Chapter 8: First day

His first night was odd. Ethan thought he would have problems sleeping. The new place he found himself in, along with his strange circumstances- made it that he had a lot in mind. Still, the moment his head hit the bed, sleep took over.

The room was completely dark when he woke up. His hands slipped from under the blanket as he stretched. A yawn escaped his lips. It took him a few seconds as he opened his eyes to make sense of where he was. Last night felt like a dream.

The feeling of the soft bed beneath his body and the unfamiliar room, however, contradicted such thoughts. This was his life now. Although it was dark, Ethan had no problem seeing clearly. One of the perks of his new condition, he assumed.

He reluctantly parted with his bed and glanced at the curtains. The sun was still up. He could feel it. It was almost instinctive. Ethan hesitantly walked over and slowly opened the velvet curtains. The sunlight peaked through, causing him to squint his eyes.

Besides the slight headache, nothing happened to him. He felt no real pain, and his body was not catching fire. "It seems like I need some sunglasses," Ethan mumbled as he pulled the curtains, plunging the room back into darkness.

He then made his way to the bathroom and froze as he looked at his reflection. "I need to get used to this," Ethan sighed as he stared at his dull grey eyes for a few seconds.

Shaking his head, he washed his face and glanced at the toothbrush near the sink. Ethan tentatively sniffed it and shrugged, "Looks unused."

After finishing his morning routine, Ethan went back to his room to make his bed before leaving. The house was softly illuminated by the chandelier, and all the windows were covered. It appeared that his new roommates didn't like the sun as much as he did.

"What the fuck did you just say?! He's right there! My god, how can you be so blind!?"

Terrell's voice traveled from downstairs. Ethan raised his brow before he walked down. 'Did someone come?' He wondered.

The entrance door was closed. Ethan glanced towards the kitchen and turned to his right, where Terrell's voice came from.

"Ah fuck it! Kill yourself, just kill yourself! How can one person be so bad?"

Ethan hesitantly walked toward the large double doors and opened them. Terrell was sitting in the middle of a surprisingly modern living room, with a ninety-inch TV in front of him as he played a shooter game.

"Damn it!" Terrell cursed and threw his controller on the sofa next to him. He took off his headset and then noticed Ethan, causing him to jump.

"Ah! Shit man, you scared me."

"Good morning."

"Yeah, more like shit morning. You wanna play?" Terrell asked, motioning to the controller.

"No, I'm okay."

"Yeah, me neither. Fuck this game. Too many try-hard kids."

"Where's Clara?" Ethan asked as he moved to sit down on one of the chairs.

"Probably still sleeping. We got a busy day, or rather a night later."

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"You're going to teach me how to feed?" Ethan asked.

"Ah, that as well. But something else came up. Council business."

Ethan pointed to himself and asked, "What about me?"

"What about you? You're coming with us, of course," Terrell grinned.

"I see. So what's this business about?"

"Some kids are misbehaving, so we gotta set them right," Terrell grinned.

Ethan frowned, "That doesn't really tell me anything."

Terrell laughed before answering, "It's okay, it'll be fun. I think. Just try not to kill and feast on anyone, okay?"

Confused, Ethan nodded, "Okay."

"Great! So, the sun is still up, and it's a pain to go out right now, but since we don't have much to do until later this evening, how about I show you around the neighborhood?"

Ethan shrugged, "Might as well."

"Nice, come on."

Terrell turned off the TV and grabbed a pair of sunglasses from the table before he led Ethan out of the room.

"You got another pair?"

"Oh, these bad boys? Not as cool as these, but I got some. Give me a second." Saying that Terrell ran upstairs with surprising speed. It didn't take him long before he returned with another pair of sunglasses, which he passed to Ethan.

The pair then left the house. Terrell walked down the stairs with a spring in his steps. "Behold! Isn't she a beauty?" He asked while gesturing to an old black muscle car. Ethan wasn't much of a car guy, but he had to admit it did look cool.

"She is," he nodded.

"I know, right? Though Clara doesn't seem to appreciate her beauty," Terrell clicked his tongue as he moved to the driver's side. "Hop in."

After getting inside, the car sprang to life as Terrell drove away from the house.

"So tell me, how does it feel like?"

"How does what feel like?"

"Well, technically, it's your first free day as one of the everliving."

Ethan shook his head, "I don't know. It feels almost the same."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"You know most people usually have a mental breakdown right about now."

Ethan shrugged, "Like I said, I don't know. It doesn't feel real, I guess?"

"Ah, now that's dangerous, my friend."

Ethan stuck his hand out of the car, enjoying the late morning breeze before asking, "Dangerous, how?"

"Well, that thought process, or lack of it, will have you putting yourself in some dangerous positions, that's how."

Ethan subconsciously nodded, his mind recalling his meeting with the council members. He did act quite fearless. Thankfully, he got lucky.

"Our condition, as some may call it, comes with a lot of perks. It does, however, also have its disadvantages. We are not alive, but nor are we dead. Our feelings and emotions will slip away." Terrell turned to look at Ethan as they stopped at a red light.

"You can't let that happen," he said- his face solemn. "If you do, you'll turn into a husk. And then, what's the point of eternal life?"

When the light turned green, Terrell looked away and laughed, "Ah well, what I'm saying is, just find yourself a hobby and keep yourself occupied."

Ethan didn't reply, but his mind was in turmoil. Turning into a vampire, still seemed unreal to talk about. No, it should feel unreal, but he didn't seem to care as much as he should. Was this what Terrell meant? Did everyone feel this way?

"Don't think too much about it, man. You'll get used to it. It's different for everyone. Just keep that in mind, alright?"

Ethan nodded, "Yeah."

"Good. Now you see that building right there?"

Ethan glanced to his right and saw a tall, familiar skyscraper. "Yeah, that's where the council is, right?"

"Correct, that's the center of power in this city. By day, it's a normal company; by night, it's where all council members will gather to discuss their matters."

"I see. How many members are there?"

"Too many to count. All of the main clans are officially part of the council."

"So, all vampires?"

Terrell shook his head as they drove off, "Not all. There are some who disagree with the way the council does things. Rogues, they call them. It's a gathering of outcast vampires from different clans. Usually, you'll find them in the lower ends of town. Between me and you, they are really the council's fuck up."

"How come?"

"Well, those up there," Terrell motioned to the top of the skyscraper, still visible from the window, before he continued, "They underestimated these outcasts. When they finally tried to do something about them, their numbers had grown too large, so now the two sides are in a shaky non-aggression pact as long as they don't overstep their boundaries."

"So the council controls downtown, while these Rogues are in the outskirts?"

"Oh, you catch on quickly. I like that. Yes, to put it simply, although I wouldn't say they control all of the outskirts; that's where some of the dogs are, after all."

"Dogs?"

"The werewolves," Terrell replied in a surly tone.

"You really don't like them, huh?"

"Fuck no."

The car ride continued silently for a few minutes before Ethan glanced at Terrell and asked. "How long has it been for you?"

"Hmm?" Terrell raised a questioning brow.

"I mean since you turned."

"Ah, that. Not too long, fifty-odd years?"

"Fifty?" Surprised, Ethan couldn't help but ask again.

Terrell chuckled, "Hey, I'll let you know I'm still rather young, especially compared to that grandma."

"Clara?"

"Haha, of course, her, who else? I'm sure she's been around since the eighteen hundreds. Don't tell her I told you that though, okay?"

Ethan subconsciously nodded. However, he couldn't help but do a double take as he looked at Terrell, almost as if it was the first time he saw the man. If his words were true, the young man before him was in his seventies or eighties.

'Guess you can't judge a vampire by its looks, huh?'