Monster. That word stuck with me after Ryu called me that during our argument. I couldn’t possibly be one, could I? When I arrived home, I ran to my bathroom with a knife. I had to know what I was. So I stared at myself in the mirror. I didn’t look any different, nor did I even feel different. The same shy boy stood in the mirror that had always been there. But I took the knife and touched the tip on the back of my left hand. I didn’t want to, but I had to know. Was I really a monster? I made a long slit on my hand, and blood exuded out. I watched as blood dripped down into the sink and down the drain. The pain was sharp, but it dissipated in almost an instant. I wiped away the blood, and the cut had already healed up. A scar was all that remained. I was afraid of what I was, so maybe that answered my question. I really was a monster.
Chapter 14
Home Sweet Home?
The next morning came quickly. Haru spent the previous day distracted by what he had learned about the SRC. He had been captivated by the SRC and the knowledge about the many Supernaturals that lived among the rest of society.
But he now had plenty of time to think about it even more. Today was an off day from school. He had all day to do ……. nothing.
But first things first, breakfast.
The home was deathly quiet, something that Haru had grown accustomed to. He knew Kana would take this opportunity to sleep in. To be honest, she would also do this on any ordinary day.
Wouldn’t it be pleasant to wake up with breakfast already prepared for you by your loving older brother? It would be enough to make anybody delighted. And not the old rice and eggs the two siblings had been having for the last few weeks. Maybe miso soup? A nice and warm meal to start off your day.
Haru meandered his way into the kitchen and began preparing the nice hot meal for two. This could finally be an excellent opportunity for the two siblings to get along as well as distract Haru from everything else going on.
But his cooking was interrupted by the doorbell.
Oh! It’s them.
Haru creaked open the door to find a young man in casual clothing holding a pouch standing before him. He had dark sunglasses on, and his hair was greased up. Haru expected some man in a suit to show up, but instead, here stood a fashionable young man who looked like he had no part with the SRC.
The man tilted his head and lowered his glasses. His eyes were cold as they pierced the boy. He rose his glasses back up and began to smile.
“Yo, Yo, Yo! It’s me, Shinji! I’m in charge of helping you this morning,” The man excitingly exclaimed as he reached into his pocket to pull out his SRC badge, confirming his ties to the organization.
“I’ve got something for ya!” The man talked and moved so fast that Haru didn’t have a chance to respond.
He reached into his bag a gently pulled out a thin rectangular silver case. He carefully opened it to show the contents inside.
It was supplied with syringes that were filled with a light red liquid. There must have been at least a couple dozen inside, all tightly packed together. Haru also noticed that his name was inscribed inside the case.
“Now, let’s get serious,” The man deadpanned. “Every day this week, I’ll be coming here during the morning to inject you with some of this artificial blood, courtesy of the Division of Supernatural Tech. This will help you calm your urges to consume human blood. As a Vampire, you can’t help yourself, but this will ease your impulses.”
The man motioned for Haru’s arm, quickly grabbed his wrist, and took one of the vials out from the casing. Haru winced as the man gently stuck the needle into Haru’s forearm.
“This will only hurt for a second.”
The man was rapid and subtle with everything he did, from taking out his badge to injecting Haru with artificial blood. He seemed in a hurry, but Haru could never know for sure.
“Th-Thank you,” Haru muttered, not trying to be rude to the man assisting him.
“No problem,” The man replied as he finished the injection.
Haru looked back at the injection spot to see that the bleeding had already stopped and healed as if nothing had even happened. He continued to be amazed by his healing prowess.
“Keep the blood vials with you. I will return tomorrow to inject you again.”
Haru gulped and nodded as he could guess the ramifications if he didn’t oblige.
Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.
“Perfect!” Shinji’s smile returned. “I will be back tomorrow! I am a busy man.” Haru watched the man scurry off before returning back inside the house to finish preparing breakfast.
As Haru cooked the meal, he realized that he hadn’t eaten anything since his grandmother’s cookies. He could remember the awful bitter taste as well.
It was odd. Haru had never felt hungry since then.
He prepared the table, one portion of miso soup for him, the other on the end of the table for Kana, who was still asleep. He stared at his reflection in his soup, wavering to take the first sip.
What will this taste like? Blood? Or soup?
He lifted a spoonful up and hesitantly stuck it into his mouth.
…….
DELICIOUS!
He was back to normal. Food tasted like food once again. He consumed his meal so fast that it burned his lips, but he didn’t seem to mind; the pain went away quickly.
This was his first meal since becoming a Vampire. He knew that going without human blood for too long would have made this meal taste horrible, but instead, it tasted fantastic. He had never killed anyone or consumed blood in a long while, so he knew the artificial blood he received must have worked perfectly.
Maybe the SRC ain’t so bad!
*TAP* *TAP* *TAP* *TAP* *TAP* *TAP* *TAP* *TAP* *TAP*
Haru struggled to eat his meal as a sound of rapid-fire muffled tappings came from upstairs. It distracted him so much that he couldn’t finish his breakfast. He just had to know what was making that noise.
He rushed towards the sound. It led him to his room. He creaked the door to see his usual messy room, but the tapping continued. It came from his window, blocked by his window blinds.
It was loud and, frankly, annoying. Haru walked to his window blinds and shoved them to the side, only to see a familiar face.
“Hey, Haru!”
It was Ryu, face smooshed into the glass like a kid looking into a fish tank. He wore his familiar outfit –a red Hawaiian shirt and the skull necklace, but his shirt was brand new with no tears or rips in them. And he was out of his arm cast. His left limb was slightly scarred from the Werewolf’s ferocious bite, but it was now in working order.
“Let me in!” He said, voice muffled from behind the glass.
Haru sighed and unlocked his window to slide it open as Ryu slipped his way inside.
“Jeez, your room is a mess!” Ryu exclaimed.
“Shhhhhh!” Haru hushed Ryu. “My sister is still asleep, dammit.”
“Hey, look,” Ryu whispered as he sat on Haru’s bed. “I’m sorry you got caught by the SRC. I didn’t want that to happen.”
“Why? They seem like good people.”
“No, the SRC is full of assholes. Don’t trust any of them, aight!”
Haru glanced at Ryu skeptically. He didn’t understand his narrative of not trusting the SRC. While it’s true that they have some control over Haru’s life, it’s better than being killed. The SRC could easily accomplish its goal of keeping the Supernatural a secret by executing Haru and hiding his body.
“They are evil,” Ryu continued. “They lie all the time and will screw you over whenever they get a chance. The only thing that is preventing them from killing us is Roxanne.”
“Roxanne? What do you mean?” Haru asked.
“Shit! You don’t know. She’s part of a council that’s made up of six Supernaturals. Their job is to advocate for our best interests in the SRC. She technically works for the organization.”
Haru was stunned to find this out, but he wasn’t surprised as he thought about it. She was the one who told him everything about the SRC, after all.
“The SRC is a bunch of bigots!” Ryu exclaimed. “They don’t allow Supernaturals to become members of the SRC. There is only one exception. The council. Six members of the Supernatural community that is trusted enough by both the SRC and the Supernaturals to best represent our needs. Without them, we would surely be hunted down.”
“I didn’t know that,” Haru responded.
“Look, there is someone very important I want you to meet. I’ll return when everything is ready.”
Ryu abruptly hopped to the open window and jumped down, landing on the ground with a thud. He looked back up at Haru, staring down at him, before running off.
Damn him. Why is he in such a rush?
Haru returned to finish his breakfast, distracted by this mysterious figure Ryu wanted him to meet.
Why not say who it was?
Why was this person important?
What was Ryu planning now?
Where was this person?
As Haru was pondering, Kana came through the dining room, fully dressed.
“You woke me up,” She muttered. “Turn the T.V. down next time.”
“S-s-sorry!” Haru stuttered. He wasn’t quite sure if it would be time to tell his sister anything about Ryu or about the SRC, for a matter of fact. He knew his responsibility was also to keep everything a secret, so he did just that. He kept his mouth shut.
“Where are you going?” Haru asked.
“Somewhere,” Kana responded, sounding cold in her answer. She quickly walked to the front door and slipped her shoes on before heading out without muttering another word or looking back.
How cold.
Haru sat alone as he finished his meal. He could see the steam from the portion of miso soup he had prepared for Kana. It stared back, making Haru depressed. After all his work to make her morning, it all went to waste. However, the warm steam and the smell in the air were enticing. Why squander a hot meal?