Immortality Means Never Dying

Ray looked as if he were thinking hard. We were all staring at him as he paced back and forth in front of us, repeating the words under his breath.

"The hardest thing to find...." he said. "The greatest way to live.... You'll die with what you'll get...but only if you give?"

"We're pretty hard to find," Mikey said. "I mean, we're vampires."

Ray rubbed his head fiercely. Gerard groaned.

"And maybe it's considered a great way to live," Bob added. "You know, not dying?"

"And I don't know what you get from us but you sure as hell give us something," Frank said.

"I can't take this!"

We all looked at Gerard after that sudden outburst, who was standing now. He looked furious. So did Ray.

"You guys think," Gerard said. "Ray and I are going out."

Gerard stormed out the door, letting it slam behind him.

"What's going on, Ray?" Mikey asked nervously.

"We...we just can't," he said.

"Can't what?" I asked. It was weird the way Ray stared at me. Like he wanted to kill me.

"To Gerard and me," he said, "your blood...it's like poison. It...it doesn't help at all. It actually makes things much worse."

I opened my mouth to say something but Ray left the apartment without another word.

"What?" Bob asked rhetorically, sounding confused.

"Whatever," Frank said. "We have a long time to figure this out. Let's just have fun."

"Don't gotta tell me twice," Anne said, standing from her spot on the couch and walking towards Bob. They kissed. I mean, really kissed. And I was just about ready to punch her. I looked to my left and saw that Mikey was nuzzling Stacy's neck. She giggled. He smiled, his eyes closed. I shuddered.

"Jane." I looked up. Frank had his hand extended out to me. I took it gladly, needing it somehow. I hadn't kissed a guy in a while...

Gerard does not count.

But Frank. Frank. He's a vampire. Is that too much to ask for? A human?

Frank walked me over to a corner of the room where we sat down. I rested my head on his shoulder, feeling overwhelmed by a feeling in my stomach. That "butterflies" thing. And overwhelmed by...everything. Meeting vampires, liking vampires, liking vampires...

Frank kissed my neck. This time, I didn't stop him. I couldn't stop him. I needed it. I wanted it.

"Frank..." I breathed. I turned my body towards him, holding his face in my hands. It just felt so right. From the corner of my eye, I saw Stacy pushing Mikey away as he tried to kiss her.

It didn't feel so right anymore.

Just as Frank's lips brushed mine, I pushed him away. Again. But his lips brushing mine left me wondering what it would be like with his lips pressed against mine. What it would feel like. What it would taste like. It left me wanting more. Left me wanting more Frank.

"Jane?" Frank's melodic voice hit my ears. I wanted it more than ever. So I moved a few feet away from him and held my face in my hands.

"No," I said softly. "Kissing me isn't going to help solve this...issue."

"What issue? This is perfect! We're all immortal, Jane. Don't you realize that? We can take advantage of this, not run from it. You don't need to die."

Frank's voice got closer and closer to my ear by the second. When I looked up at him, my lips were forced into his. And I did not push him away this time. Really.

I felt him get on top of me, straddling me. He kissed me deeply, his tongue grazing mine. I smiled. I couldn't help but smile. He bit my lip. By accident or on purpose, I didn't notice nor care. I held his face in my hands. His hands were on my waist. I could feel the pain but I didn't much mind that he was sucking the blood from my lip. At least not until...

I couldn't breath. It felt like all my blood was rushing to my head, wanting to just be sucked out. It felt as if Frank was taking my air through my mouth. My lungs felt small. I felt I might faint. I pushed Frank away, took a breath, and coughed at the pain in my chest.

"Jane?" It was Stacy's voice. I looked up and saw she and Mikey were sitting at opposite sides of the couch. Then her image blurred. And grew dark...