𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐓𝐖𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐘-𝐅𝐎𝐔𝐑:
Better than monsters
(1978)

"IF VAMPIRES USED THEIR BRAINS LIKE YOU. I WONDER WHAT OUR WORLD WOULD BE LIKE." Garrett tells her as he sits on the metal stool inside the laboratory and rests his elbows on the white counter.

"Evolutionary, progressive, revolutionary?" Corazon muses as she takes out the samples from the container.

"Exactly!" Garrett agrees heavily with a snap of his fingers.

Civilized vampires that refused to live a life as a nomad did make their own world within the humans. Private establishments—approved by the Volturi, such as the vampire bars, are hidden quite well with the color of their eyes as the entrance. Hotels in private islands are usually cast with a spell that removes animosity and territorial instincts.

Vampires that decided to have occupations with limited human interaction, investing and broadening their assets or those vampires who are confident enough with their skills to blend in with the humans like Carlisle, or those vampires who sought aid from witches to hide the coldness of their skin and the luminosity when the sun-brushed their skin.

Witches thrive as long as vampires need them, and that's forever. Their family refused to ask witches for help. They drew heavy bargains and heavy debts—not money.

Unfortunately, not all vampires are wealthy. Years of living don't necessarily guarantee money. They also live in a capitalist country, after all. But unlike humans, they do have a bit of an advantage: they don't need healthcare, no doctor appointments because they are already dead, and they don't get sick anymore or need dental checkups. No groceries as they don't eat human food anymore, but blood bags are fairly expensive to obtain when done legally or illegally. Well, some choose practically over following the law.

But vampires refuse to participate or associate themselves with mortal affairs. It's taboo to even get involved with a human. The Volturi made sure of it.

A universally acknowledged fact in the Vampire world is that the Volturi is the highest form of their law.

They are the vampiric's version of government and royalty combined. They enforced laws passed by word of mouth from creator to newborn. It's why the Vampire world is peaceful and civilized, because of them, the fear that they had instilled that made a vampire follow the rules in fear of the consequences it brings when a crime has been committed.

Some say that the Volturi is the villain of their world, but Corazon begs to differ. The Volturi made it possible for vampires to even live within the world of humans.

Their laws are reasonable.

They encourage secrecy and the protection of their kind. Given that vampire covens are historically known to disobey and abuse their lack of secrecy—like the Southern Vampire Wars that had been blamed or covered as an epidemic of cholera.

After all, when they are exposed to humans, all hell breaks loose because humans fear the unknown. Humans would either want to be vampires or eliminate them—which will prove to be a difficult task.

Corazon respects their authority, but that doesn't mean she necessarily agrees with their actions. She heavily disagrees with the extinction of the werewolves because of Caius and the fact they eliminate vampire covens that have an opportunity to overthrow them or Aro's obsession with collecting gifted vampires like prized toys.

But that's vampiric nature, greedy, power-hungry, and territorial.

The cycle of their immortality.

The conditions of eternal life.

Over the years, Corazon had grown curious about the Volturi. Carlisle was a member of the elite coven until he left to explore the New World and sought his own coven. The Volturi tested his limits when it came to drinking animal blood, often leaving dead bodies at his doorstep and questioning his beliefs, but Aro finds Carlisle interesting and a dearest friend; he was dismayed when Carlisle left. Until now, because of Carlisle's friendship with Aro, the Cullen Coven remained untouched.

Carlisle found them interesting, too. That is why he went to universities all over Europe. He studied music, science, art, and medicine. After all, the Volturi are also known to be the Nighttime Patrons of the Arts. Carlisle kept a painting from Italian painter Francesco Solimena, who adored Aro, Caius, and Marcus and often painted them as higher beings like the Greek gods because of their unnatural beauty.

One of the most impressive works of the Volturi is their ability to infiltrate the human government. An underground organization they created for vampires to remain unknown to the world, forged illegal documents became legal because of the process and law they had instilled that land properties can be easily acquired and bought. It made every civilized vampire's life easy.

Everything was accessible to them. Human society became theirs without the mortals knowing. It was all possible because of the gifted vampires that served the Three Kings. They used their abilities to their advantage and the benefit of vampire society. Doing it anonymously and for the preservation of their kind. It was highly impressive and intelligent.

"I am honored to be your test subject for today," Garrett continues as Corazon lays out the samples with different measurements of glass thickness. She had been doing this research and experiment for years. Eye contacts that could withstand their venom for a couple of hours. She was aiming for five hours. Changing contacts twice a day when they're in public is needed.

After all, how would humans believe they're not biologically related when the color of their eyes is so similar to each other?

"Really?" With an amused tone and raised brow, Corazon says, "You seemed a bit scared earlier when I asked you." Garrett had been staying with them for over a week; he had grown tired of traveling across the country alone and decided to settle for a while. He decided that he would take up the offer of his old friend, Carlisle, to stay with his family. Garrett had always adored all of them and found them a great source of entertainment. He needed company; he'd been feeling alone as of late.

"I was not!" He dismissed almost immediately, "I was a bit hesitant because that little shit, Emmett, said that you'll amputate my arms and legs and then put me back together!" Garrett huffs and crosses his arms to his chest as he tips his chin upwards, looking away from her, then says, "I am not fucking humpty dumpty, I want to remain put together,"

Corazon looked at him as if he was crazy, "And you believed him?"

"To be fair, when you say experiment, and I could think about what the humans do when they say experiment, you know, the bunnies and the rats kind of experiment," Garrett explains. Corazon shrugs as she places the 3D Eye Model on the counter. Then Garrett picks up the model and starts eyeing the eye with an interested look on his face and a pucker of his lips.

"That's animal cruelty," Corazon points out as Garrett nods heavily, agreeing. "Humans are twisted, you know? And they use us as horror bedtime stories! How ironic, we don't do shit like that,"

Corazon hums with a smile as she hands Garrett a pair of eye contacts and places a mirror on the counter, "Yes, we only kill and suck their blood in order to live,"

"It's not like we take pleasure in it. Well, for us, at least, we can't say for all vampires, we don't kill them slowly, but humans do. Those test subjects of theirs are subjected to multiple toxins and vile living conditions only to endure a slow death. Nobody should ever endure that, even animals. They feel too, like us," Garrett tells her as he fits the eye contacts to his eyes, and his crimson red eyes are covered with dark brown contacts. Corazon starts the timer on her watch on how long the contacts would last before the venom successfully dissolves the glass. She had tried it on herself, but she didn't know if there was a different reaction for the venom regarding blood diet. After all, human blood drinkers are stronger than animal blood drinkers.

"Look at you, an animal welfare advocate."

"Ah! I do have an incredible amount of free time. I sometimes use it wisely." Garrett cheekily answers.

"Sometimes? Why not all the time?" Corazon curiously asks.

"And what is the fun in that?" Garrett grins as Corazon shakes her head.

Garrett's theories have always piqued her curiosity; he has an interesting and dynamic mind. Chaotically adventurous and relentlessly curious. Always up to date with mortal scandals and affairs. Still bears hatred towards the English because of the American Revolutionary War. Conspiracy theories. The moon landing was a complete hoax. The mortal royals and their blood-stained gold. Cults. Serial Killers. Hollywood. John Kennedy's assassination. The underground network of Satanists. The six wives of Henry VIII. The Salem Witch Trials. The incestual relationships in every royal family. Titanic. Joan of Arc. Spanish Armada. The Romanovs. The House of Medici. The mysterious death of Edgar Allan Poe. The dancing plague. Andes tragedy. The Great Library of Alexandria. Pompeii. Ancient Egypt. Plagues that occur every century. The lost city of Atlantis. Oregon Trail. Napoleon. The Spanish Inquisition. Ottoman Empire.

Garrett travels to countries where war occurs. He was present during the attack on Pearl Harbor. Always curious, always looking for something. Never settling down, always moving. Something that would make him feel the rush of time. He lived for such a long time wandering on earth that, for him, time was nonexistent.

Well, at least now he can fully feel that the clock is ticking because he's waiting for Corazon's eye contact to be fully dissolved by his venom. So they talked, mostly Garrett; Corazon thought she had never met someone who matched her ramblings until Garrett; it's quite entertaining. Corazon's always used to do the talking. It was nice to listen to every once in a while.

After the time was up and a successful day of experimentation. They decided to clean up and lock up the laboratory. They arrived early in the morning, so they left right before the afternoon. The weather has been quite gloomy all week, so there's been no problem with their skin sparkling.

"I forgot my leather jacket inside!" Garrett exclaims as he snaps his finger. Corazon hands him the keys and reminds him, "No speeding, Garrett. Someone might notice." Her eyes wander towards the busy halls of personnel wearing white coats.

"Yes, yes." Garrett waves his hand lazily up in the air in dismissal. He pads his way inside with his hands tucked in the pockets of his black trousers, dragging his leather boots, looking arrogant so that eyes followed his direction.

Corazon waited for him. She heard the familiar tune of an ice cream truck heading towards the park. The ice cream truck was painted in a cheerful palette of pastel blues and creamy whites. The truck's exterior was adorned with vibrant pictures of ice cream cones, popsicles, and sundaes. Children with vibrant smiles lined up with dollar bills on their tiny hands. Corazon smiles to herself. Being a child is such fun.

Then she heard, "Would you like an ice cream cone, little girl?" There was something in the man's voice that caught her attention. Corazon tuned in her hearing. "No, thank you," a tiny girl's voice answers.

"Where's your mommy?" His tone is cheerfully fake. Corazon clenched her hands to her side.

"She went to the restroom," The girl answered again.

Child predators. When she came across them, Corazon always made sure to get rid of them thrice or twice a month. Corazon made her way toward the man and the girl near the park benches.

"What's your name?"

Before the girl could answer, Corazon interfered, "Don't answer him," She told the girl softly.

"I'm just asking her name, woman. No harm done. She was alone." He raises his hands in surrender. Then he focuses his attention back towards the girl, "Is this your mommy?" The girl looked up to Corazon with a hint of fear in her innocent eyes, which angered her even more.

"I am. So you're going up to every child who's alone?" Corazon asks as she blocks his view of the girl.

"Look, the kid is alone. I just wanted to make sure nothing happened to her. That's all." The man answers with a shrug of his shoulders. Corazon focused his gaze from head to toe, observing, scrutinizing, and judging him. The man coughs nervously. He's blonde, wearing glasses, a buttoned-up checkered shirt, and tan khaki shorts.

"From predators like you, I assume?" Corazon questions with a menacing smile on her red-painted lips.

"Woah, woah!" The man exclaims with a disbelieving expression. "No, no, of course not. Why do you think that?" He fidgets with his collar.

"You're nervous," Corazon quips, tilting her head as she squints her eyes, "You have scratch marks on your neck," The man immediately covers it with his collar, "A scar on your cheek. Scratches on your hand. Kinky wife?"

The man gulps. His Adam's apple bobbing. He stuttered for an answer, but Corazon didn't let him as she took a step forward, with the man stepping back on instinct, almost stumbling back. Corazon then tells him with a haunting quality of calmness in her voice, "I can see rot from a mile away, and you lie to me?" She releases a small laugh. "You prey on innocent and vulnerable children, and from the looks of it. You've been doing it for a long time."

Corazon grabbed his arm. He panics but can't seem to fight over her hold on him, confused by her strength. "You will follow every word that I say."

She hears Garrett's approaching footsteps as he whistles. "What do we have here?" as he places his sunglasses, hiding his crimson red eyes.

Corazon looks over her shoulder with a grin, "Your lunch."

"Excellent! I am quenched." He smiles as he licks his bottom lip, staring at the human who was looking at them with wide eyes.

"But first, tell me your address. Let's see what you have in your basement or attic." Corazon casually wraps an arm around the man's arms as she looks at the girl. "This man will not bother you anymore." She opens her purse, plucks a dollar bill, and hands it to the girl. "Looks like your mother is here."

"What seems to be the problem here?" The woman approaches quickly, placing a protective hand on her daughter's shoulder. Like every mother would when strangers surround her child, Corazon thinks she shouldn't have left her child unattended in the first place.

"Oh, nothing, ma'am. My brother here is an invalid." Garrett places a firm hand on the man's shoulder, squeezing it. "He seemed to have managed to go outside our home without anybody noticing. He was just talking to your daughter about his day at the park. Isn't that right, Sal?"

Corazon looks at the man, "It's alright, Sal. You can answer him. You can do it. You had a great time in the park didn't you?" She asks gently.

"Yes." The man answers in a whisper.

"Oh," The mother blinks rapidly as she takes her daughter's hand. "I'm his caretaker, and I lost sight of him while preparing for his lunch. My apologies for the inconvenience that he caused for your daughter." Corazon tells her and then addresses the girl, "I think an ice cream would suffice?"

"How nice of you," The mother says as she tugs her daughter's hand, "What would you say, Daisy?"

"Thank you." The girl shyly says. "You're welcome," Corazon responds.

"I hope your brother gets well. Thank you, again." The mother gratefully smiles, giving them a curt nod, and she and her daughter walk towards the ice cream truck. Garrett hummed amusedly as his gaze followed them, and then his eyes snapped towards the man.

"That's going to be difficult to do when I drain you dry." Garrett tips his head, sunglasses falling loosely on the bridge of his nose as he flashes his crimson red eyes.

"You're monsters." The man answers with a strained voice. Corazon and Garrett shared amused looks as Corazon whispered in her ears, which made the man's eyes widen.

"Oh, sweetheart. We're vampires."

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

━━ I am establishing a new rule that I won't update any chapters until the previous chapter I posted isn't receiving the amount of attention/hype (comments & votes) I would have preferred, so this time I know that ya'll actually want to read my updates. This might get a weekly update if I am satisfied with the feedback!

━━ My second semester starts this week, and my courses are heavy and difficult, so updates will be slower than usual as I try to adjust and pace myself with my new schedule.

Another shit schedule, but at least I don't have Saturday classes anymore, and only three times a week. But I hate how long my vacant hours are. (This also might change depending on the Prof's schedule, so I really hope it doesn't because I actually prefer this.)

I haven't written anything since I started my semester break. This is my advanced notice that I have something important to do in my personal life that'll take months to arrange and finish. I fully intend to focus on that, so I won't really prioritize my writing life as much, but that doesn't mean I won't notice! The comments from the previous chapters are declining, and I'm keeping an eye on that! Thank you for your patience and understanding. I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter!

I LOVE GARRETT SO MUCH!!