Lucas sat there on Agatha's couch, un-moving for what seemed to be hours. His brain was flickering back and forth between reality and his own psyche, not that he felt any safer lost in his thoughts but it seemed to be the only pce he could go to escape from his current situation.

  He had been provided one final curse, his terrible luck had manifested in him being turned into a vampire. It was sickening.

  For his whole life he had always been othered from his own body, that joyful connection everyone else seemed to have for their physical form was cking in him. He always wanted a way out, to be someone else, to be something else, anything at all. Just not Lucas. And now he'd gotten his wish. A sick twisted joke was a more apt way to describe his situation. He now got to be something else, but only under the terms of being him forever.

  Lucas wanted to vomit but his body refused, he would find no catharsis. Nothing would relieve him of this agony.

  "Lucas are you okay?" Agatha's voice zapped him from his trance.

  "No," he muttered. "Why?"

  "What?" Agatha wasn't quite able to make out what Lucas had said.

  "Why would you do this to me?" Lucas stared at the floor, he didn't have the energy to make eye contact. He barely had the will to say anything at all.

  "I didn't do it on purpose,"

  "How many others have you tortured with this?"

  "None," Agatha fell quiet.

  "Well I'm honored," Lucas spat. His eyes were beginning to water. Evidently the vampiric changes did not include no crying.

  "I'm not! I know this is awful, I've been so god-damn careful my entire life and then you come along and suddenly I screw it all up. I couldn't help it, you just reminded me so much of him,"

  "You couldn't help but bite me? That sure is reassuring," Lucas colpsed over onto his side, ying across the couch. "Gd to know that this is all my fault."

  "Lucas, this isn't your fault," Agatha reached over to try to comfort him, but he reeled back.

  "Don't you fucking touch me!"

  "I'm sorry Lucas I really am. I just want to help, please," Agatha backed up and sat on top of the coffee table. Her face fell into the palms of her hands.

  "I don't see how you can help this," Lucas said bitterly.

  "I've been through this too, I know how difficult the transition can be,"

  "You don't know anything about me, I barely even know you!"

  Agatha sulked further into her hands. Lucas did simirly and bound himself into a cocoon. What was he to do? If he left, never to see her again would he regret it? Would he become just a demon preying on the lives of others until he was finally put down? He didn't want to think, it was too painful. Sleep, that's what he wanted, that's what he needed. He would have welcomed it if his body would have allowed it, but it refused.

  At some point Agatha had gotten up. Lucas didn't see it happen but when he looked over to where she had been sitting she was gone, in her stead was another gss filled with blood. Lucas stared at the gss for a while before rolling to face away from the blood.

  ***

  Lucas felt the couch shake, something had jumped onto the couch. He looked down towards the movement and saw a calico cat had joined him. He was startled but the cat seemed unbothered. Lucas hadn't noticed Agatha had a cat. He hadn't looked extensively but he could have swore there wasn't a cat box. Maybe she kept it in her bedroom?

  Regardless it was a very friendly cat and it brushed up against Lucas' leg as it walked atop the cushions. Lucas put out a hand for the cat to smell. He always like to try to get the cat's approval before petting them. The cat stuck its snout towards the hand and after a moment leaned into the hand. Lucas indulged the cat thoroughly scratching its face before moving to belly rubs which the cat seemed to enjoy. The cat plopped itself down into a gap between Lucas and the couch and began purring gently.

  "I wonder what you name is?" Lucas was enamored by the cat. "Probably something like Ginger or Soup. Agatha seems like the type of person to name things after food."

  The cats ears perked up at Agatha's name, but quickly returned back to it's purring. The cat had a calming presence. Lucas didn't have any pets of his own, but he did always wish he had a cat. He had a cat when he was younger but they didn't seem to like Lucas as much as he liked them. This cat for whatever reason did seem to like Lucas, it was nice, comforting.

  Lucas, doing his best not to disturb the cat rolled back around to face the gss of blood. This didn't entirely work and the cat, stirred, climbed over Lucas and jumped down onto the floor before colpsing again into a cuddly ball of fur. Lucas reached over for the gss as he picked it up it jostled more like jello than a liquid. He waited too long and the blood had begun to coagute. Lucas poked at the blood a few times, causing the film that had formed on the top to break revealing more liquid beneath. The ferric smell hit his senses. Lucas slowly brings the gss up to his mouth and sticks his tongue out just to taste it. Its warm and a little gooey but as it lingers on his tongue it thins and begins to swish about. He pokes the blood with his tongue a few more times.

  "What are you a dog?" Agatha says, leaning against the wall just outside the hallway.

  Lucas is startled and jumps in his seat, the grip on the gss slips sending the crimson fluid careening all over Lucas' clothes staining them in some poor fool's blood. To the unfortune of Lucas and the luck of the couch the blood seemed to be entirely localized on his clothes rather than the couch. Lucas picked up the blood covered gss from his p and looked around for some pce to put it.

  "Yikes, I don't know if that's coming out. Sorry 'bout that," Agatha came around the table and took the gss from him and carried it off into the kitchen.

  Lucas had found himself unable to move. He just sat there bnk.

  "Huh, looks like we're even now, you got me I got you. Although arguably this is a good deal worse," Agatha mused. "Should probably get you out of those, I might have something you can fit in," she went over and pulled Lucas up off the couch, thankfully, or not, the blood had soaked into the clothes and wasn't at risk of dripping onto Agatha's floor.

  "What? No I can't wear your clothes, they're girl clothes,"

  "So? They're not going to kill you. Besides you really want to keep walking around in that? I know I don't you'll get blood everywhere," Agatha pointed up and down at the blood-spattered clothes. "Besides, that can not be comfortable."

  "I guess," Lucas whispered. Agatha stopped at the bathroom.

  "Go get out of these. Just toss them into the tub. I'll go find something," Agatha waved Lucas into the bathroom before carrying herself into her bedroom.

  Lucas looked into the mirror, his blood soaked clothes clung to his body. He peeled off his shirt first and dropped it carefully into the tub. The blood had stained most of his chest, streaks of blood filled the few lines of his body. He scowled as he looked upon his body. He quickly went over and flicked the lights off. Lucas undid his pants and pced them beside his shirt too. It was trickier to find in the dark, but it was a small enough space it didn't really matter. As long as he didn't have to look at himself.

  After a moment of silence, there was a knock at the door.

  "I've got a few things, I wasn't sure if you needed underwear as well so I just threw in an old pair just in case," As Agatha spoke he felt his face blushing profusely.

  "Thanks," he muttered.

  Lucas cracked the door open and took the pile of clothes from Agatha. Thankfully his pants were thick enough that it hadn't ruined his underwear so hers wouldn't be needed. Reluctantly Lucas turned the light back on, but kept his back against the mirror.

  Quickly wiping the blood from himself with a wet wipe he found stashed beneath the sink, Lucas looked back at the clothes. There were a few different shirts ranging from a blouse to t-shirt dress. As for pants, well there wasn't really any. There was a pair of leggings and a few different length skirts. And then there was the thankfully not needed pair of boy-shorts.

  Too scared to try on any of the skirts Lucas pulled on the pair of leggings which felt quite nice and warm as they slid up his legs. They didn't fit right against his boxy waist and the more Lucas looked down the more he noticed he hated. The way the leggings were loose and tight at strange pces due to his ck curves. The way it emphasized his bulge, he felt sick. He quickly took the leggings off and grabbed the longest of the skirts hoping it would be enough to cover him. This was followed by the t-shirt dress which overpped with the skirt creating a very unorthodox look. A look that Lucas was too afraid to even look at. He thought about turning around to look in the mirror but just by looking down he could already tell he looked ridiculous.

  Lucas slowly stepped out of the bathroom and went back into the living room. Agatha was waiting with a caddy full of cleaning supplies, likely everything needed to remove blood stains.

  "Wow, you have absolutely zero fashion sense. I gave you options and this is the best you could do?"

  "Nothing else fit," Lucas said.

  "Really? I figured the leggings would have fit they're too tight for me so I assumed they'd work on your chicken legs"

  Lucas felt like a thousand daggers had just been plunged into him. He knew he didn't have the greatest body but it hurt whenever someone called attention to it. Lucas fell into the couch and curled his legs up so he could rest his chin on his knees.

  "You might not want to sit like that, I can see your underwear, which I am shocked to notice is not mine. Must have had some thick pants," Agatha said gncing quickly up from the skirt Lucas was wearing. Lucas' legs shot down and he pulled the skirt down over to try to conceal himself and began blushing intensely.

  "Aww, that does kind of pull the outfit together with you blushing like a schoolgirl. Anyhow Ill be back need to start soaking your clothes," with that Agatha walked towards the bathroom leaving an incredibly embarrassed and incredibly red Lucas alone on the couch.

  About thirty minutes ter Agatha emerges from the bathroom.

  "I'm going to be real with you Lucas. I don't think those clothes are ever going to be usable again," she walked over the fridge and pulled a bag out and began emptying it into a gss. "I guess that's what happens when you spill nearly a whole pint of blood."

  "I can't go outside like this," Lucas gestured to his sad excuse for an outfit.

  "Well I mean you could. Should you no. It's an abomination to fashion, no matter how good you're blushing face makes it look," Agatha shrugged while Lucas darted his eyes down the incredibly fascinating coffee table.

  "So what then,"

  "Well we could leave your clothes to soak overnight maybe by the morning they'll decide to cooperate a little more."

  "I'm not sure I want to stay here for the night. What If you try to bite me again?"

  "Well unfortunately for you that ship has already sailed" Agatha made her way to sit beside Lucas. There was a long silence before either said anything.

  "How did you cope with it all?" Lucas looked over at Agatha who was staring off into the wall.

  "I didn't for years. I had no one to help me through. It's part of why I left Irend, I thought I needed to escape," Agatha took a few sips from her cup. She looked up from her cup to Lucas, "Do you want some?"

  "No I think I'll be fine," Lucas said.

  "This new life, its just different, you're still you, still alive and free to do whatever you want. It's just the problems we face are a little different now," Agatha leaned in and gave Lucas a kiss on his cheek.

  Agatha stood up, her cup empty, "I'm tired, I'm going to bed. You're welcome to join me if you want?"

  "No I think I'll be fine out here."

  As Agatha left Lucas felt his hands wander to touch where he had just been kissed.