Pain // Colby Brock

[Three] - Claim

CARSON RILEY

A day passed by without much interaction with the vampires I now lived with.

I stayed mostly in my bedroom rearranging it to my tastes so that I could feel more at home, and got to grips with the phone someone had left on the bedside table for me to wake up to. I had a very limited knowledge of technology since I barely ever used it even before when I was in my hometown, so that alone took most of the night.

My appearance downstairs for the first time in probably over twenty-four hours sparked a little bit of excitement from my roommates, but it died down quickly and things returned to what I assumed was normal for them.

Katrina offered to take me to a twenty-four hour mall to find more to personalise my room and despite my reluctance to be alone with anyone, I agreed. I'd never had somewhere to personalise so the offer was too good to decline.

She drove me to the mall and led me inside, perfectly knowledgeable of everything around her. Tapping occasionally into the emotions of the regular humans lurking among other vampires, I noticed quickly this place was an unspoken sanctuary for the creatures of the night. I'd spot a pair of silver eyes and delve into the human who'd witnessed them's feelings, only to find they were either unbothered or even aroused by the sight.

I was led with ease into a home furnishings store, where Katrina finally let me roam freely. Each and every item was close to hideous, however we found a couple of diamonds in the ruff.

Grabbing a simple photo frame, Katrina turned to me and said, "We'll take a photo one day of all of us and you can put that in this. One day when you're more comfortable around us."

I chose not to argue with her over the idea of getting so comfortable with them I actually wanted my photograph taken, and instead picked up a mildly amusing figurine that had caught my eye from across the room.

"You seem to like... more gothic stuff," Katrina commented, taking the figurine from my hands. She smiled when she understood the joke. "Is that for any reason?"

I shrugged, and she sighed.

"Can't you speak to me a little more? We're not around any of the others. Surely, you have more to say than you let on. I refuse to believe there's nothing going on in that head of yours."

She was right, of course, that on more than one occasion there'd been words on the tip of my tongue I didn't have the strength to say. I didn't like to speak because I didn't want anyone thinking I liked them, but if I was staying with this clan, then perhaps it was time a let loose a little.

But by not, starting with giving Katrina a full sentence.

"I won't be vocal very often."

Her eyes lit up in realisation at my suggestion, as she zipped to my side so fast a nearby human jumped. Their vampire companion gently comforted them, while I focused on Katrina's slow reach for my arm. Through the thin fabric of my shirt, I felt her emotions intensify for me. She was happy.

"Thanks. I know it'll be short-lived but thanks. It means a lot you trust me like that," she told me honestly. Her hand drifted down to mine and wrapped around it. "Is there anything else that's caught your eye or would you like to head back?" she asked.

I adjusted to speaking, stopping in my tracks when I attempted to simply give her the 'home, please' look. "I'd like to head back."

She nodded. "Can do. Give me a minute to buy this stuff and we'll leave."

I obediently waited near the exit to the mall while she pushed the shopping cart up to the counter. It appeared as though she began a conversation with the employee, because she leaned forward and laughed so loud I could hear her from across the store.