Black Angel (BoyXBoy)

Chapter 10: Story Time

I skip school with Melody and Luca.

It was the same feeling all over again, only more intense. All at once I remembered the night of Melody's party, the night I saw Six beneath that lonely streetlight. I hadn't heard his voice that time. But seeing him so close, so close...hearing that deep, threatening rumble...and what he did to that boy...

I can still see the blood dripping onto the floor. Hear the boy's moans of pain.

"Gaaaaabrieeeel," Melody sing-songs, snapping her now turquoise-colored fingers in front of me. "I hope you brought me a souvenir from La La Land." 

"You okay?" Luca looks at me with pale blue eyes. He looks worried, and suddenly I feel guilty. Seeing him with that expression...it's just not normal for such an innocent face. The bruise marring his otherwise flawless skin is now an angry-looking purple, and I become seized by the urge to reach out and--

Wait. What the hell am I thinking? I knew I should have gotten more sleep.

"Mm. Yeah, I'm fine." I rub my forehead, trying to push that bizarre thought out of my mind. But it's only replaced by ones even more disturbing, and much, much more serious.

"Gabriel? You sure you're okay? You don't look ao good." Luca tilts his head to the side, and a lock of brown hair falls over one eye. The movement is so innocent, so ador--

Okay. Seriously, what the hell.

"I'm fine," I repeat, a little harshly, for Luca lowers his eyes, long eyelashes casting shadows on angular cheekbones, and I immediately feel like the biggest prick to ever walk the planet.

There is definitely something wrong with me.

"Gabriel, that was mean," Melody huffs, wagging a finger in front of my face.

A long, tired sigh escapes me, and I turn to Luca. "I'm sorry. I'm just...a bit...er..." I run a hand through my hair, not sure where to begin.

Melody's eyebrows are skyrocketing. "A bit...what, Gabriel?"

I don't like the smile she's getting. At all. Pointedly ignoring her, I say to Luca, "I think there's something I need to share. Though I'm really not sure where to start...."

"The beginning is always a good place," Melody chirps, stretching luxuriously, then rolls onto her stomach, propping her chin in her hands. Her legs swing back and forth, like an eager kindergartner waiting for story time.

"Thanks for that, Captain Obvious," I say dryly.

"You're quite welcome, Lieutenant Sarcasm." I glare at her, but she only smiles brightly in response. Maddening, this girl. "This better be good."

Luca's eyes betray nothing, nor does he move except to place his hands calmly in his lap. "We're listening."

I take a deep breath, then begin my story.

***

"My grandfather, Zohane Pexaro Schiovani, was a lieutenant general in the Blood War. He commanded a special unit of elite vampires, and they fought so viciously they were nicknamed 'The Fleet of Demons.' 

"For the first forty years of the war, the Fleet was the most feared and renowned vampire   assembly ever created. They killed the first Krusnik, Three Hundred and Seventy Nine. Surviving members of the Fleet later described the confrontation. Three Hundred and Seventy Nine had the physique of a boxer, and loved to battle up close and personal. One of his eyes had been sliced vertically, and a pale scar was all that remained. He encountered the Fleet in the early mornings, and after only one hour against them, he was dead.

"They had done what the vampires had thought, and the humans had boasted, was impossible. That was only the beginning, though. Grandfather began to study the Krusnik a great deal; he thought there was a universal way to kill all of them at once, or at least some form of weakness to prove that his victory against Three Hundred and Seventy Nine wasn't a fluke.

"Try and try as he may, Zohane couldn't find a weakness that they all shared. Eventually he did learn, much to his dismay, that there wasn't one. But the more he engaged Krusnik in battle, the more he began to realize that while they don't have a clear weakness, they can be killed conventionally. So he used the knowledge he gained to scour the land and from battle to battle,  and to kill Krusnik."

I pause for a moment, let my eyes flick from Melody to Luca. The former stares at me with the utmost attention, her red eyes wide and eager. That in itself is strange; Melody has the attention span of a goldfish, normally. But what really worries me is the expression on Luca's face. If anything, he looks...sad. He catches my stare and immediately glances downward at his hands. 

Nevertheless, I continue. "One day, on March 4th, I think, Grandfather ran into Six. Word had already spread of his immense power and skill in battle. Countless vampires had fallen to him. And unfortunately for my grandfather, he became another one. From what I heard from my father, the battle didn't last more than five minutes, which was saying something. No one had lasted nearly that long against Six. And...yeah. That's about it."

Silence descends, thick and almost awkward. Luca's eyes still focus intently on his hands. Melody blinks a few times, shaking off the stupor of the story. "Well then," she says cheerfully. "I must admit, that was really interesting. You should write a book one day." She looks from me to Luca. "I'll be back. You two play nice!"

With that, she flounces into her bathroom to run a shower, leaving me alone with Luca.

"You're awfully quiet," I say in an effort to break the thick silence. 

"Oh, uh, sorry." He looks flustered for a moment, pushing some of his unruly brown hair back away from his face, only to have it fall stubbornly back. "I just zoned off, is all."

"I think I've found a worse liar than myself," I chuckle dryly. A faint blush tinges Luca's cheeks, but it might simply be the light from Melody's pink lamps. 

"I'm sorry," he says quietly, after a pregnant pause. "It's just...I can only imagine how you felt, seeing Six. Especially since...what with your grandfather and all." He picks at a hole in his ratty jeans. 

My mouth quirks into a small, cynical smile. "I never knew him. I know it sounds bad, but I really don't feel all that distressed about it, in all honesty. It was long before my time."

"Guess I can understand that." 

Silence again. I clear my throat a few times, and my eyes alight on the colorful array of bruises on his cheek. "So, one of your guardians actually did that to you?"

"She didn't mean to," Luca says half-heartedly. Even he knows it's a lie. "Okay, she hates me. Thinks I'm the spawn of Satan and that I'll bring eternal suffering upon everything." 

"That's complete bullshit. You're a really nice guy." Did I really just say that? Stop, Gabriel, before you spew even more word vomit. 

"Really? Thanks," he says with a brighter look in his blue eyes. "I've always thought I've been kind of a...social ignoramus." 

"Welcome to the club," I mutter dryly. "You gonna go to homecoming? I've basically been drafted by Melody to be her date."

"Oh, uh..." Luca rubs the back of his head. "I've never been to a dance before."

"Trust me, they suck." I can't help but chuckle at Luca's expression. "But we can suffer together, if it so fancies you."

Luca smiles. "Sounds good, actually."