Date: Sun, 19 Sep 1999 04:44:58 -0400
From: "C. E. Jordan" <c.e._Jordan@MailAndNews.com>
Subject: ROBBIE THE VAMP

Copyright c.e. jordan
c.e._jordan@mailandnews.com

	If anyone desires to use this story--or indeed any other
story of mine in any other place than the nifty archive, please be
kind enough to notify me first. Thank you.

	As usual, I welcome any comments ;-)  Thanx.


				ROBBIE THE VAMP



	It was late one summer afternoon and a hot wind swirled around
Ricky as he raced up to kick the black and white soccer
ball into the goal Matthew had painted on the backyard fence.
Ricky's body was sweaty and his t-shirt and blue soccer pants
stuck to him as he ran.

	This was a simple `one-on-one' game between he and Matthew.
There were no rules except that which ever one of them kicked the
ball into the `goal' got two points. That person also got a free
kick to try and get an extra point. But to get that extra point he
had to try and kick the ball from about twenty feet away into the
goal marked on the fence.

	This was Ricky's last attempt at a free kick. If he got this
one point he would finally beat Matthew who had won the last two
times they'd played the game.

	"Hey Ricky, it's getting late we gotta go inside soon, so you
better make this kick a good one, or I'll beat you again," teased
Matthew.

	There was a "thunk" sound as Ricky's foot connected to the
black and white ball. The boys held their breath as they watched
it soar into the air, then Ricky began jumping up and down happily
as it sailed straight toward the goal.

	"See that? See that?...I win! I win!" Ricky turned and
grabbed Matthew in a sweaty embrace. But Matthew, whose eyes were
still on the ball, held him still, "Wait Ricky..."

	Ricky turned to follow Matthew's gaze just in time to see the
ball miss the goal, bounce off the top of the fence and shoot into
the neighbor's yard. Then there was the awful sound of smashing
glass.

	Still holding on to each other, the boys said in stereo, "Oh
nooo..."

	The big house next door always looked deserted. Nobody seemed
to know who lived there, or even `if' anyone lived there. Even the
adults in the neighborhood kept their distance from it. It was
just too big, too dark, and too old, like something out of a
horror movie.

	Recently one night when Matthew couldn't sleep, he sat at his
window looking out. He was surprised to see a dim light moving
behind the window curtains directly across from his own room. But
the next morning he didn't notice anything different about the old
house, so he figured it was just his imagination.

	There was silence after the sound of the glass breaking.
Matthew and Ricky looked at each other.

	"I guess I'd better go get the ball...huh?" Asked Ricky
uncertainly. He was spending the weekend with his best friend
Matthew and the last thing he wanted was to get him in trouble.

	Matthew looked over at the house, and ran his fingers through
his short blonde hair. it was getting dark. He wanted his ball
back but he was also curious. He had never been into the next yard
in all the years he'd lived there, which was pretty much all of
his twelve years.

	"We'll both go...so I can apologize for breaking whatever
that was...it sounded like a window."

	In the far corner of the yard Matthew and Ricky pulled at the
loose wood of the fence which separated the houses. It gave
easily. The two skinny boys wormed themselves through the gap and
were suddenly into the other yard. It seemed like they were
transported to another world. A rich earthy smell assailed their
noses and bugs seemed to be everywhere. Although everything was
weedy and overgrown, big red roses ran wild along with all kinds
of other flowers. This must have been a beautiful garden once,
thought Matthew.

	Ricky whispered, "Gee, I wonder where the ball went?"

	"Why are you whispering?" asked Matthew who was also
whispering.

	"I dunno, I feel like I'm in church, or a grave yard, or
something." The boys giggled nervously.

	There was a soft sound above them. They both looked up and
immediately noticed the window with jagged shards of smashed
glass. It was on the second floor.

	"How will we get inside?" asked Ricky. For some reason it
seemed much darker here than in Matthew's yard. And Ricky found
himself sweating again, but this time it was from irrational fear
rather than simply the heat. He unconsciously plucked at his
sticky T-shirt, pulling it away from his moist body.

	As they hesitated wondering what to do next, they heard a
sharp rapping sound coming from the window above them. Startled,
Ricky leaped backward, and tripped over a root. He fell backward
right onto his behind.

	"Ow..." He didn't know which hurt most, his ankle or his bum.
They barely heard the light sprinkle of laughter coming from above
them.

	Matthew kneeled next to the dark-haired boy and gathered him
up in his arms. "Are you alright Ricky? Are you hurt?"

	"I...I'm alright, I think...I..think I just twisted my ankle
a little bit..."

	They looked up again at the window, someone was up there
holding their soccer ball. The person waved to them and pointed in
the direction of the front entrance.

	 Matthew kept his arm around Ricky's shoulder as they walked
up the stairs to the front door of the old house. The boys were
apprehensive. It was late, practically dark, they should have been
back home inside their own apartment by now. But they had broken
this stranger's window and they had to face the consequences
whatever that happened to be.

	Matthew reached out to knock at the door, but it swung open
by itself, `just like in a horror movie' though Ricky. They just
stood there for a moment, then entered the shadowy interior of the
house.

	The door slammed shut behind them causing them to look back.
When they turned around again, they gasped, because someone was
standing right there in front of them. He was short and wore black
jeans and a dark hooded sweater. Ricky thought that was strange, until he
realized how cool it was inside the building.

	They stood tongue-tied before the still figure, and didn't
know what to say, finally, Matthew stammered, "I...we're sorry
that we broke your window, we didn't mean to do it..."

	Ricky piped up in a small voice, "Can...may we have our ball
back...please?"

	Amidst a sudden outburst of laughter the person said, "Don't
worry about the window--you should have seen your face when you
looked up at me...you fell flat on your ass...it was sooo
funny..." He giggled again.

	"Huh?" Mumbled Ricky.

	"What?" Said Matthew.

	"My name is Robbie, I'm staying here for a little while." He
swept the hood back from his face as the two boys stared at him in
astonishment. It was a kid--a boy! And he couldn't have been more
than a year or two older than they were.

	They watched as Robbie started dribbling the soccer-ball
around the living room as if it were a basketball. It made a
thump, thump, thumping noise on the wooden floor. He moved swiftly
around the furniture and around the speechless boys. His hair,
thick reddish dread locks, cascaded down to his shoulders and flew
about as he moved around the room. Ricky couldn't tell if he was a
light-skinned black kid or if he was white.

	In the dim light Ricky thought Robbie's eyes looked funny,
they glittered too much and seemed to glow in the dark like some
kind of animal, and they were very, very green.

	"I'm Matthew and this is..."

	"Ricky, yeah, I know." said Robbie.

	"That's a soccer ball not a basketball," ventured Ricky
timidly.

	"I don't know soccer...we played basketball in Brooklyn."
While they were looking at him playing with the ball, suddenly his
voice seemed to come from behind them. They spun around and there
he was standing still with the ball in his hand. The boys looked
all around the room totally confused.

	"How did you do that?" asked Matthew.

	"Do what?" Robbie had an innocent smile on his face.

	"Where is everybody else?" asked Ricky, abruptly changing the
subject.

	"They are...gone, it's just me."

	"You're all alone?" Ricky thought it was cool that Robbie's
folks trusted him enough to allow him to stay by himself without
even a baby sitter. His own mom would never do that.

	"Yeah, I'm all alone." The boys detected a hint of sadness in
Robbie's voice.

	"Well, you can always come over and play with us Robbie. How
about tonight, we're gonna look at movies and play video games,
and maybe even get on the internet."

	Robbie licked his lips briefly, "You're...inviting me?"

	"Yeah," said Matthew, enchanted by the older boy's dazzling
smile and beautiful shining face.

	"Kewl, then I'll see you a bit later, okay?"


					****


	All Ricky and Matthew could think of was their strange new
friend. He was so cute-looking and weird at the same time. There
was something a little scary about him too. They couldn't quite
put their fingers on it. But still, they liked him.

	When they got back home to Matthew's apartment, there was a
note from his mother saying that she was visiting her sister who
lived nearby, and to call if there was any problems. They were
relieved that they didn't have to explain why they stayed out so
late.

					****

	"I'm so stinky and sweaty I need to take a shower right this
second." Ricky said this as he pulled his t-shirt off and headed
barechested for the shower.

	"Well, not before *I* get in there first..." Matthew grabbed
the elastic waist of Ricky's shorts and dragged him backward.
Giggling, Ricky yelled, "Hey, you're giving me a wedgie!"

	The boys raced each other to the bathroom and playfully began
to wrestle at the door to see who would get in first. The half-naked boys fell in a heap onto the cool bathroom floor. They
rolled around with their sweaty bodies sticking together until
Matthew yelled, "Wait! wait...time out..."

	They were panting like little puppies.

	Matthew rested for a minute. His slender body lay directly on
top of Ricky's small body. Ricky looked up at Matthew's soft face
and into his big blue eyes and he was very, very glad that Matthew
was his friend. It felt so comfortable and natural to be with him
this way. Ricky gently put one arm around Matthew's back and held
him close. His other hand stroked Matthew's face tenderly; his
fingers traced the bare area where Matthew's eyebrows should be.

	"You don't have any eyebrows..." Ricky said.

	"So what?" Matthew retorted. And he ground his body hard
against Ricky.

	"Ahhh..." Ricky gasped. A flood of exciting feelings raced
through his body making him feel light-headed.

	"If we lay around like this neither one of us is ever gonna
get a bath."

	Reluctantly, Matthew shifted off of Ricky, but they still
held onto each other."

	"I know," said Matthew, "why don't we both do it?"

	"Uh...do what?"

	"Bathe together dummy, this bathroom is more than big enough
for the two of us."

	His heart was racing a mile a minute, but Ricky answered
casually, "`kay."

	But the boys just stood there for awhile, too shy to move.
one pair of light blue eyes deliberately avoided looking into the
other set of darker blue eyes, until Ricky simply stripped off his
soccer shorts and undies in one swift movement and stepped into
the bathtub.

	His cheeks were red from embarrassment, but he figured
Matthew was his best friend whom he would trust with his life.
They played and did everything together anyway, so he thought
'what does it matter if we see each other naked?'

	Ricky turned on the shower and adjusted the temperature of
the water. He glanced over at Matthew just in time to catch his
blonde friend staring back at him with those big eyes. Ricky took
a handful of the cool water and threw it on Matthew startling him
out of his dreaminess.

	"Ooooh...that's too cold Ricky..."

	"Then, come in and fix it yourself."

	"Alright..."

	So, slowly and deliberately, Matthew slipped his boxers down
and off his slender legs. He stepped into the tub facing Ricky and
smiled. This wasn't so bad he decided. He stepped even closer to
Ricky. Their warm skin touched and the water poured over both of
them making their bodies glisten like pearls. The boys played and
splashed happily together getting water all over the place.

	Finally, they started soaping each other's slippery skin, and
their laughter and giggles gradually quieted down. Ricky stood
still holding his breath as Matthew's small soapy hands roamed
over his body: his chest, his palpatating belly, his clenching
butt and now his stiff soapy sex. Gasping, Ricky rose onto his
toes and nearly collapsed against the avocado-coloured bathroom
wall as the feeling took over. The sensations were overwhelming
and too scary. Ricky caught Matthew's hands with both of his and
held them tightly against his chest until his own breathing calmed
down. Matthew understood.

	Maybe we'd better get out of here now, I wanna see the
`Airbud' movie again," said Ricky.

	"Oh no, not again..." moaned Matthew, "You must have seen
that thing a jillion times now."

	Ricky crossed the corridor into Matthew's room holding his
shorts in one hand and wearing a towel around his shoulders. There
was a slight sound to his left and he glanced toward the
window--and screamed. Matthew came running into the room still
naked and wet. Ricky was backed up against the wall and  he was
shaking.

	"Ricky, Ricky what happened! Why did you scream?" Matthew
forgot that they were still naked and pulled Ricky into his arms
making his skin tingle. Ricky still shook, "I saw...I think I
saw...it was Robbie..."

	Matthew looked around the room confused, "Robbie? Where?"

	"There," And Ricky pointed to the wide open window.

	Matthew went over to the window and looked out, "There's
nobody out here, besides its three floors straight down."

	Matthew glanced at the big house across the way, and it was
dark as always.

	"But he was right there, at least I thought he was...just
kinda floating outside the window smiling at me. He looked so
strange..."

	Matthew grinned at him, "You sure it was `Airbud' you looked
at last night, or some horror movie?"

	"Um...well...I did look at "Buffie The Vampire Killer on TV."


					****

	The boys had just dressed when the doorbell rang. Matthew was
excited to see that it was Robbie who had taken up his invitation
to visit.

	Matthew greeted him, "Oh, hi Robbie...you came, kewl!"

	Ricky's welcome was more reserved, just a little smile. He
was still shaken by the vision, or whatever it was, of Robbie
hovering in space beyond the window like some weird angel. He
couldn't help it, Robbie scared him a little bit.

	Both Ricky and Matthew knew there was something peculiar
about the long-haired boy, they could sense it. While Matthew was
intrigued, Ricky was curious and suspicious. Robbie obviously got
along best with Matthew who was clearly infatuated with his
fascinating new friend.

	Ricky hung back and was aware of every little touch and smile
that passed between Ronnie and Matthew. He saw how Robbie put his
arm around Matthew's shoulder when they were looking at TV. Ricky
felt guilty that he was jealous each time Matthew smiled back at
Robbie because the boy with the long dreadlocks turned out to be a
lot of fun. He even entertained them with magic tricks. He was
really good.

	"Watch this." Robbie pulled a sheet from the bed and draped
it completely over himself. He asked, "Are you guys watching?"

	"Yes", said the boys together. They had a funny habit of
saying the same things at the same time.

	They waited, staring at Robbie standing there covered with a
white sheet like a Halloween ghost. Suddenly, they felt arms come
around their shoulders from behind and Robbie's voice said loudly
in their ears, "What the hell are you guys staring at?"

	Both kids yelled and nearly jumped out of their skins. Robbie
was rolling around the floor laughing at the stunned look on their
faces. The two boys turned around to where the sheet was, just in time to see it slowly collapse to the floor quite empty.

	"Damn, that's a neat trick, how'd you do that? You should be
on TV!", said Matthew.

	"How did I do it? Well, I can tell ya, but then I'll have to
kill ya..." And he grinned.

	Ricky walked across the room to turn on the computer. As he
did so, he happened to glance into Matthew's dresser mirror and
his heart nearly stopped beating. He backtracked and looked again.
There was no mistake. He could see Matthew talking to somebody who
just wasn't there. He turned around and looked at the real boys.
Matthew was there and Robbie was sitting next to him, but in the
mirror there was no Robbie.

	Everything was clear now. Robbie's strangeness, his tricks,
the vision outside the window. It had to be true. Robbie was a
vampire! God! He and Matthew had invited a vampire into their
room! Was he gonna kill us? wondered Ricky, will he suck our blood
and leave us dead?

	Ricky stood across the room and stared at Robbie talking and playing with Matthew just like a regular Kid. Perhaps all he wants
is to be friends, Ricky hoped. But he had to find a way to warn
Matthew and protect themselves.

	He pulled open the top drawer of Matthew's dresser. Ricky
knew there was a small silver cross in there which Matthew's
grandmother had given him. He grabbed it and hid it behind                                                                                                                                                                                            his back. His heart was thumping in his chest but he had to
protect Matthew from this 'undead' boy. He had intended to be
subtle about it, but Matthew and Robbie had their arms around each
other's shoulders and that made Ricky lose it.

	"I know what you are," he said confronting Robbie. Robbie's
emerald eyes blazed but he said nothing.

	"What are you talking about?" asked Matthew looking impatient
and annoyed.

	"This!" And he trust the silver cross into Robbie's face.

	A light bulb exploded with a loud pop, darkening the room.
Robbie flew up and across the space somersaulting through the air
like Xena the Warrior Princess. Both feet hit the wall and he
tumbled back to the floor landing lightly on the balls of his
feet, soft as a cat, right in front of the stunned Ricky.

	He was forced to step back as pure unadulterated power
radiated from the young child of the night. Robbie's eyes glowed
like a green furnace. Later, Ricky would swear that he saw smoke
come from them. The cross slipped unnoticed from Ricky's numb
fingers onto the floor. Robbie reached out with one hand, grabbed
the front of Ricky's shirt and jerked him forward, "Do not
interfere!" he whispered.

	"Wha...what's happening?" Asked Matthew totally bewildered.

	"He's a..." began Ricky.

	"I'm a prince of the night," said Robbie smiling gently at
Matthew, "...and I've come for you. Please, come with me, we'll
have lots of fun."

	"No Matthew, he's a vampire, he'll kill you!"

	"Be silent! If I wanted to kill you, you'd both be dead
already.

	He turned back to Matthew, "I like you, I want you to be with
me, you won't be dead, you'll be transformed into something a lot
more than human, you'll hear the stars sing...you'll have time to
explore all the mysteries of this world and others..."

	Matthew was more fascinated than scared, Ricky realized that
his pal was listening mesmerized as Robbie spoke. Would his best
buddy really leave him to go off with a vampire?"

	"I'm so lonely Matthew, come with me," the nightchild begged.
The windows vibrated with his sadness, and a blue flame briefly
ignited where the silver cross lay abandoned on the tan-coloured
carpet. Ricky quickly stomped out the small fire.

						****

	Quicker than Ricky's eyes could follow, Robbie spun around
and leapt towards Matthew. Matthew's feet rose off the ground and
his head slammed back hard against the wall. A model car crashed
to the floor from a shelf. Robbie's strong left hand pressed
against Matthew's chest and held him pinned against the wall.
Ricky bravely attempted to help free his friend, but Robbie
casually swatted the dark-haired boy and sent him tumbling across
the room to land flat on the bed.

	Matthew trembled as he watched Robbie's translucent incisors
slide down into place. It was hard to focus on that awesome
visage, but Matthew dared not look away as the young vampire's
liquid face shifted, changing into something so awesome, so awful,
so beautiful, that Matthew could hardly bear to look upon it.

	Matthew could hear Ricky crying in the background, "Please
Matthew, don't do it, don't let him do it...don't leave
me...pleeease..."

	Matthew shook in Robbie's grasp, the boy-vampire's terrifying
face was now only a breath away from his own. This glorious power
could be his in a second. He could live forever, flying through
the endless night with Robbie, he could be the friend that the
lonely little vampire had been searching for. All he had to do was
say yes. But he could also hear Ricky pleading, "Please don't
leave me Matthew, don't die..."

	Robbie's husky voice almost caressed him, "Come with me, I
will bathe you in starlight, we will ride together across the
kingdom of darkness for all eternity...decide Matthew! Are you
gonna remain a weak human boy, or will you be my friend forever?'

	A cold fire blazed from the creature's eyes and enveloped the
helpless blonde kid in its aura. Matthew could feel his body
gradually responding to Robbie's terrible need. Totally beguiled,
his desire grew, a desire to be with Robbie, to share his
impossible dark power. Matthew now yearned to feel Robbie's cool
lips pressed upon his hot young skin. he wanted to know the
ecstasy of pain and pleasure as Robbie's sharp teeth pierced his
tender neck. He was almost ready to offer the bright red petals of
his blood in exchange for a ride into eternity--but what would
eternal life be without real love?

	Matthew heard the sound of sobbing as if from a long distance
away. It was Ricky crying. Matthew didn't want to make Ricky cry.
His friend's tears pulled him back to reality and made him
remember that Ricky was the first person he thought about when he
woke up each day. He couldn't wait to hear his bud's voice on the
phone, just shooting the breeze or maybe planning what they were
gonna do that particular day. And each day he couldn't wait to see
that familiar freckled face that he...that he......loved.

	"Why don't you leave Matthew alone, he's *my* friend," Brave
Ricky pulled at the vampire and was swatted again sending him
sprawling onto the carpet.

	"Matthew you can be *my* friend too." The voice was now
silky, soft and insistent and seemed to caress Matthew. Robbie
slid his hands from Matthew's chest to his neck, then he reached
up his left hand to rumple the boy's hair fondly, like an adult
playing with a little kid, "No one will ever hurt you again,
you'll never ever get old."

	Robbie took Matthew into his arms excited by the boy's hot
blood, his smell. He could hear the sweet liquid rushing along
near the surface of Matthew's skin. He could hear the deep
throbbing sound of the heart pumping deep within the human body.
As he pressed his cool face into the hot downy curve between
Matthew's neck and shoulder, he could barely restrain his instinct
 to take this sweet boy. His sharp teeth made the slightest nick
in the tender skin. And Robbie licked hungrily at it.

	Held in this embrace at the edge between life and death,
Matthew's eyes fluttered open and saw Ricky lying there,
whimpering. And he remembered playing soccer with Ricky, the fun
they had at the movies, or wrestling--and the intimate way they
had touched each other this very day. No, he couldn't leave, Ricky
 was his friend...forever.

	"No..." Gasped Matthew.

	"But it's something wonderful," the sharp teeth glistened.

	"No...I can't...I can't leave..."

	"As you wish." Robbie's dreadlocks flew as he spun with
Matthew in his arms and he tossed the boy like a rag doll,
bouncing him onto the bed next to Ricky.

	"Here, take your friend. You win. You know I can just take
you both if I wanted, but I won't. You have to want to come with
me."

	His young voice was filled with disappointment and sadness.
The walls shook with his unshielded power and his sorrow. Again,
things fell off the walls and crashed to the floor as Matthew and
Ricky huddled together. The awesome vampire was now just a boy
crying pink tears. He spread his arms wide and rose up hovering
between the floor and ceiling. Then he twisted in the air and fell
backwards out the window and into the darkness beyond.

	Ricky and Matthew ran over to the window, they looked all
around, but nobody was there.

				    ~*~