We Will Be Together For Never

[30] Departure

When I finally finished drawing my story, there were only a couple of pages left in the sketchbook and all of my pencils were completely dulled. I had poured my heart and soul into the art, which was the only thing that had kept me going as my hand began to violently cramp and the pictures got blurrier around the edges from being drawn in unsharpened pencil.

I closed the sketchbook slowly and quietly. In less than a day I had broken my new rule about personal drawings in the worst way possible. Everyone was in there - my parents, my brother, my old best friends, my new friends, my teachers...

Jordan.

I had little idea how much time had passed, but his mother hadn't returned and I didn't want to leave him alone.

He's going to die. The realization hit me like a bag of bricks. I bit my lip, tensing to keep from crying.

Unless...

No. You wouldn't wish that fate upon your worst enemy.

But he could be safe.

Free.

Alive.

No!

I continued watching Jordan, now struggling with the most difficult choice I felt that I had ever made.

My warring thoughts were interrupted when my cell phone rang. I had vague memories of it doing so several times while I drew, but I had been so lost in my memories and work that I had subconsciously ignored it.

I dragged it out of my bag and answered it - it was Roger, of course. "Hey."

"Where the hell are you?" he demanded furiously. I flinched at the rage in his voice, my heart speeding up. He had sounded - just for a moment - just like my father vamp.

"I'm with Jordan," I replied, hurrying to clarify, "He's in the hospital, in a coma. He had a bad motorcycle accident."

There was a moment of silence on the other end before Roger sighed and said, "Look, I know this is going to be hard, but I need you to say goodbye and walk away. I'm serious, Tamara. I know what you're thinking and - don't do it. Let him die. He deserves it."

"What is that supposed to mean?" I snapped.

"You know exactly what that's supposed to mean, Tamara. Humans get to die. That's what makes them human. Don't curse him with this - this disease."

"I thought you were so pro-vampire," I responded sarcastically.

"That was when I was trying to drag your mournful ass out of depression!" Roger hissed irately. "Let. The boy. Go."

"Roger, please. He doesn't deserve this. Not now."

"I'm sorry, Tamara, but it's too late."

I hung up and tossed the phone into my bag with a growl. "I've already done enough that I hate myself for," I muttered, swinging the door to the room closed resolutely. "Might as well add this to the list."

I moved to stand beside Jordan - on his right side, so I didn't need to navigate through the straps, casts, and IVs. Carefully, I turned his head so that his neck was exposed and facing toward me. Then, before I could think it through very deeply, I bent and sunk my fangs into his artery.

I remembered Roger explaining that vampires transferred the infecting venom through their fangs, so when they bit their victims, they could get fed and simultaneously create another of their kind. However, bad things could happen if the fangs were removed too quickly - the victim could bleed to death long before their transition. I held my fangs in Jordan's neck for as long as I could stand, shivering with the mental and physical effort to not drink his blood. Already, a few drops had slipped onto my lips and I could feel my hunger, like a wild animal raging in my stomach.

Finally, I staggered backward, raising a hand to wipe my mouth clean of his blood even though I had already swallowed it. I watched in amazement as the two pinpricks sealed themselves shut, letting only two trickles of blood escape.

I tried to remember how long it had taken for the vampirism to kick in for me - but then, I had had no idea what it was, so I wouldn't have been keeping track of the hours. Also, I had been in far better health. There was no saying whether or not Jordan's current state would hinder or speed up the process.

In fact, I only had to wait a couple of minutes, after all.

Jordan jolted upright while sucking in a breath of air and it took all of my self-control to not scream, first from shock and then from pure excitement.

"Jordan!" I exclaimed, hurrying over to him and enveloping him in a hug. He wheezed, weakly hugging me back. I pulled back, unsure of whether or not I was hurting him.

"How...do you feel?" I asked carefully.

"Weird. Really weird." Jordan groaned, squeezing his eyes shut and clutching his head. "What...what happened?"

"You were in a motorcycle accident. I don't know the details - I only got here a couple of hours ago - but you were going to die."

"So why am I alive?" he asked in utter confusion.

Color rose to my cheeks. My stomach churned with nervousness. "Because I...I bit you," I replied in a whisper.

His hand flew to his neck, feeling for puncture wounds.

"They healed," I murmured, my voice dropping even quieter as my eyes welled with tears. "The - the poison's in your system now."

"So I'm a vampire now?"

I nodded wordlessly.

"Why would you save me?" he asked. Instead of sounding angry, he just sounded bewildered, as if he didn't know what about him was worth saving. That hurt.

"You're kidding, right?" I asked incredulously. "Jordan, you're the only person who I've ever told about being a vampire - other than Roger, of course. You listened to sob stories about my past and you took pity on the new kid when only a couple other people did. You've kept me sane over the past couple of weeks. Plus, I - " I stopped myself.

"What?"

"I couldn't lose another person I loved," I finished, not meeting his gaze.

The room was silent for a moment before I heard a broken, "Thank you." I looked up and found Jordan's jaw clenched, obviously to keep from breaking down. I blinked, surprised.

"Now, how about we get out of here?" he asked, standing and ripping the IVs out of his arm.

"You're - you're not mad at me?" My head swam.

"Tamara, no. You care about me enough to curse me with immortality. Maybe not the healthiest situation, but at least now you won't have to suffer alone." He strode over to me and wrapped me in a hug. I embraced him back just as tightly. Finally, he could match my strength. With enough training, perhaps someday he could even surpass it.

"Come on," I whispered, turning to the window and opening it. Removing the screen, I placed it carefully on the floor. "You're right - we should leave."

Jordan paused, however. "Did - did anyone come to visit me in the hospital?"

I knew who he meant by "anyone." This was what I had been afraid of. Surely he loved someone in his family enough to miss them if he left. "Your mom did."

"Where is she now?"

"She - she left a couple of hours ago. I'm not sure where she went."

"But you stayed?"

I nodded hesitantly, unable to read his thought process.

Jordan nodded, clenching his jaw again. I saw pain in his eyes, pain far too old for someone so young.

"Let's go," he muttered, and followed me out of the window.