༒︎Damon
***
"What...?"
I look down at William, seeing him grinning at me. Despite the fact that I was questioning my own sight, I truly wondered if I was really seeing my brother this way.
Because this wasn't him.
This was someone grander...stronger, almost too perfect to be my brother. This person just laid here and hasn't moved on inch. Except I could tell he was kept clean and he was in different clothes, they looked too crisp to not be new.
"Who is that?" I question calmly, my hands balling together as I look back at William angrily. "Who is that? That is not my brother."
"But it is. I don't think he liked hearing that." William snickers, my hands balling into fists. "This is him in all his glory. Don't tell me...you expected someone different? Any version he is, he's still your brother, right?"
My eyes widen on him, seeing his smile grow larger as I look away.
I rush to Jerome and just when I grip his shoulder, his eyes fly open.
Pure red eyes stared up at me, the grey color...gone. His face was more defined and he looked too good, too perfect. His eyes whipped around the place so quickly that I stepped back quickly, instantly looking at William in disgust.
"What...did you do to-?"
"He didn't do anything."
I heard Jerome's voice that was no longer pubescent and childish in nature. He sounded grown, in which, he was. I look back at him and saw him already sitting up. His perfection, just like the vampires...obvious to see. There were no flaws.
His eyes disturbed me...because they were no longer like mine.
They were like the monsters, like everyone else.
We are no longer the same.
He's dead, yet alive. He already died.
"Don't be upset... This had to happen for me." Jerome inhales deeply, his hand covering his nose as he looked at me warily. "I was dying. I know now that you saw me. You saw how sickly I looked, I didn't look the best that I could. I don't know what I had, but it was killing me. This...was the only choice, and my choice is to help humans as much as I can in this form."
I don't say anything, watching him turn just once and his legs were already flying off the bed. He stood up so quickly and I saw him almost look startled by his quickness.
When his eyes settle onto William, I saw that. I saw that look that once was towards me, yet for William, there was obviously something stronger laced within that.
His admiration, longing, loving. For William...now wanting.
"I'm just like you now." Jerome breathes towards him, smiling excitedly as William reached for his hand.
Right when Jerome went towards him I step right in front of them both. Jerome's eyes widening onto me and he looked absolutely irked. His eyes looking me up in down in displeasure...and he was now the same height as me.
"What...are you doing?"
"You...are my little brother." I say seriously, and he sighs.
"And?"
"And I need to speak to you." I sneer, shaking my head. "You don't even look excited to see me. After all of this time, this is the welcome I get? My brother, already dead? I don't even know this person-."
"You don't know me!" Jerome snaps in my face, my eyes narrowing onto him. "I was still a preteen when we were separated. I am...now an adult and I've changed the most. You were already basically an adult when we were separated. I know you, you don't...even know me; but William does-."
"And you don't know me." I interrupt him, grabbing his arm tightly as he glares at me. "You're still as dumb as ever. You went from being attached to our mother, to me, to William. To the person who took you from me, you know? I did everything I could for you and you betray me by doing this? You speak to me like I'm the stranger, like I betrayed you?"
Jerome doesn't say anything, just continuing to glare at me. He wasn't saying anything and I knew that he wouldn't. Once he goes silent, he won't contribute any more than that.
Because he has nothing.
"I think there's a big misunderstanding," I hear William chuckle, his hand resting on my shoulder and I pull it off since I am aware what he can do now, "your brother was dying from a sickness. It was something no vampire or human could understand. This was the best choice. He's still your brother, just a vampire. You two should be looking at each other with happiness and rejoicing in meeting once again."
I don't say anything now, glancing back over at Jerome. He was looking at William and quickly glanced at me now.
"How can I do that when you killed him already?" I ask him sharply, William frowning. "He's not human anymore, so I'm not really seeing him again. I'm seeing the part of him that comes from this. He's already...gone."
"No, I'm right here." Jerome snaps, rushing to William's side. "And William isn't the one who changed me. It was Aleksandr, he helped me."
Right in that instant, I felt my heart beginning to race. William's eyes setting right onto where my heart was and I felt so much anger at that very moment. The absolute resignation that took me over was impossible to ignore.
Vampires have now taken everything from me.
"Damon...I am sorry about me snapping at you, I just-."
"Stop." I interrupt him, and he now looked like that little brother I knew. Looking at me nervously and with fear, his eyes lowering some and warily looking back into mine. "I don't know you, and you don't know me. You're not my brother, but something else. My brother died, you're just another version of him. Can you really say you're living?"
"Yes-!"
My hand rests on his chest, right above his heart. I wait to feel it beat, to know blood flows through his veins. For his body to be cold and stiff...his heart not beating once.
"Seems like you're dead to me." I say calmly.
Jerome's lips tightened together and I could tell...he wanted to cry.
"Aleksandr was right...you wouldn't accept this." He breathes, shaking his head as he was suddenly no longer in front of me.
I now saw William just looking up at me, grinning at me still. I sigh, shaking my head at this predicament.
"So...I assume you had Jerome all this time because you called yourself trying to 'save' him from being sold to another. He was with you and became attached, and was sick in the process. You made him seem like changing was the final answer, had Aleksandr do it because what?" I narrow my eyes onto him and saw his grin slowly grow bigger. "What's wrong with you? All you can do is smile. This is serious!"
"I know it is, I respect your conversation and your assumptions. Your assumptions are pretty spot on, Jerome has grown quite attached to me. Despite what was told to him, there was a cure; but there are no medicines present in this day and age now that could help him. They're all gone. He would have died, honest. He wanted to change, I gave him permission as the head of the Regularity. If any human wishes to be changed, they must speak to us and give me their hand. If their intentions are pure and have no evil intentions, I change them. I read their everything...and if they are worthy, I let them have this blessing and curse. Jerome was blessed and cursed, I know."
William came towards me, his hand reaching for mine. I don't let him grab it as I shook my head in annoyance.
"Jerome may be...'dead', but his spirit still lives within him. Your bodies are nothing but a vessel that houses your spirit. His vessel was just perfected, while his spirit remains intact. He is still your brother, and that will never change. If he had died and didn't come back to life, would you still call him your brother; or the person who was once your brother?" William questions me, and I sigh...because I would. "Some people can lack spirit, Aleksandr was one of those people once. He lived selfishly, cruelly, and held hatred for your kind vehemently. His spirit has suddenly returned...maybe you can guess why?"
I don't say anything, and he smiles.
"Can I tell you a story about Aleksandr...how he became the way he is?"
Remaining silent, I found myself slowly nodding. Because if he tells me his story, maybe it'll make more sense. Or maybe I'll hate him even more. I'm still hearing his story from others though, once again.
It's still not him.
"Go ahead."
That's when William extended his hand out to me, and I saw him nod for me to grab it. I wasn't entirely reluctant, but I didn't want him to read me in the process. No...he already has anyway.
I take his hand now, and before I knew it, my vision was engulfed in a cloud of white right then and there.
☠︎︎origins of Aleksandr
***
Once, Aleksandr was a bright soul that everyone adored. No human could resist his kindness and his absolute adoration for their kind.
William instilled to him from the day he found him, that all humans are precious...lovely creatures. To not harm, but to be in harmony with. Aleksandr had no reason to question such ideas, because he trusted William. The only person who was like him, a vampire.
His pure white hair that made him stand out above the rest, his beauty hard to ignore. Yet his pure and genuine smile...his selflessness and innocence only attracted the real monsters. The monsters that William told him to trust, and one day...his trust was shattered forever, as was his spirit.
That one day, William found Aleksandr and saw the difference. He saw the life and joy that once lit up Aleksandr's face, no more. Rushing to him, he crouched before him as he tried to get a good look of him.
"What happened?" William breathes, noticing that Aleksandr's eyes were no longer both red. One was a bright blue with no pupil, void of life. His hair completely brown and no longer white...his eyes ignoring that the most. He rushed to his knees before him and cradled his face, gasping at the pain that riveted through his fingertips to his head.
He felt his spirit...the shattered and nonexistent remnants of it, at least. His hands pulled off, looking down at Aleksandr who looked at him with no expression.
"Talk to me...what happened?"
"I did what you asked of me." He murmurs up to him, William noticing the pungent smell of blood that came off of Aleksandr's hands and feet. "I trusted your favorite kind. The kind that was so precious, so warm, yet full of so much selfishness. But if you look beyond that side, they are so...special."
William saw Aleksandr's hands ball into fists, his eyes closing tightly as his arms wrapped tightly around himself.
"Were humans thoughts always that convoluted and disgusting?" Aleksandr asks William, looking at him with absolute trust. He grabbed his arms desperately and pleaded with his every being. "Were they always so...dirty?"
"Dirty in what way?"
"You know what way." Aleksandr hisses sharply, causing William to look off. "You didn't tell me they...thought so lewdly and grossly of me. That they'd try anything...to get a piece of me. To take advantage of me... They don't think that of you, but they all think that of me. Why?"
William remains silent, because he couldn't read minds at present. He could only know their being and spirit. He was aware...that humans had horrible thoughts at times and their judgements can become clouded by indecent desires. Except...
Humans were so precious to him. It was only a moment for them, how can he hate that?
"Why?!" Aleksandr shouts in his face, William looking back at him. He saw Aleksandr's eye glowing, red tears streaming out of the eye as he seemed to be reading his mind.
He searched for that feeling as he blocked it off...blocked Aleksandr from reading further; but it was too late.
Aleksandr's eyes stopped glowing and the tears stopped streaming.
"You knew...that humans prey on the weak and vulnerable, the innocent. You knew...that there was two of us, there was always meant to be. The yin and the yang. You are the yang...and I'm the yin, right? You knew that they'd want me...they'd want to use me, didn't you?"
William frowned, but he suddenly found his frown disappearing. He never intended for Aleksandr to be hurt or possibly be put in harms way; but he knew what humans felt about him. How they looked at Aleksandr...how they lusted for him because of his beauty.
Except he wanted to protect his innocence and believed that the humans wouldn't dare.
"I thought...they wouldn't do anything-."
"So you knew." Aleksandr stepped back, breathing heavily as he began to feel sick. "You knew how they felt about me-."
"Yes...but I wanted to protect your innocence. You are and were beautiful in your kindness and pure actions. Why am I...going to ruin your world by telling you the horrible sides of human nature? Not all humans are like that-."
"All of them are like that." Aleksandr sneers, shaking his head. "Even your most trusted human...Benjamin right?"
William felt his finger twitch, not saying anything. He saw Aleksandr shake his head slowly, his hand setting near his pelvis.
"Your Benjamin...the one who told you your hair was beautiful long, who you couldn't read and believed was your match?" Aleksandr breathes, going towards William as he curled his finger around some hair. William beginning to stop breathing as he saw Aleksandr's smile grow sinisterly.
He could already read him, seeing the men and women that all surrounded Aleksandr in that room. Whatever room...but their eyes were what he saw the most. The way they enclosed onto Aleksandr to touch him...to do what they wanted.
Like they all could go against one vampire as a group.
Benjamin's wanton-like gaze set onto Aleksandr as he touched him just as the others tried to...until he no longer wasn't.
"They all tasted good dying to me, together." Aleksandr let go of his hair, William shaking his head as Aleksandr began to nod. "You saw right. Benjamin wanted to do something to me too. Imagine I was human? I would've been...you already know."
William staggered back, watching Aleksandr smile as his tongue ran over his tongue.
"Humans are disgusting creatures, yet they taste so sweet. I wonder how you can love them."
William rushed out, running right to the place that he saw in Aleksandr's mind. Only to realize that the place was far from everything...and the smell of blood could be sensed from miles away. His fear that ran through him as he kicked open the door.
His heart shattering at all of them...all of the fifty that were dead. Their bodies twisted and contorted in strange ways. Blood all over the walls...on the floor and ceilings. Except he saw Benjamin first.
Standing there...he saw Benjamin gasping for air.
He rushed to him, pulling him onto his legs as he laid his head upon his thighs. His hands trembling as he saw Benjamin losing blood, his eyes on him fearfully.
"William...p-please, save me." He cried, grasping onto William desperately. William saw his mindset, now seeing something entirely different. That precious sight he once saw was now tainted and full of something worth condemnation.
Except...he didn't care.
He knew Aleksandr wasn't lying. Just from Benjamin alone, he knew all of their intentions and the plan they set months ago. Right from when they first met Aleksandr to now.
Benjamin was...his human. Drawn by his all...deeper than skin and greater than his blood.
He couldn't help it as his teeth sunk into Benjamin's neck. Trying to turn him as he let his venom go into his neck, feeling Benjamin shriek out in pain.
Only to pull back and saw Benjamin's eyes turn bloodshot. Blood pooling from his mouth, he didn't understand until he saw his bite mark begin to fester and rot around it.
"Benjamin...please." William begged, only to watch as his pain seemed to intensify. "I am so sorry-."
"How could you?"
He flinched, looking over his shoulder as he saw Aleksandr standing there. Tears streaming down his face as he points at him.
"It's only the two of us. You...would turn him despite what he was going to do to me? You really love humans so much that you'd change the person who was going to hurt me the most?" Aleksandr trembles, his voice shaking as he felt so much hatred build up.
William didn't know what to say because he didn't mean to just go forward and do that. He wasn't sure what he did it...but he didn't regret it either.
"Aleksandr I...I don't know what came over-."
Suddenly, he felt that Benjamin was no longer on him. Seeing Aleksandr holding him by the neck, his hand tightening around it. William rushing towards him until Aleksandr let go, snickering.
That's when William stopped, looking to see that Benjamin was turning into a shriveled mess. His eyes were gaunt and every single part of him was...dry. As if all of his blood evaporated from his body.
"Looks like I didn't need to kill him," Aleksandr whips his head onto William, no longer loving the other part of him; but hating him with every part of his shattered spirit, "your venom did it for me."
༒︎...☠︎︎?
now...
for anyone who stayed around this long- 🫣🫶
you now know Aleksandr's background story.
as to why he is the way he is.
and William?
ig he's not all you thought he was.
or...if you thought good of him to begin with. 🫢
all villains start from somewhere.
but does that change anything on how yOu feel towards them at all?
i'm not so sure.
vote, comment, follow~✨
- yolo ☠︎︎