me. I cud feel ma body changin’, ma teeds get longa. Even afta many yeas wid dis curse, I neva fully controls it. Den Hunta screams. I bitten his fingas off. He's in pain an’ drops ta de flow. I den get ma sock ta stap de bleedin’.
“Sorry,” I says ta him.
Hunta in ma face, in pain. He crys, his eyes turnin’ orange, black veins all ova his body.
“Youse changin’ like me.” I says ta him.
Hunta begs fo' me ta take de pain away. Das no way ta help him, he had ta take de pain as I did yeas ago. Deaf's his only option, but I ain't gonna kill him. He too damn cute. So I kiss him, an’ he seems ta calm down. Two lost souls found each oda dat nite.”
IV
Death of a Mate
"Hunta had de most butiful fur wen he shift. Dawk brown wid red bands a fur. His eyes wa diffant too, orange and red. Fo' fou yeas Hunta an' I wa happy. I had sumbody ta stalk de streets wid me at nite, no longa alone in dis world. He make me feel special. An' I felt safe wit him.”
"Dat last yeas wa ruff on us, vampya clans lay claim ta many sections a de city, an' we avoids em as best we cud, keep aw distance. Aw scents cot by a vampya an' cuz a dat we cud no longa stay in his condo. We had ta keep movin'. Livin' in motels an' caws. Huntin' as best we cud. But dis one vampyas closin' in on us, she left ha scent at all de motels we stays in. Soon afta wes had ta find out who she is an' wat she wants. So we had ta confront ha. Hunta got us bulletproof vests, an' bullet belts dat he altad ta hold wood stakes. We kills many vampyas dat got too close."
"One nite afta aw hunt, we walks ta Central Pawk holdin' hands, not carin' fo' dose who give us nasty looks. We den sat on Bow Bridge an' look at de lit up trees all ova Central Pawk. De staws an' de moons brighta dan I eva seen em. I leans on Hunta's sholda an' he kiss ma fo' head. Hunta says he neva luvd anyone as much as me.
“Wat bout dat twink dat winks at youse evy time youse orda coffee at Stawbucks?” I says. Hunta laffs. "Cuz a youse ma life change fo' de betta. I no longa feel de need ta get high, or go out clubbin' ta feel good. I's happy hea, wid youse.”
“Teaws wa goin' down his cheeks. I's young, neva tells him I luvd him. Neva lern ta. Guess me an' Sebastian have dat in common. Dat nite we kiss unda a full moon, howlin' inta de wee awas a de nite."
Sebastian gotta mad smile on his face. Po' ding, he stills beleef in luv.
"I got up de nest mornin', dizzy. I's inside a tunnel, covad in blood. Big lettas wa on de tunnel wall: FOR KULA, LOVE KANDY. Deys written in blood. An' dats wen I saw Hunta’s body, he tawn ta pieces, rats eatin' his flesh. I crys an' crys. Dat dam vampya had follows us dat nite. In life deas deaf, memories aw wat youse live on."
Sebastian den hugs me no doubt wishin' ma brodas de one huggin' him back.
"Afta dat I's ain't de same any mo'. Ma hawt's angry. I's alone agin an' mo' screwed in de head dan I eva is. Nudin' make me forget Hunta. De empty feelin' youse got now I had back den. An' only one din's on yo' mind: Revenge."
V
Lady in Red
“Dat yea I's alone, I lawns how ta control ma shifts an' ma senses. Aw changes aw wat we feel, if aw lives aw in danga, we shift. If youse focus dat rush a anga an' calm yo' hawtbeat, it'll pass."
Sebastian no wat I's talkin' bout, he new ta de wulf din'.
"Monds lata I's stawt ta look fo' de vampya who kill ma Hunta... ha scent still in ma mind.”
Sebastian asks if I's skead a gettin' kill.
“Ma life had no meanin' den. All I wanna finds dat vampya Kandy an' cause ha pain. But it ain't easy ta locate ha. In de dawk, de streets a New Yorks full a lowlifes: crack heads, hustlas, an' homeless; All a us tryin' ta find a way ta numb aw pain. Chasin' ma high, I stalks a latino dug fo' a hit, his bald head got tats wid lettas dat spells LOCO. An' wen I sniffs him, he smells like Kandy, de one dat kill Hunta. So I tow off de dug's head, not befo' he had toll me wea she is."
"Dat aftanoon I's at de corna a Sixd Avenue an' West Fourd, wea de dug toll me ta wait. I's waitin' in de shadows, nest ta a pink neon lite fo' a nite club call Bucket O' Blood. I's eyein' de dim corna waitin' fo' anyone. Once de suns gone, a black limo wid tint windas pulls up ta de corna an' seven mad fine womans get out, all in short dresses dat clung ta dea pale skin. De women stand on de corna an' dey takes out a cig. I sniffs de air. One a ems Kandy. Mens walk ta de corna. I ran an' only ones left, it Kandy. I's espectin' a juiced chick wid mad tats all ova, stead she young, maybe aiteen yeas ol', ha haia strawbewy blonde, ha face's round wid high cheek bones, ha skin pale, an' she woa bright red on ha din lips, it match ha eyes. I's afraid dat she cud smell I's a weawulf, but I's so rank from not badin' fo' munds dat I's positive dat ma cova wudnt be blown. She held ma hand an' takes me inta a dawk alley. Ha spawklin' ruby dress make ha look like de devil, takin' me ta eat a de bad fruit. Ma hawts racin' as I's bein' led by ha, an' wen we got ta de alley behind de club, wea de rest a dem wa, I pins ha ta de brick wall, ha hands all ova ma body."
"Kandy asks me if I wanna feel good. I says nudin. I cud also smell wats inside ha bag, lotsa drugs. All I wanna get, ta forget bout Hunta an' de lonely life ahead a me. Wen she kiss ma neck, I lost control an' ma yella eyes gave me away. I quickly covad Kandy's moud befo' she cud scream. I pins ha body against de wall til she let go a ha purse, an' I looks at Kandy's blood red eyes, wantin' ta kill ha. Not gonna get Hunta back, I tells maself."
"Youse kills de most butiful din' I eva luvd," I crys in ha eaw, an' in ha eyes I saw dat she no me, an' she no wat I's gonna do. Wid ma oda hand I claws ha body, guts spillin' all ova de alley as dey all runs away. I let go a Kandy's moud an' she says ha last words, "She's... ma sista."
"I climbs wid ha purse ta a rooftap, tow it open an' took ma prize. Ma feva rose, an' I's violent, turnin' inta a beast. I kills many vampyres dat roams de alleys dat nite. An' wen I awoke I's covad in blood, neva new how many I kills..."
Sebastian looks at me as if I's a monsta. I's ain't in control, I tells him. De drugs make me do it. Been clean eva since.
VI
Reunions
"Afta dat I's found by Lite Hawt, he call de police, dey say I's distrawt an' talkin' bout vampyas, ta dem I's mad crazy, so deys put me in a mental ward. I's a nobody, no I.D., nudin'. Dey took me ta anoda hospital an' dea I found out dat I's all ova de news. De twenty-one yea ol' wid no past. Dey lata says dat dey find ma family. Dat ma grama want me home."
"De day I's ta get out de hospital, dea wa alawms goin' off an' dez two detectives got me out a dea alive. I's ina caw wen de police stawt shootin' behind us, an' dats wen I saw who it is. A lawg red wulf-- Jude Goodson. Afta all dez yeas he had found me. I knews he wood. But we lost him in de chase. From dea dey took me ta de airport an' I's safe. Durin' de flyt I saw a newspapa, das a killa on de loose in an island, an' I's goin' dea."
"Wen I got off de plane ma grama hugs me an' den I sees ma broda, like lookin' in de mirra. Been mo' dan ten yeas since I seen him. Gave him a big hug. Toll him I's sorry fo' losin' him dat day, so long ago. Wish I been stronga an' held onta him. Neva get dose yeas back."
Sebastian hugs me as I let out teas, an says dat he misses ma bro too.
"We bonds, toll each oda stories bout aw missin' yeas. We's two diffant people wit de same face. Ma bros a nawd, stuck ta his books most a de time. Me, I neva likes school. Teachas like him. Trouble follow me. He mentions youse alot too."
Sebastian's eyes lite up wen I says dat. He no beleef me doh.
"Yep, toll me youse his best friend. Says youse mad rich. Dat youse wa like a broda ta him." Wen I says dat Sebastian's lips curl. An' I no he wishes it been mo'. "He say dat he a lona til youse came along. All de crazy stuff youse two did."
Sebastian laughs, its de first time I seen him do dat.
"Memba de nite I met youse," I asks Sebastian. He says it all happen so fast. He want ta no how I found him dat nite. I got nudin' ta hide, we wood soon be dead. No time fa regrets.
"I jus ate a moose an' I's in heat, cruisin' de hood, lookin’ fo' sum fun. I cawt ma bro's scent, his smel
l braut me ta youse house. I enta yo winda an' I cud tell youse wants me. Youse cute, wit yo blonde haia an' blue eyes."
Sebastian blush.
"In no time we's makin' out, de smell a blood in de air."
Wen I did kiss Sebastian I no ma hawt ain't dead. Ma hands held onta luv, not wantin' ta let go.
"In ma mind ma mates ain't dead. Huntas hea. In ma mind, ma babys was da wid me, kissin' me, den we's on de flow an' yo bed."
"I wakes up befo' dawn an' saw youse lyin' naked on de cawpet. I daut youse dead; de walls an' yo body wa covad in blood. I clean wat I cud an' got out a dea fast. Das no way I's gonna go ta jail fo' dat. So I runs away. Seein' youse in a pool a blood minds me a Huntas deaf an' it move me ta teaws."
Maybe I ain't a hawtless monsta afta all.
VII
Serial Killers and Secrets
"I's angry wen I hawd youse an' hims missin'. I figurs it be de serial killa de paypas talk bout. Afta trakin' fo' weeks I came across de corpse of a lil boy, he been dead fo' awile. Wen I follows de scent nord, it braut me ta a cave an' in dea I found five teenage vampyas an' I surprise em an' tow em apart. I den drew em down a hole. Deys responsible fo' all dose missin' people. Sum got away an' I chase em down, til sun lite hit em an' dey dead. But I neva found youse two, youse wa in de same cave, only deepa wea a wadafall's de only way in. Wen dey found Giorgio dead wid his hawt taken out