The Vampire’s Servant
Chapter 100

[Sean]

The energy around the school was electric. The senior prom was tomorrow. Even I was excited.

I told my mom and dad about Rosario being my date for the prom. They hung on my every word about her. She was actually really cool and planned to come to my game night next weekend.

This morning, on the bus, I finally got her to talk about herself. All week, she'd just asked questions about me or my game. She never offered information about herself.

Even though we'd been in school together since we were little, I actually didn't know much about her, except that she often got grades as good as mine. Rosario told me that she did archery in her spare time. That was awesome. I asked her if she would teach me and she said she knew the owner of the archery range. She would ask him if she could have the keys on Sunday.

I was thrilled. Maybe this would be something I could pursue in college. I wanted to change myself, and my life while I was there.

This week, I'd been working on dealing with my lingering feelings for Gray. Echo was always there for me if I started looking down. She was a good friend and I was glad that she didn't hold my feelings against me.

-

It was morning break and I had snuck into the stage area in the auditorium. I did my best thinking there. It was dimly lit and had almost a cave-like feel to it. I created some of our best adventures there. I wanted a good one for Rosario's first time.

I was working quietly, when I heard the stage doors open. I nearly sighed with frustration. Sometimes a couple would sneak in here to get intimate during the breaks. I would sneak out once they got into it.

"Come on, angel." Gray said.

I froze. I couldn't sit here and let them start. It hurt too much still. I didn't want to hear my crush making out with my best friend.

This couldn't be happening to me. I needed to call out to them and leave. They would understand. I knew they wouldn't want to be watched either.

Taking a slow, steady, breath, I started to get up from the floor. I needed to move before they got into it.

"You didn't have enough blood this morning. Your fangs are out, angel." He whispered.

That stopped me in my tracks. Fangs? Blood? What the hell was he talking about?

"I'm sorry, Gray. I just got caught up in what everyone was talking about, I forgot to eat my pudding. Are you sure it's okay for me to feed on you here?" Echo asked softly.

"No one really comes in here and, if they do, they'll just think we're making out. We don't have time to argue this. Bite me." Gray insisted.

I peeked around the corner. The light was just enough that I could see Gray sitting in a chair, baring his neck. Echo sighed and leaned in. When she opened her mouth, I could see that she had long fangs as she licked his neck. She pulled back and bit him. Gray groaned like it felt good. Echo started sucking on his neck and he pulled her to straddle his lap. I watched in horror as my best friend drank from my crush like she was a vampire. Remembering our conversation, the first day I met her, I said all vampires were evil because they fed on human blood. She told me not all vampires were bad, just like not all people were bad. Was she talking about herself?

Could Echo be a vampire? I saw her eating real food, she went out in the daylight, we'd just spent hours out in the sunshine on Saturday. Vampires couldn't go in the sun... or could they? She was awfully pale and currently drinking Gray's blood. I had to save him if she was a vampire. I didn't want to think of her being the type to hypnotize him, but what if that was how she got him to be a willing participant in all this? Did she hypnotize me too?

"All done, angel?" Gray asked.

My attention was pulled back to them. She was licking his neck again, then started kissing and nibbling up his neck. He growled playfully and started moving like he was doing the same. I moved back where they wouldn't see me. "We should get going, or we'll be late." Echo sighed. "Thank you for feeding me, Gray. I don't know what I would have done if my fangs came out during class."

"I figure a little werewolf blood won't be too bad for you, sweetheart. At lunch, you'll get more human blood and that should temper it." He said. Werewolf? Wasn't that against the law or something? In everything I had ever read, watched, or heard, vampires and werewolves hated each other. Would they kill me for finding out their secret? What did I do now? Just keep pretending that I didn't know until graduation?

Oh, my god, I had a crush on a werewolf! Val and Harmony were her cousins. Were they vampires too?

"You go first, angel. It might be bad if we both came out at the same time." Gray told her.

"Okay. You're almost healed, anyway. I'll see you in class." She replied and left.

As soon as Gray was gone, I could head out. I would be a little late to class, but most teachers knew me and I could just tell them I was helping another teacher or the librarian out. I didn't hear anything, maybe I missed him leaving. I gathered up my things and started heading out, only to find myself being held against the wall. Gray had my shoulders pressed back and I was actually not standing on the ground. Along with a thrill of fear, I felt myself getting a little turned on. What the hell was wrong with me?

"I couldn't tell her you were here or she wouldn't have eaten. Echo needed feeding. You're the only human who knows our secret. If hunters come for us, I'll know it was because you said something." He growled.

"I... I won't say anything. Please, don't kill me." I pled.

"I'm not gonna kill you unless you do something like that. Hunters will kill us without even checking to see if we're decent people. They don't care about anything but wiping supernaturals out. I don't want you going out and doing something stupid." "Can you let me down? This isn't comfortable." I asked.

"Promise you won't run away?" Gray said.

"I promise."

He let me down and I was grateful to be on the ground again. Gray stared at me intently. My mind was full of questions. I didn't even know where to start.

"I always heard werewolves existed. My parents told me there were more things in the world than people wanted to acknowledge. Sometimes there are little things on news sites online about werewolves. I didn't know vampires really existed. Why is a werewolf dating a vampire?" I asked. "She's not a vampire." He responded with a snarl.

"She has fangs and drinks blood. How does she make it seem like she's eating real food? Vampires in my games only drink blood."

"She's a dhampyr." Gray replied.

"Oh. Those are in my games too. Half vampire and half human." I smiled. "That's why she can go out during the day and stuff."

"I guess those games know a lot more than we give humans credit for." He chuckled. "Are you afraid of us? I just don't want you treating her any differently."

"Is she gonna feed on me? Are you going to hunt me down on the full moon?" I pressed.

"No, and no. Our shifting isn't affected by the phases of the moon. It's just easier to see at night when the moon is full." Gray explained.

"I get why you didn't tell me. How many other supernatural creatures live here? What else is out there?" I wondered.

"There are a lot. Most of the kids that transferred in when I did are werewolves. There are some other shifters, witches, and fae in the school. I can't tell you who. It's their secret to reveal." He said.

"Harmony and Val are her cousins. What are they? They aren't as pale as her."

"It's not my place to say. Most of the people we eat with are supernatural."

"Except me, Elle, Terry, and Rosario... right?" I asked.

"That's not for me to say. You're not going to treat Echo any differently, are you?"

"I don't see why I would. She's never been anything but nice to me. She never tried to drink my blood. I don't think she ever hypnotized me. Did she?"

"No. Echo wouldn't do that to you. She uses her abilities in good ways. She's really just as good as she seems. She really loves you as a friend." He insisted.

"I... I just don't know, Gray. I went from these things being fictional to being real. What else in this game is real?" I said, holding up my game books.

"Let me see." He told me and took the books from me, sitting on the floor.

I sat near him as he flipped through the books. He pointed out a lot of things as real. Elves, ogres, orcs, goblins, fairies, shapeshifters, vampires, witches, warlocks, demons, sprites, and just so much more. The whole world seemed to have turned into a strange place I didn't recognize.

"Are you going to be okay? You don't seem to be taking this well." Gray said.

"I just learned that there are more than humans and the occasional werewolf in the world. I learned that my best friend is half undead and most of the people I've grown to see as friends are all not human. I think I need time with this. I promise, I won't tell anyone. I just need space." I told him.

"I think we skipped class. Echo's gonna be mad at me. Don't tell her. Will you eat with us at lunch?" He asked.

"I will. I just might not talk much. I'm processing." I promised.

"See you then." Gray said, getting up and heading out.

I sat alone with my books. There was a lot of new information in my head. It mingled with what I already knew. I heard the bell for the end of the period ring. I'd just tell my parents I was late and the teacher marked me absent if they got an attendance call from the office. I never skipped. They'd believe me.

Leaving the stage area, I dropped my books at my locker and grabbed my books for the next class. It was the first time in my life that I wasn't paying attention in class. I seemed to drift for the rest of the day.

-

The day ended, and I got on the bus. Rosario and Echo were waiting for me. They both smiled. What if Rosario wasn't human either? What could she be?

Taking my seat, I smiled slightly at them. Echo took my hand. I never noticed that her hand wasn't really warm, especially compared to the heat from where Gray held me up against the wall. "Are you okay?" Echo asked.

"I'm fine. Just a mix of excited for tomorrow and exhausted." I replied.

"I'm more excited for Sunday. Dances are boring." Rosario sighed.

"What's going on Sunday?" Echo questioned.

"I'm taking Sean to the archery range to learn how to shoot a bow. We'll have it all to ourselves. That means fewer people distracting him while he learns." Rosario said.

"When are you showing up to get me tomorrow?" I asked Rosario.

"I was thinking around five. My neighbor owns a restaurant and they didn't get all booked up for prom, so I figured we would go have some dinner. Get you out of the house a little sooner. If you like it, we can go there for lunch on Sunday." She grinned. "Awesome. I can't wait." I said.

We talked about the prom and plans until we arrived at my stop. I got off the bus and watched it roll away. I walked home solemnly, still sussing out everything I'd learned today.

I went to my room and looked around. Everything here was the same, as if the whole world didn't just change. I needed to really think about what this meant for me and my relationships with my friends.