Chapter Eight (Julian)
When I came to, I heard more weird sounds going on around me.
Something beeping. Hospital equipment, I recognized after a moment. Having parents that owned a chain of hospitals made it easy to recognize the scary sounds of a heart monitor and medical ventilator. I could feel a mask pushed against my face, providing me with clean oxygen that filled my aching lungs.
My whole body felt a little tingly, but aside from that, I was realized to be able to feel the sheets on my body, the loose hospital gown rubbing my skin as I shifted a little. I was careful with the arm that had an IV inserted into it. I blinked my eyes open slowly, my vision blurry at first until I cleared it with a few more blinks.
I was looking at one of the hospital rooms at my parents' hospital on the other side of town. A sleek, sterile room with a wall made entirely of windows, the blinds now pulled shut over them, indicating that it was nighttime now. I shifted my head slightly to the side to the side to look at the glass windows that looked out into the main lobby, but they were blocked with more blinds. I settled back against the bed, closing my eyes to think when I heard the sound of the door clicking open.
I looked up to see a doctor walking in wearing a surgical mask over the bottom half of his face, a white lab coat hiding his sterile clothing beneath. A bit of panic welled up inside me as he approached the side of my bed. Surgery? Why did I need surgery? What happened?
"Hello, Julian," He greeted, a voice that sounded very familiar, "I'm glad you're awake. Your family is worried sick about you... Unfortunately, I only have bad news to give you." My stomach sank as my heart rate picked up in alarm.
He reached up slowly and pulled down his mask, making my eyes widen when I recognized him as Ikuto Takahashi. He still looked the same with rusty brown hair hanging in his dark eyes, but this time, a deep scar ran right through his left eye, from eyebrow to jawline. It didn't really mar his pretty features, but it was still spinechilling.
I wanted to speak, but my tongue felt numb still, so I could only lay there as Ikuto walked to one of the boxes on the wall that held all the syringes. My heart beat harder and faster, practically ringing in my ears.
"I've studied long and hard, but unfortunately, there is no way for us to extract the demon within you without killing you," He was saying as he filled the syringe with something, flicking the needle for a moment before approaching me, making my body tremble, "And your parents have given me the go ahead to simply extract the demon."
Wait, what? My parents gave him permission to kill me?! I don't understand!
I tried to move, but my body wouldn't obey. Panic welled inside me as Ikuto took the tube that ran to my IV and filled it with whatever was in the needle. I panted hard into my oxygen mask, chest heaving up and down as I tried to move, but whatever was in the syringe was already working.
My vision blurred and dimmed as Ikuto replaced his surgical mask and leaned over me, brushing the hair back from my face.
"You'll be free." He assured me. A low whimper escaped my throat, but that was all I managed before I plunged into darkness.
A darkness so cold and foreboding that it made me nauseous. I was scared. I was inside my own head, so I would admit it. I was terrified. I couldn't understand what was happening. Why couldn't Ikuto try harder to find a way to save me? He had risked his life for me back when he was stalking me at school. Why would he give up so easily on a way to save me from the demon parasite?
And my own parents condemning me? I don't understand. What did I do to deserve this?
Was it because of the thing with Walter? Was this my punishment for making his life a living hell? But that wasn't entirely my fault! Walter was the one who took my thermos and drank from it. I had tried to get it back, but he wouldn't listen to me. He brought it upon himself, especially with the way he's treated me all these years. He deserved it, right?
Nooo, I wanted to moan. Nobody deserved that kind of stuff.
Well, nobody, except Zephyra. They'd hurt so many people, killed so many. And for what? Just so the laws set for our society could be changed? They didn't need any changing! Our society was fine the way it was with Vladimir in charge. He had made his own kind of dictatorship. Yes, he was a dictator, but he wasn't a bad one. He combined the old laws with new laws, ones that allowed us to co-exist with the humans, instead of hiding or killing them.
He risked his life every day to keep our society in order, in safety. But there was always going to be that group of rebels that wanted to destroy the peace. And it just wasn't fair!
Why was everything so complicated?
The frustration welled up inside of me for a while before slowly fading when I could hear the sounds of the machines in the hospital. I could also hear voices from somewhere in the room, but I couldn't understand what they were saying. It just sounded like muffled murmuring. It took me a moment to clear my head.
I opened my eyes slowly, blinking to unblur them and focus on the inside of the hospital room I was in. The blinds were pulled open, letting golden sunlight stream in and make everything in the room sparkle. On the other side of the room near the chairs set up for visitors were my parents, Alexander, Vlad, Xed, and Newell. I frowned sleepily as I focused in on their voices as they spoke.
"He just fell over?" Vlad was asking my parents, who nodded. My father was hugging my mother tightly to him as she folded her arms tightly over her chest, nibbling her lip nervously. They both looked exhausted from lack of sleep.
"Yes," My father replied, "He was on his way to class and the biology teacher said she was coming to close her door to begin class when she saw him out in the hallway on the floor."
"Was he convulsing?" Vlad asked, frowning deeply now. Alexander shuddered at the thought, hugging himself. My father nodded.
"At first he was still, eyes open, but he wasn't moving. As soon as she touched him, though, he started to convulse. We did some scans and it was a seizure. It lasted longer than it should have too, but there's no signs of brain damage on the scans." He explained grimly.
"He just had a seizure for no reason?" Newell asked at last, making the others frown.
"Seizures are caused by trauma to the brain," My father replied, "Something must have happened to trigger the seizure. I'm positive it has something to do with the parasite inside him. It did something to cause the seizure, but what is the question."
"Did either of you have seizures?" My mother asked Newell and Vlad, who shared quick looks before shaking their heads.
"I only had one seizure in my life and it certainly wasn't from the parasite." Vlad responded, his expression unreadable. Whatever it was, Alexander knew and he wrapped his arms around Vlad's arm in assurance. Newell just gave my parents a deadpan stare.
"That must mean whatever is inside Julian is probably stronger than the parasite I had, and the one inside Vladimir. It's something so powerful, his brain can't handle the abilities." He said after a while. Vladimir frowned at that, obviously not liking the idea. However, no one said anything, just remained silent and stared at each other, trying to come up with an explanation.
I felt something shift and turned my head slightly to see Adam sleeping at my bed side, his head resting against my arm. He was fast asleep, his leather jacket resting on his shoulder as he snored quietly into his arms. Relief swept through me and I shifted my arm a little. That was all it took for Adam to wake up, which shocked me. He was always suck a heavy sleeper.
His eyes flashed opened and he lifted his head up, rubbing at his eyes.
"He's awake." He stated, alerting my family. My mother made a sound of joy, rushing over to my bedside and wrapping her arms around me gently as my father stood by her side, smiling at me in relief.
"My baby," My mom whimpered, stroking my hair and kissing my forehead repeatedly, "My precious little baby. Stop scaring me like this or I might just prove the fact that our kind can have heart attacks." I mumbled an apology under my breath, hesitating as I let her kiss and hug on me.
What happened before this? Didn't she and my father ask Takahashi to kill me? I don't understand. Did it work? Was Daimonas gone?
"Your mother's right," My father agreed, leaning over and kissing me on top of the head before he brushed the hair back from my face, "You gave us all a scare there."
"How're you feeling?" Alexander asked nervously, tilting his head to get a better look at me before my parents moved out of the way. He came closer and hugged me too, making me groan before sighing heavily and slumping back against the pillow, casting Vladimir a weary stare.
"You're not gonna hug or kiss me too, are you?" I asked dryly. Vladimir snorted.
"I didn't miss you that much." He replied, making me roll my eyes. Alexander elbowed him, then turned to me again as I shook my head at his concern, reaching up to fix my hair that they messed up.
"I'm fine," I told them, waving them back so I could get some air, "I kind of have a headache, though... What happened?"
"That's what we would like to know." Alex agreed uneasily, looking at our parents, who frowned.
"The teacher said you were fine one second, then when she went into the hallway, you were on the floor. You were having a seizure." My mother explained, pausing to study my face for my reaction. I didn't know how to react. I think I had a feeling that something like that was happening, but I was too scared to try and calm down, like Daimonas wanted me to. I was terrified. I wasn't able to move my body or anything.
"What were you doing before you had your seizure?" Alexander asked in concern. I relaxed against the bed, frowning at them.
"A vision," I replied, making everyone grimace, "It was a vision of me in this dark room... and I think someone bit me, and I went to find a door and opened it, but I woke up on the floor in the hallway. I couldn't move or speak or anything and Daimonas was yelling at me to calm down. The fact the he was flipping out scared me even more."
"Something that's scary enough to scare a demonic parasite?" Alexander turned to look at Vladimir, who narrowed his eyes in concern. He glanced at Newell, who grimaced and folded his arms over his chest, shifting his weight to one side as he tilted his head.
"It means Adam was right to be concerned then." He decided, making everyone look at Adam, who was holding one of my hands, studying the fingers before he peered up at us. The expression on his face was engimatic as he lowered my hand to the bed, resting his over mine.
"Did you know something was going to happen?" Alex asked, making Adam sit back in his seat, cocking his head.
"Just a feeling. I was mostly thinking it had something to do with Declan Calhoun, but it sounds like something to do with Zephyra." He admitted with a light shrug, stroking his thumb over my knuckles, making me look at him in relief at his attempt to soothe me. My mother frowned.
"Declan Calhoun? Why does that name sound familiar?" She asked, turning to look at my father, who hesitated thoughtfully before making a face of annoyance, his arms folding over his chest.
"Declan Calhoun has gotten in contact with you?" He asked. I nodded slowly.
"Why?" I asked, confused. While Declan Calhoun was a bit of a creep, I think it was just his switching personalities that put me off. Although, now I was a little more nervous about him considering my dad looked like he was about to give us more bad news.
Damn, this day could just not get any better, could it?
"Declan Calhoun is a shapeshifter. One of the last of his species. They were supposed to have been exterminated as they were slowly driving themselves insane with how often they changed their forms. Declan Calhoun was one of the ones that the society kept in order to do further testing." My father explained, making Vladimir look up in surprise.
"That runt is still alive?" He asked. My father passed him a sour stare, which surprised me considering my parents were always trying to kiss up to him sine he was super powerful and dictator of our species... and married to their oldest son.
"Barely," My father replied, turning back to us, "Declan Calhoun went through severe testing in order to try and harness his abilities. In the end, he was diagnosed with multiple personalities and he tended to experience sudden moments of delirium in trying to deal with both his personalities. He was supposed to have been put down not too long ago. The fact that he's still alive concerns me. He's not exactly the safest person to be around."
"Well, he goes to their school," Newell drawled, making everyone's eyes widen, "And apparently Ikuto is the one who let him out."
"Did he say that?" My father asked. Newell paused, glancing at my father before looking away with a frown.
"Ikuto had nothing to do with the shapeshifter experiments, so Declan Calhoun wouldn't have known him any other way. He can't be making it up if he doesn't know who he's talking to. And while I find very vital to our research to have Ikuto join us, I also do not like the idea of a shapeshifter getting deeply involved in our mess. They're crafty little bastards and can easily change their loyalties." He explained matter-of-factly. I frowned at the thought, remembering the way Declan had acted when he talked about Ikuto.
He looked really grateful, and wasn't about to tell us where he was. Either he was lying and was really good at it, or he was super loyal to Ikuto. I couldn't be sure and thinking about it only gave me a headache.
How was I going to practice for the dance with all of this going on?
My eyes widened when I remembered the rehearsal I was supposed to have at Seth's.
"Rehearsal!" I blurted, making frown at me. Adam sat up, leaning on the bed to look at me.
"You've only been out for a couple of hours. School's just about over. And I don't think you're in any shape to be practicing." He replied flatly, making me grimace.
"Rehearsal for what," My mom asked incredulously, "First of all, you're still grounded for the window. Second of all, you just had a severe seizure today. I don't want you doing anything, but curling up on the sofa and getting pampered until Amber and Mary-Kay come for your birthday." My father nodded in agreement and I fumed.
"But that's not fair! Katie offered us to play at the Winter Ball this weekend and she's even paying us for it! I can use my money to get the window fixed-- which is what you wanted, right? You said that in the car! And I won't play for very long." I promised desperately, clasping my hands together and trying to pull the best puppy dog eyes I could. My mother glared at me for the attempt.
"Julian--"
"Please, mom! I need the money and I hate being locked up at home all the time and this is, like, thee dance of the year aside from prom and this is the first time Seth's invited me over willingly since we started fighting and I don't wanna have to cancel on him and make him hate me even more, please!" I pleaded. My mother pursed her lips, glancing sideways at my father, who grimaced and stroked his chin for a moment before sighing.
"As long as you take an adult with you to watch you and make sure you don't get hurt." He replied at last. I hesitated. An adult? I looked at Alexander, who held his hands up in defense before folding them over his chest and giving me that stern big brother look.
"No way. I have a life too, and I was already here when you arrived because I was doing tests on your blood. I'm way too busy." He responded, making me scowl at him. I didn't even have to look at Vladimir because he took an innocent step back and coughed into his palm dramatically.
"Ah, jeez. I hate getting colds." He sighed wistfully. I rolled my eyes.
"Vampires can't get colds." I answered heatedly, annoyed that he wouldn't even wanna sit there for a couple hours to babysit. Vladimir shrugged, then looked at Newell, who had been looking out into the lobby.
"Why not Newt?" He asked, gesturing to him. Newell flinched and cast Vladimir a dark stare as he lowered his arms from his chest onto his hips.
"Do I look like a bloody babysitter to you?" He demanded. Vladimir shook his head slowly, looking away, pinching his chin between his thumb and forefinger.
"Of course, what was I thinking? Newt needs a babysitter as well. But it's so hard to find them for cheap nowadays." He mused, making Newell twitch and glare at him.
"You're trying to bait me into agreeing with you."
"Is it working?"
"Hardly."
"Well, think of it this way," Vladimir offered, making Newell narrow his eyes, "You can brush up on your insults and your ornery personality while you're there. What better practice dummies than a bunch of angsty teenagers?" That seemed to Newell relax, even though I knew there was a hidden insult in there somewhere.
"Please, Newt," I begged, making him glance at me pointedly, "I really wanna do this. We won't be playing the whole time either and I can just make up some lie that you're, like, my cousin or something stupid like that. And you don't even have to pretend to be a kid either. Seth and Kipp have seen some, uhm, unique things in their life. Come on, please?"
"I don't know whether to be insulted by your idea of unique or pleased that you're begging me." Newell mused, making me roll my eyes and slump back into my hospital bed, disgruntled. Adam glanced at me, then at Newell, who seemed to be mocking me with his fake thinking it over pose.
"If you go, you can keep a closer eye on Julian and whoever happens to be watching him." Adam suggested, making Newell pause. Xed frowned at that and looked down at Newell, who glanced at him before looking away.
"Fine," He agreed at last, making me sit up excitedly, "But don't expect me to enjoy it." Xed looked uncomfortable with this and touched Newell's shoulder. Newell frowned and looked up at him and it was like they were having some kind of telepathic conversation before Newell looked away.
"Xed will be staying with you, Vladimir. He'll draw too much attention if he comes with me." He told Vladimir, who frowned at that, looking at Xed, who surprised me with his angry expression. He looked like he wanted to argue before he gave up and left the hospital room. I watched him leave, then looked at Newell, who pretended it didn't bother him.
"He's pissed." I commented.
"Let him be. Children need to learn to behave." Newell answered briefly.
"How old is Xed?" I asked, confused. I had always figured Xed was older, but then, I guess taller didn't mean older.
"Young." Newell replied to me, making me roll my eyes. My mother sighed and shook her head before looking at me in concern.
"Stay for another hour or so, sweetheart, just so we're sure you're okay to be leaving. All right?" She asked and I reluctantly nodded. She smiled, then leaned forward and kissed me on the forehead. My father did the same before they both left the room, taking Vladimir and Alex with them. Newell watched them leave, then paused to give me this weird look. I couldn't figure out what he was trying to tell me with just that look, but he didn't stay long enough for me to ask. He closed the door behind him, leaving me alone with Adam.
I turned to speak to him, only to gasp as he caught my face in his hands and captured my lips. Goosebumps prickled my skin as his tongue slipped past my lips and into my mouth, stealing my breath away for a moment before he pulled back, brushing the hair back from my face, his eyes studying me intently.
"You scared me." He muttered. I blinked, surprised that anything could scare Adam before I relaxed, smiling reassuringly as I reached up to rest my hands over his, savoring the feel of our skin touching before I lifted my eyes to meet his.
"I'm okay." I told him honestly. My head stopped hurting and there was no more dizziness, no more sickness, nothing. I felt relatively normal again. I couldn't hear Daimonas, which should have worried me, but I was too relieved to care. Adam stared at me for a while longer before he pulled me against him. I sighed, wrapping my arms around him and burying my face against his chest, inhaling his natural masculine scent mingled with cigarette smoke and leather.
It made my body ache. I wanted to just pull him onto the bed with me, but I don't think my parents would be too happy to see us using one of their expensive hospital beds for a sex spot.
"Are you sure you want to go to rehearsal?" Adam asked me as he finally pulled away, sitting in his seat. He scooted closer, though, so he was still holding my hand against his cheek. I frowned, though, at his words.
"Of course I want to go," I answered stubbornly, "We finally have a gig after all this time, and we're even getting paid for it. And I need to practice. I haven't played my keyboard in a while."
"You played the piano, though." Adam pointed out. I scowled.
"That's not the same, and you know it. I wanna play with you guys. I'm tired of sitting alone and hitting keys to a tune I don't understand or care for. I joined the band because I like being in a band, with other people." I insisted. Adam scanned my face for a while, then sighed reluctantly and nodded before kissing a couple of my fingertips, making me shiver.
"I wanted to keep you all to myself." Adam admitted. I raised an eyebrow, watching him kiss the palm of my hand.
"Are you sulking?" I asked. Adam didn't reply, just peered at me from between my fingers before he brought his lips to wrap around the tip of my index finger. I held my breath for a moment, watching him suck for a second before licking the pad of my finger, dragging his tongue down to my palm where he turned his licks into tender kisses, occasionally nipping at my wrist. I felt a purr start in my throat as he slowly pulled me closer.
He pulled the blankets back a bit and crept his hand beneath them, sneaking his hand up my hospital gown. I gasped and wanted to protest, but it felt so good to have his calloused fingers running along my thigh up to my hip. He traced lazy swirls around my hips and thighs, teasing me until I was moaning, slumping back onto the bed again.
"Wait until we get home." I managed at last. Adam ignored me and paused, glancing behind us at the windows that led out into the lobby. He stood up, my skin twitching anxiously at the loss of his touch. He went to the blinds and pulled them shut before returning to the bed, but this time he sat on the edge of the bed.
"Someone's going to walk in." I warned him as he pushed the blankets back from my legs. He shrugged, running his hand up my leg. I shivered and slowly sat up, careful not to pull my IV out. Adam scooted closer, leaning over and kissing me on the lips, his eyes watching me closely.
"Then ssh," He whispered, "Don't make any sounds."
"Don't make any--" I cut myself off to gasp as Adam reached between my legs, taking me in his hand. My toes curled and I bent my legs up a little, gasping again quietly as he started to move his hand. The entire time, he watched me with such an intense stare that it didn't take long before my body spasmed and I came hard, reaching up to cover my mouth. Adam withdrew his hand from under my gown, running his tongue along his fingers in a really sexy way, tongue twirling in between his fingers before he looked at me.
"I'll get a towel from the bathroom to help you clean up your mess." He answered, sliding off the bed. I blushed hard, watching him walk to the bathroom across the room.
"My mess? You're the one who..." I didn't want to say it out loud. I watched the corner of Adam's mouth lift in a smirk as he returned with a towel, handing it to me. I said nothing more, cleaning up the mess and letting Adam throw the towel away.
"That should hold you off until tonight." Adam told me as he turned back to me. I blushed.
"And what's gonna happen tonight?" I asked. Adam gave me a wicked smirk, but it vanished quickly as the door to the room opened and Newell came in, then pulled up short as I scrambled to pull the blankets over myself. My face grew hot with embarrassment as Newell made a face.
"Get your clothes on. We're leaving soon-- and we're taking a taxi home. Don't waste any time doing... unnecessary things." He told us dryly, then went out the door, slamming it shut rather loudly behind him. I grimaced and looked at Adam, who hardly looked surprised.
"What's he so mad about?" I asked, embarrassed.
"Sexual frustration," Adam replied as he gathered up my clothes and turned to face me, "He can't get laid. I think it has something to do with the fact that he's either a midget or a prick."
"Or both."
"Or both," Adam agreed, "Now get dressed. We have a rehearsal to get to."