Forever 17

"So I guess I owe you a bit of an explanation," Destree says looking at me, there's something different in his eyes, something I've never seen before. Could it be...? No, there's no way.

"Um, yeah, I think you do. What's happening to me Des?" I say, my throat is killing me.

"You really don't remember anything?" he asks me.

"No, not really," I lied, shaking my head. I didn't want to remember, it hurt to even think right now.

--> From Chapter 6:

I tried to think back to last night, but it was fuzzy. Okay, I knew we went to Hills of Eternity... but, why? I couldn't remember why we went to the cemetery in the pouring rain. Let's see, then when we got there there were those... what the hell were those things? They were human, well had a human body, and they were beating the life out of some guy who wasn't fighting back. Did they... did they kill him? Then Destree told me to leave, and I told him I wasn't leaving him, right? Then they attacked us, and then Des said something about changing me? And he said something about him being...

I let my thought stop there and laughed quietly to myself. Destree was not and absolutely could not be a... a vampire. That's just silly, but what else would explain the strength of those guys, the way he just put his hand out and Des and I went flying? What the hell could explain that? Do vampires actually exist? And if they do than what else? The Tooth Fairy? Santa Claus? Werewolves? Unicorns? There's no better explanation. It's gotta be that Destree is an actual vampire, but Destree can go in the sun, he doesn't turn to ash, he doesn't ignite like on True Blood, and he sure as hell doesn't sparkle. That's stupid. He goes to school just like any other normal kid. Just than I realized something, Destree wasn't so normal after all. He was really strong, kids were practically terrified of him if they ever got on his bad side.

Okay. Destree. Vampire, if vampires exist I have no doubt that's what he is. Okay. Me, Destree said he had to 'change' me in order for me to live. So that means now I'm a vampire. Aha!! I got it, that's what all the burning and pain is... no Dakota, snap out of it. There's no such thing as vampires, I just had a really, really fucked up dream. Destree is not a vampire and nor did he change me into one. But... if this was all a dream than why the hell do I hurt and burn so badly? What the hell is happening to me? I need an explanation or I'm going to go insane. I needed Destree. I needed my best friend. I wanted my best friend Destree, whether or not he was a vampire or not.
END FLASHBACK

"Well, where can I begin? I guess I can begin with a confession, I've already broken enough rules over the past few days... Dakota I have to tell you something, but I want you to know that no matter what," he looks away from me. "I'll always be there for you..." he looks back at me.

"I know that Des, what is it?" I ask.

"Dakota, I'm a vampire,"

"Destree, that's ridiculous," I said for the second time.

"Dakota, it's really not, and I know that you can in fact remember a lot of what happened that night," he said.

"H- how do you know?" I stammered.

"Because even though I usually try to avoid your thoughts, I can read minds,"

"Prove it, what am I thinking," I closed my eyes for a couple seconds and thought about something completely off the charts.

"You're thinking about how hot Adam Gontier is with longer hair,"

"Damn it! That was just a coincidence! I wanna do over" I say.

"Go ahead," Destree nods.

I think something completely random, while I look at Destree, who is waiting... out of nowhere I think about the summer of fourth grade, Destree and I were nine years old at the time. It was the first time we had ever gone to the beach together, it was the first time I had really ever felt in danger, it was the first time I had looked death straight in the face.

I had swam out to the buoys that they place in the water to keep people from swimming out too far, even though I knew I wasn't a strong swimmer, being both the adventurous and rebellious one, I swam out past the buoys. Even though Destree, who was a much stronger swimmer than me, was behind me telling me to stay in the buoys. "But don't you wanna see what it's like on the outside?" I asked. He had told me that he was sure that the outside was the exact same as the inside. But I didn't take his word for it.

Then it all happened in as little time as it took for someone to call Destree's name and for him to turn around. Something pulled me underwater with a brute force, I closed my eyes in fear that the water would irritate them, and when I tried to open my eyes to see what had caused me to get pulled under, I couldn't. I tried my hardest to just open my eyes but it felt like someone had super glued my eyes closed. I didn't have a plan so I decided to scream as loud as I could, in hope that someone would see the bubbles. That was a big mistake, as I ran out of air I began to thrash around, praying to God that someone would save me, but we were out past the buoys, we were the only ones out here. Destree was my only chance.

When Destree turned around, he realized that I was gone. He shouted my name and then he realized the only place I could have gone was down, so he took a deep breath and went down under. When he finally got to me I was passed out, he got up to the surface and to the shore as quickly as possible. I awoke I don't know how many minutes later and I was surrounded by Des, my grandmother, a lifeguard, and four or five other people I didn't know. The strangers I didn't know asked me if I was okay, and left after they confirmed that I was. After that we didn't swim out even half way to the buoys, we stayed in the more shallow areas and played on the beach, then before I knew it it was time to go home.

We haven't gone back to the beach since, no matter how many times I asked, even when I learned to swim properly. My grandma from then on always said it was too dangerous. To this day, no matter how many times I've asked Destree over the last almost eight years, he still won't tell me what pulled me down. But after a while I stopped asking, because after a while I thought, what if is wasn't something that pulled me down, what if it was someone?

When I snap out of my thoughts and look at Destree, he has a really pissed off look on his face, and he's tightly clenching a fistful blanket in one hand.

"Destree what's wrong?" I ask, instantly concerned.

"Don't think about that day," he says, almost viciously. "I almost lost you to them that day," he says, teeth still clenched.

That's what make me realize that this... this might be for real. Is Destree really a- a vampire?

"Yes Dakota, I really am a vampire," he says.

It's true. Wait... them?

"Who's them???" I ask.

"What" he asks.

"You said them! You said that 'I almost lost you to them that day!! Who's them Destree??!"

"You were right about it being a someone and not a something." he say.

"Who was it!?" I almost yell, the pain is growing duller, that medicine must be really good.

He looks into my eyes with a look of shame in his, and he looks away.

And then something clicks inside my brain, "It- it was those guys we ran into at the cemetery?"

He nods.

Oh. My. God. I think to myself.

"How long have they been following us?"

"For quite some time," for some reason he can't seem to meet my eyes.

"So I've been being tracked by those monsters for years, and you've known all this time, but you've never told me. You've never told your best friend, 'um, hey, you know you're being tracked by killer FUCKING vampires!!', what the hell Destree!! You know you can tell me anything!!"

"I know that I can tell you anything-"

"So why didn't you?" I interrupt him.

"To protect you!! Dakota you're my best friend, and I know I can tell you anything, but if I were to have told you that I was a vampire, they would execute me, and maybe even both of us, and at first, they were tracking me so they could keep up with me, but then they became interested in you because they learned you have the most rare blood type out of all. Maybe they even became interested in you because they learned of how much you mean to me and how close we are, or maybe because they would have expected younger me to tell you of what I really am..." he trails into thought.

"Des, why were they tracking you in the first place?" I say, snapping him out of his thoughts.

"Well, because, well you see, I'm sort of... I'm sort of, well I'm a- a prince,"

"So not only are you a vampire, but you're a vampire prince?" I ask, I can't believe what I'm hearing right now.

"Yup,"

"And more importantly Destree, you said telling me would have been against the rules?" I ask.

"Yes, I did,"

"What are they gonna do when they find out you changed me?" I ask in overwhelming fear.

"Do you want me to lie to you, or do you want the truth?" He looks at me with cold, and I think (but there's no way in fucking hell!!) almost scared eyes?

I take a deep breath, "The truth, there's no use in sugar coating anything anymore,"

"I really don't know what they'll do, but whatever it is, unless they rule in my favor, will most likely be much, much worse,"

"Worse than them executing us?" I say with wide eyes, my voice cracking.

"There's so much more they can do than just executing us," he shakes his head.

"Destree, would you mind to be honest with me again?"

"No, not at all, what is it?" he looks at me, his eyes are somewhat normal again.

"Are you scared?" I ask.

He looks at me for a minute and after a while sighs, "Yes," he says quietly.

Impossible.