| Chapter 8 Brian sat at his table in his hotel room, pushing the raw steak around on his plate. He'd been back in his room for hours now, and Tracy had not shown. To pass the time, he watched TV, took a shower, took a nap, and now was trying to force himself to down yet another disgusting raw steak. He sighed, shoving the piece into his mouth, grimacing as he chewed. As he swallowed that piece, he rested his elbow on the table, brushing away a tear with his hand. He sniffed, determined to get through this meal without crying, but it was no use. Every time he had to eat, it reminded him of what he was. He looked down at his plate, his chin trembling as he forked another piece of meat. "Is that what you've been eating?" Tracy asked from behind him. Brian jumped, dropping the fork, "God, you scared me!" "Sorry," she said, walking over to sit at the table with him. Brian noticed she had changed from the dress she was wearing earlier. Now in a pair of jeans and a tank top, she looked more relaxed. Tracy eyed his plate, wrinkling her nose, "Eww, that looks disgusting." "You should try eating it," Brian replied. She shook her head, "No thanks. Here I brought you something," she said, setting her backpack on the table and opening it up. Brian watched as she pulled out what looked like a wine bottle, taking his glass of water and dumping it out in the sink. She replaced the water with the contents of the bottle, pouring herself a glass in the process. Brian stared at the dark liquid, the smell alone making his mouth water. He licked his lips, feeling his fangs. He groaned, and Tracy looked up. "I'll teach you to control that later," she said, "Right now you need to feed." "Feed?" he asked her, looking confused. She gestured towards his glass, "Drink. We call it feeding because that's what we get our nutrients from." "Oh," he said, lifting the glass and taking a sip. He closed his eyes and sighed. The sweet liquid awakening his taste buds, satisfying the craving that had been there, just under the surface. Tracy watched him, as she sipped her glass. She knew it was going to take a lot of time to teach him what he needed to know... how to survive. Anger flooded her again. He should have never been left alone. Raven should have taken care of him, taught him herself. Not leave him to find things out on his own. He could get killed doing that. Brian cleared his throat, "So, um, you from around here?" She shook her head, "Not originally no. Moved here a few years ago." "Oh, so how long have you.....? I mean, um ....," he stammered. She laughed, "How long have I had fangs?" He nodded, embarrassed. Tracy leaned back in her chair, thinking, "Well, lets see. It's been a while since anyone's asked me that. I'd say about two hundred and forty years, give or take a few." Brian's eyes widened and he almost spat out what he'd just drank. "Two hundred and forty years?! You don't look older than twenty five," he marveled. "I was twenty four when I was bitten," she admitted. "So you mean I'm gonna stay this age, forever?" he asked. "Pretty much," she said, finishing her drink and getting up to look around the hotel room. Brian finished his drink, feeling much more alive and refreshed than he had in a long time. He moved over to the couch, settling in as Tracy continued to mill about the room. She was looking at the entertainment system, "So, tell me what you know about vampires." "Just what I've seen in movies, or read in books," he answered. She turned back to him, "So basically nothing then." Brian bit his lip as she joined him on the couch, turning to sit sideways so she could face him. "Don't feel bad for not knowing. It's your sire's job to teach you these things," she comforted. "My sire? Ohh the one that bit me," he remembered, "I'm sorry I'm not up on vampire terminology." Tracy smiled, "You'll learn. It just takes time." "Um, you mentioned some kind of ....what was that? Blood lust?" he asked. She nodded. "What is that?" he asked, feeling more curious. "Blood lust is when the craving takes over. You can no longer think rationally then. All you're brain is concerned with is feeding. It's a dangerous thing, for you and for those around you. If you go into the lust, you won't care who the person is you're biting. It could be a stranger or your best friend, it wouldn't matter. And most of the time, you wouldn't be able to stop once you've started, and you would kill whoever it is you're biting," she answered. Brian looked down at his hands, fear tracing its way up his spine, "And I was close to doing that? How can I tell?" "I noticed during the conference that you were drinking a lot. That's how you can tell. You get really thirsty and nothing quenches it except for..." "The blood," he said grimly. "Most of us prefer to call it the drink," she corrected, "It's a little more kosher." "Ohh, Ok," he said. "So, how do I make sure that I don't do that?" Brian asked. Tracy sighed, "We need to get you connected to the Network." "What's that?" he asked. "The Network is our source for blood, that is unless you want to do it the old fashioned way and go hunting," she answered. Brian shook his head, "No I don't. There are vampires that do that?" "Some," she answered, "It's forbidden by the council, but they still do it." "Council?" "There's a ruling council, made up of several of the elders. They have set certain rules for us, rules that make it easier for us to coincide with humans. But there's a faction that has refused to follow them. They think the humans are there for the sole purpose of being a food supply. Raven is the head of that faction," Tracy informed him. Brian again looked down. He was glad for this information, for Tracy's help, but at the same time it was overwhelming. She reached over and took his hand in hers, "Brian, I know this is a lot to take in. Don't worry, I'll stay with you until you're ready to be on your own." He looked up into her deep chocolate eyes, "I can't ask you to do that." "You didn't ask, I'm offering. If someone doesn't teach you, you won't be around very long," she said, "The slayers are pretty good at catching new one's that have strayed a bit to far from their sires. It's a wonder you haven't been found yet." "Howie said that I might be able to feel when a slayer is around. Is that true?" he asked. "Yes, but it takes some teaching. You have to be able to recognize them as a slayer. You can also feel when another vampire is around, and when you've learned a bit more, you can even tell who that vampire is before you see them," she said. "So is that how you knew? You could feel me?" he asked. "Yup. I knew as soon as I walked in. I have to admit, it surprised me," she smiled, "I never thought of you as one that would want this life." "I don't. I didn't ask for this at all," he said. Tracy stared at him more intently, "You didn't ask to be embraced?" He gave her a confused look. "Turned. You didn't ask to be turned?" she restated. "No. She um, she just bit me," he said. "That bitch!" Tracy spat, causing Brian to jump, "If I ever get my hands on her I'll tare her limb from limb!" "I take it that's a no no?" he asked. Tracy calmed down a bit, "Yes a big no no. It's forbidden to bring someone over without their consent. This is a hard life, and each child must be made aware of what they're in for." "Well apparently no one informed her," Brian mumbled. "Oh she knows, she doesn't give a flying fuck. She's one of the elders, one of the oldest known vampires. She thinks she's above the Council and their laws. Ahh that bitch, I swear!" she ranted. Brian laughed, he couldn't help it. "And what's so damn funny?" Tracy asked. "You," he giggled, "You're cute when you're mad." Tracy rolled her eyes and shook her head, "Sorry. I guess you can say that I don't like her." "That would be an understatement," Brian smiled, "So was she your sire too? That why you don't like her?" Tracy shook her head, "No, thank goodness. No offense," she quickly added, "My sire was kind and gentle. He took a great amount of time teaching me what I needed to learn. He was very patient, and even now he calls me to tell me things he's thought of that I might need to know." "Wow, must be really nice having him to go to," Brian said, seeing how much Tracy cared for her sire. "It is," she admitted, then felt bad for speaking of her situation with Brian in a much less desirable one. "So, we have some things to do," she said, "Show me your itinerary. I need to see when we can go sign you up with the Network." Brian got up and went to his bedroom, rummaging through his bag until he found the folded up paper. He walked back into the living room, "It changes, but this is it pretty much." Tracy skimmed over the page. "Ohh you're gonna be in Chicago in a few days, and you have a couple days off there. That's perfect," she said, "I used to live there. Got a lot of contacts there." Brian nodded, sitting back down, "How are we going to do this? I mean you traveling with us." "I'll be following you, not traveling with you. It's easier that way," she told him. "Ohh, Ok," he said. Just then Brian's door opened and Howie walked in, "Hey Bri, I wanted to make sure you got enough to eat." He stopped in his tracks, seeing Tracy sitting with Brian. "Oh, I didn't know you had company, sorry," he apologized. "It's Ok D. This is Tracy, she's offered to help me out with the um thing," he said. Howie walked over and shook her hand, "Hi, nice to meet you." "You too watcher," she smiled. Howie gave Brian a sharp look. "It's alright, I won't tell anyone," she grinned. "Thanks," he said, "So I'll just be going now. You look like you're in good hands," he said, backing out of the room as quickly as he'd entered. Brian laughed, "He's really a little more polite than that." "I'm sure he is. He was surprised and scared," she said. "Really?" Tracy nodded, "Yeah, when you learn to control your abilities you'll be able to see peoples emotions." "See them?" he asked. "Uh huh, they show up as colors on their skin. You can also smell them," she said. "Wow," he muttered. "Well," she said, standing up, "I've got a lot to do before I join you tomorrow." Brian stood up with her, "Oh, Ok." She walked over to the table and gathered her bag and the bottle, pouring him a full glass before placing it back in the bag. "Keep this in the mini frig and drink it in the morning," she instructed, "I'll catch up with you sometime tomorrow afternoon, K?" "Alright," he said, following her to the door, "Thanks for everything." Tracy smiled warmly at him, "You're welcome. Good night." "Night," Brian said, as she opened the door and left. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Howie sat on his balcony looking out over the city. "So watcher, why didn't you tell him about Raven?" Tracy asked, walking onto the balcony from inside his room. Howie jumped, looking over, "I didn't want to scare him. How much did you tell him?" Tracy sat down, "Not much. I don't think he could take it if he knew everything, especially since he didn't want this in the first place." Howie sighed, "I've been trying to keep him fed, but he's changed so fast." "Don't worry about it, I've got it covered," she said, "So Eli said he had a watcher looking out for him, I didn't think it would be you." Howie half grinned, "Not your typical watcher huh?" Tracy shook her head, "No, and not your typical vampire either. I promised Eli I would help, so here I am. But I didn't know you were so close to a slayer. Does he know?" "No, and I'm doing my best to distract him," he answered. "Alright, I'll do my job and teach Brian how to live as one of us, you do yours and keep the slayer away," she said, standing up and walking to the railing. "I'll do my best Tracy," Howie said. She nodded, hopping up on the rail, "Let's just hope your best is good enough," she said, then dropped over the side into the night. Chapter 9 |