by Aidan Wayne
“It really is freaky how you manage to do that every single month.”
“And it’s really sad that you’re not used to it by now,” she shot back. “Did you at least get your herbals? Are you good and dosed up?”
“Yesterday was not fun, but yeah,” Darren said. “I can’t wait until I’m able to grow that mixture myself.”
“Will you be able to?” she asked as they walked to their first class—good old chemistry. “I thought that was witch work.”
“It is, but it’s also plants? I talked it over with Mx. Nadeem, and they said that as long as it’s just plant matter and no actual spells need to be cast, it should be fine. I just have to learn how to grow that configuration all on the same plant, like Tabitha can.”
“You should talk to Trish about it.”
“He should talk to Trish about what?” Trisha asked, popping up behind them. She had a knack for being in the right place at the right time. That was probably the witch in her.
“About naturopathics,” Bethany said easily. Beth never was surprised by Trish just showing up. Those werewolf ears and nose were good for more things than just sniffing out Darren’s time of the month.
“Oh.” Trisha frowned. “Darren, are you early?”
Darren threw up his hands. “Why do you know that? Also how!”
“It’s the only time you ever talk about that particular method of plant growing,” she said matter-of-factly. “Since you’re normally all for keeping plants pure.”
Darren sighed. It was true; the fae in him wanted to keep plants the right way, without too much tampering. Or at least, without certain kinds of tampering. Still. “Have I mentioned recently that you both know me too well?”
Bethany patted Darren on the back. “Sorry, that’s what happens when you’re best friends with someone. We learn all your secrets.”
“Yeah, yeah.” For all he made a fuss about it, he wouldn’t trade Beth or Trish for anything. “Did you guys finish your history papers yet?”
“Course,” Bethany said. “Five pages on the history of the manticore. I finished last night.” And there was a reason Beth had a 4.0 GPA and was gunning for head of student council.
“I’m almost done,” Trisha said. Trish was also crazy smart. This was helpful, because Darren and school were not the best of friends. “I had a hard time finding sources about the evolution of grimalkin dynamics, but Steven was a big help.” Steven was human, but he had an aunt on his dad’s side who was a grimalkin.
“Hey,” Darren said, “I’m pretty sure an interview with the nephew of one counts as a good source.”
“Yeah, but still. I set up a phone interview with her too. She lives in Kentucky.”
“What’s a grimalkin doing out in Kentucky?”
Trisha shrugged. “Her husband’s a hellhound. I think he’s captain of the fire department there. How’re you doing on your paper?”
“Not too bad. I’m like half done, I think?” His paper was on fae faerie tales, because he’d thought the alliteration was funny. Also because he could just interview his grandmother as a source, even if he did have to travel through a faerie circle to do it. “I’m trying to find pictures of actual documentation because Ms. Gutman said she’d give extra points for that, but cameras sort of do funny things in the circle, and I haven’t managed to get a clear photo yet.”
“And you can’t take the reference material out of the circle because….”
“Because it is literally written in morning dew.” Darren rolled his eyes. “Believe me, I’ve tried.” It was no wonder his dad had run away to the “real world” to become an accountant. The fae’s views of technology while in the circle was ridiculously archaic. His grandmother didn’t even have satellite, much less Netflix. Though he had convinced her to use a Kindle, once he’d shown her how easy it was to store and download books. “Anyway. So what? Are you and Steven dating now?” Trish was big, beautiful, and had almost every lady-inclined guy and girl in school swooning at her feet. It wouldn’t have been the first time a study-buddy had fallen madly in love with her.
“Actually no.” Trisha grinned. “I set him up with Urvash.”
“Who the heck is Urvash?” Their school had like five billion students. Darren had no idea how Trish managed to keep them all straight.
Trisha rolled her eyes. “Um? He’s in our American Gov class.”
“Wait, wait, is he the quiet guy? Always sits in the back?”
“Yes, Darren,” she said, sounding exasperated. “He’s also blue. Because he’s a selkie. Is any of this ringing a bell?”
“Hey, I spend that class furiously taking notes. Cut me some slack.”
“Speaking of class,” Bethany put in. “If you make me late, I will end you. Hurry up!”
“No one’s making you stick around,” Darren muttered. “Okay, okay!” he said at Bethany’s unimpressed look. He grabbed his stuff out of his locker, waved to Trisha as she headed the other way to her chemistry class (specialized; potion making), and followed Beth down the hall.
A BIT less than a month later, Darren was walking back over to Tabitha’s place. Not in horrible pain this time, because he actually had the forethought to pick up his herbals early, once he started getting his warning signs. Those mostly consisted of him needing to devour every chocolate thing within a five-mile radius and desperately craving out-of-season flower petals with no clue why. At least until he started bleeding two days later. It had taken him literal years to figure out the pattern in that.
He’d spent the day putting chocolate on and in every food he ate, squirting honey packets into his mouth, and eyeing the wild violets that had started to pop up everywhere, so he was pretty sure it was a good time to restock on his meds. Not for the first time, he wished they didn’t dry out after two weeks. It’d be so much easier if he could just stock up for a year at a time. Even a couple of months would be nice. But no. That’s what he got from needing to use fresh plants. Stupid fae genes.
Vlad wasn’t on the porch this time. Darren hadn’t seen him around since their awkward first meeting, not even in the woods, where he and his dad regularly bumped into Tabitha while she was out collecting wild ingredients that couldn’t grow in her garden. The gossip hadn’t died down, so he knew Vlad was still around, but it didn’t sound like he was making all that many public appearances.
Whatever. Not Darren’s problem. He rang the bell and waited.
Tabitha opened the door and beamed at him, to the point that Darren took a half step back. Happy to see him? Okay, he’d buy that, but this seemed a little over the top.
“I’m so glad you came back! Come on in,” she said, motioning Darren inside. “Vlad’s upstairs in his room, but I’m sure he’ll be happy to see you. Here, I’ll show you the way—I don’t think you know it.”
“Uh. I’m not—what?” Darren said.
Tabitha frowned at him. “You’re not here to visit Vlad?”
“I… no?”
Tabitha frowned at him and looked disappointed. “Why not?”
What? “Don’t know if you noticed, but last time I was here, we didn’t… uh, get along all too great, Tabby. Also he said that he didn’t want people to gawk at him?”
At least she stopped looking disappointed. “You weren’t gawking. You were having a conversation! It was wonderful.”
“We spent the whole time accidentally insulting each other,” Darren felt the need to point out.
“I don’t know about that,” she said with a shrug, “but you’re the first person aside from me he’s talked to willingly. And all I get is stiff politeness.” She looked at him expectantly.
Darren stared at her. She was wearing a long black-and-red dress, dreadlocks down—pretty, and someone Darren had known since he was nine, but he still felt a chill run down his spine. “Let me get this straight: you want me to make friends with your weirdo vampire cousin.”
She instantly started beaming at him again and didn’t even address him calling Vlad a weirdo.
Ooh boy. “Would you? He really does need a friend. And someone his own age to talk to.”
Damn it, Darren was already feeling kind of bad. He heaved a sigh. “Okay, sure. But no promises. If he hates me, that’s not my fault.”
“I’d be happy enough with an argument,” Tabitha assured him. “I’ll show you his room, and then go get your herbals ready for you when you leave.”
“Thanks, I guess.”
Darren followed Tabitha as she went up the house’s narrow staircase, turned left on the landing, and knocked on the farthest door down the hall. He looked around with interest while he was there; Darren didn’t usually go up to the second floor. The walls were all painted dark green, a vivid contrast against the dark wood doors. The effect was a little spooky. “Vlad? You have a visitor.”
There was a quiet scuffling, and then the door opened. Vlad peeped out, looking wary. He was dressed in shorts and a dark green T-shirt and could have easily blended into the walls. Darren wondered if that had been on purpose or what. He gave Vlad an awkward wave. “Hi?”
“Tabitha?” Vlad asked, glancing from Darren to her and back again.
Tabitha smiled at him. “He just came by to pick up some things and wanted to say hello. I’ll let you two chat while I get them ready.” Then she turned and left, not exactly running down the stairs—but it was a near thing.
Vlad sighed. “Well, come in, then.”
“Don’t look so happy to see me,” Darren said, before remembering he was supposed to be nice. To keep himself from saying anything else, he looked around the room. It had a bed with an open laptop on it, a desk and chair, a dresser, and nothing else, except a hoodie on the floor near the bed. No decorations, nothing, nada. It looked stark and bare, especially in contrast to the rest of Tabitha’s house. And it was weird too, because Darren was sure Tabitha at least would have decorated her guest room. So that meant the lack of decorations must’ve been a conscious decision on Vlad’s part once he’d moved in.
But why?
“Oh my god, man, you’ve been here for a month already. Where’s your stuff?”
Vlad shrugged and closed his laptop, then sat down on his bed. “What did Tabitha say?”
“Huh?”
“To make you come see me. I know you did not decide to visit me on your own.”
Darren stood awkwardly in the doorway for a second before deciding that the desk chair was safest. He sat down on it and spun around to face Vlad. “She didn’t really say anything so much as she used her disappointed look on me. But if I really do bother you, I can totally go.”
Vlad snorted.
“I mean it! I know we didn’t hit it off last time, so I figured I wouldn’t bug you again.”
“Then why did you come by?” Vlad asked.
“Needed a med refill.” Darren waved a hand. “That time of the month approacheth.”
“You were in a lot of pain last time,” Vlad said slowly.
Darren raised an eyebrow. Were they really talking about this? “Uh, yeah? Periods suck.”
Vlad frowned and shifted on the bed, hands coming up to clasp together. “No, I meant to ask…. Why do you have to keep coming to Tabitha?”
“Uh, because I need herbal medicine?”
“But why? There are many pain relief medications.”
Darren rolled his eyes. “Yeah, and they work great for humans. I’m half; my dad’s fae, and my mom’s human. The fae don’t menstruate, but humans do. I’m lucky enough to get to bleed every month, and I’m also lucky enough to have an immune system that modern medicine can’t touch. So I gotta treat myself with flowers and stuff. It works, but flowers don’t have the best shelf life, if you know what I mean.”
“Oh.” Vlad tilted his head and nodded, a slight wrinkle appearing above his nose as he considered that. Which, fine, Darren figured it was maybe a lot to consider. But ugh, silence.
“Okay,” Darren said, swiveling back and forth in his chair. “You asked me a super personal question, I get to ask you one. It’s only fair.”
Vlad looked wary, but after a moment he nodded. “All right.”
Cool. And Darren was totally capable of avoiding touchy subjects. “So, how long have you been a vampire?”
Vlad eyed him, but he didn’t look sad, so Darren counted that as a win. “I think… six months, maybe? More like seven, now.”
“What!”
“What is it?”
“You haven’t been around for like, hundreds of years or something?”
Vlad gave him a funny look. “No. Do I look like I have been alive for that long?”
“I just figured you were stuck as a teenager for all eternity.”
“Why?”
“All the vampires in stories are like a bazillion years old.”
Vlad frowned, the wrinkle appearing in his forehead again. “That does not sound like a real number.”
“Really really old.”
Vlad shrugged again. “Vampirism makes for better cell regeneration.” He side-eyed Darren. “Are you not the same way?” At Darren’s confused look, Vlad waved a hand in Darren’s general direction. “Your family. You just told me you are of magic, yes?”
“Fae, yeah. Sort of. On my dad’s side.”
“Don’t you live longer too?”
“Dunno. I mean, I’m pretty sure my dad can, but I think he and my mom are sort of working out the aging thing together. I’m half, so no one’s got any idea what’s going on with me. Even my powers and stuff are weird.”
Vlad blinked and leaned forward, looking the most interested he had so far. “What do you mean?”
Darren tapped his cheek. “Does that count as your question?” This was a thing now, apparently: playing getting-to-know-you with Ukrainian Vampire Vlad.
Vlad tilted his head. “I suppose so.”
“Ffffine, okay. So, basically, humans can have kids with a whole bunch of different supernaturals because… I don’t know, biology, genomes, blah blah blah, right?”
“I was aware, yes. I did pay attention to my own teachings.” The little smirk was back. Rude.
“Okay, so, humans can have babies, though sometimes it’s rare depending on a lot of other complicated stuff I’m not gonna go into”—Vlad was making a face at him again—“but anyway the point is that, when a kid is mixed, it’s kind of a crapshoot of what traits of which parent they end up with. Same with regular babies, really. You don’t know if you’re gonna get Mom’s red hair or Dad’s bad teeth or your great-aunt’s nose or whatever. So I’ve got sort of a weird mixed bag of abilities. And I’m not as strong as a regular fae either. That’s why—” He cut himself off. Vlad hadn’t asked for the particulars, so Darren totally didn’t have to tell.
And of course, that’s what Vlad picked up on. “That’s why what?”
“Oh no, you already got your question. It’s my turn.”
Vlad sighed but was saved when Tabitha knocked on the door.
“Boys? Vlad? Can I come in? I just wanted to let Darren know that his herbals are ready.”
“Oh, great!” Darren hopped out of the chair. “Uh.” He turned to Vlad. “It was good talking to you?”
“Same,” Vlad said, kinda stiff all of a sudden as he opened his door for Tabitha. She was doing a thing with her face, like she was trying not to look like she was worried. Darren heaved another inward sigh. He was going to do this, wasn’t he?
Yeah he was.
“Uh, maybe I can come by tomorrow, after school,” he said before he could regret it.
Vlad looked at him, surprised but wary. “All right. If you can.”
“If you don’t mind, I mean,” Darren said.
Vlad shrugged and glanced at the floor. “I don’t.”
Silence.
“Okay!” Darren said, clapping. “So. Tomorrow, then. It’s still my turn for a question.”
“Ah yes. Okay.”
Darren got his herbals and got the hell out.
Chapter Two
BECAUSE DARREN wa
s a man of his word, and not at all because Vlad had looked kind of sad and pathetic and lonely and Darren had felt bad, he did stop by after school. And he brought his backpack too, on the off chance he got the opportunity to maybe start some of his homework. At least it’d be something to do while he and Vlad tried to have conversations. Besides, he had a paper to write on The Great Gatsby, fifty math problems to do, and needed to hard-core practice his recipes for his plants-and-potions class.
He hadn’t originally planned to take a witch-work class, but his guidance counselor had suggested it on account of the plant crossover with his fae powers. It was just as well. Trisha was in the class too, and they were able to help each other with assignments and studying.
Tabitha beamed at him again when she opened the door for him. “Come on in. And go right upstairs! Sorry to be abrupt, but Mrs. Nicholson laid her eggs early and I’m in the middle of making a shell-strengthening dust.” She turned and hurried away, already muttering about hen’s teeth. Witch business. Darren shrugged and went up the stairs.
He stared at the door for a second before knocking. “Vlad? Uh. Hi, it’s me. Darren.”
Vlad opened the door a moment later. “You came,” he said. He didn’t sound surprised, but the thought sort of hung there.
“Yeah? I mean, duh, I’m here, obviously. I did say I would. And you said it was cool. So….” He shifted, hands on his backpack straps.
“Oh yes, come in. Sorry.” Vlad let him into the room. Darren made a beeline for the desk chair again, dropping his bag on the floor next to him, while Vlad went and sat down on his bed. They stared at each other. The room was as barren as ever, Darren noticed, but there was a fancy-looking clock sitting on the dresser now. At least it was something.
“So,” Darren said, bringing up one leg to make himself more comfortable. “Uh, how are you?”
“I am fine.” Pause. “How was your school?”
Darren made a face. “About the same as it always is. I’ve got a bunch of math homework and a paper to write and some stuff to study for one of my supernatural classes.”
