dream elvis
day dreamer
This story is actually inspired by a tumblr post I saw a long time ago. It went along the lines of 'two vampires getting drunk together, trying to describe to each other what they look like because vampires have no reflection.' I've been wanting to submit this story to a couple of publications, but before I do that I'd like get some feedback/constructive criticism on everything about it. I want this piece to be as good as it possibly can be, so any advice would be really, really appreciated. Thank you! 
Without Mirrors
“I think I’ve forgotten what I look like,” Julian said, pouring his fourth glass of wine. “It’s been at least… hmm…” He stopped pouring and tilted his head, his eyes somehow searching the air for the answer. “Seven hundred years at most. Yeah…” Julian frowned and looked down at the half full glass of wine in his hand. “Seven hundred years.”
William looked over at his friend quizzically before taking a sip of his own wine. “You’ve really been around for seven hundred years? Jesus, man. I reckoned you were old, but not that old.” A little smile played at his lips before he took another sip. “And you’ve got me beat by a hundred and fifty.”
Julian set down his wine glass and sat back in his chair, closing his eyes in thought. “Never mind how old we are, Will,” he said quietly. “I don’t remember what I look like and it’s bothersome. Do you know what I mean?”
“I guess I do,” William said, putting down his drink and sitting back in his own chair. “But I haven’t really thought too much of what I look like for quite some time. I suppose I’ve forgotten too.” He propped his feet on the table and sighed. “I wouldn’t worry too much, Jules,” he continued. “I mean, there’s no going back now is there? Seven hundred years!”
Julian opened his eyes and shot him a look. “No, there isn’t,” he snapped, and leaned forward in his chair, grabbed his glass, and took another sip. By now his mind was getting a bit fuzzy and he couldn’t think as clearly as before. “But I at least want to know. I want to remember.”
William raised his brows and finished off his wine. “Well,” he said, setting down the glass and leaning forward to look closely at Julian. “For one thing, you’ve got freckles like no one I’ve ever seen.” He smirked and flashed a toothy smile, his sharp canines showing momentarily. “I would say it’s almost… supernatural.”
“Out of all the words you could have used to describe them, you chose supernatural?” Julian laughed. “Alright, what else?”
“You have a crooked nose, like someone beat the living hell out of you. Your hair looks like ash. And your lips are thin and your teeth are crooked except for these.” William opened his mouth and pointed to his own fangs. “But Julian,” he continued, lowering his voice some, though his face was beginning to grow wide with a mischievous smile. “I think you’re positively gorgeous.”
“Oh, piss off,” Julian growled, though he too began to smile. “I remember some things now. My nose was broken when I was a teenager in a pub fight. Stupid, but it was worth the amount of gold I got.” Clearly his inhibitions were lowered substantially, for he felt no need to be humble like he usually was.
“Alright, then,” William said, his eyes flashing in excitement. “What about me?”
“Well,” Julian began, before taking a sip of wine. “You’re a lot younger than me, in age and appearance. Your hair is still blonde and your skin still looks youthful.” He set down his glass and looked intently at William’s face, trying to study every detail and feature his immortal eyes could find. “Your eyes are hazel, and your teeth are better than mine. Your skin is pale and you’ve always got a look about you that says, ‘I’m a vampire and I don’t give a damn of what you think.’”
William laughed, and crossed his arms over his chest. “You’ve got the last part very right, my friend. “ His face then turned more serious, almost deep in thought. “I had forgotten that my eyes were green. I always thought they were blue.”
Julian smiled. “Age does horrible things to the mind, Will. How could you forget you were so pretty?” He batted his lashes playfully.
William just rolled his eyes. “And how could you forget you were so bloody old?”
“Old is not the way I would put it. Eternally youthful but with hundreds of years behind him,” Julian said.
They both fell quite silent for a moment then, processing their conversation. It wasn’t long before William’s stomach began to growl. He looked up at Julian, then at the clock above the mantel. “It’s nearly 3:00 a.m. Want to grab a bite before the sun comes up?”
“First one to the car gets to pick who we’re eating,” Julian said, grinning. He knew he would win.
“You’re on.”
Without Mirrors
“I think I’ve forgotten what I look like,” Julian said, pouring his fourth glass of wine. “It’s been at least… hmm…” He stopped pouring and tilted his head, his eyes somehow searching the air for the answer. “Seven hundred years at most. Yeah…” Julian frowned and looked down at the half full glass of wine in his hand. “Seven hundred years.”
William looked over at his friend quizzically before taking a sip of his own wine. “You’ve really been around for seven hundred years? Jesus, man. I reckoned you were old, but not that old.” A little smile played at his lips before he took another sip. “And you’ve got me beat by a hundred and fifty.”
Julian set down his wine glass and sat back in his chair, closing his eyes in thought. “Never mind how old we are, Will,” he said quietly. “I don’t remember what I look like and it’s bothersome. Do you know what I mean?”
“I guess I do,” William said, putting down his drink and sitting back in his own chair. “But I haven’t really thought too much of what I look like for quite some time. I suppose I’ve forgotten too.” He propped his feet on the table and sighed. “I wouldn’t worry too much, Jules,” he continued. “I mean, there’s no going back now is there? Seven hundred years!”
Julian opened his eyes and shot him a look. “No, there isn’t,” he snapped, and leaned forward in his chair, grabbed his glass, and took another sip. By now his mind was getting a bit fuzzy and he couldn’t think as clearly as before. “But I at least want to know. I want to remember.”
William raised his brows and finished off his wine. “Well,” he said, setting down the glass and leaning forward to look closely at Julian. “For one thing, you’ve got freckles like no one I’ve ever seen.” He smirked and flashed a toothy smile, his sharp canines showing momentarily. “I would say it’s almost… supernatural.”
“Out of all the words you could have used to describe them, you chose supernatural?” Julian laughed. “Alright, what else?”
“You have a crooked nose, like someone beat the living hell out of you. Your hair looks like ash. And your lips are thin and your teeth are crooked except for these.” William opened his mouth and pointed to his own fangs. “But Julian,” he continued, lowering his voice some, though his face was beginning to grow wide with a mischievous smile. “I think you’re positively gorgeous.”
“Oh, piss off,” Julian growled, though he too began to smile. “I remember some things now. My nose was broken when I was a teenager in a pub fight. Stupid, but it was worth the amount of gold I got.” Clearly his inhibitions were lowered substantially, for he felt no need to be humble like he usually was.
“Alright, then,” William said, his eyes flashing in excitement. “What about me?”
“Well,” Julian began, before taking a sip of wine. “You’re a lot younger than me, in age and appearance. Your hair is still blonde and your skin still looks youthful.” He set down his glass and looked intently at William’s face, trying to study every detail and feature his immortal eyes could find. “Your eyes are hazel, and your teeth are better than mine. Your skin is pale and you’ve always got a look about you that says, ‘I’m a vampire and I don’t give a damn of what you think.’”
William laughed, and crossed his arms over his chest. “You’ve got the last part very right, my friend. “ His face then turned more serious, almost deep in thought. “I had forgotten that my eyes were green. I always thought they were blue.”
Julian smiled. “Age does horrible things to the mind, Will. How could you forget you were so pretty?” He batted his lashes playfully.
William just rolled his eyes. “And how could you forget you were so bloody old?”
“Old is not the way I would put it. Eternally youthful but with hundreds of years behind him,” Julian said.
They both fell quite silent for a moment then, processing their conversation. It wasn’t long before William’s stomach began to growl. He looked up at Julian, then at the clock above the mantel. “It’s nearly 3:00 a.m. Want to grab a bite before the sun comes up?”
“First one to the car gets to pick who we’re eating,” Julian said, grinning. He knew he would win.
“You’re on.”
