Part IV - Truths Revealed

He stood in the far corner of the room watching her as he remained concealed by the shadow that was cast from the window curtains, blocking out the moonlight.

He blinked slowly, his eyes of an unnatural blue as he studied her body language while she remained unconscious stirring in the same spot he placed her to lie earlier.

They were no longer at her house.

He knew she was going to ‘freak out' when she awoke and became aware of her surroundings.

But, he didn't care.

He just stood there, watching and waiting and anticipating what her next reaction would be towards him.

Justin prided himself on many things. He was intelligent, strong, quick and flexible. He developed an awareness and sense of knowing far surpass the average human since he had the ability to live longer. He was wise, alert and still managed to harbor compassion.

But with Luna, something about her energy or her presence threw him off.

He knew who she was. He knew what she was. But, he still had a difficult time understanding her and many of the thoughts she held.

Even in her restless sleep now, he knew that she was dreaming of him and of his revelation to her earlier. Yet, in her dream, she knew him even before he made his identity known. She was even expecting him and asked what took him so long.

That made Justin smile for one reason and one reason only. Luna to him was like an enigma. And he loved that about her more than anything.

Watching her grow into the young woman she was made Justin's already existing love for her ensue.

But now that she was finally going to know her true nature, he was ecstatic and he seldom felt that emotion.

There was a light stir and a soft moan before silence engulfed the spacious bedroom once again.

Justin's interest peaked when he noticed Luna slightly thrashing on the bed.

He took a step forward out of the darkness and into the moonlight, his skin letting off a pale porcelain glow.

He stood beside her lying form on the bed.

Curiously, Justin leaned down over her sleeping form, his face mere inches from hers as he hovered, studying her intently.

Then, unexpectedly, his head jerked back when her eyes shot open and landed directly on his blues.

He frowned in confusion but before he could speak, a blood curdling scream pierced his eardrums.

Justin hissed and brought his hands up to his ears before he backed away from the bed.

His face contorted into a deep scowl as Luna shot up suddenly, nearly tumbling off the bed in the process.

Within seconds, she was on her feet and backing away from Justin in horror.

Well, that reaction was more like it. He could deal with that type of reaction.

Her fainting had him worried.

"Vampire!" Luna gasped in disbelief.

That one word sent chills through her spine as the events of what happened to her earlier in the night flooded her mind.

"Yes, that I am." Justin smiled, showing his pearly whites.

"Stay away from me Justin. So help me god..." But Luna drifted, now aware of her unfamiliar surroundings. "Where am I? Oh my god, did you kill my father and kidnap me? Are you going to kill me too after you drink my blood?" She inquired in horror.

Justin stared at her incredulously.

"Heaven's no." Justin raised his hands in surrender.

"Don't you mean hell no, considering your nature and all?" Luna quipped.

 "I'm not going to hurt you Luna. And your dad is perfectly fine." Justin stated before biting his bottom lip lightly as he ignored Luna's jab at what he was. He wasn't proud of his nature. He didn't have a choice in the matter. But he dealt with it. "I called and told him you'd be home later."

"Uh correction, I'm going home now. Goodbye Justin." Luna snapped, turning for the door.

Justin stood in his same spot in the room, eyeing her.

"You're just going to walk away even if you're dying to know what's going on?" Justin asked casually.

Luna whipped around to face him. "And how would you know?"

"The same way I know that at this exact moment you're thinking, ‘vampire or not, he's still a jerk.'" Justin curved a brow at her.

"So you can read minds, big whoop." Luna rolled her eyes, not impressed.

"You're nothing like what I initially expected. I'm glad." Justin smiled. "I see now that you'll make our lifetime spent together interesting."

"Come again?" Luna asked perturbed.

"Stay and I'll explain everything to you...but only if you stay." Justin requested.

"Look, Justin, I'm still wrapping my mind around the fact that vampires exist. It's late and I'm tired and can we continue this tomorrow or..."

"No." He interrupted her. "Now is fine to begin and we can pick up tomorrow. Sit and listen and then maybe you won't be so afraid of me."

"I'm not afraid of you." Luna defended.

"Yes you are Luna. I can hear your accelerated heartbeat as clear as day and the swishing noises of your blood rushing through your body. I can also sense the adrenaline." Justin explained. "I have heightened hearing and smell also." He explained with a shrug.

"Right...so what else can you do?" Luna asked, still keeping her distance. "And where are we Justin? Why did you bring me here?"

"We're at my place which is about half an hour away from yours. I brought you here so we could talk in private. I'm not some scary monster. I don't want you to be afraid of me. And, I can do a lot more but that's not important right now. I just thought it was time you knew the truth about me, about you and about this life."

"Um, what kind of truth?"

Did she really want to know? She didn't, but her curiosity was too strong. She needed to quell that thirst of knowing.

"Sit, please." Justin smiled, trying to ease Luna's fear.

He sat at the edge of the bed and tapped it for her to join him.

Luna hesitated at first but then slowly made her way to Justin since she really wanted to know what was going on. Not to mention she felt drawn to him.

"Ok, fine." She caved, taking a seat next to him. "Speak, but please, keep your human features. No fangs or weird eyes or any of that." She requested.

 Justin nodded. "Well, I should start off by saying you're not human either. Well not really. You think you are." He explained.

"Right." Luna laughed dryly. When Justin didn't crack a smile this time her laughs died out. "You're not kidding." She voiced.

"I'm not." He confirmed. "Haven't you ever wondered why you felt so different, so misunderstood, like you didn't belong in this world? Haven't you ever wondered why your fascination with all things dark and supernatural was so deep?"

"Well...yeah." Luna stuttered, frowning in confusion. "But I...I mean doesn't every kid growing up?"

"Sure, but the reason you feel this way is much more profound. Luna, you and I both know you've never been sick a day in your life. Don't you find that odd?"

"My dad always said I was lucky and a trooper. I never thought anything of it." She shrugged. "Then, what is it Justin? What am I exactly?" Luna finally asked, afraid to find out the truth.

"You're a half-blood." Justin told her simply.

Luna couldn't understand, she couldn't process what he said. So she just glared at him.

"What do you mean I'm a half-blood? What is that exactly?" She inquired.

Justin smiled slyly saying, "You're a half-blood...half human and half vampire."

Luna gasped, shaking her head in protest.

"It's true." Justin voiced. "The reason why you did not know is because when you were born, your mom casted a spell that you would not come into your full powers before she died. Not until the person who was meant to bring you into these powers came along. So, because of that, your human side has always been stronger. It was her way of protecting you and it worked." Justin explained. "She also casted a spell on your dad. They genuinely loved each other, but he didn't know her true nature. It was also your mom's way of protecting him since it's frowned upon when vampires and humans mix. Your dad only saw her as human in his eyes...that's what her spell did to him."

Luna laughed dryly, not believing Justin even if he was solid proof that vampires existed anyway. "Right. I think my dad would have known."

"A vampire's charm is the most powerful magic there is Luna." Justin corrected her.

"Uh huh. Oh, and I guess you're going to say next that the person to bring me into my so called powers is you huh?" Luna quipped.

Justin looked at her, his face void of any emotion. "Actually, I am that person. The prophecy foretold this."

And then there was silence, the both of them just staring at each other.

This man, this man who wasn't a man but a creature, this...this vampire had Luna's mind going crazy with all kinds of thoughts.

She had so many questions, so many things seemed off to her now. How could she believe him? But then again, how could she not? And what prophecy?

Justin sensed her distress but he wasn't about to have her doubt him or his words, so while looking at her, his eyes slowly faded into black.

Luna gasped, about to jump from her seat but Justin's hand flew out to grip her and keep her in place, the coldness of his touch causing goosebumps to form on her skin.

"Do not be alarmed." He said. "But look at me. Really look at me Luna. You don't have to be afraid of me. I won't hurt you. But understand that this is real. I'm real...very much so. I do not age like humans do. I breathe, but my lungs need no air. I have a heart, but it does not beat like a human's heart. Therefore, my body cannot sustain regular human heat. I crave, human blood, but, I've developed control over the years and an understanding of the preservation of human life. So, I feed off animals. Call me a vegetarian if you will. But I'm conscious; I'm sitting here with you not alive, but not quite dead either. Now tell me, how can you doubt this, any of this?" Justin asked firmly, searching Luna's wide, terror-filled eyes.

Sighing, Luna looked away from Justin, not able to bear the sight of him in that moment. She couldn't believe this, any of this but Justin was solid proof that she wasn't out of her mind, that she wasn't dreaming.

"If...if all of this is true...if I'm not dreaming, then tell me, how did all of this even come to be?" Luna questioned weakly, her voice barely above a whisper.

He was right. She had no choice but to believe him. Now, she wanted the truth. She wanted to understand why fate dealt her this hand.

Justin nodded, relieved that she was at least opening up herself and her mind to him. He knew it was hard for her, but he also knew that once she was pulled out of the spell she was in, she would embrace her new self, her real self without hesitation.

But first, she needed to know of their background, their history. So, he proceeded to tell her the story of their vampire origins.

"Vampires have been around for centuries." Justin began to explain. "We used to be a strong race, large in numbers, living in secret because we knew the human race wouldn't understand our nature. The first vampire was said to have been human but was changed by a medical experiment back in that time that was intended to cure some illness but instead had horrible side effects. These side effects caused DNA mutation hence the sensitivity to sunlight, pale skin and overgrowth of our incisors. It's still unknown how that first vampire infected others and caused this new string of DNA to spread. But, over the years, as the DNA continued to mutate and change with each passing generation our kind became less and less human."

"Then, we noticed the significant changes like a slower heart rate, slower aging process, loss of appetite for anything that wasn't meat or blood related like rare steak. We grew stronger, we developed heightened senses and back in those days, these significant changes didn't go unnoticed. People back in those times were very superstitious. They started speculating that people of our kind were not normal humans. Some said we were witches and sorcerers, others called us night walkers because of our sensitivity to sunlight, we usually came out at night to get our errands and other miscellaneous tasks done. It wasn't until the first kill that forced our kind into hiding."

"One like us for some reason was overcome with this urge that couldn't be contained. Since our smell was so sharp, the scent of blood was the perfect mix with our appetite for raw foods, preferably meat. So, unable to control the urge, one night, one of our kind cornered a couple and without hesitation sank their teeth into the woman's neck. The man escaped and when the town's people found out about what happened, they deemed us to be monsters and unsafe. That's how this whole thing started with us and the humans not understanding what we were and fearing us."

 "Over the years, there were humans who grew to hate us, mainly when our kind began attacking back and killing people as well as feeding off of them. Our bite is venomous. Like how I helped speed the healing of your cut earlier. The venom in my saliva is very mild, harmless. But on your open wound, it helped stop the bleeding. When we bite you, the venom in our bite travels through your blood stream, causing immeasurable pain, poisoning you...kind of like a poisonous snake bite. You may or may not die after we bite you; it depends on how much venom gets into your system and how much blood we drain from you which in turn leaves you weak. If you don't die and you get bitten by a pureblood, you'll eventually start to change, but you'll need the pureblood vampire who bit you to complete the process else you'll...turn into something else. A monster. But we don't allow that to happen. Most of our kind feed until their prey is dead to leave no witnesses. I know this sounds horrendous, but vampires are nothing like the way the world portrays them in some stories. They're callous and will not hesitate to rip you apart. Only a few of us care enough to harbor compassion for mankind."

Justin paused when Luna gasped, shaking her head sadly. He hated having to tell her all this, but she needed to know. When she made no attempt to interrupt him he continued.

"So, these humans we killed, there were others who were consumed with hatred who vowed to kill us. Some did it as revenge for loved ones lost, others saw us as an abomination to the human race. That's how the whole war began, between vampire hunters and vampires. Over the years, they trained and learned of ways to kill us as we continued to evolve and become less and less human.  We fought back of course but there were a lot less of us than there were hunters."

"Over centuries, our race diminished so much that now, today, we're on the verge of extinction. We're weak now, so we make sure to hide and remain concealed in the shadows. The tale and folklore of vampires have been around for many years as older generations passed the stories down to the younger generations. In fact, that's part of how we got our name. But, because we've become so scarce and the fight between vampire and hunter remains secret, people look at these stories and existence of supernatural beings as only fiction...something they see in the movies or read in books because none of our kind will dare come forth and make our existence known..."

"So what is this prophecy about? Where does that fit into the picture?" Luna asked, finally interrupting Justin since her curiosity kept building.

She was having a hard time digesting what he was saying but it made perfect sense to her. Their kind was a medical mystery that even today the world would not be ready for. To uncover the secrets of eternal youth, of immortality embedded in their DNAs? She understood why they didn't make their presence known.  They would be treated as lab rats, scientific experiments. She also understood that the knowledge of their existence would fuel a worldwide religious fight because they would cause confusion for people who believed in heaven and hell, the good and the bad. Not to mention the dark side of them...the killing, the bloodlust.

"Well that's where you come into play." Justin continued. "It was foretold that over the years our race would eventually grow weak and it has. It's also believed that in that time, there will be a half-blood born from one of the elite pureblood vampire clans who because of their mixed DNA of  human and vampire, will have great power and abilities that will help us in fighting the hunters off so we can live in peace for a while and repopulate our race. That particular vampire can only come into their full powers after joining with their soul mate...another pureblood." Justin voiced, reading Luna's expressions.

"So, let me get this straight Justin. You're saying, I'm that half-blood and you're my soul mate? How does that work?" Luna inquired, confused.

Justin glared at her, swallowing harshly before he licked at his cold lips. "Well, the only way to join our powers and essence together, the only way for us to become one is...if we sleep together. The whole point is procreation." He said surely, refraining from listening to her thoughts this time. For a vampire, he didn't do well with rejection. "But I'll leave the choice up to you."

"As in have sex." Luna laughed out and Justin nodded. "And this is not some elaborate, weird, creepy way of just getting into my pants..."

"I assure you, if that were the case, I would not waste my time explaining anything. I would just put you under my spell and you won't be able to say no to me." Justin voiced, frowning at her.

Luna gasped. "You can do that? Mind control?"

"That and I could wipe your memory clean afterwards where you wouldn't remember a thing or ever even meeting me for that matter." He shrugged, looking away from her.

"So how do I know I'm not under a spell now?" Luna inquired and Justin laughed. He actually laughed. And it was a deep, sultry laugh at that as he reestablished eye contact with her. Luna couldn't help but smile. His laugh was contagious.

"Well for one, you actually asked that question. When someone is under a vampire's charm, they don't think for themselves and tend to display zombie like traits since they're being controlled. They won't speak unless stated by their master, and they usually have a blank, lost look in their eyes." Justin divulged. "You're not under my spell Luna. I have no desire to control you. I'd like you to willingly come to me."

"But, wait, wait back up a bit. So, I'm a half-blood and you're a pureblood? Is that right?" She questioned and Justin shook his head in agreement. "So what's a pureblood?"

"A full vampire with no human bloodline. Over the years, like I said, the human DNA in vampires fizzled out and morphed into something completely different, different DNA, different genes...the miracle of science. So once that was so, all vampires who were born into families that didn't mix with any humans became purebloods." Justin stated. "Actually, I was born a vampire." He added in and Luna's eyes widened in shock.

"You mean...you mean you were never human? You were never changed? Oh my god."

"My parents were both vampires so I was born this way. My grandparents were vampires also. No, I do not know what it's like to be human, but I imagine it's filled with a lot of feelings and emotions I myself have learnt over the years that come naturally to your kind. The one thing I always wished for was the warmth humans possessed. Lucky for you, you get the best of both worlds." Justin nodded and Luna still couldn't believe it.

"How is that...but you seem so..."

"Years of practice which allowed me to exist in this world unnoticed. Believe me, I wasn't always this tame." Justin nodded.

"But, but you're grown, you're...an adult...how..."

"It's a mystery to me too, but vampire babies grow, they evolve like humans. Remember our original string of DNA was still originally from humans, even if it's not human DNA anymore. We just age slower. For example, I look like I'm in my twenties yes? Well, I've been alive for over a century. When we feed, it replenishes our youthful feature. If you look at a starving vampire, they will look their age. Their skin will become dry, hard and crinkled like an old person and eventually, if they don't feed, they'll shrivel up and die from starvation."

"And the bursting into flames?" Luna asked, fully intrigued with Justin now.

"Myth. Something developed to make the tales of our kind more interesting. We are sensitive to sunlight, and if we stay in it too long, our skin will burn, literally, like fourth degree burns, but we don't burst into flames. If you leave us out in the sun too long, we'll just burn to death and you'll have an unrecognizable corpse. I can walk in the sun, if I wear enough layers and sunscreen does help. But I can't stay in it long." Justin explained and Luna nodded in awe.

"Wow, crazy..."

"It's the only life I've ever known so I'm used to it." Justin reassured her.

"So what about your parents? Where are they?" Luna asked, noting the sudden switch in Justin's mood by her question.

His expression fell, his eyes darkening as he looked at the floor. "They were killed by hunters trying to protect me when I was only a few years old. I escaped.  I'm on my own, have been for a while. But it's fine. It gave me enough time to learn of this prophecy and track down your ancestry which led me to you."

"Oh...I'm sorry." Luna sighed heavily. She lifted her hand to place on Justin's shoulder to try and provide some form of comfort but she hesitated and decided against it.

"It's fine. But to understand, this prophecy was foretold by the elite vampire clan. They were among the first purebloods of our kind and the most powerful who developed abilities of being able to see into the future. I know this sounds very science fiction but they proved those abilities by predicting things that came to pass. People didn't have a choice but to believe them. Different vampires have different special abilities.  For some, their strengths lie in their speed, or psychic abilities like telekinesis or telepathy. When they mentioned what would happen to our kind and mentioned my family and yours in the mix, it was passed down my family line that the only pureblood son born of my mother would be the key factor in helping save our race along with a half-blood who would have new powers. I was my mother's only son, so, I had to find you. The prophecy also states that our powers would be transferred to a new born which in turn would breed a new type of vampire race, ones that carried the same traits but would be closer to human and would not be affected by sunlight among other things."

"Again...wow." Luna breathed, not knowing what else to say. She was stunned, the information Justin provided overwhelming her. It all sounded like crazy talk.

"I know." Justin whispered, shaking his head.

Suddenly he stood and in the blink of an eye he was on the other side of the room, looking out the window into the dark night and up at the sky.

His blues were focused on the moon, his desire to be anything but what he was eating at him like it usually did.  He hated this life. It was a curse and a blessing. He felt like he was cheated, cheated out of the ability to be human, cheated out of the ability to chose his path. Strangely, he believed in God, which meant, he also believed in the other side as well...the darker side. He lived far too long to not realize that there were greater forces in the universe at work. He just didn't know if he even had a chance. He figured he was destined for hell. Then again, he had no idea if he had a soul to begin with. When he died, would it be the end? Those questions to which he had no answers to plagued his every waking moment. Usually, he tried to not let them bother him, but after explaining everything to Luna, his demons were back.

"Justin...are...are you ok?" Luna asked, moving to stand behind him.

She studied him closely, noting how he stood frozen in place like a statue. There was no sign that indicated he was breathing. In that instant, Justin took in a deep breath before releasing a sigh.

"I don't need air remember?" he voiced to Luna, reading her thoughts.

"Right."

"Look, I'm sorry if this is too much for you to absorb. If you'd like, you're free to leave." He voiced, motioning to the door as he kept his back to her.

"No...no I...I don't have to leave yet. It's ok. I can stay a bit longer." Swallowing harshly, Luna proceeded to touch his back to gain his full attention.

The moment she stretched out her hand, Justin spun around to face her and she ended up touching his hard chest instead. She quickly retracted her hand, blushing. Justin smiled in return and gently griped her wrist, bringing her hand up to his lips so he could kiss her palm softly.

"You're not afraid anymore." He pointed out, eyeing her.

"Not really..." Luna affirmed.

"With all what I just told you, I expected you to be terrified." Justin chuckled.

"I think I more feared the unknown. You don't fall under that category anymore. You seem decent enough." Luna mused.

"I'm honored then." Justin grinned, releasing her hand. "But maybe you should get home before your father begins to worry..."

"No, there's so much more I want to know...need to know Justin. I mean if this whole prophecy is true then...you and I...we're supposed to...and my family..."

"It's ok shhh." Justin silenced her. "I'll let you sleep on it tonight. And tomorrow night, I'll return. In the end, it's your choice what you want to do. Tomorrow, I'll answer your questions and you'll make a decision. But for now, it's late and I don't want your dad sending out a search party to hunt me down." Justin smiled.

"Ok, tomorrow then." Luna agreed.

"Tomorrow, after you know everything else you need to, you'll pick your destiny. We have about twenty-four hours left before that spell your mom casted on you becomes permanent on the first full moon after your twenty-first birthday which is tomorrow night." Justin admitted.

"Wait what?" Luna gasped, not realizing how serious Justin stepping into her life was until now.

"Your mom was very specific...but only because she loved you. I'll tell you more about the spell tomorrow." He nodded and Luna cringed at the thought. She never knew her mother, now she was wondering if Justin knew her.

"Listen, Luna, I'll take you home if you'd like. But we're done for tonight. I think it's best you get home and get some rest." Justin decided, reading her thoughts, not wanting to deal with any of this anymore.

He was tired and the reality of their situation was weighing heavily on him. Luna wasn't ready yet. She needed a little time to digest everything. It wasn't time yet for him to get into specifics about her family.

He knew what he had to do if he wanted to save his kind, but he wanted Luna to agree willingly. He didn't want to force her and if she chose to keep her old life, then so be it.

Luna sensed Justin's hesitancy, but she also realized that their conversation was over for the night so she gave in and decided to leave things as they were for now.

"Fine, you can take me home." Luna said.

"Ok and I promise I'll find you tomorrow. Come on." Justin voiced, gripping her hand in his to lead her out of his room, the rest of their journey accompanied by absolute silence...