I'm pretty sure Zero hated humans- despite being one himself at some point. But I also think he was slightly fascinated by us too; or maybe that's just me. Carlisle once told me that vampires can sometimes forget what it's like to be human after living for so long- much longer than any of us possibly can. I don't know how old exactly Zero is, but my guess is somewhere between fifty to a hundred; he just had that aged but not too old vibe. That, and I caught him acting weirdly around me from time to time.

Take this morning for example. I was in the kitchen making myself a lovely breakfast of toast, yogurt, and tea. While cooking the green tea, I was singing the Molahonkey song from You Before Me. I was singing it quietly to myself, unaware that I had an audience. Zero had been particularly quiet this morning, so it was kinda easy to forget that he was there. He was once again stationed at the window staring out. In the middle of the song, I unexpectedly turned to the kitchen table, only to find Zero watching me from the corner of his eye. It wasn't judgement or anything like that; it was more curious observational than anything. Of course his eyes darted away the moment I saw…. But I saw; I still saw.

Perhaps he felt sorry for us; the poor, pitiful creatures with such a short lifespan. That would be stupid if he did though. Despite human attempt to obtain immortality, death was completely natural and not objectively bad. Studying years of history has changed my perspective on that- even Hegel would have to agree that history can't end unless the wheel of death keeps spinning. Plus I also think our- or at least my- impending demise made me enjoy life more; enjoy the little things like good food and warm weather. I had to keep reminding myself that Zero was unable to experience such pleasures; that was a bitter pill to swallow, even if he did hate me.

Zero never asked where we were going when we left the apartment each morning. He simply followed me without a word of complaint; at least that was nice. Today I had to go to the university library to fetch some books for my research. This was the first time Zero's constant presence became an inconvenience. You need a university card to enter the library, which of course he did not have. We had to register at the front desk; since only family members were allowed to accompany students, I said that he was my….. fiancé. Zero obviously didn't like that, though he didn't appear as disgusted as when I told my friends that we were dating. So Zero got a visitor pass as my future-husband. Fantastic.

He took the opportunity to scan the titles in a detached manner while I collected my books. I tried to hand one over to him to hold, to which he merely kept his hands buried into his pockets. Oh, what a guy! Mr. Helpful here. I had to put them on the floor as I continued finding more resources. Zero's eyes rolled from me back to the shelf. "Really…" "What?" I asked by this confusing line. "Humans have such a short lifespan and you're going to spend a good chunk of yours pouring over this nonsense." "If by "nonsense", you mean academic history, then yes. Yes, I am." "What's the point? Everything you learn will all go with you when you….." "When I die?" I straightened up with another book in my arm. Zero just looked at me; I swear I could detect a hint of unconscious regret in his face.

"Unlike some of us here, I'm aware how short my time is. And I'm gonna spend it however I want; this is what I want. I love history and I love being a student at university. This is the best of both worlds…. for my pitifully short lifespan." After giving him one last look, I then tried to reach up for a Victorian history book on the top shelf. Dammit; I'm still short! That is one thing that didn't change since my teens. My eyes did widen in surprise at Zero's arm suddenly reaching up beside mine. He grabbed the book and brought it down, holding it out for me. I just blinked up at him puzzled, and his gaze simply met mine. "I can't understand how you're not afraid." "I could say the same. Living for eternity sounds like a curse to me." "It's only lonely at times." Lonely? Wait…. "Z-Zero, are you….. are you lonely?"

Zero's frown deepened as he pulled the book from out of my arm. "It's nothing a human could fix." And I watched as he proceeded to bend down to pick up my stack of books and guide the way out of the bookshelves towards to the staircase.