PbN Act One Chapter Two - Sick of Myself

Keiko spent the rest of the afternoon lounging by Michael’s pool. It was a warm September day and it seemed a fitting thing to do. However, it was also the only thing Keiko seemed capable of deciding to do. One impulse said to run, to get as far away from this place and these people as she could. The other said “Stay! Stay and find out what’s behind the mystery here.” Neither impulse seemed to win out, so inertia kept her right there in the courtyard of Michael’s home.

As the hours past, she saw the various members of Michael’s household trickle home from their various jobs outside. One came home in a police uniform, another in nurse’s scrubs. Most however were dressed in ordinary street clothes, giving no indication of their professions. A couple came out and joined Keiko at the pool, but outside of a few pleasantries, they said nothing to one another. Keiko was in no mood to converse.

Then, around sunset, a new face arrived. A young African-American man in his early 20s, well-dressed in designer clothes and different from the one she’d seen in Michael’s photos, came in the house and walked through into the courtyard. He made his way across to the bar where he poured a drink and then noticed Keiko sitting by the pool.

“You’re new here.” he observed. Keiko nodded. “You one of Michael’s or someone else’s?” He continued bluntly.

That was going to take some getting used to. “Michael’s.” she answered. The young man nodded, as if understanding a secret that eluded Keiko.

“Should I be worried?”

He shrugged, as if to say “I don’t know.”

The next person to walk out onto the courtyard was Michael himself. He spotted the young man and a smile crossed his face. “Virgil!” he announced loudly. “How long have you been here?”

“Not long. I got a late start out of Virginia Beach this afternoon.”

“I see you’ve met Keiko.” Michael’s eyes fell upon her. Although her one-piece swimsuit was far from revealing, she felt utterly naked under his gaze. It was both frightening and arousing at the same time.

“Just now.” replied Virgil. “So how long have you known this one?”

“Funny you should ask that.” Michael said with a mirthful smile. “Come, I suspect you have much to tell me.”

---

“I wish my report brought better news.” said Virgil as he walked into Michael’s office. He reached inside his jacket and pulled out a 3.5” floppy disk. “It’s all there, but the numbers don’t tell the real story.”

“And what is the real story?” asked Michael as he sat down behind his desk.

“As I’m sure you’re aware, after the Reign, Max was able to stack the Primogen council with supporters. They’ve been able to isolate Damian and our other allies.”

Michael chuckled at the thought of Damian Drake as an “ally,” but he was the closest thing Michael had to that remaining in Tidewater.

“Many of these newly ascended kindred are trying to carve out their own niche. They are not frightened by the legend of Michael Allens and Max is certainly encouraging them to challenge you on every front.”

“No surprises there.” Michael lamented.

“It’s worse than you think. Like I said, Damian is now isolated. He’s recently lost control of the local media to one of Max’s new minions. This ran in the local paper just a couple of days ago.” Virgil pulled out a newspaper. A circled headline read “Doctors baffled by recent comas.”

“Damian has a new pet.” grumbled Michael. “And a slip in the Masquerade like that is probably deliberate.”

“That was my guess as well. Damian’s being undermined, without a doubt on Max’s orders. Soon Max will have an excuse to remove him from the Council or even exile him. Once Damian’s neutralized, I imagine it’s now only a matter of time before someone takes a shot at me to claim Nightstyles. And when that happens...” The nonchalant way in which Virgil spoke of his own potential assassination reminded Michael of the power of the thrall-bond. Life and death mattered little to Virgil, so long as he could serve Michael faithfully. “Max will decide an absentee landowner is too risky and he’ll grant Nightstyles and your other properties to some crony of his who can defend them. Your income will dry up”

“Wonderful,” said Michael sarcastically. “Another nail in the coffin of my legacy. I shouldn’t be surprised. My own folly at leaving.”

Michael half-expected to hear Virgil affirm his self-incrimination, but the thrall-bond would never allow Virgil to even believe Michael was capable of mistakes, let alone allow him to call Michael out for them. “So, I am the beast in the night that men fear. Vampires, mages, and werewolves alike shiver at the mention of my name and yet now I am undone by something as mundane as being unable to pay my bills. O, how the mighty are fallen.”

“Is your income stream here so small?” asked Virgil.

“It could be larger,” Michael conceded. “Most of the harem work in and around Blacksburg and I demand only a little of their incomes for room and board essentially. I could get more simply by asking. I could charge more for the parties or make them more frequent. But I have a feeling it would be inadequate. The loans to build this place were substantial. Never mind those additional expenses to keep the local government out of my business. Bribes get costly.”

“Could you subvert some local businesses here in Blacksburg?”

“I’ve considered that. But there’s a couple problems. The first comes from when Mathias cloistered our beloved Princess off in his dungeon of delights. A power vacuum was created here in Blacksburg, which was filled by a variety of forces but most recently by the mages. They are hoping to make Blacksburg like Charlottesville and I remain a persistent thorn in their side. They would not look kindly on me buying up or otherwise acquiring businesses throughout the town.”

“And the other problem?”

“The other problem is the Princess herself. When I marched in here two years ago with my entourage, killing The Djinn, and seating her upon the throne of Roanoke, it was very obvious to all the significant power imbalance between us. Deborah is fully aware I could have claimed that throne for myself and yet I chose not to in order to keep an old pledge to her. Well, no good deed goes unpunished they say and now Deborah both hates and distrusts me. She would also not look kindly on any move that appeared to be expanding my power base. Hell, she might even work with the mages to see me undone.”

“So, damned if you do...”

“Yeah...” Michael let his voice trail off. “I knew this wouldn’t last. Sooner or later someone would have come along to challenge the great Michael Allens just as I not so long ago challenged the great powers myself. I am part of a predator species and we are just as quick to consume each other as we do the great masses of humanity.” Michael stood up and walked over to his bookshelf. He was surprised and mildly annoyed to see his collection of pictures had been disturbed. Several were lying flat. He flipped them over in turn and then took the one of Sarah Cobbler in hand.

“On that matter,” interjected Virgil, noticing where Michael’s attention had been drawn. “I have nothing to report.”

“And why don’t you?” Michael growled.

Virgil got a noticeable look of panic on his face at Michael’s outburst. “I’m sorry, mi’lord. She refuses to see me or speak with me. Or at least that's what her messengers tell me.”

"You've had no contact with her at all then?"

"No one has as far as I can tell. She sends her regrets when Max calls her to court and stays in hiding."

"Probably wise of her to avoid that pit of vipers."  said Michael, calming down. “I'm sorry, Virgil. I shouldn't have snapped at you. It just makes no sense that she makes no effort to contact me. We had so much. We shared so much. Why does she now ignore me?”

“I do not know.”

“Did the sleep of torpor warp her mind?” Michael continued his random speculation. There were no answers to be found. Not here. Not now.

“You could go see for yourself.” suggested Virgil.

“Max would call a blood hunt on me immediately for daring to defy my exile.”

“With respect, mi’lord, does that really frighten you? With your allies here? Mitch, Boar, Julia, even Sammy? You’d walk in there like an invading army. Damian would stand with you again, even if only to save his own hide. Yes, Max could call a hunt, but the slaughter would do more harm than good even if he defeated you. His minions may not fear the legend of Michael Allens, but Max most certainly does. My guess is he’ll try to appease you rather than destroy you.”

Michael slumped back into his desk chair as if struck. “Virgil, I needed a kick in the ass. I think you just gave it to me.”

“I’m sorry, sir, if I spoke too boldly.”

“No, don’t apologize. I needed that. I knew there’s a reason I left you behind in Virginia Beach. You have a clarity of vision that my loyal retainers here lack. I’ve spent these last two years here living like Jay Gatsby, drowning my sorrows in lust and excess. Feeling sorry for myself because the one thing I want more than anything else sits by herself ignoring me in Tidewater. The reason she refuses to talk to you or me or any of us is shame. Shame at what I’ve become, a pale shadow of the nightmare I once was. Wasting away feeling sorry for myself has grown old.”

“What will you do then?”

Michael stood up and went back to his bookshelf. He picked up the picture of Sarah again and cradled it in his hands while looking at it. “It’s long past time since I returned. Long past time I found out the answers to the questions that have haunted me these past two years. Long past time I showed Max and his upstarts who it is they are dealing with.”

Virgil smiled. “When can I expect you?”

“Soon, but not immediately. Max is a canny foe. While it may seem unwise for him to call out the dogs on me if I show up, that doesn’t mean he won’t do it. A cornered animal is the most unpredictable. I need to make sure I have a place to retreat to if I fail. Arrangements therefore need to be made. I cannot do this rashly.”

“Understood, mi’lord. But remember we’re with you all the way.”

“I’m counting on it.”

---

Virgil and Michael were not alone. Outside, in the hallway, Keiko stood by the door and listened. Much of what she heard made no sense. Words that had no meaning: torpor, primogen, blood hunt. What was all this? The more she uncovered, the more questions she had.

Virgil walked out of the room. Keiko quickly composed herself, pretending to be walking down the hall. “Is Michael there?” she asked, trying to sound as innocent as possible.

“I am here.” came his voice from inside the room. “Come in, Keiko.” She gave Virgil a polite smile then did as Michael instructed. She walked into the room to see him pouring a couple of drinks from a private stash of liquor. He offered her a screwdriver, the same drink she’d requested the night before.

“You teased me for my choice last night.” she commented, taking a sip.

“Your sense of adventure will come in time.” said Michael.

“I’m guessing your friend there wasn’t here for adventure. Business, I presume? How boring.” Keiko teased casually, pretending to only guess at what Virgil and Michael had discussed.

“Don’t pretend you weren’t listening in.” said Michael bluntly. His vampire senses had easily detected her eavesdropping outside.

Keiko felt a moment of panic, remembering the cryptic warnings she’d received earlier about Michael’s dangerous nature. “I didn’t understand half of what I heard.”

“Nor would you.” said Michael casually. “But you want to, don’t you?”

Keiko’s face froze with indecision. Did she really?

“If I find out, there’s no going back, is there?” she asked.

“No.”

“Will I have to fake my death too?”

Michael chuckled. “It’s bad enough that two people from adjacent homes in Charleston, West Virginia both died under mysterious circumstances in Blacksburg, Virginia. Let alone three. Someone would come looking. That’s a story too impossible to be believed. Besides, you’re a long way from being in deep enough for such drastic measures.”

“But you aren’t. And neither is Rebecca. She’s alive too, isn’t she? You told me she died but that was a lie.”

Michael nodded. “Yes. A necessary one and I apologize for the deception.”

“And Shawn? He survive too?”

“No, he did not.”

“So what’s really going on here? Drugs? Racketeering? Gambling? Prostitution?”

“You are a bold one. Asking a man you think to be a mobster what his crime of choice is. You’re close to the truth and yet at the same time not even in the same ballpark.”

“Are you going to tell me?”

“Not yet. We’ve only know each other for two days.”

“We grew up next door to one another.”

“When I last saw you, you were this gangly little 10-year old who was flat as a board. I’ll admit you’ve filled out nicely, but don’t presume our relationship from before has any bearing on now. Nor does the fact that I know precisely how well you’ve filled out. As I’m sure you’ve discovered by now, at this house, we fuck as casually as we eat or breathe.”

Keiko frowned. “I don’t believe last night meant nothing to you.”

“Nothing? No. But was it some earth-shattering trumpets-blaring moment of revelation? No. It was fun. You got to sample what you’ve dreamed about for years. It was my gift to you, but don’t read into it more than what’s there.”

“So that’s all it is? Fun. Except when it’s with her.” said Keiko angrily. “And I can guess which one: The amber eyed brunette.”

“Her name is Sarah.” said Michael with an ice coldness to his voice that frightened Keiko to her very core. “And you will not speak of her in that way again. Yes, we had sex last night, but that gives you no right to even remotely presume yourself her better.” He paused, his coldness not abating in the least. “No, you are definitely not ready yet. Your jealousy is proof. Until you are ready, it’s dangerous for me to trust you. You know too much now as it is. How do I know you won’t run home to tell the whole neighborhood that I’m alive after all? Do you know what that would do?”

“To whom? You or them?”

“Or to you?” Michael’s tone carried all the implications of a threat.

By now, Keiko was angry, frustrated at Michael’s callousness, and she did not back down. “This isn’t about me or your family. This is about protecting you. What would good old mom and dad say if they learned their son was a criminal and a libertine? Good little Sunday School boy that you once were. All your wealth and power and you’re ashamed of what Mommy and Daddy will think of you!”

Michael struck her hard with a backhanded slap, knocking her clean off her feet and onto the floor. His anger evaporated in an instant, replaced by horror at what he’d just done. Never in all of his years had he ever struck a woman in that way.

Keiko came back to her feet, nursing her reddened cheek. “How dare you! Fuck off!” She stormed out.

---

“Keiko was pretty pissed when she marched out of here earlier.” said Donna. Michael had come to her room, with “that look” in his eyes. That look that said Make me forget. Now she was on her back and Michael was thrusting into her vigorously.

“I wish you wouldn’t talk about her. It’s not exactly a turn on.” said Michael, breaking his rhythm.

“Be honest, lover. I know you wish I was her right now. I know you’re imagining her while you’re inside me. I’m not upset. You do this all the time with all of us. Each of us, in our own way, is a substitute for the ones you really want.”

Michael pulled out, his arousal vanished. “You’re not supposed to know that, let alone speak it openly.”

“You need more than a fuck right now, master. You need to talk it out.”

“Are all my slaves so damn bold that they can dictate to me what I need?” Michael snapped. “Virgil: Go back to Tidewater. You: Have a therapy session. Keiko is not yet bound to me, so I understand her defiance. But you?”

Donna shrank from his anger and Michael again regretted his outburst. “Worse still that you’re right. All three of you.” he said quietly. “I do need to go back to Tidewater. I do need to talk out what’s on my mind right now. And I have been treating Keiko like shit. Dear God, I hit her. I’ve never hit anyone who wasn’t a threat. What the hell is happening to me?”

Donna sat up and hugged her knees to her chest, listening attentively. Michael ran his hands through his hair in frustration, then lay down next to his young lover.

He began to speak. “I’ve lost my way, Donna. I treat all of you like crap, because I’m pissed that you’re not the ones I really want to be with. The only reason you put up with it is because you can’t help it.” Michael ran his hand affectionately across Donna’s bare back. “There was a time when I saw each of you as individuals, each different, each with your own charms, advantages, strengths, and personalities. But I’ve lost sight of that in my grief. Forgive me.”

“Of course.”

“I wish I knew that was heartfelt and not just the power of my blood speaking.” mused Michael. “I owe Keiko an apology also. At first, when I realized who she was, I wanted to make her one of you, one of the harem, as a statement. Now I’ve truly conquered my past. I made that gangly little brat from next door one of my whores. And one ill-toned statement from her revealed the lie of all of it. I’m not free of my past, I’m trapped by it. My parents, my sister...”

“I didn’t know you had a sister.” interjected Donna.

“Six years younger than me and never much on my radar. Just a nuisance growing up.” Michael returned from his tangent back to his main point. “But it’s not just them. Not just my family. It’s Rebecca. It’s Sarah. Hell, it’s even Deborah. I’m bound by all of them. Held prisoner in my own mind.”

“Some of them,” Donna began, “I think you truly wish to be free of. But Sarah? You sought to marry her. Rebecca? You embraced her, for better or worse, so you could be with her. You see yourself their prisoner, but the problem with some of them is not your lack of freedom. It’s that you’re not bound closer to them.”

Michael thought about that for a moment. “You’re right.” He conceded. “What a different world it would be if Rebecca was here. Or Sarah. Or both of them. Or if Deborah wasn’t a bitter enemy.”

“Some of that you can’t change. Some of it you can. That’s probably one of the reasons Virgil told you to go back to Tidewater. Sarah is there waiting for you.”

“Is she?”

“Only one way you’ll ever know.”

Michael nodded and sat up. “Thank you, Donna. You were right. I did need to talk this out. And now I know what to do.”

---

Michael walked across campus, towards Slusher Hall, the somewhat infamous girls dorm that many on campus referred to as “Slutter Hall.” Michael had more than enough connections in Virginia Tech’s administration that tracking down Keiko’s dorm room was a simple matter. Realizing it was the same dorm in which Kris Keller once lived gave Michael pause.

“Another example,” he mused to himself, “of how I’m trapped by my past.”

He pushed away those regrets and continued his journey. The RA at the front door, placed there to keep the wandering masses out of a girls dormitory, waved him through, “persuaded” of Michael’s good intentions with a careful application of vampiric charm. He headed up to the third floor and knocked on Keiko’s dorm.

“Who is it?” came her voice.

“Me. I’d like to talk.”

The door cracked open and Keiko peeked out, but did not invite Michael inside. “About what?” she said coldly.

“I wanted to apologize.”

“Too late.” She growled and made to shut the door. Michael held it fast.

“You’re not going to even give me a chance?”

“Why should I?” she yelled. “Your sluts talk about me like you own me or something. You toy with me with your secrets, secrets which your one friend says are dangerous. You hit me in a burst of rage. Why the hell should I give you the time of day?”

“You’re right on all counts. I’ve treated you terribly. Please let me inside. Let’s talk.” Michael poured on the vampire charm again, willing his blood to make his voice and mannerisms irresistible. He figured, probably rightly, that his words alone were not going to do the trick.

Keiko opened the door. “Fine.” She said, reluctantly conceding, but conceding nonetheless. Michael followed her inside.

Her room was rather spartan, only a few photographs of home as decorations. Michael, of course, recognized the house, having grown up right next door to it. She watched his eyes linger on the photos. He turned to her.

“The truth is you scare the hell out of me.” Michael admitted. “Once I realized who you were, all that…” he motioned towards the photos. “…started coming back to my mind. Everything I tried to forget. Everything I chose to leave behind. I didn’t disappear by accident. It was a choice, a deliberate decision to leave my old life behind. The ‘church boy?’ Gone. The bullied nerd? Bye-bye. The disappointment that I always was to my parents and family? No more. All left behind and forgotten until you showed up.”

“Was it really that bad?”

Michael nodded. “It’s one thing to be rejected on occasion.” He said. “But another entirely to find it at every turn. My parents saw me as a failure. My schoolmates saw me as a target. My friend David was a friend until he found an excuse for righteous indignation. My only chance with Rebecca came when her brother offed himself, a chance which evaporated the moment I set foot on this campus all those years ago. Every one of them turned on me at one point or another.”

“I wouldn’t have. I used to dream about you. Thought you were the cutest thing ever.”

Michael chuckled bitterly. “It’s not that I don’t appreciate the sentiment, Keiko, but think about it. Back then, you were just this gangly little kid, old enough to start crushing on somebody, but not old enough to even know what to do with it.” Michael paused. “And yet, why am I here? Because I fucked up badly enough to come begging your forgiveness. If I fail tonight, I can add you to the list.”

“At least,” she began. “You own up to the fact that it’s your fault this time.”

“So what am I going to do to make it up to you?” Michael asked. “You know, I told you the other night that it didn’t mean anything. It was just a bit of fun, a roll-in-the-hay and a fantasy fulfilled. I should have known better. With our shared history, I should have known better. It clearly meant something to you, but I’ve surprised myself at how much it’s affecting me. I don’t know what that means, but I know I have to make amends with you.”

The best lies were half-truths, Michael had once learned somewhere. And there was a lot of truth in what he’d said to Keiko, but twisted just enough to dangle her hopes before her like bait. The question was: would she bite?

“Why don’t you tell me your story? Your secrets? Show me a bit of trust and maybe I’ll return the favor.”

“Only maybe?” queried Michael. “You see, the problem with the truth is that you’re not going to believe it. Not without some sort of tangible proof.”

“What are you talking about?”

“It’s hard to blame you. This world you live in is the one we’ve pulled over your eyes to blind you to the real truth.”

“What the hell are you talking about? You sound like that trailer to that movie coming out next year.”

“I’m not human.” Michael admitted. “Not anymore. I’m a vampire.”

“Now that’s just insulting. Get out!” snarled Keiko, her anger returning.

Michael vanished from sight, using the power he’d stolen from The Djinn when he drank his soul. Keiko jumped in fright, right back into Michael, where he had moved with vampire celerity while invisible. Keiko screamed in shock and dismay at his touch and ran for the other side of the room, curling up in a ball in a far corner.

“Told you that you wouldn’t believe me.” He said. “Now calm down. I’m not going to hurt you. If I wanted that, there’s not much you could do about it.” He held out his hand. “I won’t hurt you.” He emphasized.

She looked at him, then at his outstretched hand, and then back at him, as if debating what to do next. Michael made no further movement; he simply stood there and waited. Quietly, she came to her feet, still trembling with fright.

“You’re…you’re not joking, are you?”

“It’s a tremendous risk for both of us in my admitting what I just told you. What Corwin told you is right. I live in a dangerous world. We all do, you just didn’t know it until now.”

“You drink blood?”

Michael nodded.

“You kill people?”

“Too many.” Michael admitted.

“And me?”

“I said I wouldn’t hurt you and I meant that.”

A knock came at the door. “You alright in there?” It was the RA from downstairs. Someone must have hear Keiko’s scream and gone for help.

Michael looked at Keiko, curious as to how she would respond. If she called out for help, expressed in some way that she was in danger, this would go badly for them all. Telling her the truth was risky enough, now the stakes had gone even higher.

“I’m fine.” Keiko called out confidently. “I just got startled by something. No big.”

“Alright,” conceded the RA. “Some of your friends heard a scream and thought something was up.” Michael listened through the door to receding footsteps.

“You’d have killed her if I’d opened the door.” Keiko concluded.

“Not if I could help it. Although, if you had opened the door, you would have made life a whole lot harder for all of us. Thank you. My trust in you was not misplaced.”

“So how did it happen? How’d you become this thing?”

“Another vampire made me into what I am now. As I said, I chose it. At times, I regret it, usually after I’ve killed somebody. I hate taking life, so I do everything in my power not to, but sometimes it’s unavoidable. Most of the time though I live a life far better than anything I would have had as a mortal. I’m rich, good looking, and eternally young. Women don’t say no to me. I got so used to that, I’d forgotten what it was like to have someone walk out on me like you did.”

“So what happens now?”

“Well, here’s the thing.” Said Michael, knowing he had her now. One way or another, he had her. “I have peeled back the veil on a world that you are meant to know nothing about. That makes you a liability to those who want to keep it secret.”

“You won’t kill me, but they will.” Concluded Keiko.

“Quite likely. You’re now a potential hunter, one of those that knows. Many that find out launch their own personal crusade to eradicate us and that makes you dangerous. But there is an alternative…”

“Become one of your women.” Keiko kept connecting the dots accurately. “That’s not much of a choice.” She complained.

“I believe I told you that once you knew the truth, there would be no going back. You’ve now crossed that line.”

“So now I get to disappear. Vanish like you did.”

“No, I said before that would look far too suspicious. Other hunters would see the pattern of having you, me, and Rebecca, next-door neighbors that all disappeared from Virginia Tech and would come looking. No, you would simply be brought into my protection as one of my servants. I would not take you away from your family and your past by force. I did that once. I won’t make that mistake again.”

“Rebecca.” Inferred Keiko. “You made her into one of you, didn’t you?”

“I said I did have my regrets. That would be one of them. Perhaps the biggest.” Michael went back to the original subject. “Being one of my women is not without its benefits. You’d be like the other girls, the ones you met at my house.”

“An endless party. Booze and sex without limit. I’m not sure I’m comfortable with that. And I’d be yours, whether I’d want to be or not.”

“I don’t force them and I wouldn’t force you. There’s no pleasure in that. No joy. No fun. If you want me, you can have me. But if you want someone else, you can have him. Or her, if that’s your thing. I don’t care. Jealousy’s not really part of my make-up.” Michael’s tone grew more serious. “Neither is rape. It’s the big reason I chased those guys off of you when we met two nights ago.”

“My studies?”

“Nothing there needs to change. You can even live here, if you like, or we can make space for you at the villa. Your choice.”

“What’s the catch? There has to be a catch.”

“Well, you can’t tell anybody about what you know that isn’t already a vampire or a vampire’s servant. They’ll be hell to pay if you do that. And there is a thing you have to do to become formally part of this world. You’ll have to drink a small bit of my blood to seal the bond between us.”

“And when I do that, I’ll have your protection?”

“Yes. You’ll become my servant and be under my wing.”

“Alright, do it. Before I realize how crazy this all sounds.”

Michael pulled out the tanto dagger he kept on his person nearly all the time and cut a gash across his wrist. As the blood pooled up, he held out his arm to Keiko. She took his arm and looked at the blood.

“Does it matter how much?”

“Not really. The power is in the act, not the quantity…although you may find you like it.”

She put her lips to his wrist and began to drink. Michael sealed the wound after a second or two, letting her lick the last remnants of the blood from his skin. He looked at her and saw ecstasy wash over her eyes. Michael had never fed one of his servants so directly, but watching it hit her like a heroin rush made him think that might be something to do more often. She came down from her high a few seconds later, her eyes full of devotion. Her third drink and the bond was now sealed.

“Well, now that that’s done, how about we consummate our new relationship another way?” he asked with a sly smile.

“Whatever you wish…master.”

---

“I’m surprised your roommate hasn’t returned.” Michael observed, looking at the alarm clock next to Keiko’s loft bed. It showed 2:21 A.M. “Awfully late for a Monday night.”

“She has a boyfriend and doesn’t always sleep here.” She admitted. “I guess I’m going to have to get used to a nocturnal schedule myself.”

“You’re a college student.” Said Michael. “Par for the course.”

“For now,” said Keiko, “I think I’ll stay in the dorm. But I’ll be at the villa most nights.”

“That’s fine.” Michael sat up. “There is something you can help me with.”

“Whatever you wish.”

“Tell me about my family. I’ve been away for the better part of a decade now. What’s it like back home?”

“I’m not sure I’m the best person to tell you that. I would basically see your folks go to work and come home. Rebecca’s folks, same thing. I can’t say I’ve said more than a few sentences to any of them ever.”

“And my sister? Miranda would be about your age.”

“A little older. Two years in fact. Far enough that I didn’t spend a lot of school time with her. But there is a story to tell concerning her. I don’t know the details, but I do not that your folks kicked her out of the house a year or so ago.”

“Kicked her out? Really?”

“Yeah, I don’t know the story. My folks thought it was drugs, but I think they were just guessing.”

“That would do it.” Michael guessed. “Or she got pregnant or something like that. They weren't terribly forgiving of anything that might taint their good name. That’s all that ever mattered to them.”

“You really hate them, don’t you?”

“Mostly. And I also love them. They gave birth to me. They raised me. Took care of me. But I was never what they wanted. I was never quite sure what they wanted, but whatever it was, I never fit the bill. Decent, but not exceptional, grades. Not good enough. Liked anime and sci-fi and D&D. Too weird. Went to church all the time. God, I almost drowned in all the church they crammed down my throat. But I was a little smart for my own good there. I read the Bible. Saw what Jesus said we were supposed to be about and what we were supposed to do and I also saw how no one at the church ever seemed to do that. Talk about your trouble.”

Michael paused. “I remember a time. I don’t know if you went to church or not, but there’s this part of the Bible where Jesus says you should give away all your stuff to help the poor. Well, I decided one day that I was going to do that. Not everything, but I had a whole lot of stuff that I didn’t need anymore. A ton of clothes, some old toys, etc. I went through everything I owned and sorted it out. I made a pile, a huge pile, of things that I was going to give to the Salvation Army or something to give to others who needed it.

“When my Dad saw that, he exploded. That was his temper, going off like a bomb. I swear he was one step away from beating me half to death. How dare I! How ungrateful I was with all this that I’d been given! Maybe I should never get another Christmas present ever again, because obviously I didn’t appreciate what I had. So, I took my pile back into my room and it sat there collecting dust for years after. Might still be there for all I know.”

“How old were you?”

“I don’t remember. Ten, twelve, maybe? Old enough to realize what hypocrites my parents really were. And to realize that my father was the biggest bully I've ever faced in life. Todd and the other creeps at school were but a pale shadow of my Dad. I showed him up. I didn’t realize it at the time, but I embarrassed him. I made him realize how he didn’t live up to his own moral code and his response to that was to unleash on me. So it’s not hard to imagine that if Miranda did something to embarrass them publicly, if she did something to peel back the veil on their lies and secrets, then I could see them dumping her on the street like yesterday’s trash.

“Deborah picked well, maybe better than even she knew, when she offered me to become a vampire. She needed me to be a foot soldier in her fight against an elder vampire who proved to be very much like my parents. All full of righteous indignation about this, that, or the other thing. Busy ranting against all the sins of the world, but like them, also a rampant hypocrite. “

Keiko listened intently. Michael had never shared any of these thoughts openly before. He was not entirely sure he could have. Maybe with Rebecca, because like Keiko, she would have known the people involved. She would have understood the context. But he’d not had that chance with her, so brief was their time together as kindred. Now Keiko was here and could be the confessor he hadn’t realized he needed.

“I became a vampire to leave all that behind me. To finally be free of all that bullshit. Problem is I’m not free. That’s why I got so angry at you last night. I need to find a resolution to this paradox regarding my family and my past. Do I love them? Do I hate them? I’m not going to find those answers here. I have to go back home and for that I will need your help.”

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