by Ariana Kenny
****
Cassie did get me a new couch, true to her word, the very next day. We broke it in nicely, surrounded by new furniture, curtains, paintings, the works. Cam and Violet kitted out the place and converted the second bedroom and study into rooms for themselves, not that they needed them. Violet didn’t need to sleep much at all, maybe once a week, and Cam was barely there, visiting friends I was always told. The woman must have had a lot of friends, I had thought, at least until I found where she was spending her time.
With protest from my father, I gave up my job at the auto shop, opting for buying and selling art and antiques, mainly online, during the day when I wasn’t sleeping. When I was drinking from Cassie I found I seemed to be anticipate people’s actions, be more aware of their tells, which was useful in the business I was engaged in. I was making more cash than I knew what to do with which quickly made my father feel better about me going my own way. Cass, Cam and Violet always came up with rent, though I never asked too many questions. They also got me in to antique dealing. Violet particularly, knew all the best items to get. Once I got her set up with the ‘net, she was off and running. She learned incredibly quickly, eager to learn new things.
Cam preferred her books, and when she was there she and I would play games – she loved them – well in to the early hours. Checkers, Chess, SoCom, PoP – she was impressive and I rarely won, but she made playing enjoyable none the less.
As much as Cassie and I had become almost inseparable, aside from feeding times and the odd escapade. In many ways though Cassie still remained an enigma. She hardly told me anything about herself before she was changed, less about after, and when I asked she would distract me with sex or fun facts to know and tell about anthropological theories and far off places I hoped to visit someday. Just clearly not in the sunlight – or not with Cassie which wasn’t an option.
They would all go out to feed, usually together every couple of days at least, though I know Cassie pushed her limits. I asked to go with her one night but she refused, saying she didn’t want me to see her like that. I had wondered what she meant. What I had experienced was so straightforward and matter of fact with her that the thought of her doing something to someone so horrible that she would feel ashamed, was alien to me. She had a true value for life. Cassie had already promised me they didn’t kill anyone and when Elias turned up again for an official date with Violet, I could freely believe them - guilt and illicit free.
The cash it turned out was mainly from gambling, though Cam indicated that she had arrangements with some who actually paid to be bitten, to be drained. I imagined it must be one hell of an experience, but though Cassie would share herself with me, she hadn’t even tried to bite me. A few times she strained to stop herself. I would see her fangs come out as she cried out in my arms, a laboured biting motion withheld. I wondered what it must be like to have to stop yourself like that. But then I had stopped myself so many times from doing all kinds of instinctual things. It’s taught to us, to socialise us, to work against instinct, until practice makes it commonplace. Still, she never complained.
As for the rest of my un-undead life, I saw my family weekly, though it was hard to leave Cassie. The extra cash I brought in from dealing over the net I passed on and both my parents were impressed with me – both at the same time for once. I couldn’t help it, I mentioned her. Granted, I left out a lot. Even though my father thought moving in with her so soon was a bad move, my mother squeezed my hand in a display of support. Evie, Anton’s wife was also expecting their first of the inevitable football team he would bring to bear on the world, and I was pleased to see my mother happy. If she was happy, my father was happy. They deserved this. Over the next six months, I started to get pointed comments to bring Cassie home, and I resisted initially, but eventually conceded. Life, as it was, was coming together unexpectedly well.
I would be lying if I didn’t say it hadn’t crossed my mind -the limitations to Cassie and my relationship: children, age, disease, and that was just the start, but for the first time I wasn’t living in the what ifs though, just what I wanted, and I loved it. I was on top of my world.