"So you have come back," he said.
"Well, that's what your mom asked me to do."
"You didn't have to."
"Well... your mom didn't give me much choice."
He didn't seem to like that I was there against my free will.
"Well then you should go," he said, almost regretfully.
"No," I said, "I'll stay."
Yup. He lightened up. Maybe he did need friends. I sat a few feet from him in the grass and stared at him.
"Why are you staring?" he asked.
"It's fun."
"That's it?"
"And I've also never met someone like you."
He got annoyed.
"You know? A 'vampire'." I did the air quotes.
"I'm not a vampire," he growled between his teeth.
"Of course you're not. You're a religious family. Vampires are not your thing."
He seemed ready to attack the bars keeping him back. Oops.
"Ok, I won't insult you anymore. But it still fascinates me."
"Why?" he asked, calmer now.
"Didn't you know? It's every girl's dream to meet a vampire," I said smiling at him.
"Well I'm sorry to crush your dreams, but I'm not a vampire."
"Whatever you say."
"I swear it!" he yelled, grabbing at the bars and trying to dislodge them again.
"Calm down, I was just kidding. Isn't that what friends do?"
"You're not my friend..."
"Of course I am! I'm here and talking to you. That qualifies as a friend."
"A friend wouldn't be scared of me," he said and pointed at my still trembling hands.
He had noticed. And I was trying so hard to seem calm. But I was still scared of him, mostly because I knew he could kill me and those bars didn't look all too strong.
"Well... you do have sort of an attitude..."
He relaxed.
"Better?" he asked.
"Much." I had no idea what to say to him. And though I really wanted to know more about his... condition, it was better if I didn't ask.
"So have you ever been to school?" I asked finally.
"Yes. Everyday until last year. They won't let me go back to school since I killed people."
I gulped. "How many people did you kill?"
"My three best friends."
I was scared. "Why did you kill them?"
"They were so close and their blood was more than I could handle."
"Do you regret it?"
"Of course I regret it!" he yelled. "What kind of persons slaughters their best friends without having regrets? But I couldn't stop myself. They were so close, and their blood so tempting. There were witnesses around, but I didn't care. I had to have their blood. It was taunting me. So I jumped them and attacked them right there. I sucked them dry and they died. I didn't know what I had done until I found myself sleeping in a jailcell in a far away prison."
"That must have been horrible..." I had no idea what to say.
"It is. I've become addicted to blood and the only thing that keeps me from killing you right now is these bars."
"You feel the need to kill everyone you meet?"
"Not really. But your blood smells too sweet. I must have it."
His eyes started turning red and he was ready to pounce so I moved back by reflex. It seemed to have stopped his thirst.
"Thanks."
"No problem," I said. "So is this problem ever going to be cured?"
"The doctors don't think so. But I can live here for a long time as long as I keep eating. But food doesn't taste good anymore. I keep thirsting for blood."
"Hmm... Why did you want me to come, then? Was it for my company or for the smell of my blood?"
"What? Oh. Well it was for your company. I don't think I would want to go crazy because of your blood."
"Oh."
"Is something wrong?"
"No." I sat there and looked at him and wondered what he was thinking. He looked peaceful, now, but on his guard. At least he wasn't trying to attack me. But I still had the creepy feeling that he was going to jump me any second. It felt like a scene from Silence of the Lambs. Great movie, creepy stuff.
"So what do you do there all day?" I asked after a very long silence.
"Nothing."
"Don't you get bored?"
"Sometimes."
"Don't you read or something?"
"No."
"Must you always answer with one word?"
"Yes..." I gave him a mean look. He continued. "Ok. I don't get bored because I think a lot. I don't read because the last two books they gave me I ripped to shreds. And there aren't any hooks or anything for a TV or computer, not that I miss those. I like to listen to the sound of the trees and also wonder about some stuff. But since I haven't been trapped in this box for too long, then it doesn't matter."
"How long have you been living in a... box?"
"For a year."
"Oh. And what do you wonder about?"
"Umm... that I can't say."
"Well that just shot the conversation. You're gonna leave me with the suspicion that it is something bad and I won't be able to think of another question to ask you."
"Why should you get to ask all the questions?"
"Ok. What do you want to know. Though clearly, you're the most interesting one because I've never met anyone who gets to live in a box. Specially because of the reason why you're here."
He ignored my jab and went on. "What's your full name?"
"It's Anna Cecille Arons. What's yours?"
"Patrick Jason Rudmore. This is where we would shake hands."
"Oh, right." I stupidly got up to shake his hand as he reached out of his bars without realizing the main reason why he was in there. I almost reached his fingers when he stopped me.
"Do you have a death wish? Didn't you listen to my mother's warnings? I could pull you closer and kill you even if my bars kept me back."
I looked at my hand that was about to touch his for a while. But then I quickly pulled it away as his hand tried to grab mine.
"You have fast reflexes," he said.
"And you were about to kill me," I said back.
"Well, I did warn you."
"Has anyone ever told you you need anger management classes?"
A furious growl almost sent me back. "I rest my case."
"If you find me so aggressive, then why don't you leave?"
"Maybe I will."
"Ok, go."
"You're being really stupid, you know."
"Why is that?"
"Because I'm probably the only friend you have and you keep pushing me away... or forward.... and trying to kill me."
He sat stumped on the floor. I accidentally got closer to the cage.
"You really need to get used to me because I'm not going anywhere."
He was sitting there without moving and I thought he was holding his breath. But then I saw him moved too quickly for me to react and he grabbed my arm that was too close to him and pulled me towards the bars. I was too stunned to react. But as he inched towards my neck to try to bite me, I hit the bars and kicked them and pulled away with some strength that I didn't know I had. I got to a safe distance once more and saw him breathing too hard, trying to regain control of his senses.
"I can't believe you were actually about to kill me?" his eyes were bright red.
"And I can't believe that you would have no sense of self-preservation and actually get so close like that forcing me to react that way."
"I'm sorry," I whispered.
"What?"
"I'm sorry. I didn't know you would actually try to kill me. I didn't notice. I'm sorry. I just didn't realize how easy it could be for you to kill me."
"Well it is."
"Then I guess I should stay away from you." I looked up from the ground to see that his eyes had returned to a cool green and he was no longer in a mad frenzy.
"That is probably best."
I saw some kind of sadness in his eyes. He was probably regretting having been about to kill someone. Or maybe losing a friend. But whichever it was, I couldn't stay near him. I might unintentionally get too close and have myself be slaughtered just like his friends.
"I have to leave now," I said, not knowing what to say at a time like this.
"'Bye," was all he said and went towards the darkness of his box.
It was already close to dinner time and it was getting dark, so I had to leave anyway. I didn't go out by the front door, I just jumped the fence into my side yard.
I was regretting having it left like that, but he was a murderer, a very dangerous one, the kind that couldn't control himself. It was best if I stayed away. I entered my house without a single glance at his wooden prison.
End of Part 3 heart
ARGH!!!! Is this starting to sound familiar to anyone? I think it does to me. I guess I just don't have any originality, but I get bored and this is something that is itching to be written, though it's just a futile attempt at gold-making. I will write more serious stuff later on, the kind that has more story than just dialogue. But this is easier and I'm just practicing.
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