Guardian

It took me a long time to blink. It took an even longer time for me to recognize what I was staring at, what I had been staring at, unseeingly for who knows how long. It was worn upholstery. The floral design made of reds, pinks and greens. I reached a hand up to touch it, surprised at how heavy my arm was. And it hurt.

Why was I lying down?

Where was I?

My heart was beginning to speed up, making my head swim and nausea swill around my stomach.

I swallowed and slowly turned my head up to the ceiling. An old fashioned light hung from the ceiling, glass dark and opaque. The room was in shadows, except for the soft light coming from the next room. It wasn’t bright, maybe a nightlight plugged into the wall.

Krrchhhckkkk.

I gasped as the sound broke the silence and a small flickering flame sparked into life. Briefly it illuminated a pair of hands and a face before it sputtered out. Instead, it was replaced by the harsh burning of a cigarette and the noxious stink that followed.

“Returned to the real world, pet?” the voice in the darkness said.

I recognized it. But I wasn’t sure I wanted to. There were images in my head, flashes of blood and pain. And pleasure. But they seemed barely more than a dream.

Even so, the mere memory made something quiver in my chest and my breath catch. I clenched my fist to fight the sensation and tried to sit up.

Pain flared between my jaw and shoulder, burning bright and a wave of dizziness forced me back down. White spots danced around the edge of my vision, growing wider until I thought I would be claimed by unconsciousness.

Something cold touched my cheek and I gasped, the spots clearing away from the shock.

He was there, standing beside me. I blinked taking in the glass of water he was holding, now a few inches from my face. I tried to sit up again, and swayed wondering for the second time today if I was going to faint or throw up.

Cold again touched me and I shivered. I tensed, feeling the lean length supporting me from behind and the arm that was wrapped around my waist. I blinked slowly at it, knowing that I didn’t like it there, but my stupefied brain couldn’t decide what to do about it.

The glass of water slowly rose to my lips and I swallowed dryly. Yes. I really wanted that. Cool and crisp the moisture ran over my tongue. I sighed through my nose as the relief trickled down my throat.

“Mmmm,” the voice behind me whispered. “I did take too much.”

The glass went away and I listed to the side, exhaustion pulling at me. My brain was slowly shrugging off the fog. With a kind of tired acceptance it put two and two together. He was a vampire. I had been set up and sucked on by a leech. Another sigh escaped me. At least today couldn’t get any worse.

His fingers perched lightly at my temple before sliding back; shifting a few dark curls away from my face.

“You have to go home now, little one,” he sighed, stroking back more curls. Despite being outraged that he had sucked my blood, I thought it felt incredibly good. My eyes closed and my breath gusted out in relaxation. I wanted to sleep forever…

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The sun was shining annoying and bright. I scrunched my face against the assault and turned away, trying to hide behind my Mickey Mouse pillow. As much as I tried to return to the cusp of sleep, it wouldn’t come.

I peeked around Mickey’s hip at my alarm clock and sucked in a scream. It was past ten!

Wait. It was past ten and no one had come in screaming for me to get up…was it Saturday…no.

A holiday?…not in the middle of October. It was Tuesday.

I sat up and put my feet on the floor. For a second the world seemed to tilt, but soon enough it righted itself and I took a hesitant step up. I moaned. Ugh. Was I sick? Was that why they let me sleep?

With a tired hand, I tried to wipe the sleep from my face. Gravity was doing a number on me that morning, pulling so hard that I almost thought I should go back to bed. But…no. I had to get dressed. There was a test in Political Science today and I couldn’t afford another absence. I’d used all my free ones up already. Sad.

Wearily, I looked down and felt the world shift again. I was already dressed…or I had never put my pajamas on. Yeah…I wore the My Chemical Romance tee yesterday. I blinked, trying to get my foggy brain to start.

Why didn’t I get undressed? Yesterday I…

I…

Went to school.

My head started to pound and I gripped the dresser for balance. I could remember, it was there, like a word on the tip of my tongue, dancing just out of reach. Unsteadily I pulled off my clothes and headed to the bathroom. The cool gray walls eased the tightening at my temples.

The water started crankily, groaning and squealing through the walls before it sputtered unevenly out of the tap. After a minute the trickle evened out and I adjusted the temperature.

I had to groan myself as the heated spray massaged my shoulders and rolled down the stiffness in my back. I rotated my head and yelped as my neck screamed with agony. I put a hand to my throat and felt a bandage slowly and surely soaking up ton of tap water.
With a grimace I tore off the tape, flinching as it caught on skin and hair. And ugly red stain spread diagonally across its belly, browning at the corners. Gingerly I touched my neck, feeling two small scabs that ached dully under my probing fingers.

“Oh my god.”

In a rush it came back, breaking the barrier my feeble mind had tried to protect itself with. As if he were with me in my house, in the shower, I felt those teeth; those fangs sink into my neck, the pain swelling into a climax of pleasure. I had enjoyed it, pliant in his arms as he touched and caressed—as he had stolen life away from me.

I had let him. I hadn’t even thought of resisting. How could I be so…pathetic.

Did I have to let everyone take advantage of me?

“Damn it!” I cursed, banging a fist against the slick tile. “Fuck! Shit!” I screamed, crunching my knuckles against the ceramic, wanting the pain to drive away the frustration.

Bloody rivulets streaked down my fingers as I fought back aggravated tears and a wave of nausea.

“I’m gonna be stronger.”

I didn’t care what the price would be.


I found my car parked in the driveway, not on the street where I usually left it. I hated backing up around the ridiculous hedges our neighbor, Ben Bingsley liked to grow. Nothing in the world would make him trim them.

That’s what would start my day off right, I grumbled inside my own brain. A nice little fender bender. Fate as it happened, didn’t feel the same. No. She was saving the big one for school.