6: Gus

Warning: adult language

 

"Gabriella, I'd like for you to meet my," Nate paused, feeling suddenly awkward, "maker, Augustus Terra."

August slunk over to Gabriella and eagerly took her proffered hand in both of his. "How do you do, my dear?" The words poured out of his mouth like over-honeyed milk.

"Terra?" Gabby asked. "As in terra cotta? As in clay, mud, dirt?"

Augustus scowled. Gabriella giggled a little.

"I'm only teasing. Of course your name isn't mud." Gabriella said with a disarming smile. "Hm. Augustus? Such a long name. Can I call you Gus?" she said, trying to mask her nervousness.

Nathaniel had an extremely difficult time hiding his smirk. Gus? She wants to call a two thousand plus year old vampire 'Gus'? And that same vampire wants to get on her good side, so he dare not reprimand her. I love her for this!

"I suppose if it would make you happy. Though I'd like to point out that Gabriella is longer than Augustus. Though it is just a name after all." Gus said stoically while Nate was ready to explode in silent mirth.

"Thank you, Gus." Gabriella said. Then she whispered conspiratorially, "It makes you less scary."

Nathaniel couldn't stand it anymore and burst out laughing.

Gus disrupted his humor when he said, "You rushed out of here so quickly, Nathaniel, I worried I would have to come find you to see if everything was okay. What's going on that would encourage you to bring this lovely lady of yours to meet me?"

Bit presumptuous isn't he? Gabriella deliberately thought to Nathaniel.

Nathaniel watched August closely for any sign that he heard what Gabby just thought. Gus had never had trouble hearing if the thought was deliberately directed at him. There was no indication he did. In fact, Nate sensed August was especially irritated he couldn't hear a thing coming from her.

"It's not too new a problem. I was wondering if having Gabriella here would help us find a way to figure out how to help me block her." Nathaniel explained.

Why would you want to? August thought to Nathaniel as he looked Gabriella over like one would a prize racehorse. Nate was instantly angry.

"Yes, I was pondering your 'problem', and I've come up with a new theory." Gus said without taking his eyes off Gabby.

"Which is?" Nate asked with his teeth slightly clenched. He really didn't like how he could see his maker scheming while looking at Gabby.

"Yes. I'm afraid I may have had it backwards. It seemed the harder you tried the more you heard, felt... saw." August said the last word with a smirk.

"Um... saw?" Gabriella asked.

Nathaniel gave the 'don't you dare' look to Augustus as hard as he could. Augustus smiled mischievously.

"Ah, yes." Gus breathed. "It would seem that our dear Nathaniel could see what you were seeing at times." He grinned widely at Nate's look of alarm.

"Do I want to know?" Gabriella asked warily.

"It's nothing important." Nate cut in before August could say anything. Wanting to avoid this dangerous topic, he added, "So, I need to clear my mind instead of over-occupy it?"

"If that's what you desire, then yes." Augustus teased Nathaniel by deliberately choosing the word desire and stressing it. "So, how shall we go about doing this? Perhaps Gabriella and I could go somewhere to talk and you could work on clearing your mind to see if you can block us out."

No was Nate's first thought, but he couldn't figure out a better way. Shit. What was I thinking? Him alone with her? Lord knows what he could put into her head.

"May I request that you keep your conversation topics neutral and not..."

Gabby interrupted Nate, "I'm a big girl. I'm sure I'll be fine."

"And if you're not I'll know it." Nate said to Gabriella, but the thinly-veiled threat to Augustus was obvious.

"But, you shouldn't be listening. You should be working on clearing your mind." Augustus took hold of Gabriella's hand and led her upstairs. "We'll be in the far bedroom, you go off into the stables or somewhere." Gus grinned at Nate's scowl as he led Gabby up the stairs.

Gus went and sat on the bed, staring at Gabriella as he said, "Well, my dear, you have questions. I can read it in your countenance if nothing else."

Gabriella looked out the window into the night and answered, "Yes." When Nathaniel had first mentioned meeting Gus, she couldn't help but be intrigued, although a little intimidated. She was glad she did a good job of hiding it when Nate introduced her to him. She was curious.. and she didn't think she would feel comfortable talking with Nate about certain things. Besides, she got the feeling she'd get an honest answer out of Gus whereas Nate might gloss over a few details. She didn't know why she presumed that, but she did.

August smiled as he made a welcoming motion with his hand, "Fire away!"

"Well, first of all, if you don't mind me asking, how old are you?" Nate had told her Gus was very old, but didn't specify just how old.

"I am over two thousand years old. I was a Roman centurion. I had high ambitions as well as the will and know-how to achieve those ambitions. However, a vampire found me one night, and the rest, as they say, is history." Augustus said in a nonchalant tone.

Gabriella's jaw dropped. "As in...Rome. As in ancient Rome?"

"Yes." August said slowly.

"Did you change your name?" Gabriella asked suddenly.

August blinked a few times, staring at her, wondering why she would suddenly ask that before he said, "Yes. It's not too uncommon to change it as time goes on."

"Why change your name to dirt?" Gabby asked, trying not to laugh again.

"We didn't have surnames the same way as people do now. I chose 'dirt' in part as a joke. I never plan on being part of the 'ashes to ashes, dust to dust' cliché, so I put it in my name." He paused a moment before he asked the next question, "Have you ever tried to force a vision?"

Gabriella's eyes widened in horror. "Why on earth would I want to do that? They're awful!"

"Perhaps only the ones that the cosmos forces on you are. If you could focus and cause one to happen, who knows? Especially if you haven't tried." Gus said while sitting forward on the bed eagerly.

Gabby shuddered. "My turn for a question."

Augustus smiled patiently. "Go ahead." He knew eventually he'd get her to try.

"How is a person turned into a vampire?" she asked with a note of fear in her voice.

"Ah." Augustus sighed contently and settled himself comfortably on the bed before he began to explain. "You're nervous?"

"So you agree it's going to happen?"

"Of course, but let me answer your question." he said and waited for her to curl up on the floor like she apparently wanted to do. "There are some that think viruses are aliens. Not of this planet. Have you heard this theory?"

"No, but what does that have to do with vampires?" she asked.

"Much. Vampirism is viral."

"As in it could be cured?"

August laughed. "No. The tissue is permanently altered. Let me explain. The virus kills the living tissue and replaces it with a different, harder material."

Gabriella interrupted, "Then when it's done it dies because it can't get any more of its ... whatever it is that viruses do? It runs its course and has nothing more to attack." She struggled to understand.

"Unfortunately, no. The virus is what drives the relentless thirst. We crave more of the living, the blood in particular, to feed the virus."

"So eliminate the virus from your system."

"To do so would probably cause our death. When the virus is healthy, so are we. Our tissues are stronger. Hm. Compare it to steel or granite. If the virus is malnourished, our tissues become brittle like sandstone and we could actually crumble and fall apart if it were left to extremes."

"Has that ever happened?"

"I've heard it has."

"So, then, how is one turned?" she asked again.

"I'm getting to that. As I explained, it's a virus. The virus must be put into the human somehow, the most effective being blood to blood, but that's risky because of the step that must be done first."

"Which is?"

"Weakening the immune system. You must be drained to death's door and consequentially the immune system must not be able to fight off the virus. The closer you are to death, the faster the virus can work its magic. Have you ever heard the old wives' tale that if you're bit three times you turn into a vampire?"

"Yes, I think so."

"Sometimes, in a weakened state, mere saliva can cause the transformation. So, in essence, it's possible. If those bites were feedings."

Gabriella blinked a few times, processing the information. "So, let me get this straight. First you're weakened to the point of death, then the virus needs to get in you somehow. I'm guessing the most popular way being for the human to drink the vampire's blood."

"Precisely."

"Then what?"

"Well, if it's successful and the human doesn't die, the virus runs its course on the human's tissue until said human is transformed and the thirst begins."

"If the human doesn't die." Gabriella mumbled. Then her head popped up as a new thought occurred to her. "Wait a minute, you said saliva."

"Yes."

"Then why isn't everyone you bite, or well, even so much as kiss, turned?"

"A human's immune system is quite capable of killing the vampire virus unless it's weakened. And I mean drastically weakened. So, a simple bite or.." he grinned, "kiss won't do the trick."

"Oh." Gabriella sat and thought about all he'd said. 

August sat on the bed quietly, acting patient but in reality he was thoroughly aggravated he couldn't read her at all. He was utterly curious what she was thinking while she remained so quiet. "Any other questions?"

"Um. Oh." She looked up at him and asked, "Viruses are alien?" She hid her mouth with her hand to try and hide her smirk.

"Again, it's a theory. Think about it. Are viruses even alive?"

"Sure they are."

"It's debatable. They are so totally different from other things on the planet. So... foreign. So... alien." he had a far away look in his eyes as he mentally debated this familiar topic in his head. "It's only been recently we've really understood it was a virus that made us what we are. Still there were other indicators to make us believe we were not meant for this planet."

"Like what?"

"The sun. It's brutal. Why would something possibly not sentient, the virus, continue to exist in that harsh an environment?"

"Well, it's host cares for it."

"That's been said, yes. But still. To be created with this weakness seems to me to be pointless. It would make more sense to say the virus came from a planet with a much weaker sun."

"Interesting." Gabriella mused. "So, vampires are aliens." She couldn't help but imagine microscopic spaceships, housing little tiny viruses, hurtling towards Earth in a quest for world domination.

Gus laughed heartily, something he hadn't done in a long while. "Interesting way of putting it." he said when he'd regained his composure. "I want you to try and force a vision, if you don't mind." he said, wanting to take advantage of the more relaxed atmosphere.

"No." Gabriella said definitively. Maybe aliens brought the viruses with them. Was there an original vampire alien?

"You've never tried. It may not even work. And if it does, it may not be bad." he encouraged her.

"I'm exhausted from having two of them in one week." she protested, wishing he'd drop the whole idea.

"With wit like you showed upon arrival, you're not as exhausted as you say you are." August continued to work on convincing her. He was burning with curiosity. "Just try. Please. If it doesn't work, it doesn't work."

Gabriella groaned with frustration. "Fine! What should I do? What should I try to envision?"

"See if you can see more of the day you're turned. Or who's going to win the horse race tomorrow. Something." He smiled.

"The night I'm turned." she corrected him, but really she was stalling.

"Yes, yes. The night." he paused. "Try."

Gabriella rolled her eyes, but then shut them as she made an honest attempt to see if she could do as he asked. She thought hard about the vision of that moment in time when Nate would attempt to change her. Will it work? Or will I die completely? She focused on that one aspect of it.

Augustus watched with growing excitement as she appeared to be putting forth an exemplary effort into the attempt. Such wonderful ways her gift could be put to use if she could but control it.

Suddenly he saw Gabriella's eyes widen with fear before she screamed and ran for the door. Nate was at the door waiting for her, and he wrapped his arms around her protectively while glaring at him.

"What is it? What's the matter?" Augustus asked, worried about the mistrustful looks he was getting from the two of them.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I think the whole vampire virus thing works. It's that whole "vampirism-D" or whatever you call it that you can get at the science centers to cure it that gave me the idea. However, I'm acting like the cure from the science centers isn't an option.

Once I started thinking about it, all the pieces started to come together. I've been dying to write all this up. I still didn't put every bit of the theory in. I worry this is too much to take in all at once. I'm sure Gabriella will ask some of the same questions again.

Was that too much info for one update?