Being Human

by Patricia Lynne

  In the kitchen, a small human girl sat at a table. Her feet dangled inches from the floor, swinging back and forth. She softly hummed, clutching a bright red crayon in her delicate hand, a partially colored image before her.

  I silently moved closer, stopping inches from the girl. She froze when I swept her long, brown hair aside and leaned in. Goosebumps rose on her neck and her small body trembled. I opened my mouth.

  “I'm going to eat you.”

  She shrieked, whirling around and flinging her arms around my neck. “Uncle!”

  I pulled her up, cradling her against my chest.

  Laughing, she flung her arms out. “Acrobat!”

  She screamed with delight as I flipped her up and around, dangling her by her feet. I swung her back into my arms, somersaulting over the table. Her half colored picture fluttered to the floor as I bounced her around the kitchen. I cradled her head, always aware of the sharp corners of surfaces as we moved in a blur. I bent my knees, preparing to spring up onto the counter.

  “Tommy!”

  I fell motionless in an instant, setting my niece down. She scurried to the human woman scowling at me in the doorway.

  “I swear,” my brother's wife, Rissa, sighed, gathering my niece. “I finally get Mackenzie settled down and ready for bed, promising she can stay up until her uncle gets here and when you do, you bounce around the kitchen like springs are attached to your feet. I can't imagine what the neighbors think when they hear her screaming and shouting every night.”

  “Sorry,” I obediently replied.

  “He was doing what I asked,” my niece said. “I wanted to be an acrobat.”

  “Well, someone needs to learn to say no to you,” Rissa sighed. She kissed my niece, setting her down. “Give your uncle a kiss, then go tell Daddy goodnight.”

  My niece ran to me, arms outstretched. I pulled her up, presenting a cheek for her warm, wet lips. “Night, Uncle,” she giggled, then disappeared into the living room.

  Rissa finally let the smile she was fighting to hide free. She shook her head at me and picked up the drawing. “Is it really that hard for you to say no to her?”

  I shrugged and wandered around the kitchen. I ran my fingers along the smooth counter, a feeling of ease settling in me.

  My brother had kept his word about our home. He graduated from college, married the human girl he had dated for three years and when it came time for him to buy a house for his new family, our old home was the first and only one he looked at. Now the house was filled with life again and the bad memories were washed away by new ones. I no longer saw the house I murdered my parents in. I saw my brother's house, my brother's family.

  My family.

  “I see no reason to deny her request.”

  “But before bed?”

  I shrugged again. “Where's my brother?”

  “Where do you think?”

  I headed through the house, following the voices out the back door. A tall fence now surrounded the back yard. A patio had been built against the house with outdoor furniture scattered across. My brother lounged in a chair, my niece on his lap and a beer next to him.

  He grinned at me. “I thought I heard an acrobat a few minutes ago. Did the ringleader shut the circus down?”

  My niece giggled. “Yes, Mommy's no fun. Uncle and I were having fun.”

  My brother gently smiled. “I'm sure you were, but you shouldn't be so hard on Mom. She's making sure you have a good rest and peaceful dreams.” He looked up as Rissa wandered out.

  She sat on the arm of the chair and draped her arm around his shoulder. “My knight, always sticking up for me.” She leaned down, kissing his lips. “Come on, Mackenzie, let's get you tucked in.”

  My niece let her mother gather her up. “Night.”

  “Peaceful dreams,” I called. I took the beer my brother offered, twisting the cap off. “How was work?”

  He laughed. “You sound so serious when you say that, it's hilarious.”

  “You have an odd view of what's hilarious.”

  “Well, I have an odd family. A beautiful wife and daughter and a vampire brother.” He held out his bottle and I clinked mine against his. “To family.”

  I grinned. “To family.”

  We stayed outside a long while, talking. I watched my brother out of the corner of my eye, aware of what had happened again. He had aged again, grown and changed while I continually stayed the same.

  When we were done talking, we gathered the empty bottles and headed inside. My brother joined Rissa on the couch and I slipped upstairs to my new way to kill time during the night. Instead of stalking around cities, watching the humans risking the night, constantly confused by their actions, I stayed in my niece's room and watched her.

  I wasn't allowed up there while she was awake. She'd never sleep then. But once she was fast asleep, and my brother and Rissa were watching the nightly news, I'd silently slip up and watch the small human toss and turn.

  She reminded me of my brother, the resemblance clear. She had his eyes and nose, same round face and rosy cheeks. Her hair was lighter than his dark brown hair, falling in soft, feathery waves. The only thing that wasn't like his was her smile. When she smiled, it looked exactly like Rissa's smile.

  Light from the hallway spilled into the room, voices from the TV downstairs grew louder, the news reporting on a disappearance as Rissa edged around the door. She perched on the bed, a tender look in her eyes.

  “She was fighting to stay awake tonight, didn't want to miss you.”

  “I needed to hunt first,” I replied.

  Rissa’s face showed no signs of sadness or anger. She'd rather I hunt and be sated before coming to visit. She said she wouldn't think about the humans I killed.

  I watched her, a question brewing to the surface. “Why do you trust me?”

  Rissa was silent for a long moment. “I'm not sure,” she finally said. “I could argue I don't entirely trust you, but that would be a lie. If I didn't trust you, I wouldn't let you anywhere near Mackenzie.”

  “I wouldn't like that.”

  The smile Rissa gave me was sad. “I know. Sometimes I wonder if we should have kept you away. That way when we enrolled her in preschool, we wouldn't have had to explain to her why she can't mention her Uncle Tommy who only visits at night. But keeping you away would have made Dan sad and I wouldn’t want that. He always told me the perfect woman for him was the one that accepted his brother.”

  ****

  The flames swayed, reaching for me. Heat licked at my skin and danger whispered in my mind. Get away! instinct urged me. I wanted to listen.

  “Uncle, I need help,” my niece declared.

  “What do I do?”

  “Blow,” she ordered.

  The skin on my face felt like it was burning as I leaned forward. Across from me, my niece leaned in as well, oblivious to the fiery danger that sat atop the colorful cake. With a great whoosh of air, she blew. I felt the heat burst, racing towards me and a flash of light filled my vision. With a choked snarl, I leapt back.

  My niece laughed, clapping. “Uncle's funny. Let's do it again!”

  “Once was enough,” my brother chided, kneeling in front of me. He retracted his hand when I bared my teeth. “You're okay.”

  “I don't like fire.” I touched my face, feeling smooth skin. My eyes darted back to the cake and the four unlit candles. I wanted to grab the candles, make them disappear and never be at risk again.

  “Tommy, look at me,” my brother ordered. His face and voice were calm. “You're not burnt. The flames were inches from your face.”

  I shook my head. “She blew the fire at me, why did she do that?”

  “Mackenzie doesn’t know what fire does to vampires,” he said. “She wanted to have a candle blowing war with you.”

  “It was a game?”

  “Just a game,” he assured me. “Will you get up off the floor? You're cowering like a dog.”

  “But the flash, that was me catching fire,
” I insisted.

  “Rissa took a picture.”

  Rissa held up the camera for me to see. Cautiously, I climbed to my feet and reclaimed my seat. My niece watched me with confusion and I smiled to reassure her.

  “Let's cut this thing up,” my brother declared. “Mackenzie, you get a small piece. You have bed in a half hour.”

  My niece sighed and slumped back in her chair. It didn't take her long to perk back up once she was handed her piece. She looked at the empty spot in front of me. “Uncle, don't you want some cake?”

  I looked at the colorful food. “I've never thought about eating cake.”

  “Of course not,” my brother laughed.

  “That's because Uncle only likes blood,” my niece proudly said.

  My brother and Rissa exchanged a glance. His eyes flickered to me, warning me to keep quiet. “That's right,” he said. “Uncle only likes blood, but only once a week.”

  “How do you get blood? Do you say please?” my niece asked me.

  Rissa coughed loudly. “Eat your cake, sweetie.”

  “But–”

  “No arguing.”

  The three humans ate their cake in silence. I watched them chew the food. A few times I mimicked the movement out of curiosity. It hurt pressing my teeth together like that.

  “Can Uncle put me to bed?” my niece asked once she had literally licked her plate clean.

  “Only if he promises not to will you to sleep.” Rissa threw a glare at me. “She needs to learn to sleep on her own.”

  My niece giggled as I promised. She reached for me, clinging tightly as I carried her upstairs. I tucked her into her bed, pulling her favorite stuffed animal close. She touched my face, pushing at my lips. “You never smile. How come?”

  “I smiled downstairs.”

  “I didn't see it.”

  “Sometimes my actions are too fast for humans to see. I'll smile slower from now on. Just for you.” I poked her nose, slowly smiling.

  She giggled, then leaned closer to whisper, “Will you tell me how you get blood?”

  I glanced at the door, listening to the sound of my brother and Rissa's heartbeats downstairs. I turned back to my niece, pushing my fangs out. “See my teeth?”

  Her eyes widened to saucers, trembling hand reaching to touch.

  I pulled back, closing my lips over my teeth. “Now feel right here.” I pushed her hair aside, exposed her neck and touched her fingers to the rhythm underneath. “Feel your pulse. It's strong right there. My teeth are made to bite through skin to reach that spot.”

  “You bite people?”

  I hesitated, then slowly nodded. “When I need to.”

  “Does it hurt?”

  “A little, but I try not to make it bad,” I admitted. “I don't like it when they fight me.”

  “Why would they fight you?”

  “I...” I faltered not sure what to say. My brother and Rissa didn't want me to explain how I hunted to my niece. They were worried it'd scare her. I understood that worry, I didn't want to scare her either.

  The most important moment in my vampire life happened the day my brother introduced me to his wife and newborn child.

  Not that he had much choice. I felt his emotions, excitement welling up like a fountain. What made him so happy? I raced to find out, sneaking into a clean smelling hospital and bursting through the door as soon as the coast was clear. He and Rissa fell silent, but the tiny human in his arms kept crying. I had never seen a human so tiny and noisy. My fingers itched, wanting to touch the tiny human.

  My brother exchanged a glance with Rissa, then he handed me the tiny human. “Hold her head like that. Mackenzie, this is your Uncle Tommy.”

  She had felt so delicate! I could feel the life flowing through her. I touched my fingers to her chest, feeling the strong rhythm. Like I'd do anything for my brother, I knew I'd do anything for this tiny human.

  From that moment, my life revolved around my niece. She was the first human I saw when I came home, the last one before I left to rest and the reason I made sure my need never got too strong. I had to protect her from everything. Even myself.

  “Tommy.”

  My brother leaned against the door, watching me. He jerked his head, motioning me to go out to the hall.

  I presented my cheek to my niece for a kiss, then hugged her. “Sleep well and don’t let the vampires bite.”

  She giggled as I headed into the hall. My brother took my place on the edge of the bed, softly whispering to her. A few minutes later he wandered back out.

  “Sorry.”

  “It's okay,” he assured me. “She's curious and wants to know why you're different. Right now she's too young to fully understand what you are and what it means.”

  I looked down, understanding what he meant. “But one day she'll be old enough to understand when I bite, it's until death?”

  “It may change her opinion about you and me.”

  “She won't like me?”

  “She might be mad we sugar coated the truth about you.” He placed a hand on my shoulder and shuddered. “Since she was born, you've been the most human I've ever seen.”

  I tilted my head and stared.

  “In your own special way,” he amended. “Your protectiveness is a bit feral. More like a wild animal than a person. It's why Rissa trusts you. She says if it comes down to it, she knows you'd kill her before Mackenzie.”

  That was true. If worst came to worse, I had planned who I'd kill if I had no choice. Rissa was first, then my brother and my niece last. I hoped if I ever put my family in a dangerous situation, killing Rissa first would enable him to get my niece to safety.

  “I...”

  “It's okay. My daughter's survival trumps everything.”

  ****

  “Recent violence between vampires and humans has increased. Hunting and torching have doubled in the past month,” the news reporter stated. “The increase in activity is thought to be the result of a recent vampire protest. In the last ten years, vampires have been seen organizing, boldly going into public to demand fair treatment.”

  The TV switched to a dark street in New York City. Dozens of vampires stood motionless, some even clutching signs. The signs read, We were human once! America, where EVERYONE has the right to LIVE! The shot widened and revealed Vampire Forces closing in with torches. The vampires remained motionless, even when a Vampire Forces officer touched the flame to one. The reporter's voice commented over the images.

  “No one knows why the vampires – after over thirty years of silence – have decided to seek human rights. Sympathizers state it is the humane thing to do.”

  “Vampires deserve rights! They were human once! They can remember being human and should be treated as such.” a group of sympathizers chanted in another shot.

  A scowling human in a black police uniform with a silver 'VF' embroidered on the chest appeared. “The vampire population gave up their human rights with the first life they took,” he stated. “If a mass protest forms again, Vampire Forces will be there to eradicate the parasites and ensure every human’s safety.”

  The camera turned back to the reporter. “And the debate continues. A bill in Congress would give Vampire Forces complete freedom to destroy vampires. With the recent rise in vampire torching, human deaths and turnings...”

  “Daddy?” a scared voice interrupted.

  “...many wonder how long the debate will last before Congress decides to pass the bill. In other news, the body of a five year old girl...” the reporter finished the first story and started on the next without losing a breath.

  My brother quickly shut the TV off and turned to my niece with a smile. “What’s wrong, sweetheart?”

  “I had a bad dream.”

  He gathered her up and settled on the couch. “You made Uncle move.” He quirked a smile at me. “It's unnerving when you stand all night.”

  “I don't need to sit,” I replied.

  My niece giggled into her hand.

&nbs
p; I looked back at her. “What was your bad dream about?”

  Fear crossed her face. “Bad people. They wanted to get you.”

  “No one's going to get Uncle,” my brother said gently.

  My niece shook her head. “People wanted to hurt Uncle. They wanted him gone.”

  “Who?” Rissa asked.

  “The ones on the TV.”

  “No one on TV wants to hurt your uncle,” Rissa assured her.

  “It's okay,” my niece replied in a solemn voice. “I know Uncle kills people.”

  Silence filled the living room. All this time I had been stepping on eggshells, worried about scaring her. My brother and Rissa assured me she would be scared if she knew the whole truth about me. But she wasn't, there wasn't a hint of fear in her scent or any on her face.

  She wasn't afraid of me.

  “Who told you that?” my brother asked.

  “At school,” my niece replied. “We do drills. What to do if a vampire comes. We’re supposed to stay in a group and not let them look in our eyes. Miss Valerie said if a vampire looks in your eyes, the vampire can take your mind! I told her that's not true, that if a vampire looks in your eyes, you get sleepy.” She frowned deeply. “I got put in time out for telling lies.”

  “Keep your mouth shut,” my brother warned me before I could ask to kill Miss Valerie. He exchanged a tense look with Rissa, then turned back to my niece. “Does what you know about your uncle bother you?”

  My niece shook her head. “Uncle wouldn't hurt us. He loves us. He tells me all the time. He says he even loves Mommy.”

  Rissa coughed loudly and her cheeks turned pink. “Mackenzie, do you understand what Tommy is? Why people may not like him?”

  “Of course,” my niece intelligently replied. “He's a vampire and it means he gets blood from other people by killing them and people don't like that because they don't understand. It's why I can't tell my friends at school about him.”

  Silence filled the living room again.

  “Okay.” My brother broke the silence. “As long as you understand. I guess.”