Broken and Bruised

Daniel: I frowned at the ceiling, "Perhaps I could explain with some history." I stood and went to my dresser pulling out a scrapbook. "When I was seventeen I was the golden boy. The one everyone wants to be, but I didn't act like I knew it. Back then the world was a wonderful place to be explored for me, and filled with life. Me and Sammie had been together since we were about 13, a very young age back then." I flipped open the scrapbook to the first page.
"We were voted most likely to get married out of school. It was perfect." I showed her a picture of me and Sammie at prom. "But then I got dumb. One night I met this man, his name was Nathanil. It was dark and I couldn't tell very much about him." I flipped the page to a newspaper report. It was titled: Local Boy Missing.

Aribella - I felt my heart hurt for him. He had a story to, just like everyone else. For a moment I wished he wouldn't have told me anything, it would have been easier to hate him that way.

Daniel: I looked at the picture for a moment unable to speak. Little memories of the night flashed through my mind. Mostly the pain.
"Nathanil wasn't a lone vampire like me. He would hunt until he found someone and then bring them back to his 'family'. Needless to say they didn't usually keep humans very long. I was almost dead the first night." I closed my eyes, memories of the teeth scratching past my minds eye. "It didn't take long to break me, I had never felt pain before. And this was unimaginable. I would do anything for them, and they kept me longer than the others because of it. To imagine what I was like picture Catalina. My mind twisted to where I no longer thought of them as my kidnappers. Just as someone I was eager to please."

Aribella - I kept my eyes locked on the ground. I didn't want him to see me think of him as so helpless and fragile. It made me actually care about him. It made me want to hug him again.

Daniel: "When I had been here for three years they offered me a chance to escape my life." I turned the page to a article about opening cold cases, one being the story of Local Boy Issac Drews. "I took it, eager to escape the hard life and become one of them. They let me go after that, I was one of them now. I ran back to the person who had been on my mind all these years. Sammie." I smiled softly remembering the joy on her face. "but I was different now. I wasn't the innocent child who had been kidnapped so long ago. After I was changed into one of them my eagerness had turned to bitterness. But I tried my best to hide it in front of Sammie."

Aribella - I just listened to him. The story was sad, and it even had tears brimming my eyes.

Daniel: I had to finish this soon, I thought. If I thought about it too long all the old regrets came crashing down. Sometimes I thought I would drowned in them.
"I didn't let anyone but her know I was back. My parents had died a year after I disappeared, most people claimed it was because of broken hearts. She begged my to go to the police, and turn whoever it was in. I hadn't told her everything. One night I couldn't keep the burn away anymore and I left town to go hunting. That same night Sammie decided she was going to find out what I was hiding in my stuff." I turned a page to a picture of me and several vampires. I was clearly human, sitting on the floor in front of them, bloodly scabs covering my neck. "When I came back she wanted to know what was going on. The picture made it hard to hide anymore. So I told her, she was horrified. I couldn't get her to see I was still me, but I also kept defending Nathanil and them to her. Years had built it into me naturally. She kicked me out, telling me that I shouldn't have chosen this life."
I was silent for a moment before continuing, "I came back several times after that, each time more desprate for her to let me back into her life. She began to wear down, I don't know how much longer she would have pushed me away. She hadn't told anyone about me except her guy-friend Jason. He thought she should have killed me somehow. One night I came to see her and he was still at her house."

Aribella - I kept the tears away.

Daniel: "I didn't make it far into the house before the fight started. I tried not to hurt him while he did his best to sink the fire poker into my chest. It wouldn't have killed me but might have stunned me long enough for him to figure out how to finish me off." I closed my eyes the scene playing out perfectly in my mind. "sammie was screaming for us to stop, she knew I could make him, but she didn't know that I wasn't in control of myself yet. My making him stop could accidentally kill him. So I didn't go for it. We tumbled across her living room, it was a good ten minutes before it happened. Jason shoved me back towards the fire and I fell. He went to thrust the sticker through me, and I pushed it away. He fell back on it and died." The old guilt came surging into my voice. "Sammie could never forgive me for that. I could never come back, she wouldn't even look me in the eyes when she told me to leave."

Aribella - "But it wasn't your fault, I mean, not really," I said before I could even think about stopping myself.

Daniel: I grimaced, "Perhaps, but maybe I could have stopped it. Like I said the sticker wouldn't have killed me. Besides it would have fixed a lot of problems since then. After that I traveled a long time. Only now have I finally been able to bring myself back." I smiled at her to remove the sorrow from my tone.

(Oooo one of us should make Nathanil))

(Yes! Do you want me to?)

Aribella - "And then you end up with her neice, I bet that wasn't in your plans," I said with a sad smile.

Daniel: I smiled softly and stood to put the book away, "No, but I don't mind."

((Sure!))

(Alright! How should I put him in?)

Aribella - "You sure? I'm a pretty big handful sometimes." I smirked.

((Umm, he could come to see Daniel and find Aribella there. I got an idea that Nathanil could be the murderer.))

Daniel: I laughed and sat back on the bed. "I bet, but you're pretty fun to hang around."

(That's a great idea.)

Aribella- "Unfortunately you aren't too bad yourself." I said.

Daniel : I laughed again and laid back, putting my hands behind my head. "Thanks, I think."

Aribella - "Your welcome." I said smiling.

Nathanil - I walked up to the door of the large mansion where I knew Isaac was staying and knocked.

Daniel: My sensitive ears picked up someone at the door down the hall. I thought about answering it for a moment then changed my mind. Let someone else get it, I was busy. "So, what would you like to do?"

Aribella- I shrugged, "What are my options?"

Nathanil - Getting impatient I let myself in.

Daniel: I thought about it for a moment, distantly noticing the visitor coming in on its own. "We can play a game, read, talk," I hesitated in the next choice. Taking a deep breath I said, "Or I could show you some of my music..."

Aribella - "Are you sure you want to show me your music? It seems kind of personal."

Nathanil - I decided to knock on Isaac's door instead of just going in.

(I have an idea. Nathanil could have also been Tyler, but Aribella never knew he was a vampire.)

Daniel: I opened my mouth to reply just as there was a knock on the door. Frowning slightly I slipped from the bed. Who could it be, no one liked talking to me usually, so no one seeked me out. I gestured for Aribella to go to the back room before pulling the door open. "Hello." I said.
I froze, it couldn't be.

(oooo good idea!))