“What?! How? Who bit you?!”

“No one. Rafael did an experiment on me and it went wrong,” Said Mac.

I approached him.

“Don’t.” He said.

“Mac… you know I can’t and won’t stay away from you. You need me.”

I felt bad for him.

“I don’t want to hurt you.” Mac whispered. I couldn’t understand why he was talking so quietly.

“You won’t. I know you.” I insisted.

“I can’t risk it.”

“But--”

“I said don’t.”

I cowered and sat down again. Something made it impossible not to.

He bit his lip. There weren’t any fangs, though.

“I’m sorry. I’m just… upset.”

Mabel came over and sat next to him.

“I’m here for you. Do you want to talk about it?” she spoke quieter.

“Or maybe... you want to hear about my first time?”

“I killed someone,” He whispered. “Rafael made me do it. I couldn’t stop myself.”

“It’s okay. No one can. You won’t need to do it anymore, you can drink blood bags.”

“I just… Can’t believe it. I’m ruined.”

“You’re not. You can learn to control yourself. That’s we’re here.”

I felt a little more intimidated now. He’d killed someone? Why? He could have just had a blood bag. Maybe it was just that tempting for him. Mac had changed, but I wasn’t ready to let go of him. I wanted to get up again but I couldn’t, no matter how hard I tried. Yosef spoke:

“Don’t worry Mac, we won’t let you hurt him. You can get up, Howie. He compelled you, probably on accident.”

Mac’s eyes widened. He nodded,

“Shit, I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to.”

I wasn’t mad. He didn’t know.

“Its okay.” I walked up and sat down next to him.

“Hey, on the bright side, you have all kinds of abilities. Like super strength and super speed. And I’m sure that compelling people will come in handy.”

He looked terrified of me.

“Please… just stay over there. It’s hard...”

I gulped. Did he really want to hurt me?

“You can still talk to me okay?” I encouraged, backing up and sitting down again.

“What’s it like?”

“Everything is loud and bright and smells very strongly. I… I can hear you… like, inside you and everyone.”

“Oh. Maybe i should talk quieter? Um… Is it… is it how keith described?” I spoke lowly this time.

Mac looked haunted. I could barely hear him when he said yes.

“But after I hated it. I hate myself.”

“Don’t… you couldn’t help it.”

“Yes,” Mabel agreed.

He just stayed silent.

“I think… I want to go to my room now.”

“ you can go,” said Ashley sympathetically.

He got up and that was the last of him I saw all day.

At my check up, I started asking Rafael questions.

“How long will it take for him to control himself enough for me to be around me?”

“Not sure. It depends on the person. Maybe 5 to ten days?”

“What exactly did you do to him and why?”

“ I wanted to cure him of his sixth sense. It is dangerous for him to live like that. I tampered with his medication, and it went very wrong.”

“How can I help him?”

Rafael was quiet for a second.

“Stay away in the evening. Treat him normally, but do not mention death or blood or anything related to his turning. Do not antagonize him or anyone else who might hurt you-- He will probably get violent.”

“Does it hurt to be turned?”

“Yes. It hurts quite a bit.”

“Can you turn me too?”

He looked at me like I was crazy.

“No.” He said firmly.

“But I don’t want to die and leave him to face eternity alone.”

That was something that had changed in me. I felt the need to help him as much as I could, despite whatever it meant for me.

“You are the only human here. If you want to help him, he needs someone to learn from. He needs to learn how to act.”

“ I want to be able to be around him without him having to resist the urge to kill me. Can’t you get some other human?”

“You want me to trap someone else in order to curse you, a suicidal person, with eternal life and the need to kill?”

I realized how stupid I was being. I sighed.

“Maybe…”

He stayed silent and looked down.

“That can be arranged, I suppose. I would have to find a replacement before I turn you though. And you must know this would upset Mac?”

I reconsidered.

“I mean, maybe he would be glad for my company. If not at first, I’m sure he will be eventually.”

I could tell Rafael thought it was a bad idea.

“Take some time to think about it more. Talk to Mac about it.”

I didn’t want to talk to Mac about it. I just wanted to be there for him. But, I would if Rafael made me.

“Fine.”