Chapter 5

LET’S PLAY THEN

"I'll take you home in the morning Max.  You are just too stressed and upset to leave right now.  Taking you home at  this moment would raise suspicion within your family.  Besides. you're supposed to be staying overnight, night?"  Luke walked back over to the couch.

"But, you said you would take me home, once I agreed.  I don't want to stay here tonight!”  I was pleading.

"Okay, I'll take you home tonight if you insist, but would you mind humoring us and playing a couple of games with us first?"' Luke asked, holding up a couple of game cases.  I saw the first game in his hand was ‘Call of Duty: Black Ops’, which I loved playing.   "We only usually have three people playing, but if you would be willing to stay we could play in teams instead of individually/"  I debated whether or not it was a wise decision to play.  But I wanted to go home!

"Come on Luke, just take the kid home.  We have frightened him too much.  Besides, he probably doesn't even know how to play and it would be no fun with him dying every other second," Bobby, the giant, said as he stood up and stretched.

:”For your information, I know how to play those games, and I'm not a sacred kid!”  I said, daring him to say anything more.

"Then come on over here and prove it, little kid," Bobby snickered, pulling out the fur controllers.

"Fine one game, then I want to be taken home."  I said walked over and sat on the couch beside Luke.

"Okay, let’s play then."  Bobby said handing me a controller.

As the game was loading, I realized that I had just been tricked into doing just what they wanted. I I didn't get the feeling that they wanted to kill me, but I also knew it could be a trap.  I sat there, glancing around to see if they were going to attack, but they all were just watching the screen like I wanted to be. Once the game was set-up, I ended up on a team with Luke.  When we started playing., II wasn't fully into the game.  I was too distracted by the possibility they could turn around and attack me at any moment.   Suddenly, Bobby started roaring with laughter. It kind of freaked me out.  All my attention was on him and not on the game. My control started vibrating a few seconds later and I glanced back at the screen.  My guy was being shot at and was about to die.

"Ha!  And, you said you knew how to play the game!"  Bobby mocked.

"I do know how to play.  You distracted me on purpose.”  I was seething.

"Yeah sure.  You're just mad because I beat your guy down and you didn’t do anything to stop me."  He was smirking at me.

"Whatever dude. I'm back in the game this time you're going down!" I said, furiously.

"Bring it on, man!"  Bobby challenged.

From that point on, I lost track of time.  I  forgot about the fact that these these people might attack me at any point. All my concentration and uneasy feelings faded away as the game continued on.  A girl in a maid's uniform came in with food and beverages.  I hadn't realized I was hungry until the smell of delicious, buttery popcorn filled the room. I grabbed a handful like the rest of the guys were doing while never taking their eyes off the game.  The game paused as I was about to coming upon Bobby for the final showdown.

"I need a bathroom break," Josh said, standing up stretching, as I finally peeled away my eyes from the screen, blinking.  I suddenly realized I was exhausted.

"Yeah, I need to call my wife.  She's probably waiting up."  Bobby was saying, pulling out his phone and walking out of the room.  I was alone with Luke.

I felt awkward being alone with him, after his telling me he was a vampire.   No matter how skeptical I was that this was all some big prank.  I glanced over to see him leaning against the back of the coach with his eyes closed.  I noticed it was still dark outside.  He looked tired, and then it occurred to me that vampires slept during the day, but I shrugged it off.  I couldn’t have cared less about his vampiric sleeping habits.  Looking around the room, I saw the clock:  It said 2:13 am.

"Its pretty late, do you still want me to take you home?”  Luke asked, seemingly playing on his phone.

"My parents would be furious if I came home at this hour without an explanation.  Telling them I was playing video games with a bunch of vampires would pretty much get me sent to the nut house."  I was resigned.

"You're welcome to stay Max.  We have plenty of empty rooms on the top floor where my parents and I live." he stated simply.  Josh came back in and sat down.

"Lets finish playing before I make my decision" I said, as bobby came back into the room

"So, apparently Mickey and Susan are having a girl's night out.  They have come ot the decision we  should have a party for Max's arrival" Bobby was saying, as he flung himself on the coach.

"Who is Mickey and Susan?" I blurted out, feeling embarrassed and pretty dumb for asking.

"Well Mickey is my mate and wife.  Susan is Josh's mate and wife.  You will meet them soon enough.”  Bobby picked the controller up.

"Why do I need to meet your wives?"  I asked, confused that they were married.  They looked the same age as me, and I considered myself definitely too young to be married!

"See Max, Bobby is my personal guard and he also advises me with military/strategic forces. Josh works with me on finances and economics"  Luke said sitting up, grabbing his controller.  I did the same as the game was un-paused.

"Oh, I thought they were your friends?" I blurted out/

"They are. Max.  I only offered them their position in my regime after we had been friends for years" Luke started pressing the button furiously on his controller.

"What does that have to do with me meeting their wives?"  I said, not understanding.

"Well we all spend a lot of time together.  Once you are changed, it will be easier to understand. But,with the amount of time we spend together, it is only natural for us all to be friends.  Once you find your mate, the girls will take her under their wing and help her adjust to our world, like we will do with you," Luke said as I stared at shooting match with Bobby again.

"Oh, I see.  And if  I don't find a mate?"  I said, even more stressed out.

"You will, everyone always finds their mate, always.”  I heard Luke saying, as I continued fighting with Bobby, who was kind of winning, and pissing me off.

"What if I don't like my mate?" I asked, sarcastically.

Oh, you definitely will like them, Max.  You just know when you look at them that you love them for everything they are, the good and the bad.  You may fight, but you still love them." Bobby chimed in.  Luke was silent.

"I wouldn't classify what you and Mickey do as fighting.  Its full-out war when you two go at i!t" Josh said, laughing.  Luke and Bobby laughed too.

"What can I say, she’s feisty, but I wouldn't change a thing about her!  Plus, the making up afterwards is the best part."  Bobby said.  Since he was technically not paying attention, I was finally able to kill his guy.  "Hey, that wasn’t fair.  I wasn't even paying attention.  I'm not playing anymore." Bobby said, tossing the remote on the coffee table and walking out of the room.

"Wow, that was a new turn of events," Josh said, laughing

"Why is that?"  I asked,  feeling very accomplished about winning, nevermind the circumstances.

"Bobby never loses, to any of us, and you come in here and beat him, and your still human/ Priceless!" Josh said, through fits of giggling.

I started feeling very tired after Bobby stormed out of the room.  Luke and Josh began playing against each other again, and just I watched.  I looked at the clock seeing it was now past 3 a.m.   It was getting harder and harder to keep my eyes open, as I just wanted to sleep.  I  actually fell   asleep for a short time.  II was awakened by someone touching my shoulder.  I realized I was still there, and it freaked me out.  I jumped up, ready to defend myself. But once I was standing and I looked around to see Luke and Josh staring at me like a crazy maniac, I turned around to see the same maid that brought in food standing there with her hand over her chest, looking pretty frightened.  I felt sort of bad for startling her.  She looked human, but I guess everybody else did to me, too..

"Sorry sir, I didn't mean to frighten you, I just thought you would be more comfortable in a bed" she said.

"I guess I'm just really jumpy today, sorry for frightening you" I was apologized to the maid.

"Max, Mary will take you to your room.  In the morning, she will bring you down to have breakfast and I'll take you home."  Luke said still playing.

I nodded, and followed Mary out the door.  I tried to stay close, not wanting to get lost in this place and end up as someone late night snack.  I tried keeping up, but the never-ending staircase wa exhausting and of course the guest room had to be on the top floor.  I just wanted to collapse when I finally reached the top landing. I almost did.  My muscles in my legs were burning..

"Oh dear, maybe we should have taken the elevator," Mary said, taking my arm.  She could tell my legs were giving out..

"There is an elevator?" I asked, a bit cranky.

"Yes, hardly anyone ever uses it.  The slow pace is not suitable for most.  But I forgot you are human and you become tired after a few flights of stairs..." Mary explained, as she helped me walk toward some double doors on the left side of the wall.  "Here we are, this is your room.”   Mary pushed open the door, revealing a large dark room.  The light being turned on revealed a very expensively furnished room.  "Here we are Sir.  If you need anything, just call out and someone will come.  The bathroom is the second door, closet is the first door.  There are clothes for you to change into.  I will come for you in the morning.  Have a good night."  With that, she turned and walked out the door.

The room was big and everything looked so expensive and over the top.  The room just screamed Luxurious.  I guess I really shouldn't be too surprised.  From the outside of the house, the inside rooms I had seen, and from the car Luke drove around in.  But, it this is the guest room, it probably wasn’t as fancy as other bedrooms.  But, that was kind of hard to believe.  The walls were beige; the curtains were royal blue and the bedspread was royal blue with silver mixed in.  There was a couch and coffee table next to a grand fireplace.

I was pretty much in shock.  It  this was bigger than ten of my real bedrooms combined.  I noticed a clock on the side table.  It was past four a.m .  I must have fallen asleep in the game room for almost an hour.  I walked over to the bed and sat down, kicked off my shoes.  I decided against changing, but in truth I was unsure about wearing the clothing they had left for me.  I slept  clothes.  I had done it before and it didn’t bother me.  As I slid into the bed, my head hit the mountain of pillows I fell asleep so fast I don't even remember closing my eyes.