Dracula's Secret

4

Remington's POV:

Shortly after Ricky left, Emerson and Sebastian came storming in. "You let him see your powers?!" Sebastian demanded.

"How many times do I have to tell you that I can't control it? It just comes over me," I told him for the umpteenth time.

"Make it stop coming over you! You need to fix this problem, or else there's going to be a problem. I don't think that Ricky believes that it was fake."

Emerson looked away. "Maybe we'll get lucky and he'll believe that."

"We're not that lucky." Sebastian looked over to the table at one of the old, sepia photos of me that we had. "What if he'd seen this? What if he found out the truth?"

"He wasn't looking that carefully. He was too shaken up." I waved my hand dismissively. "Everything is going to be fine. I don't see what the big deal about any of this is anyways. So I freaked another person out. What does it really matter?"

"We can't go underground! We're humans!"

"Maybe we should just wait until the drugs come out of his system," Emerson suggested. There was no ice in his tone, but his words were meant that way. 

"I'm not high!" I insisted.

"I know." He shook his head. "You never are." It always made me feel guilty to disappoint my little brother, but it's not like I did it just to piss him off. Coping mechanisms are different for everyone. And whether they're viewed as bad is irrelevant because I can't die of an overdose. And then Emerson walked away. 

Sebastian glared at me. "Now look what you've done! You've driven him away too. As if it wasn't bad enough that you already haunted someone who now knows our secret. We can't just keep convincing people that it's their imagination."

"I don't even know what's the matter with me! And you expect me to be able to control it?!" I stood up, unable to contain my anger any longer. 

"Have you even tried to figure it out?" He crossed his arms across his chest. 

"As a matter of fact, I have! And it's not like the internet is just filled with information about the mysterious ability to teleport. Every website I've ever seen, every blog, every article, every, book, they all say that people like me are crazy. They tell me that it's all in my head. I'm not imagining it!" I held out Gloom to him, turned to the page with the address of the Viper Room. "I have to go there. I need to know who gave me this book, and if they can tell me anything."

"And how do you know that your mystery sender is going to be there?" Sebastian's voice had shifted from angry to doubtful.

"I don't. I just have a little bit of faith left. People don't know where we live. If this person did, then they have to know something about me."

"Fine, do whatever you want," He sighed and began to walk away from me. He probably went to check up on Emerson. 

Later that evening, I was walking the streets of West Hollywood. I would have driven, but in West Hollywood, walking is actually faster. A man stuck his leg out and looked up at me. "Can you give me some money, man?" He asked. Based on his appearance, I'd guess that he was homeless.

I reached into my pocket and gave him five dollars. "Go and get yourself some dinner."

"Thanks." The man took the money and stood up, beginning to walk away. I wonder if he was actually going to get himself a dinner, or spend it all on a titty bar. Then again, how much can five dollars really buy one at a titty bar? 

I continued to walk up the sidewalk until I finally arrived at the door of the Viper Room. I was about to enter, but I saw something out of the corner of my eye that stopped me. Someone was just standing around, and they lit a cigarette. 

"Was starting to think that you'd never show," The person said. The voice sounded female, but I couldn't tell.

"Who are you?" I asked, walking away from the door and towards the person. 

"I'm just like you. Just another person, floating through the ocean of life." They made a wave-like gesture with their hand.

"Enough with the philosophy. Why did you give me that book?" I asked, wanting to cut to the chase. 

The shadow cleared their throat, then they stepped forward into the light. Definitely female. "I gave you that book because I wanted for you to find me. I can help you."

I shook my head. "You can't help me. No one can help me. No one knows what's wrong with me."

"I do! I understand what's happening to you! That's what I'm trying to say," She insisted further. Her choppy haircut caused her hair to fall into her face, and she flipped it away with her hand. She pointed to herself aggressively. "I know who you are. I know exactly who you are!"

I began to back away. "Alright, so you know who I am. Then tell me who I am." It was more of a question asked out of fear than a challenge to see if she wasn't just all talk.

"You're the last heir of Dracula."

"What?" I shook my head. "That's not possible. Dracula isn't real."

"Believe what you will, but I know who you really are. And we could have a DNA test to prove it."

"You don't know who I am."

"I know that you scared Ricky Olson today. I know that you to PCP this morning. I know that you don't understand why Gloom is missing everything after Vanity. I know that you have two half brothers. I know who you are." The last sentence was aggressive in a Maleficent-knows-that-you-stole-her-wings sort of way. 

"You're wrong. You may know more about me than you should, but you're wrong." I started backing away more. "You're just a crazy fan."

"A fan of what? You're poor excuse for a band? Sweetie, I know who you are. You know I know who you are. And the sooner you accept that, the better."