Sponsored Fiction: The Donor House: Caleb: Entering the Donor House (part 1)

[k_a_webb]

Sponsored by Elizabeth Barrette (LJ user ysabetwordsmith)

Trigger warning: addiction (that was nearly a trigger warning for addition)

Caleb didn’t know what else to do. His owner had thrown him out and that meant he had two choices. Become a blood whore because he needed to be bitten more than he’d ever needed anything else before or walk into the donor house to beg for help from vampires who might actually treat him like a person rather than a blood bank. There was no chance of him ever dealing with the addiction if he became a blood whore so he went for the second option. By the time he got to the front door he was pretty much at the point when he needed someone to bite him.

As he stepped in the door he tried to act as though he was normal. That failed when he saw the receptionist’s fangs. He stared at them, knowing that his pupils were dilated, he was clammy and he probably looked like he was totally insane, but there was nothing he could do about it. On the way he’d thought about what he was going to say, how he was going to ask for their help, and the first sight of someone who could bite him had caused him to forget entirely.

“Alice,” the receptionist yelled, turning away from Caleb.

He thought then that he was going to be thrown out. Why should they bother to help someone who was so addicted to the bite of a vampire that he couldn’t say anything when he saw fangs? Maybe if he hadn’t needed so badly he would have cried but there wasn’t enough of him left to cry. Instead of Caleb he was the need.

“What’s up?” the woman obviously named Alice asked, before noticing him. “Right, I’m going to need you to get Blake. I’ll stay with him.”

The receptionist nodded before disappearing. Caleb wanted to sink to the floor because the teeth had gone and he needed them. Instead he clung to the reception desk, looking at Alice. When her tongue ran over her lips he noticed the fangs, which was painful. They were what he needed but he knew, how he knew he would never know, that she wasn’t going to bite him no matter how much he begged.

“Can you talk to me?” Alice asked, stepping towards him.

He nodded, even though he wasn’t sure he actually could.

“What’s your name?”

It took him a while to find his name because it was hidden by the need. “I’m Caleb,” he finally answered, his voice sounding hoarse and unused.

When he thought about it he didn’t know how long it had been since he’d last spoken. There had been little need in the home of his owner and he’d thought he’d been there for several years. If his time keeping was correct he’d been there for at least five years, but there was no way of him knowing for sure.

“Caleb, I’m going to get you help. I promise you that I will do everything I can to help you.” Alice touched his arm gently. “When my friend comes I want you to come upstairs with me so I can get you somewhere safe.”

Nodding was too much effort when a vampire was so close to him. He didn’t know if she knew what he was going through with every moment that she was stood there without biting him. It had been a form of torture before and it was a torture standing there, but Alice wasn’t doing it on purpose the way his owner had. Alice seemed like she really was worried about him.

“Alice?” a male voice asked.

Caleb knew he should look at whoever it was so he had some idea of the people around him, but he couldn’t. All he could do was stare at Alice’s fangs and wish they were in his neck. It was a feeling he was always disgusted by when he was normal but right then there was just the need with a faint knowledge of who he was when he didn’t need so much.

“Caleb’s an addict,” she said calmly. “Upstairs is going to be much safer for him than it is here because I don’t trust every vampire that’s here.” There was a moment of silence. “Blake, you know I trust you. If I didn’t trust you then I wouldn’t be asking for your help.” She sighed. “We need someone who understands what he’s going through and you’re the only vampire I know who went through this.”

“What room?”

“307 should be empty. Once we’re up there we can talk about what we’re going to do because I don’t want too many people to know about Caleb.” Alice touched his arm again. “Will you let us help you?”

All he could do was look at her. Nodding, she gently took hold of one arm while the male, Blake, took hold of his other arm. Each step he took drained a little more energy from him but he wanted to get to the room. They didn’t have to help him and he was more than grateful for it. At least he would be when he was more Caleb and less need. It seemed to take hours to get to the room but when they finally got there he collapsed on the bed, burying his head into the pillow so he couldn’t see the fangs any more.

“I know this is hard for you, Caleb,” Alice said. “What do we do, Blake?”

“Who would you prefer to bite you?” Blake asked.

It took Caleb a few moments to realise that Blake was talking to him. Slowly he rolled over to look at the two vampires, unable to believe that someone had asked him what he wanted. In the time he’d been with his owner he had never been asked what he wanted. Two vampires meant two bites, not a choice. He looked between them even though he knew straight away who he wanted.

“Blake,” he managed to say finally.

“Is that part of the reason you asked me for help?” Blake asked Alice without taking his eyes off Caleb.

“No, it wasn’t.” She tutted. “I don’t have a gaydar. I just thought he might like a choice and I know that you’d be fine with biting a man. Do you want me to leave the room?”

“I’ll be fine. Caleb?”

Caleb shook his head, not caring whether anyone else was in the room as long as he got bitten soon. Blake shrugged and moved towards him. It was all Caleb could do to stay still because he didn’t want to put Blake off the same way he’d put his owner off by wanting it too much.

Mirrored from K. A. Jones Writing.

Comments

Yay!

[ysabetwordsmith.livejournal.com]

I'm happy to see this story where other folks can read and enjoy it. I think you did a great job of rendering addiction and exploring ways to work through it.

I would enjoy reading more about Caleb.