Blood Companions

This is a story titled "Blood Companions", which me and my friend are currently co-writing together.

I've been put in charge of the preface, and I'd like it reviewed and criticized.

Preface

It was a cold, gray day. A steely chill was wafting in the air, wrapping the inhabitants of the freezing in a blanket of shivers.
But, despite the unusual chill, today was also a particularly depressing day for two ten-year-olds; Drake Walsh, and Anna Rossi.
???Drake, I don???t want you to g-go,??? Anna sniffed, shoving her thick brunette hair out of her electric green eyes and clinging to her best friend.
Drake patted the top of Anna???s head as she pulled out of their hug, but she kept her hands gripping the sleeve of his black sweater.
???Why do you have to move away? You can live with me, Drake. My parents love you!??? Anna exclaimed hopefully.
Drake laughed. His voice was oddly throaty for a ten-year-olds, but he didn???t complain about it. He felt it made him sound older. ???Anna, I???ve got to leave with my family. I know we???re best friends, but??????
Anna gripped at Drake???s clothing again, tears pouring down her red-cheeked face. ???DON???T GO!??? she screamed dramatically.
Drake patted Anna???s head again, sighed, and replied simply, ???Anna???we???ve still got an hour to spend together before me and my parents leave town. I don???t want to spend it crying.???
Anna nodded robotically after a moment, tore herself away from Drake, and croaked, ???I-I guess this is the last hour of our friendship???.???
At that second, Drake suddenly gained a very stern, strict expression. ???No,??? he huffed, ???it???ll never be the end of our friendship.???
???How are we supposed to keep our friendship alive, Drake????
Drake tilted his head indecisively to the side. ???It???ll be alive no matter what,??? he assured her unconvincingly, blinking his russet eyes.
Anna let out of moan of sadness, and fell to the ground, soaking her behind in the icy snow that was originally under her feet. ???Drake, what if we forget about each other????
???We won???t.???
???We could.???
Drake sighed irritably and kneeled down next to his best friend. ???Anna, we???ll never forget about each other. We???re best friends???we???we??????
Then suddenly, Drake???s mouth curved into a slight smirk. Ruffling his maroon hair, he said quietly, ???Anna???has anyone ever told you about Blood Brothers????
Anna perked her head up, glancing curiously at her friend. ???B-Blood Brothers???? she stammered. ???What???s that????
Drake offered his numb hand to Anna, and as she took it, he helped her off of the hard ground. ???Listen, Anna, my dad told me about Blood Brothers when I was younger. He said that???um???that you swear your eternally loyalty to whoever you become Blood Brothers with. That means friends???for life.???
???For life? As in???forever????
Drake nodded. ???Forever.???
Anna???s tears automatically dried. So if she and Drake became Blood Brothers???they would ???technically??? be together forever. It was all beginning to come together in her head.
???But???does it only work for boys???? Anna said carefully.
???Becoming Blood Brothers? No, it works for boys or girls. It???s just called Blood Brothers. But???ah???if you want, we could call it???Blood Companions instead,??? Drake suggested confidently.
Anna jumped up and down excitedly on the spot, clasping Drake???s hands in hers. ???Oh Drake, really? And you are saying that you and I should become Blood Companions, right????
???Yeah.???
Anna???s newly hatched smile broadened. ???Yes, yes, yes, Drake! How do you become Blood Companions with someone???? she demanded politely.
Drake smirked. ???You each p.rick your index finger, and share blood. It???s simple.???
Anna???s smile flickered slightly. In Health class, she had always been taught not to share bodily fluids with another person. But this was her best friend. Rules never applied to best friends???. At least, Anna didn???t believe so.
???All right,??? Anna agreed uneasily. ???Let???s become Blood Companions.???
???Right.??? Drake smiled comfortingly, and his russet eyes scanned the dead grass attached limply to the cool ground, in search of a pointed rock. ???We don???t have time to get a needle from either of our houses, so this???ll have to do.??? Smirking, he picked up the pointiest rock his wide eyes could discover.
Anna glanced unsurely at the rock, and fidgeted nervously with the string attached to her magenta-colored hooded sweatshirt.
Drake, however, did not notice her nervousness, and proceeded to press the sharp part of the pointed rock into the tip of his index finger. He kept pressure on his finger until the skin burst, allowing droplets of blood to roll down his hand.
???Your turn,??? Drake said, handing the rock to Anna.
Anna took it hesitantly, her arm trembling slightly. Then she slowly brought the tip of the rock to her finger, and mimicked Drake???s actions until the skin broke.
Drake smirked gleefully at his best friend, grabbed her hand with the broken skin, and pressed his finger to hers.
Anna flinched as their index fingers touched. It could???ve been her imagination, but she could have sworn she felt a slight tingling feeling in her hand.
For a few endless minutes of the dreary day, Anna and Drake stood, staring straight into each other???s eyes. Their expressions were different, though. Anna???s face was masked was irresoluteness, while Drake was smiling confidently.
Anna was the first to pull her finger away. ???I think that???s good,??? she said, smirking falsely.
???I agree.??? Drake wiped the blood off of his finger and onto his filthy jeans. ???Well???I think it???s been about an hour. I???ve got to get going.???
Anna automatically struggled to suppress tears at Drake???s bleak words. Then, as he began to turn away from her, she shrieked, ???Drake!??? and pulled him into a bone-crushing hug.
And so they hugged for many seconds, before Drake gently pushed Anna away. ???Bye, Anna.... Oh yeah, and happy birthday.???
Anna???s voice broke. ???Bye, Drake.???
And Drake walked away, leaving a piece of himself inside of Anna; a piece that she would never, ever forget about.

Eleven Years Later

This chapter has been written by my bestfriend, badluck13, but has been edited/added to by me. (:


Chapter One: The Party


A lot of things happened over the eleven years of losing my first best friend, Drake Walsh, my Blood Companion, and the only person I wholeheartedly loved other than my family.
Well, I hadn't really /loved/ him. It honestly depended on how you defined loved. I suppose I /did/ have tiny crush on him when I was ten, but I meant love in an extremely-close-friendship sense. Not an I-want-to-marry-you love.
I sat in bed for a few minutes after waking up. I knew that my party would start at exactly 5:45 PM, and I knew who would be there. My relatives and all of my friends, except for the most important one.
Drake.
I remember how we pr.icked our index fingers with that sharp, dirty, hideous black rock and shared blood on my birthday. I swear it was the worst birthday ever! My finger got infected, and Drake moved. It would be a miracle if he came to my party this year, but he most likley forgot all about me - and our close friendship. I'd never been closer to a friend than I had to Drake. We'd been inseparable.
"Can you help me set up your party, Anna?" My mother called from the kitchen down stairs. I sighed and got up to help.
"Happy birthday, Annie!" My little sister used the nickname I hated, but I was used to it, so I didn't mind.
The scary thing about my sister is???she looks exactly like a miniature version of me, only she has a pair of dark blue eyes. She has my mothers??? eyes. Or should I say???my whole family???s eyes. I???m the only person with green eyes in my entire family.
"Why thank you, Sophia," I said. She???s absolutely adorable. Although she can be a bit bratty, she has her lovely qualities too. Everyone has flaws.
"Can you help me with these streamers?" she asked me, while holding up the pink stringy paper.
"Sure," I said, while grabbing a chair to tape the streamers. My mom handed them to me along with the tape. I tore off a piece and stuck the pink, frilly streamers to the top of the wall.
Once we finished, I grabbed three bowls, three spoons, special K, and milk and placed them on the table. "Can???t beat a balanced breakfast!" My mother said, using her usual ???lame joke??? voice. I faked a laugh, just so I wouldn???t injure her feelings.
"Is dad home?" I asked, even though I knew the answer.
"No, he???s at work, and he won???t be able to make it to the party," mom answered. Of course he can???t make it! He is always working, twenty-four seven! Does he even know that he has two children and a wife that want him home for once?
"Oh, that's okay," I said, hiding my hurt emotions.
"I???m sorry, honey," My mom said, sympathy hidden within her tone.
"No, it???s okay, it???s just a birthday party.??? I hesitated. I knew that I was awful at hiding my true emotions. The disappointment was practically pouring off my tongue. "Um, did you buy some 'drinks' for the part?" I said drinks instead of wine, because of Sophia. I didn???t want to set a bad example for my younger sister.
"Anna, can I come to the party too?" Sophia asked. I had already said no several times, and I couldn???t stand to dishearten her again. Thankfully, my mom replied for me.
"No, you???re going to Ashley???s,??? my mom said to her.
"But Ashley is a brat," Sophia whined, the crocodile tears sprouting in her eyes.
"Then you can go to Brittany 's house???if you???d like to, I mean," I said. Sophia???s tears vanished entirely, and she tacked on a sort of posh pout.
"Okay, I???ll go to Ashley???s, because Brittany is such a nerd," Sophia sniffed.
Sophia and I were entirely different. Although I found it rude to admit???she was a shallow, spoiled little girl. I, on the other hand, did all I could to give back to the community and to be kind to others. I found it much more fulfilling to live life that way, although I knew that I probably wouldn???t tend to hurt as much if I chose Sophia???s attitude.

It was 5:40 PM, and everything was ready. Sophia was at Ashley???s, the food was out and ready to be devoured, and the guests would be here in about five minutes. I snatched a handful of chips to snack on while I was waiting for everyone. The first knock came at 5:43 PM. The person on the other end of the front door was my best girlfriend, Paige.
She gave me a hug and said with a smirk, "Happy Birthday, Anna! Now where is the spiked punch?"
I laughed as she did, and waved my hand at the crystal punch bowl.
"So, how does it feel to be twenty one?" she asked, while chugging her half full glass of punch. Or was it half empty? Oh well, it would be gone in moments.
"It feels good," I said. I met Paige in college. We were both already graduates, because we took the summer courses, as well as the fall and winter ones.
"College is finally over. It was amazing to graduate!" Paige said ecstatically, pouring another glass of punch. But this time she got the juice from the bowl for non-alcoholics, like me.
I nodded agreeably, and mimicked her actions, pouring myself a glass.

People began to pour into the house as time went on. The guests who brought gifts put them on the gift table and partied. My mom had paid a DJ to make music for me and my guests??? amusement, which was a sweet gesture. It seemed like everyone was having a nice time. I was careful to make sure that a bowl never went empty, so there were no complaints.
"Hey, do you want to dance?" my friend Chase asked me.
"Sure," I agreed. I gestured at the DJ, and he put on a hip hop song.
Chase and I danced and giggled for what felt like an eternity. Chase???s sp.unk and ability to have fun always reminded me of Drake, although he wasn???t as caring as Drake had been. Drake???s kindness and lack of hatefulness had always been his best attributes.
After the song ended I went to find more dip, because the bowl was slowly emptying. On my way over, my friend Sarah griped my arm.
???Hey, quit filling the food bowls and come dance,??? she said sternly, forcing me onto the dance floor. I unwillingly danced to the Cupid Shuffle, but I still laughed and had a great time.
I lost track of time while dancing, and before I knew it, my mom had brought out the cake and beckoned me to blow out the candles.
???Make a wish,??? my friends urged, as I puckered my lips and prepared to puff.
I knew immediately what my one and only nagging wish was.
I wished that I would see Drake again, and blew as hard I could manage, my face reddening in the process. I must???ve done well, because all the candles blew out???except one. That last candle was finished off by Chase, who blew it out before I had a chance. I shot him an annoyed glare, and he simply chuckled and patted the top of my head.
That was also something Drake would???ve done. I could picture him in Chase???s place???blowing my last candle out and then just laughing about it, causing me to lighten up.
Paige was on my left. She gently nudged my ribs with her elbow, giving me a halfhearted heads-up, and shoved a piece of cake in my face. ???Happy???birthday???,??? she gasped between fits of giggles. I laughed along with her, and wiped the icing off my face with a clean napkin.
"Present time!" my mom squealed, placing a dozen gifts in front of me, causing thunderous shouts from my friends to open theirs first.
I chuckled, and tore through every present, thanking every last guest in the process.
The present opening process was followed by newly-hatched bursts of energy and dancing. By the time the dancing ended and the DJ left, every guest was still present.
Paige was the first to say goodbye.
???See yaaaa, A-Anna,??? she stammered, slamming her fist into my arm as a final farewell. It was clear that she was drunk.
After that, my friends and relatives left one by one, expressing their last happy birthday wishes as they went.
At eleven o???clock, everyone was gone. My mom and I collapsed onto the living room sofa, exhausted from the vigorous evening.
???So,??? my mom said, turning to face me, ???how was your birthday????
???Great,??? I said truthfully, all the energy drained from my body.
???Did you get your wish???? she added hopefully, her eyes glinting with eagerness.
???Yeah???it was???was the laptop you got me. Thanks, Mom,??? I lied smoothly, twirling my finger through my hair.
My mother emitted a squeal of excitement. ???Wonderful, honey. Don???t you love it when wishes come true????
I nodded my head, and replied tonelessly, ???Yeah.???
It was too bad that my wish hadn???t come true. And it was even worse that it probably never would. Drake wasn???t sitting in his living room now, praying that I have a nice birthday. He was probably at work, or perhaps school, or with his girlfriend.
All I knew was that he wasn???t with me.
I sighed. I wasn't asking for much....
I just wanted my friend back.

This chapter has been written/edited entirely by Devilangel666.

Copyright Devilangel666 and Badluck13

Chapter Two: Mr. Manager

???No, no???Goddamn it, Mark, just go clean the men???s room!??? I scolded???Mark was my pathetically hopeless rookie employee. He???d only been hired because he was my bosses??? son. Personally, I didn???t think he was fit to work anywhere???especially not in my movie theatre.
Okay, I am a bit strict when it comes to running my theatre. I am the manager, after all, and I???m the best manager they???ve had in this place. Before me, Jim???s Movie Theatre was a complete dump! I???m the greatest thing that???s ever happened to this disgusting building.
???Mr. Walsh, sir,??? Barbara, my assistant manager beckoned, waving her hand at me to accompany her over to the ticket booth.
???What is it, Barbara? I???m caught up right now. Mark???s absolutely horrible,??? I groaned, gaining a sudden extreme urge to smack my head against the wall in frustration.
???Sorry about Mark, Mr. Walsh. I know he???s awful,??? Barbara agreed, nodding excessively. It was no secret that Barbara pretended to agree with everything I said. And why? Well???she was attracted to me.
???Yes, Mark???s tragic, whatever. Why???d you call me over here???? I demanded, tapping my foot in impatience.
???Well???I just need to be sure that all the theatres showing Stolen by the Stars are ready???so I can assign workers to each theatre.???
???You mean that awful-looking sci-fi flick???? I snorted, smiling mockingly. ???Yes, that movie is all set up. I highly doubt it???ll do well in the box office, though.???
Barbara nodded agreeably, although the look on her face plainly showed that she was obviously already a fan of the movie. ???Yes, Mr. Walsh,??? she said quietly, ???it???ll probably do poorly.???
There was an extremely pregnant pause.
???Well,??? I interrupted snippily, ???what are you waiting for? Go assign the workers! Go!???
Barbara flinched at my piercing glare and sharp voice, and hurried away, her forehead sticky and wet with nervous perspiration.

By the end of the day???I swear, I was ready to kill myself. The suicidal tendencies were leaking into my brain.
Everything seemed to be going wrong. Mark rushed passed me, a bucket of dirty mop water clutched in his hands, and tripped on his shoelace???causing all of the filthy water to cover me, ruining my snow white managers coat.
I nearly fired him after that???but then I remembered that his dad was my boss, and simply screamed at him to go fix to the popcorn machine.
He winced at my loudness, but nodded obediently and fled to the machine. I scowled at his back the whole time he was scurrying away like a frightened rat.
And not to mention???Barbara hadn???t calculated correctly, and we didn???t have enough workers to tend to every movie theatre. So, unfortunately, I was forced to run in and out of movie theatres all day???sweating my ass off in the process???and degrading my position as manager.
And on top of that, Barbara trailed me all day, practically begging for my forgiveness.
???Mr. Walsh, sir, I???m so sorry! I???m so sorry I didn???t count right! My mistake??????
She said other things such as that, but I won???t get into it. Every one of her apologies made my head pound, and I almost fired her for being overly annoying.
When it was time to go home, I thanked the Lord, and drove to my house, my knuckles pale from clenching the steering wheel so tight on the way there.
I lived alone???and I was too much of a workaholic to put up with a girlfriend. My mother always begged me to get into a relationship???or to take a night off and go out to a bar for once in my life, but I always declined. Although I only worked in a movie theatre, I put my heart and soul into it. I figured my job wasn???t worth pursuing if I didn???t give one hundred percent.
But unfortunately, my mother had threatened to write me out of her will if I didn???t go out???so she set me up on a blind date.
And the date was tonight. Groan.
As soon as I arrived home, I dashed inside, splashed my face with a bit of water, and peered into the mirror.
My appearance disgusted me. My maroon hair looked scarily unnatural???although it was completely natural. I had never dyed it, nor highlighted it.
And not to mention my russet eyes. They seemed to twinkle, like a little boy???s. It made my round face seem childish???and it was probably the thing that irritated me the most about my appearance.
I sighed regrettably, my shoulders slumped, and headed back to my car.
The girl???s name, my mother had told me, was Julia Saxton???and she was a year younger than me. That meant she was twenty, and not even old enough to drink yet. I???d wanted to meet up for drinks in a local bar for the blind date, but her age automatically pummeled that suggestion.
Now I was meeting her in Red Lobster for a late dinner. I knew this evening would drag on. Women had a tendency to do that on first dates. Blab on and on about themselves for hours, then when dessert comes, they finally realize that the guy is looking exasperated and go, ???Enough about me???why don???t we talk about you????
Woman drove me insane. That???s mostly why I avoided them.
I didn???t want to get married. I didn???t want to have a family. No kids. No wife. I wanted to be a successful lawyer, or doctor, or architect by the time I was in my mid-twenties, or perhaps before. This movie theatre gig was only temporary.
I???d already gotten enough schooling for any of those positions.
One thing that shone in my resume???was that I was a potential genius. I graduated high school at the age of fifteen, and went on to graduate college a month before my twenty-first birthday.
Now I just needed to find the right job offer, and I would no longer be ???Mr. Walsh, the movie theatre manager.???
I???d be ???Dr. Walsh,??? or ???Mr. Walsh, the lawyer,??? or ???Mr. Walsh, the architect.???
Any one of those impressive-sounding names would please me.
I groaned under my breath as I pulled into the Red Lobster parking lot, and gazed out my window, peering into the restaurant window.
I didn???t see my blind date yet.
Sure, I didn???t know what she looked like. But she couldn???t be that hard to spot. I would just need to keep a look out for a lonely girl, sitting alone in an expensive restaurant, draped in a wannabe-magnificent dress.
I sat in my car for a little bit longer, staring curiously through the window of Red Lobster. I still didn???t see a girl that matched that description, so I exited my car, and entered the restaurant.
???How many???? the hostess said immediately, beaming at me with an attractive smile.
???One, please. But I???ve got a date coming soon. Her name???s Julia Saxton,??? I replied curtly, still wishing I wasn???t here.
The hostess???s eyes scanned the clip board clutched in her hand, and she replied, ???She???s already here, sir. Let me bring you to her table.???
My eyes widened incredibly, which is something they rarely ever did. I was hardly ever surprised. I???m usually clever enough to expect events before they happen???but I hadn???t expected her to already be here. I hadn???t seen her through the window, after all.
The hostess led me to the very back of the restaurant, false glee plastered to her Barbie-like face, and turned the corner into a separate room.
I glanced around curiously. This room was very luxurious, with dimmed blue lights and pictures of fish on the wall???giving it the ocean affect I was sure they???d been aiming for.
In the middle of the room was a mahogany table, surrounded by dozens of beautifully lit candles with flickering flames, and a vase of multicolored flowers in the center.
My date was sitting at one end of the long table, with a cushioned chair on her left, which I assumed was mine.
???This is really???something,??? I said tonelessly, taking a seat next to my date.
Although I knew I???d never be romantically attracted to this girl, I had to admit, she was attractive.
Her hair was long, delicate, and flowed to her waist. It was a strawberry blonde color, distinguishing greatly from her eyes, which were a warm chocolate brown. Her face had a healthy glowing look to it, while her cheeks were sprinkled with tiny freckles.
The hostess assured us that our waitress would come soon, and left the room.
???Hi,??? my date said cheerfully, facing me with gleeful eyes. ???My name???s Julia. Julia Saxton. Nice to meet you???er, Drake Walsh, right????
I forced a very thin, strained smile to break out across my face. ???Yes, Drake. Thanks. And I already know who you are. My, mother told me. Oh yes???did she set this whole ordeal up???? I said, shrugging and knowing that my assumption would be accurate.
Julia nodded. ???Yes. She wanted it to be???romantic. I think it???s a bit overdone???but???I guess it???s still nice. The restaurant made her pay a fortune for this room.??? She shrugged, causing her hair to spill over her shoulders.
???I assumed as much,??? I murmured uninterestedly. The waitress arrived at that moment, a basket of bread in her hand. She set it down at the table.
???Hello, I???m Amanda, and I???ll be taking care of you tonight,??? she said perkily. ???Can I start you out with some drinks???? She retrieved a pad of paper and a pen from her back pocket, and looked at both of us expectantly.
???I???ll just have water,??? I said shortly.
???I???ll have sprite,??? Julia chirped in, smiling appreciatively at the waitress.
???All right,??? Amanda mumbled, scribbling frantically on the paper. ???Do you have any idea what food you???d like????
I opened my mouth to send the waitress off for now, but Julia piped in, ???Give us a few minutes.???
Amanda nodded obediently, and hurried out of the room.
Julia turned to me, grinning. ???So???tell me about yourself.???
???
This shocked me. It was the second time tonight this girl had perplexed me???.
???Well???my name???s Drake Walsh.??? I hesitated. ???I work at a movie theatre as the manager, and I???m twenty-one.???
Julia giggled. Her laugh tinkled, like tiny bells. ???No???I mean, what do you like? Lemme think???hmm???favorite color? Favorite food? Favorite number? Favorite animal???? She raised her eyebrows curiously.
I didn???t smile. I sucked in a sharp breath, and spoke quickly.
???Magenta. Lamb chops. Twenty-four. Platypus.???
Julia crinkled her nose. ???Magenta???? she said mockingly. ???Not a very manly color, is it???? she teased.
???I don???t like to listen to the stereotypes,??? I said sternly. No smile was threatening to edge onto my face. My expression was cold.
???I respect that,??? Julia murmured quietly, her fingers fidgeting uncomfortably on the table.
Amanda returned. I ordered the grilled salmon, and Julia ordered the shrimp platter.
Her order was more expensive than mine. And I was paying for the dinner???of course.
By the time Amanda had given us our food, there was the distinct feeling of awkwardness lingering in the atmosphere. I didn???t know what had happened. We???d been chatting openly a minute ago.
Perhaps it was because I had refused to smile, as I did on every date?
Nah.
Dinner ended after an hour of annoyingly thick discomfort. I paid the fee automatically???mostly because Julia didn???t even offer to.
Once the disgusting date ended, Julia and I trudged out of the restaurant, side by side, not glancing at each other once.
To my surprise a third time that night, the car I was parked next to???was actually Julia???s car.
I nodded at her very curtly, and got into my car.
???Hold on,??? I heard her voice chime. I forced my gaze upon her, my russet eyes dark and unfriendly.
???Did you have a nice time???? she asked, peeking into my car window with weak hopefulness.
I sighed exaggeratedly. ???No.???
Then I drove away, without another word.
Like I said before;
Woman drove me insane. That???s why I avoided them.