Made by: PurrtlePuff

Jack chewed on another ice cube as he flopped down in his computer chair. The room AC rattled, too tired to pump cold air into the room anymore. Jack turned it off and sighed. Of course he moved to the United States the year they endured abnormally high temperatures. He knew California was hot, but he didn’t know he could literally fry an egg on the street.

And he had four more years of this hell.

Jack looked at the unopened boxes on his bed. If his roommate was picky, they could choose which bunk they wanted before Jack unpacked. He stared at the piece of paper on the desk. How in the world did you pronounce this person’s name? It sounded Nordic. Felix was a given, but the last part of the name looked like someone smashed their keyboard and added “berg” on the end.

More thoughts about Jack’s new roommate clouded his mind. Would they be social or aloof? Were they a foreign student as well, or did they live in America their whole life? Do they snore?

Jack looked up at the clock. Stupid jetlag had him exhausted at 8 pm. If his roommate didn’t arrive within the next hour, he was taking the bottom bunk regardless.

A loud laugh echoed down the hallway, as well as the sound of keys turning in the door. Jack straightened himself. The door swung open, and a man about his age talked to the end of the hall.

“I’ll be there. Three hours,” he spoke before turning to the room and stepping inside. As he shut the door, he looked up at Jack and froze. “Uh… do you have the right room?”

Well, that was some way to start the conversation. Jack looked at his paper before responding.

“Room 223, Building 6 right?” Jack scratched his head. “My key opened the door.”

“No, this is all wrong. I’m not supposed to have a roommate.” He grabbed the paper out of Jack’s hand and began rambling in another language.

Jack tried to figure out if the boy was naturally pale or he was this worked up over a new roommate. “Okay, dude, chill. I didn’t know they had single room dorms here.”

He muttered something while running a hand through his hair. Jack wondered if he was more confused or angry. His roommate – he guessed this was Felix – took a deep breath and leaned against the door.

“You have to go.”

“Go where?” Jack dry laughed. “I’m 10,000 kilometers from home, and I don’t know anyone else here.”

Felix narrowed his eyes. “Scottish?”

“Irish.” Jack scoffed under his breath. Some first meeting.

“Look, it’s fine. We’ll go down to the student help center and request a room change.” Felix motioned for him to come with, and Jack questioned whether he should follow. Felix eyed him over before grabbing his wrist. Jack jumped out of his skin. Felix’s hands were freezing!

“Sorry,” Felix muttered as he let go of Jack’s hand. “Can you just… I’m sure you’re a nice guy, but I can’t have anyone else in my room.” His mouth opened to speak again, but he closed it.

“It’s fine. I get it.” Jack followed him out the door. At least he didn’t unpack anything yet. Would he be assigned another roommate if Felix asked for a room change, or would this be an even lonelier year? Perhaps he should have taken his brother up when Sheamus asked to move to America with him.

Felix led Jack down the hall. They took the stairs to the first floor. When they got there, Felix stopped in his tracks and started muttering again.

“No, they’re closed? They can’t be closed! It’s only,” he looked at his wrist. “Okay, so we missed office hours, but they can’t be closed.”

Jack crossed his arms. “One night is not going to kill you. Tomorrow, when the sun comes up, we’ll ask for a room change.”

Felix laughed under his breath and turned to Jack. “You’re sure there’s no one else you can sleep with tonight? Not even a room you could crash on the floor?”

“Nope. You’re stuck with me.”

Felix ran his hand down his face. “Okay, fine. Let’s hope I get through the night without killing you.”

Jack rolled his eyes and followed Felix up to the second floor. The two stayed silent the whole way. Felix put his key into the door and opened it. He stopped in the doorway and turned to face Jack.

“If you don’t mind, I’ll take the top bunk for the night.”

Jack sighed in relief. “I’m totally fine with that.” He walked over to his things and unpacked his bedding. As he turned around, Felix removed the blind from the window. “Uh, what are you doing?”

“I’m putting up a blackout curtain. I don’t like being woke by the sun.” Felix kept his eyes on his work. Jack shrugged his shoulders and put his bedding on the bottom bunk.

The rest of the half-hour went by painfully slow. Jack’s nerves played with his gut, and the silence in the room was thick enough to bite. He scrolled through his phone as Felix did who knew what up on the top bunk. Jack heard Felix laugh at nothing but wrote it off as Felix reading a funny text or something. The jet lag caught up with Jack, and he yawned.

“Hey, I’m calling it a night.” He didn’t wait for Felix to reply before rolling onto his side and closing his eyes.

“-been this nervous before.”

Jack opened his eyes.

“I know. I can hear his heartbeat right below me.”

Jack opened his eyes wider. He heard Felix take a deep breath and shift above him.

“I don’t know. I don’t want to hurt him.”

Jack peeked over at the alarm clock. Who was Felix talking to at 3 in the morning?

“Can we… just meet me outside. We’ll find a private spot somewhere. I don’t know what I’ll do if I don’t get some blood in me soon.”

Okay, what the fuck?

Jack slammed his eyes closed as Felix leaped off the top bunk. His feet made no noise. Jack’s skin crawled as he felt Felix’s gaze land on him.

“Don’t worry, kid. We’ll get this figured out soon.”

Jack held his breath. The door opened and closed, and Jack’s exhale came out in a shaky sigh. He sat up in his bunk and ran a hand through his hair. What in the world just happened? He rolled over to try and go back to sleep. After a few minutes, he pushed the blankets off and stood up. He opened a quick text from his mom and replied. She should be awake now. He waited for her answer, but he gave up after five minutes.

Well, no one would be in the shower this early.

Jack grabbed his things and walked over to the shower. The thought of sharing a shower with strangers bothered him at first, but he imagined sharing it at home with his siblings and chased his nerves away. He turned on the water. It sprayed cold water as he expected, and he started to get undressed.

Felix’s conversation echoed in his head. What kind of roommate did he get stuck with? Jack stepped into the shower and scrubbed at his hair. Perhaps it was a new drug? Who in the world would name a new drug ‘blood’ anyway? He scrubbed at his skin. If Felix would’ve told him he did drugs, he wouldn’t have cared. He turned the water off and rubbed the water from his face.

The door to the bathrooms opened and closed. Jack wrapped a towel around his waist and stepped out.

Felix stood wide-eyed at the door. His irises were as red as the blood dripping down his chin and fingers. He held up his hands and showed Jack his palms.

Jack covered his mouth and retreated. His back hit the shower wall, and he grabbed a shampoo bottle.

“Listen, uh… Irish. This isn’t what you think.”

“What, did you bite into an extra rare steak and forget your napkin?”

“… okay, but I can explain.”

“Oh, I’m listening.” Jack eyed the bottle in his hand.

Felix ran a hand through his hair. His blonde hair now matched his eyes, and he exhaled. “I’m a vampire.”

“That’s great. And I’m a leprechaun.”

“No, you’re not. You’re too tall.”

Jack wrinkled his nose. “Wh-whatever. How am I supposed to believe that?”

Felix flashed his fangs, and Jack’s stomach backflipped. Jack eyed up the mirror, which should’ve held Felix’s reflection. He put the pieces together from the phone conversation.

“Believe me now?” Felix asked. Jack looked away from the mirror, and Felix stood directly in front of him. Jack screamed and squeezed the bottle as hard as he could. Shampoo went everywhere. Felix howled and rubbed at his face, and Jack squeezed past him.

He ran straight to his room. Jack pushed the desk in front of the door and backed up. His heart pounded in his chest.

Of all things he expected of his roommate, being alive should’ve been top of the list.

“Irish, please.” Felix pounded on the door.

“It’s Jack.”

“Okay, Jack, listen to me for a minute. I’m not going to hurt you.”

Jack rolled his eyes. “Is that what you told the last person you bit into?”

“No, I told her I loved her.”

“What the fuck?” Jack raised an eyebrow. “What kind of foreplay is that?”

The other side of the door grew quiet. Jack held his breath. A light peeked from under the door, and Jack swallowed hard. Where did he go? He backed up until his legs hit his bunk, and he sat down.

“It’s all just a bad dream,” Jack muttered, “When you wake up tomorrow, your roommate won’t be a fucking vampire, and you’ll go to school like a normal person, and everything will be perfect again. It’s just like they told you when you were little.”

The window squeaked, and Jack turned his head. Felix’s eyes glowed in the dark. Jack hid under his blankets and prayed they kept evil at bay like he thought when he was little.

“I know you’re in here.” Felix sighed. “What can I say to convince you I’m not going to hurt you?”

Jack stayed silent. He bit his knuckle and held his breath.

Felix closed the window. “This is why I didn’t want you as a roommate. I didn’t want to scare you. Plus, it’s a lot easier for me to drink when no one is in my room. I could’ve snuck Marzia in here easy.”

Jack contemplated coming out or not. He noted the silence between them ended as the computer chair squeaked. The lamp clicked on, he heard a hiss, and the room grew silent again.

Felix continued, “I guess I’m the first undead you’ve encountered?”

Jack thought for a moment. “No.”

“He speaks!” Felix slow clapped his hands.

Jack peeked out from the blanket. “How can I trust you?”

“One, I’m full.” Felix licked the blood off his fingers. “Two, I’ve already got a committed donor, so I don’t need your blood. Three, I don’t kill for fun anymore; it’s too much trouble.”

“You used to?” Jack sat up and let the blankets pool in his lap.

“Well, yeah, when I was young and stupid. But now,” Felix began wiping the blood from his lips, “I’m old and stupid, but a little bit wiser.”

Jack smirked. “How old are you?”

“Technically 27.”

“How long have you been 27?”

“If this is a fucking Twilight joke-“

Jack started laughing and caught Felix off guard. Felix smiled and let out a light laugh.

“So, I’m not the first undead you’ve come into contact with, huh?” Felix sat pretzel legged on the computer chair. “You ran into another vampire before? I wouldn’t blame you for being scared if you did. Not all of them have come to their senses like me.”

“A banshee, actually.”

Felix’s grin fell. “Oh. Wait, if you can see banshees-”

“She came when my grandma passed. I’ll never forget that horrible moaning noise.” Jack rubbed warmth back into his arms.

“I’m sorry.” Felix rubbed the back of his neck. “If it makes you feel any better, they aren’t common over in the United States. Mostly they’re over in the east coast by Boston.”

Jack furrowed his eyebrows. He opened his mouth to speak but closed it soon after. “You didn’t seem phased by telling me you were a vampire.”

“No use hiding the truth when my fangs are out.” Felix shrugged. “Besides, you’re not the first human I’ve told, and I can make you forget if I wanted to.”

Jack shuddered. “Why is a vampire going to college anyway? This sounds like a bad teenage drama.”

Felix laughed. “Well, it sort of is. See, Marzia, my blood donor, is starting her first year of college. Thing is, I can only go maybe 7 days without drinking from her. She always had dreams of schooling abroad, and I helped her pay for it. The only condition is I went with. I’m not here to study anything. I’m here to stay near her.”

“Why not rent a house instead? It had to be cheaper than thousands of dollars in school debt.”

“We don’t know if we’re staying here. We might go back to Europe, and I’d hate to sink all that money into a house we’ll never stay in. The home prices here are fucking ridiculous.”

“Amen.” Jack played with the next words on his tongue. “My roommate is a vampire.”

“Only for the night. I don’t want you here any more than you have to be.”

Jack shifted in his bed. “I don’t mind, really.” Dear God, what was he thinking? “You can feed on Marzia, and I’ll just… read a book or something. Besides, they might give you a new roommate, and they might not be as forgiving as I am.”

Felix cursed and scratched his chin. He knew Jack had a point, but he was still warring with his thoughts. “You sure you have no problem with me in here? I could be nibbling on your neck one day when you wake up.”

“No, you won’t.”

“You don’t know that. You don’t know me. Why should you trust a vampire?”

“If you really wanted to kill me, you would’ve done so already.”

Felix leaned back in his chair. He stared into Jack’s eyes, and a shiver ran down Jack’s spine. He held Felix’s gaze. After a moment, Felix sighed and rubbed his temples.

“Fine, but I have conditions. One, no garlic; it gives me hives. Two, those blinds stay shut at all times or I’ll get sunburnt to a crisp. Three, if you have anything made of silver, get rid of it now. And four, if I’m feeding off Marzia, don’t interrupt me. I might kill you.”

“Deal.” Jack rubbed his hands together. He looked over at the clock and hummed. “I guess the time zone difference has me really messed up. It’s only 4 am and I’m wide awake.”

“You’ll get used to it within the next week or so. Marzia is having problems staying asleep at night too.”

Jack nodded and rubbed his hands together. He looked down at his torso. “Hey, you mind if I get dressed?”

“Go for it,” Felix responded. He leaned back in the computer chair and looked up at the ceiling. Jack took the sheets off him before walking to his closet. He thumbed through his clothes.

“So, Marzia… how did she become a blood donor?”

“We met about three years ago online. Back then, I was trying to quit attacking random people. I wasn’t doing well.” Felix shivered. “I intended on killing her actually.”

Jack grabbed a shirt off the hanger and pulled it over his head. “Well, that’s one way to get fast food.”

Felix chuckled. “I found her through an online dating site. We agreed to meet up at a local shop in town. She wouldn’t talk the whole time and kept passing me written notes. It was really cute. I wanted to take her home and drain her that night, but she wouldn’t meet up with me until the next day. I got frustrated and thought about leaving her alone, but something in my gut told me to be patient. We met up for a week straight, and I started falling in love with her.”

Jack made a kissy face at Felix, and Felix threw the computer mouse at him. Jack flinched. The mouse cord snagged, and it bounced to the floor. Jack laughed harder as Felix mocked his laugh.

“Who the fuck uses chorded mouses… mices… whatever they are anymore?” Felix grumbled. “Anyway, I’m not that proud of how I got to meet her, but I’m glad I did.”

Jack finished dressing and ran a hand through his wet hair. “Sounds like a teenage romance novel if I ever heard one.”

“It’s far from,” Felix responded. “I’ve gone too far at least twice, and she’s been really cautious around me recently. I’m starting to wonder if she’s not in love with me anymore.”

“That sucks,” Jack paused. “No pun intended.”

Felix glared at him. “I wouldn’t blame her. Our relationship could be seen as abusive by humans.”

“Well, it kind of is.”

“I know. That’s why I want to find a new donor.” Jack looked down at the floor and then over at Felix. Felix stared at the floor and chewed on his lip. His eyes teared up a bit, and he took in a deep breath. “Just in case, you know?”

Jack furrowed his brows. How did one defuse this conversation?

Felix continued, “She could be killed if they find out I’m in love with her anyway. There are laws against that. I… don’t want to put her in danger anymore.”

Someone knocked on the door. Felix and Jack both looked up, and they grew dead silent.

“Hey, freshman, someone bled all over the boy’s bathroom! No one got murdered in there did they?”

“Uh, no?” Jack answered. Felix shifted in his seat.

“Kay, just checking.” The voice sighed. “Michael must be on his period again.”

They listened as the footsteps lead away from the door. A few seconds later, Jack started laughing. He didn’t know why, but he couldn't stop. Felix furrowed his brow before asking him several times what was wrong. Still Jack continued to laugh. Felix’s lips perked up into a smile, and he chuckled lightly. Jack’s sides started to hurt, and he soon caught his breath.

“The fuck is wrong with you?” Felix asked, his smile glued to his face.

“This day keeps getting crazier and crazier. I’m probably going to wake up tomorrow and tell you all about this crazy dream I had.”

Felix’s smile lowered a bit. “I wish it was a dream sometimes.”

Jack looked over at Felix and pursed his lips. He didn’t want to pry; he just met Felix yesterday after all. However, he had so many questions. Jack left them be and fished through his wallet. Why did American dollars all look the same?

“Hey, I’m going down to get some coffee. Want any?”

“I’m dead.”

Jack chuckled. “Was just a question.”

Felix smiled and replied, “Thanks, but no thanks. Human foods give me indigestion.”

Jack shrugged and pulled his shoulder bag over his head. He grabbed his room key off the desk and left the room, hoping the coffee would wake him up from this weird dream.

Jack waited outside on a school bench by the coffee shop. It didn’t open for another hour, and he had plenty of time to kill. Plus, he didn’t want to go back to his room right now.

“Is this seat taken?” a meek voice asked. Jack looked up to see a girl with toffee colored hair and beautiful brown eyes smiling at him. His cheeks tinged. He scooted over and picked up his bag from his left side.

“No, go ahead,” he answered.

He kept his eyes trained on the ground as the girl sat. The leaves rustled in the light breeze, and Jack swallowed hard. The girl kept her eyes forward and chewed on her bottom lip. She played with her fingers as they rested on her lap. Her eyes looked over in his direction, and Jack snapped his eyes forward. He heard her laugh lightly. Curse his obvious staring habits. The breeze blew a strong smell of mint his direction, and he closed his eyes as he took in a deep breath.

“You waiting for coffee?” She asked.

Jack jumped. “Wah- oh yeah. I’m kind of messed up internally.”

What the fuck?

The girl laughed, and Jack’s cheeks burned.

“You don’t sound like you’re from here.” She paused. “Oh wait, I didn’t mean to offend you-”

“You didn’t. I’m from Ireland.”

She sighed in relief. “I’m from Italy.”

“Cool.” Jack tried to think of something meaningful to say. “What made you come here of all places?”

“I’ve always wanted to come to America to study. Youtown University is one of the world’s best beauty schools.”

“Why would you need beauty school. You’re beautiful already?”

The girl fidgeted. “I have a boyfriend.”

Oh shit. “Oh no, no, no, I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to make it sound like I was hitting on you.”

She laughed. “It’s okay. You’re not the first guy to compliment me here.”

“I really am sorry though. I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.”

“Really, it’s fine. You reacted a lot differently than most when I told them.” Jack furrowed his brows. He wanted to say something, but she held her hand out for a handshake. “I’m Marzia.”

An hour of trauma replayed in his mind. Jack’s arm looked robotic as he took hers to shake. “Jack. Sean actually, but everyone calls me Jack.”

After a few seconds of shaking each other’s hands, they let go and turned back to their own business. Marzia looked over at the coffee shop and then at her phone. Jack looked down at his as well and noticed they still had 45 minutes of awkward to go through before the coffee shop opened. Did he tell her he knew Felix? Did she know who he was already? Jack looked over at her phone and noticed two pugs in the background.

He smiled. “You have dogs?”

Marzia nodded. “Puga and Edgar. Well, Puga’s real name is Maya, but I’ve always called her ‘Puga.’ It’s a cute nickname.” Her sentence trailed off.

“I think it’s cute too.” Marzia seemed to perk at his words. “I had a Pitbull/Jack Russell mix named Gizmo when I lived at home.”

“Gizmo? That’s a cute name.” Marzia leaned over as Jack fished through his phone to find a picture. She ‘awwed’ as Jack brought up one of her sleeping on the floor.

“I left her back in Ireland though. Ma’s taking care of her while I’m away.”

“I have a friend watching my doggies too. It’s a shame you can’t have them on campus.”

Jack agreed and began to feel a little homesick. He turned the phone off and slid down on the bench a bit. Birds began to fly about and flap the silence away. Marzia tapped her fingernails on the wooden bench.

“So,” Marzia said, “what are you studying?”

“Hotel Management,” Jack answered. “I was going to be a musician, but my band kind of fell apart.”

Marzia wrinkled her nose. “Are you sure that’s what you want to do? You look more like a musician to me.”

Jack sighed and rubbed his neck. “I don’t know. I honestly don’t know what I want to do with my life.”

Marzia furrowed her brows and nodded. “You know, you’re still young. You still have time to figure this out.”

Jack snuffed. “Young? You’re what, a few years younger than me?”

“I’m 20,” she said and puffed out her chest a bit.

Jack smirked. “I’m still 2 years older than you.”

Marzia scowled and brushed her hair out of her face. “Okay, so I’m younger, but I’m still right. You have your whole life ahead of you to figure out what you want to do.”

Jack sighed. “I know. I just wish… I wish my parents would understand that. I’m not…”

Marzia waited a few moments for him to continue. “You don’t have to tell me anything you don’t want to.”

Jack sent her a thankful glance and sighed. “Being the youngest sucks.”

Marzia laughed. She glanced down at her phone again, and Jack wondered if he was bothering her. He pulled out his phone and noticed his mom got back to him. After sending her a quick text, he checked the time once again.

Fifteen more minutes…

Jack wondered if he’d regret his next question. “So, do you happen to know someone named Felix?” The horror on Marzia’s face answered him. He held up his hands in surrender. “Look, I’m his new roommate. He told me he was a-”

“You’re not going to tell anyone, are you?”

“No, no, of course not.” Jack laughed nervously. “Who would believe me anyway?”

Marzia looked down at her feet. Jack’s heart pounded in his chest. She took in a deep breath and chewed on her lip.

“Are you… a vampire too?” she asked.

“Nah, I’m human,” Jack replied, “with an abnormally high tolerance of the supernatural.”

The relief on Marzia’s face was instant. She smiled gently and tucked her hair back behind her ear. “So… how much do you know?”

“Just what he shared with me. You know, the basic vampire rules.”

She hesitated. “Did he tell you about me?”

Jack ran a hand through his hair. Did he even want to share what Felix told him? Perhaps that was all secret information he confided in Jack with.

“Just that you were his girlfriend, and he’s thankful he has you,” Jack said. Marzia’s smile appeared sad, and Jack chewed on the inside of his cheek. “Something wrong?”

“Can,” Marzia looked around. “Can you keep a secret?”

Jack nodded. Marzia told him about being a blood donor, and Jack tried his best to look fresh to the idea.

“I know he’d never hurt me, but sometimes it scares me,” she spoke. “He is still learning to fight his instincts, but deep down he is still a vampire. A monster made to kill humans to survive. One day, I’m afraid he’ll bite me and I’ll never…” Her eyes filled up with tears.

Jack nodded and pieced Felix’s words together like a puzzle. “I’m sure he’s afraid he’s going to hurt you too. Maybe he should look for someone else to-”

“No!” Jack jumped as Marzia shouted. She lowered her voice. “I mean, I don’t want him to.”

Jack furrowed his eyebrows. “But if it keeps you safe… shouldn’t you try it?”

“I’m afraid if he doesn’t need me as a donor, he’ll leave.”

Jack hummed. “Look, I’m no relationship expert, but it sounds to me like if all he wants is your blood, you shouldn’t be in a relationship with him at all. Maybe you should talk it out with him?”

“But what if he rejects me?”

Jack snuffed. “His loss.”

Marzia smiled. “Thanks, Jack. You’re really easy to talk to.”

“I’ve been told.” He watched the coffee shop employee turn the sign from ‘open’ to closed’ and sprung up. “Hey, how about we get some coffee? My treat.”

“Relationship advice and a coffee treat? You really do know how to make friends quick.”

“Eh well, I know it’s how I’d want someone to treat me. Hey, how about after we get coffee, we go up and talk to Felix together?”

Marzia’s smile dropped. “I don’t know.”

“If you can’t talk to him about the heavy stuff, you shouldn’t be with him.”

“It’s not that. I’m just… I’m not ready to lose him.”

Jack sighed. “Marzia, being honest person to person, if someone was sucking me bone dry and not repaying the favor, I’d rather leave them than suffer. And I’m sure Felix can’t go forever without drinking from you, so the sooner he knows, the better.”

Marzia opened her mouth to speak but closed it soon after. Jack put a hand on her shoulder and waited to see if she’d move away. He used her staying still as an incentive to continue, “You seem like a really nice person, and with the way Felix spoke about you, he really does care. I know if this was bothering you, he’d want to know.”

“You’ve only known him for a day, and you’ve only known me for an hour.”

“I’m really good at reading people.” Jack motioned toward the coffee shop. “I’ll be there to buffer if you need me to.”

Marzia stood up and straightened out her shirt. Jack walked with her inside the shop and hoped the next few hours would go well.

Jack pawed at the key in his pocket and pulled it up. Marzia fidgeted beside him, and he looked at her.

“Hey, it’s going to be okay,” he said.

Marzia tried her best to smile, but Jack could see the fear in her eyes. Maybe this was a bad idea. He stuck the key in the door and opened it. The hallway light illuminated the black as pitch room. The top bunk rustled. Felix sat straight up, his eyes glowing red.

“Oh, it’s you.” His eyes returned to normal. His voice sounded nervous, “Hey, Marzia. Is everything okay?”

“Everything’s fine,” Marzia replied. Felix’s head tilted to the side, his eyes wide with worry.

“Shoot, I didn’t think you’d be sleeping,” Jack spoke. Felix narrowed his eyes at him. “Yeah, yeah, vampires sleep in the day. I gotcha.”

Felix hissed. “You want the whole dorm to hear you? You’re so noisy.”

Jack lowered his voice to a whisper. “Sorry.”

“Maybe I should come back later,” Marzia said and stared down the hallway.

“No, wait.” Felix appeared down beside Jack. Jack backed up to the desk and clutched his heart. Felix’s speed was going to take forever to get used to. “Is it important? My beauty sleep can wait.”

Marzia’s lips pulled into a thin line. She stepped into the room and closed the door behind her. Darkness swallowed them all. Jack felt around for some sort of light but settled on illuminating the room with his phone. Felix hissed but soon returned to his concerned state.

Marzia sucked in a deep breath. “Felix, it’s about me being your donor.”

Felix’s head turned to Jack. He flashed his fangs. “You told.”

“No!” Jack held up his hands in defense. “Your secret stayed safe with me.”

“He didn’t say anything, Felix.” Marzia pulled at the hem of her skirt. “I’ve been thinking about this for a while.”

Felix’s attention turned toward her. He chewed on his lips. “You want to break up with me, don’t you?”

“No,” Marzia replied, her eyes wide. “I still want to be your girlfriend, but I’m afraid.” She looked away.

Felix’s eyebrows relaxed. “You’re afraid I’m going to hurt you, aren’t you?” Marzia’s silence answered him. “Maybe… we should break up.”

Jack’s mouth opened. This was not how he wanted this to go at all.

Marzia’s eyes teared up. “You’re saying if I’m not your donor, I can’t be your girlfriend?”

“No! I want… it’s just so fucking complicated.” Felix ran a hand through his hair. He paced about the room and returned to where he was. “I’m afraid I’m going to go back to killing people if I don’t have you as a donor. I’m able to shock myself out of draining you because I love you.”

Jack gripped the back of the desk. What a crappy soap opera. He opened his mouth and closed it twice.

“Look, I’m not sure if I should be saying anything,” Jack spoke, “because it’s your relationship and you should figure it out yourselves, but maybe you shouldn’t jump to conclusions so fast?”

Felix’s head snapped over to Jack, and Jack shivered. Marzia stepped over and put a hand on Jack’s shoulders.

“Felix, he’s right. Perhaps we should talk about this when we’re both emotionally stable.”

Felix narrowed his eyes. His lips drew into a tight line, and then he looked utterly defeated. “I’ll calm down. I don’t want you to be worried over this, Marzia. If there’s a problem, we should fix it as soon as possible.”

“Maybe… you should have someone spot you when you’re drinking from her?” Jack suggested. “I mean, I said I wouldn’t watch you feed off of her, but maybe until you both feel comfortable? I mean, how long have you two been doing this?”

“About 6 months,” Marzia answered.

“And 6 months isn’t enough to erase,” Jack looked at Felix, “how long have you been a vampire?”

“About 300 years.”

The answer threw off Jack for a moment. “Wow, okay, um that’s a long time. See what I mean?”

“I’d feel safer if someone were here in case anything went wrong,” Marzia looked at Felix. “We should try it.”

“But if something does happen, I might hurt Jack.”

“Then you hurt me. I’d rather you hurt me than kill your girlfriend. Priorities, dude.”

Felix smirked and returned to a neutral expression. “Well, if you’re both willing, I guess we could try it.”

Marzia let out a long sigh. She reached over and wrapped her arms around Felix. “I love you so much.”

Felix nuzzled his nose against her. “I love you too.”

Jack suddenly felt like a third wheel. He looked over at his phone and tried to make himself busy. First he finds out his roommate is a vampire. Now he was a spotter for said vampire and his girlfriend when he’s eating her. Today just kept getting weirder and weirder.

Felix paced about the room. Jack swayed side to side in the computer chair and checked his watch. Marzia said she’d be over thirteen minutes ago. He scratched the side of his neck. What if she wasn’t okay with this whole thing? What if she was avoiding the problem until it bubbled over? Well, maybe she didn’t want that, but Jack was certain it would happen.

“Will you stop that? The chair squeak is giving me a headache,” Felix spoke.

Jack internally questioned whether Felix could get a headache and stopped swinging. Felix looked out the curtain from their window and moaned.

“That’s it, Jack. She stood me up. Our relationship’s over. The end. No more fucking happily ever after for me.”

“Dude, calm down. Maybe she spilled something on her shirt and had to change?” Jack suggested.

Felix growled under his breath and began pacing again. Jack checked his phone for the 4th time in case Marzia messaged him with any anxiety about the dinner date.

“She would’ve called. Something’s wrong.” Felix looked out the window again. “I have this feeling, Jack. Something’s really wrong.”

“Okay, well why don’t we go over to her dorm and check it out?”

“It’s 1 in the fucking morning. Two guys walking around the girl’s dorm is going to look suspicious as hell.”

“And a girl walking around the guy’s dorm isn’t?” Felix flashed his eyes at Jack. “Okay, I get it, gender stereotypes and shit. But still, I think you’re blowing this-”

“Shh,” Felix smelled the air. His fangs flashed as he let out a bone-rattling growl. Jack grabbed onto his phone with all his life and tried not to shit himself. Felix opened up the window and jumped out. Jack shook the fear from his body and went over to the window.

A human shadow held onto Marzia in the courtyard. Felix rushed towards them. Jack hopped around as he put his shoes on and pulled on a light jacket. He grabbed his phone and shoved it into his pocket. He ran down the hall, nearly fell down the stairs, and ran out into the night air.

“Drop her,” he heard Felix growl. Jack dashed off in the direction of Felix’s voice. He slid to a halt and examined the situation from behind the wall.

The coffee shop barista, the man he vaguely remembered sporting a “Michael” nametag, stood in the moonlight. He held onto a bleeding Marzia, who was shaking head to toe. Felix stood opposite to him, shaking with fury, and looked ready to pounce on him.

“She has such sweet blood. It’s so hard to find AB blood.” Michael spoke. “I can see why you picked her. That’s why you haven’t drained your toy yet, right? She’s too delicious.”

“I’m not going to ask again,” Felix hissed.

“Oh no, you wouldn’t want to make a scene on campus, right? Then your secret would be blown. They’re still looking for you, you know. You’re wanted by every hunter in this town.”

Marzia squirmed and tried to pull away. Michael tightened his grip. He hissed, “What, didn’t he tell you, sweetheart? He’s the famous Vampire of YouTown, a human known serial killer who lures beautiful young women to bed and kills them after having sex. He sure knows how to have a good time. No doubt you were his next victim.”

Marzia’s eyes flashed over to Felix, and Felix looked away. “Not anymore.”

“Oh really?” Michael laughed. “The great Felix Kjellberg has gone vegan. I never thought I’d see such a legend turn into a sorry disgrace.”

Jack felt his stomach drop. This definitely was the same Michael that served him and Marzia coffee this morning. If he knew what would happen, he would’ve brewed the damn coffee in his own room.

“Look, I don’t know what your fucking problem is, but you need to drop her and get the fuck out of here. I’m warning you.”

“And what… lose out on that pretty bounty on your head? I don’t think so.” He leaned down and ran his tongue along Marzia’s neck.

Felix lunged forward. His fingernails grew and scraped at Michael. Michael dropped Marzia and bared his own fangs. The two tumbled together on the ground.

Marzia scampered backward. Jack watched the two vampires wrestle on the ground before running toward her. He could hear snarling and torn cloth over his breathing. Jack knelt down beside Marzia.

“You’re going to be okay,” he said and wrapped his jacket around her shoulders. She watched Felix fight with Michael, her lips open wide in horror. Jack helped her up to her feet and half carried her into the dorm. He stood in the common room and looked around. No one woke to the noise, thankfully, but how long would that last?

“Jack,” Marzia whispered. He turned his attention to her. Tears leaked from the side of her eyes. He held her close to him and rubbed the top of her hair.

“It’s gonna be okay, Marzia,” he whispered. Marzia’s knees buckled, and Jack pulled her up into his arms. Would they be safe if he brought Marzia back to their room? He hoped taking the chance would be worth it.

Jack pawed at the elevator button. After groaning the whole way down, it finally opened. Jack got inside and pushed the button for the 3rd floor. He watched the numbers creak past. Jack took the opportunity and looked at Marzia’s injury.

Jack brushed Marzia’s matted hair off her neck. Her whole neck had a huge chunk of skin missing. Thankfully it wasn’t over her jugular, but no doubt she lost a lot of blood. Her scars were going to be horrible. Her once pink blouse was stained red and saturated with blood. Some dripped onto the floor, and Jack made a note to come clean it up later.

The elevator announced their arrival, and Jack beelined his way to the dorm room. He thanked himself for not closing the dorm door. Jack placed Marzia down on his bed and raced over to shut his door. He slammed and locked it.

The silence swallowed Jack whole.

He turned the lamp on the desk on. Perhaps he should’ve taken Marzia to a hospital first. Maybe he should’ve stayed behind in case Felix needed help. Jack rubbed some warmth into his arms and looked over at Marzia. The wound already started to scab over, and not much blood stained his bedspread.

Jack pulled an old cotton t-shirt from his closet and began cutting it into strips. He wrapped them around Marzia’s neck and wished he took his Ma’s advice about the first aid kit.

The door knocked. Jack held his breath. He wished his dorm room came with a peephole. He looked over at Marzia, still passed out on his bedspread, and grabbed the first blunt object to his left. A half bottle of Bailey’s would have to do for now.

Jack opened the door a crack. The minute he saw Michael, he tried to close the door. Michael put his hand in the doorway and stopped it. Jack slammed the butt of the Bailey’s bottle onto Michael’s fingers. Michael growled and retracted. Jack got the door closed and reached for the handle. Michael twisted the door handle and kept Jack from locking it. Jack pushed against the door with all his might.

“Oh come on, Jack. I just want his pet,” Michael cooed from the other side of the door.

“No fucking way,” Jack spat back. Michael slammed the door, and Jack lunged forward. He pushed back with all his might and got the door closed again.

“He owes me after taking my girl. I worked on seducing her all week, but he had to take her from me. I’m returning the favor.”

Michael pushed again harder. Jack’s body lunged, and he took a few steps forward. Michael’s hand grasped the inside of the door. Jack tried to close it, but Michael pushed back. Jack grit his teeth as he dug his heels into the floor.

Michael shoved, and Jack flew forward. He fell onto his hands and knees. Michael stepped into the room and looked around. “What a quaint little room.”

Jack stood up. His heart pounded in his chest as sweat dripped down his forehead. Michael’s red eyes burned into his soul. Jack backed up and shielded Marzia from view.

Michael flew forward and grabbed Jack by the neck. Jack reached up and clawed at Michael’s wrists. He tore at the skin, but Michael kept up. Michael picked Jack off the floor. Jack kicked and tried to twist out of Michael’s grasp. His heart pounded in his ribcage and tried to get oxygen to his brain.

“I wasn’t planning on a second kill tonight, but I wouldn’t mind having a little Irish in me.” Michael smirked.

Jack spat in his face. His voice rasped out, “Go to hell ya goat sucking flea.”

Michael laughed. “Best last words I’ve ever heard.” Michael’s jaws extended and he flashed his fangs. Jack’s whole body froze with fear. He squeezed his eyes shut and braced himself for the bite.

Blood spattered in his face. Jack opened his eyes and saw Michael’s neck. His severed head rolled over to the side and clattered to the floor. Jack screamed as Michael’s dead body dropped him. It squirted blood out of the top like a fountain before collapsing on the floor.

Felix held a butcher's knife in his hands and panted. His face was soaked in Michael’s blood. Jack watched the knife clatter to the floor and saw his horrified reflection in the unstained sections of steel.

“You okay?” Felix asked.

Jack found the strength to nod. He looked up at Felix. Felix’s black shirt was ripped right down the middle, and four long gashes oozed from his neck to his pelvis. He had several cuts on his arms and face, and his left eye was swollen shut.

Felix stepped over Jack and pressed his head to Marzia’s forehead. His eyes teared up, and he soon began to sob on to her cheeks.

“I’m so fucking sorry, Marzia. I didn’t mean to drag you into this mess.” He sat on the bed and cradled her in his arms.

Jack turned and tugged his lips into a fine line. “We should get her to the hospital.”

Felix stopped for a moment and looked up at Jack. “And tell them what? I can’t exactly tell them a vampire tried to murder her.” Felix’s eyes widened. “Jack, in the computer desk drawer is a green bottle. Bring it here.”

Jack furrowed his eyebrows but did as he was told. He grabbed the bottle and gave it to Felix. Felix unwrapped the bandages around Marzia’s neck and flinched. He squeezed the bottle, and thick green paste plopped onto his fingers. The smell of peppermint and honey assaulted Jack’s nose. Felix rubbed it on Marzia’s wound in circles. After five minutes, Jack watched the wound on her neck begin to shrink.

“What is that stuff?” Jack asked.

“It’s a special healing medicine we give to blood donors. It helps them heal scar free. Thank god I had an emergency stash in my drawer.”

“We should still get her to a hospital after this.”

Felix nodded. Jack watched the miracle medicine heal Marzia’s neck and took in a deep breath. He looked over at Michael’s dead corpse on their floor and winced. “That’s going to leave a horrible stain.”

Jack groaned as someone pounded on his door. He sat up in his bed and rubbed the sleep off his face. He vaguely smelled blood from last night’s fiasco. The curtains blew in from the light breeze outside. He stood up and opened the door.

“Have you seen Michael?”

Jack’s eyes flashed open. “Not recently?”

“Well if you do, tell him that the RA is pissed. He did it again.” The boy stormed off with his hands in the air. “Honestly, how hard is it to clean up from your period?”

Jack closed the door and looked at the spot Michael’s body rested five hours ago. He ran a hand through his hair. Thankfully Felix knew what to do with the corpse. Jack didn’t know where it went, and honestly he didn’t care at this point.

He slipped on a sweater and walked out of the room, hoping no one would care he was still in his pajamas. The school hospital was only a short walk away anyway.

Whispers spread past him about two students getting into a fight last night. No one knew who they were, but they moved inhumanly fast. Jack pulled his sweater close to his face, hoping no one asked him any questions. He didn’t feel like playing paparazzi this morning.

He reached the first aid station and checked himself in.

The two made up a story about how she passed out from dehydration. They couldn’t get her into the dorm without a key, so the nurse’s office seemed like neutral territory to keep rumors from spreading. The nurse bought it and made sure Marzia got plenty of fluids pumped into her.

Felix requested staying with Marzia all night. The nurse allowed it, but only because he looked in her words “so pathetic.”

Jack entered Marzia’s room. He could hear light breathing and a rhythmic heart monitor from inside. Felix lay with Marzia curled in his lap, Jack noticed Felix’s arm began turning a light shade of pink. A ray of sunlight passed through the curtains and rested on Felix’s arm. Jack walked over and shut the blinds.

“Thanks.”

Jack looked over as Felix cracked an eye open. Felix continued, “I didn’t want to get up and wake her.”

“No problem.” Jack pulled a chair over toward Felix and sat down. “How is she?”

“She hasn’t woken up yet. The nurse said once she gets enough fluid in her, she should wake up.”

Jack sighed in relief. He looked down at his reflection on the silver floor.

Felix continued, “Thank you so much.” Jack’s head snapped up. “Without you, Marzia would be dead by now.”

“That’s what friends do, right?” Jack said with a light laugh.

“Nah, that’s what best friends do,” Felix spoke. “Anything you need from me from now on, you have it.”

Jack laughed, but then furrowed his brows. “You serious?”

“Of course. If you need anything, anything at all, you let me know.”

“Is this like a blood promise or something?”

“I guess you could say that.”

Jack ran a hand through his hair. “Well, I guess now my best friend is a vampire.”

“I’m sure stranger things have happened at college.”

Jack laughed. “It just makes me wonder what the rest of my life has in store. At this rate, I’ll be on the supernatural hit list for sure.”

“Don’t joke about that.”

Jack paled. “I can’t get on it, can I?”

“Nah, only the supernatural can.” Felix sighed. “Apparently I’m still on it.”

“Then we’re just going to have to be careful.” Jack clapped his hands together. “After all, we have to look out for each other now, right?”

Felix let a smile rest on his face. He looked into Jack’s eyes and sighed.

“Right.