Vampire Boy

IV

Everything around me seemed to be in slow motion and the sounds of Angel and Andy squealing in the background were muffled. In front of me, my black hair floated in the water as if it was weightless and unattached from my scalp. Holding myself there for as long as possible, I admired the way it looked.

My lungs were screaming for oxygen, however, so I had to lift my head up quickly to avoid drowning in a sink. Trying to muffle the gasping sounds, I buried my face in a towel. It partially helped to wipe away the wild water droplets, as well as calming my rapid breathing. After a minute or two, I was back to normal and I tucked the towel away neatly before I fixed my collar in the mirror.

Pushing my hair out of my eyes, I noted that I desperately needed a haircut. Baseball cap it is. Pulling one on over my damp hair, I unlocked the bathroom door and left the dark room into the dimly lit hallway. The soles of my shoes slapped against the wooden floor as I thudded down the stairs, heading for the front door.

I pulled on an oversized black hoodie and coated my hands in gloves, despite the burning-hot temperatures today. The twins appeared at my side and Andy handed me my parasol, holding his school backpack with a beaming smile.

Looking them both up and down, I noticed they were dressed in the summertime version of their school uniform, which surprised me. I knew it was getting sunnier out, but was it summertime already? How could I miss the fact that my final year of schooling was coming to an end?

I guess that means less time outside...

With a sigh, I slid on my sunglasses and opened the front door. Mum had already left for work, so I didn't yell goodbye to her, leading the twins outside silently. Key in hand, I held the parasol high over my head as I strolled to my car, the twins running ahead in a battle for the front seat.

"I've never seen them so excited to go to school." I muttered to myself, following behind slowly.

Andy's expulsion was finally over, which was a relief for me because, as much as I love Andy, he can get a bit of a handful when he's in your shadow at all hours of the day, sulking because Angel gets to go to school and he doesn't. Especially now that Mary, Connor's sister, was on the scene. I suspected Andy felt a bit replaced by her.

Andy had beat Angel to the car, so he triumphantly climbed into the front seat while I pulled my seatbelt on, adjusting my seat slightly. After checking that they had both been properly buckled in, I put the car into reverse and backed out of the driveway swiftly. With the car in first gear now, I was just about to set off when I heard a scream.

Wincing, I glanced all around to spot where the hell it came from.

Of course, stumbling across his lawn like a drunk, came that odd neighbour: Connor. I sighed slightly, winding down my window to see what the hell he wanted. We hadn't spoken since he had followed me to the skatepark. He had stuck around for about an hour before leaving. The kid was full of questions and we talked extensively about my experience with my condition and how it had impacted my life.

I thought he had decided I was strange and that there would be no further interactions after the incident. Turns out I was wrong, however, as he appeared to be bounding towards me and pleading for me to wait.

His hair was dishevelled and he had fresh toothpaste stains on his shirt, making me feel like he was mid-brushing his teeth when he decided to run out of the house screaming for whatever reason. His little sister was still on their porch, closing the front door behind the careless teen.

Connor looked slightly sheepish as he approached my window, out of breath from his sporadic sprint out of the house.

"Thank you so much for stopping!" He beamed, "I would be a dead man if it weren't for you, Daxx."