Before The Sun Goes Down

Gerard's POV
The Council members did come back, two days later.
They showed me some of their extensive abilities, to scare me into doing whatever it is they want, I suppose, and I showed them what I could do.
After three days, they went back to wherever it is they came from, promising to pay another visit. Right now, I'm waiting for them. It's been two days, so I think they should come soon. I haven't spoken to Frank the whole time I've been here, but he has tried to contact me.
I have dozens of texts from him, asking if I'm okay and shit. I haven't answered because I don't want to push him farther into danger. I stopped reading his texts after the first day, it hurt too much.
I've been thinking of way in which I could help him without completely deserting him, but the only solution I've come up with is to turn him. I've put that thought to the back of my mind, deciding to only even think about using it if the Council somehow get him.
I haven't spoken to anybody apart from Maude, and apparently Nikolai stalked off and nobody knows where he is, too. I am slightly worried about him, but at the minute I can't really find anything in to me to care. Ernest has asked me to come back, relaying messages through Maude to me. I told him that I just needed a few more days to clear things in my head. But, I don't actually have any intention of coming back to them until I get to see Frankie again.
I'm by myself at the minute, in the clearing where I sat with the three things. Waiting for them to show up. I haven't ate for almost two weeks, but I have no appetite. Maude brought some blood with her yesterday, but I took one look and gagged.
I haven't moved from the middle of the clearing since I walked out, not even standing up when Maude comes. All of the tests the Council did on me were ones I could sit down for, they had everything ready and waiting for me.
I've brought the word 'lifeless' to another level. Physically, I am lifeless, no heartbeat or working organs, and mentally I am, too. I haven't the will to get up and do anything, and I think my legs have cramped up that much I'll need to surgically stretch them out.
Another three hours, and they still haven't showed up. I sigh, making the first noise in almost a day. Something in me stirs, and I begin to feel restless. I ignore the impulses to get up or move and continue sitting there, staring into space.
Mist gathers far to my right, and the deer that was grazing there runs away, panic emanating from it. Three black-clothed figures emerge from the mist, seemingly gliding over the forest floor.
So, they've come. What for, I'm not sure. They might have been tricking me all this time, and they've come to tell me Frank has been murdered. Panic rises in me as I struggle to get my legs to work and stand up.
They come to a stop before me, and I look up at them. I feel invisible hands grab my legs and straighten them out in front of me, and then the hands grab my arms and pull me up, supporting me while I struggle to keep my balance.
"What have you done to yourself, Gerard? You need to eat, child. Here, have some of this.." For the first time, their voice is almost.. sweet and caring. I willingly take what one of them is offering me, which smells like blood but is black in color. "What.." I clear my throat, trying to talk again. "What is this?" I look down at it, slightly grimacing.
"Just drink. It's the blood of a lycanthorpe, and it will give you your strength back and more. Drink, child." I can feel myself becoming trance like. At their words, I drink it all. It's bitter, almost like a herbivore's blood.
As soon as I finish, the goblet that had the blood in disappears, and I feel like I could carry the world on my shoulders. A smile reappears on my face, and I begin to forget about Frank. "Thank you..." I trail off, unsure of what to call them. "Call us... The Gray Ones." I nod, smiling again.
"Now, child, you need to come with us. Don't ask questions, just follow us." I nod, complacent. The start to walk over to the thinning mist, walking into the middle and then disappearing. I go after them, getting to the edge of the loud when I hear footsteps.
"Gerard?" It's a male voice, and it sounds so familiar and sweet that I want to cry. I spin round, staring at him. It's Frank.
His hair is slightly disheveled, but apart from that, he looks normal. Perfect, as usual, but normal. "Yes?" He takes a few steps towards me, but then stops. "What the fuck?" His features are hard, and I furrow my eyebrows. "Frank, what is it? I really have to go." The anger in his eyes dims, replacing it instead, sorrow.
"What happen to calling me everyday? I've spoke to Maude, she told me about everything.. What have they done to you?" I shrug, thinking that they haven't done anything.
"Come on, child. Get rid of the mortal and come to us.." I hear the voices of The Gray Ones in my head, and I immediately want to get out of Frank's presence.
"Frank, go away. You can't see me, not yet, at least. Stay away from me, Frank." I turn around, finalizing my words. "Fine, I'll go, but don't expect me to wait for you again, asshole." His voice, although he's trying to sound angry and strong, has great amounts of sadness in it and is shaky.
I feel like the words should have a profound effect on me, but all I feel is calmness. He walks off, I hear his footsteps. "Good... Now, walk into the mist, child," I do as they say, the world going black before I stumble into a great room. "Welcome to your new life, Gerard." The voices are spoken both in my head and out loud. There aren't just The Gray Ones anymore, there are several others.
I look around, my eyes finding a long, wooden table. Around seven people are sat at it, all in robes that cover their faces. As with The Gray Ones, I can't find their consciousnesses. I feel a hand on my shoulder and look up, looking straight into the eyeless faces of The Gray Ones. I smile, comforted by their presences.
"They are your new family. Forget about Ernest, Nikolai, that mortal boy. You do not need them here, you are above them in every way possible," I nod, looking round. "Come, meet the rest of the Council members." They walk over to the table, standing in front of it as I follow. They're stood by the first person on the left of the table.
There's four empty spaces in the middle, and I assume that three of them are for The Gray Ones, but I'm puzzled over the fourth. I go to ask, but they interrupt me by introducing the Council members to me. "This is Lucius," The gesture to the hooded figure, who then takes down his hood. His face is relatively normal, with two eyes, a nose, a mouth, hair, and an ear on either side of his face. His face is one that is easy to forget, no features standing out. I smile at him, watching him smile back. "He can bite through anything.."
He smiles so that you can see his teeth, which are very much like The Gray Ones, but they look sharper and they're definitely bigger and more gray in color. The smile soon disappears from my face, and I look away to the person sitting next to him. "This is Electricia," I assume that the person is a she, from the name. She pulls down her hood, and when she does, I'm struck by her beauty. Even though I hold no attraction for women, she, in my opinion, is prettier than anything I've seen before, apart from Frank, maybe. "She's a succubus, and she controls electricity." I give a cautious smile, quickly moving onto the next person. "This is Ignobilium; The Nameless. It hasn't told anybody it's power, but it's extremely strong." I wait for it to pull down the hood, but instead we go straight onto the next one. Her hood is already pulled down, revealing a red-eyed, blonde girl. From her height, I would say she's around twenty, but her face is that of a child's. She smiles at me, revealing sharpened teeth and a forked tongue. "This is Lilith. She's a demon, a very powerful one. She is very old, she could recount to you the making of the world. Don't talk to her," I was about to say greeting, when the warning stops me. I nod at her instead, averting my eyes.
Lilith was Adam's first wife, wasn't she? I thought she was supposed to have dark hair and a woman's face... And she's supposed to be mythical. She then got with an archangel or something.. I don't know.
"This is Lucifer," Great, a Lucius, a Lilith, and now a Lucifer. What's next, Jesus? "And, no, he isn't the Devil, Gerard. Almost, though. He's a lycanthrope. The only one on the Council, and he's the only one deserving of it," He pulls down his hood, revealing a thirty-something year old man, with brown, shaggy hair. He smiles, the only pleasant smile so far. I smile back, nodding my head at him. "This is Sitri. She's a vampire, the only pure-bred vampire sat at this table, apart from you," She doesn't take down her hood, so I do nothing in greeting to her. We move on, going to the next person. "Finally, this is Belial. His classification of species is unclear, he just seemed to become," I nod, watching as he takes down his hood.
He has only one eye, a nose, and a hole where his mouth should be. His skin color is a slightly grey yellow. His hair seems to move by itself, writhing on his head.
One of The Gray Ones leans down, putting his mouth by my ear. "Don't look him straight in the eye.." I nod slightly, avoiding eye contact with him.
I look over the seven individuals sat down, and somewhere in the back of my mind, very dimly, are warning bells screaming at me to revoke the offer and go back to the cemetery. I ignore it, following The Gray Ones to the four chair, sitting down in the fourth, feeling extremely important.

An hour later, a few glasses of the blood The Gray Ones gave me before coming here, and several discussions later, I have acquired tons of new information. I am, apparently, one of the most important member, but nobody will tell me why.
The succubus, Electricia, has tried to use her powers on me, in the end failing, making all of us laugh at her. I have a slight buzz, like I've been drinking, but I brush it off. Every single member of the Council ends up using their powers on me, only Lilith and The Gray Ones succeeding to get any sort of reaction out of me.
When they've all tried, they all go quiet. The Gray Ones excuse themselves, telling everybody to stay where they are for a minute. We stare at each other, Electricia asks if she can try and use her powers on me again.
Again, she fails, causing us all to laugh at her again. I finish my fourth glass of the strange blood, asking for more. "Sure you can, sweetie.." Sitri seems to be the nicest, but even she seems evil. I think I like her best because she's the only other pure vampire sat here, all of the rest are either half-breeds, different species or unidentified.
The Gray Ones walk in, causing us to fall silent. Their mouths are twisted into something that resembles a smile, so I relax slightly. "Gerard, let us show you to your quarters, if you will." I nod, getting up and smiling at the others before jogging after them.
We walk in silence, all the way up to the attic of this very big building.
The pull open the double doors, showing the room inside. It's like I've just stepped into some royal chambers or something, there are several items of big, mahogany furniture, a four poster bed, and the walls are painted a deep, crimson red.
I turn to thank the three, but I'm met by empty space.

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