Die Young, Stay Pretty (Short Stack)

Three - The Cross

'Ssh, don't cry.' A soft voice murmured in my ear. I looked up to see Bradie standing over me. He rubbed my back, trying to sooth me. I gave him a watery smile and he handed me a tissue. I dabbed my eyes with it as he continued to pat my back. 'Things'll get better. I'm not saying you're gonna get used to it, but it will get better. There are ways to be almost human. We still have to breathe, we still have to sleep. There are blood banks, so you don't have to kill anybody.' Bradie added quietly. As simple as the words were, they comforted me. I sighed. 'Thanks, Bradie.'

We were silent for a moment. 'C'mon, I'll show you to your room.' He said. He led me up the spiral staircase. I held onto the iron railing made of intricate, black flowers, even though I no longer needed it. On the second floor, the walls painted white and the carpet was black. Closed doors lined the hall. Bradie led me to the last room and opened the door for me. I thanked him and headed inside.

The room was much like the rest of the house with white walls and black carpet. A large double bed was in the centre of the room, with a frame made of the same design as the staircase's railing. A set of black, silk sheets sat on the end of the mattress with a purple comforter next to them. Someone had put my bag at the end of the bed. A white desk sat to my right from where I stood in the doorway. A desk light was sitting on top. I'd be able to set my laptop up on it, later. There was a built in wardrobe to my left. The inside was covered by white slates. There was a door next to the wardrobe which led to a bathroom. A bay window was behind the desk, but the outside was currently obscured by a black curtain.

I turned to look at Bradie. 'Thanks for letting me stay. The room is stunning.' I said. He smiled at me. 'No worries. I'll see you later.' He shut the door as he left. I began to move my clothes from my suitcase to the wardrobe. When I was done, I moved onto my things I'd had around the apartment. I set up my laptop and the CD player I'd brought from Sydney. I placed some photos of my family and photos of Mel and me on my desk and around the room. I put a couple of books on my desk. I headed into the bathroom to put away my toiletries. The room was large and decorated in all white.

When I was done, I sat on the end of the bed and put my earbuds in. I put my iPod on Shuffle as I laid back on the sheets. "I'm Not A Vampire" by Falling In Reverse came on first. I laughed, bitterly, at the irony. A soft knocking woke me up when it was dark. I paused the song playing, "Set The World On Fire" by Black Veil Brides, and sat up. I smoothed my hair down and got up to answer the door. I was met by Andy. He smiled, softly at me. 'Bradie wanted to know if you were up to going to the blood bank with him.' He told me. I thought for a moment. As much as I wanted to escape the house for a while, going to a blood bank would mean admitting what I was. I wasn't ready for that. 'Tell him, thanks, but I'm not really up for it.' I replied. Andy nodded, understandingly, and headed off down the hallway again. I shut the door and headed back over to the bed.

I checked the time on my iPod. Though it was only nine o'clock, I was still tired from moving and the Change. I took a quick shower and changed into a pair of Hello Kitty pyjamas. I climbed into bed and put the acoustic version of "Bulletproof Love" by Pierce The Veil on.

†††

Sunlight streamed into my eyes when I woke up the next morning. I felt well rested after the dreamless sleep. I rubbed my eyes and pulled the curtains shut. I made my bed and got dressed in a pair of black skinny jeans, a Fall Out Boy t-shirt and a pair of combat boots. I ran a brush through my hair and put a grey beret over the straight locks.

I stood in front of the mirror in the bathroom for a moment before deciding it was time to face the truth. Whether I liked it or not, I was a vampire now and there was no way to change that. I let my fangs slide into view. It felt strangely natural, a sensation I hated. I ran my tongue along the sharp points of the canines. There was a small prick, but it wasn't painful. I looked away from my mouth to view myself as a whole. For the first time since I'd become a vampire, I didn't see myself in the mirror. I didn't see Lolita Heidi Mitchells. Instead, I saw a monster. One I didn't even know existed until a few nights ago. I hid my fangs again, uncomfortable with the reflection, and Lita Mitchells reappeared.

I headed downstairs to the kitchen. My throat was burning with thirst. When I got there, Shaun was already sitting at the breakfast bar. There was a jug of blood in front of him, which he refilled his glass with periodically. I grabbed a glass and filled it with blood from his glass. I gulped it down, surprised to find it already warm. Though I wasn't as thirsty as yesterday, I wanted to find a routine that was as similar to my old one as possible. 'Get your own.' Shaun snarled at me, taking the jug back from me and filling his glass again. 'You know, you'd have it all to yourself if you hadn't picked me.' I reminded him, bitterly. He'd managed to ruin my good mood. 'Shut up.' He growled. 'Same to you,' I replied. I refilled my glass and headed into the lounge room.

I realised that I'd managed to ruin Shaun's morning in the space of five minutes. The thought made me cheer up considerably. 'Morning,' I greeted Bradie, cheerfully, as I took a seat next to him on the couch. 'Good morning.' He agreed. 'How'd you sleep?' He added. 'Well, thanks.' I replied. 'That's good.' I finished my blood and went back into the kitchen to put my glass in the sink. Shaun glared at me the whole time. As I turned to head back into the lounge room, I allowed myself a quick "What's up your ass?" before rushing out of the room. I heard a frustrated growl escape his mouth.

I may have had Bradie and Andy's support, but I couldn't help feeling that this was going to be a hellish experience.

AN:// Hey everyone! I know it's short, but I hope you enjoyed it. As always, thanks for reading and let me know what you think.

-xo, Emily