BOYS OF THE NIGHT - #18



Barb looked accusingly at Nick, past Kevin, who was directly in front of her. "What did you do to me?" she asked desperately, more hurt than angry. Her huge brown eyes reflected her feeling of betrayal.
Nick opened his mouth to say something in his own defense, but stopped. AJ stood up and smiled. He wrapped an arm around Nick in a brotherly fashion.
"The Thirst got to Nicky here," he chuckled. Nick pushed him away. "Well, Kaos, my boy, it IS the sad, sad truth. Face it. You're a full-fledged vampire now. And you thought there'd never come a day when you craved the taste of life."
Barb looked to Nick, and then to Kevin, who seemed to be the authority of the group, with confusion. "What are you talking about? That's stupid. Stop playing around. You guys are weirding me out."
"Oh, but we ARE vampires, Barb," AJ started coyly. She stared at him as if he was crazy. "Don't give me that look; we are. Take a glance at that pretty little neck of yours," he said, motioning towards a mirror behind her. She turned around in the swivel chair and pulled back her hair, tilting her head so her neck was exposed. Sure enough, there were two small puncture scars up near her jaw line. She turned back around, her face giving away her latest state of confusion.
"Go ahead. Tell me those are hickeys," AJ continued.
"Bone... stop. Now," Kevin commanded. The Gangrel hushed up, afraid to taunt her any more. They all waited to hear her reaction.
"You - you 'bit' me?" she asked finally.
Nick nodded apologetically. Kevin watched her, gauging her movements, trying to read her mind. But she was blocking it, guarding her thoughts completely. She began to laugh in utter disbelief.
"No way. This is not happening. A Backstreet Boy bit me, and they all think they're vampires, and I'm in their house. THIS IS TOO GOOD!" she squealed, her exuberance about the whole situation shocked them. "You guys are such hams! My God, you're hysterical. 'He bit you, Barb. 'Cuz he's a vampire, and 'The Thirst' got him!' This is one helluva joke. Really. It is! Okay, so which one of my asshole friends arranged all of this? Huh? I bet it cost sooooo much!" she asked ecstatically.
The Boys all looked at each other uncomfortably. She was taking a very real problem as a complete joke. None of them knew if that was a good thing or a bad thing. Brian stepped forward, taking charge.
"We're vampires. For real."
She stopped laughing. "You... you actually believe this? You think you're vampires?"
"We are. See?" Brian said, leaning forward to show her his fangs. He opened mouth, and pulled back his gums with his fingers. She stared at his growing canines. "Go ahead. Touch them. They're real. I swear," he said, giving her the Scouts Honor sign. She smiled.
"No thanks. I don't wanna touch your bonded fangs..."
Brian looked hurt. "They're not bonded. They're real."
"Okay, Brian," she replied sarcastically. "It is Brian, right?"
He sighed and closed his mouth.
"All of us have them," Howie piped up in the doorway, smiling. His brilliant fangs glittered in the dim lighting. She nodded acknowledgingly, raising her eyebrows, as if in question.
"I'm sure you do."
"Listen, guys, this isn't working," Nick said, defeat in his voice.
"What's not working?" Barb shot in, her humor wiped away by yet more confusion. "This isn't funny any more. Why am I here? Seriously."
Kevin smiled. "Why don't you lay down and sleep some more. When you wake up, we'll explain EVERYTHING. I promise," he said, his voice strangely soothing. He passed his hand over her face, to her dismay, and she slumped over - very much asleep.
"Cool," AJ mumbled. Kevin picked her up and put her on the bed. He sat down next to her sleeping form and gently stroked her hair. His fingers slid through it and lifted her head. He placed a pillow beneath it, his piercing eyes deep with compassion.
"Nick, we need to talk about what's to be done with her... I've made a decision," Kevin said solemnly.