Vampire Writing II

Well, morning came, as it often does, and I reluctantly opened my eyes to the bright sunlight, as I often do. I sat up, rubbing out a knot that had formed between my neck and shoulder.
'Damn mattress,' I thought bitterly. 'Never enough padding..." My only comfort was that, as I flung back the covers and swung my feet over the edge of my bed, it was a warm morning. My feet wouldn't freeze on the cold floor. Woo-hoo.
I found a pair of jeans and a tank-top and put them on before pulling my flip-flops out from under my bed and walking through the tent flap to head outside; I was hungry, and the kitchen-tent was bound to fill-up soon.
Walking past the other camp-members' tents seemed normal now; I'd been in the camp for almost two months, so it should be normal. The funny thing was that I knew almost nothing about the other inhabitants other than that they were all vampires and other creatures who didn't fit in with society. But they were mostly vampires or half-vampires, so I felt some sense of belonging among them.
Then there was Dosley, my 'master' in a sense...More of my teacher, really; I wasn't his slave, just his assistant. And pupil; I still had a lot to learn about being a vampire, besides drinking blood. Dosley, though sarcastic and sometimes tempermental, was a pretty good teacher and one hell of a vampire. I'd seen him fight off a rouge werewolf, and had it he had any less intelligence that flea-bag would've been dead. To sum things up, I'd learned severel important lessons from Dosley:
Number one: Store extra blood in your fangs.
Number two: Never reveal that you are a vampire.
And famous number three: Never give Dosley, or any vampire for that matter, to be mad at you. Never.

And then there was Vincent--
Vincent! I'd nearly forgotten about him...I couldn't honestly believe what he said the night before, so I had put it in the back of my mind. Then I asked myself, 'Should I honestly think about it?', and immediately I saw the mistake I'd be making and put it back in the farthest reaches of my mind. Vincent had treated me like an inferior ever since I was made Dosley's second apprentice. He was always sarcastic, teasing, even mocking towards my efforts, so why should I take him seriously? I had no reason to. Not one.
I finally reached the kitchen-tent, basically the camp's cafeteria, and pulled up a bar-stool.
"Lilith," I called casually. A blonde-haired, blue-eyed girl turned around.
"Yeah, Alexa?"
"The usual, please," I sighed, taking the coffee she handed me and sipping tiredly.
"Sure thing."
Lilith was a nymph; it was easy to tell. She had flawless skin, a perfect complexion, and one of the best figures I'd seen on someone who wasn't a preppy cheerleader. Thank the Lord she wasn't a cheerleader: I'm sure we'd all have tried to kill her by now if that was the case. She was usually completely pleasant, and when we stopped at towns to try and earn some cash, usually she'd enter some sort of talent contest and win with her natural talent for singing; Nymph, remember? Heh. Either that, or she'd get a short-term waitressing job. Never underestimate the power of a blonde chic in a short-skirted uniform...
She handed me 'the usual': two eggs, sunny-side-up, bacon, and two pieces of toast. Not much, but I never at a lot anyway.
"Thanks," I said, taking of a fork and poking one of the yolks until it popped open and oozed out. I was in the middle of dipping a piece of toast in it when I heard a dull thud from outside the tent.
"Okay, Lil'; there's more wood at the front of your tent," I heard Vincent's voice say. 'God,' I thought. 'Let the frustration begin...again....'
"Thanks, Vincent," she said pleasantly. "Coffee?"
"Black."
"Right, comin' up." At that point, another member of the camp called Lilith over and she disappeared to another corner of the large tent, leaving me to deal with Vincent in three...two...one....
"Morning," he said as he pulled himself onto another bar-stool beside me. He was using his 'pleasant' tone. I hated it. I hated it like I hated mornings: with a burning, searing passion.
"Don't you have something better to do?" I asked moodily, biting off a yolk-drenched corner of my toast.
"What, I can't get something to eat?" More chipper, happy mood. Somebody kill me.
"Go suck some blood or fight a werewolf or...or something; I don't care! Just give me some space, alright?" Wow. Now even I thought I was being a little harsh. But this was Vincent! 'Mr. Sarcasm'! I could barely stand this...this...situation, I guess is the word....
"Is this about last night?" 'Bingo, Einstein! Took you long enough!'
"What else would it be about?" I asked in an edgy tone, dropping my fork onto my plate with  a small clatter.
"I believe a word you said last night! Not one! You wanna know why? You're always, always, ALWAYS sarcastic and constantly mocking what I do! It's not fair that you put all of your teasing on me and then all of a sudden 'Oh, you're beautiful, Alexa! I think I love you!' Come on, give me a BREAK!" I hissed violently. I could've sworn that I must've flashed my fangs at him, because at one point I thought I saw him jump a little.
"So, until you actually start ACTING like you mean what you say, I'm not buying ANY of the bull you're giving me!" I turned around and quickly finished what was left of my food and drained the last drop of coffee from my mug before getting up and strutting out. I'd had the upper hand against Vincent in a conversation, and in my irritation and morning-moodiness, it felt GREAT.
"Lex," he called after me. "Lex, hold on a minute."
"Make me, Vincent!" I shouted, not even glaring over my shoulder at him. But sure enough, he flitted ( a term used to describe the lightening-speed sprinting that vampires use to travel) up to me. 'Damn,' I thought. 'Why can't Dosley teach me to flit already?!'
"Lex, listen--"
"'Lex?' Is that some sort of pet-name now?" I folded my arms and shifted my weight to one leg; I wasn't sure, but I probably had flecks of ice blue in my eyes as I glared up at Vincent.
"Yes--No--Will you just listen?"
"Depends. Is this sarcastic Vincent, or are you going to be 'Mr. Honest' now?"
"I'm being honest, Alexa! I meant what I said last night: I really think that you're something special and I want to be a part of your life!"
"We're vampires, stupid: we aren't really alive," I murmured.
"Half-vampires," he corrected, then quickly adding, "You know what I meant!"
"Well I'm not sure I want you to be a part of it, okay? First of all, I never imagined that I'd be playing apprentice to some vampire and second, I can barely picture your face when I think of an honest person! How am I supposed to know if you're going to tell me the truth if I EVER let you start something with  me?! For ONCE, Vincent, just ONCE think about how I feel in this position!! I've lost my family, my friends, my home, my life, EVERYTHING!!"
"What do you think I went through, huh?" he said edgily. But I knew the answer to this; Dosley had told me...
"Oh, I KNOW what you went through! You became Dosley's apprentice because you WANTED to! Your parent's abandoned you! You'd been on your own ever since you were thirteen! And you know what?! Dosley told me that you LIKED the thought of being a vampire! Hell, you BEGGED him! But me? No! I didn't ASK for this like you did, Vincent! I wanted to grow up and graduate college and become an artist! I HAD a plan, a FUTURE! But then I get caught up in this...this HELL and now I'm a damned half-vampire!! I have NOTHING but this apprenticeship now!! Not one damn thing, and you think YOU have it bad?! Don't you even TRY to talk to me about your 'sacrifices' Vincent, because you never mande ANY!!" I was shaking with anger by now, and I was on the verge of tears.
"Alexa..." He tried to take my face in his hands, but I backed away.
"No! Just--No, don't touch me! Don't talk to me, don't touch me, don't do ANYTHING...! Just...just...Oh, God, Vincent! Just leave me alone!!" I stalked away, heading towards the shallow creek that was just outside the campground. I needed to get rid of my frustration....I needed to find a tree.
The sound of shredding bark was like thunder to me in my anger as my claws gouged an aged oak by the creek.  Dosley had taught me to use my fingernails (claws, when extended) like daggers in a fight, and I found them useful when venting.
"I never--wanted--any--of--THIS!!!" I screamed, making a new gash with every word. Eventually, I began to grow tired, and my arms were starting to feel like rubber. I was still fuming, and I collapsed by the trees's roots in an angry, sobbing heap. I felt sick, and my stomach was in knots. I felt like I could barely breathe, yet I wanted to scream so loud that Heaven and hell could hear me. I had wanted solitude, but now I craved comfort.
I looked at my claws (I'd yet to revert them back to their normal length) and somewhat admired their blade-like, pointed shape. Why hadn't I thought to use them on Vincent earlier? I sure as hell was angry enough to, but something held me back. Was it my morals? The fact that it was against the Vampire Code to kill another vampire? No, it wasn't that...That left only one other option: somewhere, deep down beneath my anger, I wanted to believe that Vincent was telling me the truth.
I wanted to believe that someone wanted me. I wanted to believe that I was still loved; I had had to stage my own death in order to leave my family behind and safely transition into the life of a half-vampire. I wanted to believe in something, ANYTHING, that would make me feel significant and that I belonged somewhere other than in a hole in the ground, turning into worm-chow. I wanted that...No, I NEEDED that. I needed it to stay sane, to want to live, if being a vampire was considered living. I just needed that feeling: the feeling of being wanted.
And Vincent was giving me that feeling.
I needed that feeling, so I needed Vincent.
I absolutely, whole-heartedly needed him.

It was in the late afternoon when I came to that realization. And, as if the world was echoing my emotional/mental breakdown, dark clouds thundered in and a cold, stinging rain began started to fall. Perfect. Just perfect. I folded my arms tightly against my body as I stood up against the rain and turned to start walking.
The rain fell in large, icy drops on my head and shoulders as I slowly trudged back to camp. I felt them pounding on me, and I felt the cold water drenching me, but somehow I was also oblivious to everything. I barely watched where I was going, my entire body was still shaking from the total overflow of emotions I'd gone through, and I was numb all over. The only thing I felt was the urge to keep walking until I reached my tent where I could dry off and collapse onto my mattress. That and, if I was so lucky, I'd get to see Vincent somewhere along the line. I had no idea how I would approach him after everything I'd done earlier, but I'd be damned if I didn't say something to him.
Sure enough, as I came to my tent, there he was, standing in the 'doorway' of the tent. I could see the concern swirling in his amber eyes through the downpour. I could tell that there was very little color in my eyes; when vampires are in an extreme state of emotional or mental distress, they lose nearly all the pigmentation in their irises. Vincent ran out into the rain meet me halfway. I didn't look up. I just stood there for several seconds infront of him, both of us becoming soaked down to our skin. Eventually, I found the strength to speak.
"I'm not sure if you're telling the truth," I started in a cold, numb tone.
"Alexa, I--"
"Just shut up and listen!" I paused for a moment, giving him time to turn the rest of his words into a quiet sigh.
"I'm not sure if you're telling the truth," I started again. "But I want to believe you. I want to belong somewhere, anywhere, with anyone, because that's what's going to keep me sane in this sick, twisted world I'm stuck in! And you're the only one who makes me feel like I'm wanted, and that I belong somewhere with someone who actually knows and cares that I'm alive, and I can't afford to lose that because I'm getting to the point where I'm going to lose my mind if I don't get some sort of comfort!! So please, just give me that...I don't care how, just...just hold me and don't say anything!" I fell against his soaking-wet tee-shirt and just kept on crying.
"Okay; I promise," he said quietly, pulling me in closer.
"You're so stupid," I sighed angrily, weakly punching his collarbone.
"Yeah, I know..."
That night, after we'd both changed (privately, mind you) and dried ourselves off, we spent the rest of the night watching Spiderman and Batman movies on Vincent's protable DVD player. We didn't talk. We didn't even really look at eachother. I just let Vincent hold me in his arms as we lay on his bed, listening to the sounds of the pounding rain and superhero battles. Not a great first date, but for me it was enough. I felt a sense of closure, something I hadn't had for the past two months, and it was so uplifting that I found the strength so smile slightly during Spiderman Three. I didn't think about how I'd handle the next day, or the day after that. I didn't think about how Vincent and I would act around Dosley, or what the other camp members would say. I didn't think at all. I just let my mind follow my eyes to the screen and my ears tune into the rain hitting the tarps outside.
The last thought that went through my mind before slipping into a tired sleep was this: I belonged somewhere, with someone, and they loved me. Vincent loved me.
And I loved Vincent.