Snakecharmer chapter 1: Chapter 1

Alexander had never really felt wanted, but at the same time, he didn’t really know what it was like to feel needed… he would watch how his mother and father doted over his sisters… two older, one younger by three years… he knew it was because he was different. His sisters were always so warm and cuddly. Even as a baby, he had never wanted to be hugged, he never hardly cried or spoke, except for when it stormed, and at those points his parents only seemed annoyed… they ignored him when he cried about the rain… from when he was in his crib, to when he was moved up to the room in the attic… they never wanted to see him… because he was unwanted. He was the only child that hadn’t been planned, the only one with dark brown eyes instead of the brilliant and cheerful blue, the only one with dark hair instead of the warm strawberry blond…


Because unnatural… when his rage and his jealousy built up… when the objects would move and bend with out his asking, when the various rodents would seem to seek him out- he enjoyed the company but his family thought it to be disgusting…


One night a storm was particularly frightening, when nothing had been able to crawl into the attic to comfort him on the eve of his 8th birthday. He lay shuddering in bed and cringing whenever the lights flashed and the sound threatened to break the small window over his bed that was already being pelted with rain. “momma-“ he cried as he rolled out of his bed and the lightening guided him across the floor to the stairs before it vanished and he stumbled crying out when he tumbled and crashed onto the floor, crying again as the thunder cracked moments after the dangerous light. “momma!” he sobbed as he got up and ran to the door bursting through the door and then stopped himself when another flash of light fell over the jumbled forms and heard his mothers voice give out a strange sort of sound, “momma?” he wondered before she gave a surprised sort of yell and his father sat up from the strange jumble and he saw him glare through the dim light- glaring really.


“what do you want- get out!” he snapped as his mother sat up as well holding the blanket up to her chest and the boy sniffed, trying to ignore the pain of where the bruises formed on his body.


“I’m scared-“ he tried, he should have known, it was no different than before, they didn’t care… “please” he tried before he heard his 5 year old sister start to cry and his mother got up and pulled on her robe before she brushed passed him even as he tried to reach out for her and then slid to his knees again. “daddy…?” he wondered hopefully as the man got up and pulled on his pants roughly and went over to him he flinched when he got picked up rather roughly, Alexander turned his face into his shoulder in some hopes that he was being consoled but after a few stair steps he found himself being plopped back onto his bed and the blanket pulled back over him. He knew why his father hated him, he didn’t look at all like him… and yet for some reason he stayed with mother, wasn’t it more his fault then it was his? His father didn’t seem to care…


“Grow up already, you’re to old to get scared by a little bit of a storm.” He snapped as he turned to leave and Alexander tensed his shoulders up and sniffed once, trying to rub the image of his parents together out of his mind, trying to dull the pain of the fall…


The next morning he poked idly at his food, dark shadows under his eye from his sleep while his sisters were as cheery as ever, they thought he was a blemish on their family… didn’t they… he glanced up to watch the salt container edge across the table a couple of inches-luckily unnoticed by the rest of them. “Eat your food.” His father said curtly, “You should be thankful for what you have.”


“I wonder why you bother to feed me anymore…” alex mumbled under his breath and his father shot him another look.


“we’re running low on money as it is, you should be thankful.” He said a bit more curtly and Alexander glared back at him so he saw his hand flex on his coffee mug.


“we’re not running low on money… if we were you would complain about it more often.” He replied before he felt the hand strike across his face and he grimaced, the felt the rage burn inside him briefly and he heard his father scream, and he realized that the hot coffee had boiled over spilling across his fathers chest so alexander’s eyes widened slightly before he got up, bolting towards the door and he ran to hide inside of his room as his father cursed and his younger sister cried while the older ones had gotten used to it by now…



That was the last his father would take, he’d been locked in his room for the rest of the day, and when he was finally allowed out he was ordered to get dressed and his father took him out to the carriage to take them, on their way Alexander didn’t bother to say anything glancing up at the cross on the large building they came to and he got out with him following a bit behind as they walked up to the priest that came to meet him. He was younger than his father, with a rather gentle looking face and intensely green eyes, attractive somehow… the two of them spoke for a long moment and when the boy got bored he turned his eyes to the side and caught a slight bit of movement and went to explore in the grass. A small garden snake coiled through the grass and instead of retreating like it would for most it seemed to look up at him and Alexander smiled faintly, he had never seen a creature like this before…. He reached his hand out to it and it moved up into his hand. It wasn’t soft or furry like the mice that he caught, it was smooth, turning to coil around in his fingers and he felt his face flush slightly at the strange sensation and he heard something behind him. “what do you have there, Alexander?” asked a quieter voice than his fathers and the snake gripped more tightly for a moment before it slithered quickly away and his hand flexed at the now empty feeling, “a snake…?” he asked.


“it liked me…” Alex said as he looked up at the young priest who knelt down next to him and pushed a hand back through his hair and smiled softly.


“You must not get to close to snakes Alexander… they are the devil’s messengers, they come to lead you into temptation, into sin…” he explained, alex knew these terms, he’d gone to church with his family before… but from this man it seemed so much more convincing, he didn’t hate him like the others did… “My name is Father Moriel… do you know why you’re here?” he asked as he helped him stand up and alex shook his head a little bit.


“Your father is in a bit of financial trouble… he’s sending you and the older children to the church for safety while he tries to get everything together…” he explained.


“then where are my sisters…”


“they go to a different school, taught by the Sisters to become nuns…” he explained easily smiling at him and Alexander tilted his head a little bit as he thought about it, he doubted this… they didn’t have financial trouble… they just wanted him gone… but somehow being gone was fine… “he also mentioned something… a power of yours?” he wondered.


“I can make things move with out touching them…” he explained, “when I’m angry…” he explained so the man slid back down to his knees putting his hands on his shoulder to look up at him and Alexander blinked getting briefly lost in the green eyes.


“You cannot use that power Alexander… it is used to hurt people…” he told him as he went inside brushing at his hair one more time, it felt nice… Over the next few years things were fine, Moriel taught him all the things he needed to know about the religion he believed in so much, and so long as Alexander was quiet about all the things he thought were strange about it, it was pleasant…


At one point though when he was 12, Moriel had to leave to go and try and spread the teachings around the rest of the village and help them, Alexander begged to go alone but he had to stay, in the meantime he had to stay with a different priest, this one was a bit older and wasn’t nearly as nice… his teachings were different… he touched him in a way that he didn’t like… saying that it was necessary to make him pure… it hurt, if it was so pure then why did it make him feel so unclean…? When he had started to cry the man had gotten angry and covered his mouth tightly- it made Alexander more frightened, he struggled against him his mind cast up to the candles above him searching wildly as his hand reached up towards the ceiling and his temporarily blacked out. The next thing he knew there was blood everywhere and there was screaming he focused on the body of the other man, where the large metal cross had fallen from its place on the wall and struck right through his chest.


Alexander was gasping and crying, his hands were shaking and covered in blood before the others ran in, Moriel along with him- the look of horror on the mans face was obvious… he would hate him, surely he would hate him… The devil’s power, the others called it, surely the boy was possessed to kill a man of God… didn’t they care what had happened to him? What the man had been doing to him?... He tried to get to Moriel but had been taken away by the others to quickly and locked away in an empty room as he cried, the blood still stained to his hands.


A few hours later- or days- he couldn’t tell the door opened and the man wandered in, “Father…” Alexander tried his voice raspy with his tears before the man took his arm and lifted him up and took him out of the room- it wasn’t gentle like before. He was taken to a white tiled room and his clothes were removed he started to panic thinking that he was going to do the same thing as that other man- but when he was sat down on the tile he felt the sudden rush of water over his head and he coughed bowing his head away from it before there was another large wave of it, whining a bit as he tried to protest. Holy water…? He suddenly felt Moriel grab him by the shoulders and shook him a couple of times.


“you will not have him!” he shouted, he wasn’t talking to Alexander, “release him, demon! You will not taint his boy further!” he shouted as he shook him more and the boy let out a couple of dry cries, all of his tears were already spent.


“He hurt me…” he whispered quietly, “he deserved to die-“


“Demon!” Moriel screamed and Alexander noticed the tears in the brilliant green eyes and Alexander narrowed his eyes, feeling the burning behind his eyes that was the unknown power.


“he hurt me…” he tried again before he slumped and the other stopped shaking him lowering his head a little bit to cry softly as the boy rested against him.


“You could have told me… I would have dealt with him… but you’re so young… you killed a man that worked for the church…” he muttered and Alexander closed his eyes most of the way. Killing was a sin… Killing was wrong… but was what happened to him… also wrong …nothing Moriel could have done would be as satisfying as what happened… he felt Moriel’s hand press to his forehead and turn his head back and Alexander gasped slightly, he knew he was just trying to get whatever hell spawn he thought was in him out… but there was nothing wrong… he was how he was… it wasn’t because it was bad… was it?


“I’m sorry…” he murmured.

Over the next few weeks he mostly stayed in his room up in the tower with his books, reading to himself, all the scriptures and fairytales that made up the bible… Moriel only came to see him when he brought him food and then they hardly exchanged words… Except when the priest mentioned that there was a storm coming… Alexander hadn’t answered merely flinched…


That night he heard the rumbling and felt his body tense and he curled up into a ball, trying to ignore the sound and the flashing lights…He felt the tears come to his eyes and he squirmed in his sleep as the sound exploded into his mind. He tried to hide in a smaller part of the room… but the sound followed him, haunted him he saw the light when he closed his eyes. He found himself running down the stairs again, he was sure he was going to fall just like the last time but he didn’t… Moriel had comforted him before but surely now he wouldn’t… and he had been right it was much different this time. The priest took his shoulders again as he cried watching him as the boy shuddered in fear, “The thunder is gods warning to those who have gone against his word, the lightning is the power to strike down those who have opposed them, you have nothing to be frightened of if you are pure!” he told him and Alexander could only scream when the thunder came again and he felt himself getting pulled and outside. He scrambled trying to go inside again and screamed one more time when he felt the rain touch his skin.


“NO!” he protested, “NO PLEASE.” He cried.


“Alexander listen to me!” he snapped as he dragged him out into the rain and let him fall into the muddied ground, “you have nothing to be afraid of… god will not harm you-“ he assured him, though there was fear in his eyes even now, what if the boy was struck? “the storm will pass and you will be just fine…” he told him quietly his voice shaking slightly as the boy clung to his sleeve and he pulled away backing up towards the door and Alexander realized what he was doing as he scrambled to his feet then stumbled.


“NO!” he said to late as his hands beat against the shut door, “please Father! Please let me back in! I am good!” he sobbed, “I am good I promise! I didn’t mean to kill him! I didn’t mean to kill him! Please forgive me!!” He screamed as he continued to beat on the door and Moriel put his hand over his face bowing his head into his hand as he leaned back against the door, feeling his attempts like he was beating on his own back…


Alexander slid as close to the door as he could pulling his knees up to his chest and mumbled the prayer under his breath still lightly beating against the door as the thunder rang out and he tried to hide against the engraved wood, “Moriel…” he tried faintly and scratches slowly appeared in the door, scratches that his mind created… “no…” he mumbled closing his eyes tightly, he couldn’t- moriel would be angry at him again for using that power… he didn’t want to be a sin to him anymore… he wanted to be adored by him again, he wanted him to smile at him again like he used to…


Alexander woke up in his room, dressed and dry… but sick, he felt the fever hovering over his mind and he turned his head to look at the green eyed man as he set the damp rag against his forehead, the man also appeared to be sick… “I’m sorry Alexander…” he whispered, “I’m sorry…” he told him brushing a bit of his hair out of his face.


“I won’t use that power on anyone anymore…” the boy promised instead then shuddered wincing at something and the priest looked confused, “not on anyone.” He muttered then turned his head back a bit his eyes rolling into his head a bit as he opened his mouth in a silent scream and the man’s eyes widened when he saw the blood oozing through the blankets and he jumped to his feet.


“Alexander!” he started, “oh god-“ he said before he could help himself moving the blankets away, and moved his shirt as the marking carved themselves out of his skin, “no- no!” he protested as he quickly gathered the boy up, “leave him- do not torment him further he’s not yours!” he said again to the entity he believed to be contained inside of the boys body. Alexander saw the flash of white tiles again, and the sting of holy water on his wounds then he was asleep again, when he woke this time it was a different room… Moriel’s room… listening to the voices murmuring.


“after they were cut they suddenly stopped bleeding…” he heard Moriel explain to the head of the church.


“and turned black…” the man repeated gruffly, “Father Moriel this child is beyond our reach.”


“sir-“


“He will continue to destroy this building from the inside out… we cannot let him stay here! Send him back to his father.”


“His father doesn’t- we can’t just push him out like that- there has to be a way, God always has a way!”


“the way god deals with people like him is burning them on stakes!”


“sir!” Moriel protested with a gasp, truly horrified by the very notion.


“send him back to his father…” he ordered and alexander tilted his head slightly, noticing the bandages on his side and his thigh, they were markings… what did they mean…?


He didn’t want to go back… but he couldn’t cause Moriel anymore pain…



When his father came back he knew he wasn’t pleased, Moriel lied and said that he was completely cured of his power, and that the injuries were about something totally unrelated to that… his father said nothing to him as he tried to drag the boy away but alexander yanked his arm free turning around to hug Moriel tightly for a moment and the man blinked then closed his eyes a bit reaching down to stroke at his hair reassuringly before he was yanked away again.



Alexander knew that his sisters hadn’t been sent away, they were surprised to see him there- though one had already gone off to be married, he had another even younger sister, 4 years… no doubt conceived on that horrid night so many years ago… she looked more like him… dark eyes and hair… but yet they still loved her, then why?

His father had him stay busy with chores so that most of the time he was out of the house, giving him a chance to see more of the creatures that still came to him… to see another snake… the now 13 year old went and knelt next to the grass picking up the creature that coiled around his hand again and he shuddered slightly at the feeling of the scales winding around his palm then made a small sound when it went up his sleeve coiling around his arm he gritted his teeth. “Brother…?” his youngest sister wondered and he turned his head to look over at the small Madeline and he smiled faintly, trying to get the flush to leave his cheeks even as the creature moved over his shoulder blade, not visible under the baggy shirt.


“yes, sister…” he asked gently.


“how come mother and father never come and say good night to you…”


“because I am to old…” he explained with a slightly vague smile, “I’m a boy, I don’t need the same special treatment that you do…” he explained quietly, his voice was almost always soft but had the tremor of power underneath it. “you’re special.” He told her a bit more jokingly reaching out to tickle her sides and the 4 year old giggled wiggling her arms a bit in glee and he laughed to, but only because of the snake sliding down his back so that he squirmed slightly as well.


“Madeline! “he hard his mother call so the girl blinked turning her head then reached up to hug his head before she turned to run away and he smiled weakly then gave a sigh of relief when the snake slide out of his shirt and back onto the ground so he looked down at it rubbing at his face a little bit.


“don’t do that…” he murmured more to himself. As the snake flicked out its tongue a couple of times and he chuckled reaching out to run his fingers along the creatures back a couple of times before he got to his feet again and continued chopping wood.


The snake became his sort of friend, and his youngest sister Madeline was close enough to him that he even introduced her to it, she was fascinated by the creature, perhaps she had the same sort of power he did… perhaps… but she would never feel the rage that he did that made him use it… she would be blissfully ignorant of this pain… Madeline was the only one in his family that he cared about. “boy…” his father said to him as he was reading to his sister quietly in the yard, “got a letter, that priest of yours will be visiting in a week.” He explained flatly tossing the paper over so it landed to far away but Alexander already knew.


“Father Moriel?” asked the now 17 year old boy, his eyes lighting with slight joy, after so long he would get to see him… would he still be as kind as he remembered and then he looked down at Madeline lightly poking her nose, “you’ll like him, he’s very nice.” He explained and she giggled childishly now nearly 9 she was still rather small.



But that day never came… at least, not how he had envisioned it… He woke up one day before the anticipated visit, hearing the large crash followed by the scream and he got to his feet quickly going to the top of the stairs and stared down into the hall for a moment, briefly in horror at the sounds, afraid of how part of him enjoyed it- before he remembered his favorite sister and the fear took him again as he ran down the steps and he shoved the door open and stumbled out into the hall, “Madeline!” he screamed and his eyes widened to the creature standing on the other end of the hall holding the small body in his arms with his fangs buried deep into her throat. “mad-“ he started before she was dropped to the floor, her deep brown eyes empty and dead, farther back the rest of his family… of no consequence to him…


“snake charmer…” the monster sneered as he turned its head and its neck gave a sickening crack, Alex’s eyes widened turning around to try and run away getting about halfway up the stairs before he was pressed down against him and he cried out as the same fangs buried into his throat feeling the creatures hand search over the markings along his side and he gasped again as he twisted to try and break free, feeling the strange venom on his throat burning through his body and then the fangs were removed. “you’re even prettier up close…” he hissed as he ran his tongue over his throat, “but unfortunately I’ve already satisfied myself on your ungrateful family…” he told him brushing a hand over his cheek, “and dawn grows near… perhaps I’ll return tomorrow evening to see what has become of you…” he smirked before he vanished leaving alexander gasping against the stairs, shuddering and coughing for air that didn’t seem to satisfy him. The sun rose but didn’t reach him where he was but he felt the pain, crying out for a god he’d long given up on.


He felt his body change… he could smell the blood in the hall.. coated it… he also smelled some one new….he slowly crawled to his feet and walked down the steps and stood in the hallway when he heard the door open, “…Alexander…” he heard a familiar voice murmur, “what have you done…” he asked as the man turned the dull brown eyes to him, his arms hanging limply at his side, his senses blank.


“he hurt me…” he mumbled softly as he stared at the green eyes blankly, not recognizing them as he rushed forward and he felt the man in his arms before the fangs had dug into his throat. The blood caused his senses to flood back painfully, this blood- though he had never tasted it before… carried all the memories… he knew this man… he knew this creature that he was killing and he pulled back quickly- but not quickly enough. “Moriel…” he breathed as he looked down to the now darkening green eyes, “no- Moriel…”


“You really… couldn’t be saved…” the man wondered as his eyes started to close and Alexander shook his head quickly.


“No- no it wasn’t me!” he tried, as he slid to the floor with him, kneeling over his body as he took his face in his hands, “it wasn’t me!” he cried, “believe me- please believe me!” he screamed as the priest stared up at him, nothing but confusion and sadness there, and then nothing, “Moriel!” he screamed then bowed his head, shuddering a bit as the bloodied tears leaked out of his eyes and he gathered the man up to his chest to hug him tightly, hearing a couple of the bones start to crack it only made him cry more.


He eventually gathered himself, taking the mans body outside, along with his youngest sisters and started to claw at the ground, digging endlessly till the graves were created and he set each of the bodies in there gently, kissing his little sisters forehead before he got back up pushing the dirt over them with a mumbled memorized prayer.


“what…” he wondered looking up to the snake that was curled around the axe handle stuck in the tree stump and he stared at it for a long moment then turned his head to look towards the torches marching down towards his house, “how-“ he started and the snake hissed something else and he seemed to understand, the vampire had alerted them somehow… a joke no doubt… just to see how he reacted… Alexander turned his eyes back down towards the graves for a moment before he stood, “forgive me…” he whispered before he turned and he ran, the snake slithering off into the grass to its home once more as the new vampire fled into the forest that no one dared to enter, the rumors of the monstrous creatures that lived there… no doubt he belonged perfectly now…


no doubt he finally belonged somewhere…