By the time Thorne gets home, it’s dark out. He really hadn’t intended to stay at Jordan’s house for that long, but he ended up lingering like he always does. He likes being at Jordan’s place. It felt...normal. The house was nestled comfortably in the middle of a small neighborhood and it was the only house that was painted light pink in the cul-de-sac. The interior was bright and airy, decorated in a more modern fashion than his own home. The light scent of citrus that Thorne got every time he passed by the kitchen is soothing, and Thorne can’t deny the comfort of being in Jordan’s room. His best friend’s room had a warm feel to it. It was filled to the brim with fluffy pillows and blankets all in the soft colors that Jordan adored. It felt...right. He preferred it much more than his own room.

When Thorne thinks of his own house, the only word that comes to mind is “dark”. Dark and gothic and it belonged in the middle ages. He doesn’t exactly care for it, considering the place was so far removed from everything else. Which wasn’t too hard in St. Forrester, considering the area was surrounded by woods and sat at the foot of a mountain. Granted, most people living in the area lived in neighborhoods or apartments. They did not in a huge estate nestled deep in the woods that was surrounded by a huge iron fence on Grandeur Drive, which is private property.

His family wouldn’t live anywhere else.

They didn’t care much for humans, something Thorne was always able to note. His grandmother liked to talk about times when humans were all deathly afraid of vampires. She seemed to enjoy reminiscing about all the humans she’s chased in the pursuit of blood and she loved sharing every little detail, even if Thorne really didn’t want to know. Then, she’d get sour, because suddenly she’d remember when the Hunters came along. The Hunters were humans that rose up against the vampires in order to reclaim the freedom of humanity centuries ago. One would've thought that a bunch of humans wouldn’t pose a threat to vampires, but that was just the problem. The vampires severely underestimated mankind. Mankind that had been blessed by God and given the tools to wipe them out and force vampires into hiding.

After a while, Thorne had concluded that his home was one of those places of hiding that was built so long ago.

His father didn’t really care for humans much either, but he made an effort to blend in with them to the best of his abilities. He didn’t have much of a choice, considering that they needed the money to keep living in the estate once people found out about it.

But that’s where the disdain ended, replaced with something akin to a creepy infatuation for the very kind that they once hated. None could deny that. Vampires had relied on humans for blood for so long that the blood of animals couldn’t sate them. His grandmother had claimed that vampires had always been rather regal beings, but the abstinence from blood made them the creatures they are today. Vampires were now nothing more than creatures driven by bloodlust, trying to hide amongst mankind and survive on various alternatives rather than human blood. Trying to live without blood is probably the biggest struggle that Thorne’s kind has.

For the members of Thorne’s family that had gotten a taste of human blood right before this shift occurred, it was an extremely difficult task. They had only touched the surface and being denied the rest only made them crazy.

Though, Thorne will admit that his brother, Raymond, is better than both Virgil and his older sister, Alice, combined.

His mother was better than all of them though, and Thorne can’t imagine how she does it. She worked in the blood bank of a hospital and yet she could keep herself together.

Though when she slips, she slips hard.

That was just the way it was. Vampires could try all they wanted to, but their true, primal, nature would surface eventually.

Thorne fears that more than anything. The idea of not having control terrifies him more than he’ll ever admit. He couldn’t live among humans if he couldn’t control himself.

He couldn’t be around Jordan if he couldn’t control himself.

With a frustrated sigh, Thorne finally turns the knob of the front door, stepping into the entrance way. He turns around to shut the door tight behind him, turning back around to find himself surrounded by his family. He jolts back quickly, slamming his back against the front door.

“Thorne...darling...what’s that smell?” His mother wonders, her eyes flickering red.

Thorne hasn’t even been home one minute and already, his family is on him like a pack of wolves circling their prey. His mother steps toward him first, hugging him but starting to sniff him fervently after a couple of seconds. The rest of his family closes in too until Thorne finds himself pressed completely against the door.

“C-Can you all give me some space?!” Thorne yells, slightly worried. “I haven’t even taken a full two steps into the house!”

“My son,” his father begins. “How can you not smell it?”

“Smell...what?” Thorne asks. “The only thing I can smell is all of you! Expensive perfumes aren’t exactly nice when you use the whole bottle!”

“He really is out of tune,” Virgil notes. “You can tell he’s never had human blood.”

“Mathilda, you really have deprived the boy,” Thorne’s grandmother sighs. “How can he not smell something so exquisite?!”

“My poor baby brother...born in the wrong century,” his older sister, Alice, cries.

“Maybe we could arrange a night hunt,” his brother, Raymond, whispers.

“Enough!” Thorne shouts, surprised when his family takes a small step back. Apparently, they were all feeling a little off tonight. “What is it that you all smell?”

For a moment, his family falls silent. They all look around at one another, more than likely waiting for someone to step up and say something. Thorne doesn’t care who says it. He just needed someone to break the looming silence.

“Dear...you have human blood on your shirt.”

“Excuse me?”

“There, Thorne. Right...there.”

His mother presses her fingers against Thorne’s chest, pinching the fabric between her fingertips. Upon plucking the substance from Thorne’s shirt, she lifts it up carefully.

Sure enough, it was dried blood.

It was...Jordan’s blood.

Thorne didn’t even realize that Jordan had gotten blood on him. He was too busy staring at his bloody nose to notice. Granted, Thorne should’ve known that if Jordan’s face was slightly pressed against his chest that blood would’ve gotten on the shirt.

How did he not smell it until now? Thorne was at Jordan's house for hours!

He’s slipping in more ways than one.

“It still smells heavenly,” Virgil breathes out.

“I’m shocked you can breathe with your nose like that,” Thorne snorts.

“Oh, you got jokes, huh? I don’t see anything funny about a defective vampire.”

“You little--”

“Virgil, Thorne, that’s enough,” Thorne’s mother interjects, regaining some her composure. “Thorne, can you remember how this got on your shirt?”

“Some human must've run into me with a bloody nose,” Thorne lies. “You know how clumsy their kind can be. I probably didn’t even think anything of it.”

“You let a meal like that pass you by?” inquires Alice.

“It was out in the open. Besides, I--”

“Alice, you know Thorne doesn’t drink human blood,” Virgil says. “He thinks he’s better than us because of it, too. Your baby brother would rather pretend to be a weak, simple-minded human than accept the blood coursing through his veins. He’s ashamed of what he is.”

“I am not ashamed of what I am! The only thing I’m doing is making sure that I don’t get killed by hunters! You’re the ones who wanted me to blend in! How could I possibly blend in if I start salivating at the sight of blood and letting the smell consume my entire being?!”

“I said that’s enough!” Thorne’s mother growls. “I’m sick of this bickering! It’s happening every day now and I will not stand for it!”

She turns to Virgil quickly, grabbing him by the shoulder.

“You are going to stay out of other people’s business, especially my son’s!”

She turns to Thorne with the same ferocity.

“And you and I are going to talk about this.”

Thorne’s mother beckons for him to follow her down the hall. He hears Virgil snicker under his breath and Thorne rolls his eyes.

Although, it feels like he’s in more trouble than Virgil.

His mother is eerily quiet as they walk through the dim halls of the manor. Thorne doesn’t know what to make of it.

She couldn’t think what Virgil said had some merit, could she? Surely she knew that most of what Virgil said was complete and utter nonsense.

“When you were born, your grandmother said you were going to be different. I thought she was being silly at first, but as the years have gone by, I’m starting to realize how right she was.”

“Does it...bother you?” Thorne asks.

“Maybe a little,” she sighs. “...you really like being around them. I can tell. You’d prefer to be anywhere but here. It’s dark and dingy and depressing. The outside world is so much better than this place.”

“Mom…”

“Maybe it’s my fault. I raised you differently than the others because the world has changed. I just never thought it would cause you to reject your very being.”

“You actually believe him. You really think I despise myself so deeply.”

“Well, what am I supposed to believe?” His mother asks. “What am I supposed to believe when you don’t give me any way to support you?”

“Mom!”

Thorne’s mother sighs, shaking her head.

“I get you’re different and I know how much you enjoy living normally,” she says, cupping Thorne’s face. “But honey, we aren’t normal. You aren’t normal. You need to understand that before you hurt somebody. Maybe...you should start putting some distance between you and some of those humans...okay?”

Jordan’s face flickers across Thorne’s mind and Thorne feels himself go rigid. Forget protecting Jordan from his family...what about himself? If something happened to Jordan and it ends up being Thorne’s fault, he doesn’t think he’ll ever be able to live with the guilt.

So...perhaps some distance wouldn’t hurt.

At least, not long term.