I got up, rubbing my arms. I looked at the two small holes on my wrist, dragging my thumb over them. "It's normal not to feel good," I reminded myself. I stood and walked to the closet, finding a clean shirt and pulling it from a hanger.
I stepped back and had to pause completely. "Da-" I got light headed and dizzy, which to some degree always happened, but never enough to make me feel like I couldn't move. "Liam!"
Just as I was about to fall, I felt Liam's arms around me. "It's okay, you're okay."
"Don't feel good," I mumbled, keeping my eyes shut. "Like its worse than normal."
He helped me sit on the bed. "How long have you been up?"
I shrugged. "Ten minutes?"
Liam nodded. "Lay down. You're not going to school."
"Am I okay?" I asked. Liam chewed on his lip for a few seconds. "Dad?"
"You're fine, Louis," he said. "Just... it's going to be okay. I promise. Get some rest, Kid."
I heard him leave the room, but I didn't want him to. I felt like he needed to be there. I kept my eyes closed and sighed quietly, pulling the blanket around me. I felt better now that I wasn't standing, but there was still an over all uneasy feeling that settled over me. I was just drained from him. We'd just have to be more careful.
"Hey, I want you to try this," Liam said, waking me up. I blinked my eyes opened and took a deep breath. "Come on, sit up."
Liam helped me sit up, then handed me a Styrofoam cup. I took a drink and let the weird drink coat my tongue. I kept drinking it like I hadn't had anything in years. I didn't even realize when I finished everything in the cup. Liam just took it and set it on the side table next to my bed.
"What was that?" I asked, closing my eyes and leaning into him. I felt exhausted.
"Just a type of medicine, alright? I'll get you some more for later." Liam kissed the top of my head and squeezed me. "Let's lay you back down."
He helped me, laying my head down carefully. I took a deep breath, then started coughing. Liam didn't leave this time, rubbing my back and staying close.
"Am I changing?" I asked after the fit. I knew it was a possibility, even without Liam ever telling me.
"Yeah," he answered quietly. "I'm sorry, you weren't-"
"I'm okay," I told him tiredly. "I'll be okay."
I heard Liam chuckle, which made me smile for a second. "That you will be. But we'll talk about this later, alright? You need rest."
"Don't leave?" I asked quietly, my eyes closed.
"I might have to, but it'll only be for a few minutes," Liam assured me. "Go to sleep, okay?"
I nodded. My body felt heavy, like it could sink into the Earth. I turned on my side and felt Liam put his hand on my back.
I remember thrashing. Liam had to hold me down. The pain was so bad, like every inch of my skin was being pulled off, the muscles torn apart. I tired to fight and scream, just wanting it all to go away.
"Relax, relax," Liam tried to tell me. "You're okay. Just relax, Kid."
I think I kept screaming at him. Or maybe someone else was there too. I can't exactly remember. All of it makes no sense and is a blur.
When I woke up again, everything was different. Everything seemed much more vivid. I could hear sounds clearly, even if they were miles away. I could smell really well, but I stood up at one particular smell.
"I'm gonna go get him," Liam told someone, his feet loud on the steps. "Hey, Louis?"
I walked to my door and opened it, looking at him. "This is weird."
"You'll get used to it," he explained. "But you need to eat."
"Wait, you mean-"
"You're kind of a vampire now, plus you've already had some." Liam raised an eyebrow and I realized. The cup earlier. "Trust me, we're going to play by my rules still. I'll make sure you can handle being around human before we expose you to them again."
I didn't know exactly how to feel, but happiness was high on the list. I had always been worried about this happening, or more of it not. I was scared Liam would think it would be better for me to move on from him, when I got old enough.
"Well, Kid," Liam said, breaking my thoughts. "Welcome to being a vampire."
