★Bite Me★

IIII

Connor

I watch as Akuma leaves the kitchen, meandering towards the living room.
"Wait!"
I call as I hop off the barstool and hurry after her. She has stopped in front of the large window, pulling back the curtains far enough for her to peer outside.
"What do you mean?"
I ask angrily, only to receive a glance from her before she returns her attention outside.
"I mean what I said."
She says casually, shrugging her shoulders lightly. My anger is boiling as I stomp towards her, grabbing her wrist and forcing her to look at me. Her eyes meet mine slowly, cold and unamused with my antics.
"What about during the day? Vampires can't go out right?"
I ask in a rush, watching as her eyes slide from my gaze to her wrist restrained by me. I quickly drop it as her eyes meet mine again, taking on a red tint. I take a step back, eyes wide and hands up as she glares at me.
"I said a monster, not specifically a vampire. And sunlight is nothing more than troublesome for us. The shade of the thick forest tends to be enough to protect us."
She states emotionlessly before returning her eyes to the curtain, pulling it back again to look out.
"And even if you manage to escape what lurks here you'll end up lost and confused and won't make it through a single night."
She concludes, sighing as she drops the curtain and turns towards the couch, moving silently towards it.
"Then I'll call my dad!"
I exclaim happily, reaching into my front pockets. She stops to look at me, one eyebrow lifted curiously. To my surprise my front pockets are empty, then my back are too.
"My phone."
I groan unhappily, slumping my shoulders.
"Did you take it?"
I grumble, moving my eyes to the girl. She shakes her head, rolling her eyes.
"I have no reason to do such a thing."
She grumbles and flops into the couch, stretching her gazelle-like legs to rest on the coffee table.
"What am I supposed to do..."
I whisper, feeling tears build in my eyes. I feel her curious gaze on me but ignore it, running my hands through my hair in frustration.
"Sit down."
Her collected voice cuts through my panic and I lift my eyes to look at her. She points to the seat beside her on the couch.
"But-"
I begin, only to be cut off.
"Sit."
She repeats, looking tired as she rests her cheek in her palm, supported by her elbow on the couch's arm. I sigh and trudge to the couch, watching as she closes her eyes and drops her free hand into her lap.
I sit uneasily, tense as I watch her unmoving form.
"Why do you want to go back so badly?"
She asks apathetically.
"Isn't it obvious?! I want to go home, to see my family, to live my life not be trapped here!"
I raise my voice angrily, receiving a scornful look from her.
"What's so great about that?"
She asks as she closes her eyes again.
"Of course you wouldn't understand. You're just a heartless monster that has no sympathy for others!"
Her eyes open again, trained on the curtained window during my outburst.
"Heartless?"
She muses, gaze finding mine.
"If I was truly heartless would I have brought you in, fed you, and offered a place to sleep? I could have left you out there. And your kind is one to speak. You kill the innocent without reason, justifying it with your petty excuses."
She says through gritted teeth, her eyes glowing a dangerous red.
"I wouldn't have to be here if you would have just left me alone! Or let me go with my father! And what do you mean kill the innocent?!"
I leap to my feet, yelling down on her now, anger boiling in the pit of my stomach.
"My kind. You would have killed me earlier if you had the chance, or let your father kill me. I'm sure your father has killed more of my kind that were innocent than either of us can count."
She says lowly, remaining seated although her body was rigid.
"Innocent? You're one to talk! You kill innocent people all the time!"
I cry out in frustration, clenching my fists.
"Do I look like I have a choice? I have to eat. It's not my fault my food is inconvenient for you. It's not like I want to take innocent lives, but it's that or die. You would do the same thing in my shoes. My kind isn't the only one that kills to survive."
"That's different!"
"How so?!"
She finally yells, her patience running out as she jumps up and grabs my throat, her nails elongated into claws. I gasp and grab her wrist. Although she applies no pressure I am terrified by how vulnerable I am and the fact that her eyes are blazing red and her fangs are visible through her parted lips.
"I did not choose to be born a monster. None of us did, but either way doesn't matter. Human or vampire or whatever you may be, we all instinctively fight to live, even if it means doing unspeakable things."
She says lowly, saying each word slowly as if to make me understand.
"Your kind could help us. Offer the terminally ill or even death row convicts, or whomever you please. Even someone recently deceased would satisfy our hunger. But you take no time to consider that we also hold humanity within us, or that we try our best to be good. You only try to eliminate us, to kill us and even our children, simply because of how we were born, and that's just not right."
She growls and finally releases me, shoving my chest hard so that I fall back onto the couch. I sit there stunned as she runs her fingers through her hair repeatedly, trying to control her feverish breathing. It's a while before she manages to steady her breathing and her eyes and nails return to normal. She looks my way, eyes holding nothing but defeat and exhaustion.
"I'm not holding you captive here. It is your choice to stay or go and I won't stop you either way. I will say it's best not to piss me off though. I will admit, I don't have complete control over my emotions and it'd be a real pain if I did something to you I'd regret."
She says tiredly and drops herself down into the chair beside the couch, releasing a heavy sigh as she closes her eyes.