Chương 41: 38. How about 20 Questions ?
Yuree
I sighed deeply , feeling comfortable under my blanket .
My body was warm and slightly lucid from sleeping .
I turned my body to the side but then I froze .
I had felt the blanket on my upper skin , which was strange because I never slept without my shirt .
And as I shifted my attention , I realised my legs were also bare .
Was I naked ?
No , I was wearing a boxer , I realised , but why was I sleeping close to the nude ?
I opened my eyes and looked at the sidewall where there was a poster of a hummingbird on a dry tree branch . It was something I had gotten a long time ago . I couldn't remember if it had been mom or dad who put it up for me though .
I turned around and went on my other side and I froze again .
What is he doing ? I thought bewildered . I had good reason to bewildered .
Bee was in my room and , oddly , he was shirtless . The shirtless thing was strange enough but what Bee was DOING was stranger .
Bee was in the middle of my bedroom right infront of my window . The light from the window shined behind him and gave his skin a gleam. He was on his knees , his hands on his lap and his head down .
He looked like someone waiting for the hangman .
What was wrong with him ? I wondered . I opened my mouth to ask him when I saw a red stain on his short . It looked like ... blood .
That's when it hit me ... and I mean it HIT me !
The memory came back like a physical blow and I moved as if I had been punched . I remembered it all ;
Me and Bee in the bathroom . Bee cleaning me and then getting this vomiting fit . Bee's grey like skin tone , his hollow dead eyes and the violent behaviour .
I remembered his look of anguish and his frenzy , it had scared me .
But then I had wanted to help him and then I'd ... let him eat me .
I remembered his cold lips and then his teeth sinking into my flesh ... and the pain !
I remembered the blood loss and lightheadedness that came as he started to drink from me . I remembered asking him to stop and just deciding to wait for him to finish .
Then everything had gone black .
Now I breathed slowly and carefully raised my eyes back at the boy on the floor . Or whatever he was .
I realised he was waiting for me to speak and that he was probably going to wait on the floor until I did.
But what could I say to him ?
I couldn't say ; ' Thanks for not completely drinking me. And by the way , how did I taste ? Too sweet ? '
I could not fully believe what had happened , let alone think of what to say .
But I had to say something ...
" Bee ? " I said softly , and he dropped his head lower and I realised what he thought was going to happen.
He thought I was going to punish him ! I realised.
" Bee , I'm not going to ... I mean ... I don't think I could even ... I mean ...it's just ...oh my gosh ." I blundered like a buffoon , I didn't know what to say or how to say it .
Think , we were in a very awkward position right now , I told myself , he's expecting punishment and you just want answers ... mmm... answers ?
An idea flashed into my head , it was stupid but it would break the tension in the room .
" Bee , do you want to play a game with me ? " I said and he looked up at me .
He was close enough that I could see his eyes were filled with anguish and slightly red rimmed ... he had been crying .
This knowledge only made me more bewildered , why would I punish someone who seemed to be suffering already ?
" A...game ? " he asked confused and I nodded my head . " But , " he continued , " Are you ...not afraid ...don't you ... hate me ? "
" Let's play my game first , and maybe I'll be able to answer those questions . " I said solemnly .
I couldn't have been sure of my feelings right then , whether I was afraid of him or not was something I needed to find out . My mind was whirling with alot of questions and emotional analysis was the last thing I could do .
" I... accept ." he said nodding his head slowly .
" Okay , the game is called ' 20 Questions ' " I said , " It's another self-explanatory game like ' Truth or Dare ' . I ask you 20 questions and you have to answer me honestly . Deal ? "
He nodded his head slowly whilst looking reluctant , But it wasn't reluctance though ... it was fear . He was afraid I would ask too much .
But I would find out if there was too much to know first .
" Okay , first question ... Did you stop ? " I asked and he raised his head confused , " When you drank ...me - my blood . I fell asleep after awhile , so I didn't notice but I want to know . Did you stop drinking from me ? "
This was important more than anything , it meant he was not dangerous . Well he was , I thought , but if he could stop ... if he could not fully drain me and KILL me , then he had a conscious . And that was really important .
Sure he had been crying but it was more important to know that he had tried to not kill me .
He frowned thoughtfully ," I ... did but you were ... very weak ."
I nodded my head , so he had drained me alot but he had stopped and not killed me .
I felt a bit of my fear ease but still a part of my emotions raged with cautious fear . Maybe the next questions would help , I thought .
" Did you want to drink more ? " I asked him . Another important one , if he had wanted to drink more and possibly kill me but then held back , it meant he had control and some restraint .
" I did ... but then I heard you call me and I snapped out of my mind and when I saw you ... I couldn't ... I DIDN'T want to drink anymore ." he said his hands in fists .
Okay , so far so good , I thought , I honestly couldn't believe the questions I was asking but there we were .
" Okay , then ... Now , for something more serious ... who are you and what are you ? " I asked , this should have been the first question I asked but knowing I wasn't in complete danger of him feeding on my flesh had been more important .
Even if he did start now , he would not kill me ... if I believed him that was . But since I wasn't dead now , he had to be telling the truth .
" I ... am Bee ." he answered and I frowned , was this the truth or a lie ? Should I believe this , I wondered , but his next words ... were beyond belief .
" I am ... a ... ghoul ." he said and I sat straighter with my eyes wide open and my mouth hanging loose .
Did he just say he was ... a ghoul ?
" You mean ... like a-a zombie ?" I stuttered and he nodded his head slowly , his face in a frown as if thinking .
But I was too stunned to pay attention to that . A zombie ! Oh my gosh !
He was the undead ! I thought shocked , I couldn't believe it but ...I had too .
If it was true ... but it had to be ... oh my gosh , I ... I couldn't ... it was too much . I shook my head and realigned my focus . Ask something else, I told myself .
But with his statement alot of questions popped into my head but I quickly set them straight . I had to ask important questions . I only had 16 more left anyway .
" Okay ... How did you ... become a ... a zombie ? " Oh my gosh , that's one question I never thought I'd be asking anyone in my life .
" Olibia brought me back ." he answered .
" Who is Olibia ? " I asked .
" She is the one who brought me back . " he replied and I frowned at this .
Those weren't clear answers !
But that was the problem with '20 Questions' . You had to ask something specific or everyone gave some vague answer out of spite... but with Bee I think it was just the way he was .
" What is Olibia ? " I asked changing tact .
" She is powerful and she is meant to help me . " he replied and I felt frustration at this short information but atleast it was more elaborate than before .
" Is Olibia ... A goddess ? " I asked tentatively , but he shook his head ,
" No , I don't think so . "
Okay , then she wasn't a deity . That didn't offer much to go on but it was something .
I had to change questions , ask something more important .
" Why ... did she turn you ...into a ..
ghoul ? " , Saying ' ghoul ' was not better than saying ' zombie ' , both terms made me uncomfortable and shudder .
" I asked to come back and she brought me back ." he answered and I raised my eye brows .
Come back ? ...
" Are you ... Did you die ? " I asked but automatically regretted it . Of course he died dumby , how else was he a zombie ? I thought sardonicly .
" Yes , I did ... but I came back ." he said .
Okay , now I registered the fact that I was talking to a dead guy . To say I felt creeped out would not have been a lie however I was slightly familiar with Bee so it wasn't too creepy .
But it was still creepy .
" How did you die ? " I asked slowly , I hoped it wasn't something horrible like being burnt alive or strangled to death .
Bee lifted a hand and touched his chest but I didn't see anything at first . Only as I looked closer did I see some faint cut marks that seemed to be healing .
" Olibia said i died because of this ." he said moving his hand and touching his chest and I nodded my head understandingly and kept my face passive , but I still shivered and cringed inside .
He was stabbed to death ! Oh my gosh , that was horrible ... it wasn't ' burnt alive ' horrible but it was still pretty close .
" Okay ... Do you eat ...I mean did you eat people before we met ? " I asked , I wanted to know this really badly .
" No , I have never eaten ... anyone before you ." he said and I felt a bit of relief and realised I had been worried he was a murderer .
If I was his first then he had not killed people before or atleast eaten anyone before me .
Strangely that made me also feel slightly vain .
" What did you eat before ?" I asked , he clearly didn't eat vegetables . I knew that much about zombies , they weren't vegetarians .
" I have only gotten hungry once before ... and when I did , I ate some rats in the trash bin ."
" Oh my gosh ! " I said outloud , that sounded HORRIFIC ! I blinked my eyes to erase the idea of Bee in a dumpster catching rats and chewing on them like sandwiches ... I shuddered in revulsion .
" Okay , okay ... If you are ...a ghoul ... why are you here ? " I asked , " Is it to eat people or do you have something else to do ? "
That was two questions I knew and I was now down to 6 questions .
" I came back to finish my unfinished business . " he said and I frowned .
" Unfinished business , but I thought that was for ghosts ? "
" Olibia said I could not come back as a ghost . "
I processed this information ... Ghost were real apparently , well I should have guessed that sooner .
I was talking to a zombie afterall .
" Why did you ... Why did you agree to stay with us ? " i asked suddenly ," If Olibia is meant to help you why aren't you with her ? "
" Olibia did go ... She became weak and had to go . I was alone ."
" Is that why you decided to stay with us ? Because you didn't want to be alone ? "
Gosh darn it ! I was burning my questions fast . One question left .
" No , i ... didn't come to stay with Mrs Rosi and Gus but I wanted to be near you , Yuree . I came for you and ... yes ... because I didn't want to be alone ... I didn't want to be alone anymore . "
" I ..." that was sweet on so many levels , as well as strange on alot more levels but it didn't answer my question completely .
" Why did you want to be with us - to be with me ? You could have been with any family out there in the world . " I said , he could have stayed with hobos or been put in a shelter , " Why us ? Why me ? Please don't tell me it's because I'm beautiful because ... that won't cut it this time . I need a real answer . I need the truth . "
Bee stayed quiet for a moment , his head shaking from side to side as if in deep contemplation . He clearly hadn't thought about this question before , I thought , but just as I was about to open my mouth and ask him if he had thought about it before , he spoke .
His answer was world shattering .
It shattered MY world .
" I want to be with you ... To care of you . " he said looking at me and I was captured by his eyes aswell as his words ," I was afraid when you did not wake up ... I thought you were going to depart but I did not want you to go ... I understand death is not the end but when I thought you were going ... I could not accept it ... I did not want to lose you . You make me feel less lost , less broken and I do not feel alone when I am with you . I do not want to lose you but I almost did and it broke me ... I had felt so lost , I had wanted to not exist anymore ... I need you ... I feel nonexistent without you . But I hurt you and I will accept any punishment you give me ... even if you want me to go . I am sorry Nymph , I am sorry Yuree . I never wanted to hurt you , I DON'T want to hurt you . You are the most amazing human I have met since I came back into this world . You make me feel like ... I am human again ... like I am not broken ... not lost ... I care about you ... I ... I love you . "
What could I say to that ? What in this world could I have said to that ?
I sat on my bed stunned , no , shocked to my core !
I looked at Bee , he had his head held down again and was waiting for the punishment he expected me to give but I couldn't punish him .
I didn't even want to ... I ... I was too stunned to even think of it .
' I love you ' he had said ...
How many nights had I sat on the roof in Summer , wishing on shooting stars to hear those words ? How many times had I imagined sitting down with the love of my life as he whispered those words into my ear ? How many nights had I cried because someone mocked me for liking guys or nights when i sighed as I felt my hope for love fading ?
How many years had I wanted to hear those words ? I wondered fleetingly .
I looked at Bee again and thought about him .
He was an undead stranger who had appeared in my life when I was in danger . He had lifted me when I couldn't walk , he had helped me when I needed him .
He made me smile and laugh with his strangeness . He cared about me , he listened to me , he was there for me and ... he apparently loved me .
I knew there was alot I still didn't know about him but I knew more now than I had when we first met .
ALOT MORE .
Bee had laid himself bare infront me now , each question revealing the truth about him that he had kept hidden from everyone .
He had made himself vulnerable and I could easily just have told him to leave or waited until mom came back and told her everything .
He'd be locked away and I'd never see him again .
But I didn't want that .
I didn't want to lose Bee , the same way he didn't want to lose me , maybe .
I bit my lip and waded through my swirling emotions . What did I feel for him ? I liked his company and he seemed to like mine .
Did I LOVE him though ?
I ...I wasn't sure but I knew I didn't hate him .
So what did that mean ? What would I , no , what would WE do ?
What could we do ?
I looked at Bee again . He was still on his knees , I hadn't told him to get up this whole time .
Maybe that could be his punishment , I thought wryly .
I smiled and lifted the blanket off me , turning in my bed until my legs hung over the side .
" Bee , " I said and he looked up with anxious eyes that made me shake my head ruefully .
" Yes , Yuree ? " he said nervously .
" Call me Nymph . " I said and he looked startled .
" But ... are you not going to - "
" No , " I said , " I am not afraid of you , atleast mostly . I would be crazy if I wasn't alittle bit . But I trust you and I know you didn't mean to hurt me , which was actually MY choice by the way . I chose to feed you , so you have no reason to be worried or feel bad . "
" But I - " he started but I cut him off .
" No , I don't want you to feel bad about this . " i said quickly , " I want you to make sure that next time , you and I won't have to deal with all that pressure . I think we should deal with your hunger together . Even If I have to give you a piece of myself again ."
" No , I will not harm you again ." he said firmly and I felt warmth in my chest .
" Too bad , it will be my choice when that day comes . As for now though , we have to talk ... about what you just said . About loving me ."
" I do love yo- "
I raised a hand to stop him .
" I don't doubt it . You haven't shown me anything to the contrary . No wonder everyone thought you were my boyfriend . " I said wryly , but then in a more solemn voice ," But besides you loving me , I'm not entirely sure how I feel about you . You're not human for one thing and there are things i still don't understand . You also feed on flesh which is very ... unique . I also don't want to rush a relationship . It's something I always told myself , and I have only known you for less than a week . "
" Okay , I understand if you do not feel the -"
" Wait , I'm not done . I may not be sure I love you but I know I like you . I don't know whether I'll fall in love with you or not but it would be good to try . I've never been in a serious relationship so I wouldn't know. But in the meantime ... we could just hang out . A human and a ... ghoul , I guess . "
" Nymph , does this mean ... I can stay with you ? " he asked hopefully and I nodded my head .
" Really ? "
" Yes , really . " I said chuckling , " Now , can you get me my crutch or help me up ,so I can get myself some clothes . It's a bit chilly . "
Bee smiled and I liked his smile . It was so open and nice that I almost didn't notice him shaking his head . But I heard his words, " No , I will not ."
" What ? Why not ? " I asked confused , I wasn't really cold though , I just didn't want to stay in my boxers whilst he was shirtless like that . It made me feel like the situation was weird .
It is weird , I thought wryly .
" Because I did not finish cleaning you . " he said solemnly and my cheeks turned hot .
Oh my gosh , not that again .
" Well , I ... I guess it's okay . " I said reluctantly ,
Bee smiled and came up to me and before I knew what he wanted to do , I was picked up and in his arms again .
He really liked picking me up like this , I noted .
" Nymph ? " he said and I looked up at him ,
" Yes , Bee ? " I said softly .
" Thank you ... for not making me be alone . " he said softly and I blushed again .
Oh my gosh ! This guy was alot ...
I sighed and rested my head onto his chest as he carried me back to the bathroom .
Strangely enough , I realised something then , something that I should have known earlier about Bee . How I missed it , was beyond me . As my head rested on his chest , I realised ... he had no heart beat .
...
" So how was your day ? " Mom asked as she walked into the dining room .
I sat at the dinning table with Bee and Gus . The two of them had come back earlier and found me and Bee watching another movie .
Bed couldn't get enough of them .
" Well , how was it ? " mom said taking her seat .
I thought about the question , should I tell her the truth ? The truth being ; I just found out that the guy sitting next to me is an undead creature who feeds on human flesh and apparently is in love with me ... but I couldn't say it .
" It was fine ." I said and I reminded myself not to look to the side . A habit I had when lying , but i had sworn to fix it, if I wanted to lie to my mom properly . Especially then because I couldn't tell her the truth .
I couldn't tell the truth because of two reasons ; One reason ; it was crazy and sounded crazier . Also two ; if mom found out she would kick Bee out and possibly have a heart attack that she let such a creature into the house in the first place .
But I didn't want Bee to leave . Even though he was something I had never seen before and something i didn't understand . I liked his company and didn't want to oust him .
Also he said he loved me so maybe I was just being fickle .
" Bee did you drink the beer bottle I left for you ? " Gus asked Bee whilst patting his shoulder .
" Yes ... but I found it unpleasant ." Bee said politely and I smiled smugly at Gus .
" I knew he wouldn't like it . " I said triumphantly .
" Now , hold on a second . How do I know that you didn't tell him to say he didn't like it ? " Gus said accusingly and I drew back in fake shock .
" Why uncle , why would I ever do such a thing ? Does that sound like me at all ? " I said looking hurt but he shook his head so I dropped the pretense .
" Okay , fine . The truth is Bee drank the beer and he didn't like it . It even made him through up ." I said and mom looked at Bee quickly .
" Bee , really ? Are you okay ? " she asked and Bee nodded his head , " Okay , that's good . I guess you found out you're not a beer fan . But don't judge us when we take a few shots , okay ? "
Mom and Gus both had beer bottles on the table already .
" Mom , when are you going grocery shopping ? " I asked her and she frowned .
" Why are you asking ? Do ... you want to come along ? " she asked confused and she had reason to be . I didn't really like grocery shopping , except maybe for fish .
" Yes , I want to come with you ." I said , I could try to get her to buy more meat for Bee later incase he got hungry . Since he said he had eaten rats , I assumed he could eat animal flesh just like human flesh .
I shuddered , these are thoughts I never thought I'd think .
" No , you can't go . You're still in a cast and sling . You're barely two days from the hospital ." she said shaking her head .
" But I'm better now , alot better." I countered . And it was true , alot of my stitches had just faded in the last couple of hours and my leg and shoulder weren't hurting as much .
" Doesn't matter , I'm not having you walk around in the shopping market just so you can pass out . " she said and I grumbled internally .
" I can come and look after Nymph ." Bee said , " I could make sure that he was okay ."
" Well ... if you're sure Bee . Then I guess it's okay ." mom said smiling softly but I was incredulous .
" How come if I ask , you say no but when Bee asks , you say yes ? " I asked her and she smiled again .
" Because Bee is reliable ." She said and I opened my mouth to refute her but I closed it again .
She was right , Bee was reliable .
I looked at Bee sitting next to me . Big surprise , for once he was not looking at me and instead sat completely gazing at his food . He wasn't eating it though .
Bee had taken off his bloody clothing , it would have drawn mom's attention .
Bee wore a dark blue t-shirt with brown trousers . He had his mask on again but earlier I had seen that his ... spot was gone and that there was only a faint scar that ran along the side of his face . It made him look rough and tangible .
Atleast if he hadn't started looking somewhat abashed it would have . Like right now , he looked deep in thought and somewhat distracted .
I decided to try to bring him out of his head .
" Bee , could you feed me my carrots ? " I asked sweetly and he blinked in shock but he wasn't alone .
Gus spluttered out a portion of the food he had been eating and a trail of gravy ran down the corner of his lip .
" Why does he have to feed you ? " Gus asked and I personally didn't know either . I didn't even know why I had said that , but there was no going back now .
" Because my shoulder hurts and Bee is reliable ." I said using mom's words .
Gus shook his head and mom chuckled lightly . But Bee swallowed visibly and picked up a fork.
He picked up one sliced piece of carrot from my plate and held it out to me . His eyes held an anxious look and I understood it. I was feeling anxious too , this was the first time a guy was feeding me something .
But I dutifully opened my mouth and took the offered slice .
Bee picked up another slice , his eyes glowing with glee , because I'd eaten the first piece . I chuckled and ate the next carrot slice .
So dinner was spent with me being fed by Bee and Gus trying to raise the beer issue again. Mom shut him up by smacking him on the head.
SUY NGHĨ CỦA NGƯỜI SÁNG TẠO 
NixelLazuli
NixelLazuli Longest chapter ever ! But worth it , don't you think ?
Bee has just declared this love he has for Yuree and told his truth or atleast as much as he could .
And I hope this chapter makes up for the way Bee acted . Even though he can't control it , his hunger is a major problem . But no need to worry , Yuree will make him pay ... or Terry will .
Yes , Terry is coming up next . And he is not going to be happy when he sees what happened to Yuree .
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