Sixteen Candles

Patrick’s POV

Waking up took me a second, as I tried to recognise the room I was in. Grey, walls, there was a bookshelf on one wall. The bed I was in was wrought iron.

After a second, the night before came rushing back to me. I reached to my side and felt nothing. There was a slice in my shirt, though.

I climbed out of the bed and noticed I was still wearing my shoes. I must have been seriously tired. I thought as I opened the door and walked into the hall. I was about to find the other guys when I heard a crash from one of the rooms.

I noticed the knob turn on the door that had seemed locked the previous night. Once the door opened, Vi walked out, followed by four guys.

I recognised two of them as Brendon Urie and Ryan Ross in regular clothes.

One of the ones I didn’t recognise looked over her shoulder and saw me. I noticed his eyes flash red and Violet’s hair bleached white. I figured her eyes were red because the vampire looked at her in surprise.

The air in the room seemed to practically freeze. Everything was still and silent. I noticed a faint tattoo on Violet’s neck that seemed to be shimmering.

A second later, Jordan rushed down to the foot of the third floor stairs.

Ryan looked worried and turned to the guy. “Spencer, chill out. This is her turf.”

The Spencer guy thought about it a second before his eyes turned to a brown color and he relaxed. Looking at Vi he snapped, “Another time.” Before leaving. The other guy I didn’t recognise left after him. Brendon glanced from me to Jordan before leaving. Ryan handed Vi a CD case he had been holding.

“I’ll walk you out.” She whispered.

He nodded and as she walked down the stairs, he set his hand on the small of her back.

Jordan sighed and retreated back to the third floor and I headed down the stairs. I didn’t see any of the other guys, but I knew they were here somewhere. As I got to the bottom of the stairs, I looked over and saw Vi standing close to Ryan. They were whispering to each other. She looked a little worried and he looked sad.

I climbed back up a few steps so they couldn’t see me.

“I don’t see why I can’t do it?” Ryan said.

“Because, you aren’t him. He is by technicality my sire, him and Brendon. Besides that . . .”

“What?”

“You would get addicted. I can’t have that. William knows when to stop. I don’t want you to be stuck with that job. I like you to much for that.”

He sighed and leaned down to kiss her forehead before walking out the door.

“Come out, Patrick.”

“Your vampire tricks are weird.”

“Believe me I can do worse than just find you. You’re covered in blood.”

I looked down and finally noticed the dry cracked blood on my jeans and my shirt. “Oh, yeah. I forgot.”

She nodded, her eyes looking a little blank. “Joe and Andy went to grab you some other clothes. And gossip.”

“Pete?”

“Upstairs.” She stepped around me and pushed open a door on down the hall. I followed.

I stepped into a kitchen three times bigger than the one at home. She walked over to the pantry and came out reading a box of funfetti cake mix. “Hungry?”

“A little, but I highly doubt cake counts as breakfast.” I said, as she started mixing the batter with vampire speed. Oddly enough, I wasn’t unnerved by it.

She stopped by the bowl, her finger halfway between the bowl and her mouth, and dripping with cake batter. “I wasn’t planning on baking it.” She said.

I grinned and stuck my finger in the bowl as she finished her taste. “That’s not actually a bad idea.”

She laughed and turned around to a radio. She picked up the CD Ryan had given her and put it in.

“Do you mind? I’m trying to eat.” I snapped.

She shook her head and got another taste as a song began.

Sit tight I’m gonna need you to keep time.

Come on just snap, snap, snap you’re fingers for me.

Good, good, now we’re making some progress

Come on just tap, tap, tap you’re toes to the beat.

I gave the radio a look of amazement. “Who is that?”

“Brendon is the one singing.”

“Seriously?”

“Yeah. Ryan wrote the song though.”

“It isn’t half bad.” I reluctantly noted.

She smiled. “Like the idea of cake batter for breakfast?”

“Yeah like that.” I reached over for another finger full of batter when Vi grabbed my wrist.

She stuck her own finger in the batter and held it out in front of me.

I gave her a sceptical look.

“You trust me, remember?”

I internally cursed myself and reached out to lick the batter off of her finger. She watched me the whole time. Once she pulled her hand back, I reached out and stuck my hand into the bowl.

“My turn.” I said.

She didn’t hesitate to lick he batter off of my finger and once it was off, she took a step closer to me.

I noted that she wasn’t laughing, or even smiling. She seemed focused on something. After a second she stepped around me and over to the cabinet. She pulled out a round cake dish and poured the rest of the cake batter into it. Then she turned around and tossed it into the oven.

I took a few steps closer to her and when she turned back around, reaching for the kitchen timer, I grabbed her wrist and then set my hand on her cheek.

She didn’t seem to move, a vampire trait, but after a second I leaned forward and brought my lips to hers.

She unfroze quickly, setting one hand lightly on my chest as her other hand was set on the marble counter top. I brushed her bottom lip with my tongue and she opened her mouth to me.

I don’t quite know what I was expecting, maybe cold, like a normal vampire, but Violet’s mouth wasn’t like that. Sure it wasn’t human temperature, but it wasn’t uncomfortable, or anything.

It felt nice.

After a minute or so, I reached my hand out to her waist. She gave a little groan I almost didn’t catch and then pulled away, stepping back.

I opened my mouth to ask what when she cut me off.

“You’re friends are back.” She said. Then she stepped back and to another side of the island.

“Hey, good to see you on you’re feet.” Andy said, walking in.

“Yeah, umm.” Was all I could say. I was still foggy from having kissed Violet.

“You alright, man?” Joe asked me.

I nodded. “Yeah, fine.”

Andy handed me a bag I recognised from my room. I took it and realized it was a change of clothes.

“Shower’s on the second floor, across from where you slept.” Violet said, suddenly holding a jar of cherries.

I bit my tongue and nodded. “When’s the cake going to be done?”

She shrugged. “When I think it smells done.”

I rolled my eyes and left to the second story. I made sure I had pressed the CD player so that it opened and the playing stopped.