Chapter 4

DO I REALLY HAVE A CHOICE

I backed away slowly, glancing around the room, his two formidable friends making perfect blockade.  I was trapped with no way out.  Here I was, all alone with these so  not normal people.  People who were claiming to be vampires.  Apparently, no matter what else, they were straight up crazy people.  I was staring at Luke, who was watching me as intently as I was llooking for a possible escape.

"Max, will you please relax?  Nobody here is going to hurt you," he was saying.  I continued to inch away from him.  I was sweating, but could feel a cold chill all over my body at the same time.  I was pretty sure I was going to throw up, too.  "Let’s go to the game room where we can watch some TV, maybe get something to eat,"  he continued, gesturing toward the stairs.  “We need to talk.”  I shook my head.  “No.  I want to leave, and I want to leave now."  Luke nodded.

"I'll take you home, but you can't leave until you understand everything.  So, we can sit in the game room, or we can go eat in the dining hall.  Whichever makes you feel more comfortable.  I was speechless for a moment, trying to decide whether this was some sort of trick.

"I don't want to eat with you people.   I certainly don't feel like being your dinner."  I managed to say.  The giant guy started laughing.  I wanted to hit him, but knew I didn’t stand a chance.

"We are not going to eat you, Max.  We will go to the game room and play some videogames or watch a little  TV, then I will explain things better. so you can understand."  He was already walking back up the stairs.  I felt reluctantly compelled to follow him.

I tried to focus on following him, but the presence of his friends stalking behind us was rattling me.  My emotions were all over the place.  I had this vision of them sneaking  up on me and trying to eat me or something.  Luke kept climbing the staircase that appeared to go on forever and I was becoming tired very quickly, yet everyone else didn't seem to be slowing down at all.  Once we finally came to a third landing, my legs were starting to burn.  I was relieved when Luke turned and walked down a hallway off this landing.  He opened a set of double doors,  motioning for me to go in.  I didn’t really want to go in first.

Luke apparently got the clue, and went in.  I followed, albeit, grudgingly.  The room was empty except for three sofas that surrounded a coffee table.  There was a large wide screen TV that took up a large part of one of the walls.  There was massive collection of movies and games stacked all over the back.   Okay, reptilian people/vampires, whatever they were, at least knew how to have fun.  Luke walked over  and sat on the sprawling couch directly across from the TV.  I was startled by the door closing behind me.  I must have jumped about a foot in the air at the sound.  Luke's friends sat quickly on each of the opposite couches.  I realized I would have to sit on the same couch as Luke, or I might just not sit at all.  I should have taken one of the vacant couches before his friends sat on them.  

"Come, Max, just sit with us.  We can watch TV or play a video games.  We basically have  everything,” Luke was bragging.

"I don't really want to hang around.  I just want this over and done with, so I can go home."  Irritated by all of them trying to get me to let my guard down,  so they can trap me and and eat me... or worse..

"Okay, like I was saying earlier, we all are vampires..."

"Look, there is no such thing as vampires!”  I answered, angrily. “They're just a myth that came about from grave robbers a long time ago.  Back when they did not embalm the dead bodies and they looked like vampires when the coffins were opened."  I took a few steps toward the door.

"Max wait!  I am not lying to you.  We are, indeed, vampires.  Vampires are real as you are, they are just not what the world thinks we are," he explained, somehow walking toward me.  I hadn't seen him get up.

"Oh, by all means, enlighten me.  What are real vampires like?" I said, in my most  most sarcastic voice.

"We are not dangerous, unless under great emotional or physical duress, as most humans can be.  It rarely happens.  Most governments around the world are aware of our existence.  We have a mutually beneficial relationship with each nation.  There are other branches of our Royal Family living in every nation around the world.  We are kind of separate and do not tend to get involved with the other families territory, unless we absolutely have to intercede."

"So,” I began slowly.  “You're humanitarian vampires?  You don’t drink blood or kill humans?  You are just a group of peaceful, misunderstood creatures that just want to be loved."  I was mocking him, so irritated at the fact they thought I was dumb enough to believe this horse crap they were spoon feeding me.

"No we're not saints, Max.  Yes, we do drink blood, but it is against our law to drink from humans and drain them.  we have courts that deal with offenders and punishments fitting for such heinous acts," Luke was explaining.  I am sure I was glaring at him.

"Why is telling me any of this important?  Why not just leave me and my friends alone?  Thinking you are a normal guy, and not fromaa reptile or vampire world?"  Luke laughed.  

"Still swelling on the theory that we are reptiles?" Luke said as, his giant friend sat up and looked at me, kind of  in shock.

"You think we are reptiles?" he said, as Luke laughed even harder.  

“Okay, shut up, Max.  We are not reptilians, just plain, old, simple vampires."  Luke said decidedly, as the giant named Bobby sprawled out and relaxed on the couch.

"I don't care what you people think you are, why do I need to stay here and chad about it.  If you truly are vampires, why can't you just control my mind and make me forget what I've seen here?"  I said getting really tired of this conversation.

"No, in truth where not as glamorous as we have been depicted.  “We have no real superpowers.  We have above normal strength and speed.   We have excellent hearing. Some of us age, others don't.  Some vampires can go in the sun, but I'll explain that later."  Luke relaxed, leaning back on the coach.

"Wonderful, now answer a question for  me.  What is the point and telling me any of this, Luke?" I was very frustrated.

"Because sometimes vampires like me have an ability to sense certain things about  people.”  He was saying, and managed to avoid eye contact with me.

"So?" I said crossing my arms, almost daring him to continue.

"I sense a couple of things about you, Max.  You are a good and true friend.  There are not many people around like you.  You understand what the distinct lines of right and wrong are.  I feel it in my heart that you are meant to be my Second."

"What the hell is a Second?" I felt my blood run ice cold.

"Well, my Second will be my right hand man.  The person who assists me, advises me, and takes over if anything were to ever happen to me."  Luke stated simply, like it was something he alluded to quite a bit.

I stood there, trying to decipher everything Luke was saying.  I began to think this was some sort of elaborate joke.  It was the most unfunny trick that had ever been played on me.  But the truth is, I suddenly lost my fear, and all my anger dissipated suddenly.  I had no will to fight anymore.

I was wondering how they thought I would ever expect such a crazy idea like vampires exist and they are royalty and they work with the government, and oh, yeah, they are these vampires...  Of course, I have always understand that there are things governments do keep secret.  However, if vampires truly existed and were as civilized as Luke, then why hide it from the public?  I was no longer listening to Luke but having an inner discussion, when I remembered Luke said he sensed several things about me, and had only mentioned the friendship thing.

"What the second thing?" I asked, wanting to know.

"Oh, um,  that's a little harder to explain.  In the coffeehouse earlier you said you felt a pull."  I nodded, remembering pretty clearly that was how I wound up here, in whatever this mess I am in is.  "I believe you are in some way connected to my Mate.  The pull indicates it is probably a very close relationship that you share with them.”  Luke was rambling on, as if this is something one hears everyday.  Oh yeah, I was confused.

"Your  Mate?" I repeated.

"Mates, kiind of  like what humans refer to as soul-mates.  Most humans normally don’t bond the way Vampires do, unless they are pretty sensitive.  When you're a vampire, your soul sensitivity enhances and basically searches for its other half.  Every vampire has a mate, and they always find each other." Luke almost looked bored, certainly he appeard to be stating the obvious.

"So, someone I know is your Mate, and you want me to help you find her, correct?" I asked, trying to figure out what this games was about.

"Not so much,  Max.  The strength of the pull you feel as a human is an indication that my Mate is a blood relative of yours.”  Suddenly, I couldn’t breathe.  “You mentioned you have a younger sister?”

"You stay the hell away from my sister!"  I was shouting.  Luke raised his hand in self-defense.

"Okay, do you have any female cousins, or other siblings?" he asked, his voice soothing.

"How do you know your mate is a girl?  Perhaps it is a.... ?"  I said, sarcastically as possible.

"Burn!"  The giant, Bobby, shouted, and basically appeared in front of me with his hand raised in the air.

The sudden disappearing and reappearing frightened me, but the way he was in front of me, I was sure he was going to hit me.  I was instantly frozen with fear.  I closed  my eyes tightly, anticipating the deadly punch by this mammoth.  When the blow didn’t come, I opened my eyes to see Bobby still standing over me, with a confused look on his face.  Luke was shaking his head at me with disapproval.  I was really confused as to why he was just standing there, not hitting me.  Was it because he wanted me to hit him first?

"Bobby, back off!" Luke said to him.  Bobby kept shaking his head

"What, do humans not high-five anymore?" Bobby was looking at Luke.  The other guy just shrugged.

"They do, but you are not human, and you just magically appearing in front of him with your hand in the air looks threatening more than social." Luke explained.

"Oh, yeah I forgot.  Sorry, Max.  I was just giving you a high-five for the burn.  No harm intended."  Bobby said, walking backward away from me.  I tried to calm down.

"Smart one, Bobby.  Any more bright ideas?" the other guy mocked.

"Shut up Josh!"  Bobby said, throwing a couch pillow at Josh.

"Max, my Mate will be a female.  I am a royal and must produce an heir that will be a prince once I am king.  If my Mate were a male, then the royal line will go to my second,  which would be you, or I hope will be you." Luke replied, way too nonchalantly.

"Wait.  Why would I take over a vampire royal line if you end up gay?  Like hello, earth to Luke, I'm not a vampire!" As soon as I  said this, I knew what he was telling me.  

"Max, I'm going to change you.  You will become a vampire," he said, looking me straight in the eyes.

"What, no!" I was furious!

"Max, you can accept the position I am offering or, you will must be assigned a job here and work for us until you die."

"What, why?  I just want to go home!" I was definitely panicking.

"I'm sorry Max, but now that you know about us, you have become a liability to our “secret”.   We cannot let you return to your life with the nowledge you have without insurances of some type."

“What do I have to do to go home?" I shouted.  I didn’t recognize my own voice, a as I paced closer and closer to the double doors.

"You would have to grant me permission to change you.  Then, you may return home for a few weeks."

"What do you mean, why for only a few weeks?" My stomach was burning.

"Well, because you are technically not an adult.  We are not allowed to change anyone under the age of 18 unless there are special circumstances.  You turn 18 in the next few weeks."

"I have to agree to let you change me, then I can go home." I said feeling confused and trapped.

"Yes, as long as you agree to the change and swear your silence about everything, you may spend your remaining days as a human with your family.  But, if you try to run or tell, we will have to punish your family for your actions.  We really don't wish to hurt or bring other people into this decision."

"I get it."  I snapped at Luke.

"So, what is your decision, Max?" Luke came closer to me.

"Do I really even have a choice here?" I said, pretty defeated.

"Yes, you do.  You can become a vampire and spend a few last weeks with your family and get your good-byes in order.  Or, settle for staying here and working for us the rest of your life.  You could never, ever leave."

"Whatever.  I guess I'll do it.  Can you please just take me home now?  I would really like to be with my family."  Depression rolled over me like the blanket of death coming for me.

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