Re-Forging - 9. Chapter 9

After a great dinner at a locally owned steak house, we returned to Scott’s house to relax for the evening. Having to deal with court and the bank had kept me busy all day, and I hadn’t had time to think about what I was going to tell the guys tomorrow. Now, as I began to focus on it, my stress levels began to rise.

Tommy was using Scott's computer to arrange something related to security, and Donna had decided to drive back to the farm to spend the evening with some friends. James was sitting in his recliner in the basement with me sitting on the floor at his side, feeding. Scott came down the stairs carrying three mugs with warmed stag’s blood.

“Now that you can focus on things, have you decided what you’re going to do?” he asked as he set the tray on the table.

I pulled off of James’ wrist and licked the wound clean, then picked up a mug and moved to sit on the couch beside Scott. I sighed and said, “I told you this morning, Scott, I don’t want to burden you with this. People might die.”

Scott sighed. “There are two problems with that statement, Greg. First, you apparently don’t understand the meaning of the word ‘mate.’ It means that we share everything, not just the good things. It means we help and support each other with everything in our lives. It means that I’m supposed to share your burdens.”

“And the other problem?”

“The other problem is that you seem to think I’m stupid.”

“I’ve never thought that, Scott. You’re one of the smartest people I know. It’s not a matter of how smart you are; I just don’t want to put the responsibility on you.”

With a grin, Scott said, “I don’t mean you think I’m not smart enough to give you advice. You think I’m not smart enough to know that you’re stressing over tomorrow’s meeting with the guys and how much to tell them about everything that’s happened. You even asked me about it yesterday.”

“When I asked you, I didn’t realize that if I tell them and they tell someone, I could be killed. If that happens, I don’t want you to live with having given me bad advice.”

Scott grabbed my hand and squeezed it. “Greg, you’re a vampire now. Death is part of your life now; you need to accept that.”

I considered that for a bit. “Well, what would you have me do?”

“It doesn’t matter what I want you to do, babe. You have to decide how much you trust your friends. But before you decide that, you need to consider how they are going to react.”

“You mean, will they believe all the movies and think we’re monsters.”

Scott nodded. “Or will they believe you’re still the same guy they love?”

James added, “Will they even believe the truth without you actually showing them?”

The conversation continued like this for the next several hours, with Scott and James neither telling me what they would do or what I should do. They did support me by causing me to view the issue from several angles I hadn’t considered, but, as James told me last night, this was my decision and mine alone. The buck stopped with me.

We were still discussing it when I glanced at my phone and realized it was already Saturday morning. Scott went to ask Tommy if he wanted to run with us, and they met me at the front door. We headed to my house to change into shorts. When we emerged from our room, Tommy was standing in the hall, looking stressed.

“Something on your mind?” I asked.

Tommy hesitated, then said, “If I’m out of line, feel free to tell me, and I’ll shut up.” He paused until I gave him a questioning look. “Lenny faced a similar situation just after he changed and—”

“And you’re just now telling me this?” I snapped.

Scott put his hand on my shoulder and squeezed. “Greg, stop and consider Tommy’s position. Technically, he’s just your Marshal. It’s not his place to offer advice you haven’t asked for.”

I sighed. “I’m sorry, Tommy, Scott’s right. In the future, please feel free to express your opinions.”

“I’ll try, but sometimes it’s difficult.” Tommy glanced around nervously, then went on, “Lenny struggled with telling his older brother shortly after he was changed. I told him not to because his brother was very religious, and I didn’t think it would go well. When he finally did, his brother simply turned and walked out of our lives.”

“So, you’re saying I shouldn’t tell them?” I asked.

“No, Greg, that’s not what I’m saying. He refused to have anything to do with us because he thought vampires were creatures of Hell, spawn of Satan as it were, but he never told another soul. He never betrayed Lenny's trust in him, nor did he try to harm us. When he was on his deathbed, Lenny visited him. His brother’s last words were how he regretted turning his back on Lenny.”

I leaned back against the wall and thought about Tommy’s words. I didn’t understand his point and asked, “I don’t follow, Tommy. How does this help me decide?”

“Honestly, I didn’t think it would. I just wanted you to understand that you’re not the first to go through this. From meeting your friends and hearing the two of you talk about them, I don’t see them exposing our secrets to the world. I can’t say if they’ll accept things or walk out of your life, but I feel confident that they won’t need to be, um, dealt with.”

“That is my biggest worry. If I’m honest, I don’t care if the Council kills me—”

“No, Greg!” Scott exclaimed.

“No, Scott, it’s true. I’m not afraid of risking my life for my friends; I’m worried about their lives, and yours. If they reveal our existence, I’ll have to be killed. That would kill you.”

Scott wrapped me in his arms and muttered, “It would.”

We stood silently for a few minutes as we each digested the possibilities. Finally, I kissed Scott’s forehead and headed outside to start our run.

We had just started stretching when Josh’s truck pulled into my driveway. Four doors opened, and out stepped the twins, Brian, and Chris, all carrying gym bags.

“Morning, guys. You’re early.”

Jake’s eyes never left Tommy as he came over and gave me a fist bump. “When have we ever needed an invite to work out with you, bro? Should we leave?”

“No, of course not. I just didn’t expect you until nine. Get warmed up.”

As they stretched and warmed up, Chris explained, “Bri and I went to a movie last night and ran into these two dweebs. They invited us to stay the night. We all wanted to hit your weights, so we figured we’d just come over.”

“We working out? Or having a union meeting?” Brian shouted as he took off running.

It didn’t take long for us to catch up, and we paired off with Chris and Brian in the lead, Jake running at my side, Scott and Josh behind us, and Tommy bringing up the rear. Considering the pace we’d set yesterday; I was glad the two humans were out front. As we were passing the barn, another issue came to mind: I wasn’t sweating, nor was Scott or Tommy. The others might not notice, but I knew Jake would.

‘I’m not sweating.’ I sent to Tommy, mind to mind.

‘At this slow pace, of course you aren’t. Your point?’

‘If my friends notice, there will be questions.’ I replied.

‘I thought you were going to tell them today anyway. Or did you change your plans?’

I hesitated, then sent, ‘I still haven’t decided.’

‘Understandable,’ Tommy replied. ‘Then you should sweat.’

I was confused, so I asked him to explain. He told me that, just like my vampire attributes, I could control all of my human bodily functions if I concentrated. He went on to detail how to do it, and soon, my tee shirt was sticking to my body, soaking up the sweat. I asked him to do the same and to explain all of this to Scott. A few minutes later, I glanced back to see Scott’s shirt had appropriate damp spots.

Distracted by my conversation, I stumbled over a root. Jake grabbed my arm before I fell on my face. “You ok? You seemed… lost in thought.”

“I was. Thanks, Jake.”

“Care to share?”

“Not right now, no,” I replied. “Better if we’re all sitting down.”

Jake acted like he accepted this, but I knew him better than that. Jake was like a dog with a bone; once he tasted something, he wouldn’t let it go until he was sure he had tracked it to the source. In this case, the source was the fact that his oldest friend and that friend’s boyfriend were vampires. Could he accept this? Would he accept it? I still didn’t know the answer, but this crisis was quickly coming to a head.

We did our two laps of the neighborhood to cool down, then headed for my basement. As we walked toward my back door, Josh exclaimed, “Damn, guys, we just ran four miles in 32 minutes.”

“No way,” a stunned Josh replied. “I’ve never done four miles in less than 35.”

“I guess we should work out with Greg more often,” Brian said, excitedly punching me on the shoulder.

Jake and Scott were ahead of us as we went into the basement, and I knew we were in trouble when Jake said, “Judging from the stack of weights on that bar, I’d agree, Brian. Someone’s been lifting over seven hundred pounds.”

Jake was right. Tommy had lifted last, and there was still seven hundred and fifty pounds stacked on the bar, three times what I worked out with. Of my friends, only Jake worked out with more than me, and the most he had ever even lifted once was three hundred. I had to think and think quickly.

Everyone gathered around the bench and stared in shock at the weight bar; everyone but Chris. He stood off to the side, unsure how to act. I sent him a quick message, mind to mind, instructing him to temporarily block his knowledge of the existence of vampires. His facial expression immediately changed from concern to confusion, matching my other friends.

I stepped into the middle of my friends and tried my best to make a convincing laugh. “No one here is lifting that much, guys. Don’t be stupid. I hadn’t cleaned in here for a while, and Scott and I stacked all the weights onto the bar so we could scrub the floor.”

Jake glanced around and knelt down. “No offense, bro, but if you scrubbed this floor in the last year, I’ll suck your dick.”

I laughed, a genuine laugh this time. “I appreciate the offer, but I’m taken.”

Jake stood and grinned. “Well, not my best argument, but still. The floor is just as dirty as it’s ever been, Greg. Do you want to tell us another story? Or are you ready to tell us the truth?”

“Just what do you think the truth is, Jake?”

“I don’t fucking know the truth, Greg!” Jake shouted. “You won’t tell me the truth. Ever since you met Scott, you’ve changed. The Greg I know would never keep secrets from me.”

“So, you think I’ve been lifting that much weight?” I asked, trying to seem incredulous.

“No, Greg, but I told you last week that Scott was sandbagging when we lifted. I want to know what he’s hiding.”

I was about to reply when Tommy stepped forward. “Scott didn’t lift that, I did.”

Everyone was now staring at Tommy, except for Jake; he was glaring at me, waiting for an explanation. Finally, he turned and walked slowly around Tommy, examining him from every angle. He stopped in front of him and said, “While I believe you could lift more than any of us, I find it hard to accept that you could lift that much. Would you care to explain?”

Tommy gave me a nervous glance, then looked Jake straight in the eyes. Somehow, I knew what he was going to do. We both spoke at the same moment:

Me: “Tommy, no!”

Tommy: “I am a vampire.”

The room fell into a stunned silence. Everyone was staring as Tommy turned to me, bowed his head, and knelt. “Forgive me, My Lord, but I had to.”

Scott stepped to my side and asked, “Why, Tommy?”

Without looking up, he replied, "To save Greg, as is my duty.”

Scott started to ask something more, but I interrupted, “Now that he’s told them, if they expose us, he’ll be the one to answer to the Council, not me. Isn’t that right?”

Still staring at the floor, Tommy replied, “Yes, My Lord.”

I reached out and put my hand on his shoulder, saying, “I don’t know if I like the solution you’ve come up with, but I appreciate your intent. Please, stand at my side and help me clean this up.” Tommy kept his gaze on the floor when he stood, so I reached out and lifted his chin. “Hold your head high, Marshal. You acted with honor.”

Tommy stood and held his head high, stepping around to stand behind Scott and me. My friends were silent for another moment; then all hell broke loose as each of my friends shouted their questions. The cacophony was not doing anyone any good, and I needed to end it. Combining everything Scott, James, and Tommy had taught me about being a vampire, I had a theory. Mr. Amata, our science teacher, always said a theory is no good without testing it. I figured now was the time to test my theory.

I looked inside and asked my beast, ‘Will it work?’

‘I can help you, but I don’t know what they’ll do. I still think we should just kill them.’

I mentally rolled my eyes. ‘I’m surprised you didn’t suggest that already.’

‘You would have told me no.’

‘Yes, I would have. Now, give me what I need, please?’

I felt a slight change in my chest, in my throat. I opened my mouth and said, “Silence!”

I was shocked at the sound of my voice, though it seemed that my friends were even more shocked. By adding my beast, my voice was now much louder and much deeper. So deep, in fact, that the room seemed to shake when I shouted. My theory, now proven as fact, had worked. My friends, once again silent, stared at me.

“I will explain everything, and before you ask, Jake, I do mean everything, but not standing down here. Everyone hit the showers; you all stink. We will meet in half an hour, in the living room. No arguing, now move.”

No one moved. I thought I would have to explain things here until Brian broke the silence. “We’ll agree on one condition.”

I sighed. “And what is that, Bri?”

Brian glanced around at everyone, obviously embarrassed, then said, “I’ve never seen anyone lift seven hundred pounds, Greg. Can Tommy show us first?”

I rolled my eyes and muttered, “Are you serious? He says he’s a vampire, and you want to see him lift weights?”

Josh looked at me and said, “Well, I doubt you or Scott can lift that much, can you?”

I figured it was time for honesty, so I took a deep breath and replied, “I’m not sure how much I can lift, but I did fifteen reps with five hundred.”

Tommy quietly said, “If you allow your, um, friend, to help, you can easily lift that, My Lord.”

I considered Tommy’s words carefully, then stepped over to the bench and laid back. I stared up at the bar that was bending slightly from the massive weight that hung on each end. I asked my beast to lend me his strength, put my hands on the bar, and pushed. It felt like nothing as I pushed my arms to full extension, lowered it to my chest, and easily pushed the incredible weight to full extension. I did this four more times, then carefully lowered the weight bar into its cradle.

As I sat up, my friends slowly backed away. Were they scared of me? I hoped not, but I could certainly understand if they were. I reached out to sense their emotions. I found astonishment, shock, curiosity, and compassion but no fear. I almost laughed when Jake asked, “Does this mean you’re dead, Greg?”

“No, Jake, I’m not dead or undead. Let’s go shower, and I promise I’ll tell you everything, ok?”

There was a brief hesitation before they started for the stairs. I felt hopeful when I heard Josh say, “Dibs on his dad’s shower,’ as he opened the door at the top of the stairs.

With the humans upstairs, I turned to Tommy and said, “I don’t know if that was the smartest thing you’ve ever done or the most stupid. Unfortunately, we’ll never know as it’s done. Now I have no choice but to tell them everything. I won’t tell you not to risk your own life for mine again because—” Tommy started to speak, so I held up my hand and went on, “because you’ll ignore me and do it anyway. I want to thank you for my life, and, more importantly, for preventing the misery my death would have put Scott through. Let’s get showered and try to explain things so none of us will have to die.”

Half an hour later, with my friends sitting around Scott and me on the living room floor, I told them how I died. I gave them an abridged version of how James changed me, then told them of our adventures hunting in the woods on the farm. I avoided mentioning enthrallment, telepathy, and nobility. Unfortunately, my friends are not stupid. When I said I was done, Jake glared at me.

“You said you’d tell us everything, Greg.”

Hedging, I said, “I did.”

“Then why don’t I understand why Tommy called you ‘My Lord’?”

“Damn you again, Tommy!” I shouted over my shoulder.

Tommy peeked in from the kitchen, where he was cooking breakfast for us. “Not my fault you have observant friends.”

Scott threw a pillow at him and said, “Shut up and get back to your drudgery, hired help!”

After catching the pillow, Tommy curtseyed and said, “Yes, My Lord. As you wish, My Lord.” And bolted back into the kitchen.

I sighed and explained how vampire society was under a feudal system, the different ranks, and that I was a Baron. Rather than risk being caught in another omission, I also told them about enthrallment and telepathy. As I did, I remembered what I’d told Chris.

“Oh, and Chris, you can now remember everything.”

Of course, everyone turned to stare at Chris.

“What?” He asked.

Brian punched Chris’ shoulder and said, “Oh, I don’t know. Maybe the fact that you’ve known about all of this all along? Maybe the fact that you acted as shocked as the rest of us this morning?”

I saved Chris by saying, “While we were at the farm, Chris came up with his dad and discovered I’d been changed. I used him to learn to enthrall and ordered him not to say anything. He couldn’t have told you if he tried.”

Josh asked, “So he’s that good of an actor? He really seemed as surprised as the rest of us.”

“Well, no. As things were falling apart, I sent him a mental order to forget everything he knew temporarily so he didn’t have to act,” I explained.

Jake turned to Chris and asked, “What’s it like to be enthralled?”

Chris shrugged. “I don’t know. I don’t think it ever worked.”

Scott nudged me, and I grinned. “Chris, skip out to the kitchen and give Tommy a hand.”

When Chris stood and started skipping toward the kitchen, everyone burst out laughing. He stopped and looked around, then continued skipping into the kitchen. Once he was gone, every eye turned to me. Like always, Jake was the first to notice the hole in the story.

“Why did Chris and his dad come to the farm?”

I turned to Scott, who explained how Mike was James’ lawyer and how his family had been hired to feed them. Of course, everyone flinched at the idea of us feeding, but they listened as Scott went into the common use of blood from blood banks, the restrictions on live feeding, and the penalties for breaking those restrictions. He also explained that we get most of our blood from animals and that we also require human food to survive. Unfortunately, he made a comment about growing up. Bet you can guess who caught it.

“Growing up? I thought vampires were made. You mean there are born vampires?”

I grinned at Scott and said, “I’m going to let you explain this one too. I’m just going to sit back and watch their reactions to one specific portion.”

“What portion, Greg?” Josh asked.

“Oh, you’ll know when you hear it, won’t they, youngster?”

Scott rolled his eyes at me and sighed. “He’s talking about the fact that I turned six in February.”

As I expected, everyone just stared at him for a moment, then bombarded him with questions. Scott let them get it out of their system and then explained how vampires age at roughly three times the human rate until they hit puberty, usually near their fourth birthday. After this, their aging slows to about one and a half times that of humans until they reach adulthood, around age eight. Knowing they would ask; he explained the theory that growing vampire infants absorbed knowledge through feeding from their parents.

Chris and Tommy came from the kitchen carrying platters covered with eggs, bacon, sausage, and pancakes. Naturally, that resulted in everyone rushing to the table to fill their plates before the food ran out. If a stranger had been watching, he would think they hadn’t eaten in days. After everyone had a full plate and we were gathered around the table, Jake got a funny look on his face.

He looked at Tommy and asked, “And how old are you, Tommy?”

Tommy looked at me, and when I nodded, he said, “I was born in the winter of 1610.”

This caused another brief silence, but the eating soon continued since they were teenage boys with food in front of them. Tommy explained the renewal process in general and told them that he was roughly twenty-seven in this lifetime. He then had to explain how vampires considered each renewal the start of a new life.

When he finished eating, Jake looked at me and asked, “I’m confused about two things, Greg.”

“What’s that, Jake?”

“First, from what you and Scott have told us, you were still human when you met with Dad, right?”

I knew where he was going with this, so I explained everything about the business opportunity that James had offered us. This, of course, required that I tell them about the court appearance yesterday and my emancipation. While telling them all of this, I told them of our time at the car dealerships, the tailors’, and the banks.

“You’re kidding. Jimmy’s big sister got a promotion because of you?” Brian asked.

Scott giggled. “My guess is, on Monday, she’ll be sitting in Mr. Thomas’ old office.” He looked at me with an evil grin. “We should go back and deposit another five, Greg, just to see his face. I bet he’s a teller now.”

I looked at Scott and deadpanned, “Remind me never to get on your bad side.” Turning to Jake, I asked, “What was your second thing, Jake?”

“When Tommy first told us he’s a vampire, you said something about him answering to the Council instead of you. Care to explain?”

I considered how to explain to my friends that I would be required to kill them if they exposed our secret without offending them. Or how Tommy would be killed for being the one that had told them. As I thought about this, Jake was putting two and two together. He spoke before I could.

“Tommy has exposed the existence of vampires to humans. If we tell anyone, he’ll be punished. My guess is he’ll be executed, am I right?”

“Mostly, yes,” I said, not wanting to tell him that he was in danger as well. Naturally, Jake got there ahead of me.

“And we’d be killed as well,” Jake said quietly, almost to himself.

Tommy sounded guilty as he said, “They’d start by trying to discredit you, but yes, if people actually believed you, you would simply disappear.”

Every human at the table, except one, was eerily quiet as they contemplated their own death. I could sense that Jake was focused on the right part of all of this, and he knew it. He looked around the table and scowled.

“Guys, you’re missing the point.”

Brian snapped, “Yeah? What are we missing? Our lives are in danger, doofus. That’s the point, isn’t it?”

Jake smiled and shook his head. “No, you idiot, not at all. You know why?” He paused and waited for someone to catch up with him, but no one did. “You guys are so dense. To be in danger, we’d have to betray Greg. We’re not in danger because none of us would ever do that.”