The Donor House: Alice: Finding Sam

[kajones_writing]

Kneeling beside a very battered Sam, Alice did her best to keep the tears from falling. Being a hunter could be dangerous, but most never came across a vampire who actually wanted to hurt them. Most vampires saw the human hunters as a joke, because even a group of humans would have trouble hurting a vampire who was feeding regularly, although there were those who used the hunters as a way out of a life they’d never wanted. She looked over at the other hunters, all of whom were dead, and felt a wave of pity wash over her, as they were all hunters who had followed Sam when he said he was going to change his way of thinking. It was thanks to them that so many vampire in need of help had found the donor house.

“I can save your life,” Alice said, in little more than a whisper as she turned her attention back to Sam. “If you want me to I can change you into a vampire.”

Their eyes met and Alice could see the pain in his. It reminded her of a time when she’d been close to death, but she hadn’t been given a choice. Nick had found her too late to ask her what she wanted, so he’d changed her, because he couldn’t imagine what his life would be like without her. Somehow Sam had made her feel the same way about him as Nick had felt about her, becoming good friends, and that was why she had made the offer, even though she was certain that Sam would turn her down.

“In order to live I have to give up my humanity.”

A tear trickled down Alice’s cheek. “Don’t say that.”

“I’m sorry, Ally.” Sam reached out and touched her cheek. “I didn’t mean it like that. It’s just…” He sighed. “If I become a vampire I’ll have to give up everything that made me who I am and I don’t know if I can do that.”

Alice didn’t know how Sam could talk in coherent sentences when he must have been in more pain that she had been, but they were very different people. “Cate will still be a part of your life.”

Sam nodded. “I know, and that’s more than you had when you were changed.”

Shrugging, Alice bit her lip. “We don’t have a lot of time. This isn’t a decision that should be rushed, but…”

“Yeah, I don’t have long.” Sam smiled. “What would your answer have been if you’d been given a choice?”

“I wish I had an answer for you, but I don’t. There was a time, before I was attacked, I would have given up everything to be Nick’s companion, because I loved him. Then I found myself close to death and Nick wasn’t there. I was ready to die. When I woke up a vampire I was angry that he’d made a different decision for me. It took me a long time to let go of that.”

“That’s why you’re giving me a choice.”

“It’s part of the reason.” Alice ran a hand through her hair. “Very few of the vampires who visit the donor house were asked if they wanted to be vampires. Those who were given a choice…” She sighed. “Being a vampire was the better of two evils.”

“Like now.”

“Yes.” Alice looked at Sam, her eyes narrowed. “What do you mean ‘like now’?”

“I’m not ready to die, Alice.” Sam bit his lip. “I just know that if you do change me it’s going to cause problems at the house and I don’t want to do that.”

“Right now you’re what matters. I don’t care if changing you into a vampire is going to cause problems, because they’re going to be solvable problems. You being dead isn’t.”

“True.” There was a long silence, longer than Alice was happy with but she wasn’t going to interrupt Sam’s thoughts. “Alice…”

Alice could see in Sam’s eyes what he was about to say. “Not now. Tell me when you’ve come through the change, if you still feel the same way.”

“I will.”

“You don’t know that.” Breathing deeply, Alice brushed Sam’s hair out of his face and only just managed to stop herself from grimacing when she felt the blood in it. “Are you sure?”

“I’m sure.”

Slowly, Alice lent down, licking her bottom lip to make it a little less dry, and then stopped, trying not to let panic overwhelm her. She’d never changed anyone into a vampire before, because she hadn’t believed she was capable. Now she had Sam’s life in her hands, so she had to get it right.

“It’s going to be fine,” Sam whispered, stroking her hair. “I believe in you.”

That didn’t help. It just made Alice feel even more like failing would be letting him down, and Cate, but she didn’t say anything. Instead Alice did what needed to be done, knowing that once it was over everything would be in the hands of fate. She didn’t let herself think or feel as she drank his blood, before biting into her own wrist and pressing it against Sam’s mouth. He curled his free hand around her wrist, wincing because it obviously hurt, before starting to drink. When it was all over, finally, she looked down at his face. If she didn’t know otherwise she would have thought he was asleep.

All Alice had to do, now that she had made the choice, was find a place for him to sleep until he woke the next evening. The donor house wasn’t that place, because she knew what newly made vampires could be like if they were surrounded by humans. Sighing, she did the only thing she could do and rang Lewis.

“Hey, Alice,” Lewis said, sounding distracted.

“I need a favour.”

“Why?”

Alice didn’t want to answer, but had to. “Sam got hurt tonight…” She looked down at Sam again. “You’re probably going to tell me I made a huge mistake, but I changed him into a vampire.”

Silence, so long Alice was certain Lewis wasn’t going to answer, followed. “Ally…” She had a feeling he was shaking his head, because that was often what he did after saying her name that way. “Did you give him a choice?”

“Of course I did.”

“Then I’m not surprised. Nick didn’t want to see what was happening, but we all knew you were close to Sam and I thought that you’d give him the choice if something happened to him. I’ve got a couple of spare flats, so Sam can have one if that’s what you need.”

“Thank you.” Alice sighed. “Nick’s going to be really unhappy.”

“He shouldn’t bury his head in the sand then.”

“Can you not tell him about Sam yet? I want to be the one to tell him, even though I know what his reaction is going to be.”

“If you want someone with you then all you have to do is ask.”

“I know. I didn’t expect you to be so understanding.”

“Alice, I’ve been in the same position you’re in now, remember?”

“It’s not the same. Sam’s a hunter and…”

“That’s doesn’t change how you feel about him and you gave him the choice that so many of us never had, and I know exactly what you’re going to say next, so don’t even bother. Sam knew that being a hunter put him in danger, he knows you’re a vampire, and that you care about him enough to give him the choice between life as a vampire and death.”

“I guess you’re right,” Alice said, finally, even though she still wasn’t happy about what she’d done.

“How are you going to get to the flat?” Lewis asked, and Alice was grateful for the change of subject.

“I’m not sure.” She ran a hand through her hair. “It wasn’t something I’d thought about, because I was half expecting an argument.”

“Maybe you made a mistake turning Sam, but it’s your mistake to make. If things go wrong then you have people there who will help you. Even Nick.”

“I doubt that.”

“It’ll take time, but he will understand why you made the choice you did. Try not to worry about it now, because you can’t take back what you’ve done, even if you wanted to. I’ll send a car over to pick you up and take you to the flat, so you can get Sam tucked up in bed well before sunrise.”

“You don’t have to do that.”

“I want to, Alice. Let me help you.”

“I’ll pay the rent on the flat until Sam is on his feet and can pay it himself. If he wants to stay in the flat.”

“No, you won’t. You know what my system is and I’m not going to change it now, because you’re feeling guilty about what you’ve done. There are a couple of things you can do for me if you really want to pay for my help, but right now you need to focus on getting Sam through the first couple of weeks as a vampire.”

Mirrored from K. A. Jones Writing.

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[ysabetwordsmith.livejournal.com]

>>so many vampire in need of help <<

That should say "vampires" above.

Wow, this story is really intense! I like how the human/vampire culture is changing to offer more choice.