Soulmate for Two

Chapter Two: What The Hell Is This Place?

I wake up in a white room. Where am I? Heaven? No. A nurse's office. I sit up. The faint smell of blood fills the air. Shouts around me. "We're losing him!" I look at the bed next to me. White pillow, white blanket. Almost blinding. A boy with black hair lays silently, eyes closed. I watch nurses and doctors sew a wound. I feel like throwing up. I stare at the blood, eyes wide. I cover myself with the blanket and close my eyes.

After what seems like an eternity, the shouts fade, and I hear a steady beep coming from the boy's monitor. I stay under the blanket for a little longer, then slowly uncover myself and open my eyes. Silence. There are no nurses or doctors. The boy lies silent. I stare at him, taking in his appearance.

His chest rises and falls at a slow pace. I see his eyes open and look at me, and I quickly look away. Why'd I stare for so long?! I feel my face flush red with embarrassment. I pull on my short black locks. I feel someone grab my wrist and I snap my head to look at them. The boy pulls my hand away from my hair. "Don't. You're pulling your hair out." He says in a quiet voice. "Huh...?" I reply, then look at my hand, finally noticing the long, straight strands lying in my palm. "Oh. I didn't realize."

The boy lets go of my hand and smiles softly. "I'm Leon, nice to meet you." I smile back at him and answer, "I'm Aaron." I hold out my hand for a handshake, but I'm caught off guard when he hugs me instead. I freeze for a moment, then hug him back. We let go of each other and I looked at him. Only then do I notice his ruby-red eyes, reflecting the bright lights on the roof. I stare for a moment. "What's with the red eyes?" I inquire. "Oh, well, I was just born with them. What about you? I've never seen anyone with purple eyes before," He questions. "Same with me. Weird though, because my parents had black eyes. Well, anyway, what are your powers?" I

"Invisibility and shapeshifting."

"Oh, that's cool! I have telekinesis and flying."

"Awesome! I wish you could show me, but the collars will, y'know."

"Yeah. So, what happened to you?" I nod towards the bandages on his arm. "I got attacked by another shapeshifter. He turned into a bear, and just, like, lunged at me." He responds. "Why would they attack you?" I ask. "He's a troublemaker. He picks fights, and apparently, he didn't like that I was hanging out in his territory or something."

"That's stupid. It's not like anyone owns any place"

"Yeah, he seemed to think otherwise."

"How come there's no blood on the bandages?"

"Oh, well, they sewed the wound closed."

"Oh. Yeah, I guess that explains it." I was still suspicious, but what reason did he have to lie about whether it was bleeding or not?

The next day

Long lines of children in single file walk out into a large open space. Bookshelves surround us on every side, and a large brown carpet with intricate patterns lays flat on the ground. Black tables with white chairs are placed proportionally on each side of the carpet and in front of each chair a computer. Guards stand by the large entrance, one on each side. A woman with red hair and black eyes stands at the front holding a clipboard. She is wearing black boots and a black dress that fits snugly on her. "Children, in a crowd, please! She says in a loud voice and holds her arms out like she's waiting for a hug. All the kids fall out of line and make a crowd in front of her. I make my way through the crowd, trying to see what's happening at the front. Confused clammer fills my ears, and I feel someone grab my wrist and pull me to the front of the crowd. I emerge from the clusters of kids and look at the person who grabbed me. "Leon?" I ask. He doesn't let go of my hand, and replies, "Hey, Aaron."

"Do you know what this is about?"

"No, I have no idea"

"Oh, ok. The woman at the front holds a microphone. In a loud voice, she says, "Quiet down now, children! Everyone falls silent. "You might be wondering why you are here. And I do not mean this room, I mean this place as a whole." She continues.

The group of kids begin to talk once more, getting louder as every moment passes. "Silence!" She shouts, her voice echoing across the library, in the blink of an eye, it goes silent once more. "Thank you. So, the reason you're here? You might have already guessed. It's because you have superpowers. You see, only 7% of humans are born with powers. We are working to find as many of the 7% that we can, because they, as well as you, are dangers to society. People with superpowers can easily use them against normal people, so we are working to find a cure. You, my children, are like a virus."Angry protests shower the room like rain. "We aren't a danger!"

"We can't be cured!"

"We aren't a virus!"

"We're normal too!"

The next day

I walk through the endless hallways of the institute. "Where's my dorm? I'm 362..." I keep walking, counting the numbers printed in gold on the doors. "36I...360?" I turn around and look back. "Oh my gosh. I passed it." I walk back to 362 and unlock the door with my key.

I open it and see a boy sitting on the bed. The only bed. "Hi." I smile and wave. "Why are you in my dorm?" The boy asks coldly. "Uh, well, I'm your roommate," I responded. "Ugh, great. You're my roommate?" He says sharply. "Well, there's only one bed, so-"

"That's ok." I cut him off.

"What?"

"I said, it's ok. I'll sleep on the floor."

"Good." He says as I grab a pillow and spare blanket off the bed. I lay them down on the floor and walk to the closet. "Do you want to split the closet half and half?" I ask, looking at the large space, then turning to look at him. "I don't really care," He answers. "Ok." I smile at him. He ignores me and turns around. I set my bag down and start to unpack, sitting on the floor. I lay a shirt down and start to fold it. The boy walks over and brushes past me, stomping on the shirt. Was that on purpose...? It's alright. It was my fault for putting it on the floor anyway.

I continue folding my clothes and putting them away. The boy starts hanging up his clothes, "So, what's your name? I'm Aaron." I say. The boy stares at me for a moment, then answers, "I'm Ambrose."

"Oh, that's a nice name-"

"Yeah, whatever." He cuts me off.

"Uh, what are your powers then?" I ask as I finish putting away the last shirt.

"I don't have powers. Not everyone here is a superpowered freak, you know."

Wait, you don't? Then why are you here?" I walk out of the closet and sit in a chair placed snugly at a desk. "I'm a halfling." He responds

"What's that?"

"Are you stupid? I'm half human, half not."

"So what's the other half of you? That's not human, I mean.

"Vampire."

"Really? So you drink human blood?"

"Yeah, but they give me blood bags. They're gross though."

"Oh, ok. I have telekinesis and flying, but they put this collar thing on me that shocks me if I use them. Same for everyone else." I point to the collar. It fits tightly around my neck. Ambrose walks over to me and leans over me. He grabs the collar roughly and yanks me closer to him, causing me to gasp. "So they keep you on a leash like a dog?" He says sharply. "I... well... yes." I stutter. "I didn't want to come here, they just-

"Took you? Yeah, I know. Same with me." He pushes me back and lets go of the collar. I fall on the bed and then sit up a moment later. "I'm leaving now. Ambrose says, walking out, slams the door, and leaves me there, alone.

Later, at lunch

I walk through the cafeteria, looking for a place to sit. I notice Ambrose sitting alone and walking over. I sit down across from him and smile. "Hey, Ambrose-" He cuts me off. "What do you want?" He says sharply. "Well, I saw you sitting here, and thought I'd join you," I replied.

"Well, don't."

"I'm already here though."

"Fine. Just don't talk to me."

"Why no-" I get interrupted by someone covering my eyes. "Guess who?" I hear them say. Wait. I know that voice. "Leon?" I inquire. My eyes are uncovered and I look at him. "It is you! I knew I recognized that voice."

"Yep!" He answers. "Who the hell are you?" I look up to see Ambrose grabbing Leon's arm. "Ambrose, that's Leon. We met yesterday." I will explain. "Yesterday? That seems sketchy. Do you trust this guy?" He responds. "We met today. I trust him more than you." I told him. "Fair enough." He says, then sits down. I stayed silent for a moment, surprised by his sudden change in demeanor. "So, wanna go outside with me?" Leon asks, reaching his hand out. "Sure!" I take his hand. "Ambrose, wanna come?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because I don't want to."

"Please?"

"Fine." He stands up and grabs my arm, pulling me away from Leon and next to him instead. Leon grabs my other arm and pulls me back.

Then Ambrose. Then Leon. Finally, I have enough. "Stop!" I yell. The two stop pulling me and stay silent. "I'll walk in the middle, so I'll be next to both of you."

"Ok." They reply in unison. I walk in between them and Leon holds my left hand. Ambrose grabs my collar and pulls me close. I don't say anything Ambrose doesn't let go of my collar and holds me tight. I try to pull away, but he yanks it back. "Stop moving."

"Good." We keep walking. Finally, we get to the door. Leon lets go of my hand and runs to a tree. "Come on!" Ambrose walks towards a different tree, dragging me along by my collar. "Ambrose, I can't breathe," I tell him. "Fine." He lets go of the collar and pushes me to the ground under the tree. Leon walks over and sits next to me. On my right side, Ambrose does the same. They both grab me, Leon's arm on my shoulders, and Ambrose's on my lower back. I can feel the heat rushing to my face, so I keep my hands in my lap and stay quiet. The rest of lunch seems to take forever.

The next day in class

I sit quietly at my desk. The teacher rambles on about how our powers are dangerous to "normal" people. I look out the window and rest my head on my hand. I can't help but think about how different Ambrose was earlier when Leon was around. He was almost... protective. Wait, no... Not protective. Possessive.

I thought about the way he and Leon kept fighting to walk next to me as if they wanted me all to themselves. Maybe I'm overthinking it. They probably just don't like each other. Ambrose was so cold to me the first time I saw him. And he still is, but wanted to be near me? I don't know what goes on in his head. If only I had mind-reading powers. I suddenly get snapped out of my thoughts by the teacher's sharp voice. "Aaron! Were you paying attention?" I

"Uhm... yes."

"What did I just say?

"Were you paying attention?"

"Enough with the attitude! Tell me what I said happens when one person's mind is read too many times."

"I, um. All of a sudden, I hear someone whisper, "She didn't say anything about mind reading. She's trying to get you in trouble" I think I recognize the voice, but I can't recall who it is. "You weren't talking about mind reading, miss," I say, hoping the person wasn't lying. "Incorrect. When a person is subjected to enough mind reading, it could cause them to lose their memories." The teacher answers. "That's detention for you. Two days. I turn around and look at the person who whispered to me. Ambrose? Why did he lie? "Ambrose? Why did you-" He cuts me off. "You should have been paying attention."

"I was just-"

"Daydreaming?"

"Yes, but-"

"I don't care about what you have to say."

"Well..." I pause, then sigh. "Fine." I tum back and listen to the teacher talk about the dangers of shapeshifting. I look at the clock. Ten more minutes then I can go back to the dorm. Great. Tomorrow I can't see Leon or Ambrose at lunch. Though I guess it's a good excuse to not relive today. It was so tense between the two of them.

In the dorm

I walk into the bathroom. Ambrose isn't back yet. I guess I will take a shower. I set down a pair of fresh clothes on the counter, and take off my shirt. After I undress, I step into the shower and turn it on.

I let the warm water slide down my back and into my hair, then I looked down. Crap, I totally forgot about these cuts. I run my hand over the cuts on my stomach. All from that incident. If only I hadn't missed the hold on that wall when trying to escape, I could've been out of here. But I have to deal with it, because I'm here now, and I can't leave.

I look up and grab my shampoo. I squirt out a glob into my hand and run it through my hair. I gently scrub it into my hair, then rinse it out. I grab my conditioner and do the same. At least I have a working shower here. When I was on the run, I had almost nothing. I shut off the water and step out of the shower. I wrap a towel around myself like a dress. People used to make fun of me at school when I wore towers like this because I'm a boy. At least I never have to see them again. But is having a vampire for a roommate any better? Hey, at least the collars are waterproof. I would rather have it off, but it's better than having it explode or something because it got wet.

I change into my clothes and walk out of the bathroom. They also made fun of me because of this silk robe I'm wearing. It's not my fault it's short, it was just the only cheap one. At least it's a pretty pearly white. I see Ambrose sitting on the bed, staring at me. "Um, hi" I smile and walk to my makeshift bed on the floor. He looks at me coldly. "Whatever." I sit down on my blanket and hold my robe shut. Shoot, I can feel myself blushing! This robe doesn't have a thing to be shut. I hear Ambrose say, "Come here."

"H-huh?" I responded, stuttering. "You heard me. He pats the spot next to him on the bed. I stand up and walk over, still holding the robe shut. I only have underwear underneath this...! I sit down next to him, heat rising to my face. Suddenly I see him standing in front of me. I'm only a bit shorter than average, but he towers over me... I don't look at him, then feel his hand grab my chin and lift my head. I blush harder. He lets go of my chin and yanks me closer by the collar. "What's with the robe? What are you, a girl?" He says. "- no, it was the only thing I could afford to answer. "You're broke? Hah."

"I've never had a lot of money... I ran away from home when I was young."

"You're a runaway? That doesn't fit you. You're small and quiet."

"W-well..."

"No answer? How pathetic. He lets go of my collar and pushes me back. Then he leaves and leaves me alone, again. That's the second time. This guy is so unpredictable.

I stand back up, still thinking about what just happened. I walk to the bathroom and grab my toothbrush. I squirt a glob of toothpaste onto it then start to brush my teeth. Ambrose... I've never seen him actually drink blood. Not even the "gross blood bags." I don't really like him, but... I don't know. I'm not exactly sure how I feel about him. He's so cold, then he gets... I think back to his dispute with Leon. Possessive. That's the word for it. I spit into the sink and rinse my toothbrush. I set it down on the counter and then walk out. I trudge to the closet and go inside. I've got to have something to hold this robe shut, right? I dig through my drawers one by one. Nothing. Maybe I could go see if Leon has anything... No, I can't go this late... Can I?

I decide to go anyway and put on some white slippers. I walk into the hallway. He told me he lives in dorm 284. That's downstairs. I walk to the elevators. I should take the stairs because the elevators are loud, and I don't want to wake anyone. I open the door to the stairway and walk downstairs. I wander the halls until I find 284, Leon's room. I reach my hand up to knock, then pause.

Should I? I'm having second thoughts because it's so late, Well, this is my only chance since I have detention. Might as well try. I knock on the door and hear a voice say, "Coming!" from inside. I smile. Leon. It hasn't been long at all, but I missed him. Why does my chest feel like it's burning?

The door opens, and Leon stands there with only a towel on. "Oh my gosh, is this a bad time?!" I feel myself blushing as I look at him, but can't seem to stop. Why can't I look away? My stomach feels weird. "No, not at all! I just got out of the shower, so you're right on time." He explains. "Oh, o-ok..." I reply. "So, what did ya need?" He questions. "I- well, my robe... It doesn't have anything to hold it shut, and I just wanted to ask if you had-" He cuts me off. "Of course! Come inside, I have just the thing."

"Ok!" I walk in and he shuts the door. He leads me to a room. Pieces of fabric lay on tables and racks, and a sewing machine sits idle on a desk. "You sew?" I ask, and Leon nods. He walks to a rack and grabs a piece of white silk. He grabs scissors and cuts a skinny piece off. He walks to me, "Let me measure. He wraps the silk around my waist. I blush. H-he's so close... He marks a spot and lets go of me. He cuts it then hands it to me.

"This should be good."

"Thanks."

"No problem." I tie it around my waist and make a bow. "Perfect. Thanks, Leon."

"My pleasure."

"What can I do to repay you? This really helped, so..."

"Oh, it's fine. That's what friends are for!"

"I insist."

"Ok... There is one thing you can do."

"What is it?"

"I want you to help clean. Is that ok?"

"Yeah, that's perfect. When?"

"Tomorrow at this time, you can. I nod. "Ok, see you then!" I wave and quickly rush out. I walk to the stairway and walk upstairs. What was that?! I'm so embarrassed. I have to see him again tomorrow! I cover my face with my hands. "Ugh..." I walk to my dorm and open the door. I walk in and shut it. Suddenly. I get pushed against the wall by my shoulders. "Huh?" I look at the person. "Ambrose? What are you doing? " He cuts me off. "Where were you? He says coldly. "I was at Leon's dorm because He cuts me off again. "Why were you with him?" I shiver. The way he says it... it's scary. "I was getting something to hold my robe shut..." I explain. He slams his hand against the wall next to my head, making me flinch. "Did I say you could visit him?" He asks in an almost scary tone. "I-I don't need your permission. He's my friend," I respond.

He pushes me more forcefully against the wall. I look into his eyes. Ambrose... is terrifying "Don't leave without my permission he yells. I tremble. "I'm not going to listen to you... This is my life..."

You're so pathetic. You're making it so hard to control myself."

"What do you mean, control yourself...?"

Ambrose touches my stomach, and I shiver. "Those cuts."

"W-what about them?

"I'm a Vampire halfling, remember?

"So... The blood...?"

"Is making me hungry. You're so stupid."

"It's not like I got them on purpose, I-"

"Just shut up already!" I tremble as he says this. "Ambrose, please let me go." He cuts me off again. "For f**k's sake. I'm not letting you go."

He lets out a low grow after speaking and grabs my collar roughly. I stay as silent as possible. He yanks me closer, and puts his head next to my neck. I tremble. I can feel the heat rising to my face. I feel his breath tickling my neck and tilt my head away. I realize I just exposed my neck even more, and try to move my head again, but it's too late. His fangs sink into my neck. "Ah!" I cry out. It hurts. I try to move, but he keeps hold of my collar. If I want to get out of this I have to use my powers... But the collar...

I decide to do it anyway. I use my telekinesis to lift a lamp. It slams into Ambrose's side, knocking him off me. Suddenly painful shocks go through my body. I slump to the floor and cover my head with my hands. "Ah...!" I cry out in pain. It's like a thousand swords are stabbing me... I writhe in pain on the floor. Ambrose looks at me on the floor. Finally, the pain stops. I sigh in relief. Ambrose looks angry as he walks over to me. I block myself with my arms. "Wait, I'm sorry-" I feel a hand grab my arm. Not my collar...? He pulls me to my feet.

"Huh...?" I say, confused. He's not being mean...? "I'm sorry I lost control." He states. "You're... You're sorry...?"

"Yes... I am. I didn't mean to hurt you..."

"It wasn't you... It was the collar."

"Because of me. You had to use your powers to stop me, and ended up being shocked."

"... It's ok."

"What?" He asks.

"I forgive you. It's not your fault you were born a vampire halfling... Nor is it your fault that you lost control."

"You forgive me?" I see a glint in his eyes as he says this, but I can't figure out what it is. Is he being genuine? "Yes, I do," I answer and smile softly at him. "Thanks." He still doesn't smile. He hasn't at all, not even once since I met him.