Episode 102: The Second Encounter

I spend the next day at school, then working at the bar, not daring to call Dawn and inquire on her night. Hell, inquire on her still being alive! She usually works at the bar with me on Fridays. I'm about to ask our boss, Sam, if she has called, and at what time she's supposed to come in, but everyone is suddenly upset, when they hear about a murder that happened last night. A woman named Maudette was found dead in her apartment. I wonder if a certain vampire has anything to do with it. I didn't really know her, but some of the staff had been to school with her, and the news took them aback.

So, I just spend the day pretending nothing has happened and I'm doing a crappy job at it. Not knowing drives me crazy, but I'm too scared to pick up a phone. Didn't someone say ignorance is bliss? Sam thinks I'm upset about the murder, so he decides to act on it at my break, while I'm pacing behind the bar, watching the sunset, with so much worry in my features he just hugs me right there and then. Sam has become like a big brother to me.

It still makes me smile to remember the day we met, almost three years ago. We had certainly gotten to a bad start. When I entered his office for the interview, I got assaulted by the canine smell coming from him, and instantly mistook him for a werewolf. Without even saying a word, I had left slamming the door and strode to my car. He had run after me. So, the moment he caught up with me, I had my dagger in hand, and pushed him against the side of the car, all too ready to slit his throat. I remember that it was the utter dismay in his eyes, the complete lack of aggressiveness, even after my attack, that made me stop in my tracks. Very un-werewolf-y… So, I sniffed him once more and realized my mistake: a shapeshifter. I apologized flatly, while he yelled at me that I was the craziest person he had ever met. Even as he was yelling, I could see he meant no harm.

We talked for a while that night. It was just after the Great Revelation, so I chose to just tell him what I was too. He was impressed, even as I told him there was nothing impressive about being raised to kill. Even vampires. I disgusted myself. I have learned to accept it since. He was hurt I had mistaken him for a were — he's not a big fan of them himself. Me, it was just the smell that automatically put me on edge. I knew it was a kind of racism of sort, but I couldn't control it. I had been around wolves only once in my life, and the experience had been… well… pretty traumatizing. So, since I haven't met another wolf to this day, I haven't been able to get used to their distinctive smell. Maybe Sam helped a bit with that. I'll only know when I'm confronted to one…

Anyway. He hired me and we became friends. I've worked for him for the whole three years of med school. Working five days a week – only at night after my classes, and the whole week during holidays –, I have been able to pay for school and cover my meager expenses. I then became friends with Dawn; I think I amuse her. My lack of experience in… pretty much everything makes her go all big sister-y on me. I think she's impressed too, about the fact I'm going to be a doctor. I guess it's her dream of getting the hell out of that town that I'm fulfilling in her place. She became friends with many of my fellow med students too. She's the one that drags us to do crazy stuff. The one that helps us relax and forget about biochemistry and cadavers from time to time.

I like everyone else at the bar, especially Lafayette, whose always fun and my favorite badass. I truly wish I could get to know him better, but he's always kept me at bay. Maybe he thinks I'm too much of a square, or I'm reading into it and he just doesn't have the time for new friends, with his multiple jobs. I even like Arlene and her overwhelming simplicity, or Terry and his weird quietness. I stay away from Tara's aggressiveness, but I secretly wished I was more like her, assertive. I truly like everyone here, defaults and all.

Except for Sookie. Our relationship had gotten to a bad start as well, but we've never gone beyond that. Sookie is a telepath. She is not used to secrecy, since she knows pretty much everyone's secrets. When Sam introduced us, I felt the pull the moment she shook my hand with her over-enthusiastic smile. I had been trained to protect my mind against exterior aggression since my early childhood, and she had been used to hearing people's thoughts since hers. In an instant, she found herself pressed against a wall with a dagger to her throat. I had never felt a pull coming from a human; I was just as awestruck as she was. Once again, I had reacted on reflex. Even after years without practicing, my training wouldn't let me respond like a normal human being. Sam had to persuade me that she didn't do it on purpose, that she didn't mean any harm. We didn't speak for a while after that; we observed each other from afar, refusing to acknowledge which one had been wrong. It took months for us to become civil and we never became friends. We just ignore each other, even if I know we intrigue each other just as much.

That evening, she's really upset, because her brother is suspected for Maudette's murder. Jason is a stupid guy, but a kind of nice one; I could swear he wouldn't hurt a fly, and I'm pretty sure he's got nothing to do with it. Sam has been torn all night between comforting her and comforting me… which is kind of sweet because I know he has a crush on her. I don't know why, since I find her nothing short of annoying.

Tonight, though, may be the first time I don't really want to talk to him. The growing darkness outside is making me even more nervous than I already am. I have lived under the illusion that there were no vampires in Louisiana. I hadn't met one since I've moved in. Not one before last night. Of course, I spent from thirteen to eighteen years old locked up in the house I have bought with my mother's money. I spent those years catching up with school; I even attended college, and aced my exam with only setting a foot outside at last resorts. Blessed is the Internet. At eighteen, I entered the medical school I wanted, the one a few minutes away from my house, and I have found this job as a waitress not far away either. I have slowly learned to socialize; I have even made friends in both places. Except for my memory and my learning facilities, I was almost forgetting I'm anything special. Not only did last night wreck all that, but it also reminded me that I'm far from being safe. Even if I left when I was only thirteen, I'll always be a hunter to vampires.

When Sam asks me for the fourth time what is wrong with me, I break down in tears. I try to tell him, but the hiccups don't help. I see him shrugging helplessly to Hoyt and René, two of Jason's friends that sat at the bar. Hoyt — a big puppy-eyed sweet giant — gets me some water while René — the brain of the team with a thick Cajun accent — is telling me to breathe, circling his hand gently on my back. I think they manage to understand, between my sobs, that I probably let one of my best friends be killed by a vampire before my very eyes, without doing a thing. They're confused at first, but when they finally get it, Sam leaves without a word, running to his office. I'm beginning to think this is all I deserve, when he comes back, a few minutes later. That's when I understand I have scared him to death.

"You stupid girl! She's all right! I just called her; she doesn't work until Monday, that's all. She wants you to call her, by the way, I think she wants you to come to her place tomorrow; she was all excited…"

He seems relieved, but also irked by something. I realize it's the thought of her having a good time with a vampire. To be honest, it irks me too. If anything, I legitimately don't want to hear about the blast she's had all night with that guy. Wait, this looks a lot like jealousy, doesn't it? No, I am happy for her, and definitely relieved that she is okay. Who's the prick that said ignorance is bliss? Though I still don't feel well. There's a knot in my stomach that just won't go away. When Sam and Hoyt leave laughing, René stays behind. His voice is unusually hesitant and shy.

"So… How was it meeting your first vampire? … How was he?"

I shrug in response: "Tall."

The following day, I am still restless. I haven't slept well for two nights in a row, and I can't stop fidgeting whatever I do. I call Dawn to say I'll join them soon. I need to calm myself down, so I go for a run. In broad daylight, I feel safe. I feel like whatever should come at me, I'll be able to defend myself. It's nice to feel this uselessly powerful…

When I finally arrive at her house, dripping wet from sweat and the water I have splashed on my face, my friends welcome me excitedly. They are sitting or lying on the grass, enjoying the sun. Dawn has a wide smile plastered on her features and images of the Joker come into my mind. I shake them out before I sit with them, and start with what I try to be my most enthusiastic tone:

"- So, girls, what's new?

- Well, nothing much with us, since the last time, but I believe Dawn here has some things to tell us…"

They all began to speak at the same time, nudging or encouraging the beaming girl to finally talk.

"- So? - How was it? - Did you talk? - Did you have sex? - Did he bite you? - Does it hurt? - Damn, he was hot!"

As a response, she just grins and tugs at her collar to show us the bite marks on her neck. The reactions are spread between awe and repulsion. I, though, remain impassible. However, on the inside, I am positively boiling with anger. I know — I just know — he has done it so I would see. So that I would know he could act with total impunity. He is provoking me. I'm dying to know if he has mentioned me, but I can't ask that without looking completely self-centered. Which I might be.

I then listen to my friend rambling on and on about how marvelous it's been; how it's the best sex she's ever had. Or will ever have. How he is such a male she realized all the guys she's been before were just pussies. Et cetera. I just shut her down in my head and decide to watch the grass grow. I know some of the guys she's been with. Sookie's brother Jason, and even Sam are among them. They wouldn't be too happy to hear that… I wonder once again if that Eric guy could have something to do with Maudette. I heard she had bite marks on her thighs. I don't know how she died though. But if he had been with Dawn that night, why would he go and murder some other gal — and a less attractive one too (sorry Maudette)? Maybe it was his female vampire friend. But that didn't make much sense either. There's probably no connection and I'm looking too much into it.

It takes a while before my quietness alerts Dawn that something's wrong with me. I'm always pretty shy, but, around them, I usually voice my opinion. That or it's my miserable appearance that eventually got her attention. My sweat has dried and my hair must be everywhere, plus my face, without any make-up must be paler than I'd care for.

"Come on, sweetie, enough about me, let's all go inside, I'll make some tea, and you'll go take a shower."

Whoa, I must look worse than I thought: there's never "enough about her". Well, I'm being mean now. I guess a good shower and some tea is exactly what I need. I thank her and escape straight to the shower. I know her little house as well as my own; I must have spent just as much time here as I have in my sorry excuse for a house lately. I do enjoy Dawn's company — really, she's such a strong-willed woman, I often wish I were more like her — but there's also something cozy about this place. Then again, anywhere would look cozy compared to my empty house. There's something resembling settlement in the act of buying furniture; I can't quite resolve myself to do it. Maybe I think it's just a grown-up thing. Or maybe, even if I've lived there for the past eight years now — I can't believe it's been this long —, I'm still ready to flee. This town has always been temporary. A step in the process of changing my life. I was bound to go to Seattle and become a great surgeon. Save people. Not kill anyone. That had been the resolution I made when I was thirteen, when my mother died.

I am thinking about all this as the hot water runs down my face and the rest of my body, washing me from all the fear and the restlessness of these past days. I go out fresh and new but exhausted, and I know that, at last, I'll be able to have a good night's sleep. I sprawl myself on the bed, rolled up in a towel, and I sigh. I am just now beginning to think that, maybe, this unfortunate encounter at the club won't have too bad consequences. It's not like I'm going to go back there anytime soon. I'll just go on with my routine, and I probably won't run into any vampire before the end of the school year, my graduation and my departure. I start daydreaming about my new life in Seattle and all the things I'll change. But also all the things I'll miss from here. And I smile when I hear the girls laughing in the other room, probably still talking about all the naughty things Dawn's done in her life. I'm so comfortable I don't feel myself falling asleep.

She woke up with a start. The first thing she noticed was that the night had fallen and the window was still open. Then only, she noticed his presence. Her good night vision allowed her to distinguish him in the obscurity. He sat in a large chair, in a dark corner of the room; both his elbows rested on the armrests, his long fingers joined in a tent. He was all dressed in black, and the long blond hair that framed his face hid his features from her sight. She could only perceive the twinkle in his eyes that were staring intently at her.

She should have known. She should have known Dawn had invited him into her house. She should have asked. But what kind of person invited a vampire into her home and did not revoke her invitation afterward? It was such an evidence for her, that she could not imagine her friend had been so reckless. Though she should have known. In the corner of her eyes fixed on him, she could see the note Dawn had left on the nightstand, probably informing her she had left for work, and that Jill could sleep over. That's how nice she was. But somehow, Jill had always known her friend's recklessness would have consequences someday. She just never imagined it would be her own death.

She straightened, and all her muscles tensed. To her surprise as much as his, her heartbeat remained steady and strong; she could feel adrenaline shouts through her veins, however her breathing was long and calm. She was prepared and focused. Her sharp mind weighed all her options in less than a second. She was almost naked, except for the towel around her body; and she was unarmed — she had not brought her dagger with her and her silver necklace was still in the bathroom. Nevertheless, as slim as it was, it was her only chance.

Without wasting any more thoughts, she bounced from the bed to the bathroom door. But before she could reach half of the way, she felt her wrist clamped in a cold vice, her whole body being spun around, and coming to a stop when her back crashed against what felt like an ice-cold wall. The towel had fled away in the process, and it's when she felt his arms snake around her, imprisoning her owns, that she realized her naked form was pressed against his body. She tried to struggle, but it was completely useless, and the chuckle it provoked picked her pride. She then stiffened, raising her chin. She would not beg; she would not give him the satisfaction of seeing her fear. So, she took a deep breath. That's when it happened.

The scent of him assaulted her senses; she could not fight the images that obtruded into her mind. They were vague and blurred, but also extraordinary vivid. She could smell the ocean and the snow; she could smell the cold winters, averted by animal fur and wood fire. She also smelled the blood. But not only from all the victims he had fed from, she smelled the blood of his enemies, drawn by sword on the battlefield. What however surprised her was this thin but unmistakable relish of ancient royalty. His pride and natural class did not come solely from his current condition as a vampire; it had been permeated in him from a lineage that was thousands of years old. Howbeit, that did not mean he was not a savage.

It is his voice, though, not his teeth, that brought her back to the present. And even if she was grateful for now, she did not know yet if it was for the best. She still thought he kept her way too close for a casual conversation.

"Do not drift away, little hunter, I want you here with me for what is coming."

His tone was low, seducing, almost a murmur. And while she wondered if she only imagined his breath tickling the sensitive skin behind her ear, what she definitely felt was the pull on her mind. It was strong, domineering, and she had to fight, stronger than she ever did, to avoid his glamour. She kept her head up and her eyes fixed on an imaginary point on the wall, her breathing deep and her heartbeat steady. She was here and now, with him.

"- Calm down, I am not going to harm you… You're going to take a deep breath and tell me your name.

- Please, — she forced a confident smile on her lips — I could resist that kind of glamour when I was five years old."

She thought that would infuriate him, but it only made him laugh.

"I had to try. Though you must have a lot of nerves to dare taunting me with so little strength."

Stressing on that last word, he brutally tightened his grip to help make his point. He would not let her think for a second that he was soft. He would not let her know that he had not decided yet what to do with her. All his instincts were telling him to kill her, get rid of her without hesitation. She was a hunter, a human born and raised to exterminate vampires. There was no place for hesitation. Even if she was undoubtedly no threat for him, he could tell by her swift movement that she should be able to defeat a vampire up to a hundred years old, maybe two. He could not afford that kind of risk. She was his responsibility now. So why was he delaying it?

She was trying to conceal her fear, but he could still feel it. At first, when he had pressed her against him, he had felt her go limp in his arms like she was going to surrender, but now she was back. And he could feel a determination that made him smile and breathe her in. He could not resist pressing his nose against the skin of her neck, grazing his stubble along it, and letting his long hair caress her shoulder, relishing in the goosebumps he was able to create. For the first time that night, he heard her heartbeat increase, and was somehow disappointed she could not catch sight of the cheeky smile he was displaying. His arms shifted slightly on her bare skin, but enough to make her breathe in sharply. A breath that was taken away when they both felt his arousal growing against her back.

It was unintentional, and for a second, he felt like a teenager that could not keep his emotions in check. He quickly pulled himself together though; he needed to take advantage of her confusion.

"It excites you, doesn't it? The danger, the thrill of the chase, the rush, you live for it, right?"

He was talking more about himself than about her, and somehow, it allowed her to find her voice despite the violent shivering she couldn't stop.

"I wouldn't know. I'm not a hunter, I've never chased anyone, I've never killed any vampire, I swear to you."

She closed her own mouth before she would start begging for her life. But there was no way that could be true.

"- Do not try and lie to me, little girl, I can smell it all over you.

- I… I was trained as a hunter, — she admitted — I was supposed to become one, but I quit, years ago, years before I even finished training. How do you think I ended up here by myself? Why do you think I'm so weak? Do you really think you could have caught a real hunter that easily?"

That was a little too bold for his taste. Tightening his grip around her even more, he moved them at vampire speed, close enough to the wall so that her nose pressed against it, but stopped right before crushing her. His voice, still low, was all the more threatening.

"- Do not try to play me. You are in no position to make that kind of assumption, little girl; and I have no mercy for those who try to deceive me.

- I am not. I'm sorry, but I'm telling the truth: I just want to lead a normal life; I don't want to harm anyone; I am no hunter, I have no contact with hunters, and I am no threat to you, or any of your kind."

Her voice was way too high-pitched, and she inwardly cursed her lack of self-control. She had tried to be as posed and straightforward as she could, without sounding whiny or stuttering. She needed to get her point across.

He considered what she said for a moment. She sounded surprisingly honest. And that also explained a lot, about her reckless behavior, and about the feeling he had had from the start that something was off. But would he risk trusting it? He had never heard of a hunter that had 'quit'; he was not sure it was even possible. A few years ago, he probably would have killed her without a second thought. Maybe a slight regret at what a waste it would have been. But the Great Revelation had changed the status quo. He had even heard of negotiations between some hunters and the American Vampire League. Maybe it could be time for change.

While thinking, he had released the pressure that held her still, and she was now standing on her feet, her back still brushing against his front. She had laid her forehead against the wall directly before her. If she had wanted to escape or attack him, it would have been the right time. But she did not. So, he observed her a few more seconds, trying to provoke her into making the wrong move. He even let his arms rest alongside his body — allowing the tip of his fingers to brush against her stomach —, finally leaving her free to move. But she did not.

She had surrendered completely to him, letting him choose alone what he would do next. So he leaned forward, not letting his body touch hers, and he could feel his excitement rise at the proximity even more than when he was fully pressed against her. Her scent was driving him crazy, and her surrendered, naked form was not helping. The worse was that he knew she could feel all of this. He brought his lips less than an inch away from her nape — that was presently the prettiest thing he had ever seen — and he murmured — enjoying, once again, the goosebumps and the rising hair his breath against her skin purposely provoked.

"I'm keeping an eye on you, little girl."

And then he was gone.