A Never-Ending Night

Liv

I sighed as Mr. Potter went on and on and on about adding and subtracting unlike signs and blabbity blah blah blah math stuff. When the last period bell finally rang, no one wasted time sticking around for the homework assignment. Weekends were supposed to mean no homework. For me, it meant hanging out with some very close friends.

As I ran out of the building, I smiled. His car was waiting for me, just as I'd expected. I didn't waste time explaining to my friends whose expensive car it was; I figured they didn't need to know.

I climbed into the passenger's side and threw my backpack into the back seat. He revved the engine and exited the school area, hesitating only to smile at me as I climbed in next to him.

"I see you're trying to keep a low profile this week," I told him sarcastically. He smiled.

"I doubt I stood out at all," he joked back.

"So where they meeting us today?" I asked.

"Dave's house," he replied.

I smiled and turned my head to face out the window. The black Porche was going about five miles over the speed limit, and I was all too aware of this, but I could care less. I could only spent time with the guys once a week, and once they started touring again it would be far too long before I saw them again. I took advantage of every second, even if it meant ignoring my obsessive compulsives that came every now and again.

It didn't take too long to get to Davey's house thanks to Smith's crazy-person driving. Eh, you learned to love it. He parked the car and walked inside, caring less about knocking like the Smith we all know and love.

"What's up guys?" he asked. I saw three heads turn towards us and smile.

"Hey, Smith," Adam called.

"I see you picked up the kid," Hunter noted. I grimaced at the word 'kid'. Even though I was seventeen, they insisted on considering me a kid.

"Where's Jade?" I asked.

"Who knows?" Davey replied, "he's been acting strange lately. Hasn't shown up for practice or anything. I've been writing on my own for the past few days and it's been a little difficult since I don't know a damn thing about guitar!" He smiled at his last few words.

The worse-case scenario popped into my head like it always did. He saw this and continued quickly.

"Chill, I doubt it's anything serious."

"He never misses practice," Adam reminded him. Davey shot him a look. He backed off.

"He hasn't come home, either, now that I think about it," Smith remembered. "Maybe something is up."

"Well, as long as he's not answering his phone or texts," Hunter said, "we can't jump to any conclusions."

I nodded. The last thing I needed today was worries about Jade. Maybe he just couldn't reach us and that's why he hadn't called or text or anything.

"Until then," I spoke up, changing the subject, "we all came here to watch a movie, so let's freaking watch a movie." They nodded as I pulled the DVD case out of my backpack and slid the movie into the DVD player. I was easily distracted, and what better way to distract a teenager than with some classic gothic moods in Ghost Rider.

 

 

Two Days Earlier

Jade

 

What is she doing here? I thought to myself nervously. What does she want?

The graceful creature danced around me elegantly, watching me with gorgeously piercing eyes. The hint of red at the bottom of them confirmed my thoughts. She was hungry.

She smiled that irresistible smile only her species could manage. She made any other dancer seem as beautiful and coordinated as the high school nerd.

"Oh, come now, Jade," her velvet, evil voice cooed, "you had to have expected this. Did you really expect me to stay away for too long?"

"No, but I hoped it," I admitted, trying to chuckle on 'hoped'. My voice cracked a bit instead. This made her flash all her straight, white teeth.

"You know it pains me to hurt you," she told me. She sounded too convincing; I believed her for a second. Just for a second. "But I have to get food one way or another." She shrugged. "You have the most appealing scent in this state."

"Surprising you came to California," I tried to make small talk. "Doesn't the sun bother your kind?" Her eyes sparkled with excitement.

"It disappointed me to find out you lived in a state with much sun," she admitted, "but your scent was so addicting, I followed it here despite it. I kept in the shadows as much as possible."

"Right..." I tried to sound interested. "Well, really, I've got some things to do, so if we could just reschedule-"

"Not so fast!" She jumped in front of me with blinding speed, putting her cold, strong hand on my chest, teeth bared. "We might be easily distracted, but not when we're winning." I sighed. There was no way I was getting out of this alley with the same amount of blood.

Her eyes turned a blazing red, widening with fierce hunger. I sucked in air and froze. If I caught her at a weak point it may be enough to escape. The odds were against me.

She gripped my shoulders with her tensioning fingers and bared her teeth at my throat. An excited hiss escaped her lips, and she leaned in closer at my bare skin.

Without warning, I struck her in the temple, and she screamed and stumbled backwards, releasing my shoulders. I made a run for it, pulling out my cell phone. I had about five seconds until the trance broke, and then about a fifth of a second before she caught up with my human legs.

Just as I brought the phone to my ear, I saw a blur of fabric rush past my left side, and then she was in front of me. Her fangs were bared, her eyes were on fire, and her whole body was trembling with rage. I was prepared to fight back, but when I blinked, she lunged for me and tackled me to the ground. Without hesitating this time, she sank her teeth deep into my throat, penetrating the aortic artery.

My last human word was a scream of pain echoing the city night.

 

 

Saturday

Davey

 

This was getting ridiculous. I'd called Jade too many times to count on his home phone, his cell phone, and texted him so many times it was a good thing we both had unlimited text. Something was definitely up; if everything was fine we would have heard from him by now. Everyone was getting worried, especially Smith. Jade would never hurt family like this. So, with only a couple of very unlikely ideas to what was going on, I drove to his house.

His car was parked in the driveway, but no lights were on. There were no signs of his presence at all. I gulped, stepped out of my car, and headed up to his front door.

I hesitantly rang the doorbell, and nothing happened. I peered in the side window, and everything was still. Too still.

I tried knocking on the door. It opened slightly. Holding my breath, I opened the door and stepped inside.

The lights were off and the house was unusually still and quiet. If a mouse scurried across the floor you'd be able to pick up the sound without straining your ears.

"Jade?" I called, keeping my voice from cracking. "You home?"

I heard no response. Looking around, I saw a faint light coming from the upstairs hallway. I ran up the stairs and called for him. "Jade? Jade?"

At the top of the stairs, I looked around and saw him. He was kneeling on the ground, his back faced to me, with his forehead just inches from the floor. His arms were wrapped around his stomach, and it looked like he was gonna be sick; he was pale enough to pass for it.

"Jade," I sighed, feeling a bit relieved.

"Davey?" he whispered. His voice was hoarse.

"It's me," I confirmed, taking a step towards him.

"Don't!" he snapped, a snarl in his voice. He almost sounded like an animal.

"Jade," I repeated, staying where I was, "what's going on?"

He shook his head. "Get out of here, Davey," he said, his voice hoarse again, "get the guys and Smith and keep as far away from me as possible. I'm too dangerous now."

"Jade," I said, stunned, "what are you talking about?" I took an involuntary step forward. He growled, and I froze. What had gotten in to him?

"Jade, it's me, your friend. Whatever's happening, you can tell me." I hoped that sounded assuring and not fearful. I guess it was assuring, because he sighed, his whole body slumping with it. With hesitation, he straightened his back and turned his head towards the left to face me. I gasped as soon as I saw his flawless face.

He looked completely different, and yet, I would have known it was still him if it had been three years since I'd last seen him rather than three days. His face was glowing with pure beauty, and his skin was ten times paler than before; he looked stunning. His new, gorgeous features were not what made me gasp though, it was his eyes. Rather than the chocolate brown they'd been on Thursday, they were a striking red. His expression was scared, though his eyes were angry. His heavy panting revealed two large fangs stretching down from his upper jaw. And above all, he looked thirsty.

As much as I wanted to step back and away from him, I couldn't find the strength. What had happened to him? Who had done this to him? Had Allison come back after so many months? And why, of all people, him?!

"Davey, please," he begged, turning his whole body to face me. It was too fluent. "Please get out of here, I can hear your heart beating and smell the fear radiating off your skin. Get out of here before it takes control."

I understood what he was doing. He wanted me to fear him. "No, Jade," I finally said, "the last thing I'm going to do is leave you here while you're suffering."

"If you don't leave, you'll suffer with me," he warned. I took that into consideration, and ignored it, stepping towards him again.

"If I don't fear you, why should you fear yourself?" I asked calmly. I was being slow, cautious, to keep him from losing it. He remained as frozen as a statue, trying to think and keep his newly found instincts under control. Eventually I was only five feet away from him, and a soft growl rumbled from within his chest. I froze in place, though compared to him I looked like I was still moving. I got down on my knees, still moving slowly. His eyes watched every movement I made, his mouth hanging open just enough to see the tips of his fangs.

"Jade," I began, still unsure of what I was going to say, "I know you, I know you wouldn't hurt me. Trust yourself." I curled my lips into a half smile, trying to show him it was okay. I was speaking gently, because the expression on his face made me think if I didn't he'd simply fall to pieces.

He clenched his teeth, obviously holding something back. His eyes looked tortured, but the shade of fiery red that was still within them sent a chill down my spine. Instead of growling again, however, he simply had a melt down, literally.

He closed his eyes, his teeth still clenched, and let his head fall into my lap. I had no idea what to think, I was so stunned. His whole body was tense, but when his figure began to tremble I realized this was how a vampire sobbed. Still too shocked to speak, I gently stroked his hair. I had never seen him like this; so insecure and broken. It wasn't the Jade I knew.

After a little while he relaxed a bit, but he never stopped shaking. He put his hand on my lap; I hardly noticed. I was thinking about all of this. Jade was a vampire, I could tell by the chill in his touch. The only parts of him that remained human were his hair and, for now, his thoughts.

Finally, Jade raised his head, and wiped his eyes, despite the fact that he hadn't been crying. He couldn't anymore. Had to be a reflex.

"I'm sorry," he whispered, "You didn't need to see that."

I couldn't help but smile faintly. "You had the right, I mean, look at you, your best friends and family members are gonna smell like food to you from now on."

He smiled. "I just may have to eat you, then."

"If you're gonna eat me, at least do it now where there are no witnesses. If the world found out vampires exist there'd be a riot."

His smile faded; his red eyes turned serious. "No."

My smile faded, also. I'd gone a little too far. "Sorry."

He raised a hand. "Let's just forget it, kay?"

I nodded. "So, are you ever gonna tell Adam and Hunter about-"

He cut me off. "Maybe in a couple days or so, I need to gain some control."

"You handled that pretty well," I reminded him.

He half-smiled. "I was also torn apart. I need to recover from this."

I sighed and smiled again. It was impossible hard not to smile when he did that, he features were simply too perfect now.

He got up and offered me his hand in one swift motion. I was jealous. Still, I took his cold hand and got back on to my feet.

As we walked downstairs, I couldn't help but notice how much more relaxed he was. Apparently his mind still worked like a human's as well. Getting his emotions out made him feel better. I was glad.

He opened the door for me, and I realized our hands were still together. His cool hand against mine felt good after how much my blood had heated up a few minutes ago.

I released my hand from his, and his dropped to his side quickly. If he could still blush, I bet he would be right now, too. I waved goodbye and closed the door behind me, walking to my car and getting in.

Driving home, I felt strange. I felt good inside. I was happy to see that Jade was okay and nothing had happened. His words had scared me when he told me to stay away from him, kick him out of the band basically. We were all a big family and that would have hurt all of us too much.

My phone vibrated in my pocket. I took it out. Jade had finally texted me. Three small words were on the screen, and they made me smile once again.

Thank you, Davey.

Sunday

Liv

Davey had texted me the other day saying to come back to his house. He'd said that he'd finally gotten a hold of Jade and that he was okay; he just wanted to explain to everyone what had gone on that made him stay away for a while. This was such good news to me; not only did I know that Jade was okay, but I got to go and see all of them again!

When I got to Davey's house, as usual, the others were waiting for me. They all smiled, and I saw Jade sitting in between Davey and Adam on the sofa. The one thing that made me curious was that Jade was so pale. He'd always been on the pale side, but wow , he'd lost a lot of color. He was also much more beautiful than before. His skin glowed and his eyes simply made me melt. He was the same person, just with different features.

Something else that caught my eye was he seemed to be being extra careful whenever he or someone else moved a fraction of an inch. It was like he was afraid they'd attack him at any second. His hand was rested right next to Davey's, and boy was he tense. Normally, you'd expect rock artists to be a little tense now and again, but not as tense as he seemed.

"What's up, kid?" Hunter asked. He smiled at me, and I returned it.

"Nothin' much," I replied. I gave Adam and Smith each a high-five, and sat down on the floor by Hunter's feet. He nudged me with his foot, and I pushed it away. He chuckled a bit.

"Ok, guys," Jade began, "I just want to start off by saying I am so sorry for disappearing for so long. Believe me, it probably hurt me as much as it confused, upset, or angered you or whatever. I didn't want to, but fear made me. Don't worry, I'm okay now though."

"So, what exactly happened?" Adam asked.

"It's gonna sound weird, but don't doubt anything I say if I begin to ramble. It's not something I've been thinking about." He sighed and looked at the ground. It was obviously hurting him a lot.

"Hey, no rush," Smith assured his brother, "we've got time."

"I know, I'm just trying to run it through my head again so I don't give any false information," Jade told him.

"If you say so... ouch!" Smith had been adjusting his skateboard wheels, and sliced his finger with the tool he was using. Blood began to come out of the wound.

Suddenly, Jade's eyes flashed red, and he hissed. We all jumped back, startled, except for Davey, who immediately jumped up and grabbed Jade's arm as he rose to his feet. His teeth were long and pointed, and he was in a strong stance, preparing to pounce.

Everyone's eyes widened with disbelief, but Davey looked like it had happened before. Jade was too strong for Davey to hold back, though. With one fluid motion, he lunged towards Smith and rammed him against the wall, his hands at his throat.

"Jade, stop!" Davey called. Jade turned his head to face Davey, a growl coming from deep in his chest. "Let him go," Davey said in a serious voice. Jade released Smith who ran towards us. Davey and Jade just stood there for a moment, staring each other down. Jade was ravenous, he was panting so heavily his whole torso moved with him. His fingers were curled and tensed like claws, and his red eyes should have made Davey fearful. Somehow, they didn't.

Eventually Jade's expression softened, and Davey approached him with open arms. He fell into them without hesitation, and looked at Smith, shame and sorrow burning deeply in his red eyes.

"Now you guys understand," Davey said, his voice soothing. "Jade was bitten by a vampire on Thursday. The transformation took two days, the reason we never saw him. I went to his house yesterday and found him curled into a ball, trying to gain control of his thirst. He hasn't had any blood to drink, though we all know he'll need it eventually.

And with that, he took the tool from the table and cut his palm with it. Jade's head picked up from Davey's chest as soon as the smell of blood filled the air. His fangs came out again, only instead of biting Davey's neck, he actually pressed his lips to Davey's palm and drank the blood from his hand, never biting him.

I couldn't believe it, even as Jade stopped. He had had blood without injecting the venom into Davey's bloodstream. That was something I didn't even think was possible for a vampire. And yet he'd done it, as if he'd been a vampire for centuries rather than just days.

We all knew that this would be hard for Jade, adjusting to the new life he was forced in to. It would take time, patience, effort, and strength to be able to control his new instincts. I prayed that none of his human memories would fade away as time went on; I didn't want him to forget his human life.

And as Jade rested his head on Davey's chest again and we all got up, I could see the pain, sorrow, guilt, and relief in his eyes. He hated what he'd become; what he'd almost done, but he was relieved that he hadn't hurt his brother or poisoned Davey. This may scar him, but he knew that we'd be there with him every step of the way.

Hunter, Adam, Smith, and I all went over and joined in the hug that Davey had started. We didn't care that he was no longer human; he was still Jade Puget, and we couldn't ask for anything more than that.

 

We all sat on the floor, Jade still close to Davey. Eventually Davey couldn't hold back, and he started to sing.

 

"I cannot leave here, I cannot stay. Forever haunted, more than afraid. Asphyxiate on words I would say. I'm drawn to a blackened sky as I turned blue.

There are no flowers, no not this time. There will be no angels gracing the lines, just these stark words I find. I'd show a smile, but I'm too weak. I'd share with you, could I only speak, just how much this hurts me.

I cannot stay here, I cannot leave. Just like all I loved, I'm make-believe. Imagined heart, I disappear. Seems no one will appear here and make me real.

There are no flowers, no not this time. There will be no angels gracing the lines, just these stark words I find. I'd show a smile, but I'm too weak. I'd share with you, could I only speak, just how much this hurts me.

I'd tell you how it haunts me. I'd tell you how it haunts me. I'd tell you how it haunts me. You don't care that it haunts me.

Oh, there are no flowers, no not this time. There will be no angels gracing the lines. Just these stark words I find. I'd show a smile, but I'm too weak. I'd share with you, could I only speak, just how much this hurts me. Just how much this hurts me. Just how much you..."