LOST TIME ;; open/oneshot

[alexander]

[align=center][div style="text-align:justify;width:45%;font-family:verdana"]When Alexander was a young vampire, they chased after things that made them feel alive again. Maybe it was an echo from their once human heart, calling for something that it could never have back. It beat so weakly in their chest that Alexander barely acknowledged it, and why would they, when it was barely a rhythm, barely a song, barely human. The first time they had seen Marko, the boy was barely sixteen - still growing into his mullet and biker gear, trying to look cool around the older kids. Alexander had almost burst out laughing, elbowing Rialto too hard in the ribs to get him to see what he was seeing. What made them feel alive in their early days was pretty simple: mess with humans, get a laugh, get a meal. The plan was to fuck with Marko while they were in town, so you could imagine their surprise when they left so in after with a young blood at their heels.

They were not sure what was so different about Marko, what had convinced Rialto to bite him, and what has convinced the group to let him stay. Maybe it was the fact that the seventeen year old kid felt like a breath of fresh air, someone entirely different from the two vampires they had been with for more than a decade. If Alexander really looked inside of themself, they might find that the then teenager was some kind of stand-in for the siblings they had lost when they were turned. That was too close to home, so if anyone asked, the explanation was this: Marko was exceptionally easy to manipulate and bully as a mortal, and once he became a vampire, it stayed more or less the same. The young blood needed them, so who was he to argue when they pushed him around and forced him to the super market at three o'clock in the morning?

When Marko joined their little coven, they adopted a ferocious protectiveness over the younger. Like a pack of dogs that wouldn't let you get anywhere near their master, but bit the hands that fed them. It was ironic, really, to see the rest of the vampires jump to protect the youngest when they were likely poking fun at him moments before. It's that sibling bond kind of thing -  don't touch my brother, only I get to be mean to him.

Alexander smells Marko before they see him, the metallic scent of blood drawing them to the ferris wheel. They freeze at the sight of the boy, eyes widening. He looks worse than they had ever seen him, with his torn up shirt and bloody face. They're standing by Rialto's side in a moment, hands starting to fidget at they're sides. What are they supposed to do? Vampires rarely ever bled, and when they did, it was a slow recovery progress.  They can't force any words out of their mouth, shock seizing their chest, uncomfortably tight. They instinctively reach for Rialto, pressing a shoulder to his own. After a moment they break away, suddenly remembering Ezra standing below them.  "Ezra, come and look over Marko, now. He's bleeding. We don't know what happened." They're voice leaves no space for argument, carefully crafted mask cracking to show the anxiety brewing under the surface.