Bloodcurse

Letter

(This chapter is written from Seth's perspective. Enjoy!)

I don't know if it was a bad idea leaving those two alone together, but I feel like whatever is about to happen, I do not want to be there for it. Honestly, I'm just glad Adam was forced to tell the truth. I may not have seen him for a long time, but I know my brother's vices and one of them is undoubtedly procrastination in the face of uncomfortably conversations. He would rather walk over shards of glass barefoot than be upfront with someone. That also explains why he waited a decade to come talk to me. If I didn't love him so much, I'd probably punch him right in the nose.

On another note, I can't believe I was unconscious for two days. That is extremely worrying. I think I heard somewhere once that the longer you're out of it, the worse it gets - basically, I would not be surprised if I just dropped dead before I reach the top of these stairs...

Somehow, I live to see the second floor. The bathroom provides a rush of much needed warmth, and I grab one of the towels to start drying my hair. Occasionally, I stop and listen for a moment to make sure Grayson isn't killing my brother downstairs. I'm mentally preparing myself to perform improvised CPR, but I think he's in the clear when I can hear absolutely nothing but the soft buzzing from the lamp above me. I would not have blamed Grayson at all for beating Adam up, though. I wonder which one of them would win in a fight... my brother might be a vampire, but Grayson is seriously tall, and seriously strong.

Wait, what the hell am I thinking? I shake my head as I resume drying off my hair. Catching a glimpse of myself in the mirror, I slowly put the towel down. My appearance hasn't changed, really. I'm looking at the same eyes, the same nose, the same freckles... lifting my top lip with my fingers, I lean closer to the mirror to intensely scrutinize my teeth. Well... still the opposite of straight, but not pointy. A relieved sigh leaves my lips, and I make a mental note to ask Adam if I'll start growing fangs. Christ, I really hope not... that would drastically lower my chances of ever feeling normal again.

Once I'm in my room, I strip off my wet clothes and toss them onto the back of my chair. I still haven't got any more than the ones currently dripping onto my floor, so I settle for the next best thing: waiting under the covers till they're dry. As I slip underneath the sheets of my bed, I remember just how exhausted I am. It's not a surprise, I've been quite busy having my world view destroyed lately. Trying to stay awake, I comb through my racing thoughts as methodically as I can:

1. My father is a vampire. A rich, intense, Eastern European vampire.

2. My brother is alive, and also a vampire.

3. Vampires are real.

4. I'm one of them.

Okay, that didn't help. There is a certain sense of betrayal I feel towards vampire lore. I'm not immortal, or invincible, I don't have sharp teeth, I can be outside in the sun, my bed is not a coffin nor do I sleep upside down like a bat, garlic is fine, I don't command an army of wolves...

So far, I'm struggling to see the benefits of being a freak of nature. What's more is that I don't think I'm ready to... turn. I'm still not even exactly sure what that means, but if it terrified Adam enough to go into hiding for ten years, I can't imagine it's going to be any better for me.

Unintentionally, my thoughts drift to Mom. Why couldn't I have been like her? Maybe, if I had been, she wouldn't have left. I wonder if she has blonde hair like me, and hazel eyes and freckles... for the first time since I was a kid, I feel tears dripping down the sides of my face as I try to remember anything about her, but I can't. How can you miss someone you have no memories of so badly? And it's not like I can ask Edward about her... even if I had the courage to do it, I don't think I want to remind him of that pain. I may not like him very much, but even he doesn't deserve that. Maybe Adam can tell me about her.