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“Vampires need fresh blood to survive, not old processed meat. That’s why you threw up.”
Oh.
“Now close your eyes.”
I narrowed my eyes at him.
“Close your eyes,” he repeated, giving my hands a squeeze. I closed my eyes and he released my hands. “Now listen.”
At first all I could hear was my heartbeat, pounding in my ears. It sounded too loud, and too fast.
“Be calm,” he whispered. “Focus on my heartbeat.”
“I don’t think I can do this,” I said. But then I heard it. It was slow, and steady. I could feel my body relax as my heartbeat slowed to match his. After a minute our hearts and our breathing were completely in sync.
“Now what do you hear?”
“The wind,” I said, keeping my eyes closed. The wind sounded like music, far off in the distance. But there was so much more. “Frogs, and there are mice in the grass. There’s something in the woods.” I turned my face towards the sound. “A deer I think. Two. No, three. I-” I stopped, hunger taking over. I opened my eyes. Adam stood directly in front of me. His eyes were completely black, and his lips were parted, revealing his fangs. I felt my body tighten.
His mouth curled into a smile. “Go.”
I took off towards the tree line at a speed I didn’t know was possible. I ran into the woods, jumping over roots and dodging trees, vaguely aware that Adam had joined me.
I saw the deer only a second before I lept on top of one, tackling it to the ground. I had my teeth in its neck before the two others even noticed my arrival. It kicked and thrashed, but it was no match for me. I closed my eyes, feeling the deer’s life pour into me. For a few moments we were one. Its heartbeat was my own. Then it was over.
I released the dead animal and sat up. Adam sat a few feet away, leaning against the trunk of a tree, a dead deer in front of him. He had blood on his lips. He grinned, and to my surprise, I found myself grinning back.
We walked back to the house in silence. My mind too overcome with sensation for conversation. Consuming the deer's blood affected me in surprising ways. I felt satisfied, but instead of feeling stuffed and sleepy like I would after a normal meal, I felt alive and full of energy. I wanted to run and jump. To fly even.
We exited the woods and stepped back into the clearing in front of the house.
“I think I want to stay outside a while longer,” I said, as we neared the house.
“Do you want company?”
“Sure.”
He sat down on the porch steps, but I remained standing.
“Everything looks so different,” I said, looking around. “Everything shimmers. It's so beautiful.” I looked up at the sky. “Do you ever get used to it?”
He leaned back on his elbows and tipped his head to look up at the sky. “Eventually. It took years for the newness to wear off. Now, I’d give anything to see a sunrise.”
“But some vampires can go out in the sun, right?”
“Yes, but it will be a long time before I reach that point.”
I sat down on the steps next to him, and we stayed that way for over an hour, neither of us speaking. It should have been awkward, sitting in silence with a stranger like that, but it wasn’t.
Eventually my thoughts turned back to the problem at hand,me being a vampire, and I spoke, breaking the comfortable silence between us.
“I’ve replayed everything, over and over again, trying to make sense of it all. I can’t stop thinking about the vampire that turned me.” I turned my head to look at him. “Why bother changing me just to abandon me? If they just wanted to feed, why didn’t they erase my memory and heal the wounds from their bite? Or kill me, right?”
He frowned. “The thing is, changing a human involves more than just feeding from them. It's not something that can happen by accident.”
I thought for a moment. “Maybe they planned on coming back later, except I went to the store and then ended up here with you? They could be at my apartment right now, waiting for me.”
He shook his head. “That doesn’t seem likely. As your master, they are completely responsible for you. Which means they will be held responsible for any trouble you cause.”
