A Vampire's Life Ch. 01

Sitting straight up in my chair I faced our professor. "Class, I'd like to introduce a new student. Come in now."

A man entered the room the jacket to his uniform forgotten, shirt untucked and sleeve's rolled up. "This is Angel Grimm. He's going--"

"Damien."

"Excuse me?"

"My nickname is Damien...I prefer it to Angel..."

After class the rumor's about why he'd transfered were beginning to circulate. Some said it was because it was because he had such a high IQ, other's said it was because he'd been kicked out of all his other school's but I felt that it didn't matter since he'd been transfered.

What did matter was the lack of pride in our school he was showing by not wearing our uniform correctly. I managed to locate the brown haired man in the library rather engaged with a woman. "I think you passed your oral exam, Missy."

"Really, Damien?"

"With flying color's." I ducked out of sight when Missy noticed me. I think it was a minute later that someone tapped me on the shoulder.

"You know, being a voyeur is all well and good but you didn't have to scare her away. I knew you where here." I looked at him, his face angelic even hidden behind his bang's. "So...how long you been a voyeur?" The man lit a cigarette and leaned against the bookcase.

"I'm not a voyeur." I took the cigarette from his mouth. "And no smoking on school ground's."

"Wow...I can already tell you're gonna be a pain in the ass, Lady."

"This a rather prestigeous school, show some pride!"

"It's a private school. Mom and dad shipped me off here because I was unruley. They couldn't make me behave, why would I listen to you?" He brushed past me and then took the staircase down to the first floor.

Following behind him a few moment's later I found he'd struck up a quick conversation with the librarian. Cutting it short as I drew near she cut me off when he left.

"Is that a cigarette, Miss Wells...?"

After explaining to the Dean that it wasn't mine he seemed to believe me and allowed me to return to my classes which I found were the same as Angel's but he didn't show up to any of them. He was already off to a bad start.

At the end of the day I managed to find him hiding out in an old room and as I neared Missy exited, smoothing the jacket of her uniform. She blushed when she saw me and then hurried off.

I threw the door open and found him standing naked but for his slack's with his back to me.

"You know, I think you got a hard-on for me, Lady, and I gotta say that your persistance..." He looked at me over his shoulder. "...is really turning me on."

"You didn't show up to classes." He laughed and then looked back out the window, cigarette smoke rolling away from him.

"What's the point? If I go to school, get good grade's, then what? I'll turn into my parent's. A couple of sad sap's who's whole world revolve's around money and the persuit of it. No thank you."

"So, what do you persue?"

"The pleasure's of the flesh aren't a bad persuit...though, I wouldn't exactly call that a degree."

"You don't have to be like your parent's."

"Everyone is the same. The persuit of material good's is what drive's everyone. People believe their worth is mesured by their car's, their clothe's...their bank-account's."

"Not everyone is like that."

"You sound like everyone I've ever met. 'Not everyone is like that'...I've heard it so many time's I almost believe it myself. But the sad truth is, EVERYONE is the same everywhere. Race, religion and nationality are just label's we use in a pathetic attempt to seperate ourselves from everyone else, Lady."

The man had a twisted view of the world...be he was absolutely correct. We were all the same. "Is that what you think?"

"It's what I know, Lady."

"You don't like me do you?"

"No, not really." He flipped his cigarette to the floor and exhaled slowly.

"You don't really like any woman do you?"

"I wouldn't say that. I don't know every woman."

"You're a misogynist."

"I suppose...I don't really trust anyone but I distrust loose-lipped women even more." Scoffing I leaned against the doorframe. "You think I'm a pig, that I use women and throw them away." I told him that he was correct and he laughed coldly. "Well...that's great. I shouldn't have to worry about you following me around then, right?"

"When you clean up your act I'll leave you be."

"You know, you're rather...noisome, I believe would be the word."

"I offend you, huh?"

"Unbelievably, yes." It was my turn to laugh and I told him that I shared the feeling. "Then leave me be." Again I told him that until he cleaned up his act I would not be allowed to leave him be. I was on the student-council and I had to make sure our school was respected. He just laughed. "Such dedication to something so fleeting as a private school. How old are you?"

"Eighteen, how about you?" He told me he was the same and that in four year's I would be out in the real world just like him. "All the more reason to take this seriously."

"Whatever..."

That night found me sitting at my desk on the verge of breaking my cute stress toy. Even my room-mate noticed this and asked me what the problem was.

I told her that it was the new student, that his view of the world was almost as screwed up as he was. She stared at me for the longest time before she shrugged and said that maybe his parent's screwed him up.

I then took it upon myself to search into his background and found out that his parent's, his mother in particular was never in his life, focusing on her career and neglicting him.

It had caused him to become cold and withdrawn from the world. I could still see the shadow's hidden behind the violet of his eye's. It was a rare color to say the least...like two gem-stone's set in marble. I could only imagine how they'd burn during--I shook my head to clear the impure through's.

The man was handsome but that wasn't all I wanted. I wanted someone kind-hearted, intelligent, friendly. He was intelligent, but kind and friendly were two thing's I wouldn't peg him as.

There was the loud sorrowful howl of a wolf outside my window and I turned to face the moon...I didn't think we had wolves here...

The next day he only showed up to half his classes and he seemed FAR more hostile and unresponsive then ever before, choosing to ignore even the teacher's when they addressed him or even snapping at them.

While I couldn't tell where he'd been for the time before lunch I had a feeling it was with Missy until I noticed he was chatting up Vicki. I could almost see the dagger's that Missy was staring at her.

Then the two disappeared for the last two classes of the day. I returned to the same old room I found him in the day before only to pass Vicki on the stair's looking rather pleased.

I found him sitting in a chair behind a desk, his leg's crossed, eye's half lidded a cigarette trapped between his lip's. "You're following me..." I could see how someone could be seduced by him. His body was honed to a razor's edge after all.

But all that pale skin wasn't exactly something people found attractive...right? It took me a moment to realize that he'd spoken and that it wasn't a question but a statement.

"No."

"You're here, aren't you?"

"Don't you worry about catching anything?" He took a long drag and exhaled slowly before tossing a pack of condom's at my feet. "These aren't alway's effective."

"Then it look's like I won't be having sex, Lady. Now leave me alone to bask in silence."

"Do you like being alone?"

"Yes. More so after sex." I scoffed and walked over to the pile of clothes near the window. Grabbing them I tossed them across the room at him. "Not now, Lady, I'm really not in the mood to face off mentally."

Outside of the school there came a long howl that I ignored completely but caused him to stand so quickly it nearly knocked over the chair in the process. He crossed the distance to the window's and looked out. "Tsk...what a bother..."

Turning he walked back, grabbed his shirt and slipped it on. "I would suggest that you leave before sundown, Lady. Wolves can be rather aggressive when they travel in pack's..."

Later that night I was awakened by the howling of wolves. Why there were here all of a sudden I had no idea but they were bcoming rather irritating.

I found that since I hadn't gotten a good night's sleep I wasn't on top of my game. Not only that but my home-room teacher introduced several new student's, all women and none of them dressing in their uniform's correctly...

Again Angel only showed up after lunch and only for his first few classes before he sweet-talked another girl and again I went to confront him.

If I was becoming a thorn in his side then so be it. He should respect the school more. As I approached the smell of coffee greeted me. It was rapidly becoming is own little club house.

I threw the door open and found him sitting behind the desk. "You didn't show up for classes today, Angel."

"Because I didn't feel like it." He turned on a radio and jazz began to wail out of the speaker's. "And if I don't feel like it then I most definately won't show up."

"You could use some color." Ignoring me completely he turned the volume up. "That won't work, I'm not going to go away because you turned up the volume." Again he turned it up...

To my surprise he never showed up to any of his classes the following day, or the day after that. In fact he seemed to have disappeared from the school ground's completely and then as suddenly as he disappeared he returned.

His face looked darker then usual, his eye's unfocused and clouded. I managed to find him in his 'club-house' but he looked beaten down. His shirt hung open, unbuttoned. Angel's head was hung and a cigarette was clasped between his lip's. "Go away, Lady..."

"You look like hell." He chuckled.

"Seeing me like this...you must be on cloud nine."

"What happened?"

"Nothing..." I noticed that for the next few week's he had the same pattern. He'd disappear for several day's randomly and then return, sleep deprived and worn out completely.

He didn't chat with anyone on the day's he returned, he simply retreated into his club-house which was now beginning to look it.

But...life went on and eventually everyone seemed to forget about him but for a passing glance in the hall's. But for me I was curious as to where he went. So, I followed him...

Following him off school ground's and into the town and from there into the city. It was tough keeping up with him without him notcing me but not impossible.

Arriving at some bar I waited outside until he made his exit, this time carrying a suit-case. Angel caught a cab and so did I, instructing the driver to follow them. Some time later we stopped and I paid the bill.

Climbing out I watched as he walked over to a car outside a house, opened the briefcase and removed a single black rectangle. Kneeling he placed it under the car before standing and closing the briefcase and making an exit.

Some time later a man left the house and climbed into his car...only to have it explode into a fireball while I stared in disbelief. Angel was a hitman...?

Returning to school like nothing was wrong I found him in his club-house, the same vacant look on his face. While I didn't doubt he was a womanizer I couldn't picture him as a murderer. "You saw...didn't you...?"

"I, um...yes."

"So, have you called the police?" I closed the door behind me and shook my head. "Why not? I'm a killer."

"You don't seem to enjoy--"

"That's why I'm sad...it doesn't bother me to take another's life for a pay-check."

"Why do you do it?" Angel sighed and ran his finger's through his hair.

"My parent's are in debt...and they can't pay it off. So, I've been paying it, my tuition AND my room and board."

"It's not your problem..."

"They loan-shark's don't see it that way. This scar on my face is from a set of brass-knuckle's. Not only that, but I died for two minute's one time...and I came back as this.

When I woke I was completely different. I used to be fat, lazy, completely shy around women but now...well, you get the idea." He was opening up to me. He was finally opening himself up.

"Go on."

"Hmph...why? So you can pretend to care?"

"I do care."

"Liar. People only look out for themselves, Sam." Arching a brow I echoed my name which caused him to turn away and look out the window. "That is your name, right?"

"Yeah...Angel, is yours, right?"

"It is."

"Angel is such a beautiful name. Why call yourself Damien?"

"I didn't choose that. It's what I'm called by the guy's I work for. They say it's because I'm emotionless...go figure, right?"

"Well...I don't think that."

"I can tell." He looked back at me. "You know, you're the only woman to ever spend this much time around me? The longest amount of time I've spent with a woman is around six hour's and I hated every fuckin' second of it. But with you it's different. I find your company...enjoyable.

Feeling a bit of a blush creep into my cheek's I smiled and thanked him. "So...about those police?"

"What about them...?"

Despite the compliment I'd ever recieved from him he didn't speak with me for a few week's. Not only that, be seemed to have a complete aversion to me, avoiding me in the hall's, not responding to me at all when I tried to talk to him in his little club-house...but I couldn't leave him alone.

I stayed with him until he left every night after school, an ever present friend, because he needed it. Again, he became the topic of discussion in the school.

The discription of our 'relationship' ranged anywhere from friend's to lover's and he did little to correct the rumor's. I on the other hand did my best to control the spread of the rumor's.

Then one night my room mate just came out and asked me if we were involved. My answer was 'no', of course. She told me that she was thinking of getting involved with him and I instantly felt a pang of something dangerously close to jealously.

I warned her that she would just get hurt but she ignored me. The next day the professor introduced a new student and in stepped...Angel.

The only difference was the man was wearing a huge grin, his brown hair pulled back in a tight pony-tail and his violet eye's on display. "Class, this is Damon Grimm."

The man's smile grew. "Hello, everyone. Has anyone seen my dear big-brother, Angel...?"