Mystery vampire proceeded to toss me down on the couch; not put down- toss. My face went from horrified to enraged as I saw him shut my window blinds and check to see if the front door was locked. He seemed too familiar with my apartment for my comfort, which prompted me to act- aggressively, I might add.
"Who the hell do you think you are?!" I demanded, jumping to my feet to give the most confidence stance I could muster. "Your protector," he simply replied in a matter-of-factly tone. Oh god, I just wanted to rip the smug, unamused look off his stupid face. "That doesn't tell me anything! Who are you?! And how did you know where I live?! And…. what do you mean "protector"?!" I could literally feel the vein stick out of my forehead when he then dropped himself onto a chair opposite me and rub his hand over his face. This… this utter asshole! If I didn't know any better, he was treating all of this nonsense like a job.
"Look, I didn't ask for any of this, ok? I was assigned to you." "Assigned to….? What are you talking about?! Who assigned you to me, and more importantly, why?" "I can't tell you anything; that's not my job. I'm here to make sure that no vampires get their grubby hands on you." "What vampires? I haven't seen any vampires for ten years; you're actually the first," my eyes narrowed onto him suspiciously. His hand ran across his face again; he didn't even bother to look at me- the cad. "Again, I can't say anything; I'm not allowed too, so don't bother trying to pry any answers out of me. Just know that there are some very powerful and nasty vampires who know who you are and where you live. I'm here to protect you from them- that's it."
"Powerful and nasty vampires…? Wait, are you talking about the Volturi?" "You think the Volturi are powerful?" Mystery vampire sounded slightly insulted. Oops. Not knowing what to say, I merely shrugged my shoulders- which seemed like the right move seeing as his eyes went from me back up to the ceiling again. "The Volturi are nothing compared to what's hunting you. Hence why I'm here." "W-wait… s-something's hunting me? Like "me" me?" "What did I just say? I can't tell you anything, so would you give it a rest? I'm tired." You're tired?! Try being abducted by a mythological predator and being informed that something more powerful than the Volturi is currently hunting you! I'm the one who should be exhausted here.
That's when the relation of the word "protector" came to my mind. I get it, some vampire league outside the Volturi made him come guard me from said evil vampires. Like a frikin job; I'm nothing but a job to him. But what does this job entail exactly? That's what I was worried about. "Uh so… what are you supposed to do exactly? To protect me, I mean." "Just what it means- I'm going to protect you, probably for the rest of your pitifully short human life." The rest of my life… ok; ok- this is not ok. I never agreed to being guarded by some vampiric bulldog forever. This was not going to happen- no way, no how. Not if I had any say about it, which- for some unknown reason- I thought I had.
"Um, no. No, that's really not necessary." "What?" This caught his attention, again for some reason. Mystery vampire's posture shifted as he straightened up to stare me right in the eye. This did make me waver a bit, but I resolved to stay firm in my decision. "I don't need a full-time bodyguard. I've lived in Europe for two years and never even seen another vampire." Well, until tonight. I cleared my throat before continuing, needing to pause after that sharp glare mystery vampire shot me. "I'm a PhD candidate; I don't have time to be carried and carted around like a princess. Look, how about this? If I see any vampires or other suspicious beings, I'll contact you and then you can deal with that. But being here full-time just doesn't seem necessary to me." There! That's perfectly reasonable and polite; I don't see why he wouldn't agree with me.
"Do you think you have a choice in this?" Or… I guess not. The mystery vampire stood up to add emphasis to what he was saying- and it worked. I suddenly felt a lot smaller and out of control of the situation. "Neither of us have any say here. Believe me, I don't want to spend my time babysitting a scrawny human either, but it's not up to me. I was assigned to you by the vampire equivalent of the EU government. If you have a problem, bring it up with them; but I doubt that'll get you anywhere." "W-why?" My heartbeat started to quicken; his tone was just so severe. Severe and honest. "The vampire world has a lot to lose if he gets his hands on you. You're not the only one with something at stake here. It goes far beyond either of us. Understand?" "No." "Well, too bad. That's all I can say and I'm too tired to keep talking."
My gaze narrowed onto him, completely unimpressed. "I thought vampires never slept." "We don't, but our brains still get tired." Kinda like mental burnout, I guess. "So what? You're just going to hang around me then?" "More like live with you and constantly watch over you." "Wha-… you're going to live here- with me?!" My jaw literally dropped, though this shouldn't have surprised me as much as it did. "How else am I going to keep an eye on you while you sleep?" Watch me while I'm…. oh, hell no! Absolutely not! I just lost all semblance of personal privacy or autonomy. And all without my consent. Ugh! Words cannot describe how unfair this was. But I also was beginning to realize that I couldn't talk him out of it. He had his orders- clearly.
With the heaviest sigh I've ever let out, I forced myself to admit defeat; at least for tonight. I'd make him take me to this so-called vampire government and demand that they revoke their commands. That would happen later though; I sincerely doubt he'd take me anywhere tonight. I did notice him watch me however when I turned to head towards my bedroom. "I'm going to bed," I'm not sure why I announced this out loud; he probably already figured that out. "Fine, I'll be in soon." "Uh, no. No offence, but I'd feel much safer if you um, protected me out here." "Yeah- I don't think so. Just go to sleep." "Why do you have to be in my bedroom while I'm asleep? Do you really have to be right beside me the whole time I'm unconscious?" "Yes," he retorted automatically. I had to fight the urge to scream again, clenching my hands into fists.
"Couldn't you just listen? Or better yet, keep watch from outside?" "I don't think you understand," mystery vampire's feet turned to my direction. I felt my back tense up again as his crimson eyes pierced mine. "I decide how to do my job; not you. You really have no say in anything, and the sooner you learn that, the better. Whether you like it or not, I'm going to do whatever it takes to keep you alive. Cause if you die, it'll be hell for me to pay. Yes, I'm going to watch over you while you sleep; that's his favorite time to attack his victims. And guess who's number one on that list? That's why I'm here, and that's why I'm going to do whatever it takes to keep you out of his grasp."
