Status: Recommend, Subscribe and Comment = MORE CHAPTERS! Yay! (even the most pointless comments count ;) )

To Be Mortal

Different

I sat in my room, alone again, and tapped my fingers on the wall. I was deep in thought.

I could not make any conclusions on Dr. Dubois, no matter how hard I was trying. There was something he was hiding, I was sure of that; but I couldn’t very well just upright ask him. Even if I tried to get him to spill the beans secretly, he’d figure it out eventually. Under normal circumstances I’d simply torture him for it, but these weren’t my normal circumstances, were they?

I had fallen asleep and woken to the smell of pig’s blood at my bedside. I pushed myself up and took a sip of the cold, disgusting fluid. Think of it as drinking sour milk next to century-old wine. There was no comparison between animal and human blood.

Wait a moment. I wiped my lips and took a longer smell of the cup. It was definitely pigs but… there was something else. I took a long breath and closed my eyes. It only took a moment for my brain to register the hidden smell I found. My eyes widened and rage flared in me. It was the distinct scent of VTS 4; also known as the only truth serum known to man that can withstand a vampire’s metabolism.

My hand tightened on the glass and I slowly rose from my bed… then threw it across the room to the mirror, causing it to crack. “What the fuck is that?!” I snarled, running right up to the mirror.

Dr. Dubois emerged from the door, I heard shouting from behind him and it shut quickly.

“Ava, calm down.” I didn’t.

Instead I grabbed him by the throat and shoved him against the wall. I heard the air escape from his lungs as they flattened and I shouted, “You bastards have been drugging me?!”

I heard the door open and guns click. I dropped the weak man and flexed my fingers. I was in trouble. I felt the cold barrel of a gun press against my neck but I flinched but I backed away.

“No need, boys.” I growled turning around to see them glaring at me, except for the doctor. He simply looked at me with disappointment. I walked to the back of the room and crossed my arms. Rage still pumped through me, almost as strong as bloodlust, but I let it subside slowly. I wasn’t ready to die today.

The men quickly left my cell and I sighed. Now I was hungry but have thrown away my first meal in nearly a week. Drugs or no drugs, I’d die without it. I could try and lick up the puddle filled with glass that was still shattered on the floor but I wasn’t ready to give up my remaining dignity either.

I lay back down on the bed and sighed, tensing my muscles, relaxing them, and repeating. This always seemed to calm me down.

---


The next day I felt my skin begins to crawl and felt chest pains. The signs of hunger strengthened and I felt my inhibitions wander away from me. The door opened and the smell of human blood washes over me. I turn and see the doctor holding a new, large cup. I ran over and chug down the cup graciously, moaning slightly as my fangs relaxed and the bloodlust subsidised.

“I figured you’d be hungry after yesterday.” I glanced at him and saw light bruising around his neck where I had grabbed him, serves him right.

“Yeah, well. Maybe.” I growled. I shoved the cup back to him and sat down on my chair, “You come for your session, doc?”

He grinned and laughed, “Where did we leave off?”

---


A few months later winter had passed and the snow was lifted from the ground. Now that the nights were shorter my lessons with Jeremy had to be too. Sometimes we practiced in the apartment, but we created a lot of ruckus, some of it from the neighbors below us pounding on their ceiling and telling us to shut up or they’re calling the cops.

The sun had just risen in the sky and we were spending our morning in bed watching the news before going to sleep. I was now moved into Jeremy’s room, it was just easier this way. The first morning when I had awoken and worn his shirt I ended up spilling orange juice all over it. He was not impressed.

Jeremy was everything I had ever imagined in a prince. He was strong, handsome and gentler to me than any man I had ever met. He held me like piece priceless porcelain he had been vowed to protect. I loved it.

The news however, was not getting any better. The supernaturals were continuing to protest against their injustices and wanted more and more rights. I had mixed feelings about the current segregation that biased the community. Sure, I was in love with Jeremy; but he was the only supernatural who had ever once been kind to me before.

My world as a human was much different than any other species’. I was given free health care as well as a free education from birth; supernaturals on the other hand had neither.

Mixing supernaturals with humans was a big no-no, which was made understood through childhood to all species. Daycares were not allowed to take in children that had displayed supernatural traits or abilities from birth, and if one child showed any the workers were to immediately alert the CSRB or the Canadian Supernatural Records Bureau.

Only humans were granted free, mandatory education but children who have displayed powers must pay tuition to go, and often the teachers will openly bully them as well as most of the children. Often there are less than three supernaturals left in a class by grade six. Very few universities allow supernaturals to attend them, and jobs are very difficult to get no matter what your credentials are. Supernaturals do not need to be paid minimum wage like humans either, so often in low-paying jobs they can barely support their family.

This had only been the way of the world for a few decades even. It was only in the late ‘20s that supernaturals were given the right to attend school or vote in elections. In fact, it wasn’t until only about fifteen years ago that laws were put in place to prevent certain businesses from denying supernaturals from entrance. That was also when supernaturals tried getting into the army. This was the way of the world.

I steered my brain away from those unhappy thoughts and instead focused on the beautiful features of Jeremy’s face. He was watching the television, but soon noticed I was looking at him. He grinned and touched my face gently.

“Jeremy?”

“Yes?”

“What’s it like? Being a vampire?”

He hesitated and looked down, smiling only faintly as he thought. “Many descriptions are a little confusing to those who have not experienced it first-hand. It’s… different than being human. That’s for sure. It’s different for all vampires.” He shifted from his position and sighed, “Some say that feel dead, like they lose control of themselves at first. Others say they feel completely powerful and it’s like they’re alive for the first time.” He paused, “But I…”

“But what?”

“But I think that it makes you who you truly need to be, not necessarily what you want to be or even could dream of being.” His face fell and his brow furrowed slightly, almost a look of… regret.

“Jer…?”

“It’s nothing.” He smiled again and brushed some of my hair from my face. I smiled up at him and we turned back to the television as the sound grew louder.

“Police have arrested nineteen supernaturals after a riot outside of the University of Toronto, led by supernatural spokesperson Walter Price and Penelope Freedman. They were protesting for Miss. Freedman’s right to attend the university after being denied entry for the past four years.”

There was Walter Price again, next to a young woman with spikey brown hair. They were being interviewed by a reporter.

“Why are you protesting against this? It’s no secret that the U of T has been an all-human school since its beginning.”

The young woman was the one who answered the question, “Since I was a young girl, I always knew I wanted to be a doctor and nothing stood in my way then.” She glanced at Price and he nodded, “See, I was born human, but was attacked by a werewolf when I was fourteen. I have the rare experience of having treatment of a human and a supernatural.” Her eyes began to narrow and her lips wrinkled and thinned as she pressed them together. “I graduated at the top of my class and have 90’s in all my appropriate classes! But because I was unwillingly turned into what I am now I cannot be treated like a person, for god’s sake.” She sighed and the screen flipped back to the reporter.

“The university has adamantly declared that they will not accept Miss. Freedman and let in the floodgates of all supernaturals they have denied.”
---


The next night I was preparing a sandwich for dinner before Jeremy and I left to train on my self-defence skills. I was really developing and I loved how close it brought him and me.

Jeremy had the werewolf Michael in the office room, they were still arguing about money. I never found out how Jeremy got his money, but I did know he had a lot of it. Sometimes I thought he just pissed off the mafia for the sheer thrill of it. He had paid his last debt from the year before but simply took out another one.

I heard a commotion from upstairs and a door open with a loud bang.

“I told you I wanted my money back today! This is what I get?! Doleful apologies and the offering of a cake your floozy blood-bag made?!” I dropped my butter knife caked with peanut butter, replacing it with the silver kitchen knife Jeremy kept for me in case of emergencies… like this. I scurried to the bottom of the staircase and held the blade tightly behind my back.

“Listen, the banks are closed today; I’ll have your money soon!”

“You say that every time, but do you ever actually get to it?” the enraged werewolf flipped his head and caught sight of me. In a flurry he ran down the stairs and right to me, “I’m surprised you haven’t drained this one dry yet like the others, Jer.” He grinned and grabbed me by the arm and turned to Jeremy. “That offer still stands, give me the girl and I won’t make things any more difficult than they have to be.” He looked back at me, “I like them young and tough.”

Jeremy paused and glanced at me, then him, “For just an hour?”

My blood turned cold and my eyes widened. No, he would never do that!

“No, no. I need a new girl. Last one gave out in only a month.” He smirked back to Jeremy and laughed.

I took my chance and whipped out my knife, snagging him on the arm. Steam billowed from the wound where the silver grazed him and he howled in alarm, letting me go. Jeremy tore down the stairs and grabbed him by the scruff.

“Get out.” He growled in Michael’s ear.

“Fine, fine. She would have been gamy anyways.” He growled. I shuddered and watched him leave the apartment.

As soon as the door closed behind him I leapt into Jeremy’s arms, sobbing. He hugged me tightly and kissed my forehead, “It’s okay, it’s okay.”

The next day the news declared Michael had been arrested only minutes later for disturbing the peace. He never returned to us to collect the rest of the debt.
♠ ♠ ♠
I really, really love comments! The more I get the faster I can get chapters out! :D