Boy in the Mist (Vampire BoyxBoy)

Ada

     "I've got a weird question."
     James looked up from his GameBoy and set it down on the counter. "Shoot."
     "I think Raymond has depression," Isaac replied, leaning against the counter. The store had become his safe space to go after school, especially to look at guitars. He had a job interview that coming Monday afternoon, and he was excited to start saving up. He had only gotten so much money from his mother.
     "No offense, but it was pretty obvious to me." James shrugged. "Guy looks like he hasn't showered in years. He looks tired."
     "I just worry about him. I don't know how to deal with someone who feels that way."
     "I'll tell ya something: I guarantee you Andy's got it."
     "Really?" Isaac remembered Andy's sad face the day he had talked to him.
"Yep. Our family's a little..complicated. More so than it needs to be. It stresses him out- kid's only in high school, after all."
"Oh. I'm sorry. Does it not stress you out?"
"It does, but I've dealt with it. It's hard for him to, especially since Mum almost took him with her when she left. Got his hopes up."
"And she didn't want you?"
"They agreed on one kid per parent with visits sometimes, but that changed. I guess she just had a favorite."
     "I'm really sorry about that."
     "Ah, whatever. It's been part of my life for years."
     "How do you deal with Andy when he gets really sad?"
     "Comfort him. Tell him I understand. Kinda common sense shit." James frowned. "I never really considered that there was anything else you could do. It seems to make him feel better."
     "It doesn't really help Ray. I can tell he's still sad."
     "I dunno. Do something nice for him. Give him something to look forward to. Let him talk."
     "I just wish he would talk." Isaac gave a close-lipped smile.
     "Maybe the four of us could chill again. Give Andy and Ray time to talk."
     Isaac was taken aback. "Uh, yeah! That'd be great! I'm glad to know you're not still weirded out."
     "I'm gonna make it up to the guy. We'll have a good time."
     "Yeah. For sure."
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     "Can I talk to you about something?"
     Isaac looked up from his computer and stared at Raymond, who had bigger bags under his eyes than usual. "Yeah?" He asked. "What's up?"
     "I don't want you to think I'm some sad, reclusive oddball. I really don't try to be. I think anyone would be acting the way I do if they lived for over a hundred and fifty years and still looked twenty one."
     Isaac sighed. "I just worry about you. I'm worried that one day you're going to explode from bottling all of your feelings up."
     "I want to express myself, but the last time I tried to talk about what happened it was too much. I can still see it."
     "I know. I get it." Isaac smiled softly. "You're my friend, and I care about you. And if you need to talk, I'm here for you."
     "You're too nice." Raymond bumped his shoulder against Isaac's.
     "It's not hard. Being nice, I mean."
     "It really isn't."
     Isaac was about to turn back to his computer when he heard Raymond speak again.
     "You know, the first fifty years or so were pretty good, despite one certain event."
     "Really?" Isaac raised his eyebrows.
     "Yeah. I ran up north of my home, kind of between this town and there. I lived in my own house, and I was pretty wealthy for my time. I would collect profit from performing in the city."
     "What, like, dancing?"
     Raymond laughed. "No. I would mesmerize people. Using my power to my advantage, I guess."
     "That's actually really cool. Would lots of people watch?"
     "There would be a good sized crowd. I would take volunteers, so they knew it wasn't some actor. Fake acts would get kicked out at that time."
     "So..if you don't mind me asking, what was the certain event?"
     Raymond inhaled, then stared down blankly trying to reflect. "People liked to gossip a bit about my family. Everyone knew my father. He took care of people in all places." He sighed. "One day about three years later, when I was on my way to my usual spot, I heard these two men discussing my father. Naturally, I listened in.
     "One of the men said that William's daughter, my sister, had fallen extremely ill. So ill that my father couldn't take care of her- just like me."
     "So did they send her to another doctor?"
     "They were going to. I assumed they would be taking her to the horrible doctor that I went to see. The one that did this to my neck." He pointed to the dots on his neck. Isaac's eyes widened.
     "I don't think I've ever run faster." Raymond gave a sad smirk. "It didn't take long to get home, considering it was only a mile or two away, but it felt like forever. I pounded on the door and walked right in the second it opened. My mother screamed at me, calling me rude and an impostor and evil, but I went straight to Ada's room.
     "She was so happy to see me, Isaac," Raymond said shakily. "She smiled so big. She wanted so badly for me to come home, and there I was."
     "What did your mom do?"
     "She was trying to drag me away from her. Literally drag. So I turned and looked at her and I begged her not to send Ada to that doctor. Any doctor but him, I said."
     "Did it work?"
     "I pulled her into the other room and whispered to her that while I was in the hospital, I saw the doctor deliberately kill other patients," he said. "It wasn't true, technically, but..she believed me. She didn't believe I was her son still, but she agreed not to send Ada away."
     "That's..smart."
     "About a month later, I heard a few men saying she had died."
     Isaac went cold. "Oh, no, Ray..I'm so sorry."
     "That was the last time I've ever truly cried. The early 1850s."
     "Oh, my God."
     "I know."
     "I've had it," Isaac said angrily. "Tomorrow, we are going to sit wherever you feel comfortable, and we're going to talk. I'll share some personal things with you, you'll share stuff with me. If you cry, I'll probably cry too because seeing other people do it makes me sad."
     "I-I don't-"
     "You need to get this out, Ray. Do you trust me to talk to you?"
     "..Yes."
     "Then we're doing this."
     Raymond looked scared.