Being Human

by Patricia Lynne

  Her eyes widen in horror, thoughts speaking loudly. The rumors are true. Vampires are monsters that kill whoever they want. He'll kill me, then her!

  I glared at her. “You don't know anything about me. You think I don't have feelings or that I don't care. If I didn't care, I would kill you. I'd kill you, then him and anyone else I came across tonight. But I'm not going to do that, I'm only going to kill him, he deserves it. That human needs to see the truth about her son. She needs to see that he is the monster.” I focused my will, hissing my next words. “Welcome me in.”

  ****

  “Guidance counselors suck,” my brother sighed.

  “Why?” I asked, only half paying attention. I was almost winning this round. His character's health meter was nearly empty and mine was half full. This would be the first time I won the first round. With a tap of a few buttons, he sent my character flying out of the ring. I tossed the control down with a growl. “How do you do that? How do you knock them out of the ring?”

  He laughed. “I thought you said video games were pointless.”

  “They are. I like winning. It's nice.”

  “Sore loser, that's a human trait.”

  “I am not human,” I indignantly replied.

  He laughed harder. “Now you sound like a human in denial.”

  “Why do guidance counselors suck?” I asked, not caring for his observations.

  His face turned serious as he started another round. “He just asks me stupid questions. How do I feel about our parents' deaths? How do I feel about you being a vampire? What makes me think I need to defend you? Do I know you'd kill me if given the chance? Stuff like that. And I've tried to explain it, the twin bond. He says that's only a myth, there's no proof that twins have a psychic bond that lets them feel the other's emotions. I get to sit my whole free period talking about my feelings so Mr. Vargas can feel good about himself.”

  “Lie,” I replied. “I know lying is pointless, but not for that. Lie to the human and tell him you want me dead. I won't mind if it keeps you happy.”

  “I'm happy.”

  “You're not. What happened with that human caused you pain and not just physical. Tell them what they want to hear and they will leave you alone. You can be happy,” I insisted.

  “That won't make me happy,” he sighed. “Being honest about you makes me happy. I want people to understand what I see when I look at you. Sure, I see a vampire, but I also see my brother. You do things my brother did, say things he did. You are still him. Even if you don't remember or feel like it.” He slumped back, eyes distant. “You make me wonder if we've been misjudging vampires. Maybe there is something human left in them. It's small and vague, but it's still human.”

  “There's nothing human left in me.”

  “Then why are you the only one of us who refers to our parents' deaths as murder? Every other time you've talked about hunting or feeding or blood, you say kill,” he pointed out. “In your mind, you murdered our parents. How is that not human?”

  “That’s how I see it.”

  “That's why I accept you now. So indifferent at times, but I can still see my human brother. I recognize you. That’s what I want everyone else to see.”

  For a long time, neither of us spoke. We played the video game. I won a few rounds, a grin filling my face each time. He snickered at my smile – along with shuddering. I felt content in the moment, happy to be with him, overjoyed at his feelings for me and at ease with our location. I was starting to feel like we had both found a new home.

  “Danny.” The door opened, my aunt froze halfway through, gaze locked on me.

  “Tommy, run!”

  My body jumped to action, instincts telling me to listen to my brother’s order. I slid off the roof, my feet hitting the ground running. Once tall buildings surrounded me and not a human in sight, I skidded to a halt.

  What happened back there? The sudden noise had shocked me, caused my thoughts to freeze in their tracks when I should have automatically melted into the shadows. Now my aunt had seen me with my brother. What would she say to him? After what happened to him at school, I was sure her words would be anything but kind. She might even hurt him.

  I whirled around, heading back. My mind raced through everything he had told me about humans and vampires. Any human that sought out a vampire was frowned upon and usually wound up dead. But what happened to the humans that consorted with vampires and survived?

  When I reached the house, red and blue lights flashed in the driveway. Humans stood in doorways of homes or watched from windows. I lingered in the shadows, not daring to move any closer.

  “And you're sure, Ma'am?” the cop asked my aunt, writing on a small pad of paper.

  “Definitely, it was trying to get in,” my aunt replied. She hugged my brother tightly. “Trying to finish what it started and kill poor Danny.”

  “No, he wasn't.” My brother pulled free. “He wouldn't hurt me.”

  “Now, son.” The cop's voice was patronizing. “I know it may seem like that, especially if it caught your gaze. Those parasites can make you think anything. I need you to remain calm and tell me what happened.”

  “We were playing video games.”

  “Don't lie!” my uncle snapped.

  “I'm not lying,” my brother insisted. “If you'd listen to me, you'd know he doesn't mean any harm. He's my brother.”

  “That's enough!” my uncle roared. He grabbed my brother by the arm, almost propelling me out of the shadows. “We've been through this before, when you were suspended. Tommy is dead and you need to stop this nonsense. Mr. Vargas says–”

  “Mr. Vargas is an idiot,” my brother interrupted. “He doesn't have siblings or kids even. How exactly is he qualified to be a school guidance counselor?”

  My uncle pressed his lips together before speaking. “Dee, take Daniel inside. We will discuss this later.”

  My aunt silently led my brother inside.

  “Your nephew believes the vampire’s harmless,” the cop noted. “That happens. Some people find it hard to believe someone they love is dead. Especially when there's a monster out there that looks like them.”

  “What do I do?” my uncle sighed.

  “I know of a therapist, helps victims of vampire loss.” The cop wrote on the paper and tore it off. “Give him a call; I'm sure he can help.”

  “What about the vampire? It's going to come back. If it already hasn't.” My uncle peered around.

  “We can post a car outside if you want. VF will be over shortly too,” the cop replied. “They’ll probably relocate you and set a trap. Vampires can be slippery leeches, it takes time to bait and catch them. If it wants your nephew dead, you don't want to give it the chance.”

  The cop left and my uncle and the other humans disappeared back into their homes. I stayed in my spot, listening to my brother and uncle argue. Finally my uncle ordered him to his room.

  I darted out of the shadows and across the street. Hugging the shadows of the next house, I moved around the back. Gauging the distance and scanning windows for faces, I headed across the lawns and up the side. “Danny.”

  The window opened a fraction of an inch, curtains still closed. “I'm here.”

  “I'm sorry.”

  “It's not your fault.”

  “Yes, it is, she shouldn't have seen me. I promised you they wouldn't!” I insisted. “What's going to happen now?”

  He was silent for a moment. “They're making me leave. Aunt Dee has wanted to move out of the city for a long time and now she has the perfect excuse. But they won’t tell me where.”

  I stared at the rows of houses. Lights glimmered in them, but tonight those lights lacked warmth. Every human in those houses hated me. The ones below me hated me. None of them knew me, knew what I felt. All they knew was I was a vampire, and because of that, thought I was a heartless monster. In their opinion, I was only good if I was ash.

  The only human that didn't feel that way was my brother, filled with a pai
n that transferred through our bond and into me.

  “You have to go with them,” I whispered.

  “Why?”

  I leaned over, seeing him through the curtains. “Because I'll find you.”

  ****

  The smell of my brother lingered in the air, faintly drifting on the breeze. I inhaled deeply, the scent as familiar as the house before me. I cautiously moved closer, aware of the truth. My brother wasn't in that house. Or my aunt and uncle. The humans inside were ones I didn't know, would never know. They were decoys, sent to the house, carrying items saturated with my brother's scent in hopes of luring me. Vampire Forces.

  I scrambled up the side of the house, leaning next to the window. The spot comforted me, reminding me of the nights spent talking with my brother, learning about him and about myself as a human.

  Footsteps thumped into his room. “Hey, brought dinner.”

  An irritated sigh. “Not more fast food. I'm so sick of that crap. When is this stint gonna be over?”

  “Stop your complaining,” the first voice sighed. “We're seven days into this and already you’re whining like a child.”

  “I'm sick of sitting in this room, pretending to be some deluded kid. Did you see the interview tape? I've never seen that much denial. That kid's lucky to be alive,” the second voice said.

  “I know. Why the parasite didn't kill him is beyond me. What was it thinking?”

  “It's a vampire. It was probably playing a sick game of cat and mouse, torture the boy, then kill him.” The second voice grew more and more irritated.

  “True, those monsters are ruthless. Want to grab a beer when your shift ends?”

  “Sure. Hey, thanks for the food.”

  “No problem.”

  I slid down the roof, slipping into the shadows. Each night I made a trip to the house, checking to see if Vampire Forces was still there. I hid in the shadows, hoping they'd mention where my brother had been taken. They never did. Afterwards, I'd go to my home, the house where I murdered my parents. I wasn't sure why, I just did.

  After, I’d resume my search for my brother. I roamed the highways around the city, venturing into nearby towns. I kept my nose open. He knew I'd be looking for him, knew I'd be able to smell him. He had to know leaving his scent would lead me to him.

  Tonight, though, I had to pause my search to hunt.

  It took most of the night, but I found a human. He was breaking into a home, face covered in black. When he was dead, I dragged him to the curb and set him next to a trash can. Taking out the trash. I laughed at my own joke.

  My cheer faded as gray and pink tinged the sky. There was no time left to search the next town before the sun rose. A bit disheartened, I headed to the cabin.

  Rhythms beat inside the wooden walls. I wandered around the building, eyes narrowing. Had the Vampire Forces sent humans here? I knew my brother wouldn't tell them about the cabin, so how did Vampire Forces find out? Maybe my aunt and uncle told them. Would my brother still be mad if I killed them?

  Yes, I decided and headed up the steps. My brother's scent was absent and that told me it wasn’t Vampire Forces waiting for me.

  There were ten of them, huddled into a group. One stood apart from the group, well-muscled arms folded across his broad chest and a smile on his face. “Look at that, he wasn’t kidding.”

  “Justin, are you sure this is a good idea?” a human girl whimpered.

  “Don't worry, babe, there's more of us than it,” he said confidently. He looked at me, smirking. “I told Danny I'd find you. Offered to let him come, but he didn't want to. He thinks you're still his brother. His freaky twin. Did you know that? Out of the two, you were always freaky, creeped the girls out. It's no surprise you're a leech now.”

  The humans behind him chuckled nervously.

  I flashed my gaze to each one, watching them look away in fear. I looked back at him. “Justin.”

  “Am I supposed to be afraid of my name?”

  “You are afraid,” I replied. “I can smell it. It smells good.”

  “Is the big bad vampire is trying to frighten me?” Justin laughed. The others laughed as if on cue. He looked back at me, still smiling. “Danny kept insisting he wasn't afraid of you. He said and I quote, He's my brother, he'd never hurt me.”

  I snarled. “My brother does not sound like that.”

  “Oh, you called him your brother too, isn't that cute.” His laughter was cut off as I grabbed him around the throat and slammed him against the wall. He choked, clawing at my hand as his eyes bulged. The fear he had worked so hard to hide rushed to the surface.

  I grazed my lips against the pulse pounding in his neck. “You want to know why you're not dead yet?” I whispered in his ear. “Because the human you put down, mocked and hurt doesn't want me to.”

  Justin gasped, the air whooshing out of his lungs as I slammed him against the wall again. The girl screamed when I appeared in front of her. I pinched her chin, brushing my lips against hers. “Let's see what the humans at school will think of you now,” I whispered and disappeared.

  I watched from the roof as the humans flew from the cabin, feet thudding as they ran to their cars. The one I kissed sobbed as she was half-carried, half-dragged to the cars. Justin appeared last, grumbling as he climbed into a car.

  “Gonna come back when the sun's up with shovels and chains, dig it up and watch it burn to ash.”

  “You wish,” I quietly hissed as the cars drove away.

  Another home tainted.

  ****

  Bright lights illuminated the streets in a sun-like glow. Where the lights didn't reach, darkness gathered like pools. A group of humans ventured down the streets, staying in the light. Their voices echoed, bouncing loudly off the brick walls. Their strides were slow and casual – in no hurry.

  “Hey, I got an idea,” one blurted out, his greasy hair hanging over his thin, pimple-covered face, obscuring his eyes. “Why don't we break into the principal's office? I bet he has all the confiscated drugs and porno mags stashed in there.”

  “No,” the one in the middle sighed. “I don't want to get in trouble with my aunt and uncle.”

  A tall and thin human gave the one in the middle a shove, propelling himself backwards in the process. “Come on, Dan, you're always using that excuse. Be adventurous for once.”

  “It's the truth, Aunt Dee will crap kittens if I get in trouble again.”

  “Again?” a short, stocky human asked.

  He seemed uneasy, shifting at the attention that hadn't bothered him before, eyes quickly looking around for a distraction. “We should do something, though.”

  The thin human stretched his limbs and yawned. “No, you're right. I need to get home before Mom throws a hissy fit. She needs to chill.”

  “I should probably head home too,” the pimple-covered human sighed, wiping the hair out of his eyes.

  “Yeah,” the short, stocky human agreed in a sad voice. He looked over, pausing. “Whatcha staring at, Dan?”

  He didn’t answer and all eyes followed his, their whispers filling the air.

  “Dude, is that a?”

  “No, it can't be.”

  “It's gotta be a costume.”

  “It's not.”

  Their eyes turned back to him. He smiled, a knowing look in his eyes.

  It had taken two months of searching, fanning out and scouring the nearby towns. Each night I searched, putting off hunting as long as possible. I even procrastinated finding a safe place to rest, opting to bury myself wherever when the sun rose. I knew that one night I'd find him or he'd find me.

  I smiled back.

  “It's smiling,” the short, stocky human whispered.

  “Dude, it's gonna kill us,” the thin human replied.

  “I doubt that,” my brother snorted and their eyes turned back to him.

  “Is it just me or does it look–” the pimple-covered human started.

  “It's gone!” The thin human pointed to the spot I had b
een standing.

  “I can't believe it, a real vampire! What’s it doing here? People know to stay inside after dark,” the short, stocky human gasped.

  The pimple-covered human cast a nervous glance at the others. “Except us. I don’t know about you guys, but I forgot my torch at home.”

  “You guys are paranoid, vampires don’t attack crowds.” My brother stretched and yawned as he walked away from my hiding spot. I felt his relief as he left me, mirroring my own. Like a whisper in the back of my mind, I swore I heard his voice, It's about time.

  I silently agreed.

  Part Two: Friendship

  My brother held out the brown bottle, his arm wavering. “Take a drink.”

  I shook my head, lips pressed together.

  “Come on, take a drink.”

  “Why?”

  “Because I want to know if you can,” he sighed.

  I leaned away from the bottle. The odor rising from it reminded me of a homeless human. “I don’t care if I can.”

  “It's not like it can kill you,” he insisted and started laughing. “Can't have liver failure,” he continued, laughing more. “Or die from alcohol poisoning.” He was roaring with laughter now.

  I scowled at him. “You've been drinking this stuff, haven't you? You reek like it.”

  He stopped laughing, giving me a serious look. “Yes, before you showed up I was in the next dorm having a few beers with my classmates. Is that so wrong?”

  “I don't know, is it?”

  “Only because I'm under twenty-one,” he idly replied and took a drink. He held the bottle back out. “Don't make me force you with your name.”

  I eyed the bottle, then him. We no longer looked identical. His hair had grown and his body was no longer lanky. Filled out was the term he used, flexing a few muscles as he grinned at the mirror. His voice was richer and deeper. He did something I'd never do.

  He aged.