Twoset Vampire Story

19. Going home II - identity crisis

"But Eddy, I saw the quantity you drank.."

"B, but maybe it wasn't enough to awaken me?"

Brett furrowed his brows in deep thought.

"Hmm.. I suppose you do have a point there.. but still, that was no little mouthful, it was a substantial drink.. Humans don't drink blood like that Eddy. That would've been something a vampire would do."

----------------------------------------

Eddy's parents barely recognised their son who was escorted home by Brett. His shirt was stained with what looked like blood. The bottom half of his face that was once covered with blood had been wiped down with his shirt and still had bits of dried blood caked all along his jawline. His eyes shifted with anxiety. And he appeared to have an improved complexion.

"Eddy..?! Is that blood?! Are you injured?!"

"It is blood but no, I'm not injured..."

"..Are you on drugs..??"

"N, no...!"

Eddy's parents anxiously turned to Brett;

"Master Brett.. has our Eddy done something wrong..!?"

"No, I can assure you that he hasn't."

"What has happened to him?"

"I think we should let Eddy clean himself up, then we need to talk"

"Certainly. ...Eddy, are you okay going to the showers on your own?"

"Yeah.. I'll be fine."

While Eddy had gone to the servants' common bathroom, Brett sat at the small dining table and sipped the glass of water he was offered. Eddy's parents sat anxiously on the opposite side of the table, giving a concerned look towards Brett.

"Master Brett.. you also seem to have bloodstains on your clothes..?"

"Yes.. I'll explain that when Eddy returns.. So.. do you know who Eddy's real parents are?"

"..We have no information about Eddy's ...biological parents."

Brett blushed.

"Of course, that's what I meant. I'm sorry. So.. did you officially adopt him when he came here?"

"Master Brett, humans no longer have any documentation or a registration office that keeps such records."

"Oh..."

Brett bit his lower lip.

"Well.. vampires do.. so maybe it's worth a shot trying to find something from that side."

"What side, Master Brett?"

"Eddy and I.. we both are now convinced that Eddy is a vampire."

"...I beg your pardon..?"

"No.."

Brett and Eddy's parents turned towards the voice and looked up.

"Eddy..."

Eddy had cleaned himself up and stood by the entrance of their small living room. He had changed into clean clothes. He was in tears.

"No.. I.. I'm not convinced yet...I.. don't want this..."

Brett got up from his seat and approached Eddy. He placed his hand on Eddy's shoulder in an attempt to comfort him.

"Brett..I.. I don't want this.. what would this mean for me now?"

Brett bit his lower lip as he turned around towards Eddy's parents.

"I've contacted my parents on our way back here.. they want all 6 of us to meet at the main wing. Let's go."

"Brett, son? What has happened to you? Are you injured?"

"No.. I tried the blood of a human that wandered into our property and.. I rejected her."

"You rejected her...? I don't understand.. haven't you been drinking that servant boy's blood?"

"Eddy, Dad. His name is Eddy and I've brought him and his parents over."

"Where are they?"

"Outside the front door. They won't come in till you give permission. They said this place is out of bounds for Eddy."

"That's fine. We'll talk to them in the sitting room."

"Sitting room? Since when do we talk to guests to our sitting room?"

"...They are not our guests Brett."

"They are here to see you because you requested them to come over. I think I should show them to the formal living room."

Brett's father returned a stern look to his son.

"I do not think so Brett. How about the sunroom? That way they won't have to come through the main wing hallway. They can come straight in from the garden door on the side of the building."

Brett bit his lower lip. He wasn't happy his father discriminated against their visitors like this but he knew better than to start arguing with him.

"Of course. The sunroom would be quite nice at this time of day. I'll make a call to have refreshments served."

"..Son, you're not going stay looking like that, are you?"

"No father, I'll go freshen up after I show our guests to the sunroom."

"We purchased him from a human market."

Eddy couldn't stop crying. He was used to people talking about him as if he wasn't in the same room, it happened all the time when he was growing up, but this was too much. His whole identity was at stake here.

Brett asked his parents;

"Who named him Eddy?"

"That was his original name. There was a tag on his... cage that came with him."

Cage...

Brett remembered the cage Eddy came in. The memory of the image of the cage and the skinny little boy inside made his heart sink.

"..Any more information about him?"

"Not that we can remember. We were told he was a 4 year old human, raised in an organic orphanage. We weren't told how long he'd lived there. Or if they had told us, we don't remember. We didn't get any certificates to show any of his identity. Humans don't have documentation anymore. But it was a reputable market.. very good word of mouth..we were very disappointed."

His father's explanation, so blasé about Eddy's background caused Brett heartache and he bit into his quivering lower lip.