Chapter 437) The Price of Truth

“Tell the truth boldly, whether it hurts or not.
Never pander to weakness.
If truth is too much for intelligent people and sweeps them away, let them go; the sooner the better.”

– Swami Vivekananda

Newcrest
Grainger Manor

Laying on the couch looking out the window watching the blue skies with fluffy sheep clouds slowly turn grey he felt as if the heavens understood his innermost struggle and were now trying to match his mood.

She had to think about it, she said.

In itself not the worst outcome imaginable, had it not been for the look in her eyes, sincere shock mixed with horror.
Not exactly comforting, considering the news Noah had entrusted in her.

The waiting game was cruel torture.
It’s been days now, almost a whole week, without a call, a text, a chat, … no sign of life at all.
Noah had typed up dozens of messages to her, only to always end up deleting them unsent. In a way he would have almost preferred it had she told him straight out that she wanted to break up. At least he wouldn’t have to feel like a defendant in court awaiting sentencing for a week. Then he thought about how he didn’t want to lose her, especially not over something he never had any say in. He sighed.

Naturally his parents had been able to tell right away that something was wrong with him, no matter how much he had tried to hide it from them and his brother. When he finally told them that he had shared his deep, dark secret with Emilee, about being Vampires trying to blend in with the mortals, they weren’t mad, not even surprised. They were supportive, just the way excellent parents were supposed to be, and even in his current teen gloom he knew he was lucky to have the family he had. Even his annoying twin brother Nolan, who was his biggest nuisance, best friend and his conscience, just as he was for Nolan.

No level of support they could give him could take away the looming anxiety, the sadness and fear of loss. At least nobody gave him the ‘you’re only 17’ spiel. Noah didn’t get that attitude, 17 or 70, doesn’t a broken heart hurt the same?

Noah barely finished his train of thought when he felt a rough nudge, startling him, with Vampire speed he jumped to his feet, whirling around to find …

“Nolan! Goddamn it, what’s wrong with you, you prick?!” he unleashed on his twin brother.

“Takes one to know one. Why are you laying around on the sofa again like a middle-aged man with nothing left to live for?” Nolan asked.

“I had to think. Be on my own. I was in my room, but mom kept bursting in, insisting that I can’t stay in my room all day, so I came down here. Now you’re on my back. What do you even want?” Noah grumbled.

“I want you to come with me. We’re going out. You can think in public. At the arcade.” Nolan determined.

“Forget it.” Noah countered, shaking his head.

“Noah, seriously now. You haven’t left the house except to go to school in a week. You are coming to the arcade with me! If necessary, by force!” Nolan told his brother.

“Not happening!” Noah countered, shaking his head to underline his disagreement.

A small scuffle ensued, they wrestled each other out of the living room into the hallway, when Noah’s phone rang. Instantly both boys froze, parted, Nolan watched Noah pulled out his phone and wince, then stared at his brother with big eyes.

“It’s her! Oh god, what now!?” Noah sounded mortified.

“Now you answer it!” Nolan told him, pointing at the phone.

“I … I can’t!” Noah looked panicked.

“But I can!” Nolan grabbed the phone from Noah, before he could do anything, Nolan had answered.

Stiff for shock and anticipation Noah watched his brother.

“Hey Em …” Nolan said then listened for a moment.

“Uh huh … yah ….. hmmm hmmm … yes … okay ….. sure …. cool ….” Nolan responded to whatever was being said. Noah wished he would have put it on speaker, but was still to shocked to even try signal him to do so. And then the call was already over.

Nolan hung up, handing the phone back to Noah, who stared at his twin brother with anxious anticipation.

“And?”

“That was Emilee.” Nolan smirked, purposely toying with his brother’s tender nerves.

“NOLAN!”

“Well, looks like you’re going out after all, unless you are a total dumbass. She wants to meet. To talk. At Everett Heights.”

“At … Ever … did she really say that?”

“Nah, I am fucking with you and sending you to the wrong place. Yeah, she did!”

“Nolan – Everett Heights is big! I mean …. BIG!” Noah’s eyes got bigger too.

“I know it’s big, I am gonna assume she’ll be waiting at the sign by the entrance, unless you quit rambling and beat her there.”

“NO! You don’t get it! Not big in size. I mean, yes, it is that too, but I meant big as in meaningful! That is where she and I … you know. The thing.” Noah whispered the last part, brining his head closer to his brother’s.

“No, I don’t know. Where you what? What thing? OH! OOOOH! Why didn’t you just say you lost your virginity? It’s just us here.”

“SHHH! Mom and dad are in the kitchen, so keep your voice down! Anyway, so yeah, it’s a big deal to us, that park. Knowing that, you wouldn’t ask your boyfriend to meet you there to break up with him, right? RIGHT!?”

“I don’t know, never had a boyfriend on account of being into chicks, but no, I wouldn’t break up with one at a place like that. Unless maybe she was being super-late. Dude, seriously, quit talking and go! You can guess this to death and still be wrong, only one way to find out for sure. GET GOING!”

“Do I smell all right? Can you smell me and check?”

“Fuck off! I am not gonna sniff my own brother like some freak! Ask mom or something!”

With an annoyed huff Noah left his brother standing there and ran upstairs to change his shirt and slap on some of his dad’s cologne. Just in case …

Windenburg
Everett Heights Park

Noah arrived at the park first, had been waiting for about 10 minutes which did nothing for his nerves.

When he looked up again, finally, someone with bright coppery red hair came into view.

Emilee!

Vampires don’t have beating hearts, but they do have emotions and he felt every single one of those all at once.

Emilee waved at him slightly when she spotted him, which made his heart jump.

“Hey …” she offered up sparsely upon reaching him.

“Hey.” he returned, wondering if he should hug her, then remembered he might be a monster in her eyes now, so he refrained. Better not touch unless she does first. Awkward.

“Sorry for being late. Car’s in the shop, had to take the bus, which of course ran late. Walk with me?” Emilee pointed at the park entrance.

Noah nodded and they began walking.

Aimlessly at first, quietly, until they reached the swimming hole where they had so much fun so many times. Where last time the splashing had turned into kissing and touching and eventually ended in a tent. Remembering this pivotal moment in any young person’s life, the first time, send armies of ants through his veins. As did hearing Emilee speak now.

“I … I have been thinking. About … us. About the thing you told me. Look Noah, at first, I’ll admit I was so shocked and appalled. I mean, how dangerous is all this? How dangerous are you REALLY? How many times was I alone with you? Or you and your brother, assuming he is like that too? And your parents! Oh my God, I had no idea and I came to your house after dark for the promposal. My parents didn’t know I was doing that. I honestly cannot say if you are dangerous or not. And there is my next problem with this. My parents. I am everything to them. They only have me, I can’t do that to them, risk being turned or … worse, so I need to be sure I can trust you. And then there is of course the part where I am a girl, Noah, if we really like a guy we think about the future. If you and I have a future together, wouldn’t that mean that one day I would have to become like you? I can’t do that. I don’t WANT to do that. It would kill my parents, no pun intended. And I was raised outdoorsy. I can’t give that up. That’s a lot of worries, unanswered questions and maybes.”

“Em, we’re outdoors now. It’s even sunny and I am fine, obviously. And no, I am not dangerous. Not any more or less than you are. Or those people who passed us walking. I cannot believe I even have to say that. Vampires are just like mortals in more ways that we differ. Sure, anyone can snap, some Vamps can be dangerous, some are monsters and villains, just like mortals have black sheep and wicked criminals committing heinous crimes, I mean, your dad and grandpa are in law enforcement so they can confirm this. Most of us are just regular people trying to live their lives, just like the mortals. Very few of us choose to be this.”

“Okay, I don’t know how you do this, all I could research, which wasn’t much, said that after that transformation happens there is something with the photosensitivity of your skin that makes you vulnerable to sunlight and literally can burn you, to a degree that can cause death somehow if the body weakens too much.”

“Wait, that’s actually correct. Where did you read that?”

“Uni library. The thick tomes in the bio and med students’ section, reference books you can’t check out.”

“Well, there are obviously ways to work around that but I can’t talk about it. I can be outdoors as much as I want, just can’t tan, never could, but I can stand sun. Lots and lots of sun. We can go hiking. No problem!”

“Hiking? YOU? No offense and all but … umm … yeah …” Emilee grimaced, which would have normally made Noah laugh.

“Well, I didn’t say I’d be good at it. Just that I COULD do it. If I wanted to. Which we both know I don’t unless that is what you want to do then I would. But I COULD and that is my point.” Noah rambled on.

“Yeah, I’m visualizing you trying to put up a tent – and it ain’t pretty. Hilarious, yes. Productive: no. Classic slapstick.”

“Em … I am happy you are having fun, but … I have to know.”

“Yeah. So, my answer was gonna be no. I was gonna break up with you. I just couldn’t see it, still not really sure I can, to be honest. I mean, we already have nothing left in common, except I am crazy in love with you, but will that hold considering the distance between us and all the ways we differ? Copperdale High was practically it for us, our common denominator. Well, that and that you play football, and I was a cheerleader, even if you didn’t see me. It kinda feels like one of those high school romances that just have nothing to feed off after high school. I know you still got the better part of your final year left, but Copperdale is history for me, and things really do change a lot after graduation. Like all my priorities totally shifted now and it’s only been a few months.”

“I DID see you. I just didn’t want to admit it. I told you that already.”

“Well anyway. I honestly was done with this. It’s just too weird. My family is just not like that. Simple people living simple and uncomplicated lives.”

“Was? So, does that mean you are not done?”

“I means I think we could try. I haven’t the faintest idea how we could even be a couple. All of the weirdness aside, purely logistically speaking, my class schedule is pretty full, you are in the final year of high school and will be studying your brain hot while checking out colleges with your family. I don’t know when we can see each other or if we even CAN make this work, let alone how. But I am willing to give it a shot – IF you agree to some conditions.”

“Let me guess: number one being ‘don’t feed on you’.”

“Absolutely, that’s a HUGE no-no. No drinking from me, no turning me or my family or friends. Nothing vampire-y at all.”

“Well, I don’t know how to NOT be ‘vampire-y’. I don’t even know what that means, Em. I was born like this, I don’t know how to be different. Or how NOT to be different using your logic making me something like a freak or monster.”

“I do NOT think you are a freak or a monster. It means, whatever creepy shit Vampires do at night, don’t do it to me or my family. That’s what.”

“Okay, deal. So, what changed your mind?”

“Well, the truth is kinda embarrassing, because I was being dumb. My period was late. You know what happened here and you remember us at the Festival of Light. I know we both meticulously did our parts, I KNEW it was VERY unlikely if not impossible, but I also tend to overthink things and know things can happen. So, I took a test that came back inconclusive, I panicked. The next morning Gynecologist confirmed I am definitely not pregnant, said being late was probably just from the stress with graduation and starting uni and all that. But that pregnancy scare which really shouldn’t have been one if you think about it clearly somehow triggered me to think about our relationship from a different angle. I mean we crushed on each other for over a year before I finally had the balls to ask you to prom. And it has just felt so right between us ever since. I knew you were different, and I didn’t really care, ignored it all, so why should I care now?”

“Wow.” Noah mumbled, shocked by the whole idea of a pregnancy in the first place, but his grandpa Blaine always said, ‘where there’s nookie there is a chance’. Scary thought indeed. But if that’s what changed her mind, he’d take it.

“So, are we okay?” he asked when she didn’t say anything else.

“I don’t know, Noah. Maybe. All I know is that I just can’t imagine my life without you. This week sucked! Can I ask you something?” Emilee said.

“Sure.”

“That was Nolan on the phone, wasn’t it?”

Busted. Noah’s cheeks turned bright purple, and Emilee giggled.

“Uh … yeah. That moron took my phone from me when I froze. Sorry.” Noah told her.

“I think it’s cute that you are a Vampire yet can’t manage to take a simple call.” she smiled.

“Told you, we’re just regular people with the same issues and insecurities as mortals. And I am wondering which one of us really has the special powers if you figured that out on a few second phone call. Nolan and I are twins, even our voices are very much alike. Maybe I should be scared of you.”

“You definitely should be. Oh Noah, I missed you! Hold me!”

She hugged him and he pulled her so tight against himself as if trying to fuse them.

“Em?”

“Hm?”

“Can we go somewhere? Anywhere. Cafe, restaurant, even shopping. Just somewhere where you feel safe and comfortable enough around me to want to stay a while. I missed you like crazy and am not ready to let you go again just yet.”

“Yes, Noah, we can spend the afternoon and evening together. I’d actually like you to go shopping with me, if that was a real offer. After this semester, I’ll be moving to an off-campus apartment near the Foxbury Campus, and I could use your help finding cute furniture and decor so I can make a list and know what the financial damage will be. Mom and dad said they’ll help me with it and grandpa promised to give me a little money towards the dorm room too but I will definitely be getting a part-time job.”

“Cool, that actually helps me figure out where to apply. I was looking at the Foxbury course schedule yesterday, they have a few things I’d be interested in and knowing you are there definitely helps. So, an afternoon at IKEA? Is that my punishment for not telling you about the Vampire thing sooner?”

“Yeah. That should teach you to never keep really big stuff from me.”