Bloody Lips

When a Dare becomes the Truth

I hate this. Hate it. Hate it. Hate it. It was bad enough that I had lost a bet. Kara won over me, so she dared me to walk alone nearby the mansion in town. The mansion was indeed grand, but something was creepy and scary behind its rusted gates. Some people have gone missing when they walked in, others who returned claimed to see blood stains all over the place. Pft. I didn't believe in any of those old town gossip, so I didn't make such a big deal of coming here. The worst things happened during dismissal time. I opened my locker, and my eyes went wide. It was the card. What is the card? Well, actually, it's a piece of black paper with silver writing on it. What's written on it was the Heart Sutra, a Buddhist incantation. At the back were dark blotches and splatters, and it smelled like blood. Students in Shouku Academy are afraid of this card. The others suddenly drop out of school, most end up in the hospital. Now, I got the card. It creeped me out, because this was the first time that a girl would recieve it. The whole school avoided me, but I understand. They just want to save their skins. I clutched the card in my jacket as I walked on the dusty sidewalk near the mansion. The air was chilly, and the atmosphere was mystical. Worse, I can't help but feel someone following me. There was a snap, and I stopped. I could feel my hairs stand. I couldn't move in fear, but I wanted to run. After a minute of silence, I started walking again. After two steps, I felt it. A pair of arms around me, holding me from behind. I could feel heavy breathing on my ear. "Ah!--" I exclaimed in pain as I felt teeth sink into my neck. No, these aren't teeth... they're fangs. Sharp ones. A ripple of pain went coursing throughout my body, and I was paralyzed. I felt myself crashing to the ground, but I blacked out before I hit the pavement. "Sleep." a low, yet mystical voice commanded. My eyelids became heavy, and I passed out all of a sudden.

xXx---[♥]---xXx

"She's so fucking young, Rei."

"I know that."

"Then why keep her? You know the consequences."

"Brothers, trust me on this. I know what I'm doing."

"Just make sure."

"Hold on, she's awake."

My eyes fluttered open, and there was bright light. I covered my eyes with my hand and groaned. I sat up, and let my eyes adjust to the brightness. I saw seven guys, all familiar. They're what we call the Shichi Fukujin (aka ShiFu) in school. "What... Where am I?" I asked. "You're in our mansion. How do you feel?" I heard one say. My vision was still blurry, and I couldn't make out who it was. "For sure, you recognize us. We're... from your school." I nodded. "I'm Miyavi, and these are Mao, Ruki, Uruha, Aoi, Kai and Reita." he introduced. I could finally see, and gasped softy. These guys were different from the Shichi Fukujin we see in school. Their faces were paler, and each had blood red eyes. Somehow, their lean, muscular figure was seen, and they were actually speaking. "How do you feel?" Kai asked me. I winced. "I know, it's a bit disorienting. Don't worry." he comforted. It was hard not to stare at Kai as he spoke like that. In school, they were... intimidating, to say the least. I suddenly jerked as I felt intense pain on my neck. My hand flew to the source, and I grunted. "Reita... behave." Aoi scolded. Reita scoffed in reply. "What am I doing here? What's going on?" I asked. Ruki turned to the others before he spoke, his low voice echoing in the room. "You see... we're vampires." he said. I laughed. "Can't you give me something better than that?" I said. They all looked at me as if I were insane. "We're not... lying." Miyavi explained. I stared at all of their faces, and realized that they were telling the truth. "Impossible." I whispered. "It is possible. We exist. We're not like any of your mythical vampires." Uruha continued. I kept silent in shock, and listened as they explained. "You see, when a vampire injects his venom on a human of the opposite sex... that person is tied to the vampire." Aoi said from the corner of the room. "We call it a bride if it's a girl, and vassal for a boy." I nodded. This was all dificult to take in. "The one who bit you is the only one allowed to drink your blood. It's a strong connection, and it can never be broken." Aoi continued explaining. I bit my lip. What a mess I had gotten myself to. "So... why did you choose me?" I asked. They all looked at each other. "We didn't." Mao said. "He did." He pointed to a tall figure leaning against the door. The corner of his lips curved upward to form a conniving smile. It was Reita. Of all the guys, why him? He was suddenly standing beside my bed, his finger on my chin. He lifted it to have a better look at my face. "Guess I made the right choice..." he murmured to himself. I cringed away from contact and bowed my head down. "It's irreversible... right?" I asked. "Hai." Ruki answered. I sighed in disappointment. After a few moments, I suddenly noticed the time. "Oh my, it's late!" I exclaimed. My watch read ten o'clock in the evening. I stood up, but I lost my footing. Kai caught me by the elbow, and I blushed. He sat me back on the bed and smiled. "You'll stay here." he said. "What? I can't! I have to go to school, and..." I stood up, and attempted to walk out of the room. I stopped suddenly, and kneeled to the ground. I was on all fours, and my head went spinning. I couldn't see straight, and my body felt weak. I looked up to see Reita, smiling devilishly. I groaned softly. "Relax... not like it's going to hurt or anything..." he murmured into my ear. I wanted to push him off, but I didn't have the strength. "Reita, it's not fair to bewitch her." Mao scolded. Reita only laughed at his words. "I hate you." I managed to say. "Yeah, I know. Sleep, babe." he replied. He placed his hand on my eyes, and I immediately fell asleep. I woke up with Mao by my side. "Hey." he greeted with a smile. I sat up and looked around the large bedroom. "They all went to school..." he explained. "Ah!~ I have to go too~" I said as I pulled the blanket out of my way. "No no no, definitely not~" Mao sang as he pushed me back. His eyes glowed a soft blue, and I immediately felt something weird. Like... I wasn't in the mood to go to school. "Sorry, but the guys told me to watch over you for today. And Reita..." he didn't continue. I sighed in frustration. "You see, I don't really understand what's going on... I don't know why you guys are making the effort for me..." I almost whispered. I looked up to his eyes, and he smiled in return. His smile seemed to make the room glow brighter, even in the sunlight.

"You'll see."