Chapter 9

-Crow's POV-

It was happening quicker than I had expected. I couldn't remember how long it had taken before my green eyes had been consumed by red. It wasn't too clear, nobody pointed it out before I noticed it. My eyes went rather well with the subtle hints of red, creating a hazel colour. So, I couldn't rely on my own experiences.

Noah looked understandably disturbed, as though it wasn't his face that he was looking at. "That...that's unreal," Noah whispered. He touched the mirror, as though looking for any tricks or films that could possibly replicate such an unusual effect. "Does it go away?"

I closed the mirror sharply, causing Noah to flinch back. "No," I answered. I that it would be best if I were to rip the bandage off. Noah seemed like the kind who preferred people being straightforward with him. "It only goes away after you feed."

Noah's eyes widened and his breath quickened. His hands began to shake, and he walked backwards into the wall of the alley.

"I'm going to get your stuff from the cafe." I spun on my heels and rushed towards the streets. I slowed when the opening came into view. I kept an ear out for any possible disturbances from the alley, in case Noah needed any help, or to be tracked down. I didn't know how he would react to a situation like this, a realisation that this was actually happening.

I retrieved his bag and returned in under five minutes. Noah had his head buried in his knees, fist pressed against the ground. Deep cracks were prominent in the cement surrounding his hand. It was clear that he had punched the floor in frustration. He didn't look up as I approached either. I was glad that I hadn't been the recipient of the emotions he was feeling.

I let out a sigh and joined Noah on the ground. I rested my head back against the cold brick of the building and let my own emotions seep out of their cage. I didn't know how I was going to be able to keep control of a vampire, as well as keep control of myself at the same time. I didn't want to doubt Noah's abilities, but he probably knew himself as much as I knew him at this point. My jaw clenched at the feeling of dread and worry which was pooling in my stomach.

"How did you do this?" Noah asked. His voice sounded broken, like the joyfulness that I had heard last night was a moment of possession. His voice reminded me of myself when I had first turned. I was lost, searching for a glimmer of hope in the dark alleyways in the middle of the night. I looked for help and guidance which never came. I hope that I could be that person for Noah. I could give him a path towards some light, despite being basked in the triumphant night,

"You mean, how do I do this?" I asked. I didn't really want to pretend like I wasn't suffering, or I didn't have hard patches in life. I didn't want to lie to him. "I struggled immensely, I was confused and I didn't have anyone to tell me what to do." That was how I imagined Noah was feeling. "I still struggle. Sometimes my emotions become so out of control I can't breathe." I placed a hand on my chest, remembering the times I struggled to catch my breath. "I tried so many things to distract myself, journaling, reading, meditation, all worked to some degree. But sometimes they weren't enough. I sometimes...no no." I shook my head and looked down.

"What?" Noah asked after a moment of silence. He let out a small laugh, which surprised me, considering he was punching the pavement a few minutes ago.

I inhaled deeply. "I think about what I enjoyed when I was human. It's silly, but I focused on everything except my emotions. It's not good to bottle emotions, but sometimes it's necessary." I contemplated putting a hand on Noah's leg to comfort him, but I thought better of it and just moved closer to him. "I liked to focus on my cologne which I wore every day. I liked to create little doodles..." I trailed off and offered him a small smile. "I guess you've got to find small things like that. I don't mind helping you with that, if you need it."

"Now," I said and patted his shoulder, electricity going through my fingers. I stood up and dusted my trousers off. "I've got a surprise for you."

"You have done nothing but fill me with curiosity and fear this afternoon," Noah stated as he also stood up. "Don't we have more pressing issues to deal with at the moment?" He gestured towards his face as we began to walk.

I hummed. "I think that you're handsome enough," I teased lightly. "I won't take you to my luxurious gothic castle where there'll be human sacrifices. That's reserved for next week." I tried to mix it up. I wasn't sure if Noah's red face and slightly open mouth was due to horror or flattery. "People won't ask questions if you put your hood up."

"That's not funny," Noah muttered under his breath. He nudged my arm, harder than he probably meant to. I supposed that having a castle wouldn't be too uncharacteristic for myself, as I preferred solitude and had the money for it. "What's the surprise?"

"If I wanted you to know, I would've told you." I ran a hand through my hair. "And you would probably run int he opposite direction." Scaring Noah was kind of fun. I sighed and shook my head at Noah's horrified expression. "I'm joking, you would know if I were serious."

Noah scoffed. "And how long will that take?" I had the feeling he meant more than what he was asking. How long would it take until he was feeling somewhat normal? Unfortunately, I didn't have an answer.

-Noah's POV-

Busy streets turned into abandoned roads as we left the crowded city. Then those abandoned roads turned into a forest. I was beginning to get worried that Crow was taking me somewhere nobody could hear my screams, but I kept reminding myself that he could've, and had, hurt me significantly in an alleyway before. I had been alone with Crow on many occasions, and he hasn't given me any further reason to be worried.

"So, uh, how was your day?" I asked Crow. I felt bad that I hadn't paid him any mind since I got off work. The almost-silence was deafening. The reason it was almost-silence was because I stood in too many leaf piles or trampled over sticks to constitute as completely silent.

Crow kicked some stones out of the way. "My day was okay, nothing out of the ordinary happened." Crow scoffed. "My friend Haven says hello, by the way."

I didn't know who Haven was, but it made me smile a little. I assumed that she was one of the girls who was waiting outside of the shop when I first saw him. "Wait, you told someone about me?" I didn't know if I was meant to be scared or flattered. I really wasn't sure why I would be scared. If she said hello, then he couldn't have been saying anything negative about me. But did she know about what Crow was? Did she know why Crow was helping me? I didn't realise that I had begun to trail behind him until he had to turn around to see me.

"She knew about you already," he stated. "She was with me in town when we had our second encounter." He flinched, for a reason I could guess. "She knew that I gave you permission to sleep in my room." He rubbed the back of his neck. "She just knows I spend a lot of time with you, and she jumps to conclusions quicker than she puts her glasses on."

My ears rang and I bit my lip. This girl who I didn't even know must have made so many assumptions about me and my relationship with her friend. I was staying in his hotel room, after only just meeting a few days ago. "She doesn't think we...er..."

Crow burst out laughing. He bent over, clutching his stomach. I didn't understand what was so funny, but he was absolutely killing himself with laughter. "I've known Haven practically all our lives, that would be the farthest conclusion that she would ever come up with." He moved some hair away from his face. He then put a hand on my chest, stopping me in my tracks. The touch made tingles erupt in my body, it was like touching an ice sculpture.

I only nodded in response. The thought had created a sort of numbness in my mind. I looked around in confusion, searching for a reason why we would be out here. I found it when I looked up, a large treehouse towered above me, making me nearly fall back in shock.

"How on earth did you get this? Make this? Whatever this?" I wasn't in control of the words which were flooding out of my mouth. "Can gravity even do that?" I had to hold onto Crow's arm to steady myself. If I hadn't known any better, I would've assumed that there was magic involved in the creation of the treehouse. The structure looked far too large to be held on the tree. There was a simple ladder, which lead to a simple hatch, but the very size of the house made it extraordinary.

"I have no clue," Crow admitted with a grin on his face. He moved to the ladder and began to walk up, backwards. "Builders did this under my request when I was really young. My mothers took most of it into their own hands, like designing and such. I suppose that when I asked for a treehouse, this wasn't what I meant. It's came in useful though." He opened the hatch above him and disappeared.

I didn't know how he could possibly walk up the ladder backwards like that. "Next time, hold onto the ladder," I exclaimed. Since he was out of my sight, and int he safety of the house, I relaxed my shoulders. I wasn't only concerned about his safety, but his sanity too. I hadn't seen anything so fascinating, yet so frightening in my life.

"Awe, you care," Crow teased. "You seem to have forgotten who exactly I am." His head was poking out of the treehouse opening. His hair was in his face, casting a shadow over his features.

I contemplated his words, remembering that Crow was, in fact, a vampire. Falling from a height like this one probably meant nothing to him. The world then seemed colder and greyer. I had almost forgotten why we were here in the first place.

It took me a few moments, and a lot of self-motivation, to get up the tall ladder. I tried my hardest to avoid splinters and spelks, putting a lot of thought into where I should place my hands. The treehouse itself was made of one room, with a modesty screen separating portion of the room from the rest. Mattresses and blankets covered the floor.

"Welcome to my safe space," Crow said as he flopped onto a mattress, huddling into a corner and wrapping a blanket around him. I was surprised that the blanket, and the treehouse, hadn't been a victim to bugs or wildlife. "Sorry about the mess, they're usually in the cupboards." He gestured to the plethora of objects on the floor.

I nodded absentmindedly and walked around the room, looking at whatever was on the floor, or in the cupboards. If Crow didn't want me to see anything, I was sure that he would tell me. I shouldn't have been surprised to see art supplies scattered across a small table. He probably had art supplies wherever he went. "I still don't know why I'm here."

"I thought that would be obvious." Crow's voice was muffled due to the blanket which Crow was wrapped in. "This is where I came when I became a vampire in order to escape the world and keep people safe. I learned about being a vampire due to trial and error." Crow sat up straight, staring at me. "Noah Trison." Crow was in front of me in a blink of an eye. "Welcome to vampire 101."

THANK YOU FOR READING!

QUESTION OF THE CHAPTER!

Have you guys ever been in a treehouse?

I haven't, but to be honest, I don't think I would've ever had the courage to go in one if I knew anyone that had one. They're quite uncommon here I think.