Conversion



There was a slight knock at the door and Nick was forced to wake up from his sleep and answer it. He looked through the peephole, recognizing AJ’s face, then turned the handle to open the door.

“Sorry man, I left my card on the table.” AJ said as he closed the door behind him. Just as he stepped into the room, Nick noticed the lipstick all over AJ’s face. Nick smirked and gave AJ the “you-are-just-out-of-control” look.

“Hey, she and I went to middle school together. So it’s ok.” AJ said, justifying his actions. Nick just scoffed and rolled his eyes.

“So, why did you come back here?” AJ asked. Nick ran his fingers through his hair and shrugged. He fell back on his bed and settled back under the sheets.

“I went after this girl, but she wouldn’t give me the time of day. So I gave up and decided to come back and sleep it off.” AJ seemed to lose interest in what Nick had been doing and decided to just go to bed. Nick closed his eyes as well and tried to go back to sleep.

Her face wouldn’t get out of his head. All he could think about were her eyes. Why was he stressing over some girl he’d never met or talked to? What was she so mesmerizing?

~*~*~*~*~*~


“You’re late. You know what time you should be here. Gray, if this happens once more, you will not be trusted to go out alone again. Is that clear?” Arius kept his eyes locked on Gray, and she looked down.

“Yes sir.” She replied, stepping back into the dark corridor. A cold hand touched her shoulder and she spun around.

“Where were you?” Daniella whispered, pulling Gray farther down the corridor. “Anne said you didn’t feed? Why not?”

“I was out. And why was Anne watching me? I hate it when she does that!” Daniella put her finger to Gray’s lips to lower her tone.

“And no, I did not feed. I could have, but he... he wasn’t... I just couldn’t do it.” Daniella kept pulling her down the corridor.

“It’s nearly 4 in the morning, you must be starved.” Gray shrugged her shoulders and continued to walk farther down the hall. The two girls came to a narrow door, and behind it was a long stairwell. Descending it almost silently they thought they wouldn’t disturb anyone.

“The sun is slowly rising, you both should rest.” Maia whispered. “Arius is extremely upset with you, Gray. Staying up later than you already have will anger him all the more.”

Daniella and Gray obeyed Maia and laid down to sleep. Maia lifted her candle and took one last look over the 9 coffins in the dark room. She then climbed the stairs to meet Arius at the top, where the two would go to their own separate sleeping quarters.

~*~*~*~*~


Nick spent most of the next day resting since the previous night, he hardly slept. He knew that they had a show that night. So he pulled himself out of bed and got dressed.

The concert went fairly well. But Nick didn’t stick around for the backstage get-together. He apologized to the fans and took a few pictures, then left out of the back door.

He went back to the hotel and changed into his street clothes. The clothes in which he was not easily recognized. Afterward he went walking around the streets, going in and out of clubs searching for the mystery girl he had seen the night before.

He finally spotted her standing at the door of a club. She was with two other girls. They were all dressed in dark clothes that accentuated their curves. And they all had long hair and gorgeous features.

Nick crossed the street and walked up to the girls. They all seemed to look at him the same way, making him feel nervous. Too nervous to speak up. Gray sensed this and spoke first.

“You followed me last night.” All Nick could do was nod.

“Why?” All he could do then was shrug.

“Hot damn, he’s quite a talker.” Anne stated sarcastically in her British accent. Gray looked back at Anne and gave her a stern look. Then she turned back to Nick.

“You wanna go somewhere with me? Dump these two and be alone?” Nick nodded again. He was feeling quite silly, not speaking at all.

“Alright then. Let’s go.” She took Nick’s arm and they started walking. She looked back at Anne and Daniella and smirked. Then she kept walking with Nick.

“So, where are we going?” Nick asked. Not really caring. He was all too taken by the fact that they were together, and would soon be alone. Anticipation was causing his hands to shake and he hoped that she wouldn’t be turned off by it.

“A place I go to think.” Was her bland reply. And Nick didn’t ask another question. They walked for quite a while, and Gray sensed that Nick was getting tired.

“Hold on.” She said, and they stopped. She looked around and when she saw a taxi roll by, she held her hand out and it stopped. When they got in, she told the driver where to go, and he pulled off.

“So, what’s your name?” She asked him, looking out at the stars.

“Nick. What’s yours?” She looked up at him and her eyes seem to glow. He liked it.

“Gray.” Her angelic voice rang in his ears and he almost felt drunk in the sweet sound.

“Gray… that’s an unusual name. Is there a story behind it?” He asked.

“Yes actually. I was born on a stormy day. The sky was gray. It’s just an odd coincidence that my eyes were gray too. Funny… isn’t it?” Nick just nodded again. He was too taken by her voice and her beauty. The car suddenly stopped and Gray signaled for Nick to get out. She then got out herself and motioned for him to go ahead.

Nick turned around and found that they were parked in front of a huge house, well in age. It was dark, no lights anywhere, and he felt afraid in the worst way. Gray went around to the driver’s side of the cab and poked her head in the window.

Nick figured that they were talking or something, he didn’t really pay attention. Unbeknownst to him, she was getting her first feed of the night. As the driver sat there lifeless in the car, Gray turned off the engine and licked her lips. She then joined Nick and they started toward the gate.

“He’s just gonna stay there?” Nick asked, referring to the parked cab.

“Yeah, he said he’s feeling a little drained and wants to rest awhile. Don’t worry, he’ll be there when we get back.” She explained. And with that, they squeezed through the bars of the gate, which had been widened by someone or something quite a while ago. Nick felt even more afraid as the neared the old mansion.

“What is this place?” He asked, his voice shaky.

“It’s an old plantation. It was built in 1764 and first owned by the Gerard Toussaint. He lived there with his wife, Elizabeth and his only son… Jean. It was once a beautiful place.” By now they were at the front door of the mansion. There was no light except for the moon. And Nick put all of his trust in Gray, for she seemed to know the place very well. She opened the front door and walked in. Nick stood frozen in the doorway until she pulled him in by his hand.

“Don’t be afraid. It’s only an empty old house.” She whispered in his ear. Suddenly he heard a match strike and there was a flame in front of his face. Gray had lit it, and she then lit a candle. After she lit one candle, she went around the large room lighting many others.

As the room lit up, Nick saw how truly beautiful the house was. He looked to his left and saw a dining room with a long table and at least 12 chairs. To his right he saw a room filled with portraits on the wall. Gray walked into that room and Nick followed.

“This is Gerard.” Nick looked up at the man portrayed in the painting. Gray went down the line and lifted her candle to each picture.

“And this is his wife, Elizabeth.” The woman was quite beautiful. Gray went on.

“And this… this is Jean, his wife Catherine, and his two daughters, Yvette and Yvonne.” Nick looked at the last painting and felt as though he was staring into a mirror. Jean’s painted eyes stared down into his. He couldn't believe it. If he didn't know any better, he'd have thought it was a picture of himself.

He stared for a little too long and when Gray touched his shoulder, he jumped. He turned to her and rubbed his eyes.

“I’m sorry. Just had a weird moment, that’s all.” He explained. But Gray knew why he had acted so strangely. She knew from the moment she locked eyes with him the night before that he could have been Jean’s twin. They looked identical. And that is why she could not kill him.

“How do you know so much about this house?” Nick asked as she led him up the long stairwell and into Jean’s old bedroom. The bed was still in tact, mainly because she had seduced so many of her victims there before. But Nick was not a victim, though he was a target.

“I used to live on this land. A long, long time ago.” She whispered, pushing him back on the bed.

“But it’s so old. Everything here is so old. When did you move?” She put her finger to his lips to silence him.

“Now is not the time for talking. Now is the time for pleasure…” She kissed his neck softly. Then she pulled his t-shirt over his head. “… and pain.” She said as she bit his nipple just a little, not even tearing the flesh. Nick squirmed a bit, but he liked it.

“Do you want me?” She asked him as she peeled her tight top from her body, exposing her breasts and allowing him to touch them.

“Yes.” He breathed.

“Do you need me?” She asked, moving her hips against his, stimulating him in more ways than one.

“Oh God, yes.” He breathed even heavier.

“Do you love me?” Before he could answer, she bent down to kiss him, parting his lips with her tongue.

“Yes.” He breathed again as she broke their passionate kiss.

“Do you want to be with me forever?” She looked down at him and for some reason, Nick couldn’t object. He had to accept her offer.

“Yes.” With that answer, Gray rolled over and pulled Nick on top of her body. Nick reached down and unzipped his jeans, thinking that he and Gray were going to engage in the best sex any two people ever had. But as he did so, Gray opened her lips and licked his neck.

“Nickolas… trust me.” She bit down into his soft flesh and swallowed his sweet blood quickly, listening to his heart beat speed up being that he was shocked and in pain. Nick’s energy soon left his body and he could not fight her. She pulled away just when she knew Nick was on the edge of death. She pushed him off of her and got out of the bed.

Nick lie on his back now, staring at the ceiling, praying that he wouldn’t die. He saw Gray circling the bed now, and he feared what she might do.

“Why?” He muttered, not nearly strong enough to speak clearly.

“Because, I need you. And believe it or not, you need me. You need this. You’re not happy doing what you do! Dancing and singing night after night! You’re like a slave! You do whatever they tell you to. And you hate it! At first it was all about singing. But now look at you. You’re a product. And you hate it, you know you do!” She shouted. Nick could only tear up at her harsh words. For she was correct in all of her convictions.

“I know this because I read your thoughts. I know your mind and your heart. I know because we share the same mind and heart. I was a slave once too. And I was freed. Just as you will be freed. Do you want freedom, Nick? Do you want to live with no rules, no one to tell you what to do or where to go. No one to run your life! Do you want to start over, Nick?”

“Yes.” He managed to say, feeling his own heart beating rapidly. He felt his fingers and toes grow numb.

“Do you want to live forever?” Nick merely blinked his eyes as a yes. And the tears rolled down the sides of his face and onto the pillow beneath his head.

Gray took her wrist and pierced her skin with her sharp teeth. She put her wrist to Nick’s pale lips and let her cold blood trickle down his throat. Nick swallowed once, then again, and again and again. He soon gained the strength to suck the crimson liquid from her wound.

Gray felt the pain as he continued to swallow. She felt weak. And as her own body fell weak, she snatched her wrist away and stumbled back into a chair in the corner of the room. Then she watched as Nick suffered through his induced death.

He writhed around on the bed, pulling the white sheets up and wrinkling them with his violent tantrum. He screamed out in pain and then collapsed on the bed. Gray still sat silent, waiting for her venom to flow to his new heart, through his new veins, and throughout his new body.

He sat up in the bed and looked around curiously. He could see around the dark room perfectly and focused his eyes on Gray. He then smiled at her and hopped off of the bed. He felt his neck and it was completely healed.

“What have you done to me?” He asked, walking around and examining things as though he was looking at the world for the very first time.

“I've given you a new life… listen.” Nick stood quiet. And to the human ear, the house was silent. But to Nick and Gray’s ear, a shuffling could be heard. Downstairs. By the front door.

“What is it?” Nick asked.

“Come with me.” She took his hand and they went down the stairs almost silently. They stopped once a homeless man came into view. He had seen the candles in the house from the street and came in to get warm. He never stopped to think that someone might be in the house. He was only concerned with finding a nice warm place to sleep.

“Drink to live…” Gray whispered, speaking directly to Nick’s thoughts as Arius had once done to her. Nick crept down the stairs and right up behind his poor victim. He looked back at Gray and she winked at him. He grabbed the man suddenly and sunk his teeth into the man’s neck before the man could even cry out.

“Listen to his heart. You stop before it stops.” Gray advised. Nick did listen and let the man go just before he died. He was so consumed with fulfilling his beast-like hunger that he failed to realize he had just ended an innocent man’s life. He looked down at the body on the floor and backed up against the wall.

“Shit! Oh shit!” He then turned and ran out of the house. He went all the way to the cab and jumped into the back seat.

“Driver! Hurry! Go to the Radisson Hotel downtown! Quick!” Nick shouted. But the driver didn’t budge. He pressed his face up against the glass separating the front seat from the back and saw that the driver was dead.

“Shit! Great! This is fucking great! I fell for a psycho killer!” He started to open the back door but was startled to see Gray peering into the window.

“Don’t be afraid. Everything is alright. You’ve done nothing wrong. He was just a poor homeless man. You put him out of his misery.” Nick started to go for the other door, but there she was again. Moving so fast that she he didn’t even see her walk over there.

“Stop all of this foolishness! You can’t run away! You’ve nowhere to go! Come sunrise you will die! You will give up all that I have given you. You will suffer greatly if you do not calm yourself and listen to me!” Nick did just that. More afraid of what she would do to him if he ran that what she would do if he stayed.

She opened the driver’s side door and pulled the driver out. She took his place and started the cab, speeding off into the night.

She looked back at him often and Nick returned her stare.

“Where are we going now?” Nick asked, trembling in his seat.

“Don’t ask any questions.” Gray answered back, and pressed down a little more on the gas.

She finally pulled up to the gate of another mansion, a more modern one. It was dark also though. Two teenagers stood outside of the gates and the boy opened the door of the back seat while the girl pulled Nick out.

They both led Nick to the house, and Gray followed close behind. As they entered, Nick saw Daniella and Anne, the two girls with Gray earlier that night.

“So, you snagged him, eh?” Anna chuckled.

“He’s quite a handsome devil, I’d say.” Daniella added, in an accent Nick identified as French.

The two teenagers who held his arms led him down a long corridor to a door. Then into that door which turned into a long descending stairwell. Once they reached the bottom of the stairs, Nick saw a row of coffins things were beginning to make sense to him.

“Let him go.” Maia said. She approached Nick and looked him over.

“You’re afraid.” She said and she touched the side of his face.

“I just want to go back to my hotel room. I won’t say anything about this, I swear!” He pleaded, but she put her hand to his mouth to quiet him.

“Shh, my darling. All will be revealed to you in due time. But for now, you must rest.” She snapped her fingers and Anne covered his nose and mouth with a tainted white cloth. Nick soon fainted and the two teenagers, who were really ageless as everyone else there was, caught him and carried him to his coffin. A black one with white, satin padding inside. Gray closed the coffin and looked at Maia.

“Arius will be pleased with you. I’m glad that you’ve finally accepted what you are, my dear.” Maia whispered. And with that they all went to their individual coffins and got in to rest.



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