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He stared at her in confusion.



"What is so funny?" he asked.



Fawn was laughing so hard, she was having trouble breathing.



"Are you kidding me?!" she said, "You're in the hospital and you're only thinking about girls?!"



He rolled his eyes.



"Oh whatever man," he replied, just as the nurse came back with a clipboard.



Fawn's face became serious. The nurse slowly flipped through the papers on the board, obviously making the suspense worse. She was quite rude. Finally, she looked up, as if she had just noticed them, and gave Fawn a diagnosis report.



"Ok well, in addition to his injuries, we also had to treat him for Tuberculosis. Lucky we caught it actually, that's a serious illness."



Fawn's eyes grew wide. The bleeding from his mouth, ears, and nose. She had forgotten all about it until now. Remembering the page in George's medical book, she almost told the nurse what they were. Instead, she could only blink.



"I-I'm sorry? Tuberculosis?"



Pearl nodded.



"It's cureable, but we caught it a little late, so he's going to have to stay here until the injuries heal and be put on antibiotics," she said professionally.



Fawn nodded slowly.



"Ok.." she said in a small voice, "Ok, thank you."



Pearl nodded again. It was a sharp, quick little nod.



"Let me know if you need more pain meds," she said, and left.



The two of them were silent for a long time. Fawn was looking at the floor, and Carlos at the wall. After about a half hour of this, he finally turned his head to Fawn.



"Well, at least it's cureable. I thought vampires couldn't get it though..." he said curiously, "Guess I should call Sheri and have her tested for TB also....and you....and Forsythia....." He looked guilty.



Fawn put her hand on his knee.



"It's not your fault. I'm not sure how you couls have contracted it, but all that matters is that you're getting treated," She smiled.



He sighed and turned back to the window. Just then, Forsythia burst into the room, dragging Darius behind her, causing him to jump.



"Oh my god," she exclaimed, "What HAPPENED?"



"Newborn rage," Darius said.



Carlos tried to cut his eyes at him, but was suddenly too tired to do so. He wasn't sure why he didn't like Darius. Perhaps it was because he felt the need to protect Forsythia. Yeah, that was it.



He winced, his head stinging from the cuts.



"Do you need more pain medication?" Fawn asked him.



He shook his head, sending a wave of pain over him so strong, his eyes crossed.



Fawn pushed the little red button, and a voice crackled onto the small speaker behind it.



"Can I help you?" it said.



"Yes, we need more pain medication up here," she said.



Carlos waved his hand dismissively, which caused the stitches on his arm to pull. Obviously, his anesthetic was wearing off.



"No, no, I'm fine," he insisted.



Forsythia had tears in her eyes.



"No you aren't!" she said.

Fawn decided that she would just drive him there. She didn't want to cause a big problem by calling an ambulance. There probably wasn't anybody outside, but she did not want anyone to see the blood on him. She grabbed the blanket off of his bed and wrapped him in it.



"Can you walk?" she asked.



He nodded and slowly got to his feet. Fawn was practically the only thing supporting him, but he managed to take the steps out to the car. She settled him in the back seat- she couldn't risk anymore injuries- and started the engine. She could speed- there wasn't any traffic. She blew through every red light there was, finally screeching into the emergency room parking lot. She swerved into a parking space and got out. Fawn opened the passenger side door and Carlos slid out of the car.



It was very difficult for her to keep him upright, but they barely hobbled up to the sliding doors of the ER when one of the nurses gasped. Entering the waiting area, she saw both Fawn and Carlos smeared with blood, Carlos practically draped over Fawn.



"Help him. Please," gasped Fawn, out of breath.



The nurse nodded and grabbed a wheelchair, the closest thing at the moment. She then had a receptionist call a doctor in, and carefully lowered Carlos into the chair. As the nurse hurriedly wheeled him inside, Fawn saw something drop. The nurse hadn't noticed, and so she ran over to it, picking it up. It was his necklace.



She ran her finger over the ruby in the center. She then held it in her fist, and pocketed it. Wanting to wait to hear about Carlos, she sat down and began reading a magazine. This drew much attention because she was not only smeared with blood, but her hair was also ratty and uncombed, and her clothing was torn in some places.



She put the magazine down, as she could not fully concentrate, and decided to call Forsythia. She wasn't avoiding this one. Sure enough, when she told Forsythia about Carlos, she freaked.



"I thought you said nothing was wrong!" she said frantically.



Fawn didn't want her to know it happened before she left, so she lied.



"Nothing was wrong when you asked, but after you left he just went insane," she said, "He's in with the doctor now."



Forsythia sighed, the sound coming through the phone as a sharp whisper. She was silent for a long time.



"Keep a watchful eye over him," she said finally, and hung up.



There was nothing Fawn could do but sigh and close the phone. Keeping a watchful eye over Carlos would be quite difficult to do being that almost everybody was keeping a watchful eye on her. She waited. She waited and waited for hours until finally, a nurse called her in to see him.



She followed, trying not to look into the rooms as she went by. It always scared her, to think of what she may see, so she kept her head straight, focusing on the nurse's ponytail. They arrived at the room in which they had placed Carlos. It was at the very end of the hall, giving it a somewhat morbid feel. With a dramatic wave of her hand, the nurse, nametagged "Pearl", walked back down the hall to respond to a patient.



Fawn hesitated outside the door for a minute, somewhat nervous to go inside. Figuring it couldn't possibly be worse than what she had already seen, she slowly went in.



"Carlos?" she said.



A pained moan came from the bed just adjacent to the window, and she slowly walked closer, taking care not to wake Carlos' sleeping roommate. He was quite a brawly man, and seemed to have broken both of his legs and an arm. She pulled the curtain aside, first seeing Carlos' feet. These were injured as well, which she hadn't previously noticed. That might have explained why he could barely walk, and now she just felt wretched for making him.



"Fawn.." he groaned.



He was barely able to lift his hand, and when he did, she gently took it in both of hers. He had bandages wrapped all around his hands, making it seem as though he were wearing mittens made of gauze. His head had a sort of gel spread over the places from where he had ripped his hair. She could see the tears in his scalp, gaping like open mouths. His face was stitched across and up and down; so many places it made tears swell in the back of her throat.



"My hands hurt.." he said weakly.



"I know," she answered, "I bet they do, you ripped your fingernails right off."



His eyes grew, as if this was the first he was hearing of it. They slid slowly down to his other hand.



"Did I do something to my head too?"



An uncomfortable look cam across her face, but she reached into her bag and pulled out a small compact mirror. She held it up as he tilted his head up, down, and to both sides.



"Well that's new," he said, "Not pretty."



She put the mirror back.



"I'm sorry," she said gently, "I know it hurts now but-"



"That's not it," he said, cutting her off, "I'm scraggly looking now, I've got bald patches! Oh my god I can't take Kora to play with Niki's cat looking like this...."



Fawn stared at him, mouth hanging open. She could not believe that this was basically the only thing he was worried about. Thinking about the absurdity of it, she doubled over laughing.

He crouched there, eyes wide, growling uncontrollably. Fawn decided that standing there sobbing wasn't going to do any good, so she wiped her eyes and shut the light off. She had an idea.



"THERE. Happy now, you big baby?" she said, folding her arms again.



"DON'T call me that," he spit back at her.



She tried to ignore her fear, swallowing hard. She figured that if she kept telling herself she wasn't frightened, eventually she would believe it. A philosophy her mother always lived by. She thought of her mother briefly, then shook the thought away. She tried to find Carlos in the dark room.



"Baby," she said.



His growl grew deeper.



"Baby, baby, BABY. THAT'S how your acting right now. Like a BABY." She saw something move out of the corner of her eye, and turned. She found Carlos sitting on the windowsill.



"Call me that one more time," he said, "You will be sorry."



"Big. Baby." she said with an attitude.



He lunged for her, sending her sailing to the floor, and pinned her arms down.



"SAY IT AGAIN FAWN," he screamed, "SAY IT, I DARE YOU!"



She just stared at him, as Forsythia called up the stairs.



"Is everything alright up there?" she asked worriedly.



Before he could shriek something else, Fawn slapped her hand across his mouth, and finally wrestled him into restraint. She kept her knee on his chest, as he was a great deal stronger than she was, and called down to Forsythia.



"Yep! We're fine, just talking!"



"Well, alright," said Forsythia, "Let me know if you need anything. We're leaving for a bit."



"Will do, thanks. Have fun!" Carlos grabbed her thigh and shoved it to the side, nearly snapping her leg off. She fell sideways and grabbed onto his jacket as he tried to run out of the room.



"FORSYTH-" He tried to yell, but Fawn covered his mouth again. She kneed him in the back and dragged him, struggling, to the closet.



She gave him a shove inside and slammed the door, locking it. She sank down until her knees were up to her chin. Carlos kicked and rattled the door angrily.



"FAWN!"



Bang bang bang.



"FAWN YOU BETTER LET ME OUT OR I SWEAR I'LL KILL YOU! I'LL KILL YOU!"



Fawn rolled her eyes. He must be going through what she had gone through herself. Back when she heard George laugh. She shook her head. No. She wasn't going to think about this.



"Give it up Carlos, you're not getting out of there until you calm your shit," she said, which made him roar and kick the door even harder. She moved away from it, as she did not want to get a concussion. As if it would matter.



She shut the door to his room and sat against it, in the darkness. Suddenly, a wispy cloud appeared, swirling every which way, leaving the figure of Gina in it's place. Fawn gasped, the anger rising in her chest.



"You!" she said.



Gina giggled evilly and tossed her hair.



"Me," she answered.



Fawn snarled at her.



"What the hell is wrong with you?!" she snapped, "What, were you jealous? Huh? Were you jealous that I had a friend besides you?"



Gina glared.



"Who, him? You think I'm intimidated by HIM?" She jerked her head toward the rattling door.



She drifted closer.



"Let me tell you something about me Fawn. I don't get jealous of ANYONE. All I did was try to help-"



"By KILLING HIM? You can't just do that!"



"You didn't let me finish. I was trying to help the both of you. I only tried to steal his body for a little while so I could get you both away from Kathy. But I might've....y'know...accidentally tweaked something," she said.



Fawn looked at her, dumbfounded.



"You knew Kathy was coming?" she asked.



"Yes," replied Gina.



"And you weren't trying to screw the both of us over?"



"No"



"How do I know I can trust you?"



Gina was not prepared for this question, and took in a breath.



"Well I- I don't know," she said, "Maybe you'll just have to take my word for it, because Kathy knows where you guys are."



Fawn froze when she heard this.



"How does she know? DID YOU TELL HER?" she said, terrified.



"NO! God, I thought we just established that I mean the both of you no harm at all!" said Gina, as if she were surprised that Fawn had even asked. "She found out from a passerby that heard you guys talking. But don't worry, you could probably sick him on her." She made another gesture toward the closet. It had grown quiet in there.



Fawn sighed and Gina caressed her cheek.



"Just came to tell you you'll be fine. Forsythia's going to lie. I won't bother you unless it's urgent," she said, before misting away.



Fawn was annoyed. Why had Gina even bothered to tell her if they were going to be fine? She always had a way of doing that. Fawn brought her attention back to the room, more specifically, the closet.



Carlos was completely silent behind the closed door. She didn't want to open it, afraid that he was waiting to pounce on her or something. Despite her crazy notions about what he was up to, she carefully unlocked the door.



There was blood everywhere. On the door, from when he had been bashing his head against it. There was blood on the wall, various chunks ripped out of it from when he had scratched at it in an effort to get out. It had something stuck in it, but she couldn't quite make it out. She also saw clumps of something littering the floor.



Then she came to Carlos himself. He was huddled in the corner, bloody tears leaking from his eyes, shaking, and whimpering softly.



She crouched and held out her hands.



"Hey, come here," she said gently.



He sunk deeper into the corner, obviously afraid. He had blood dried onto his fingers, and she noticed that some of his fingernails were missing, probably what were stuck in the wall. His fingers and face were cut and torn up, and his head was bleeding profusely.



She inched closer.



"It's ok, I'm not going to hurt you. I had to lock you in here so you would calm down."



He was now crying so hard he wasn't making a sound. Fawn sighed. She moved back.



"Ok, I'll stay over here. I won't come near you, ok? You're hurt, I want to help you," she said.



He struggled to catch his breath, and when he finally did, he slowly crept out of his corner. As he came into the light, she saw that chunks of his hair were also missing. Seeing this, she looked more closely at the clumps on the floor. They were hair. Carlos' hair. Bloody strands and chunks of it.



She was so busy staring, that she had not noticed that he had crawled up to her and was curled in a ball on the floor. She patted his back comfortingly.



"Hey, you're ok. You just had a little newborn rage, that's all. I have to take you to a hospital though, ok?"



He nodded.

She carefully examined Kora, turning her around on the table, gently lifting her paws, and shining a light in her ears. Carlos sat in a chair, so he wouldn't be in her way. He watched as she gingerly picked Kora up and weighed her. He looked around the room.



On Dr. Harper's desk was a thick book, which he figured held patient information. Next to this was a plain, white mug filled with pens and markers. There was nothing particularly interesting about this, as the desk contained what any other desk in a doctor's office would. A jar of disposable needles, which were wrapped in plastic, small bottles of vaccination fluid. The only difference was the next jar, which was filled with dog treats.



Another thing he noticed was her purse. It was an olive green, pleather shoulder bag. He wasn't sure why he did, but he thought that the color of it suited her. But that wasn't what caught his attention. Inside the bag, he thought he saw a sharp point of a metal syringe. He leaned over a bit to get a better look, but the sudden sound of her voice startled him right back to where he was.



"Up late are we?" she asked. Carlos breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that she still had her back to him.



"Uh yeah," he answered, "Gotta get some things done y'know?"



She gave a soft laugh and turned, her wide smile revealing two pointed teeth.



"Yes, I see. Teens can be so busy nowadays, I've noticed."



"Heh." he said, not fully listening. He was too busy hoping she would smile again so he could be sure that he saw what he saw.



She didn't. She walked to the desk and opened the huge book, starting a new page for Kora.



"Ok well, for a stray she is doing alright. I must give her a few vaccines though, which will be an extra thirty in addition to the visit charge." she informed him.



He sighed, but nontheless agreed.



Dr. Harper reached into the jar of needles, pulling one out and unpeeling it's wrapper. Carlos could not help but notice that, although she was very friendly, she also gave off a vibe that was quite strange. He wasn't frightened of her, but rather very curious. He felt uncomfortable in that small room.



She filled the needle out of one of the vaccination vials, and flicked the air bubbles out. She turned to him.



"Would you like to pet her, so she won't be as scared?"



He nodded, walking up and petting Kora's ears. She gave out a small yelp and hissed when the needle poked her. She only struggled a bit, but after four needles, was fast asleep in Carlos' palms. He paid the vet fee, and then him and Fawn were driving down the long, winding road back to Forsythia's house.



As they pulled into the driveway, Carlos noticed that there was another car, besides Forsythia's, that was blocking the way. Annoyed, Carlos muttered something under his breath and found a space a couple of houses down.



He and Fawn gathered Kora's things, and walked the extra few meters back to the house. Fawn noticed that he had grown quiet.



"You alright?" she asked.



He looked at her as if he were suspicious of something, then looked ahead of him.



"Yeah. I'm fine."



"Ok..." She didn't believe him, but found it better not to be pushy. She figured the parking issue had pissed him off. Or perhaps it was because she was holding the cat this time. No, that couldn't be it. He offered.



As they entered the house, they found Forsythia sitting on the couch with a stranger. He was a rather tall, thick set man, dressed in black jeans and a black tee shirt.



Carlos immediatly crouched and hissed viciously, a reflex he didn't even know he had. He threw the cat box to the side, sending it crashing into the staircase. Forsythia looked shocked.



"Carlos! How rude, we have a guest! Come, put that stuff down and sit with us."



He stared coldly at them for a second, before slowly standing back up. Fawn, eyebrows raised, set the bag from the pet shop next to the door. She gently took hold of Carlos' elbow, as he still had not moved, and sat him down. Forsythia smiled and put her hand on the stranger's shoulder. He seemed amused at the little episode. Carlos noticed this, and growled, giving him a stare cold as ice.



Fawn elbowed him in the ribs, and he stopped. Forsythia seemed angry now, her smile had vanished and she was looking at Carlos as if he were embarrassing her.



"Carlos, Fawn, this is my boyfriend, Darius."



Darius held his hand out specifically to Carlos, and Carlos slowly shook it, not taking his red, stone cold eyes off of him.



Darius then offered his hand to Fawn, who smiled politely and shook it as well.



Forsythia's smile returned.



"I just wanted a formal introduction. Darius, this is my brother Carlos, and his blood mother Fawn."



"A pleasure to meet you both." he said.



Although Darius had not said this impolitely, Carlos bared his teeth as a warning.



Fawn, shocked as well, balled up her fist and punched the side of his knee.



Darius laughed.



"It is quite alright," he said, "I can see there is stress where trust should be. But I think we will grow fond of each other."



Giggling, Forsythia looked up at him, eyes glistening, and sent Fawn and Carlos upstairs.



Once in her room, Fawn set Kora on the floor, expecting her to run into Carlos' room. She didn't.



Fawn nudged her a bit, then picked her up and put her in the doorway. Kora ran back into the room, hopping on Fawn's bed, seeming frightened. Fawn was worried. She slowly tiptoed into the hallway and subtly peeked into room.



His light was out. He was sitting on the bed, legs folded, staring right at her.



Keeping her steady pace, she walked into the room and flicked on the light. His eyes flashed with anger, and for the first time since she had asked how he felt, he spoke.



"Turn. It. Off." he said in a low voice.



Now he was scaring her. Fawn felt a mixture of fear and anger, and folded her arms.



"No"



He tilted his head to the side.



"What did you say?"



She shifted her weight to one side.



"I said no," she answered.



He jumped up from the bed, taking a few steps toward her, his face inches from her's.



"I will give you exactly five seconds to turn that light off," he warned her.



She raised her eyebrows again, not changing her position.



"I will give you exactly five seconds to get out of my face, Carlos."



He stared her down. She could feel his ice cold breath leaving in sharp puffs, and he began to tremble.



"Turn. It. Off."





"I will not until you tell me what your problem is."



He gave her a low, but solid growl, and turned his back to her. She grabbed his arm and turned him back around.



"Did you HEAR ME? Answer me, NOW," she demanded.



His eyes grew wide and he ripped free of her grasp, sending her stumbling back.



He shook even harder, hugging himself to keep from convulsing. She then saw fear in his eyes, and despite her own, reached out to pat him.



He snarled loudly, taking her offered gesture as a threat, and crouched again, growling deeply.



She felt the hotness of tears again, yet they came down cold as glaciers.



"Carlos...." she sobbed, "What is WRONG?"

"Niki...that's a nice name!" he said.



She giggled and pet Kora again.



"Thanks, I like your's too."



Carlos smiled. That smile vanished as Fawn interrupted them.



"I found the crap litter! Oh and some food." she said, then noticed Niki."



"Oh hello! Sorry were you guys talking?" she asked.



Niki smiled sweetly at her.



"We were, but I should actually get back to work. How about I ring you guys up?"



Carlos and Fawn nodded. As Niki led them to the front of the store to where the cash registers were, Carlos pinched Fawn's arm. Hard.



"OUCH! What's your problem?!" she yelped.



"WHY do you ALWAYS have to screw things up when I am trying to have a converstion?" he answered angrily.



She rubbed her arm and looked at him, confused.



"Well SORRY, I never mean to! Jeez." she said.



They stopped talking, tension growing between them. When they reached the register, Niki calculated the price of the food, collar, cat box and litter. Carlos dug into his pocket for his wallet, as Fawn looked around. She studied the very few people in the store, a few making eye contact and giving her rude looks. She rolled her eyes at them and turned back to Carlos, who was gathering the box and the bag of cat supplies. Fawn took the box from him and carried it with both hands.



"Have a nice night Carlos!" Niki said to him, "And hey I have a cat too, maybe the two could have a playdate."



Carlos smiled.



"Maybe sometime. I'll definitely let you know." he said.



He and Fawn walked back to the car and shut their purchases in the trunk. When they were both in the car, and Kora in the cup holder, Fawn pulled a wad of cash out of her pocket and held it out, not looking at him.



"Forsythia said to give you this. To cover the vet fee I guess."



He looked at her, anger still in his eyes. Then suddenly, it vanished, and he gently took the money from her hand.



"Hey." he said, and she looked up.



"I'm sorry I got pissed at you in there." he apologized.



She nodded.



"That's ok. I'm sorry I always bust into your conversations."



He smiled.



"Hey it's all good. So off to the vet we go." he said, pulling out of the lot.



Once they got onto the highway, Carlos slid a Seether CD into the radio, blasting "No Jesus Christ" the entire way there. When they arrived at the animal clinic, Fawn was giving him a look.



"What?" he said, "I never get tired of that song."



She sighed and shook her head sarcastically, getting out of the car. Carlos sat Kora on his head and opened the door for Fawn. They walked up to the desk, where the receptionist gave him a weird look, handing him the sign-in clipboard. He smiled and filled it out, then took a seat with Fawn. There were a few other animals; another, older cat quietly snoozing in it's owner's arms, as Kora was. There was also a dog, who seemed scared out of it's mind.



After about a half hour, Kora was called in. Fawn stayed, as she could not handle the sight of a needle. Carlos took Kora inside and set her on the examination table, which was much bigger than she was. After a few minuted of waiting, the veterinarian walked in. She was quite tall, with curly, auburn hair, and was dressed in jeans and a sweater with a puppy on it.



She looked up from the folder she was examining and smiled warmly.



"Hello! My name is Dr. Harper, I understand you have a new patient?"



Carlos smiled back and held Kora up.



"Yep, this is Kora." he said.



"Well hello there little Kora!" Dr. Harper said sweetly, "What can I do for you guys today?"



"Um I was just wondering if you could like...give her just a checkup or something. I actually found her just last night and so I wanted to get her checked out." Carlos explained.



Dr. Harper smiled, whilst petting Kora. She then walked over to the sink at the far end of the room, washed her hands, and put on her gloves.



"Well I certainly can!" she said, sliding the kitten closer to her, "Let's have a look."

He walked out of the aisle and toward the other cat supplies, when Fawn sauntered up, holding a cat box.



"Here, look what I found! For her crap!" she said.



Carlos laughed.



"For her crap? Well thank you Fawn."



Fawn chuckled and set it by her feet.



"I should go get a cart for this....and some litter. For her crap." She burst out in laughter.



Carlos rolled his eyes and playfully shoved her.



"Psh whatever man, I'll go and get it. Here hold her for me. Oh no wait, she hates you."



Fawn's expression sent him collapsing into hysterics. When he was done, he wiped his eyes and looked at her.



"I hate you." she said, causing him to laugh again.



He walked off, still laughing, to find some cat litter. For some reason he could not find any, and so he walked up to what looked like an employee, and tapped her on the shoulder.



"Excuse me, do you ha-"



He began to speak, when she turned around. He stopped short, his finger still in the air. She had blond hair, black nail varnish, and he thought she was beautiful. He then retracted the thought, remembering Sheri. Suddenly then, it found it's way back to the front of his mind. He was now looking blankly at her, and she had an eyebrow raised.



"Do I have...?" she said.



He blinked.



"Uh...um...do- do you have um, OH! Cat litter! Uh...yeah.....cat....litter." He coughed.



She pointed to the opposite side of the store.



"Right over there. Cute cat by the way." she said, smiling.



He looked down at Kora, who was trying to ring the bell again, reaching her tiny paws over his hand. The girl reached over and let Kora sniff her hand. When Kora decided it was ok, she began to pet her.



"Aww hello there. What's her name?" she asked.



Carlos smiled.



"Her name's Kora. I found her last night and I'm just getting her some stuff." he said.



The girl smiled.



"That's awesome! So what's YOUR name then?"



Taken aback, he fumbled for his own name.



"I'm uh, I'm- I'm Carlos. Heh..." He held out his hand.



She shook it and smiled again.



"Sweet, I'm Niki."

Fawn smiled.



"Yep! Let's go, you're driving." she said.



He picked Kora up and perched her on top of his head.



"See ya Forsythia." he said as he shut the door.



He walked out to the car, where Fawn was waiting. She gave him a funny look when she noticed the cat.



"What the hell is that cat doing on your head?" she asked.



He chuckled softly.



"She likes it there." he said.



Fawn stared at him in utter confusion.



"What?" he said.



"That's ridiculous."



"No it isn't. She likes to sit on my head, so I let her sit there."



Fawn stood there with a blank expression.



"Ok...." she said, "Well anyway let's get a move on."



She walked around to the passenger side of the car and got in. Carlos took Kora off of his head and placed her in one of the cup holders. She fit perfectly. As they drove to the pet store, Carlos kept stealing glances at Fawn out of the corner of his eye. He wondered what she would think of Sheri's offer. He started to speak, when so did she. They both stopped short.



"Oh." Carlos said, "Uh you first."



"No it's ok, you go ahead."



"No really, I insist."



"Ok fine." she said, "I was talking to Forsythia while you were getting ready and I...."



Fawn sighed.



"You what?" asked Carlos.



She hesitantly continued.



"I..I can't do it Carlos. I can't be your mentor when I myself have just begun my vampire life. I asked Forsythia to teach you instead. You and me."



Carlos stared out of the windshield with a serious expression.



"I..I guess that would be alright." he said, "That would actually be a good idea! Funny you should mention that though."



She turned to look at him.



"Why?"



Now it was his turn. He took a deep breath.



"Well...when I was with Sheri last night, she took me to this place, I guess where rituals are held. She explained to me that she was the leader of something called the Blood Daughters, and also that the leader of the Blood Sons had been killed recently. So....she offered it to me."



He took one hand off of the steering wheel and reached into his shirt, pulling out the necklace, which still carried the heavy scent of lion blood.



Fawn stared at it, swinging in his grasp.



"Do you....do you want to?" she asked.



He put the pendant back.



"Well yeah! Wouldn't that be wonderful? Of course I would need a little more training, but after that I'll be set!"



Fawn smiled slightly.



"Whatever makes you happy." she said.



He grinned widely.



"Wow thanks! I am so excited for this!" he exclaimed.



Fawn giggled, and they pulled into the parking lot of Poppy's Pet Pals. Carlos found a space and shut off the engine.



"What a ridiculous name to give a store." he said, making himself and Fawn laugh.



He gently scooped the sleeping Kora out of the cup holder, and the three of them walked into the store.



"I'm going to go check out the mice." Fawn said, once they were inside.



"Alright, have fun. I'm probably going to be in the cat section, if you need me."



They parted and Carlos walked happily over to the cat items. He scratched Kora's ears as he scanned the cat toys, lined up neatly on the shelf.



"Collars..." he muttered to himself.



He walked further down the aisle, until he came to the tiny assorted kitten collars. He then realized that choosing just one would be harder than he had originally thought. His eyes traveled up and down row after row after row of selections. He picked up an orange one and held it up to Kora's fur. She sniffed it, then turned away, completely unimpressed.



"Nope." he said, putting it back.



He then picked up another, and upon realizing that it was pink, he quickly hung it back.



"HELL no."



He sighed, getting a bit aggravated. Then, he spotted one that was black, with a red, celtic looking design around it. It also had a tiny bell. He grabbed the last one and held it up to Kora. She reached out with one of her tiny paws and jingled it. He smiled.



"I guess that's a yes then!"

Carlos walked off to have his shower, leaving Fawn in the living room. She picked up George's spell book, which she had taken with her and placed on the coffee table. She carefully opened the weathered album, turning to the first spell. She began to memorize it.



"I am the daughter of Fortitude and ravished every hour from my youth. For behold, I am Understanding, and science dwelleth in me; and the heavens oppress me." she whispered slowly.



"They covet and desire me with infinite appetite; for none that are earthly have embraced me, for I am shadowed with the Circle of the Stars, and covered with the morning clouds. My feet are swifter than the winds, and my hands are sweeter than the morning dew. My garments are from the beginning, and my dwelling place is in myself. The Lion knoweth not where I walk, neither do the beasts of the field understand me. I am deflowered, yet a virgin; I sanctify and am not sanctified."



Suddenly, another voice joined in.



"Happy is he that embraceth me: for in the night season I am sweet, and in the day full of pleasure. My company is a harmony of many symbols, and my lips sweeter than health itself. I am a harlot for such as ravish me, and a virgin with such as know me not."



Fawn jumped and slammed the book shut. She looked up to see Forsythia standing in the hallway, smiling. She continued, stepping closer as she spoke.





" Purge your streets, O ye sons of men, and wash your houses clean; make yourselves holy, and put on righteousness. Cast out your old strumpets, and burn their clothes and then I will bring forth children unto you and they shall be the Sons of Comfort in the Age that is to come."





She sat beside Fawn, looking sweetly at her.



"Studying, are we?" she asked.



Fawn blushed.



"Well-I- I mean I guess I-I just wanted to y'know...have it....in mind....." she said shyly.



Forsythia laughed her beautiful, courageous laugh.



"Oh I don't mind! That book of your's actually looks very similar to mine. Would you like me to help you memorize a few? So you can teach Carlos?"





Fawn hugged the book against her chest and sighed.



"Actually....can I ask you something Forsythia?"





Forsythia raised her eyebrows, surprised.



"Why of course dear! What's on your mind?"



Fawn propped her head on top of the large spell book and sighed. She looked sad.



"Do you think you could teach Carlos instead of me? I'm a newborn myself and...well I just can't do it. I've already gotten us into enough trouble without even trying. I don't want him to learn from the worst." she confessed.



Forsythia looked baffled. Never had she heard of a mentor giving up their duties to another. She smiled again.



"If that is what you really want, then I will teach him. How about I teach the both of you?" she said.



Fawn looked up at her, looking extremely grateful.



"That would be great! If it isn't too much-"



"Nonsense! I offered didn't I? It'll be fun! I have very interesting methods of learning however." Forsythia warned.



Fawn chuckled.



"Well I can't wait to try them!" she said.



They giggled and as Fawn set the book back on the coffee table, they heard Carlos returning from his shower. He smiled and put on his shoes, his kitten following closely.



"Ready to go?" he asked happily.

He held the kitten against his cheek and smiled pleadingly at her.



"PLEASE get that away from your face, you don't know what it has!" she said.



He lowered Kora from his cheek and cradled her in his palms.



"We can take her to the vet. I can take her to the vet, you don't even have to come. You won't have to feed her, you won't have to do anything. I will take care of her all myself. I'll buy the food, the collar, everything."



"I said n-"



"Just think about it!" he interrupted, "Please?"



Forsythia folded her arms and looked at the floor. She was quite disturbed by the thought of a stray animal in the house. Finally, she looked back up.



"You're going to have to buy a litterbox."



"I know."



"And a scratch post."



"I know."



"AND a nametag."



"Yep."



She sighed, crinkling her forehead.



"Fine. Just keep it out of my way."



His eyes lit up and he ran to her, giving her a hug. Her body stiffened as she considered the prospect of cat germs, but returned the affection. He then ran up to his room and set his new companion on the bed, kicked off his shoes, and plopped down beside her, softly petting her head.



"I think we'll go get you everything you need tomorrow." he said, "I think we can trust each other now."



He shut out the light and laid down. Little Kora slowly padded up to his pillow, and nestled herself in his hair.



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



The next night, Carlos awoke to a soft tapping on his nose. He opened his eyes to find his cat standing on his chest, her green cat eyes looking straight into his. He chuckled.



"Hello there!" he said, then scratched her ears and put her onto the floor. She ran into the hallway, ready to explore. He stood and followed her. On his way down the stairs, he heard Fawn shriek, which made him nearly tumble the rest of the way down, at the speed he was running.



He ran into the kitchen, where he found Fawn chasing after Kora with a broom. He yelped and snatched it away, leaning it back against the wall.



"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" he yelled. Kora leapt into his arms.



Fawn leapt on top of a chair.



"WHAT IS A STRAY, RABIES-RIDDEN FELINE DOING RUNNING AROUND THE HOUSE?" she screamed back.



"SHE'S MINE FAWN, I FOUND HER LAST NIGHT!!"



Fawn slowly got down from the chair. She suspiciously crept over to Carlos to get a better look. He held Kora up to Fawn, which made her step back. He rolled his eyes.



"Are you kidding me? It's a KITTEN." he said.



She angrily folded her arms.



"Well you don't know what kind of diseases it has!" she said back.



He gave an exasperated sigh, and looked at th ceiling.



"Oh whatever. I have to go buy some stuff for her. Are you coming?" he asked.



She sighed.



"Sure, I guess I'll come."



"Ok. So I'm going to go take a shower....so I guess I'll keep Kora in my room, since you're SCARED." he said jokingly, holding the cat up, "Ooga booga!"



She pushed his arm away, scoffing.



"Don't do that! And Kora?" she said.



He smiled.



"That's her name. Kora. And she is the sweetest."

As he walked, he chipped away at the varnish on his nails, as he always did when he was deep in thought. He wasn't sure whether or not he should take Sheri's offer. Maybe he'd talk to Forsythia about it. Then again, Fawn was his mentor. Then AGAIN, she was still a newborn herself.



His internal debating was cut short by a tiny noise. He looked around, trying to figure out where it was coming from. He listened closely, waiting for the sound again. When he heard it, he got down on his hands and knees, and started looking under all of the parked cars. He stopped at one and slid underneath, peeking around.



The small squeak of a noise was quite loud now, and as he turned to his left, he spotted a small ball of fur huddled in the shadow of one of the tires. He crawled even further beneath the car, pulling out his phone for light. He flashed it in the direction of the noise, and the pool of light landed on a tiny, black and white kitten.



"Why hello there!" he said, slowly sticking his hand out.



The little cat flinched and swatted at him, leaving four bloody scratches. He yanked his hand back, almost smacking his head on the bottom of the vehicle. He propped himself up on his forearms and looked at the kitten.



"I'm sorry, I won't hurt you. I think you will find that I can be a very nice guy. You should at least give me a chance, no?"



He chuckled, digging in his pocket for something of a cat's interest. He pulled out a cookie.



"Whoa, what the hell? Oh whatever, here you go sweetie." he said, holding it out to the cat.



Hunger saturated the little kitten's eyes, and it hesitantly tiptoed over to Carlos' hand. It sniffed, licked, then bit the cookie, trying to yank it away. Carlos laughed.



"Well now that's not very fair. If I give you this cookie, can I pet you?"



He reached out and gently scratched it behind it's tiny ears whilst it ate. He then scooped it up and finally wiggled out from under the car. As he continued to walk to Forsythia's, he tucked the kitten into his jacket.



"Sweet little girl; I think I'll name you Kora."



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



Carlos arrived at Forsythia's house, walking quietly up the front steps. He unlocked the door, once again poking his head around it. Seeing nobody, he stepped all the way in and shut the door, turning the knob so it wouldn't make a noise. The lights were on, but he tiptoed to the staircase anyway.



"THERE you are!" a voice said.



He jumped and whipped around. It was Forsythia.



"Jesus! Could you at least make some noise so I know you're here?!" he said.



She laughed.



Carlos loved her laugh. It was a laugh that was filled with wisdom, trust, and honesty. A laugh so strong and confident, it would make the strongest man shed a tear.



"So." she said, "What were you up to?"



He shrugged.



"Nothing really, just went to the library with Fawn. Is she back yet?" he asked.



Forsythia nodded.



"Fast asleep. She seems stressed. Guess I don't blame her." she told him.



He nodded and looked down at the handrail.



"Yep that's Fawn." he said, "Well, I'm going to go to bed as well. Goodnight."



He started up the stairs, when she pointed to his jacket.



"Wait. What's that?" she asked.



He looked mystified.



"What's what?" he said.



"That." she replied, pointing to the small lump in his jacket he was cradling.



"What?"



"Carlos don't play stupid. That thing in your jacket. What is it?"



"I don't know what you're talking about, goodnight."



"CARLOS!"



Her voice sent a vibration through the entire house. She had always had that ability, and he kept forgetting that she was a half breed. He sighed.



"Alright, alright." he said, unzipping the jacket.



With a guilty look on his face, he withdrew the kitten and held it up, scratching it's ears again. Forsythia gasped.



"What the hell?! Get that out of my house, boy! Right now!" she yelled, frightening the little thing.



He held it closer.



"Oh come on Forsythia! I saved her! Can she be mine? Please? Please? Oh please I can't get rid of her, please!"



Forsythia sighed.



"Oh Carlos.."

"Carlos Hentze." she said, "I am a member and the leader of an elite group of vampires called the Blood Daughters."



She stepped out from behind the table and moved toward him.



"Recently, the leader of the Blood Sons was unfortunately killed during an early morning feeding. A knife was not suspected...."



When she reached him, she pried his mouth open with her hand, taking a look at his sharpening teeth. She smiled with satisfaction.



"And I see that you are almost fully an adult vampire. That was fast."



Carlos gave a small smile. He was still a bit unsure of where she was heading, but he suspected that he had a pretty good idea. He watched her pace back and forth in front of him.



"I am going to offer to you the honor of leading our beloved Blood Sons. I think you will make a most responsible leader." she said.



She looked at Carlos with an expectant expression, as if she were waiting for an answer right then and there. His eyebrows shot up and he spoke in a soft tone.



"Well I-I'm not really sure I'm ready I mean I would love to but maybe I should discuss it.....with........Fawn?"



She smiled at him and stepped close. She took a small, clear bottle out of her pocket, dipping her finger in. Putting the arm with the bottle around his neck, she rubbed the finger she had dipped in the bottle gently over the ruby in his necklace, then across his bottom lip.



"Think about it." she whispered.





She turned him around and gently nudged him towards the door. As he walked, the delicious scent of lion's blood flowed up from the necklace, making his head spin. He was so thirsty. His tongue poked out from between his lips, and licked the blood off. What a wonderful taste it was! In that single smear of blood, was the taste of chocolate, honey, and overall, pure life. He wanted more. He had to have more.



Sheri opened the door and led him out onto the stairs. She kissed his cheek and sweetly looked at him from behind the door, only her head and hands being visible. He smiled, in a daze, and started off toward Forsythia's house. He was going to dig up the change from Fawn's 10 dollars.

Carlos was in deep confusion. Sheri then stood and, with a firm expression, took him by the wrist.



"I think you better come with me." she said.



She quickly walked out of the cafe, nearly dragging Carlos behind her.



"Where are we going? Is something wrong?" he asked worriedly, trying to keep up. She would not let go of his wrist.



"I have to show you things." she replied.



"Show me things?" he said, now even more confused.



"Just things." she said.



Her voice was dark, serious. It was quite unsettling to him.



"Sheri?"





"I lied." she said.



He stopped, causing her to jerk forward.



"You lied?"



She sighed.



"Can we just talk about this when we get to where we're going?" she asked.



He nodded, and she pulled him further down the street. They soon came to a small, red-bricked house with heavy metal doors. Sheri took out a silver key and unlocked one of them, shifting all her weight to open it. She led him into the dark room, which smelled of blood and lavender, and shut the door.



"Stay there." she ordered.



He obeyed, and soon heard the flicking of a lighter. She lit a candle. A small pool of soft light flickered against what seemed to be a purple painted wall. He listened to her delicate footsteps make their way to another candle. As she lit it, some features of the room came to sight. The tall tapers sat on small, wooden tables, rose petals littering the top of the tables. He noticed that, along with the candles, she had begun to light insense. He watched as she lit candle, after candle, after candle, until the entire room was lit for him to see everything.



There were candles everywhere. Not only on the tables, but also sitting on smooth, wooden shelves, seeming to be made just for them. The entire room was painted a dark purple, with four small tables against each of the four walls. But what caught his attention, was the larger table in the center of the room, where Sheri stood. In the middle of the table, was a statue very similar to the woman Sheri had described to him. She was beautiful.



Surrounding this statue was a knife, an empty wine glass, and a paper. She motioned for him to come closer to the table, and as he did so, she reached into her shirt, pulling out the pendant of a necklace completely identical to the one he had been wearing. The crimson ruby glistened in the candle light. He looked up at her face. She smiled slightly.

"So what were you doing while we were apart?" Sheri asked.



Carlos took a sip of coffee and sighed.



"Nothing really. Fawn and I have just been staying with my sister. I'm still not so sure what's been going on though." he said.



Sheri looked out the window, her nails tapping the sides of her coffee mug. She sighed and looked back to Carlos.



"I have something for you." she said.



Carlos raised his eyebrows, surprised. He watched as Sheri dug into the pocket of her jacket, pulling out a necklace and laying it on the table. Carlos looked down and studied it. He examined the long, dull chain from which a fierce dragon, cradling the brightest red ruby, hung. He found it very beautiful.



"Wow! Where did you get this?" he asked.



Sheri looked uncomfortable.



"That's kinda what I wanted to talk to you about." she said, "When I went to your house to look for you, I didn't find anything but the wrecked house...I turned to leave and saw a woman at the door, and so I asked her if she knew you. All she did was shake her head and hold this up."



She tapped the necklace.



"I think she wants you to wear it." she told him.



He looked up at her in confusion.



"What makes you think that?" he asked.



She flipped it over to reveal a carving in the dingy metal.





'Carlos'





Carlos stared at the pendant, wide eyed. He picked it up and put it on. It felt warm on his skin, despite it being on the cold table. He held it up to his face, rubbing the shining ruby with his thumb.



"What did she look like?" he asked Sheri.



Sheri thought for a minute.



"Well....she had long, brownish-blond hair that was kind of wavy, but had some curls. And she was wearing a long black dress. She also had some sort of crown; it looked kind of like horns of some sort. I wasn't sure, it was dark."



Carlos was lost in thought. He wondered who could want him to have such a beautiful thing.



"She said something about responsibility." Sheri said.