Switched

Bracelets

We walked in silence back to the dorm. Zero led the way while Paul trailed closely behind. None of us said anything; what was there to say? Everything suddenly felt so much more precarious, uncertain....... And I bet I wasn't the only one feeling this way. Neither guy said anything when we finally reached the door. Zero opened it for me but still refused to speak. I looked from him to Paul in minor confusion; they both turned to me, not hiding their solemn expressions.

"Will you be alright from here on?" Paul asked. I hesitated but nodded anyways; it felt like the right thing to do. The wolf didn't seem to buy it, deepening his frown. "Well, this sucks," he couldn't think of anything else to say I think. "I'd seen some creepy vampires before but that was something else," his big hand awkwardly rubbed the back of his head. We gazed at each other until he eventually sighed. Without warning, Paul came up to me; my eyes grew as one of his arms wrapped behind me. He placed his hand on the back of my head, resting his against mine. After holding me like that for a minute or two, the wolf pulled away to flash me a genuine smile. "Try and have a good night, babe," he said before shooting a glare over to the unimpressed Zero. "Don't let anything else happen to her; I mean it." "I don't take orders from dogs," Zero urged me inside the staircase. He slammed the door behind us, making sure to lock it. We ascended the stairs in quiet once more.

I opened the dorm door and went inside first. I didn't check if Zero followed me, but I should have. I almost jumped to the ceiling at the sudden thud echoing through the room. Spinning around, I found the vampire collapsed on his knees on the floor. A surge of panic burst through me. "Zero!" I leapt to his side within seconds. "What's wrong?! Are you thirsty?" "S-Selene......." Gasping, his large, slender hands reached over to grab hold of my shoulders. His head hung down to the ground, utterly refusing to meet my frantic stare.

"Ever since that time I attacked you...... whenever nighttime arrives, I have to struggle...... a constant struggle," he wheezed. I winced a little as his hands began to clench tighter. "Z-Zero!" "Why? Why must it be like this? Why can't I.......?" The vampire held me in place as he lifted his head up to my neck. "I hate it; I hate this! Whenever I see you....... your stupid, stupid smile....... The smell of your blood....... I want it........ I can't think of anything else, ever since that night," his mouth opened wide; I could feel his cool breath on my skin. "Only yours...... I only want your blood."

He's thirsty! My eyes grew. Of course he is; he's had a hectic night- I was starving earlier, so I shouldn't be surprised. But...... was I ready to give him my blood like this again? So soon after last time? I'm supposed to give him a cup today, so I guess it's alright. He hasn't actually bitten me yet, maybe he's waiting for consent. Consent....... He doesn't want to treat me like a blood bank; he does care about me....... my mental welfare. Zero, I placed my hands on his shirt to hold myself up better. "Go ahead, Zero. Drink up; it's fine."

Zero didn't hesitate to sink his fangs into me. I let out a gasp as a familiar pain tingled through me. My eyes grimaced shut; the next time I opened them, I was back inside his heart. It looked the same as before- big, dead white tree and coffin. Upon closer inspection though, I spotted a little pink butterfly resting on the slanted tree trunk. "Hello," I bent down to get a better view. "Where'd you come from?" It wasn't afraid of me at all, just fluttering its light pink wings a little. Huh, I wonder why Zero would have a cute, warm butterfly in his heart? Is it symbolic of something?

Zero must have limited himself to a cup of blood since I was brought out of his heart seconds later. He had both a euphoric and repulsive look on his face. "Why did you tell that mutt?" He demanded in a low voice. That's right! My eyes grew in understanding. He can see all my memories, my feelings....... That felt like a violation of privacy, although I did peer into his heart too. But I couldn't see his memories, so I still thought it was unfair- even if he had no control over it.