The World Below (ON BREAK)

Chapter 8

Above world

Stacy couldn't believe it. Tanner had gotten distracted. He had seemed so level headed most of the time, and then he goes and wastes time listening to some kid play violin. Although, she couldn't really blame him. They probably didn't have much music down where he lived.

Tanner went to the front of the crowd after the boy with the violin. He clearly had something he wanted to say. As she learned when she met him in the storage center, he usually spoke his mind. She watched him go off toward an old building, with both of the boys that were playing music in tow.

She decided to let him have a few minutes. After about five, she walked over to where he was talking with them to see what they were doing. Once she went over the threshold, the first thing she noticed was the ecstatic look on his face.

He walked over to Stacy and yell-whispered to her, "They're also monsters! One is a vampire, though I'm not too sure about the other. They don't know what I am yet, though. Should I tell them?"

Stacy thought for a moment, then replied, "If you want. Otherwise you can wait until you get back underground."

Clearly satisfied with the answer, he walked back over to them and seemed to be explaining what type of monster he was. After a few confused looks from the two boys, they seemed to relax a bit. Tanner invited Stacy over to the conversation.

"Stacy, this is Simon and Connor. They're monsters too, like me. Simons is a vampire, and Connor is a werewolf."

At the mention of the last one, she let out a little excited squeak. Wolves were her favorite animal.

She told him so immediately. "What does your other form look like? Is it kind of a wolf-man, or all the way wolf? Sorry, I just love wolves."

Connor replied, "Well, I could show you, but I'd rather not. It really hurts to transform. Plus, I don't really have control over my actions for about a minute after transforming. So, probably not. Maybe tonight, you can see."

It took Stacy a moment to realize what he was saying. "Oh, tonight's a full moon, right? Where will you be then?"

This time Simon spoke up. "He always goes to Central Park for it. I usually go with him, to accompany him."

"Would it be alright if I came? I'll be able to go out at, say, 8:00," she said.

"That's fine. I'm just warning you, it's a little gruesome," warned Connor.

Tanner turned to Simon. "If you really are a vampire, why weren't you dying outside? It was broad daylight out there."

Simon took a deep breath. "This'll take a bit to explain. Take a seat if you so wish."

He then proceeded to explain. "I may be a vampire, but bitten vampires usually aren't as vulnerable or powerful as other vampires. Believe me, I've met some. Anyway, I was born in 1747. I am therefore 274 years old, but I look like the age I was when I was bitten, which is either 15 or 16, I can't remember precisely which. Right, I was explaining. The reason that I wasn't turning into a little pile of ash out there is because I am simply more prone to sunburn."

He took a breath and continued, and started pacing, clearly deep in thought. "The natural-born vampires can all turn into bats, or wolves, or other creatures along those lines. My form is, well, a pigeon. And before you laugh, just know it is an invaluable skill since I live in a city filled with pigeons. Also, I don't drink blood. I tried that once, in Europe, and it was both nasty and the guy tried to stab me, and..."

Simon was in his element now. It was clear he didn't often get to talk about who he really was. "Anything with garlic in it sends me to the ER. I learned that the hard way back in '68, when I tried some garlic bread. It was really good, but I nearly died from it." He stopped for a moment to catch his breath. "And that's pretty much my whole story. Any questions?"

Stacy had several, but only asked one. "What's your pigeon form look like?"

He offered to show her, and when she accepted, he twirled and, in a plume of feathers, in place of a boy was a bird. He cooed, then turned back. "Satisfied? Good. Now, I need to go get the necessary items for his transformation."

Tonight, Stacy would go with Tanner and Jessie to see Connor change.