nodded. “Like once every few weeks I have to have blood. To drink.” “What? Alright, I don’t know what this stupid game you’re
playing is, but...”
“Can you get a knife, Jess?”
“I’m going home.” Teresa said.
She started to get up, but I grabbed her arm. She’s shaking. Maybe she thinks the knife is for her. Like I’m going to cut her so I can drink her blood. I did just say I drink blood.
“Stay. Please. I promise you won’t be hurt.”
“Brynne, I don’t know what this is about.”
“Just wait a few minutes. And then you can go if you want.” “Just tell me what it is you were going to tell me.” “She’s a vampire.” Jess said. She handed me a box knife she
had in her desk.
“I’m not a vampire!” I turned back to Teresa. “Well, not
exactly. But sort of.”
“Yeah, okay.” She laughed. “You’re so weird.”
“I heal really fast, too.” I said. I slid the knife down my arm,
just enough to make it bleed.
“Brynne!” She lunged at the knife and grabbed it from me.
“What the heck are you doing!?”
“Just wait.”
“Don’t worry.” Jess told her.
Teresa scooted away from me as far as she could and sat there, crying, not knowing what to do. Jess got a wash cloth from the bathroom. It had been about a minute since I cut myself, and when I wiped away the blood the cut was almost invisible.
“See.” I said. “No more cut.” “How?”
“We told you, she’s a vampire.”
“Stop calling me that!” I slid over and grabbed Teresa’s hand.
“I don’t age. Almost, anyway, so I’m stuck at fifteen. For a while now, actually.”
“How long?” she managed to ask.
“I was born in eighteen fifty-six.”
“Yeah right.”
“You want more proof? Let’s see, when you came over here the first time Tony asked you why you were so nervous, then told you to just chill. I was sitting up here when I heard that. Right now Peggy and Ted are watching a country music video. You want to go down and check?”
“Having good ears doesn’t mean anything.”
“And everything else?” Jess asked.
“So what about you?” she asked Jessica. “Are you one too?”
“No. Just her best friend.”
“So why are you telling me this?” she asked. She is shaking and crying. “If you are what you say you are, why tell me? Am I like dinner, or something?”
“I would never...”
“She doesn’t hurt people.” Jess said.
“I get blood from blood banks. I would never, ever hurt you. I love you, that’s why I’m telling you. Because you need to know.”
“Okay, so now I know.”
“And you believe me?”
“I don’t know. This is all so hard to believe, ya know?”
It’s not an easy thing to prove, really. What do I do, attack someone so she can see it? I’m not an animal. I can’t prove that I’m not aging, not unless she sticks around for a couple of years. I can prove the little things, like the healing and hearing, or show her how easily I burn in the sun.
“Are you okay?” I asked her.
“I’m fine.” she said. She sniffled. “I’m worried about you.” “Don’t worry about me. I’ve been fine for a century and a half,
I’ll be okay.”
“See, that’s the stuff that worries me.”
“She thinks you’re insane.” Jess said. “Or that we’re both
insane.”
“You don’t believe me?”
“Look, Brynne, I believe something is different about you,
okay. I can see that you heal fast, okay. And I believe your hearing is amazing, and all. I just... you can’t be that old. And I don’t even believe in vampires, that’s just stupid.”
“I’m not a vampire.” I grabbed her hand. She let me hold it, but she was trembling. “The guy that made me like this called us eternals. I have no idea what we are. And for over a century I thought I was the last, that it would all end when I died, but now there are more.”
“There are more?” she asked. “Yeah.” I went across to Jessica’s desk and brought up the browser on her computer. I did a quick search and brought up a lot of articles about the recent attacks. I had to go over and pull Teresa up from the bed. She’s so scared right now.
“Sit down. Look through these.” I said. I sat across the room, terrified that she would be scared or hate me. Jess sat next to me and we waited. It didn’t take long until she was crying. Jess put her hand on my shoulder and gave a squeeze.
“This all... is those other ones, the ones you say are like you?” Teresa asked.
“Yes.”
“You’re not involved with anything like that?”
“She tried to stop them, Teresa.” Jess told her. “That’s who
attacked her before.”
“Really?”
“Um, yeah.” I said.
“Are you okay? Will they come back?” She was up and over
next to me in an instant. “Oh Brynne, are you okay? Did they hurt you bad?”
“I’m fine.”
“They tore her up pretty badly.” Jess said.
“You have to call the cops, or... or someone!”
She wrapped her arms around me and held me as she cried. And then I started crying. At least she isn’t running away. I’m glad about that, I guess.
“There’s nobody to call.” I told her.
“There has to be someone.”
“No, Teresa, there’s nobody.”
“Well, we just...”
“Calm down, okay.”
“But what if they come back for you? They could come back!” “Shh, it’s okay.”
It really took a long time to calm her down. She was so concerned for me. It was so sweet, really. She truly loves me. I don’t know how I deserve her.
Jessica had slipped out of the room at some point. I guess she didn’t want to sit here and listen to us sob. Or maybe she was being nice and giving us some time alone.
“I love you.” I told her.
“I love you too, Brynne.”
“Even if you think I’m insane?”
“I don’t. I just don’t know what to think.”
“So this is what I was afraid to tell you. You can leave now, if
you want to.”
“No. Huh-uh.”
“So you want to stay? You’re not scared.”
“I’m bigger than you.” she said. She laughed. “Okay, so you
could probably bite my neck and kill me, right? Or would that make me like you?”
“No. That’s not how it works.”
“How does it work?”
“I don’t know exactly. I know you’d have to drink my blood. And then too much would kill you. Too little would make you really sick, and could also kill you.”
“Gross.”
“Sure you don’t want to leave?”
“I’m sure.”
While Teresa was in the restroom I went downstairs. The whole Sloan family were sitting around the television. They all looked up at me when I stepped off the stairs. At my tear-stained face.
“How did it go, honey?” Peggy asked. “Good, I think.” I said. “Um, is... is it okay... I mean I kinda asked her to spend the night.”
“Yeah, that’s fine.” Ted said.
“Really? I thought... I mean I figured since we’re... well, we’re dating, so I thought maybe you wouldn’t... um, want her to.”
“What, you two planning on doing it?” Barney asked.
“Barney!” Peggy said. “Brynne, honey, just ignore my rude son.”
“Sure, but if I brought a girl home...”
“Barney, if you could get off your butt long enough to find a girl I’d be thrilled.” Ted told him.
�
��Um, I... I don’t suppose there are any cookies or anything, are there?” I asked.
“Check above the sink.” Peggy told me. “There should be something there.”
Jess said “I’ll check, you go on up.”
“Thanks. Goodnight everybody.”
Teresa was sitting on the edge of the bed when I got upstairs. She’s still shaking. But she has handled this very well. Better than I expected. It really surprises me that she didn’t run away screaming. Either because she was scared or because she thought I was nuts.
“You’re dressed for bed, I see.” I said.
“Yeah.”
“Then go ahead and lay down and I’ll go change. Jess may
bring some cookies in a minute, if you want some. Oh, and... look out for Jenna.”
“Is she up there?” she asked, smiling. I changed in the bathroom. I could hear Jessica coming up the stairs, and I could hear the crumpling of a bag of cookies. When I came out, she and Teresa were both eating. Teresa had my doll in her lap, cradling it like a baby. She’s so cute like that.
“Are the cookies good?” I asked her.
“They are exceptional.”
“You’re in a really good mood, ya know.”
“I am.” she agreed.
“Why?”
“That’s a stupid question.” Jess chimed in.
“And why is that a stupid question?”
“Either you’re going to get an answer you don’t like, or you’re
going to get an answer you don’t believe. Let it go, honey.” “Don’t like?” I asked.
“Like if she doesn’t make sense and you start to question
whether she’s cracking up.”
“And the other?”
“She truly doesn’t care, she’s just happy to finally know what’s
bothering you.”
“Actually, I don’t care what you are, and I still don’t know
what to believe.” Teresa said.
“Oh.” I said.
Jess headed to take a shower and I climbed up on the top bunk, next to Teresa. It was sort of uncomfortable to have her there beside me. Not bad, just... it made me nervous. And I felt her body heat right there next to me. And then she rolled against me. That was it, just laying there against me, and I was basically having a panic attack.
I was trying really hard to hold my breath, to slow my breathing. It wasn’t working. It was getting worse, in fact. I was gasping for breath. I’m not sure what happened, I just freaked out with her there.
“Is something wrong?” she whispered.
“Yes.” I said between gasps.
“Love,”
“Y-you make me nervous, okay.” I said. “I’m sorry.” “Do you want me to leave?”
“No!”
“What do you need me to do?”
“Nothing. Nothing.” I sat up and took a deep breath. “I’m not
used to someone being so close.”
“Are you claustrophobic? Is this just too crowded?” “No. That’s not it.” I feel like such an idiot. “But thank you.” “What do you want to do, then?”
“I don’t know! I just... I don’t know. Like... it’s just hard for
me, okay.” I laid down and she pulled me over against her. She kissed my neck, then with the slightest touch, ran her finger around my ear. This isn’t calming me.
“My parents are visiting next week.” she said. “I really want you to meet them.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah. I want them to see how amazing you are.”
“Teresa, you don’t have to.”
“I’ve never introduced them to anyone else I’ve dated.”
“And you start with me?”
“You think you can avoid telling them you’re a vampire?” she asked.
“I’m not a vampire!”
“Whatever you are, it probably wouldn’t be good to say that to them.”
“Obviously.”
“Hey, I’m not ashamed.” she said. She kissed my neck again. “I love you the way you are.”
“I love you too.”
“So I’ve never told my parents I’m a lesbian. I’m sure it’ll come as a shock. Are you going to have a problem with that? If they don’t take it well?”
“Teresa, don’t worry about me. You’re the one it’ll be hard on. I’m not their daughter, if they don’t like me I can deal with it.”
“I can’t live with that.”
I don’t know when it happened, or what caused it, but I stopped having trouble breathing. Teresa fell asleep in the middle of our conversation, her arm draped over me. I hugged her arm, then carefully slid out from under her and climbed from the bed without waking her.
I laid out a blanket on the floor to sleep on. It may not be the most comfortable place to sleep, but I've had worse. And then I looked around for Jenna. Teresa had her tucked up under her arm and was holding tight. I guess I can do without my doll for one night.
I woke an hour later, when Jess came in. I laid there, thinking of the dream I had been having. I’m meeting her parents, and they don’t like me. And then somehow I get a cut, and I bleed into their food. I’m looking at it, thinking about how much I hate them for not liking me and for making life hard for Teresa. Thinking how I could just let this go, let them eat the food and get sick. And while I’m arguing with myself, and deciding that I shouldn’t, someone takes the food away and gives it to them. Only they don’t get sick, they die. And Teresa hates me for it forever.
Sunday, June 12 I woke up and Jenna was gone. I always have Jenna in my arms, and she wasn’t there. I
love that doll so much that it physically hurts when she’s missing. I sat
up quickly, scanning my surroundings. Oh yeah, she's up in the bed
with Teresa.
I stepped on the ladder to the top bunk to check on Teresa. She was sleeping soundly, Jenna held tightly in her arms. I kissed Teresa’s cheek, being careful to not wake her. I went into the bathroom and brushed my teeth and ran my fingers through my hair. And then I went downstairs to check on breakfast.
“Good morning, Brynne.” Peggy said to me. She’s standing in front of the stove, cooking eggs. “Would you like some?”
“If there’s enough, yeah. Um, I should probably give you some money to help pay for groceries.”
“Oh don’t be ridiculous.”
“No, I’m not. Look, I’ve got plenty of money, so it’s no big deal.”
“Brynne honey, don’t feel like you have to help out around here. You have a long life in front of you, and you may need that money some day. We’re more than happy to have you around.”
“I just... I can always make more money. I feel kind of like a burden, and if you don’t let me help it’s going to make me feel guilty for a long time.”
She shook her head, but didn’t say more about it. She finished the eggs and put a plate in front of me. A moment later there was a glass of orange juice added. She was getting bread out to make toast.
“Um, no toast for me.” I said. “I mean... if you were going to... offer.” Now I feel embarrassed for assuming.
“So how did it go with Teresa last night? She didn’t run off, I noticed.”
“She seems okay. I’m not sure she really believes any of it.”
“I’m not sure I believe some of it.” she said. She smiled. “But she stayed.”
“Yeah.” I thought of her laying there right now and I smiled. “You should see how cute she is, laying there and hugging Jenna.”
“Jenna is your doll, right?”
“Yeah.” I could feel myself turning red. “It’s just so cute the way Teresa is holding her, you really have to see it.”
“I’ll take your word for it.” she said.
“Um, yeah.” I must really be so red. “Anyway, um, if Teresa is hungry when she gets up, is it okay if I make her something?”
“I can cook something for her now, if you want to go wake her up.”
“No,
um, it’s okay. She probably needs the sleep after the shock she got last night.”
“And how are you doing? Have you recovered completely from all your injuries?”
“Mostly. I need more blood soon. I’m going to have to go looking for a new place to get some.”
“We can all...”
“No!” I said adamantly. “I appreciate the offer, but I can’t allow you to do that. I’ll be okay.”
Jessica was awake. I could hear her moving around upstairs. She has a pace to her steps that is distinct, I know it’s her. I think Teresa is still asleep. I guess I should go up and get dressed.
“You let her have your doll?” Jess asked. She was standing next to the bed. She looks shocked.
“I didn’t let her have it, she just... kind of wound up with Jenna last night. Isn’t she cute?”
“Yeah, whatever. Anyway, that girl sleeps sound, doesn’t she?”
“So what are you doing today? I thought maybe we could go look at cars.”
“What, are you planning on buying one?” She reached up and ruffled my hair. “You’re not old enough to drive, honey.”
“I’m ten times the driving age.” I wish she'd stop ruffling my hair.
“Based on your birth date, maybe, but not physically. And you have a very young spirit.”
“Huh.” Not sure if that’s a complement. “You’re old enough to drive.”
“Yeah, but I don’t have a license, or enough money to buy a car.”
“You can get a license. And I can buy the car.”
“Oh.” She gave me a twisted smile. “You can’t buy me a car, Brynne.”
“Why not?”
“Because,”
“Oh, well, because. Of course, why didn’t I think of that? Because.” I gave her a fake slap, very lightly on the cheek. “Wake up girl! Someone just offered you a car.”
“You can’t just buy me things, honey.”
“Well I need someone to drive me around, ya know!”
“Take the car so I can sleep.” Teresa whined.
“Did we wake you?” I asked. I stepped on the bottom bunk so I could see her. “I’m sorry, Teresa. Go back to sleep.”
“Are you going to make me lay here alone?”
“Um, you have Jenna.”
“Mm.” She yawned and opened her eyes a little. “She’s not warm.”
“Um, okay.”
Jess headed down for breakfast. She was actually getting mad at me because I want to buy her a car. What an odd girl. I climbed up next to Teresa in the top bunk.
Brynne, Non-Vampire (The Non-Vampire Series) Page 14