Chapter 19

-Noah's POV-

It took us far less time to get down the stairs then it did to get me up the stairs. I was able to have a good look around Crow's passage and living room. I wasn't sure if this was what Ruby and Violet would have expected from someone who looked on the edge of death in their son's bed a few moments ago, but Aldrich's support helped us get downstairs nearly effortlessly. I put on one of Crow's oversized hoodies before making the trip, to hide the fact that I had been dead and came back to life for the second time, along with the fact I was slightly underweight.

I had been trying to figure out who exactly Aldrich reminded me of. There was a nagging feeling in my stomach which indicated that I had seen him, or someone like him, before.

"I must say, you have lovely interior design taste," Aldrich complemented. I was sat down on the settee, with Crow next to me, elbows on his knees. He looked as though he could pounce at any moment. "Bit too vampiric for my taste though." He smirked, getting ready for our reaction. I wasn't sure if this was like how he usually acted, but I had concluded that he wasn't the most sensible person.

I snorted. It felt strange to find something as simple as that amusing. I suppose it was mainly because of who said it, but I still surprised myself by actually finding it funny.

"My mam will be very proud to hear you say that," Crow commented. "Anyway, weren't we discussing something serious?" he lowered the volume of his voice, it was so low I nearly didn't hear him.

"Sorry, sorry. I'm just trying to ease the tension in the room." Aldrich held up his hands and moved to the single armchair in the corner of the room. "I know that you're in love and want to make sure your boyfriend is safe, but it's good to joke sometimes too."

Crow groaned and then huffed. "I'm not the joking type."

I smirked slightly, knowing that he was feeling slightly embarrassed. He was the joking and sarcastic type, but this situation wasn't one where jokes would be appropriate. But the thought of being Crow's boyfriend made my heart skip a beat. That was something I hadn't expected either. I felt like I reacted well to the small tease, despite it not being meant for me.

"I also want to make sure his boyfriend is safe," I responded.

Crow snapped his head towards me with a soft glare. But his lips betrayed him as the corners turned up a bit. He didn't want to laugh, but I wasn't about to make this entire thing doom and gloom. I was aware of the seriousness, but I didn't want to be put under all of that pressure. My life had been in danger today, and I wanted to forget.

"Back to the serious things we need to discuss then it seems." Aldrich cleared his throat and sat forward. "I'm not going to sugar coat the fact that you shouldn't be alive." I was getting tired of hearing that. "I want to know exactly what happened, and what the results were."

I knew what he meant. After going through all that, I asked myself why exactly I survived. I was just a simple art student who worked whenever he could to make sure the bills were paid on time. Why was I so special? Why was I the only survivor of Bertrand's barbaric experiments? "Is there something wrong with me?" I asked weakly. I nearly laughed at how stupid I sounded. Of course there was. Fragments of Bertrand's voice came to me as I thought, but none of them told me the answers.

"Ah, no." Aldrich waves his hand dismissively. "There is nothing wrong with you at all/. What Varlett tried to do to you was very much taboo and frowned upon in vampire society. It was simply an attempt to make vampires stronger. It hadn't worked so far for reasons nobody knows. But it only intended to increase your strength. I want to know if that's all it did."

"That's it?" Crow asked, bewildered. "So many vampires have died, simply to create a stronger breed? Noah nearly died, so that someone could be a little bit stronger? We're already some of the strongest creatures on the planet." His fists were tightening with each word.

"Well, stronger, quicker, quick healers. Take everything which makes a vampire and double it." Aldrich was still staring at me, which did nothing to ease my nerves. In fact, I was close to hyperventilating with the intense gaze and the subject matter. I didn't want to be quicker or stronger. I hadn't even used my regular vampiric powers to their full ability, because they were unnecessary and overwhelming. "Noah, they cannot find you. They cannot find out that you're alive."

Chills ran down my spine again. The very act of being alive could put me and those I love, by that I mean Crow, into immense danger. It had only been around a month since I found out that vampires actually existed, and now vampires would be hunting me for their sadistic experiments. But wasn't that close to what vampires were doing to humans? Hunting them down to satisfy their own needs? The two weren't exactly the same, but they were close enough in my opinion. "What could we do?" To make sure that I, and Crow, survive this.

"Nothing, do absolutely nothing." I didn't know which part of the question he was referring to. It could've been interpreted in many different ways. "Stay safe. Stay together. Don't make noise. Don't let anyone know you're alive, the people who you knew when you were human. It's not safe for you out there, especially without knowing the full extent of what they did."

I felt like I had been pulled into an old fairy-tale or fantasy drama. This man was the old guide who told you what not to do on your quest to find the hidden treasure. I didn't like how much confidence he had in himself and what was right, but Crow and I knew far less than he did. We didn't have much choice but to listen to what he had to say.

Crow sighed, causing me to turn my head towards him. He had his eyes closed for a few minutes, before he turned completely to look at me. A small smile creeped on his lips, and he said quietly, "it won't be forever." Because we have forever. Now we have forever to live and do what we want. If we stay trapped and hidden for a few years, they might forget about me. Then we would be free to live our lives. When did it become 'our' lives?

"Okay," I finally said and turned back to Aldrich, who had finally torn his eyes away from me. "I'll stay safe, but you need to tell us what those either experiments are." I didn't want to suddenly have some kind of extraordinary powers which I couldn't control. I knew I wouldn't be going home, nor would I be able to go to university or the cafe. I knew where I could go, but I didn't want to assume it would be where I ended up.

"Alright," Aldrich agreed, sitting back in his seat. "I'll explain to you what I know." He then became quiet. "Oh, now?"

"That was a short and sweet visit," Crow muttered as he shut the door behind Aldrich. The man was nowhere in sight, vanishing as soon as Crow opened the door. Ruby and Violet hadn't come to see what was going on, but we kept our voices down, just low enough so that they couldn't make out any of our words. Violet came in long enough to hand me a bowl of warm soup, which I ate almost greedily. It was rare I had home cooked meals, much less something so comforting.

"It was useful though," I replied with a small huff. I hadn't comprehended half of what we discussed, and I wasn't sure if I would be able to anytime soon. He hadn't told us much more after warning us that we should stay hidden. He suggested that I stay with Crow for the time being, because nobody would expect anything unusual in a neighbourhood such as his. I still had my thoughts set on the treehouse though, as I'm not sure if Aldrich knew about that or not.

"It was strange," Crow corrected with a frown as he sat beside me, Raven in his arms. "He seems to have good intentions." His voice was hesitant and conflicted.

"What's up?" I asked quietly, hoping to sound gentle and patient. Those were two adjectives which didn't suit me too well. I didn't want to push him into telling me anything he didn't want to share, but there was something irritating him.

"I just thought that I would react differently to someone declaring they were the one to turn me," Crow admitted and rubbed at his neck. "I honestly thought that I would lunge for this throat and attempt to kill him after what he did. Or I would bow before him and worship the ground he worked on. I didn't expect to feel like this."

I didn't know what to say as a response. Up until now, I thought that Crow's actions had been the cause of my vampirism. I thought that I was staring at the person who turned me. I had felt that anger and resentment he must be feeling.

"We can try to relax for now," I said. "We have to keep our guards up and head down. We could do boring, mundane, human things. And they don't know about you, do they? You could go to school." I would need to phone my university and get some time off. I would probably be bored silly, but it would be worth it.

"I didn't expect the year to go like this." Crow sat back in the chair and rested his head on my shoulder. "I was planning to get my A-levels and apply to universities." There was more he wasn't saying. But I supposed that was always the case with Crow.

"You can say that again." I laughed a bit and put my now empty bowl onto the table. I didn't know what to do with my hands, as Crow was leaning against my arm. It would've been the perfect opportunity to put my arm around him. But I wasn't brave enough for that. "We just need to make the most out of what we were given." I don't know where that positivity came from. It was something I thought plenty of times, solely because I didn't have a lot at any point throughout my life.

"I agree." Crow was becoming heavier on my arm, but it wasn't at all painful. It was a gentle and comforting pressure, almost like a hug.

"You have an awesome room by the way," I told him in an attempt to change the subject. I had plenty of time to scan Crow's room when I was recovering in his bed. Crow had many trinkets in his room, and I wanted to learn the history and connections for each one of them.

"You saw the pictures, didn't you?" Crow's voice was muffled by my arm. He was hiding his face the best he could. "I don't know why my mam insisted I put those up. Like, I remember what I looked like when I was a child, I don't need to be reminded."

"All of them, my favourite was the one in your year five swimming class." A smirk rested on my lips as I watched his face redden. Crow clutched my arm and groaned at the very mention of the photo. He knew exactly which one I was talking about. The skinny and frail-looking boy had a large grin on his face, emerald eyes covered by bright blue goggles.

"I'm going to burn them. That floatie was going to be the death of me." He sighed. Raven then called him to attention, as he had stopped stroking her. "Yeah, yeah, greedy." He rolled his eyes.

"I'm sure you'll learn how to swim one day," I teased. Especially now you don't need air." That was another positive which came out of the whole situation at least. "I could help you if you want? We'd need to start with the doggy paddle, and we'll need to get aesthetically pleasing floaties."

Crow laughed, a single, mocking laugh. "I look forward to it." The words felt like he was no longer talking about learning how to swim, but rather a promise. He was promising me that we would have more time together, to do things like swimming and messing around. We wouldn't be hiding forever.

Hello lovelies!

I hope that you're doing well :D

The question of the chapter is; have you been on a plane before?

I've been on one before, but I think I was younger than two, so I can't remember it at all! I'm asking because my cousins have convinced my mam to get our passports so we could go on holiday in August. I must admit that I'm incredibly anxious about this, but I hope that it goes well.