Headfirst for Halos

I woke up the next morning disorientated and stiff. I’d fallen asleep on the floor where my legs had given out. I stumbled into the closet and got dressed. I walked out into the…sitting room I guess and found a breakfast tray waiting for me. I finished the coffee before I dug into the waffles. As I ate I looked around the room.

The walls were blank and white…the creepy, sterile kind of white. I made a mental note to add color to them later—if I was still here that is. I paused and wondered at how easily I had just assumed I could alter something in this place.

When I was finished I organized the tray and started my morning routine. Sparing only a moment at the distant memory of the twenty dollars that had been sailing out the window with the rest of my clothes. I shivered at the memory of Michelle being in…my room. Was it even possible that one small human have so much space to themselves? I decided to explore this strange place I was to call home.

The first floor had the sitting room, bedroom, guest-bedroom, and personal bathrooms for each bedroom. I walked up the spiraling staircase to a huge library. It must have had every book ever published. I stood at the top of the step staring at the shelves in wonder. They went all the way up to the ceiling…but there weren’t any ladders. It was a labyrinth of knowledge. There were maps posted at dead ends and they made me laugh. On either end of the labyrinth was a door. One was locked, the locked door bugged me, but I decided it was best not to know, especially if it was for vampiric use.

The other door was unlocked; I walked through and found that it was an office and so much more as well. I started laughing when I saw the latest in gaming systems and the latest games. I heard a muffled chuckle behind me. I turned around so fast my foot got caught and I stumbled backward. An arm wrapped around my waist and set me on my feet—Gerard.

“You seem to be very clumsy,” he murmured with a shy smile.

“I thought it was the other one,” I mumbled shoving my arms into the pocket of my hoodie and taking a step away from him. His eyes became darker, more alert.

“He came to you?” He demanded. I nodded without thinking, taking another step away at the same time. He took a breath, forcing himself to calm down. “He’s disobeyed again.” I shook my head quickly.

“N-No, he didn’t. He didn’t do anything.” I said, trying to prevent a family feud. “He just…umm, he just wanted to make things right.” I stuttered out.

“And just how did he do that? I assume he snuck up on you based on your reaction to me.” I took a breath to deny it, but one glance into his eyes made me rethink the action. Then I remembered I had already confirmed it with hesitant silence…and nearly jumping out of my skin a moment ago, besides I couldn’t lie to him, the guy had saved my life—at least twice if I was counting correctly.

I nodded avoiding his eyes. “He came through the window, scared the hell out of me. I…I refused his apology. I told him to leave…I’m pretty sure I made an enemy. I didn’t even know the guy that long. I know he’s your brother and I’m sorry I was so rude. I mean you saved my life and everything and—” there was a brief blur of movement and suddenly I was in his arms. I froze before my brain registered that he was giving me a hug. I hugged him back enjoying the comforting human gesture. After a while he released me, and I felt so much better it was ridiculous.

“What now?” I asked quietly. I saw a flash of something in his eyes before it was masked over by what I would soon come to know as his favorite mask. He headed out the door, motioning me to follow him. He led me into the great hall within the library and then into the other side. He stopped at the locked door and turned to me.

“This is to become a very important room for you…should things go according to plan.” With that foreboding little footnote, he turned and pushed the door open. I had the distinct feeling of having missed a step going down the stairs.

I walked in and couldn’t help but stare. There was a fridge with a glass door filled with bags of blood, other strange machines I really didn’t want to get to know as well as more books, these I assumed were vampire lore. He sat down at the desk and hauled out a huge book from somewhere behind the desk.

“Set down by those now long past are traditions many consider and now finding pointless. After all the counsel members have found their successors, there is a kind of silent auction. Some members find more than one successor and thus need to get rid of those that are not suited. Some don’t bother looking and wait for this event to find theirs. My plan is to place the highest bid on you. I know your perfect for the job and I also know that some members collect them for…other purposes.

“Unfortunately, Michelle brought up a fair point. You’re pretty to us. Your soul type is like the rarest stone, everyone wants as many as possible. It’s insane, but it’s like a genetic quirk we all have. I’m trying to find a way to eradicate it, but mostly I’ve been met with failure. Money can’t always buy the solution…” He sighed as he flipped through the pages looking for the right place. Eventually he found it and spun the book around so I could read it…only problem was—it was in Latin.

“I can’t read Latin,” I mumbled, cheeks turning red. He blinked in surprise and smiled self-consciously—I liked that smile.

“I’m sorry; I sometimes forget that it’s become a more or less dead language.” He flipped it back around and read. The contents of the pages froze me to the core.

It basically said we were to be sold off like cattle, with not a word from us as to where we want to go. I started shaking, I couldn’t breath everything started spinning, I was dimly aware of someone talking to me and trying to hold me up, but everything faded out.

…

I woke up to a dark room. I sat up and turned on a light mentally cursing my own weak mind and body. On a chair was a plain black outfit that I knew I was meant to wear. I got up and as I walked over I saw a note on it.

I’m sorry, Frank, as per tradition I am not allowed to see you until after the auction. I’ve broken many rules already, but this one I can’t. Get dressed; a car will come by to bring you to the auction. May we see each other again.
-Gerard Way

My stomach dropped to my feet. I managed to pull myself together and put the outfit on. It was made well and fit me perfectly. I walked slowly down to the front hall and out the door. I took a deep breath to keep the world in a place resembling straight as the black car drove up. I got in when the driver opened the door.

“Mr. Iero, I presume.” The driver murmured. I knew how pale I was as I gave a curt nod and got in without looking at him. It wasn’t long before we were pulling up into a long mockingly beautiful driveway with lush green trees guiding the way to my fate. I was helped from the car, I couldn’t move without being ordered to do so and even then with a guiding hand. I could hear the quiet murmur of cultured voices with strange and exotic accents added to their words. I was led into a quiet room with many others and was told to wait.

No one seemed to notice I had entered—each one of them stuck in their own horror-stricken daze. One was staring out the window, his blonde hair making him look like a ghost in funeral garb. I took a few deep breaths as I looked around, realizing with a start that there were women in the group as well.

“For shame, young one,” a throaty voice said from behind me. “You of all should know there would be women amongst this group.” Her accent was heavy, and quite obviously Russian or at least eastern European. Her porcelain skin seemed all the more white next to her dark chestnut hair.

“I-I’m sorry,” I stuttered, wondering what she was doing here. Her ruby lips curved into a subtle, gentle smile.

“Do not worry; I am not here to harm, merely to watch over those being offered for the auction.” I stared, shocked that a vampire was allowed.

“But I thought you weren’t allowed.” She waved her hand.

“That applies only to those participating in the auction.”

“Oh,” was all I could say. I turned and watched the others. Suddenly a pretty blonde woman screamed and dove for the window. The vampire moved with a graceful leap and had the distraught woman in her arms, preventing an obvious suicide attempt. Everyone froze watching the scene play out as if it didn’t apply to them.

She ushered the blonde to a small sofa and sat her down, where she promptly began to cry. The vampire left her as another human came to comfort her. Something in the back of my mind registered a familiarity with her thought I had never seen her before.

“Yes,” the vampire guardian said when she came to stand beside me once more.

“Huh?”

“Yes, you and she share the same, if not similar, soul type. It allows you to deal with sudden strange changes, as well as help others. It’s often led to the survival of many Promises.” I nodded quietly and walked over to the girl comforting the blonde. I highly doubted all that, I kept passing out and freaking out in general with every new turn in this new labyrinth of a life. I briefly wondered what choice I should have made to avoid this particular rabbit hole.

“Hi,” I said, not really knowing what to expect. I froze when I saw the bruises on the brunette’s face and what I could see of her upper body.

“Hello,” she said in return. She had ice blue eyes, a sharp contrast to her dark hair.

“My name’s Frankie.”

“Gaëlle,” she replied her eyes wary and bitter looking.

“Umm, wh—”

“Michelle,” she spat. Her eyes burned in hatred of the vampire—I could definitely sympathize with that.

“Gerard,” I murmured. She laughed with a bitterness that stung.

“Heed my warning Frankie; he will do anything to own you. Stay close to Gerard until you are a full vampire. When we become vampires you will hear of the death of his brother, remind him that the brute had it coming.” She stood and walked away quickly, leaving me with the blonde and blue-eyes mental mess. I stared after her in shock. I sat with the broken woman for a while, but it got really boring—until I noticed that the room was emptier than before.

When I had entered the room there had been at least a hundred others not including our guardian. Now there was only twenty-five give or take a few. Then I felt someone touch my shoulder—the guardian.

“Come Frankie, you have been bought.”

“By who?” I asked my voice wavering despite myself. She shrugged and led me to a different door. I walked through leaning against the wall for support. From the knees down everything felt about as firm as jell-o. The narrow hallway ended at a huge door. I tried opening it but it wouldn’t budge. I stood there for a while before getting pissed off and banging on the door until it opened.

I don’t know about some of them, but I was tired of all this bullshit. I stepped through and felt a sharp, needle-like pain in my neck.

Everything went black.