Over the Tracks (MxM)

2-

Caleb awoke to a commotion of noise, coming from most likely near the front door.

Now that he was able to rest, he could stand while using the wall without the threat of his legs giving out, even if they were still shaky and aching. He slowly hobbled out of the closet, since the door had been left slightly ajar. He caught a few repeating words, specifically humans and hunters, although the majority of the rest was lost to him.

As he inched forward, he could start to see one of the male vampires laying on the ground inside the door, a patch of skin on his bare shoulder sizzling. Light..? How would he have gotten that hurt by light, and only in one area..? They're more careful than that...

He must've caught one of the vampire's eyes, because seconds later one, then all of them, were staring at him. He shifted his weight nervously as Melanie approached, then flinched when she grabbed his arm and pulled the staggering boy to where the rest were standing. "I say we send him out," she said.

"And get rid of our halfblood? Are you out of your mind?!" Kent questioned, temper flaring. Caleb tried to back away, but Melanie's firm grip kept him in place. "We need to keep him here, unless you want to find or make another one!"

"No. You see what happened to Al. Do you want the same to happen to us?" Melanie paused just long enough to let the question sink in before continuing. "If we make it look like a human lives in this house, instead of all of us, we'll be safe. As long as he doesn't mess up." As she said the last sentence, she tightened her hold on Caleb's arm just enough to make him shuffle in discomfort.

"And if they find out he's a halfblood?" Eliza held her forceful gaze on Melanie. "What will we do then? We'll be right back where we started, but without the little freak to keep us fed well."

"Won't happen," Melanie answered, her attitude as cocky as ever. "He'll behave. Won't you, halfblood?" She squeezed his arm again, making Caleb nod frantically as he hid a wince.

"Whatever, do what you want. You will, anyway." Kent stormed off, followed by most of the other vampires who left slower, giving a glance or two before walking away.

"You better be right, Melanie." Eliza then turned, hair spreading behind her as she, too, left, leaving only Caleb, Melanie, the vampire on the floor, and one other. The remaining standing vampire picked up the one on the floor, carrying him off, probably to tend to his shoulder.

Alone now, Melanie yanked Caleb's arm so he was standing directly in front of her, using her other hand to force him to meet her glare. "Listen to me, halfblood. You better behave when we start sending you out. See a human, act like a pureblooded human. And you'd better always come back here, or you're not gonna like it. Understood?" By the end, her voice had turned into something akin to a hiss.

Caleb nodded at first, but when Melanie tightened her grip to a strength that would likely add yet another bruise, he forced himself to stutter out a "Y-yes." It was difficult, since he wasn't used to using his voice that much in the twelve years he'd been there, as well as the added stress and pressure that made his anxiousness seep out, but he managed.

"Good," she muttered, then looked him up and down. She then started dragging him off toward one of the rooms he was practically forbidden to go in. The bedrooms. He didn't have much of a choice, though, when she pulled him in one and handed him a pair of clothes. "Go put these on." She shoved him in the direction of the bathroom, with him barely making it in there and closing the door without dropping anything.

When he set everything down on the counter beside the sink, he pulled off his worn, tattered pants, holding up the pair of dark jeans he had been given. They were whole and clean, and when he pulled them on, they fit snugly on him, if slightly large on his thin form. He pulled on the dark green shirt next, sleeves barely long enough to cover just beyond his wrists, but it was comfortable. The black socks and black sneakers were next, which felt weird after going barefoot all that time. When he looked in the mirror, he froze as his cautious sky blue eyes stared back at him. He actually almost looked... normal, even if his messy blond hair was dirty and his skin was unnaturally pale where it showed... At least the clothes covered all of his injuries.