My Blood/My Morphine

By Cynthia McCauliff

Chapter Two: Trustworthy

"Here, honey, change into this so you don't have to wear that ugly gown." My mom offered a set of clothes- of all colors, PINK clothes. I crinkled my nose up. The 'family' was at the hospital to pick me up. It was around four in the afternoon.

"I'd rather wear THIS out!" I hissed meanly; she deserved it though. I put my jacket on and ran out despite the rain, glad for the dark pants under the gown and the jacket since the gown was white. I refused to wear that crap and I refused to be in a car with her and my siblings. I just started running. 'Get away from her!' I yelled in my head. I don't know why, but…I just had a really bad feeling about what was going to go down between me and my mom; something painful. But physically or mentally? 'Both,' I thought half-consciously. I pumped my legs hard. It had been a while since I ran like this. It felt good, though, after being in a smelly hospital bed for two days straight. Without realizing it I ran past Caine's place and saw no lights on, though it was hard to tell with all the rain. I rose my eyebrow, smiling. I could stay at his place, just for today, since…it would probably be the only place I was welcome. I checked the gate. Locked again. I looked around, making no one was watching. No one was outside at all. I climbed over it, walking briskly to the door. I hit the door with my fist three times. When he didn't answer for a minute, a knocked one more time and waited one more minute. I bit my lip nervously. 'Please answer, please answer, please answer….' I urged silently. I knew my mom was going to hurt me. I just…knew it. It had happened before…He didn't answer. I shook my head, holding back tears of disbelief that all this crap was happening to me. I heard walking in the house around the top. Off in the distance I also saw my mom. 'Hurry, please!' I begged silently, knocking once more.

I felt someone grab my shoulders hard and spin me around so quick I thought I was falling; and then I saw it was my mother. Her face was red with rage, her eyes alive with fury and her lips curled into a snarl. "You little brat!" She hissed. "Why couldn't it have been YOU who died, instead of those two?!" She punched me; hard. I stumbled back and felt someone catch me. I gazed up and saw Caine's angry face, gazing intently at my mother. He looked tired. Did I wake him up? I asked myself.

I wanted to hurt her so bad and I knew Caine wouldn't. I knew that I for one couldn't…I stood and before I even looked at her my mom punched me again in the gut and I keeled over in even more pain. Caine stepped forward, putting me to his side. She punched me in the face. This time, Caine pushed her back and she tripped, but didn't fall. "STAY. AWAY. FROM. LORELEI." He said loudly and firmly, picking me up and rushing inside. He slammed the door and I heard my mom fall as she ran into it. He locked it and set me on the couch. I sat up- well, kind of. I bent over, my jaw hurting, and this needle point-sharp pain going through my stomach. I felt liquid dripping slowly down my chin. Blood? I raised a finger to my lip and looked at the red substance. I pressed my sleeve against my lip to stop the bleeding from my busted lip and it stung. "Are you okay?" I nodded slowly. I wasn't okay. My own mother had just hit me so hard I'm bleeding.

I think, yet again, that he knew that. I lowered my eyes to the ground. He got up and came back with anti-biotic stuff and a rag. I pressed the rag against my lip and stopped the bleeding. He put the Neosporin on my lip. The touch of his smooth finger sent shivers down my spine. I felt myself smile a little. 'So maybe someone does care.' I thought. I rubbed my lips together when he was done. It felt weird. "Um…Do you….want some clothes to change into?" He said, choosing his words carefully. I held back giggles and nodded. He took my hand gently, and I squeezed his. He held tighter, and I knew he was smiling, which made me smile. He led me up flights of stairs and eventually we got to his room. I noticed we were BOTH wet. He looked through his closet while I just gazed around. His black drapes on the window were drawn tight, blocking out all light, and a small, dim lamp was on in the corner. There were posters covering the walls, and a few other doors in the room. He handed me some clothes. "They're probably too big for you but they're the smallest ones I have." I smiled my thanks at him and he pointed towards the bathroom. I held up the clothes. A black shirt that said in blood red MM and black and silver-like pants that were probably short-like-pants on him now, but would be pants on me. I took my wet clothes off, putting his clothes on. I could smell the sweet scent of his cologne or whatever it was on them. I ran my fingers through my wet hair and gazed at myself in the mirror. 'I look pretty good in his clothes,' I thought, laughing silently at myself. I'm only 5'4, weighing approximately 132 pounds. Kinda chubby but I don't care. I walked out and looked around. 'Where'd he go?' I wondered. I heard something in the living room down two flights of stairs and started walking down the stairs.

But when I got down it wasn't Caine, or my mom- it wasn't anyone I knew AT ALL. It was a man who resembled Caine in a way, but older, and a woman holding a little girl's hand. The man had the black hair, the dark eyes, and he was tall too. The woman had blondish hair and brown eyes, and the little girl was a mix of all their features. My heart started racing. 'Are these his parents and little sister, if he has them?' I asked myself knowing I wouldn't get an answer unless they spoke. Which they did.

"Who are you?" The man said, a strong Romanian accent laced into his words.

"I-I'm Lorelei, a friend of Caine's…" I said, confused. Just then I felt Caine's hand on my shoulder. I looked up at him. He was smiling again, looking into his Dad's eyes.

"Hello, Father, Mom…" He said. The little girl ran to him, and he swooped her up into his arms. "Caiiiinnnneeee!" The little girl squealed with delight as he spun her. I smiled, regretting it for the burning pain in my lip. I felt more blood as my lip split once again. I held my hand up to it again, pressing harder this time while scowling. Blood trickled into my mouth. Caine stopped spinning the little girl, staring intently at the blood, and set her down and led me quickly to the kitchen. I saw him swallow almost nervously and raised my eyebrow, clearly confused. 'Are they….' I started asking myself. 'No.' They couldn't be. He shook his head.

"We have to take you back to the hospital for stitches." He said caringly. "The…the Neosporin should have closed it up." He said. He started to say something with an 'm' and stopped. I winced.

"S-stitches?! I hate needles!" I shivered. I'm terrified of needles for some odd reason. He looked at me sympathetically and seemed lost in thought for a minute. I blinked. "Alrighty then…" I said, shaking my head at him. He smiled a little.

"What?" I laughed lightly, gripping my stomach. "Stay in here and fix up your lip. I'll be back in a minute, okay?" I nodded. On his way out he directed his gaze to a cabinet to show where the Neosporin was and I got it out. It was close to the door and I didn't mean to, but I did hear its and pieces of the conversation with my good hearing.

"….human blood?" His dad asked.

"Two months." Caine replied. Now it was his mom speaking. "You have to have it at least once a month, if only just a little or your powers will fade!" I walked away, sitting at the table shakily. 'What the hell is going on?' I asked myself silently. I held my head in my hands and realized I'd stopped bleeding, wiping my chin with a wet rag and putting Neosporin on again. Hopefully it didn't stop bleeding again. I saw the door open and Caine stepped through looking serious. So magic really was real? Was that what he was going to say when he changed it to Neosporin? "Let's go up to my room, if that's okay…" He said. I wanted to.

"I should…get home before I get in even more trouble." I said quietly. I didn't want to make him feel bad.

"I'm not letting you go there with your mother!" He said firmly. "I…care…for you too much! I don't want you getting hurt again." I smiled inside, not risking actually smiling. Was he going to say love? "Um…okay?" I said and he chuckled. He took my hand again, our fingers entwining. When we walked out I saw the little girl asleep on the couch, the TV on, and I think Mr. and Mrs. Dragos were in their room asleep from the sound of it. We walked up to his room after Caine put a blanket over (what I think was) his sister. I sat on his bed and he just lay down, his hands folded over his chest. "So has your mom hit you before?" He asked me. I thought about answering this. 'If he can trust me (right?) then I can trust him…' I thought. 'But…not about this…not just yet.' "N…No." I lied. Could he tell? I don't know.

"What about your dad?" He asked. I lay down beside him (but not very close), my head resting on the soft pillow and my arms' positions looking similar to his. I turned my head to look into his gorgeous eyes. "Never!" I said louder because it was true. "My brother has, though…" It was true. My brother had also tried to rape me before when he came home drunk one night. Everyone else was asleep and didn't hear me yelling. It was when I was only twelve.

"Shhh, Lorrrelei…" My older brother Bill slurred out. He had just come in the side door and saw me sitting in my bathrobe, just out of the shower, watching TV. He stumbled over to me, sitting on the couch by me, way too close for comfort. He put his hand on my leg and I froze. "Bill!" I said shocked. "Shut up brat!" I smelt alcohol and lots of it on his breath and gagged. He slapped me and a stinging sensation went through my cheeks. He started to tug on my robe. All I had under it was shorts and a sports bra. I stood up abruptly. "Where are you goin'?" He said. "I just want sshome fuun…" He stumbled after me and tripped over his own two feet. I ran to my room, locking the door and sliding my desk with difficulty in front of it. He was a strong boy. He would get in if I didn't barricade the door. I lay on my bed and cried, not going to sleep at all.

I remembered that night when he first tried to rape me. I hated that so much. I hate him so much for everything he's ever done to me.

I must have been crying, because Caine reached over and wiped my cheek gently with his thumb. "Is that all he did?" He asked. I looked away and shook my head. "He…He tried to rape me when I was twelve…" I whispered. I saw out of the corner of my eye his eyes widening.

"WHAT?!" He said. "Oh my. Oh my, oh my, oh my." He said in disbelief. I had a feeling he was going to 'talk' to my family. "He didn't….succeed….did he?" He asked. I shook my head again, but barely. "Not that time anyway…" I whispered, the words not meant for his ears. I felt tears swelling up in my eyes, and turned on my side, facing the wall across the room instead of him. I squeezed my eyes shut but still the tears spilled out. He put an arm around my waist carefully, kissing my cheek softly. I could tell he was angry. I cried into his shirt. Finally….someone who really cares, someone I can actually trust. 'I think I'm falling in love…' I though almost sub-consciously and realized that little voice was right. I was falling in love with Caine Dragos.

"'Not that time?'" Caine said. "What….What do you mean?" I squeezed my eyes shut trying hard to stop crying.

"He didn't succeed THAT time…" I said quietly. "But he did the next..." I said even more quietly. He held me tighter and I cringed. Why? Was I afraid of my own….I stopped. What was he to me? What was I to him?

"You—don't think I would do that to you...do you?" Caine said softly and I shook my head truthfully and vigorously and turned to my other side so we were face to face.

"Of course not…" I opened my eyes and stared into his. He stared back and I sighed…Nothing good ever lasts, but will this? I wondered. He seemed to read my mind.

"I'll make us last…" He kissed my forehead and my heart exploded. He said us. I smiled a small, happy smile.

"If you can trust me…then I can trust you, right?" He asked. I said yes.

"But I lied. She has hit me before…" I admitted finally. He raised an eyebrow knowingly and said, "I'll take care of that."

"Anyway..." He swallowed. "I'm a…a-a vampire…" He said in a tiny voice. My mouth dropped open.

"Whoa." I said simply. I stuttered. "W…Wow."

"Is…is that BAD thing?" He asked timidly.

"You tell me," I said. "You're not gonna, like, eat me or anything right?" I asked jokingly.

He looked astonished at this question and I held back giggling. "Of course not!" He said. I smiled.

"Then no," I said. "It isn't a bad thing…" I leaned up and kissed his cheek. He smiled.

"Good," He whispered. I looked at his clock. Seven 'o clock already. I closed my eyes and everything replayed in little parts in my mind- Rob and Carrie's crash, their screaming, the blood…everything.

My eyes shot open. The crash? How did I see the crash, if I wasn't even there? I squeezed my eyes shut again and was happy no visions came. "Lorie, are you okay?" Caine asked. I nodded. "I am now." I whispered and put my forehead on his chest, hearing no heart's beating. But of course I wouldn't—he's a vampire, right?

Right. My vampire…we fell into our worlds of dreams together.

And in the morning I woke up without him by my side. Where did he go? I asked myself and sighed. I lay my head back down on the pillow and forced myself back to sleep despite the pain in my stomach. It didn't work though—I couldn't get back to sleep. I pulled the shirt up some and saw a bruise where my mother hit me. I lay carefully on my stomach and folded my arms on the pillow, resting my head in them. What I was really doing was hiding my tears. I'm not known by everyone as a crier- and I don't want to be. I don't want anyone else to know the pain I've gone through—don't' want anyone to know the mental stress I've had, all the breakdowns in my room I tried to live through.\

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