More than Magic: Semester Aboard (40 page)

"But that would be stupid, wouldn't it? Then
your enemies would be able to make an army too."

TS smiled. "You're good. That's exactly the
problem they faced. These people...well, they had to be pretty
twisted to come up with the idea in the first place. It's no
surprise they took it further."

"Further?"

"When someone is turned it takes several days
to
fully
turn. They start healing faster and are able to
feed almost immediately. But the strength, the enhanced senses,
they all take a while. And it isn't just physical changes, it's
mental too. Their brains are rewiring."

"Thomas mentioned vampire instincts."

"Right. There's a period, somewhere between
twenty, even forty days, after someone is turned when they're
mentally vulnerable. There's so much going on inside that their
brains can't quite handle it. They end up irrational and emotional.
Their inhibitions are lowered. And...there are violent tendencies.
They're hungry and they crave blood. All by design of course."

I thought of the way Mark had watched the
fight. He'd looked almost mesmerized by the violence. "And that's
what's happening with Mark?" I asked. TS nodded. "So, he couldn't
help it when he staked the dhampir!"

TS sighed. "And
that
is the problem.
Vampires were literally created to be evil. When they're first
turned if they kill someone, and most can't help but kill,
something in them...snaps. It satisfies them. Then everything - the
cravings, the violence, the inability to control themselves - gets
worse. No matter what they were like as humans, they change. They
almost always kill again. Then again. And depending on how strong
they are mentally after enough kills...they go insane."

I felt almost sick. "Insane? Like, actually
insane?"

He nodded sadly. "They turn into monsters.
Whatever humanity they had is gone. They're beyond reasoning,
beyond sanity. All they want to do is kill and feed and cause
suffering." He was quiet for a moment. "Imagine turning that loose
on your enemies. Imagine someone you've fought alongside for
decades suddenly showing up and slaughtering everyone."

I couldn't help but shiver. "So, Mark is
going to..."

"Maybe not. He's only killed once. The risk
of going insane only lasts for that first month. After that, it's
all right. Vampires, or dhampirs, who only kill once or twice, even
three times, are...well, they'll always have more of a violent
tendency than they did as humans, but they can live normal lives
and learn to control it. If Mark makes it a few more weeks without
another kill, he should be fine." TS was quiet for a moment, then
frowned. "That's part of why so many people hate vampires. The
idiots don't take the time to learn, or just don't believe, that
after the first month a vampire
isn't
going to snap. They
think that perfectly sane vampires will just one day go crazy for
no reason. And that's
not
how it is. If they keep their
sanity through that brief period after they're turned, even if they
do kill, they'll be as normal as you and me for the rest of their
lives."

I wanted to know how many people Thomas had
killed, but couldn't bring myself to ask. What if it had been two
or three? Or more? I believed TS that Thomas wasn't just going to
go completely insane, but what if he did have trouble controlling
himself? It was a little scary to think about. I'd seen what
vampires were capable of. But, on the other hand, it was the same
with Dani and Charlie to some extent. At least Dani and Charlie
were elementals. Typhooning or erupting or whatever they called it
was part of their nature. Thomas shouldn't have ever had that
problem. He'd never wanted to be a vampire. I had to feel bad for
Thomas too. Was he constantly afraid he'd hurt someone? It must
have been awful. Nathaniel's laugh echoed in my head. He was
clearly insane. TS had made it sound like they were irrational, but
Nathaniel seemed too cunning.

"You said if they kill too many then they're
beyond reasoning?"

TS nodded. "They lose their minds
entirely."

"What about vampires like Nathaniel? He..." I
heard his laugh again and shuddered. The awful image of Nathaniel
pinning Thomas to the ground flashed in my mind. "He obviously
enjoyed hurting Thomas. But he seems..."

"That's a different breed entirely," TS said
sadly. "Vampires like Nathaniel are the worst. The ones who do go
insane don't live long. They just start killing mindlessly until
they're killed. But sometimes you get someone who...someone who was
already bad. People who were already bad when they were human. The
kind who go around kicking puppies for fun. The abusive ones, the
criminals. There's something about their brains that...well, they
end up keeping whatever sanity they had. When they kill in that
first month it just twists them more. They already enjoy causing
suffering and after being turned they just get more pleasure from
it. But they do get warped. You get someone who was just a bully
who ends up a complete, sadistic nutter."

"Like Nathaniel." And probably the vampire
who had tortured Dani.

TS nodded.

"If it's so easy to lose control and start
killing people before the month is over then...are most vampires
bad?"

TS was quiet for a while. "More than most.
But, not for the reason that you think."

I frowned in confusion. "Then why?"

Once again he took a long time to answer.
"Well, most dhampirs do just snap. They don't know any better and
there are rarely magics around to stop them and help them.
Vampires...well, witches and wizards know how it works. Turnings
are always violent. The vast majority have lost their familiar by
the time they're turned. And then they wake up and..." TS sighed
heavily. "And they've turned into the same monster that made them
suffer. To make it worse, they're emotionally fragile and fighting
all of these awful cravings and desires to hurt people and..." He
fell silent again. "And most are afraid that they'll kill. Some do.
And they don't want to risk it. They don't want to live as
monsters."

"But they don't have choice. If they've
already been turned..." A lump caught in my throat as TS’ words
sank in.
They don't want to
live
as monsters
. "They
kill themselves?" I asked in horror.

"No sane witch or wizard wants to be a
vampire," TS whispered. His voice nearly cracked. "They're already
mentally unstable after being turned. Once the thought 'I'd rather
die than be a monster' crosses their minds..."

"That's so..." I couldn't think of a good
word. Sad. Terrible. Awful. None of them seemed strong enough.
Suddenly I couldn't breathe. I opened my mouth and could hardly
speak. "T-Thomas..." I couldn't even finish.

I already knew. If Thomas had lost his
parents at the same time he lost his familiar, it must have been
when he was turned. I knew even as I closed my mouth, unable to get
the question out. I knew as TS turned away from me, even before I
saw the tear slide down his cheek. He changed and lay down with his
eyes shut tight and his ears and tail flat against his body. My
eyes started stinging with tears and I tried desperately to think
of something, anything, to change the subject. Poor Thomas. God,
I'd had no idea.

"Did they win?" I blurted.

TS raised his head and even though he was a
wolf I could swear he looked confused. "What?"

"The people who...who made vampires. Did they
win the war?"

His ears came up a little. "No. Good thing
too. If anyone twisted enough to dream up something that cruel had
won there's no telling how awful the world would be today."

We were quiet for a long time. My tea was
cold but I sipped it anyway, just for something to do.

TS shifted his weight and rested his head
back on my leg. This time I didn't hesitate, I dug my fingers into
his fur and closed my eyes. I'd never had a dog of my own, but I
did love them. There was something undeniably comforting about
petting one. It made me feel a little better and I hoped that TS
felt better too. He moved his head a couple of minutes later.

"He's almost back," TS said.

"Ok." I wiped my eyes, hoping Thomas wouldn't
notice.

Hardly a minute later Thomas came in. He
looked much better than he had before. But he looked worried. "What
happened?" he asked the moment the door shut.

"Everyone's fine," TS answered. "Got a call
too, Mark's all settled in."

Thomas looked as confused by TS’ answer as I
was. He'd clearly thought that something, somehow, had gone wrong.
"That's good," he said, still not looking convinced.

"Jen and I were having a bit of a serious
chat."

"Oh."

I eased TS’ head off of my lap and stood. "I
guess I should get back to my room."

Thomas shrugged. "You might as well stay,
just to be safe. There is an extra bed." Then he actually flushed
and turned away, not meeting my eyes. "Sorry about taking yours
last night."

The memory of waking up in bed with him made
me blush too. "Don't worry about it."

It was fairly warm in the hotel and Thomas
pulled the blankets off of both beds and piled them in the middle.
Before I could ask why, TS curled up on them like a dog and yawned.
I wasn't quite tired, but I'd woken up with too much on my mind and
now I felt almost overwhelmed. I was lying awake long after I was
sure Thomas and TS were asleep. My head was spinning with
questions, none of which I wanted to ask Thomas. I didn't think I
could ask them. I wasn't even sure I wanted to know the answers.
Maybe I really was tired or maybe stressed, but just the thought of
Thomas trying to kill himself made me want to cry. I tried to think
about something else, but the conversation with TS just kept
replaying over and over.

"Thomas?" I whispered. No answer. I wasn't
sure what I'd say anyway. A silly part of me may have just wanted
to hear his voice.

My mattress sagged down to one side and I
felt something cold and wet press against my cheek. If Shannon
hadn't owned a dog fond of jumping on beds I would have
screamed.

"He's asleep," TS said softly. "What's the
matter?"

"Nothing I just..."

He licked my cheek. "He's alright, Jen. Don't
you worry."

One of the awful questions tumbling around my
brain got stuck. I had to ask. If nothing else, I had to know the
answer. "TS?"

"What?"

I turned and leaned down, and pressed my face
against his ear, praying Thomas was still asleep. As quietly as I
possibly could I whispered, "When he was first turned....how many
people did Thomas kill?"

TS licked my cheek again.

"Not a single one."

Chapter 23

"Jen! Jen!"

I woke up with TS right in my face. "Wha-?" I
sat up and tried to gather my thoughts. TS was bouncing on the bed
with adorable puppy-like enthusiasm. At least, it would have been
adorable if he hadn't been almost crushing me. I realized he looked
more worried than enthusiastic and immediately thought that
something bad had happened.

"Hurry up! Get up! The bus leaves in five
minutes!" he cried before I could start to panic.

"The bus?"

"To Machu Picchu! I forgot to set my bloody
alarm!"

Now
I was awake. I realized that I
hadn't set mine either. I scrambled out of bed and looked around
before realizing I didn't have my suitcase.

"Oh shoot, my clothes are in my room!"

"Then we'll get them!" TS bounded off of the
bed and immediately yelped in pain. Even though he was hurt, I
couldn't resist being amused at how much like a dog he sounded as a
human. He sat down on the bed and stuck his leg out. "Bugger. That
hurt."

The door to the bathroom opened and Thomas
stuck his head out. The door was open just wide enough for me to
see that he was only wearing boxers. I quickly turned away.
"Tethys, we have to hike all day. I know it doesn't hurt anymore,
but please go easy on your leg."

"Sorry," TS said petulantly.

"Oh, Jen...you're awake." Thomas closed the
bathroom door without another word.

TS snorted in amusement and I was sure I was
blushing. TS stood and rocked from foot to foot. Then grinned.

"That's better. Just landed on it wrong. Tom,
I'm going to take Jen to her room. Meet you at the bus!" He didn't
raise his voice at all, but I knew Thomas could probably hear him
easily.

TS waited outside my door while I changed. We
were the last three to get on the bus and couldn't sit together.
The ride wasn't very long, but I was starving by the time we
reached the train station. I was already glad that we were going to
have breakfast on the train, but as soon as I climbed aboard I was
thrilled. I'd been expecting a crowded commuter train. Instead, it
looked like a dining room. There were huge booths with tables
between them all along the car. I slid into one and nearly sank
into the cushion.

"This is great," I said.

"Yeah, it is," Thomas agreed. "That side," he
added.

"Mind?" TS asked as he sat down. Thomas
settled in across from us. Did Thomas not want to sit next to me?
"If I'm not facing front I'll get sick."

"Why didn't you bring the stuff you're taking
for seasickness?" Thomas said.

"I didn't think I'd be on a train facing the
wrong way."

That explained why TS was sitting next to me
instead of Thomas. A waitress came by to take our orders and she
and TS chatted in Spanish.

"How do you do that?" Thomas grumbled.

"I'm taking Spanish."

"For a month, same as me! I didn't understand
a word of that. Except agua. Did you say agua?"

"Yes. I was ordering breakfast," TS said.

Thomas shook his head, looking amused. "I
don't know how you pick up languages so fast. Or how you keep from
mixing them up. Every time I try to say anything in Spanish, half
of it comes out Japanese."