A Forgotten Beginning

Chapter 3: A Friends Truth

I tried to swallow the weird lump in my throat. My nose tingled funnily as I reopened the door, my mouth becoming very dry.

Adrian sat in the same spot I had left him in but he had ripped open the skin on his thigh I threw myself down next to help and placed my hands on his. 

 “Don’t.” Tears making my voice thick. I pulled his hand from his leg. His nails elongated into spikes, a sight I had never seen before on anything but a vampire. My mind whirled and I almost vomited with fright. The blood flowed freely, running along the cracks in the floorboards like miniature streams. An image flashed through my mind.

 I fell over a mangled body with bright red hair.

I struggled out of the gruesome image and back to reality, which to be honest was just as bad. My hand rested on Adrian’s chest, the other had blood running over it. We were both panting with pain. His physical and self inflicted, mine a reaction of Adrian's pain as well as confusion. 

Standing shakily I wet a towel mopping up the blood. I rummaged through the bathroom cupboard getting specks of blood on everything.

 When I finally found the bandages I wrapped them clumsily around Adrian’s leg. His hand came onto mine, pushed them away, now back to his familiar soft hands, and wrapped it more securely. We sat in silence for a moment.

 “What...How…Why did you do… that?” I asked, my voice shaking.

 “Nothing, I just…” He broke off and stood up shakily, resting heavily on the wall.

 He was about to walk, or more accurately limp, out the door when I grabbed the back of his shirt.

“No! No, it is not nothing. Tell me. Please, I…I need to know.” I gasped, knowing a meltdown was coming but not able to stop it, so I continued. “My life has been pried into. You know everything I know about who I am or was or whatever and still you just leave whenever I ask about you.” I shouted.

 “You know things about me.” He said calmly.

 Well, that was the worst thing to say, I blew up. Literally.

 “What!? Oh yeah, your name’s Adrian, your Dad’s the headmaster! Whoop-di-freaking-doo. You play piano and like nature. That’s about it. I can’t even ask where you were born. You just say ‘that’s not about the piano now A#, A, E, F! You’re so frustrating and dumb!”

 “Megan…”

 “No, no. Don’t even try! Every! Single! Time! You say sorry, you apologize, you make me feel sorry for you when you have nothing to feel sorry about. And…and…and…” I couldn't bear to mention his spiked nails, surely it was just something I had imagined. Instead I reached forward and gave him a hug. He stiffened but after a few seconds leant into me.

 “I’m sorry.” He whispered. “I tried to put your life together so I wouldn’t have to remember mine. It’s unfair to you. I’m so sorry.” He paused before continuing. “My mother was attacked by a vampire when I was about five. We were in the living room and he burst through the window. Mum shoved me across the room, threw herself at him to save me. Then farther arrived with Ambrose.” He spat the name. “Ambrose fled straight back out the door. Farther got knocked across the room and knocked out. The vampire...that thing came straight at me, grabbed my arm and tried to pull me out the window.” He pulled his sleeve up to reveal four diagonal scars on his upper arm.

 I gasped and lightly touched the bumps. They were slightly colder than the rest of Adrian’s skin. They were just like mine. I touched my stomach. I couldn’t feel the bump through the old sweater but I knew they were always cold.