Tall, Dark and Dead

The Mediocre Ones

CHAPTER THREE

A l e k

One of the things I miss most about being a human is having dreams, and good dreams, and now all I get when I close my eyes is a blank space. Yes, I sleep. Vampires do get their rest, but when they do, someone will barge in and wake the hell out of them. "Get your ass outta bed, we're shopping. Masyadong halatang ancient kang tao."

"Ay, caramba. Ang aga pa..."

My best friend ordered me to take a bath and so I did. Paglabas ko ng pinto, sabi niya, "Last night, I sorted out your things, and I never really wanted to save something, but then I found this." She was talking about my mechanical watch which can stand through time, just like myself. "You want me to keep this or should I buy you a new one? Pero maganda 'to. Vintage."

"No, no, I like that one. Got that from my travels."

"Very sentimental, hmm, but let's not do that to the wardrobe, 'kay? Mas mukha ka pang matanda kaysa sa akin, eh." Maddie kept on blabbering about how old-fashioned I am. She told me that I should dress more like a human and not like a zombie Joan Jett. "I already bought some clothes yesterday, so you're gonna wear these and not complain, alright?"

"Oo na." It's not like I have a choice. Well, technically, she is my boss 'cause she's the one who's been covering my tracks for the last ten, what, twenty years whenever I get sloppy, hungry, and all.

"I'll wait for you in the car. Don't forget to put on that polarized Oakley Holbrook that I got you. Maliwanag doon," She bragged, telling me to change my mind about things, like letting go of my leather jacket. Maddie hates it. And yes, I got that from a concert. I stole it from my snack when the loud, crazy singing ended. "About time, vampy. Napakakupad mo."

"Stop, stop, okay." I brushed my teeth, tied my hair into a messy bun, and slid on my gray hoodie. "You'll get what you want, just let me be myself this time. Madison, please."

"'Kay. Good girl ka naman, eh."

"Shut up." Aside from not getting what I want, I hate trying to move forward. If I did, she'll be left out. I don't want that. I don't want to leave her. "I got caught up with these, earshit, that you gave me."

"You like listening to music, so, you're welcome. It's called an iPod, dummy, and that's what you call AirPods. Wala kasi nyan sa bundok, eh, ano? Naglagay na ako ng classical music dyan."

"Moonlight sonata?"

"Yes." I know how to use this kind of thing but it's different from that Sony, red-colored Disc Man that I had back in the day. "See? This is a lot handier than the ones you have. You don't get to use the radio because that's not how young people roll. They use cell phones, no pager. High-tech na ngayon." I feel like I'm a caveman and now a futuristic crap of a person is teaching me how to use some newly invented things. "Oh, don't look at me like that. You've been living under a rock for a very, very long time. Don't pretend that you've wanted to hold these things. Ayaw mo kasi ng bago, eh."

"Well, I-"

"Don't reason out, Alek. We need to go out more, so people can see that you're normal. We need to do this more often." Maddie smiled sarcastically at me, pretending that what she said blew me away. "Okay, so, um, we're doing this because whether you like it or not, I am going to die soon. I want people to be familiar with you and vice versa, okay?" I can't deny that what she said saddened me. "We should've done this a long time ago, and don't go Neanderthal on me 'cause I'm doing this for you. 'Wag kang magsusuplada, binabalaan na kita."