Chapter 10 Scream #2
“It might for a second,” Sean said. “Only do this if you’re really okay with it. The offer still stands tomorrow. And the next day. And any other day if you need more time to think.”
“If I change my mind down the line, will you undo the bind?” She waited for Sean to give his own promise. It seemed genuine. “I’ll do it.” She pushed her auburn waves back and stood straight.
“Sit down in case you get woozy or anything.” Sean steered her to the couch, where she sat as far from Dennis as possible. “So you agree to be my bind and you’re sharing blood knowing it can’t be broken unless I say it can?”
“Yes.” She closed her eyes and waited, then took a sharp breath when Sean’s fangs cut into her wrist. He sucked the slightest drop of blood before letting it fall. “That’s it?” She opened her eyes.
“That’s it.” He held out a hand and pulled her up. “And now you’re my property.”
“You said you wouldn’t act like Dennis.” Her eyes narrowed as he laughed.
“I’m teasing,” he said lightly. “I won’t say it again if it bothers you.”
“Don’t say it. It bothers me.”
“So I have a question,” I spoke up. “Can I become a vampire?”
“No,” Ari answered so quickly it caught me by surprise. “Absolutely not.”
“You really want to?” Dennis’ eyes flashed dangerously. He was watching me with a new interest.
“Yeah. It makes sense.” I turned to Ari. “What if this happens again and no one’s there to help us?”
“Then we’ll have to figure something out,” she said.
“If you wanna become a vampire, it can be arranged.” Dennis slipped the lighter in his pocket and stood. “You can’t reverse it, though. Once it’s done, there’s no going back.”
“I’ve always wanted a more exciting life. And it makes sense with everything that’s apparently going on,” I reasoned. “I’m guessing it’ll only get worse from here?” Dennis shrugged. “I wanna do it.” I gave Ari a pleading look, making her sigh.
“Fine. We’ll think about it. Let’s go home, yeah?” she asked. I readily agreed.
“We’ll come with. At least to make sure you get home safely,” Sean said. We followed them out front and through the lively bar, staying closer than usual.
“My car’s over there.” Ari pointed as we stepped outside.
“Can I drive?”
“No.” She looked at Sean like he was crazy. “Why would I let you drive my car?”
“It’s a nice car. I wanna drive it.”
“I’m perfectly capable of driving us, thank you very much.”
“Please?”
“No. Stop asking.”
“So my cuteness is really the only reason you haven’t snapped yet?” Sean smiled as she shot him a horrified look.
“Did you read my thoughts? Why did I do this? Can you undo it? I don’t wanna be blood bound anymore!” Her freakout was barely starting when I cried out and fell back into Dennis.
Blank eyes were staring up at me from a pool of blood on the ground. The man’s wrists and neck were slashed.
“Ew, ew, eww!” I shielded my eyes with one hand and pointed with the other, not even sure if I was aiming at the dead body or something else entirely.
“Oh my god, that’s a body,” Ari’s repulsion joined my own. “Why did you leave that here?”
“Someone take me to the car.” I felt around until my hands found Dennis, who was laughing shamelessly.
“This is why I leave them. This is priceless.” He took hold of my arm and led me to the car. “You can open your eyes now.”
I peeked to see the passenger door held open, then climbed in while Ari dove in the driver’s side. Both guys got in back and she sped off, barely giving us time to shut the doors.
“I’m gonna have nightmares,” I muttered, leaning against the window.
The others were talking, but I didn’t hear a word. I was staring out the window, watching dark shadows pass while we gradually approached the house.
“Are you okay?” Ari glanced over as a passing streetlamp cast an eerie light. I nodded. “You look like you’re freaking out.”
“I’m fine.” I stepped out the moment we parked in the driveway. The neighbor’s lights were off. So were ours. I took in every minuscule detail while we walked, trying to distract myself from the unwanted images. “I’m going to bed.”
“Are you sure you’re okay?”
“Yeah.” I shot Ari a fleeting smile before unlocking the door and disappearing inside. “Goodnight, guys,” I called over my shoulder.
Their voices faded as I headed upstairs. I entered my room and kicked off my boots, then grabbed pajamas and went to the bathroom for my bedtime routine. A few minutes passed before there was a timid knock at the door.
“Emy?” Ari nudged it open.
“The one and only.” I dried my face and forced a smile, but she saw right through it.
“Do you wanna talk about it?”
“No. I’m okay. Thanks for checking.” I smiled, a real one this time. “I’m gonna go to bed. I love you.”
“Love you, too.” She pulled me into a hug before saying goodnight and heading to bed.
I reached my room and dumped the day’s outfit in a haphazard pile, then wandered to the dark vanity and pulled my hair from its messy bun. Everything seemed so dim. So far. Like we were lost in a dream. A faint buzzing mixed with the sound of Ari’s favorite movie wafting down the hall.
Or was it her favorite? I must know her favorite movie, but somehow I couldn’t remember.
I brushed my hair, staring into familiar blue eyes.
They were framed with dark smudges; eyeliner that had cried its way out of place but managed to survive makeup removal.
I kept brushing, trying to remember if the movie was Ari’s favorite.
Trying to remember why I suddenly couldn’t remember.
Trying to remember what I was even trying to remember…
My purple and black ombre slowly turned to chestnut curls. My vibrant blue eyes became light brown. Vacant. My mouth began to foam.
I lurched backward into something, then spun and screamed. A hand clamped over my mouth as the hairbrush fell.
“Do I still scare you? I thought you’d be over that by now.”
I squirmed, trying to speak even though it was useless. Dennis dropped his hand, letting it graze my stomach along the way.
“Why are you like this?” I demanded, pushing his hand away.
“Why are you always screaming?”
“I can’t help it,” I smiled and leaned forward, “I’m a screamer.
Now back up.” He stepped back. I picked up my brush to continue, then froze.
“Holy shit…” I turned to see him watching from behind, then turned back to the mirror.
“You really don’t show in the mirror? I thought you were lying.
” I waved him closer and poked a sleeve, then rubbed along his chest. The dark fabric of his shirt was distinct against my hand, but in the mirror I was fondling air.
Suddenly the blank eyes were back. I balked and darted from the mirror.
“What happened?”
“Nothing.” I sat on the edge of my bed, Frankie in one hand and a lock of hair twisted in the other. “Why’re you here? I thought you left.”
“I can tell when you’re upset, even if I can’t hear it. I came back to check on you. What’s wrong?” He picked up the brush and I scooted over to make room for him.
“I don’t wanna talk about it.”
“It has nothing to do with the body at the bar?” he asked. I stiffened at his words. “Ah. So it does.”
“Why do you even care?”
“I’m curious. You intrigue me.” He reached out to stop me from tugging my hair.
“And why is that?”
“Answer mine and I’ll answer yours.” His lip ring glinted as he smiled.
“Fine.” I started playing with Frankie’s ears instead. “My mom overdosed on something when I was twelve. Meth or heroine. Maybe both, I don’t know. But I found her seizing on the floor and had to call an ambulance. I thought she was dead.”
“Was she?”
“No. Paramedics saved her. And I wound up going to foster care until I was seventeen. Anyway, the dead guy’s eyes reminded me of hers that night.
Very blank. And empty. And now I can’t get the image of her eyes while she was overdosing out of my head.
” My fingers traced Frankie’s fur while the room filled with a heavy silence.
“I don’t know what to say,” Dennis eventually spoke.
I laughed. Genuinely. At least he was honest. “It’s okay. The flashbacks happen sometimes. Then it passes and I don’t think about it for a while.” I bit my lip, waiting. He didn’t respond. “Will you answer my question now?”
“You actually remembered. I didn’t think you would with your attention span.” He chuckled as I hit him with a pillow.
“Just answer the question, asshole. Why do I intrigue you? Whoa.” I cocked my head and leaned closer, staring into his eyes. They’d flashed dark for a second. “What was that?” I asked, no longer caring about the first question.
“What?”
“Your eyes turned super dark. Almost black like Sean’s.”
“It happens sometimes.”
“It’s creepy. What does it mean?”
“It’s a vampire thing.”
“Yeah, about that…” I watched my black toenails shimmer in the light.
“We can talk about it tomorrow,” he said.
“Why not tonight? I wanna be a vampire. I need to start mental preparation if we’re doing it soon.”
“We’ll talk about it tomorrow.”
I sighed. “Fine. I’ll ask something else, then. Why did you bind me?” I waited several seconds but no response came. “Dennis?”
“We can talk about that another day,” he finally said. “You should go to sleep.”
I stared for a few seconds, wondering if I should push for answers, but eventually decided not to. I’d save it for another day. “You better not push me off the bed again.” I cautiously got beneath the covers.
“Would I do such a thing?” His voice was almost angelic. If you ignored the devious undertone.
“Yes.” I settled on my side, ready to fall asleep, before a pair of lifeless eyes flashed before me. I sat up in a mild panic. “I don’t wanna go to sleep.”
“Would it help if I leave?” Dennis was across the room before I could blink.
“No!” I leapt up, tossing the covers and Frankie aside. A moment passed before I awkwardly added, “I mean, probably not. It doesn’t matter.”
“How do you always forget you can’t lie to me?”
“I don’t know,” I said. It seemed like I’d remember with how annoying it was.
I opened my water bottle, then slid my nightstand drawer open and began shoving pill bottles aside in search of two specific ones.
It took forever since the wrong bottles kept rolling back in my path, but I eventually found the right ones.
“What are those?”
I jumped as Dennis crouched in front of me. “Don’t do that.” I pushed a shoulder but he didn’t budge.
“Antipsychotics?” He slid a bottle from my grip. “And sleeping pills,” he observed, taking the other. “Do you need all this?”
“I need a lot of stuff.”
“But you don’t take them.”
“How can you tell?” I smiled sardonically and took the antipsychotics back. “My psychiatrist prescribed them a few months ago, but I haven’t used them yet. It’s not worth the side effects.”
“I take it they’re for hallucinations?”
“Psychosis, yeah. Visual and auditory. I feel like I’m going crazy sometimes, but I really don’t wanna take them. The hallucinations come and go, but they’re not really hurting anything. And the mood stabilizer I’m on helps enough.”
Dennis took the bottle a second time and removed the small paper I’d never bothered to detach.
He unfolded it and scanned the page. “Nausea, fatigue, increased drowsiness, blurred vision, seizures, involuntary muscle movements, suicidal thoughts, increased blood sugar linked to the onset of diabetes, blood clot…” He looked up from the paper.
“Your psychiatrist wants you to take this?”
I laughed and slid the paper from his hands. “The main thing I’m worried about is being drowsy,” I joked. I skimmed the ridiculously long list of cautions before folding the paper and tossing it in the drawer. “So you think I should take them?” I asked playfully, reaching for the bottle.
He pulled it away. “These sound dangerous. Do you really need them?”
My smile faltered as I thought back to Dr. Kelsey’s exact words.
“According to her, yes. But I’ve been fine without them.
It sucks, but I’d rather take my chances with some extra voices and people who aren’t there than all these side effects.
I can live with them.” I took the other bottle back and downed two sleeping pills, making a face while Dennis watched.
“Why are you watching me?” I asked the moment they were down. “Stop being creepy.”
“I’m never creepy. You’re paranoid.” His eyes flashed black again and I hastily stood.
“I’m gonna watch the sunrise.” I grabbed Frankie and a pillow, then maneuvered around him to nestle into the window seat’s nook. “Wanna join? We can watch it together,” I offered, patting what space was left. “It’ll only be a few more hours.”
“That sounds boring as fuck.”
“Suit yourself. Just don’t melt on my bed when the sun comes up.” I leaned against the cool glass, content to wait for the sunrise. My eyes fell shut to the familiar click of Dennis’ lighter. Before I knew it, everything began to fade.
“Vixen.”
I jerked at the sudden voice. My eyes scanned the room, slowly adjusting to the darkness. “How’d I get in bed?” It was a struggle to even talk.
“You were screaming.” Dennis sat back and held up my spider-killing butcher knife. “And you tried to throw this at me.”
“In my sleep?” I had never done that before. He nodded as I took it from him. “I guess I’m crazier than I thought.”
“Nah, I’m kidding. I was playing with it.” He grinned and stood, taking the knife back. He placed it on the nightstand where it normally lived. “You did scream, though. But first you knocked out and almost slid off the window seat, so I put you here.”
“Oh. I guess I was having a bad dream. Those sleeping pills knocked me out.” I lay back and snuggled beneath the warm blankets.
“Are you okay if I leave now?”
“Sure. Go away. I’ll be fine. Thanks for staying.”
“Anytime.”
“Goodnight.” I rolled over and felt around for Frankie, then held him close and drifted back to sleep.