Vampire Possession 2
Nanashi glanced at the red LED clock that stood on a pile of boxes in one corner of her bedroom. It read 11:11 pm. If a certain friend of hers had been there, she would have clasped her hands tightly together and made a wish. Nanashi got up from her bed and turned her stereo down, which had been playing her favorite Rush CD, and made her way to the window. She was normally afraid of the dark, but there were several parties going on on the beach, and she could see the bonfires flicker in the wind that came off the Pacific Ocean, which glittered in the moonlight. She sighed and went back to her bed, flopping face-down on the pillow.
"Tomorrow's the festival... huh..." She rolled over and picked up a card from her nightstand, and read it aloud to herself.
"'July 5th, in Earth's time, marks the 3052nd anniversary of the creation of the Celiti Alliance. Although it was founded for a different purpose than the Great Power Lyuria had intended, and many more worlds and nations have joined than expected, we would still like to host a festival in its honor. You are invited to the 3052nd Festival of Glittering Stars, which will take place in the capitol of Alyriaus, beginning at 3:00 pm, July 5th, Earth's time, and last through the night until midnight. The occasion is not formal; however, formal attire is necessary for the main feast which will take place in the main hall of the Castle Dedication Celiti Alliance at 6:00 pm. We look forward to seeing you there.'"
Nanashi started at it hard, wondering who could have written such a long invitation. She flipped the card over and started at the gold foil Celitia Crest, a star, crescent and sun within each other surrounded by the swirly text that was the ancient language of Celitia, used all those thousands of years ago. The text could not be read by anyone other than someone who was part of Celitia, and Nanashi could read it perfectly. She read the text to herself, "Bacifikus Praztotes touw Caelumes," which was a mix of corrupted Latin and Greek that said, "The Peaceful Protectorates of the Heavens."
Nanashi threw the card on the ground and buried her face in her pillow. 'I wish I didn't have to go... everyone will be staring at me. They expect so much more from me than I can possibly handle...'
Her thought trailed off as she remembered the newest member of the CSF, Vasska. He was a NeoHuman vampire, and a very dark on at that, but he had an air of mystery to him that Nanashi couldn't stand. He bothered her so much, and he hadn't even done or said anything to her. And she hated the way that he seemed to draw her in, like the way a moth was drawn to an outdoor light, only to be burned by the hot bulb.
Of course, she felt very sorry for her close friend, Iyume, who was now bound by the vampire. She had willingly given her blood to him without being specific with amounts, and now she had the urge to do everything he asked of her. Nanashi did Iyume a favor by letting her take a couple weeks off by herself, away from Vasska, but she was still having a hard time.
And then there was the issue that Vasska had discussed with the Eminence Council, the expansion of the OmniZakiah. The organization had suddenly started snatching any and all NeoHumans and High-Evos off the streets to be experimented on and tortured for information. Iyume and Mitzi had been caught outside of one of their hidden bases, and both had endured torture and experimentation, Iyume more than Mitzi. They were questioned about the Celiti Alliance, which was especially unnerving. It was bad enough that the Blackert'd Activists had declared war on the Alliance. Luckily, Vasska had been there to save them both, but of course he had asked Iyume for her blood, and now she was bound.
The doorbell ringing broke Nanashi out of her trance, and she slipped into her fuzzy pink slippers and a jacket, and wandered downstairs to the former hotel lobby, which was now the living room. She patted quietly across the white linoleum floor in the dim lamplight and looked through the small hole in the large off-white door. She was startled to find Vasska standing there, only he had replaced is black jeans and tank for a dark red graffiti t-shirt and torn blue jeans. His hooded cape, however, remained unchanged and securely tied around his neck.
Nanashi flipped the deadbolt lock open, and opened the door. "Hello. Can I help you with something?"
Vasska trained his bright red eyes on her, and Nanashi could feel him burning a hole right through her with his gaze. "Yeah. Letitia said I could find you here. I wanted to talk to you about something."
Nanashi stepped aside to let him in as several teenagers in baggy pants and backwards baseball caps strode by in time with the beat to a hip-hop song on the boom box one of them was carrying. She glared at one of them, who was staring at her in a hungry way. He turned his head quickly and kept on walking. Nanashi sighed and shut the door.
"Are all the people around her like that?" Vasska said, standing uncomfortably close behind her.
She jumped as she turned, and noticed that he was probably the one who scared the gangster wannabe away. "No, not really." Nanashi carefully stepped around him and walked quickly to the living room.
"Huh..." Vasska followed her and glanced around the living room. "So, you live in a renovated hotel?"
Nanashi turned and crossed her arms over her chest, trying her best to contain her unreasonable hostility towards him. "Is that all you wanted? To talk about my house?"
Vasska shook his head and leaned up against the wall farthest from the lamp. He hesitated. "No. It's not."
"Then what do you want?"
He hesitated again, and then moved towards the lamp. "It's hard to explain..."
Nanashi sensed his discomfort and dropped her tense attitude. "I'll do my best to follow."
Without warning, he pulled the lamp cord out of the wall socket, and the living room fell into darkness. Nanashi jumped, startled, and blinked. Vasska, now just a cloaked shadow with red eyes, darted towards her and pushed her on to the couch behind her and pinned her down. He held both of her wrists in one hand, and had his other hand over her mouth.
He was panting now, which was odd for someone who didn't need to breathe. "Please, don't be scared. I... I just... when I first saw you in the Celitia council hall, I wanted so badly to just attack you and drain you of all your blood. I didn't, but now I know why I wanted to do so. You see, your blood has not been tampered with or altered, like a NeoHumans, and it's still full of life, unlike a Guardian's. It's so pure because of your healing ability; a rare power. To vampires, it would be like a drug, but it would cost you dearly if any of them drank it. Not only would you be bound to them, but you might be used as bait for those that hunt us. I want to protect you, you especially because of your stance in Celitia. But, the only way for me to do that is if I drink your blood, and you become bound to me. Do you understand?"
Nanashi listened carefully, panicked at first and then calming down after he finished. She managed to pull one of her hands free, and she moved his hand away from her mouth. "I understand, but I don't think I can do that. If I become bound to you, then the world representatives would become suspicious that you're controlling me. It could cause unrest on the CPWs."
He nodded and untied his cape. It fell to the floor in a big, black puddle of fabric, revealing a long jagged tattoo that spiraled from his left shoulder, all the way down his left arm to the tip of his middle finger. "I just got this mark from a Guardian. He told me it would reverse the binding, and instead I would be bound to you, instead of the other way around."
Nanashi could sense the desperation in his voice. She hesitated. Then she looked up. "Unbind Iyume first, and then I'll let you. Also, don't spill any blood on the carpet of couches. My parent's will kill me if you do."
"I already have. She's free now. As for the couches..." Vasska stood up and took his cape. He moved toward the linoleum and laid his cape out like a blanket on the hard floor, up against the off-white wall. "Will this do?"
Nanashi nodded and stood up, and then took a deep breath. "Then, what should I do?"
Vasska gestured for her to sit up against the wall on his cape. She did so, with her stomach churning, a mix of dislike for Vasska and nervousness of bleeding all over the place. He knelt down in front of her and took her by the shoulders. "I'll try to be gentle, but no promises. And I won't take as much as I usually do." He moved one hand to her face, and pushed her hair out of the way. Then he took her chin and turned her head, exposing her neck, making her shiver.
"Are you ready?"
"Just hurry up, please." Nanashi mumbled in a monotone voice.
Vasska leaned down and licked her neck, making her shiver again. "Hmm..."
"Would you stop playing around and get it over with, please?"
"Sorry, it's just... it seems like a very intimate thing to do right now, and you're okay with it. To be honest... I think I'm starting to like you a lot more. As a person, that is."
"That's nice. Hurry up." There was anticipation and fear in Nanashi's voice, and she couldn't hide it.
"Alright then..." Vasska leaned over her and bit her gently in the neck, making only a little blood trickled down her neck. Nanashi squirmed, but remained silent. He leaned in closer, and his black hair mingled with Nanashi's blond, contrasting each other. He bit a little harder, and Nanashi couldn't take anymore. She reached out and gripped his bare forearms tightly, digging her nails in when it really hurt. She suddenly sensed everything touching her, and she could feel everything like they were alive. The cold wall behind her, the fabric-covered hard floor below her, Vasska's hands gripping her shoulder and chin, his half-dead body radiating cold like body heat, his mouth and tongue on her neck. It was unbearable for her, but she didn't want to push it away either. The pain hit her in a wave then, and tears spilled down her face.
Vasska's tattoo began to glitter like emerald sand, and when Vasska pulled away, it stopped. Nanashi, still crying, leaned her head up against the wall behind her, feeling the puncture holes in her neck close slowly. Vasska wiped his mouth free of the crimson liquid, and reached out and touched her face. "Are you going to be alright?"
Nanashi touched her neck. Scabs had already closed the wounds, and those were fading fast. "I-I think so. Gimme a few hours."
Vasska pulled away from her, and sat next to her in the dark. "I'm sorry. I would have waited to do that, but I recently heard about some vampires that will be at the party tomorrow. I didn't want you to be attacked, so I had myself tattooed by a Guardian and came here as quickly as I could. Now, none of them will even think about touching you, because of our connection. Even if they try, it would be like running into a wall."
Nanashi opened her eyes. Her vision was slightly blurry, and the dark didn't help either. "It was so weird... I could feel everything around me like it was breathing. It was a little scary."
"Well, don't worry. It won't happen next time."
"Oh, right." Nanashi looked at him tiredly. "I'll have to feed you now, won't I?"
"Yes, unfortunately. Luckily though, the more of your blood I drink, the less addicting to others it will become. In a few months, I'll be able to undo the binding. You'll be safe from them then."
"A few months..." Nanashi whispered. It seemed like forever to her. "Well, you owe me. I expect you to help me with all the paperwork I have to do at work. It's the least you can do."
"Paperwork? Why paperwork?"
"It's the most torturous thing I can think of right now, and you really owe me. It's your fault I'll have bite scars at the party."
"...Oh." Vasska laughed uncomfortably.
"Tomorrow's the festival... huh..." She rolled over and picked up a card from her nightstand, and read it aloud to herself.
"'July 5th, in Earth's time, marks the 3052nd anniversary of the creation of the Celiti Alliance. Although it was founded for a different purpose than the Great Power Lyuria had intended, and many more worlds and nations have joined than expected, we would still like to host a festival in its honor. You are invited to the 3052nd Festival of Glittering Stars, which will take place in the capitol of Alyriaus, beginning at 3:00 pm, July 5th, Earth's time, and last through the night until midnight. The occasion is not formal; however, formal attire is necessary for the main feast which will take place in the main hall of the Castle Dedication Celiti Alliance at 6:00 pm. We look forward to seeing you there.'"
Nanashi started at it hard, wondering who could have written such a long invitation. She flipped the card over and started at the gold foil Celitia Crest, a star, crescent and sun within each other surrounded by the swirly text that was the ancient language of Celitia, used all those thousands of years ago. The text could not be read by anyone other than someone who was part of Celitia, and Nanashi could read it perfectly. She read the text to herself, "Bacifikus Praztotes touw Caelumes," which was a mix of corrupted Latin and Greek that said, "The Peaceful Protectorates of the Heavens."
Nanashi threw the card on the ground and buried her face in her pillow. 'I wish I didn't have to go... everyone will be staring at me. They expect so much more from me than I can possibly handle...'
Her thought trailed off as she remembered the newest member of the CSF, Vasska. He was a NeoHuman vampire, and a very dark on at that, but he had an air of mystery to him that Nanashi couldn't stand. He bothered her so much, and he hadn't even done or said anything to her. And she hated the way that he seemed to draw her in, like the way a moth was drawn to an outdoor light, only to be burned by the hot bulb.
Of course, she felt very sorry for her close friend, Iyume, who was now bound by the vampire. She had willingly given her blood to him without being specific with amounts, and now she had the urge to do everything he asked of her. Nanashi did Iyume a favor by letting her take a couple weeks off by herself, away from Vasska, but she was still having a hard time.
And then there was the issue that Vasska had discussed with the Eminence Council, the expansion of the OmniZakiah. The organization had suddenly started snatching any and all NeoHumans and High-Evos off the streets to be experimented on and tortured for information. Iyume and Mitzi had been caught outside of one of their hidden bases, and both had endured torture and experimentation, Iyume more than Mitzi. They were questioned about the Celiti Alliance, which was especially unnerving. It was bad enough that the Blackert'd Activists had declared war on the Alliance. Luckily, Vasska had been there to save them both, but of course he had asked Iyume for her blood, and now she was bound.
The doorbell ringing broke Nanashi out of her trance, and she slipped into her fuzzy pink slippers and a jacket, and wandered downstairs to the former hotel lobby, which was now the living room. She patted quietly across the white linoleum floor in the dim lamplight and looked through the small hole in the large off-white door. She was startled to find Vasska standing there, only he had replaced is black jeans and tank for a dark red graffiti t-shirt and torn blue jeans. His hooded cape, however, remained unchanged and securely tied around his neck.
Nanashi flipped the deadbolt lock open, and opened the door. "Hello. Can I help you with something?"
Vasska trained his bright red eyes on her, and Nanashi could feel him burning a hole right through her with his gaze. "Yeah. Letitia said I could find you here. I wanted to talk to you about something."
Nanashi stepped aside to let him in as several teenagers in baggy pants and backwards baseball caps strode by in time with the beat to a hip-hop song on the boom box one of them was carrying. She glared at one of them, who was staring at her in a hungry way. He turned his head quickly and kept on walking. Nanashi sighed and shut the door.
"Are all the people around her like that?" Vasska said, standing uncomfortably close behind her.
She jumped as she turned, and noticed that he was probably the one who scared the gangster wannabe away. "No, not really." Nanashi carefully stepped around him and walked quickly to the living room.
"Huh..." Vasska followed her and glanced around the living room. "So, you live in a renovated hotel?"
Nanashi turned and crossed her arms over her chest, trying her best to contain her unreasonable hostility towards him. "Is that all you wanted? To talk about my house?"
Vasska shook his head and leaned up against the wall farthest from the lamp. He hesitated. "No. It's not."
"Then what do you want?"
He hesitated again, and then moved towards the lamp. "It's hard to explain..."
Nanashi sensed his discomfort and dropped her tense attitude. "I'll do my best to follow."
Without warning, he pulled the lamp cord out of the wall socket, and the living room fell into darkness. Nanashi jumped, startled, and blinked. Vasska, now just a cloaked shadow with red eyes, darted towards her and pushed her on to the couch behind her and pinned her down. He held both of her wrists in one hand, and had his other hand over her mouth.
He was panting now, which was odd for someone who didn't need to breathe. "Please, don't be scared. I... I just... when I first saw you in the Celitia council hall, I wanted so badly to just attack you and drain you of all your blood. I didn't, but now I know why I wanted to do so. You see, your blood has not been tampered with or altered, like a NeoHumans, and it's still full of life, unlike a Guardian's. It's so pure because of your healing ability; a rare power. To vampires, it would be like a drug, but it would cost you dearly if any of them drank it. Not only would you be bound to them, but you might be used as bait for those that hunt us. I want to protect you, you especially because of your stance in Celitia. But, the only way for me to do that is if I drink your blood, and you become bound to me. Do you understand?"
Nanashi listened carefully, panicked at first and then calming down after he finished. She managed to pull one of her hands free, and she moved his hand away from her mouth. "I understand, but I don't think I can do that. If I become bound to you, then the world representatives would become suspicious that you're controlling me. It could cause unrest on the CPWs."
He nodded and untied his cape. It fell to the floor in a big, black puddle of fabric, revealing a long jagged tattoo that spiraled from his left shoulder, all the way down his left arm to the tip of his middle finger. "I just got this mark from a Guardian. He told me it would reverse the binding, and instead I would be bound to you, instead of the other way around."
Nanashi could sense the desperation in his voice. She hesitated. Then she looked up. "Unbind Iyume first, and then I'll let you. Also, don't spill any blood on the carpet of couches. My parent's will kill me if you do."
"I already have. She's free now. As for the couches..." Vasska stood up and took his cape. He moved toward the linoleum and laid his cape out like a blanket on the hard floor, up against the off-white wall. "Will this do?"
Nanashi nodded and stood up, and then took a deep breath. "Then, what should I do?"
Vasska gestured for her to sit up against the wall on his cape. She did so, with her stomach churning, a mix of dislike for Vasska and nervousness of bleeding all over the place. He knelt down in front of her and took her by the shoulders. "I'll try to be gentle, but no promises. And I won't take as much as I usually do." He moved one hand to her face, and pushed her hair out of the way. Then he took her chin and turned her head, exposing her neck, making her shiver.
"Are you ready?"
"Just hurry up, please." Nanashi mumbled in a monotone voice.
Vasska leaned down and licked her neck, making her shiver again. "Hmm..."
"Would you stop playing around and get it over with, please?"
"Sorry, it's just... it seems like a very intimate thing to do right now, and you're okay with it. To be honest... I think I'm starting to like you a lot more. As a person, that is."
"That's nice. Hurry up." There was anticipation and fear in Nanashi's voice, and she couldn't hide it.
"Alright then..." Vasska leaned over her and bit her gently in the neck, making only a little blood trickled down her neck. Nanashi squirmed, but remained silent. He leaned in closer, and his black hair mingled with Nanashi's blond, contrasting each other. He bit a little harder, and Nanashi couldn't take anymore. She reached out and gripped his bare forearms tightly, digging her nails in when it really hurt. She suddenly sensed everything touching her, and she could feel everything like they were alive. The cold wall behind her, the fabric-covered hard floor below her, Vasska's hands gripping her shoulder and chin, his half-dead body radiating cold like body heat, his mouth and tongue on her neck. It was unbearable for her, but she didn't want to push it away either. The pain hit her in a wave then, and tears spilled down her face.
Vasska's tattoo began to glitter like emerald sand, and when Vasska pulled away, it stopped. Nanashi, still crying, leaned her head up against the wall behind her, feeling the puncture holes in her neck close slowly. Vasska wiped his mouth free of the crimson liquid, and reached out and touched her face. "Are you going to be alright?"
Nanashi touched her neck. Scabs had already closed the wounds, and those were fading fast. "I-I think so. Gimme a few hours."
Vasska pulled away from her, and sat next to her in the dark. "I'm sorry. I would have waited to do that, but I recently heard about some vampires that will be at the party tomorrow. I didn't want you to be attacked, so I had myself tattooed by a Guardian and came here as quickly as I could. Now, none of them will even think about touching you, because of our connection. Even if they try, it would be like running into a wall."
Nanashi opened her eyes. Her vision was slightly blurry, and the dark didn't help either. "It was so weird... I could feel everything around me like it was breathing. It was a little scary."
"Well, don't worry. It won't happen next time."
"Oh, right." Nanashi looked at him tiredly. "I'll have to feed you now, won't I?"
"Yes, unfortunately. Luckily though, the more of your blood I drink, the less addicting to others it will become. In a few months, I'll be able to undo the binding. You'll be safe from them then."
"A few months..." Nanashi whispered. It seemed like forever to her. "Well, you owe me. I expect you to help me with all the paperwork I have to do at work. It's the least you can do."
"Paperwork? Why paperwork?"
"It's the most torturous thing I can think of right now, and you really owe me. It's your fault I'll have bite scars at the party."
"...Oh." Vasska laughed uncomfortably.