Mesmerized | ✓

4

Yuli could be a little more careful but it didn't matter that much anyway. Carl would look past anything as long as Yuli had him under his spell. After Yuli washed off the blood as best as he could they went back to Carl's flat and he persuaded him to go to sleep with a promise that the next day everything would be better.

Meanwhile, Yuli stayed awake trying to think of a way to meet a girl that would easily fall in love with him. He had 30 days to find one that would confess her affection to him so that he could consume her warm beating heart which would grant him a soul. If he didn't pay enough attention those days could slip right through his fingers and all the effort would have been for nothing.

This world was alien to Yuli even though he had learned some snippets of it. Yet, desperately, he wanted to become a permanent part of it, to live among the people like Carl, to really live and have an immortal soul. Yuli kept staring at the young man who this time was sleeping in his own bed. He was smart and he was figuring stuff out quite quickly but it didn't matter as long as Yuli had him under his control.

*****

The first thing that Carl realized when he woke up was that he had slept through his alarm. He checked his cell phone and saw that he hadn't even set it the night before. But what was more striking was the fact that it was well past 9 AM and so he was already running behind. Also, there were a few texts and a missed call from Candace.

He couldn't remember much from the previous evening. But once Carl's gaze landed on Yuli's sleeping form on the floor all the horrors came rushing back to him. The half-dead girl pushed against the wall with blood dripping down her neck, that very same blood staining Yuli's shirt and coloring his lips dark red.

Carl could feel his body start to tremble as he wondered what to do about his friend. God, was he a vampire or some other kind of monster like that? No, the boy shook his head. He was probably just a murderer sick to his head. Yet, the thought of Yuli being a blood-hungry vampire didn't seem completely ridiculous. He had sucked a person dry and he also had a weird effect on people. He had no problem walking in full sunlight but Carl couldn't call himself an expert of blood suckers.

Everyone was instantly pulled towards him, pushed into the arms of the death himself. Even Carl, as straight as they come, had to admit to himself that he wanted or maybe rather desired Yuli in every possible way. He now could think more or less clearly but as soon as Yuli opened those emerald eyes he would lose his mind and his free will.

And the worst thing was that there was a rather huge part of him that actually wanted those eyes to open. And that was scary. His memories always got hazy when Yuli was around him but in a way it was like a drug. He was calm and content and no matter what happened he remained unfazed by it.

But he couldn't remain in this weird state. Carl needed to take the matters into his own hands and start with escaping so that Yuli's charm couldn't reach him. But first he had to leave without waking him up. So Carl quietly got out of bed, slipping his feet into his slippers so that his bare feet didn't alert Yuli.

He carefully threw on random clothes and grabbed his backpack, not caring whether or not there were proper coursebooks inside. Smirking to himself in triumph Carl grabbed the keys fully intending to lock the monster inside. He was almost out of the door when he tripped over Yuli's newly-bought (with Carl's money of course) sneakers. He didn't fall, didn't even sway but he still feared that the sound could wake Yuli up.

Carl's suspicion was confirmed when he heard Yuli's sweet voice that cut through the air like a razor. "And where do you think you're going?" Just hearing his voice made Carl's knees go week. He didn't want to turn around and see his face because he knew he would be done for and yet his feet seemed to be moving against his will.

He was terrified. He felt like crying and his heart was pounding loudly inside of his chest. But once he saw Yuli's easy smile all the worries (or at least a great majority of them) fled Carl's mind. He was completely captivated. "I have classes." He managed to say despite the fact that he didn't feel like leaving the apartment anymore.

Yuli laughed that angelic laugh of his. "No. We need to keep searching for the right girl." He said and then looked to the fridge. "But first make me something to eat. I'd better get used to eating." He said the last word with clear disgust, scrunching up his nose.

Carl nodded his head and obediently wandered over to the fridge dropping the backpack to the floor. He opened the fridge wondering what the other boy would like to eat. "What do you want? I don't have much. I'll have to go shopping soon." He looked at the small selection of foods before glancing at Yuli. "How about some eggs? Scrambled?"

But Yuli seemed to be occupied with Carl's backpack. "Yeah. Whatever." He said as he awkwardly attempted to unzip it. When he finally succeeded he smiled triumphantly and turned it upside down so that the books and papers that had been put inside all fell out. Yuli picked up one of the books, the one for his English class, and inspected it closely. "What is it for?"

"For my class." Carl replied simply turning on the stove and grabbing the only pan he owned.

"What kind of class?" Yuli browsed through the book, not really seeming very interested by its contents.

"I'm learning how to sharpen and mold the minds of the youth." Carl asked with a smirk but Yuli only made a confused face. "Never mind. I'm studying English to become a teacher." He wanted Yuli to be curious about what he was doing, what his dreams were and other stuff like that. Yet, there was boredom written all over Yuli's face and seemed completely uninterested.

Yuli didn't ask anything more about Carl's studies or life in general and the boy couldn't help but feel a little disappointed by it. He wanted Yuli to listen to him with interest instead of only commandeering him. But that didn't happen. They ate the eggs together and this time Yuli actually seemed to enjoy it. But as Carl watched him eat he couldn't keep the images of his blood-soaked mouth from resurfacing. But this time they didn't really seem to bother him that much.

Once again they spent the majority of the day watching films. That looked to be one of Yuli's favorite activities. He seemed to be hypnotized by the images on the screen, as if he was watching the TV for the first time in his life. Well, maybe he was. Maybe he had just escaped from some crazy cult and that was the secret.

But as some point they heard knocking against the door. Yuli immediately looked at Carl with a confused face. "I'm not expecting anyone." Carl said in a whisper. "Let's just be quiet." He lowered the volume hoping that the intruder would just go away.

But she didn't. And when she spoke Carl felt a shiver ran down his spine. "Hey, man, you there?" Candace asked through the door continuing to knock. "I know you're there because where else would you be?"

Carl noticed a spark of interest on Yuli's face and that seemed to sober him up just enough to realize that Candace could be in grave danger.