Blind As a Bat [1st book complete]

Consolation

I felt myself smile momentarily; it wasn't a well kept secret. I actually had to think for a moment whether my eyes were open or closed before looking in the direction he seemed to be, "Yes, that walking stick over there is specifically made for the blind. I'm told it's colored white to let people know one is blind, so it's not a secret or anything."

I shifted my eyes downward, and began to cross my arms before releasing a hiss at wrenching the still healing wound, "So then, how did you become blind?"

I sighed, this was becoming an annoyingly common question, "I was born this way."

"Wow, that's a real surprise," the man had taken a moment before responding, probably needing a moment to process something that is unheard of in the vampire world, "Uh, we heal from pretty much everything and anything. Have you ever tried physically damaging your eyes to see if they would fully heal?"

I shivered, my light heartbeat speeding as memories and thoughts ran through my head. I opened my dry mouth then closed it, and cleared my throat, "N-no. No, it doesn't work," I forced out, my voice a little strangled and cracking before hardening. "And stuff like that, isn't that just wrong?! Hurting someone just to 'fix' them."

 "And when it doesn't work? How is that okay?" My voice had trailed off to a whisper, no longer considering the man's presence. I had gotten caught up in memories that still periodically visited me in my nightmares. I squeezed my eyelids shut momentarily, rubbing at the edges of my nails.

I belatedly remembered the sound of the man leaning back during my rampage, and I focused on him once more as he spoke after I had calmed, "I'm sorry. I should have considered the implications of something like that. It's not right for me or anyone else to consider you anything less or inferior just because of your difference."

I rolled my lips together, sucking them into my mouth before releasing them with a sigh. This was a crossroads. I really had no idea what was even going on at this point. I was tired, stressed and just wanted to curl up somewhere safe to sleep. Maybe not surface for a few weeks or months. Other beings are horribly annoying to deal with even on the best of days. There never seems to be anyone who isn't either pitying or domineering and spiteful.

I heard him huff out a breath, and the sound of him rubbing his hair with both hands. Seated like this, quietly, I began to consider this stranger. From the sound of his mouth, he seemed maybe a head taller, though I'm not even sure of my height, though I would consider it average in comparison to the general populace. From the sounds, his hair was maybe two to three inches long and thick. While he walked and moved quietly, it seemed as if he outweighed me a pretty good deal.

"I need to ask you some serious questions about the club," The man blurted out, causing me to jump ever so slightly. I felt my eyes widen a little. "I really need to know for everyone's safety. But we can take it slow; there's no need to find out everything all at once."

I nodded my head and he continued, "So what did they look like? What impression did you first have from them?"

"W-well...," I drew up my shoulders, feeling the right ache a little. The feel didn't affect me that much any more as I considered his questions. "Uh, I think they were about my height. They sounded the same though one had a slightly lower voice..."

"Their arms felt about the same as mine, maybe a little thicker and the left one was actually probably a couple inches taller. Uh, I'm usually pretty good at avoiding people or at least being able to tell the general vicinity, but they were almost like a dead space. When I could smell them, it was watery, and I could hear almost nothing from them. It was disconcerting."

I was fidgeting with my fingers, unable to suppress the need to relieve the pressure in some form. Luckily, this guy didn't seem like a bully, so I wasn't worried about showing some weakness at the moment.

"That's interesting," He muttered, probably to himself. "So, did they come up to you or- how did you get to talking to them?"

"Well, I accidentally ran into them since I couldn't really sense them, and there's no way I could have seen them, considering," I waved a hand at my face. "So one got angry about me walking into them and cussing me out about wearing my sunglasses." Thinking of them, I rubbed the bridge of my nose, missing my sunglasses. 

"I told them I was blind and they became curious. We talked a little more and they started getting weird and touching me," A shiver ran up my spine and I found myself holding my arms up so my laced hands were beneath my chin. "They- they said they wanted me to meet someone but I refused. They started to scare me; I'm not sure why. Then... They grabbed onto me so-so tight and I was so weak. There was nothing I could do. I was trapped between them, and I tried to get away, but I couldn't even use my legs, they kept me from being able to do anything as they led me to the door."

I hated hearing my voice tremble as I spoke out, but the words were more of an afterthought. I was fully submerged in what happened. The fear, the touching, the utter confusion and helplessness. I didn't even feel my eyes water or the tears dripping down or my hands balling into fists, nails digging into the soft pads of my hands. Not until he appeared throwing what I believed was a blanket over my shoulders. I snapped my head up towards him, and was surprised to feel his hands on my cheeks, rubbing the tears away. I leaned back slightly, rubbing the last of it away with the backs of my hands, sniffling.

Surprisingly, he also flopped down next to me, but at this point I was pretty much too exhausted to care as much; I was still caught up in the shards of tonight's events. It wasn't until he wrapped his arm around me, then I felt his other arm wrap around the front, rubbing my now-healed shoulder. I stiffened, then tried to extract myself to no avail. It was then that I really started to freak out again.

Uh oh. Trapped physically, mentally and emotionally with a stranger that he woke up in a room with. And not knowing where the door is... Can it get any worse?

**99% of people don't read this, and I really need some feedback**

Let's find out. Please Please Please leave comments on what you think?