his fingers. Let me sleep in peace. Please.

  Burrowed deep under the duvet, Alexander snorted so loud in his sleep that he woke himself up. Jerking up into a sitting position in a sudden panic, his blond hair a wild mess on top of his head, he threw back the cover with wide-eyes.

  The room was filled with the deep orange glow of the sun through the curtains. He squinted at the bright light and faced the window, suddenly remembering where he was. A figure was standing, silhouetted black against the curtains. When Alexander’s eyes adjusted, he realised that it was Seb. He opened his mouth to call over to him but his throat was dry from sleeping with his mouth open. After clearing his throat and wiping away the drool from his chin, he tried again.

  “Did you sleep?” His voice was still a little groggy, but it was audible.

  Seb’s eyebrow quirked up at the question. He had peeled back the centre where the two curtains met and was gazing outside. “Come here.”

  Alexander got up and padded over to him in his boxer shorts, still a little bleary from sleep. He yawned, opening his mouth wide like a lion and ran his fingers through his hair to try and tame it. When he approached, Seb opened the curtain a little more so that Alexander could see through the slit. His heart swelled at the sight of the sun shimmering off the dew-covered lawn. He flickered his gaze to Seb and his heart seemed to grow even bigger. The unshed tears in his huge jade eyes had given them an even more incredible sparkle, like the sun setting over an ocean. But the magnificent brilliance of his eyes only heightened Alexander’s awareness of the parched, ghost-like colour of his skin.

  “You look rough,” said Alexander, concerned. “Did you get any sleep?”

  “Don’t worry about me,” he replied, still not taking his eyes off the window. “I always look like this thanks to my Romanian heritage. I could sleep for ten years and still wake up with dark circles.”

  “Have you ever tried make-up?”

  Seb furrowed his brows. “No, I’ve never tried make-up.”

  “Well, a good concealer can be something you could add to your list for Nico.”

  Seb laughed and Alexander’s heart skipped a beat. He’d never heard a sound that was so hauntingly beautiful yet felt so incredibly underused. It rattled in his throat like rusted cogs turning in an abandoned machine, unsure of their purpose. An odd sense of pride and privilege surged through Alexander at the thought that he had caused him to flex those muscles again and bring his laughter back - which had so obviously been absent from his life.

  As he was deep inside his own thoughts, Alexander remembered something he had been mulling over in his head right before sleep had pulled him under.

  “How do you feel about all of this?” he asked.

  Finally, Seb’s gaze was tugged away from the window. He looked to Alexander. His long lashes were clumped together from old tears. His hair was still perfect. It was obvious he hadn’t even attempted to rest. Maybe he simply couldn’t. “What do you mean?”

  Alexander’s jaw locked with caged anger. “About being human again.”

  Seb blinked slowly and turned back to the window, gazing out at the blue winter sky. “I don’t really know. I don’t think it’s sunk in yet. I feel uncomfortable.” He tugged at the front of his t-shirt as if it was restricting him. “But I can’t put my finger on why that is. I’ve never felt settled anywhere, really. But here… there’re too many people. And now I’m human… I don’t know… maybe my anxiety is having more of an effect.” He gulped hard. “But mainly everything just doesn’t feel real. Like looking out at the sun now. It doesn’t feel right but doesn’t necessarily feel wrong, either. More like… that I’m experiencing some intense, drug-induced dream that I’m going to wake up from at any moment.” Suddenly, Seb’s face pinched and his lips drew back into their usual sullen line. His bottom lip was slightly bigger than his top one, Alexander noticed, which made him look like he was constantly pouting.

  Alexander stayed quiet a moment, thinking about what he had just heard. And it all made complete sense. It also jogged something else in his memory. Alexander hadn’t dreamt again. He had had a perfect night’s sleep. Because he hadn’t been alone.

  Even back in Mrs. Braverman’s farm house, Alexander had barely slept alone. Although, for a vampire, sleeping was more like being unconscious, but he still liked feeling Varsee close to him before the sun knocked him out. Then he’d wake up hours later with his sister against his back, or front, depending on whose turn it had been to be the big spoon.

  “I hate this place,” Alexander breathed, gazing out across the lavish grounds. “Strip back all the luxury and what do you have left? A guy who’s too optimistic for his own good.”

  A heavy silence filled the room as the two men stood side by side, bathing in the winter’s sun. Finally, Seb heaved out a sigh and turned to the door. “I’m going to leave. Let you get yourself ready. Maybe I’ll see you at breakfast.”

  Alexander didn’t want him to leave. He didn’t want to be alone. Not in this place. But he also knew that being around another person – a stranger – would be taking its toll on Seb. After all, he had been a lone wolf for fourteen years. So instead, Alexander just nodded. “Okay, I’ll catch up with you later.”

  Seb sent him a smile that looked forced and uncomfortable, and then left, closing the door behind him.

  Alexander stared at the door, wondering why, out of all the people in this place, he had to have chosen the loner.

  But the answer was simple.

  Seb was beautiful and broken, just like him.

  In the bathroom, Alexander checked out his reflection, making sure no wrinkles had formed in his sleep. Thankfully, they hadn’t. He still looked as resilient as a twenty-two-year-old should look. Or maybe even a little younger. He brushed his fingertips over his cheekbones which were very prominent as always. He had always had quite a spindly frame. Even when he had served in the army, he had never had much meat on his bones. The other soldiers used to laugh at the way his shirts hung over his shoulders and his sleeves flapped in the breeze. But what Alexander had lacked in strength, he had made up for with his aim. He had always excelled at target practice.

  Alexander squeezed his eyes shut and pressed his fingers to his temples when they started to pound erratically. Why was all of this coming back? It seemed like everywhere he turned, he was being reminded of his past. Everything that he had squashed down and tried to forget about was being thrown back at him with the force of a fist to the gut. Gasping, Alexander opened his eyes and caught sight of the same brown and cream blur in the mirror that he had spotted the other morning. He spun on the tiled floor with his heart pounding in his chest. Nothing. He was alone.

  “Fuck this,” Alexander panted and ran back into his bedroom. He threw on the same t-shirt and sweatpants he had worn the day before even though he had noticed a fresh pair in his wardrobe. He hopped towards the door as he was still attempting to pull on his socks. Suddenly remembering the list, he doubled back and grabbed it before slamming the door shut behind him with a shudder.

  There were four of the Cured in the dining room helping themselves to the selection of food displayed on the table. None of them were Seb. Wanting to avoid small talk with any of those tortured strangers, Alexander quickly grabbed a cereal bar from a bowl and left. His stomach growled as he made his way to Nico’s office, vaguely remembering which corridors to go down. He munched on his cereal bar which he was actually finding quite nourishing and successfully made it to his office. This time, the door was closed. Remembering his manners but wishing he could kick the door in, he knocked.

  “Come in.”

  Alexander glared at the sound of Nico’s voice but fixed his face in a mask of cool indifference as he pushed the door open. Nico was sitting behind his desk. He had his head bowed, studying a small lined piece of paper identical to the f
olded one in Alexander’s pocket.

  “I have my list for you,” said Alexander, weaving between the three sofas.

  Nico lifted his head and smiled. “Wonderful.”

  Alexander took it from his pocket and handed it to him. Nico took it and Alexander made sure they didn’t accidentally brush fingers, as if he was going to contract some sort of virus at his touch. But of course, Alexander had already been infected by him - in more ways than one.

  Nico’s grey eyes scanned the list before he added it to his pile. “As I said before, I may not be able to provide you with everything you desire, but I will give it my best shot.”

  “What I want isn’t necessarily difficult to acquire,” said Alexander. “It’s mainly just clothes so I can get out of this shit.” He gestured to his drab black attire. “Oh, and shoes.”

  Nico arched his eyebrow and leaned over his monstrous desk. Alexander wiggled his socked toes when he looked down.

  “You don’t have any shoes?” asked Nico.

  “None that go with this outfit.”

  Nico sank back down in his chair. “I’ll have some sent up to your room right away, my apologies. What size are you?”

  “Eleven. I’ve written it on my list.”

  Nico adjusted his glasses and inspected his list. “Ah, so you have.”

  “Can I go now?”

  Nico nodded. “Sure, if you need nothing from me?”

  My life back would be nice. He shook his head.

  Nico gestured to the door with a soft smile. “Then you are free to go.”

  You are too kind.

  When Alexander turned around and made his way out, he ground his teeth in fury but made sure his muscles didn’t noticeably coil and stiffen his posture. After shutting the door, he let out an emptying breath and sank back against it, feeling spent. Every moment around Nico was taxing. He just wanted to scream in his face and choke him with his own bloody skinny tie. But no, he needed to act cool, calm and collected. How had his sister mastered it so well? It was exhausting.

  With the sudden urge to feel the crisp winter breeze against his skin, Alexander pushed himself off the door and headed outside onto the patio. He had noticed in his wardrobe that Nico had also supplied him with a simple black cotton zip up hoodie but he had left it on its hanger. He’d figured all of the Cured had one, yet only half a dozen had them on. He’d come to the conclusion that most of them wanted to bathe as much skin as they could under the winter’s sun. In a distracted moment, as he wandered across the flagged stones, Alexander wondered if anyone would be bothered if he decided to streak and run laps around the oversized lawn. The thought made him grin with mischief. The grin was then replaced by a wide-eyed stare and a fluttering heart when he spotted Seb sat hunched forwards on the stone steps, a faraway look in his eyes as he stared absently at the impressive flowerbeds.

  Alexander sank down slowly and silently beside him, curling his long form into the same position his friend was in. Seb was still staring out and carried on for a long moment before he sucked in a startled breath and blinked hard. He turned to Alexander and nearly jumped out of his skin.

  “Dude,” eased Alexander in a whisper, touching his muscular shoulder. “Where were you?”

  Red rings framed Seb’s eyes and his lips were drawn back into his signature grim pout.

  “Nowhere.” His voice was so achingly frail that it made Alexander wince with shared pain.

  “Are you okay?”

  Seb nodded, looking back to the grass. “What was my nickname?”

  Alexander blinked, a little perplexed. “What?”

  A faint, effortful smile curved on Seb’s lips. “You call Simon Snowflake. Did I have a nickname?” He looked back to him, his jade eyes a little too bright.

  Alexander smiled sympathetically, seeing right through his brave façade but knowing it was not his place to tear it away. “No,” he said, his voice slightly gravelly through the lump lodged in his throat. “You didn’t have a nickname. I was still trying to figure you out.”

  “What about the rest? Do they have nicknames?”

  Alexander nodded and started counting them on his fingers, knowing Seb was seeking a distraction from his own thoughts. “Okay, so, there’s Snowflake who you already know. Then there’s Carrot-top, the ginger.”

  “Louis,” nodded Seb.

  Alexander sent him a playful glare, as if knowing his real name was some sort of offence. “Rusty, the old guy.” Seb nodded but stayed silent. “Sleeve and Mr. Muscle who seem to have teamed up. Dreadlocks. Slenderman-”

  “Slenderman?”

  Alexander quirked an eyebrow. “Yeah, he came into Nico’s office before me when we were given those documents. You know, the freakishly tall guy with black hair?”

  Seb barked a laugh which made Alexander jump. “Oh yeah. Him.”

  “You know his name?”

  Seb shook his head. “He seems even muter than me.”

  “Slenderman it is, then.”

  “What about the girls? Do they have nicknames?”

  “Of course.” Alexander bowed his head chivalrously and continued to count with his fingers. “There’s Shrooms, the chick that looks like a drug addict.”

  “The black haired one?”

  “No. The blonde one. Really pale.”

  “I think her name is Lindsey. Or Lisa…”

  “Then there’s the creepy black-haired girl who I’ve decided is Gollum.”

  Seb’s face cracked into a smile. “I like that. That’s clever.”

  There was that blooming warmth inside Alexander’s chest again. It seemed to take his breath away and melt his heart like soft butter. Just looking at that smile. That smile that was so pure and innocent and achingly beautiful. Alexander wanted to take a picture and keep it forever along with a recording of his laugh.

  “What about the others?”

  There was a beat of silence between them before Alexander spoke again, too caught up in his emotions to realise Seb had just asked him a question. He cleared his throat and tried to look casual. “Miss. Scratchy. I’m not too fond of that name but I couldn’t think of anything else.”

  “Hm, yeah. I’ve noticed that, too. Always her wrists, like it’s some sort of calming mechanism or something. Constant repetition.”

  Alexander nodded along. “Then there’s Daisy,” he spat. “She was never granted a nickname but I’m sure I could think of a few.”

  “I’m sure she could think of a few for you, too.”

  Alexander snarled. “The way she sucks up to Nico makes me wanna hurl. What the fuck is wrong with her?”

  Seb shrugged. “I don’t know. She seems to be the only one here who has taken this change in their stride. With the rest of us,” he winced, scratching his head, “it’s been a struggle.”

  “That’s an understatement,” huffed Alexander, draping his arms over his tucked-up knees and watching the gardener in his puffy winter jacket straighten out the edge of the lawn with a pair of huge trimmers.

  “You’ve forgotten someone.”

  “What?” Alexander turned back to Seb.

  “The last girl,” he added. “The brunette.”

  Alexander’s heart stopped and the cold winter breeze seeped into his bones. “Oh, her-” He cleared his throat. “I couldn’t think of one for her, either.”

  “Her name’s Jennifer.”

  Alexander clenched his hands into fists and sank his teeth into his tongue to hold back the build-up of sudden tears.

  Jennifer. Not Elizabeth. Jennifer.

  Needing to shake off the looming sensation of nostalgia quickly, Alexander shot to his feet. Seb flinched at the sudden motion and then squinted up at him in confusion. “I want to do something.”

  Seb’s dark brows furrowed. “Okay. Like what?”

  “I found an indoor pool.”

  Seb frowned and looked down. “I don’t feel like swimming.”

  “There’s a basketball court.”

  Seb’s eyebrow quir
ked up. Alexander noticed the spark in his eyes, and grinned.

  “You wanna?”

  Easing to his feet, Seb didn’t make eye contact as he strolled down the patio and began heading down the path that ran along the lawn.

  Alexander hurried along behind him. “I’m taking this as a yes?”

  “This is a yes.”

  Alexander fell into a step beside him. Seb’s eyes stayed low to the ground, his long eyelashes creating shadows over his cheeks and making his dark circles look like hollow pits. “What did you have for breakfast?” asked Alexander, hoping his tone was conversational rather than prying. What he really wanted to know was if he even had eaten. Or was he putting off that as well as succumbing to sleep?

  Seb’s mouth moved without words for a hesitant moment. “I had a piece of toast.”

  “You’re a terrible liar.”

  Seb gulped and his eyes shifted. “I’m not lying.”

  “It’s not as bad as you think.” Alexander stroked his firm stomach. “I had a cereal bar, was pretty nice. That cheese burger I had last night was a big mistake though. Went right through me.”

  Seb pulled a face of disgust and Alexander nodded in agreement. “I know. I did not miss those types of bodily functions when I was Turned.”

  Seb’s face stayed fixed in a contorted look of displeasure and discomfort right up until they reached the basketball court. They both paused at the chain link fence and studied it. Seb openly gaped, and for a moment, his features were soft and slack like an innocent child’s. His jade eyes fluttered over the asphalt ground. “Oh, there’s a ball by the far basket.”

  Alexander skirted through the gap in the fence. Seb followed and stopped before the closest basket as Alexander jogged over to get the ball. He picked it up and instantly began dribbling it, knowing Seb would have wanted him to. Less talking about the insufferable truth and more focusing on pointless little pleasures. Seb swooped in to take the ball. They were back to back, Alexander dribbling backwards as Seb fruitlessly tried to swing his body around and undercut him. But Alexander’s reflexes were as quick as a cat’s and he was able to spin round and shoot. The ball went straight through the net without even hitting the backboard.