Moonlight Denial: Shades of Moonlight Book One

EDIT: Okay guys, follow this link. It has the review replies for last chapter and it will tell you about the trouble that has been abrewing and I really need to know your guys' opinion on something. So go here and tell me what you think. Pretty, pretty, please!!!

http://devilofdarkness2.deviantart.com/journal/31877595/ (Copy and paste)

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Nicoli walked through rainy, dreary streets of a city he didn’t know. His silent feet padded along drenched pavement as he worked his way through a thin, late night crowd. No one paid him any mind. They didn’t acknowledge him in any way. Not even when he couldn’t move out of the way in time and someone walked right through him.

He had to keep reminding himself that he was in Felix’s memory. To these people he didn’t exist. They could not see, hear, or even smell him because he was not part of their world. In a way he felt like he himself was as much of a ghost as the one that silently walked beside him. The feeling was disconcerting and he tried to push it from his mind.

“How much further do we have to go?” he asked, trying to break the silence that was only filled by the drumming of the falling rain.

“Not much further now,” Felix said. “The clan never feeds close to their home if they can help it, so Ethan was pretty much on the outskirts of the city when he found me.”

Nicoli nodded and looked forward to the pair he and Felix had been following. While the people around him were indistinguishable and melded together, Ethan stood out like a beacon with his self-confident air that was always about him. Beside him was the young, living counterpart to the specter that stayed close to Nicoli.

Once again he was struck by how small and wretched the child Felix seemed, especially when he was beside Ethan. Even though the two were walking together the living Felix was doing his best to keep his distance. He stayed right on the edge of Ethan’s umbrella so that he stayed dry, but wasn’t as close to Ethan as he had to be.

Felix’s hands were shoved into his baggy, torn shorts as he walked and Nicoli knew he was keeping a tight grip on the bloody switchblade, ready to use it at any second. It was hard to imagine that Felix was really capable of killing someone, but Nicoli had to admit that it was just as hard to picture the horrible life Felix had had with his drug abusing mother. It was going to be interesting to see how the rest of Felix’s life played out, but since he knew how it was going to end a part of him didn’t want to know.

A few minutes more of walking brought the two sets of pairs to a fancy looking neighborhood. The houses were at least three times the size of Nicoli’s house now and they were all fitted with beautiful, perfect lawns and pristine driveways fitted with expensive cars.

“Wow, I guess the clan really is high class to live around here, huh?” Nicoli asked, twisting and turning to look everywhere he could and he noticed the living Felix was doing the same.

“Oh, you have no idea,” Felix said with a smirk.

Nicoli was brought out of his awed gazing when the pair in front of him stopped. He turned to see why they had come to a halt and his jaw dropped open. In front of them was a massive mansion. Unlike the other houses in the area this one was gigantic and had more space between the neighboring buildings than any of the others. An old, elegant iron wrought fence circled the property and the lawn around it was magnificent with its perfectly cut lawn, and beautiful trees and shrubbery that decorated it just so.

Nicoli was drawn from his disbelief by a voice.

“You-you live here?” the child Felix asked, just as astonished as Nicoli felt.

Ethan’s teeth showed with his smug grin.

“I do. You like it?” he asked.

Felix looked from Ethan to the mansion and back. His eyebrows were drawn downwards, as were his lips.

“You’re lying. You can’t live here.”

“Oh? And why not?”

Felix’s eyes raked over Ethan up and down before glancing at the dwelling before them.

“You don’t look like some snobby rich person. Someone that lived in a place like this would have to be dressed in nothing but silk and be wearing crazy expensive jewelry, not dressed in some dumb denim getup from top to bottom. You look way too…plain to live here.”

Ethan just laughed and gave Felix an amused smile.

“Well, you should never judge someone by how they look,” Ethan said as he reached out his hand toward the iron gates that kept them outside. There was a high-tech looking lock on it, but Ethan simply pushed against one gate and it swung open. Nicoli found that odd, but he figured the vampires had their own mental way of opening it and the lock was just for show.

Ethan walked passed the gate to the property inside, but stopped when Felix didn’t follow him. He turned and tilted his head at Felix who stared at Ethan with such distrust as rain trickled down his face.

“Well, you coming?” Ethan finally asked. “I’m not going to force you to come, if that's what you’re thinking. I have no problem just leaving you out here while I go warm up inside.”

“Ethan was such a nice guy,” Nicoli said, wrinkling his nose at the way Ethan treated a child that was clearly in desperate need of help.

“I know, wasn’t he?” Felix said, but was smiling affectionately.

The living Felix stared at Ethan before looking the way they had come. He was immobile for several seconds before wiping the rain from his face and walking into the property. Ethan smiled as Felix stood beside him again.

“There, that wasn’t so hard, was it?” he asked, but Felix didn’t reply. After the gate was closed and secured the two made their way to the front door with Nicoli and the ghost Felix close behind.

“You know, I always pictured the clan living in a place like this, but I thought they would live somewhere more…secluded, you know, so people couldn’t notice any odd behavior,” Nicoli said as they neared the mansion.

“Well, even though they’re vampires they do like to try and blend in with human society,” Felix explained. “Besides, they have another house on the outside of the city they use whenever they want to be unnatural,” Felix explained. “But this house is big enough that they can do whatever they like away from prying eyes.”

“You’re telling me,” Nicoli murmured.

Soon enough they reached the door and, once Ethan opened it, they went inside. Nicoli’s jaw went slack once more as he looked around the grand entryway. The floor was made of glossy marble and everything around them, furniture, paintings, decorations looked as high class as it could get.

“Damn, this is incredible. The stuff in this room alone must cost thousands,” Nicoli said.

“Money’s not an issue for Conrad and, even though he’d never admit it, he’s a bit of a show off,” Felix said.

“No, kidding.”

The living Felix looked around too, but instead of being impressed like Nicoli he looked uncomfortable. He raised his shoulders in an effort to close in on himself as his eyes swept around the room.

“What’s up with you?” Nicoli asked.

“You can call it being highly out of my element,” Felix replied. “Think about it, I’ve been a street punk all my life jumping from one run down building to the next, sometimes not even having that. Then suddenly I find myself with this strange man in a house good enough for a prince. How would that make you feel?”

“Yeah, I see your point,” Nicoli muttered with a nod.

Ethan shook the rain water off the umbrella, not caring that he was making a mess on the floor. He then closed it and left it leaned next to the door.

“Come on, you wanted a shower, right?” Ethan said, then walked off without waiting for an answer.

Living Felix glanced back at the front door before quietly following after Ethan, Nicoli and his companion doing the same. As they went little Felix looked back at his muddy footprints that he was leaving on the pristine floor.

“I’m getting your floor dirty,” he mumbled.

Ethan glanced over his shoulder, took one look, then turned forward once more.

“So?” he said with a shrug of his shoulders.

“You don’t care?” Felix asked in disbelief.

“It’s a floor,” Ethan said with a laugh. “It can be cleaned. Besides I didn’t wipe my feet either.”

Both little Felix and Nicoli looked and sure enough Ethan was leaving his own faint, grimy footprints as he walked.

“Man, I wish Conrad had been as casual as Ethan about it when I first tracked mud into the clan’s house,” Nicoli said.

“Well, remember Conrad was trying to find every excuse possible not to like you,” Felix said with a smirk.

“Yes, and I ever so much appreciated it,” Nicoli grumbled.

After traveling up a staircase they came to a hallway lined with many doors on either side. Nicoli was just wondering what the doors could possibly lead to when one just ahead of them opened and a man stepped out. A man with very familiar golden eyes.

“Ah, Ethan, finally decided to stop playing in the rain, hmm?” Andre said with his usual smile.

As the group came to a stop Nicoli’s jaw went slack a third time. Andre still had his handsome face, but his good looks were enhanced by the absence of an eye patch and the addition of a second eye.

“He-He has both of his eyes,” Nicoli said in amazement.

“Yep, in two years he will meet Omen for the first time and they will have their tragic, pitiful affair that made him lose his eye, but when I first met him he was completely intact and as gorgeous as he was annoying,” Felix told him. “And if you ever tell him I called him gorgeous I will make sure the rest of your life is hell.”

“Won’t say a word.”

Andre smiled at his cousin, but the smile faded and was replaced with a bemused look as he spotted Felix.

“And just who might this be?” he asked, he bowed from the waist a bit to be eye level with Felix, who took a step back and tensed all over. Even though his hand was still shoved in his pocket Nicoli saw the fabric tighten, the hand clenching into a fist, undoubtedly wrapping around the knife that was hidden there.

“This is Felix,” Ethan said cheerfully. “He’s in between places to stay at the moment, so I’m taking him in for the night to help him out.”

Andre continued to give Felix a look over before standing up with a smirk.

“You don’t usually pay attention to strays, let alone bring them home.”

“Call it my good deed for the rest of the year,” Ethan replied.

“I’m not some kind of charity case,” Felix hissed. “I don’t need you or anyone else. And don’t call me a stray,” he snapped at Andre.

“My what a little spitfire,” Andre said. “Now I see how such a little lost stray got you interested.”

Ethan laughed as Felix continued to seethe at Andre.

“Felix, this is my cousin Andre. Don’t let him get to you. He’s the master at aggravating people.”

Felix’s glare was set in place, but he looked back and forth between the two men.

“You two are related? You look nothing alike,” he muttered.

“Think of it as distant cousins,” Andre quipped. “Well, as fun as this is I was just about to go out myself to do some errands. Have fun with your little stray, Ethan,” Andre said and made to walk by the two as Felix glared venomously at him. However, Ethan caught his arm as he went by and pulled him to a stop.

“Actually, since you’re going out could you do me a favor?”

“Oh, I suppose. I can never say no to you anyways. What is it?” Andre asked.

“Could you stop somewhere and pick up something for this little guy to eat?”

“Don’t call me little guy,” Felix grumbled, but went ignored.

“I’m pretty sure his stomach is starting to eat itself and is in need of some kind of nourishment.”

“Sure, I can swing by the grocery store and pick up some kitten kibble. I’m sure you’d like that, wouldn’t you?” Andre asked Felix and his smirk widened when Felix actually growled. “It’s a joke, for a kid you don’t have much of a sense of humor. So, what would you like? Restaurant quality food or nice and greasy from some fast food joint?”

Felix didn’t answer and even turned his head away in a show of defiance.

“Just get whatever you think he’d like,” Ethan said after shaking his head.

“No problem. Heh I can tell this is going to be fun,” Andre said before turning and leaving the two.

“I don’t like him,” Felix said when Andre was gone.

“Oh, come on. I know he can be a bit…abrasive at first, but he’s a good guy once you get to know him.”

“I don’t plan on getting to know him,” Felix muttered.

“In truth I didn’t plan on getting to know any of them,” the present Felix told Nicoli.

“Why does he have to get me food anyways?” Little Felix asked. “You can’t tell me that there’s no food in this huge place.”

“Fine, I won’t tell you then,” Ethan said coyly.

“Whatever.”

“I guess it doesn’t make much since if you don’t know they’re vampires,” Nicoli said.

“Precisely. I just thought Ethan was showing his snobby side and didn’t want to share any of his fancy food with a street rat like me. There was no way I could know that there was actually no food in the house,” Felix said.

“All right, let’s get you into that shower, you’re making a puddle on the floor,” Ethan said, trying to coax Felix to continue.

Felix looked down and lifted his foot to see that there really was a puddle starting to form underneath him.

“I thought you didn’t care about the floor?” Felix said, not budging an inch.

“I don’t, but the longer you’re in those drenched clothes the easier it will be for you to catch some kind of cold. Now scoot.” Ethan gave a light nudge to Felix’s shoulder before walking ahead.

Nicoli realized it was the first physical contact the two had had and Felix seemed thrown off by it by the surprised look on his face. He quickly replaced it back with a scowl and followed Ethan through the hall.

Soon enough they stopped at one of the doors and went inside. Nicoli had expected to see more expensive items in this room, but what he found instead was a completely normal room that could belong to any average Joe.

There was a twin bed, some dressers, clothes strewn about in an untidy fashion and a tv set up across from the bed. What gave character to the room, however, were the posters of what looked to be famous boxers and fighters around the room. Nicoli had never been into the sport so he didn’t know any of the people, but it was something that he didn’t expect from Ethan. Then again Nicoli realized that he really didn’t know any of Ethan’s likes, dislikes or hobbies.

Little Felix took one look at the room before fixing Ethan with a suspicious glare.

“I thought you were taking me to a bathroom for a shower,” he said and he looked ready to sprint out of the room any second.

“I am, don’t get your ratty clothes in a bunch,” Ethan said as he walked over to a door and opened it. “I was just taking you to my private bathroom.”

Felix hesitated before walking over and peering into the new room. Nicoli did the same and saw that, sure enough, it was an adjacent bathroom.

“While you take a shower I’ll try and find you some other clothes,” Ethan said. “Whatever I get will undoubtedly be too big for you since no one in my family is as small as you…except for my sister, but I’m sure you don’t want to wander around in a dress.”

“What’s wrong with the clothes that I have?” Felix asked, obviously not liking the concept of wearing someone else’s clothes.

“In case you haven’t noticed, Kid, they’re soaked and grimy and if you put them back on after your shower that will completely defeat the purpose.” Ethan grinned and leaned against the bathroom doorframe. “If you’re really against the idea you could always just go around naked.”

“No way in hell,” Felix grumbled, still obviously thinking the worst of Ethan.

“Okay then, end of discussion. Now go on and clean up. If you need anything I’ll be right out here trying to find you something.”

Felix said nothing, but breezed passed Ethan into the bathroom. Nicoli was just able to slip in and Ethan quickly moved out of the way before the door was slammed shut. They were left in darkness until Felix found the light switch and flipped it on. He took a second to look around before locking the bathroom door.

“Wish I had something to prop against it,” he muttered, but it must not have bothered him too much because he walked right over to the glass shower and kicked off his tattered shoes. He took the closed switchblade out of his pocket and tossed it onto the sink counter. He then started peeling off his wet clothes.

“Oh jeeze, do I really need to watch you get naked?” Nicoli asked, averting his eyes by staring at the other, fully clothed, Felix.

“What? Feeling uncomfortable?” Felix teased as his younger self started up the shower then moved onto his shorts. “I’ve already seen you naked, might as well see me naked, right?”

“Yeeeah, forget the fact I feel like a total perv because you’re twelve,” Nicoli grumbled.

“Eh, don’t feel too creepy, I’m in the shower now.”

Nicoli looked just as the younger Felix slipped into the shower and closed the glass door, the surface of it already clouded by steam.

“Man, you have more guts than I ever could have.”

“Um…thank you?” Felix said uncertainly with an odd look. “Why do you say that?”

“Well, think about it. Here you are, some kid who’s been through the worst experience of anyone’s life then you get picked up by some strange guy and now you’re taking a shower in the guy’s bathroom, completely naked and vulnerable, and you’re not scared at all. If it was me I’d be terrified of what he was planning to do to me and looking over my shoulder every second.”

Felix was silent as he stared at the outline of his living counterpart through the glass. He then smiled and shook his head.

“I wouldn’t call that guts. Let’s just say I was…resigned to whatever was going to happen to me from this point on. After everything that had happened I just didn’t care. That’s not to say that I wouldn’t put up a fight if Ethan did try something, but I refused to be surprised by it and that’s why I seem like I’m not afraid. Trust me that kind of mentality is nothing to be proud of.”

Nicoli nodded, thinking back to his time at the mansion after Seth had attacked him. How he had felt so hopeless and was sure he was going to die, even going so far as to contemplating taking his own life so Dimitri couldn’t. That was until he had seen Gavin and then his fighting spirit had come back. Felix was right. Feeling like that was nothing to be proud of.

Little Felix didn’t stay in the shower for long. Soon enough the sound of running water stopped and the glass door opened enough for Felix to poke his head out and grab a towel from a nearby rack. He came out a second later with it around his waist. A second towel was used to start drying his hair, but mid-ruffle he stilled. He stared at the door intently before turning his head, as if trying to listen.

Nicoli heard it too. Voices. Someone was talking in the next room. Felix quietly tiptoed to the door with Nicoli close behind. Felix braced one hand against the door as the other unlocked it and silently turned the knob. He hesitated a second before carefully easing the door open just a crack.

Nicoli saddled up behind Felix and peered through the crack, but couldn’t really see anything. Every once in a while a figure passed by the door, but didn’t stay there for long. There were two people talking, but they sounded almost exactly alike. The hairs on the back of Nicoli’s neck stood on end. That only meant one thing.

“Evan, will you calm down?” Ethan said, but was sounding more amused than anything else. “I don’t see what the big deal is.”

“How can you not see the big deal?” Evan asked and appeared in front of the door long enough for Nicoli to get a good look at him. He looked exactly how Nicoli remembered in the basement, but, oddly enough, his features seemed less severe and cold.

“Meier,” Nicoli said breathlessly, his stomach twisting in on itself as he looked back at the other Felix. “What the hell is he doing here?”

“Remember, he is not Meier at this point. He is purely just Evan. This was when he was part of the clan and hadn’t revealed his true colors. Four years from now he will officially meet Dimitri for the first time and start working with him. In the year to follow he will show himself as the traitor and leave the clan.”

Nicoli nodded and swallowed a lump in his throat. He knew that Evan’s leaving of the clan also coincided with Felix’s death. It made his insides tremble to think of it. To distract himself he looked through the crack at the other room, but still could see little.

“I wish I could see better,” he said.

“Then go out into the other room,” Felix told him.

“Um, you’re kinda in the way,” Nicoli said, gesturing to the child Felix.

Felix simply sighed with a roll of his eyes before reaching out his hand so it went right through the wall.

“Oh, right,” Nicoli said sheepishly. He glanced at the wall before steeling his courage and stepping into it. He felt nothing as he passed through and the next second he was on the other side in the bedroom. His attention was immediately brought to the twins and he realized he had missed part of the conversation.

“I don’t understand why you would do something like this,” Evan said. “What are you planning on doing with him?”

Ethan put his hands behind his head and shrugged.

“Not quite sure yet. I just felt like getting him out of the rain. It’s rather cold out there.”

“Why would you care if he caught his death of cold? We’ve passed by hundreds of homeless before, old and young alike, and you never gave them a second thought. What’s so special about this one?”

“Who says there’s anything special about him?” Ethan asked and chuckled when Evan gave him an imploring look. “He just caught my interest that’s all. You know when something catches my interest I rarely just let it go.”

Evan stared at him before shaking his head and pacing again.

“I don’t like this, not one bit.” He came to a stop in front of Ethan again. “Do you know what kind of risk you’re putting us all in by having him here? This could end badly on all accounts.”

Ethan snorted and covered his mouth to try and control the laugh that followed.

“What?” Evan asked, his irritation rising.

“Do you know how much you just sounded like Father?” Ethan asked. “That was very cute.”

“You’re not going to think it’s so “cute” when you’re getting reprimanded by the real thing. He’s going to be less amused by this than I am.”

Ethan sighed before stepping forward and putting his hands on Evan’s shoulders.

“Bro, relax, will you? You’re always so tense,” Ethan said, giving his brother the smallest of shakes. “I see nothing wrong with having him here. He’s just some little street punk, what threat could he possibly be to us? Besides, it’s only for a night.”

“You say a night, but I know you too well,” Evan muttered.

“That you do, which makes trying to slip anything by you a real pain,” Ethan said with a chuckle. “Oh, come on, I’m kidding,” he said when Evan rolled his eyes and tried to pull away. “What you need to do is just go unwind. Go out with Faith for a bite to eat or something. She can always take your mind off whatever is irking you. You don’t even have to see or talk to the kid. Just pretend he doesn’t exist and he’ll be gone before you know it. I’m just helping him out this once, okay?”

Evan was quiet as he stared at Ethan. He then sighed and his shoulders slumped.

“Why do you always do things that make me worry? Couldn’t you do something non-worrisome for once in your life?”

Ethan laughed and gave Evan one of his big smiles.

“You know that’s impossible, you worry over everything.”

“Then could you possibly do something that will make me the least worried?” Evan asked. “Fine, do with the boy what you wish, but just make sure to put him back where you found him when you’re done, all right?”

Evan made to step away and leave, but Ethan’s hands didn’t budge. Instead they moved up and his fingers laced behind Evan’s neck.

“Hey, hey, just come here,” Ethan said. He pulled Evan to him until their foreheads were touching in an affectionate gesture. “Just trust me, Evan. Your big brother may not know what he’s doing, but you don’t have to worry. Everything is going to be okay. You do trust me, don’t you?”

Evan seemed unmoved by Ethan’s words.

“Yes, fine, do what you will,” Evan said and tried to pull away again, but Ethan’s grip kept firm.

“I want to hear you say it.”

Evan released a disgruntled sigh, but his body relaxed. His hands came up to rest on Ethan’s neck, mirroring the hands on him and he pressed his forehead more against Ethan’s.

“I trust you, Ethan. With my whole heart.”

To anyone else the moment would seem sweet, but for Nicoli it was just confusing.

“Hey, Felix,” he called out.

“Yes?” Felix said, his upper half appearing through the wall.

“Meier was to supposed to have hated Ethan way back when they were human’s, right?”

“That’s right.”

“Then what is all this?” Nicoli asked, gesturing to the brothers in their embrace. “That doesn’t look like hatred to me. Shouldn’t Meier have wanted to distance himself as much as he could away from Ethan?”

Felix sighed as he came through the wall fully.

“You would think that, wouldn’t you? This is the reason Ethan was so confused and devastated when Meier showed his true colors. It was moments like these. Meier did have his times where he was standoffish and even spiteful towards Ethan, but then he also had his caring side as you see now, through all of his distain. I’m not sure about the others, but I believe, through all of his hatred, Meier really did love Ethan, but he had been so warped in his childhood that that love was always crushed under his negative feelings.”

“You mean the warping done by their mother?” Nicoli asked, his features darkening at just the thought.

“Ah, so you know?”

“Ethan told me shortly after you guys rescued me.” He stared at the brothers as they pulled away from each other and began to say their goodbyes. “It’s so unfair.”

“I know. I often think about what they would have been like if their mother hadn’t been a nutcase, but I try not to think on that long since it makes me feel pity for Meier, and that’s something I’m not willing to do for the bastard.”

Nicoli understood and agreed wholeheartedly.

“You may want to get back in the bathroom,” Felix warned. “I’m about to close the door and when I do this room will disappear since it won’t be part of my memories.”

Nicoli hastily took the advice and gave one last glance to the brother’s before delving back into the wall. Just as he emerged through the other side he heard the bathroom door close and watched as the living Felix wandered back to the middle of the bathroom, towel drying his hair once more.

It was only a minute before there was a knock on the door.

“What?” Felix called out.

“Hey, you almost done in there?” Ethan asked.

“Maybe, but I’ll take longer if you try to rush me,” Felix snapped.

“Sheesh, Kid, don’t get so defensive. I was just gonna say that if you’re ready I have some clothes you can try.”

Felix walked over to the door, unlocked it again and opened it hardly an inch.

“Kay, give ‘em then.”

“All right, here,” Ethan said as he wedged a pile of folded clothes through the door as best he could since Felix refused to open it much further. “Do I even get a thanks?” he asked once Felix had the clothes. His answer was the door being slammed into his face and being relocked. “The gratitude of kids is astounding these days,” Ethan’s muffled voice grumbled.

“Just trying to be as bratty as possible, weren’t you?” Nicoli asked with a smile.

“Oh, you know it. Plus with the way I grew up I lived by a very different set of rules. Niceness got you killed, depending and trusting others got you killed, and if you didn’t watch your back it got you killed. So you see why I wouldn’t be the easiest kid to deal with.”

Nicoli quietly reflected Felix’s words as he watched little Felix finish drying off after putting the clothes on the counter. When the towel was taken from his mostly dried hair, Nicoli was astounded.

“Holy crap, Felix. You were blond.”

Nicoli had been curious as to what Felix looked like before his permanent grey tones and now that the dirt, grim and rain water was washed away Nicoli was surprised that Felix’s hair was of the brightest, richest yellow he had ever seen. It would have made any bleach blond bimbo jealous. Paired with sparkling baby blue eyes even Nicoli had to admit that, if more meat were on his bones, Felix was one of the cutest kids he’d ever seen. It also answered the sickening question as to why the pimp had wanted Felix.

“What can I say? I was a looker,” Felix said with a satisfied, smug grin. “If I didn’t have such a bad attitude back then I’m sure I would have been able to wrap anyone around my finger.”

“I’d have to agree with you.”

Nicoli turned as little Felix began getting dressed. He waited a few seconds until he heard the ghost Felix snort and laugh.

“Man, I really did look ridiculous.”

With much curiosity Nicoli turned back around and when he got an eyeful of the living Felix’s new attire he couldn’t help but burst out into laughter.

“Wow, no kidding.”

The clothes that Ethan had given Felix were just wrong in all ways imaginable. The shirt hung off his frame, to the point the collar slipped off one shoulder and the sleeves completely engulfed his arms and hands. The slacks were just as long, obscuring his feet from view. Luckily Ethan had provided him with a belt, but even fitted into the last hole the pants were in danger of slipping off Felix’s slim waist.

“I forgot how much of a runt I used to be,” Felix said, and his voice was full of nostalgia.

Little Felix went to the bathroom mirror. He took only one look before his face twisted in anger and he stared down at the clothes in disgust.

“I look fuckin’ stupid,” he spat.

To try and help matters he worked on rolling up the sleeves and pant legs. When he was done it helped with mobility, but didn’t make him look any less hysterical. He wandered over to his wet, sopping clothes and poked at them with his toe with a look of longing. Knowing there was little he could do with them he went over to the sink and picked up the discarded switchblade.

It was still stained with blood and Felix took a moment to rinse it off best he could. When he was done he shoved the knife into the pocket of the slacks and headed for the door. With a second to take a breath he unlocked and opened the door and stepped out.

“Don’t fuckin’ say anything.” Was the first thing he said as he entered the bedroom.

Ethan looked to him curiously, but the moment he spotted Felix he fell into uncontrollable laughter.

“Shut up!” Felix shouted.

“But-But I didn’t say anything,” Ethan said between shaking chuckles.

“You’re laughing at me. Stop it,” Felix demanded.

“I’m sorry, I just didn’t imagine that my clothes would fit that badly on you. I’ll try to rectify that later.” Ethan’s eyes then scanned Felix in his entirety and he gave one of his soft, warm smiles. “You clean up nicely, though. You don’t look like a drowned cat anymore.”

Felix ‘Humphed’ and turned his head away, but Nicoli could see his fair complexion had reddened just a little. Before more could be said a loud growl rumbled in the air and Felix clasped his stomach with a look of pain.

“Ow,” he said under his breath.

“Well, that was no ordinary stomach grumble. When’s the last time you ate?” Ethan asked and actually sounded concerned.

“It doesn’t matter,” Felix said.

“Actually, it does. I need to know in case you’re going to pass out on me here in a second,” Ethan said, trying to take a few steps closer, but stopped when Felix backed away.

Felix averted his gaze, but his hands kept petting his stomach, which Nicoli was sure was still roiling with its emptiness in the most unpleasant way.

“I might have eaten some bread this morning, but if I didn’t last time I ate was somewhere around noon yesterday,” he said softly.

“Wow…that’s a while for going without food,” Ethan said, all laughter gone from his face.

“I’ve gone longer. Besides I’m used to it, so it’s not a big deal.”

“Have you ever had a proper meal?”

“My kind of a proper meal, yes. Your kind of a proper meal, probably not.”

“Little did I know their version of a proper meal was gorging on the blood of others,” the Felix specter said with a smirk.

“What’s up with your brother?” Felix said abruptly before Ethan could say anymore on the food matter.

“Hmm?”

“He seemed to hate that you brought me here. Do street punks scare him?” Felix asked.

“Ah, so you were listening in. I thought it went a little too quiet in there. Don’t you worry about Evan. He hates surprises and when I do something unexpected it always makes him nervous, which is why I try to do unexpected things as much as I can,” Ethan said jokingly. “It’s nothing against you.”

“Why does he think I’m putting you at risk?” Felix asked.

“Eh, no reason in particular. I don’t know what runs through that pretty little head of his, so he could have a number of reasons on why he thinks that.”

Felix seemed unsatisfied with that answer and was about to say more, but there was a knock on the door.

“Yes?” Ethan called out.

“I have come back with the kitten’s much needed milk!” Andre’s voice said triumphantly through the door.

“Oh, great,” Felix grumbled, his unpleasant look intensifying a thousand fold.

Ethan just chuckled as he walked over to the door and opened it.

“Thanks, Andre, I owe you one,” he said as Andre walked in.

“Of course you do, and I shall think up of how you can repay me later,” Andre said with a lecherous smirk that little Felix missed.

“All he ever thinks about is sex, isn’t it?” Nicoli asked.

“You have no idea,” Felix said with a shake of his head. “He’s actually toned it down since Omen, naturally, so you’re going to see how bad he was beforehand.”

Andre’s eyes moved over to little Felix, who was already glaring at him, and his grin grew.

“Well, well, aren’t we just a bundled up, cozy little kitten?” he asked.

“I. Am not. A cat,” Felix said through tightly clenched teeth.

“Of course not. You’re far too small to be a cat just yet, Kitten.”

“Andre, stop before he stabs you with the knife in his pocket,” Ethan chided.

“What?” Andre said, eyes wide, obviously taken aback by the statement.

Ethan did not elaborate his meaning as he took the white bag Andre was holding that had McDonalds printed across it.

“You couldn’t have gotten him something a little healthier?” Ethan asked as he spied the grease spots staining the bag.

“He’s a kid. Since when do kids want healthy? It’s all about the junk food, isn’t that right, Kitten?” Andre asked.

Felix didn’t reply. Instead he stared at the bag and Nicoli saw hunger spark in his eyes. Without a word Felix went to Ethan and snatched the bag out of his hand.

“Do I even get a thank you?” Andre asked as Felix turned his back and carried off his prize to the spacious bedside table.

“Don’t expect one,” Ethan said. “I haven’t gotten one yet. But I will thank you for him.” He gave a squeeze to Andre’s arm and placed a kiss on his cheek. “I’ll probably see you soon.”

“All right. Have fun with your little stray, but be careful. He seems to be a bit feral,” Andre said, returning the kiss.

“I can handle myself.”

When Andre left Ethan wandered over to Felix, who was hunched over the table, and a look of surprise crossed his face.

Nicoli was curious, so he went over to see what was up. He blinked when he saw that on the table was a wrapper to a burger, but there was no burger to be seen. All that was left was a smear of ketchup that Felix was currently licking off his thumb.

“Did…Did you just really eat that already?” Ethan asked as Felix dug into the bag to extract the fries.

“Yeah. And?” Felix asked as he shoved a bunch of fries in his mouth.

“Uh, wow, you may want to take it easy, Kid. You are in for one hell of a stomachache later,” Ethan warned.

“At least I’ll have something to throw up,” Felix said with his mouth full and shoved a few more fries in.

“Whatever you say, Kid,” Ethan said with a chuckle and a shake of his head.

“Man, I have never seen someone eat that fast,” Nicoli said in awe.

“Never underestimate a starving person,” Felix told him.

“I’m actually kind of surprised that you took the food so eagerly.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, you seem resistant to take any sort of help. You’ve been fighting Ethan and giving him attitude this whole time, but with the food you took it without a second thought or hesitance. It seems unlike you,” Nicoli told him.

“That’s because I have my priorities straight,” Felix told him with a shrug.

“What?”

“This is how I see it with everything Ethan has offered,” Felix said and began ticking items off his fingers. “Shower, it’s nice, but I didn’t really need it. A roof over my head, again nice, but unneeded. New clothes, basically unwanted. Food, on the other hand, is something I hardly could come across before, so it was a commodity that I desired greatly, no if’s, and’s, or but’s about it. I might have been a stubborn brat, but I wasn’t an idiot. To pass up any food would practically be suicide for me.”

“Yeah, I get you. That makes sense,” Nicoli said with a nod of agreement.

It took only a minute or two more for little Felix to devour the rest of the food until all that was left was a crumbled up bag.

“Huh, maybe I should have asked Andre to get you more food,” Ethan said as he took the bag and tossed it into the nearby wastebasket.

Felix didn’t reply, but began stroking his stomach in contentment, though Nicoli was sure he’d be regretting the inhaling of his food soon.

“Well, I guess there’s nothing left to do but let you get some shut eye. It’s late and I’m sure you’ve had an exhausting day,” Ethan said.

“Where am I going to sleep?” Felix asked, sounding much mellower and his eyes looked droopy. Nicoli supposed food could tame even the feral Felix.

“I was figuring here. Don’t worry, I’d be sleeping elsewhere,” Ethan said when Felix threw him a suspicious look.

“There has to be a thousand rooms in this place. There’s no where else I can go?”

“Oh, there is, I just figured you’re already semi-familiar with this room, so you might sleep easier in here than in a completely new, foreign room. But it’s completely up to you what you want to do.”

Felix looked around for a moment, the gears turning in his head. Finally he shrugged.

“Sure, I’ll stay in here. Whatever,” he said, sounding like he was beyond caring.

“Good. So, is there anything you want me to get for you? Water, anything? Maybe some other clothes that you’ll sleep easier in?”

Felix looked down at his oversized attire and shook his head.

“No. I don’t need nothin’ else.”

“All right, then I will leave you to conk out. If you need anything during the night just stick your head out the door and call for me. I should hear you.”

“O…kay,” Felix said after giving him an odd look.

“Well, sleep tight then.” Ethan made his way to the door, but when he opened it he stopped and looked back at Felix. “I know I won’t get any thanks for taking you in, but I want you to know that you’re safe here. As long as you’re in my house I won’t let anything bad happen to you.”

The door closed and the last image of Ethan was of his gentle, smiling face. Felix stared at the door for a long while before looking around the room and softly tugging on the baggy clothes on him. His eyes settled on the door again and two words left his lips that were nearly inaudible.

“Thank you.”

“Awe, how sweet,” Nicoli said in a teasing voice.

“Hush, you,” Felix told him.

Little Felix went to the bed and, without even undoing the belt, slipped the pants off, leaving his bottom half bare since Ethan had not supplied him underwear. That would have been pointless, but the shirt was so big it covered his unmentionables completely. He was just about to climb into the bed when he stopped and glanced back at the door. He seemed torn for a second before he got up and strode over to the door, locking it when he got there.

“Don’t trust anybody,” he muttered under his breath before going back to the bed and getting in.

“That’s so sad,” Nicoli said as the living Felix made himself cozy in the bed that seemed huge compared to him.

“What?” Felix asked.

“To be a kid and not be able to trust anyone. That’s just really sad to me.”

“I know, any normal person would find it sad, but can you blame me? I had just been betrayed by my own mother, who I couldn’t rely on anyways. It’d be weird if I didn’t have trust issues.”

“Yeah, I know, but still…”

“Well, if it makes you feel any better my belief in not trusting anyone would soon change after this night,” Felix said as the room abruptly went dark from the child Felix turning off the light.

Nicoli watched as little Felix laid back and made himself comfortable. He stared up at the ceiling for a bit, but soon enough his eyelids grew heavy, reopening less and less as he blinked, until finally they closed all together and he was fast asleep.

Nicoli jumped and looked around as the room around him grew dark before disappearing all together, leaving him and Felix in complete darkness. The feeling sent goose bumps all over his body and a cold sweat break out on his brow and he wasn’t sure why.

“What just happened?” he asked, and noticed that his voice wavered.

“Don’t worry, we’ve just hit a spot where I have no memories because I’m sleeping, so everything just kind of faded away.”

“Creepy,” Nicoli muttered.

“Yeah, I know. It’ll skip forward in a second.”

Nicoli silently waited, but he couldn’t help but think of his past conversation with Ethan when they talked about the gap Ethan had seen in his memories resulting from his coma. Was this what Ethan had seen, just a giant blackness between one moment and another? It left an eerie feeling in his bones.

Soon enough those thoughts were banished as the darkness slowly trickled away and Ethan’s room came back into focus. What first caught his attention was a stirring Felix, who emerged from under the covers a second later. He blinked several times, obviously still shrouded by grog.

The scene was almost overly cute; a sleepy young Felix in an oversized shirt, surrounded by blankets with his hair sticking up in every direction possible. It took Felix a second to wake up, but when he did his eyes widened in fright as he glanced about the room. He looked about ready to jump out of the bed and run, but a moment later he relaxed. He let out a deep breath as he combed his fingers through his wild, clean hair, taming it just a bit.

“Didn’t remember where you were, did ya?” Nicoli asked in amusement.

“Nope. Scared the shit out of me,” Felix replied.

Little Felix yawned loudly and stretched. His foot moved something on the bed that Nicoli hadn’t noticed before and the thing tumbled to the floor with a light thump. Felix blinked and leaned over the edge to see what it was.

On the floor was a pile of clothes. Felix slowly got out from under the covers and picked them up. He laid them out on the bed and stared at them curiously. These clothes were much smaller than what he was wearing and actually looked like they would fit him. He tilted his head as he looked down and there was a folded up piece of paper on the floor that had been hidden by the clothes. He picked it up and unfolded it. Nicoli hovered over his shoulder so he could read it too.

“Dear Felix,

I hope you slept well last night and are all rested this morning. It took me a while, but I was able to find some clothes that I think will fit you better than mine. If they had a size negative five I would have gotten you those, but alas I don’t think such a size exists, so you’ll have to make do.
I also have a surprise waiting for you in the kitchen. Just follow the directions at the end of this letter and you’ll find your way there with no problem.

Your knight in shining armor,
~Ethan.”

Nicoli shook his head with a chuckle. Ethan really hadn’t changed at all. His chuckle died, however, when he caught a look at Felix’s face. His brows were drawn downward and he had a look of serious concentration on his face that grew into frustration.

“What’s your problem?” Nicoli asked the ghost Felix as the other one scratched his head as he continued to pour over the letter.

“Well, at this point in time I can’t read. Er, I shouldn’t say can’t read. It’s more of a I can hardly read. I’m fine with the most basic words possible, but go any further than that and I’m completely lost,” Felix replied.

“You…can’t read?” Nicoli said as little Felix finally gave up on the letter and set it aside as he examined the new clothes that still had tags in them. “But that essay you helped me with. It was amazing. I can’t believe you can’t read.”

“Hey, I did say “At this point.” I can read and write just as well as the best of them now because I got help from the clan while growing up, but before then there was really no one able or willing to sit down and teach me. What I know at this age I basically had to learn all by myself, same with my minimal math skills.” Felix’s voice grew quiet and his eyes distant. “I never got to go to a real school.”

Nicoli closed his eyes and shook his head. Felix had missed out on so much in life that every normal child took for granted. While everyone he knew hated and bemoaned the fact that they had to go to school, Felix probably would have given everything he had to sit at a school desk just once. It was so unfair.

Little Felix was oblivious to Nicoli’s sympathy as he got dressed in the new clothes set out for him. He had received a brand new package of briefs, jeans, a plain black t-shirt, a blue and white striped windbreaker and a package of socks accompanied by sparkling white new tennis shoes.

“How did he know my shoe size?” Felix murmured as he slipped them on and they were a perfect fit. He had just shrugged on the light jacket when he stopped with a thoughtful look on his face. “Wait…didn’t I lock the door?” He hurried over to the door to examine the lock to see that it was still in the locked position.

“How…what?”

“Silly vampire mind tricks,” Nicoli said.

“Yeah, no kidding. I just figured that it was his room so he must have had a key to it and snuck in to drop off the stuff then relocked it when he left,” Felix said as his younger self threw up his hands in defeat and went back to the bed to get the letter.

He studied the letter a few moments, frustration returning on his features. With a look of determination he left the room with Nicoli and the other Felix on his heels. Felix wandered through the large house, having to stop to consult the letter every once in a while and getting turned around a few times. After a few minutes of walking Felix looked around curiously.

“Where is everybody?”

The house was quite empty. It seemed like Felix was the only one in it, save for Nicoli and ghost Felix, but they didn’t count. Nicoli knew that the entire clan was probably sleeping, but he wondered if there were any servants that kept the mansion in order. There was not a soul around, however, to quell his curiosity.

After what seemed like half an hour Felix finally found the kitchen.

“Finally,” he said with a sigh of relief. A second later he gasped as he took in the entirety of the kitchen, Nicoli gawked with him.

It was one of the most amazing kitchens he had ever seen with tile floors with intricate black and white patterns, black granite counters and stainless steel appliances decorating here and there. It was as large as Nicoli’s living room and kitchen combined, possibly even bigger. He knew his mother would love to get her hands on a kitchen like this.

A gurgle disrupted Nicoli’s thoughts and he looked down to see Felix holding his stomach. Nicoli guessed the food from last night had already worn off.

Felix made a bee line for the two door refrigerator. He tossed the letter onto the large island in the center of the kitchen, not noticing there was a second letter there with a rather thick envelope.

“What’s that?” Nicoli asked, stopping his following to examine the new items. The second letter was bent in half and made to stand up on the ends and “Felix” was printed across one side in pen. He also noticed there was a cordless phone and what looked like a stack of menus. It was rather curious.

“You’ll see in a second. Just watch this. It’s quite funny,” Felix told him.

Nicoli tore his eyes away from the letter just in time to see the living Felix pull open the refrigerator door. Felix’s eyes widened and he appeared quite confused.

“What the fuck?”

Nicoli quickly walked over to take a look and saw the problem. The fridge was completely empty. It was plugged in and running, but it was keeping nothing chilled. Felix pulled open the freezer door, but it was empty also.

Felix looked around the kitchen and spotted the pantry door. He trotted over to it, but when he opened it the pantry was as bare as a dry bone. Felix scurried around the kitchen opening every cabinet he could find. He grabbed a stool from the island to get to the high up ones, but no matter how many doors he opened he could find nothing. It wasn’t even just food that was missing. There was nothing a normal kitchen should have. Save for the appliances like a toaster and blender on the counters it was completely lacking in everything else. There was no silverware, plates, bowls, pots or pans. There was absolutely nothing.

After minutes of searching the kitchen top to bottom Felix sat on the stool catching his breath. He was in deep thought as he did so and he’d cast a curious glance around the kitchen every once in a while. Nicoli could only imagine what was going through Felix’s head. He knew that if he had come a cross such an empty kitchen, and didn’t know the occupants were vampires, he wouldn’t know what to think.

“Rich people are weird,” Felix finally muttered with a shake of his head.

“You played it off that this was a rich people thing?” Nicoli asked in amusement.

“It was the only way I could make sense out of anything,” Felix said with a shrug.

Little Felix scratched his head and was about to slide off the stool when he noticed the other items on the island. He tilted his head and jumped down. The stool legs scraped against the tile floor as Felix pulled it over to the island and climbed back onto it when it was in place.

“Great, not another stupid note,” he grumbled irritably as he took it and opened it anyways. Nicoli was quick to go over so he could read over Felix’s shoulder.

“Dear, Felix. Again,

Hello again. If you are reading this then you have successfully found the kitchen. Congrats are in order since the house is rather large. I’m sure you have noticed there is no food in the house you can eat. I know it must seem strange, but you’ll come to find my family and I are anything but normal. To help the problem I have gathered as many menus from the local restaurants’ as I could that are willing to deliver. If you order they know to charge it to my family so you don’t need to worry about money.

Speaking of which, I have left you something else that may be of some use to you. I know that you did not want to come here in the first place and I have no idea if you’ll be here when I come back. If you’re not I don’t blame you one bit. You are free to stay or leave and if I never see you again I wish you all the luck in the world. Inside the envelope is something that I’m sure will help you if you go. Consider it a parting gift. I hope, if you do leave, you’ll think of me well. I’m sure I won’t forget you for quite a while. So, in case we never see each other again. Goodbye.

Sincerely,
~Ethan.”

“Wow, he really expected you to leave, didn’t he?” Nicoli asked when he was done.

“He did, but wouldn’t anybody? But the person who expected me to hightail it out of there as quick as possible the most was myself,” Felix said.

Nicoli nodded and watched as the living Felix threw down the letter with an aggravated growl.

“This guy is making my head hurt,” he said.

“Just to let you know,” the other Felix said. “All I got out of the first letter was that he was trying to lead me to the kitchen. From this one, I didn’t understand it at all, so I had no idea that he was expecting me to go or saying goodbye or anything.”

Little Felix ruffled through the menus curiously and poked at the phone. When he got to the envelope, however, he stopped and stared at it strangely.

“What’s in there?” Nicoli asked, dying of curiosity.

“You’ll see.”

Felix picked up the item in question and squished its thickness a few times, making it crinkle. Finally he opened it and pulled out the contents, making both his and Nicoli’s eyes go wide.

Inside was a giant stack of nothing but one hundred dollar bills. Felix thumbed through them, revealing more and more. Nicoli had no idea how much was there, but he was sure Felix was now in possession of over a thousand dollars.

“Holy…I’ve never seen that much money in my life,” Nicoli breathed in awe.

“Neither had I,” Felix said. “Never in my wildest dreams could I even fathom that amount, let alone think I’d one day be holding it in my hands.”

The other Felix looked about the kitchen, sure someone was about to pop out and say it was all a joke, but no one came and he went back to flipping through the money again.

“Is…is he giving me this?” he whispered under his breath. He looked around the kitchen once more and seemed to make a decision. He stuffed the money back in the envelope and put it securely in the pocket of his new jacket. He slipped off the stool and headed for the door.

“Where are you going?” Nicoli asked.

“When are you going to learn that I’m not going to tell you? You’re going to have to see for yourself,” Felix told him.

Nicoli made a face at him before following the younger Felix out the door. Felix seemed like he had a destination in mind, but had no idea where he was going. After aimless wandering for a few minutes they finally entered the entry room from the night before. Felix perked up and sprinted for the front door.

“You’re leaving?” Nicoli asked in disbelief.

“Ethan had a good reason to think I was going to. After following his little scavenger hunt I had planned to, but the money was just more of an incentive to go. It meant I had the means to take care of myself. I could feed myself, clothe myself and, more importantly, get out of the city and go wherever I pleased. I could make a life for myself and the money would help me to do it.”

Nicoli understood the reasoning’s, but it still seemed ludicrous. Even so he quietly followed young Felix out the unlocked door to the outside. It was cloudy, but the rain had stopped, leaving the ground wet and dark. Felix’s new shoes slapped against the walkway as he headed for the gate. Nicoli wondered how he was going to get out if it was locked. Felix seemed to wonder that same thing as he stopped in front of it and stared at it for a long time. Then, tentatively, he reached out, grasped one of the bars, and pulled. To both his and Nicoli’s surprise it opened effortlessly and Felix hurried out and traveled the sidewalk, away from the house.

“I just don’t get it,” Nicoli huffed as he kept up with Felix’s quick pace. “If you leave then how do you have your life with the clan? Do you go back? Does Ethan come back and get you?”

“You’re just Mr. Twenty-Questions, aren’t you?” Felix said as he walked alongside Nicoli. “My lips are sealed.”

Nicoli was about to snap at him, when the younger Felix abruptly stopped. Nicoli gasped as he walked right through the young boy.

“God, that never ceases to be weird,” Nicoli said as he rubbed his chest.

“Welcome to my life,” Felix replied, passing his own arm through his stomach.

Nicoli rolled his eyes and ignored him, turning his attention to the other Felix.

Felix stood perfectly still, lost in his own thoughts. His eyes then refocused, staring towards the path he had been taking. He then turned just enough to glance back at the way he had come, back to the clans house. He looked from direction to direction several times, his face filled with indecision.

His eyes cast downwards to his clothes. The clothes Ethan had given him. He touched the fabric of his jacket before delving into the pocket and pulling out the envelope. He stared at it for several seconds before looking down the way that led away from the house. A light sigh passed his lips and he shook his head, turning around fully and retracing his steps.

“You’re going back,” Nicoli said softly.

“Yes, I am,” Felix said with a nod.

“What made you change your mind?” Nicoli asked as he slowly followed the younger Felix.

Felix was quiet as he walked beside Nicoli. He then lifted his head to look at his counterpart.

“Back then I had no idea, but I can make a guess now. My whole life the only people I had known were the ones that either wanted to use me or wanted something from me. I was never given anything, I had to work for everything and I knew that those around me would take whatever I had without a moments notice. Ethan…Ethan was different. I had never met anyone like him. He had taken me in, gave me food, a place to sleep, new clothes, money, all without asking me for anything. Not one thing.”

Felix’s eyes were distant as he rubbed the back of his neck.

“A great part of me was suspicious of Ethan’s actions, but another, smaller part of me wanted to believe that Ethan’s kindness and generosity were real and not a trick. That’s why I went back. I wanted to see if anyone really could be that giving without wanting anything in return.”

Felix smiled up at the dark, cloudy sky and Nicoli saw a glimmer of peaceful serenity in his expression.

“And if Ethan really was that person I secretly wanted him to be, then I wanted to hold onto him and never let him go.”

================================================= Ch. 62 End