Chapter 28: Wieners and Dogs

I drew pictures for Emily and her brothers and took pictures for myself wherever we went. The letters to the tall human woman helped me stay focused enough that no one else in South America died because of me. For seven months, we explored the jungles, deserts, mountains, and ruins of this southern continent. I learned a hundred different dances, so exotic and erotic that they would probably be outlawed back home. I swam at the southern most tip of the continent during the southern hemisphere's late winter and rode a glacier. I even tried penguin – horrid. The blood was hot, but it tasted of fish.

I sent over thirty letters to Emily's family in that time, as much to share the beauty with them as to keep the vampire within me under tight control. My companions felt no need to control themselves. They ate over three hundred humans, and by February, I was more than ready to leave their company. Ivan had persuaded Paolo to try to take a firm hold on Rio de Janeiro and make it his domain. The reasoning was that Paolo could rule it fairly and keep the peace like Paul had done, but we all knew it was simply a lie to allow them to eat whenever they wanted. I refused to have any part in it, so I bade my friends farewell and headed to Los Angeles and then on to Las Vegas.

The city didn't know what hit it.

I left with over twenty-five thousand dollars in my pack, which I used to pamper myself as I leisurely made my way back to New Hampshire and my own home. The remaining money would go for a new car next year - something outlandish and insanely fast.

I would have shopped in New York in April, it was high time I bought some new clothing anyway, but the clothing styles were about to become radically different. The end of the war, now immanent, would bring major changes to the fashion industry. So, rather than visit the boutiques I loved, I went hunting for a vampire-friendly apartment. This city had been my home for too long, and I wasn't quite ready to break ties with it yet. I wanted to have a place here and wait for the end of the war and the celebration that I saw clearly see in my mind.

More importantly, this was the time that my vision showed me meeting Jasper in the lost diner where I would order the wretched cherry coke for some unfathomable reason. The diner was full of young men who bore fresh battle scars from the war, and I knew I would meet him sometime in the next five years in a diner where the battered men had Pennsylvania accents.

I promised myself that I wouldn't search for that diner, but it was all I could do to contain myself. Instead, I busied myself with my first goal, to find an apartment, preferably a modern one in a high rise. I could come and go as I wished then. Two days after I arrived, I found precisely what I needed in a small two bedroom flat in Manhattan with very modern, totally unnecessary, appliances. It even had a nice balcony. Most importantly, it was on the top floor, and I needed to live on the top floor because the smell of the humans around me was not so potent. The apartment was even conveniently furnished so that I didn't need to buy so much as a stick of furniture.

Two days after moving in, it was cloudy enough to spend the entire day on Wall Street adjusting my considerable stock portfolio and investing my fortune for the post war boom that I saw coming. I would be very busy with my stocks for the next year as the world emerged from the war economy and began producing goods at a pace never seen before.

By the last Friday of April, I was settled, and I made my way to Lowe and Associates to check on my absentee life.

"Miss Stoker," gasped the secretary when I walked in. "It is so good to see you again." She was lying, but she lied rather well.

"I probably should have called, but I decided on a whim to come by," I explained. It was always a good thing to drop by unexpectedly when people had control of your money.

"Please have a seat. I'll go get Mr. Trudel. I suppose you will want your mail as well," she said breathlessly as she bustled off to get my things.

I sat in the expensive office and took several burning breaths. I had been around my own kind far too long, and being here proved it. I could hear every heartbeat and smell their subtle differences from where I stood, and it bothered me that I so desired their blood when I was already well fed. I needed practice before I went to see Emily.

The secretary returned, stumbling under a huge box full of letters and files. I gently took it from her and placed it easily on the floor for inspection later. Most of the letters were from Emily, of course. Who else would write?

"Alice, it's good to see you," greeted Mr. Trudel. I quickly shook his hand wishing that I had remembered gloves. He winced when our hands touched but didn't yank his hand away.

"I'm glad to see you as well," I said politely. "I will be staying in New York for a while and have rented an apartment here. I thought I would come by and pick up my mail."

"You have an apartment here? Excellent. I would like to go over the finances and other issues with you for a few minutes, if you don't mind. We can also get your mail sent to your new address." He was all business, as usual. He needed a hobby.

"I would like to keep the mail coming here. I still plan to travel some," I said with an inward cringe as I realized that, despite my resolve, I would probably go looking for the diner again. "So it would be easier for you to receive my mail and pay my bills. However, I will be taking over my finances immediately."

"Of course," nodded Mr. Trudel as he began taking notes in a small book. "Is there anything else we can get for you? Do you need some new papers?"

"There is one thing," I began as a smile spread across my face. "I would like to learn how to forge the documents that you make here. I believe I have paid your company enough money through the years that you should be willing to let me see how you make them." That would be a useful education.

Mr. Trudel looked rather put out. "Well, um, we don't usually let anyone see our... handiwork. Our work is quite... proprietary, and our artists don't like to be watched," he stuttered and then cleared his throat.

Oh. They didn't want to be caught.

"Don't worry, I really don't want to be found out either," I reminded him. Sheesh, did these guys really not know what I was?

"I'll see what I can do, but I can't give you any promises at all," he said warily.

I left the office carrying the huge box easily in my arms and went directly home to catch up on a year's worth of old mail. Emily's letters were charming and fun to read. Her trivial issues, so brief and fleeting, were of upmost importance to her human mind, and it was fun to enter her world again. She loved my letters and drawings; her brothers liked them so much that they made them into a book to take to school. Her classes had all but ended this school year, and she was now doing rounds and practicing being a nurse. Her clinicals were going well, but she hated almost all the doctors because they were so very conceited. The plans for the dance were going well, too, but she kept second-guessing every decision she made. I was glad not to be there this year, because I would have knocked her senseless in frustration. I was pleased, though, that she was so engaged in the business of life.

I quickly wrote her a reply before night fell, and headed out to mail it as the last rays of the sun disappeared from the city. I was going to do what I had promised myself not to do; I was going to look for a diner that I knew I would only find during the day. I should have been working on finances or seeing a Broadway show, but it was just so close that I couldn't not go looking. With a sigh, I wrapped a dark coat around myself and began to run the streets of New York searching for what knew I would not find.

x||xXx||x

I was on a very tight schedule, even for a vampire. Emily would graduate on Friday, May 4, and host the graduation dance that night. I had to be back in New York for the announcement that the war in Europe was over by May 8. The celebrations would be of a magnitude not seen in my lifetime. I could foresee that the announcement of Japan's surrender would cause an even greater celebration, but that wouldn't happen for several months - perhaps during the summer sometime. I had no idea why, but mushrooms were involved somehow. It was all very strange.

I made it to Pittsburgh on May 2, and promptly began looking for the diner. It was stupid, and I felt guilty for doing it, but I just had to find Jasper. As I suspected, the diner wasn't in Pittsburgh, but looking kept me out of trouble until I met up with Emily.

May 4 was blessedly cloudy. I walked right up to her house and knocked on the door with a barely suppressed smile and a gift of a new, very modern and stylish overcoat. So long as I was in the city, I couldn't help but shop a bit in the boutiques of New York. I didn't buy anything for myself, but shopping for Emily's graduation gift simply had to be done. It was sacrifice I had been very willing to make.

Emily's brother opened the door and immediately greeted me.

"Hiya, Alice! Hey Em, Alice is here fer ya," the boy yelled. He looked almost six inches taller than I remembered him. He would be taller than his six foot six inch father soon.

"When did you decide to grow?" I teased.

"Wasn't my idea, believe me, but I'm real glad it happened," he grinned, wrinkling his freckled nose. He had the same childlike quality that Emily's face held. "I can finally take my dad when we wrestle. Thanks for those nifty drawings, I got to use them as my science project for the fair this year. It was the best one there, and I didn't even have to do anything."

"Alice!" yelled a familiar and welcome voice. My smile grew even larger, and Emily's brother took two steps back in alarm while she ran past him to hug me. My face was suddenly smothered against her upper abdomen in a very awkward hug.

"I am so glad you came. Come and see me in my cap and gown. It looks so nice. I just can't believe that I am finally graduating, especially after all that's happened..." And so the year apart melted into nothingness as she led me up to her room crowded with gifts and boxes of all sorts. She barely took a breath between words. For her protection, neither did I. "...so those things came from my aunt in D.C., and, look, my dad got me this wonderful corsage. Tom's parents bought me this purse and matching nurse's shoes - they are so wonderful - and I can't wait to open your gift."

I handed it to her without a word and she opened the box with a squeal of delight. The little girl had not entirely been lost.

"Oh, Alice, this must have cost you a fortune. You shouldn't have spent so much on me," she gasped as her hands caressed the white mink dinner jacket. She hugged the jacket to herself and beamed at me, "I just love it so much."

She was so much fun to give gifts to. "I knew you would love it, that's why I got it for you. Don't worry about the cost, I have some really good inside sources." I did too.

"Wow, did you have fun in all your travels? I can't believe how many places you visited in just a year. The pictures were wonderful. Did you get any of my letters? I know they were pretty boring in comparison," she added with a blush. That took me aback. I had forgotten just how much her blood could pool under her cheeks and in her ears. I looked out the window to get a fresh breath and clear the desire from my mind.

"I loved reading about how things went for you here," I said truthfully. "I can't wait to see what you did with the dance tonight. So why do you have all these boxes?" I asked to change the subject. I didn't need a reminder of how much my throat burned and how many people's I ate in the last year while I sat in this human house with my human friend. I cringed inwardly. I was not planning to be her friend for much longer. I did not want her anywhere near me when the others returned from the war. I did not want her in danger.

"I got a job in Philadelphia at the Children's Hospital there. Isn't that wonderful? I'm so excited that I can barely contain myself. Anyway, I got an apartment with two other nurses and I will be moving next week to start my new life." She was nearly shaking with excitement.

"That is wonderful Emily!" I could feel my own smile respond to her joy. This would be the perfect job for her, and I was ecstatic. It was refreshing to feel joy for another person's personal triumph. This was such a human thing, and it was strangely poignant for me.

"Honey, we need to leave in twenty minutes, get ready," called Emily's mother from the bottom of the stairs.

"Oh," she gasped. "Oh, Alice, help me with the cap and gown. I know you can make them look good on me."

I laughed as I helped her don the gown and set the hideous cap on her brown curls. Making a cap and gown look good was a miracle far beyond my skills to perform.

We drove to the school and dropped Emily off to get into formation in the small band room. The family sat together with me to one side, dwarfed by the tall humans around me. I must have looked like a child next to Emily's lanky brothers. I really hated that.

Even though I could not bear to breathe, and I was sitting surrounded by tasty humans that I had to ignore, I was glad for the time that I could spend with this very human, very normal family. I was so glad that it was cloudy, I really didn't want to miss Emily's graduation because of the sun.

The graduation was just like mine had been, just like they had probably all been. Staff, faculty, and graduates tried to look distinguished in ridiculous outfits with cardboard pinned or taped on their heads and fluffy tassels hanging in their faces. I nearly laughed during the short speech offered by the school's president because it was word for word just like the one he made at my graduation. Then the valedictorian gave a speech that was almost word for word like the one offered at my graduation. The guest speaker spoke of duty to country and the need to fight evil despots no matter what the cost, just like a year ago. Did all graduations go this way? Probably.

Seventy-eight minutes after it began, the last name was called and the graduates threw their caps into the air as we all clapped and shouted our congratulations. I looked up to see the deep six-inch dent my own cap had left in the ceiling. Yep. It would probably be there until the building was demolished. I felt a small sense of pride at the little mark that would always remind the school that Alice the vampire had been here.

Suddenly, human bodies shoved and jostled against me as families dove for their graduates. Emily's head kept appearing above the crowd as she jumped up to see her family. Annoyingly, she really didn't need to jump to see them because they all stood a head over the crowd. Then, she broke through the bodies and was jumping as she hugged her mother and father. Her brothers both glared at her, conveying their joint disapproval of showing their sister any type of affection in public. They were such boys.

"Are you coming to the restaurant with us, Alice?" she asked breathlessly. Her employers were giving her a huge luncheon on the house to celebrate her accomplishment. As much as I wanted to spend my final time with her, I refused to go. I would not go anywhere that included both Emily and food in the same room.

"I think you should celebrate with your family now, and I will celebrate with you tonight at the dance," I said, cheerfully smiling at her. She was never afraid of my smiles like she should be.

Her face dropped a bit. "I thought you would be there for lunch."

"I have other people to see in Pittsburgh while I'm here," I gently lied, "but I will be in the gym by five to help with the final set up." That cheered her a bit.

"You promise to be there?"

"I have been looking forward to this dance for a year," I said truthfully, "I wouldn't miss it for the world."

"Just check everything for me, all right?" she whispered. "I think I remembered everything, but I'm not sure. Mom says it's all done, but I just don't really know." Her uncertainty made me laugh.

"Don't worry about a thing, I'm sure it's perfect, but I will check anyway."

"Thanks, Alice. You're the best," she sighed and hugged me tightly again. How could she do that?

I waved the family off to eat and meandered around the campus. Then I went to the gym to check on the party.

It was decorated in the typical human way; crepe paper streamers and cheap paper flowers. The food involved tiny, dry sandwiches, potato salad, and the ever-popular mini wieners dripping with sweet smelling barbeque sauce. So typical. Emily had done one thing creatively; the walls were covered with the graduates' favorite toys and memorabilia from their childhoods. The effect was charming, but very subdued. I would have had every surface covered and the gym completely transformed, and it was all I could do not to jump in and do some decorating of my own. This was her party, I firmly reminded myself, and the vampire touch was neither wanted nor needed here.

To keep myself from helping Emily, I decided that I might as well try to see Jasper or the others. The few glimpses that I got of them always made my mood better, and I wanted to see them today as I said goodbye to my only human friend. As I searched, I sadistically hoped that Edward and Rosalie were going at it again. They were hilarious when they were mad at each other. In fact, the fights with Rosalie, playing music, wrestling matches with Emmett, and hunting trips were the only things that seemed to pique Edward's interest at all. He seemed so bored with life. I needed to shake up his routine.

I let my mind wander, not really thinking of what I wanted to find. That technique worked best to bring about the visions I needed to see. Just like life, trying to force a vision rarely worked the way I wanted it to. So I sat and simply desired Jasper's presence.

Suddenly, his image filled my mind. My body tensed and then relaxed in the special way that always happened when I saw him. It was so strange how I could desire him so fiercely and yet have complete contentment overshadow the desire just by seeing him.

It was a quiet vision of him sitting in what looked to be a dark library, simply reading a stack of books. He was engrossed in the process, and the look on his face reminded me of myself when I had first learned to read in the old school, or when I discovered the library in New York. The vision lasted a long time, with Jasper just sitting there, turning pages every few seconds and then picking up a new book, but I reveled in the scene. It was so clear, almost like I was in the room silently watching him.

Then the vision was gone. I was totally and utterly content, and, for the first time in years, I had no needs other than to replay the scene over and over until his peaceful face was burned into my mind. I was truly annoyed when I finally heard the footsteps of the first humans who had come to finish setting up for the party.

I sighed and stood to help whoever it was with the final preparations. As a precaution, I stopped by the bathroom to check my face and change into my party dress first. I didn't need to touch up any makeup because I didn't wear anything but ruby red lipstick, but I also didn't want to terrify the unwary human who would have to set up a party with a vampire by looking too much like one. I set my face to my most benign look, and walked into the gym to see what I could do to help.

The four nursing students who had volunteered to help set up for the dance looked up at me with astonished faces as I walked in. At first, the looks were shocked, then jealous, then slightly fearful. It was the way all human females looked at me. Except Emily of course, but she was weird.

The four girls backed away and waited for me to say something to them, so I cleared my throat, smiled a very small smile, and politely greeted them.

"Hi, my name is Alice. I'm Emily's friend and she asked me to come help with the party. So what can I do?"

They all just stood there for a moment, their pounding hearts sounding alarmingly tasty to my ears, and then one of them said rather shakily, "Hi. Emily told us you would be coming. Could you set up the last of the streamers over the stage where the band will play? We are just finishing up the food." She tried to smile in return, but she only managed to look a little ill.

Streamers, great. I know that they are the hallmark of human parties, but really, haven't I taught Emily better? I sighed and headed over to the stage.

"How many does she want up?" I asked over my shoulder. Two girls jumped at the sound of my voice. I rolled my eyes in frustration. Really, it wasn't even dark in here. How could one little vampire in a chiffon dress terrify them so badly?

"Just use as much of the rest as you can," called the courageous one, "and then that will be the last of the decorations that need to go up."

Oh no, I thought, there is so much more that could go up, but I obediently walked over and began twisting and hanging streamers from the basketball hoop to the edge of the stage. I decided to use up the last of the thin, droopy stuff.

I hated streamers. They were sickeningly simple and cheap looking, and much too fragile for vampire fingers. My hands were used to being gentle because fabrics tend to disintegrate under normal vampire pressure, but these crepe things were ridiculously wraith-like. I would never have even considered using them even though they were normal decorations for these humans. When I had finished making the stage look like a garishly colored rain forest, I went around and continued hanging crepe paper streamers on any surface not sufficiently covered by the limp paper flowers that drooped around the gym. The nurses' gazes never left my back, and I wondered just how frightening I had become in the months that I had spent with my own kind. Why couldn't I find a balance between human and vampire?

To make my mood just that much worse, I could hear the girls talking about me over by the food.

"I don't know why all the guys like her…"

"…more scary than pretty, if you ask me…"

"The guys like her until they actually meet her, and then they run. Just watch tonight…"

"…looks at us with that smile, but the smile looks hungry like we are hamburgers or something…"

"Will you ladies stop? She is a friend of Emily's and helped her a bunch when she needed it. Look, she's doing what we asked without so much as a complaint. You are so jealous that your eyes are turning green, so just shut your traps and finish the food," hissed the courageous one.

I was very grateful for her tirade as I was just about to jump in myself, and the vampire in me was very eager to show them just how hungry my smile could look. If they wanted scary, then I could definitely help them out.

I sighed heavily. I may be justified in my anger, but the fact that the beast growling inside me had grown so powerful so quickly set me aback. The beast wished to kill them for being rude, and I had nearly given in. Even as I tried to calm the angry vampire, it was reminding me of just how tasty young nurse could be and justifying the murders by killing only the vicious ones while letting the nice one live.

I grumpily continued in my self-appraisal until I heard Emily's frantic voice coming from the hall. I turned to see that she was pale and her eyes very wide as she took in every detail of the room.

"Alice," she called with relief in her voice, "is it perfect? Did I do okay with everything? What else is there, I just know I forgot something. I don't know about the colors, either. Maybe…"

"Will you please relax!" It was a frustrated command and not a question. "It is perfect. The food is ready, the decorations are set, and the band is in the hall. You did very well." I lied a bit to make her feel better. It was more correct to say she did very well for a human, but who was I to judge?

"It looks terrific, Em," yelled one of the girls from the refreshment tables. "The colors are perfect and everyone will love it."

Were there any humans in this state with a sense of good taste?

Given the current circumstance, I realized that "taste" was a word that I shouldn't use right now.

The uncomfortable standoff between the nurses and myself eased just a bit with the arrival of Emily and her parents. Her father and mother were staying to help for a while, but her brothers had been shipped off to a friend's house so that they could not destroy the dance. They had been scheduled to help Emily set up, but, apparently, their father had found several home made smoke bombs, two large slingshots, and a huge supply of black ink in their rooms, and they were now banished from the dance. Such a pity, it would have been more fun for me if they had made it here undetected.

Suddenly, the band showed up, people began shuffling in the doors, and Emily was surrounded by well-wishers and admirers. The tall, painfully shy girl who had somehow found a vampire to befriend simply blossomed in front of me. She stood taller, smiled wider, and began talking animatedly to those around her. I felt a swell of pride at her transformation. I had traveled thousands of miles over several continents. I had turned away from my murderous nature and lived among humans without harming many of them. I had returned from the depth of grief and sorrow and become a college graduate. None of those things compared to this. Forcing Emily to come out of the shell that she had made for herself may have been the most important thing I had ever done.

Then, without warning from my fickle visions, the crowd surrounding Emily was drawing close to me, with Emily leading the way.

"This is Alice, most of you probably remember her," she said smiling, "and I would never have even attempted this without her practically forcing it on me."

I smiled at the sea of faces that regarded me with a mix of attraction and apprehension.

"Really, it was just a suggestion," I laughed, trying to appear benign. It didn't work, but I didn't really expect it to.

"Anyway, as I was saying, Alice has never even once tried the food that the restaurant makes." She smiled wickedly as I froze in trepidation. "But tonight I am making her at least try my dad's special barbeque sauce and wieners and my mom's potato salad."

"Emily, no!" My face and the growl in my voice were enough to make the other graduates step back several feet, but Emily was, of course, undeterred. After spending three hours trying to get the vile cherry coke out of my stomach, I couldn't imagine what a barbecued wiener would do to me.

Her face turned petulant as mine turned murderous.

"Alice, please," she whined. "Mother and father spent hours cooking the food, and I want to share it with you. This is my dad's secret recipe barbeque and my grandmother's famous potato salad. You just have to try them. Please? As a special treat for me?"

The conniving wench was piteously begging, and, surrounded by the curious faces of the others, I couldn't think of a good enough excuse to avoid the food. The vampire reminded me that I could easily avoid it if I was willing to kill to do so.

So, prompted by the cantankerous human and to keep the monster contained, I smiled and said, "Well, if it makes you happy. But I really am not all that hungry, so could I have just a little please?" My voice sounded like gravel as the growls from the vampire made their way out.

Emily squealed in delight and darted off to get my "little" amount of food while the crowd continued to watch in curiosity. They all instinctually knew what Emily was oblivious to, that this scene was somehow very, very wrong.

She came back with a plate piled high with dripping wieners and sludgy potatoes. I knew that the humans loved these two items, she had bragged about her father's recipe and her grandmothers cooking before, so I am sure Emily couldn't fathom why I wouldn't want to eat the plate full of food.

"Alice, stop looking like that! It isn't going to kill you to eat this, you know. It might even put some meat on your bones," she said, as if she was talking to a child.

I laughed almost hysterically at the thought of food killing me and putting meat on my bones. Then, looking wildly around, I simply grabbed the offensive pile and stared blankly at it.

"Really Alice, there is no reason to look so sick. Good grief, you are even paler than normal." She was getting annoyed now. I tore my gaze away from the plate and looked around at the faces. The evil nurses had looks of triumph, like they knew something was seriously wrong with me. I tried to ignore the vampire's call to remove their evil from the earth. Then I tried to silent the vampire's terrified screams as I put the sickeningly sweet and slimy wiener in my mouth and swallowed.

It was far worse than I could have imagined. I couldn't actually taste the food, but my sense of smell told me more than I needed to know. The meat smelled and tasted of salt, and the sauce was a mixture of tart and sweet that overwhelmed my vampire senses. I knew I would smell nothing but sauce until I rid myself of it. I had never in my life felt so much like screaming and running in panic.

Suddenly, I realized that I had very in-humanly swallowed the wiener whole, and that my face was contorted into a look of sheer disgust.

I steeled myself, forced the look on my face to change to some mimicry of joy, and said, "Wow, Emily, this is incredible."

She laughed and clapped her hands. "For a minute there, I thought you were about to throw the whole thing up. Mom and Dad will be so happy that you like it. Now try Mom's salad while I get you something to drink."

I very nearly lunged for her throat, but the shrinking, sane part of my mind somehow kept enough control to merely pop a helping of the lumpy salad into my mouth and chew it to a liquefied state.

The second I swallowed it, my entire middle section began to try to heave the thing back up. It tasted of nothing, but had a grotesque texture that revolted every part of me. I locked my non-heaving muscles in place and tried not to look like the puking monster I was. It took every ounce of control that I had gained in the last twenty-five years to continue taking bites of the vile, tasteless stuff.

A cup found its way to my hand and I was vaguely aware in the midst of my suffering that Emily had handed me some of the unnaturally red punch. I put it aside, and quickly, much too quickly, shoved the remainder of the food into my mouth and pulverized it. Then, with one final dip into my shrinking reserve of control, I grabbed the drink and drained it in record time.

My entire inner body was screaming in protest and pulsing in an attempt to rid itself of the mass of food inside. The drink only helped get the food further down my esophagus. It brought no relief and only added to the sickeningly sweet taste and smell. The red dye tasted metallic and only made the whole torturous session that mush more horrid. I was vacillating between quaking in anger and heaving in disgust, but I put the drink down gently and turned to Emily.

It took everything I had to not kill her and all the gawking humans in the room.

"Thanks," I smiled, "tell your Mom and Dad that they are great cooks, Emily. I can't believe I waited so long to try their cooking."

"Do you want more?" she asked brightly.

Do you want me to kill you now or later?

"Um, no thanks, but maybe a little later. I really am not very hungry," I said as I tried to command my stomach to stop its convulsive retching.

"You ate like you were famished," she laughed, and several others laughed with her.

I looked around, partly in curiosity and partly to find victims, and I found that the humans were relaxing and smiling around me. The simple act of eating a pile of food made me seem so much more human that they were now willing to accept me. It was an unexpected response, and one that was absolutely not worth the effort.

Blessedly, just then the band started up with a lively swing number. Quickly, the crowd thinned and people made their way to the dance floor. Emily stood smiling at me until her dad came over and led her to the floor as well. I was only vaguely aware of all of it because I was trying to keep my control just long enough to make it into the trees.

Forcing the food out was horrendous. I heaved and heaved and forced muscles normally used to drink warm, think fluid to retch up the solid and liquefied masses in my belly. It took nearly half an hour to get most of the large chunks and thicker liquid out. It smelled and looked disgusting. I had no idea how to get the smaller chunks and thinner liquid out, but I didn't want to hunt until it was all gone. It was, however, not painful anymore and not so sickening that I couldn't join the others who would by now be looking for me.

Dr. Hendricks had been right, the only friends of a vampire were the dead and the dying, and it was very tempting to make the pestering humans in that gym one or the other.

I sighed deeply and headed back into the loud and crowded room. I couldn't wish death on any of them, except the trio of evil nurses, and I returned a fairly happy and content vampire.

I spent the whole night watching Emily and either avoiding her attempts to feed me or laughing at her attempts to find a dancing partner for me. Twice, for a very short time, she succeeded, and I danced a few swing dances with two very unfortunate but very brave young men. There were very few other social interactions for me though; I was away for too long, and I was a vampire. I was no longer a welcome part of their world.

The last couple wandered out of the gym at 1:30, and Emily nearly collapsed as she sat down to take her shoes off of her swollen feet.

"I did it Alice! I can't believe it. They really all had a great time, and they loved it. Thank you so much," she said as she leaned over and touched my arm lightly. Even through the fatigue, her smile was radiant and very thankful. I nearly glowed inside.

"I only hung up the decorations," I reminded her coyly, "so you shouldn't thank me. You did all the work."

"But if you hadn't forced me to take the job, I would have never tried this. I still can't believe I did it. I organized and threw a huge party. Wow."

I felt the inner glow increase with her words. I already knew that, of course, but it felt nice to hear her admit it. I was going to miss the odd human friend of mine more than I wanted to accept. I could just be so normal around her.

"The band was great, wasn't it? And even you liked the food," she reminisced with a laugh in her voice. Then her face fell, "I really wish Tom could have seen this. He would have never believed it."

We were both silent for a moment. Yes, I wish Jasper were here as well, though he might have been too dangerous for this party. I was glad, though, that he hadn't seen me puking in the woods.

"When do you leave?" I asked to change the subject.

"Sunday afternoon. Will you help me pack up and load the truck? My uncle is bringing it over tomorrow, and I am still not packed up. I am going to be exhausted!" She sighed and lay her head over on mine. I could feel her warmth against my skin, but she seemed unaware of my cold, hard body. How very strange, especially for a nurse.

"I'll try to help," I told her truthfully. The weather was fickle this time of year and I was sure that the day would vacillate between clouds and sun, but if I could stay in her room and pack there, I would do so.

"I wish you could come with me to Philly. It would be nice to have you there. You're going to run off and have great adventures aren't you?"

I had to laugh. That was indeed what I wanted to do.

"Probably. Jasper isn't home yet, and there isn't much for me to do." I winced from the truth of that statement. "Besides, I get great ideas for paintings and clothes when I travel."

"Promise you will write," she commanded.

"I will, besides, I'm not gone yet. Tell you what, you head home, and I'll finish here and when you wake up, we can pack. Deal?"

She yawned widely, laughed a little, and headed to the door barefoot and exhausted. "See you in the morning," she yawned again.

"See you at noon," I laughed back. As I cleaned the gym, I wondered what it was like to be tired and wished I remembered what it was like to sleep.

Then, I dutifully went out to the fountain that ran in the middle of the campus, sucked up a huge quantity of the water, and went to hang upside down from a branch and let the remaining food drain out.

xx||xXx||x

When Emily said that she wasn't done packing, what she meant was that she had barely started. Most of the boxes in her room were deceptively and frustratingly empty. She was maddeningly slow at choosing what to take and what to leave, but every time I handed her a box to take to the waiting truck, I was able to make a few of the decisions for her. She was so muddled by the impending move that she didn't even notice when she came in after only three minutes to find her closet empty and six boxes full.

"Alice, I think I love you," whispered her father on his sixth trip. His nerves were more frazzled than mine. He had been dealing with his scatter-brained daughter's attempt to move for weeks now.

"Do us all a favor, and take her to lunch or something. I'll have her loaded by the time you get back," I whispered back.

"Alice, I can't do that to you," he stated flatly. "You don't deserve that, not after all you've done for her. We should take you to lunch!"

"I couldn't eat another bite after stuffing myself last night," I stated. It wasn't even a lie. I was fairly certain that I still had a small piece of wiener in my stomach somewhere, and that barbeque slime was still sloshing around in water that I couldn't force out. I should never have chewed the slimy things up so finely. I hoped my slight shudder at the thought of forcing yet more food down my throat didn't show. I did not ever want to eat food again so long as I lived.

"I don't know Alice, it is awfully unfair to leave you to this," he said as a slight glimmer of hope crossed his face.

"I can do this so much faster without her here," I quickly hissed as Emily came up the stairs. "Trust me, I'm an expert at packing, and this has to get done quickly. Get her out of here!" I ordered as she walked into the room.

We both turned and smiled at her.

"What?"

"Um, Alice and I were just talking about lunch plans. I'm famished, and I know your brothers are too, so why don't we go to lunch?" Her father was a good liar.

"I guess we could take a break," Emily said uncertainly as she surveyed the jumbled chaos of her room. "What do you want to eat Alice?"

I nearly snapped at her.

"I am super stuffed from the dance last night, believe me, I couldn't eat another bite. You guys go ahead and I'll continue packing so that we don't get too far behind." I tried to smile so that my discomfort at the mere thought of food didn't show too much.

The second the door shut, I began to sort and pack at vampire speed. After only ten minutes, I had sorted all of the items in the room into a take pile and a leave pile. Before I could begin placing them into the appropriate boxes, though, I heard the faint growl of the most annoying animal on earth.

Bouncer the dog was alone with me in the house, and he was growling at me. Suddenly, helping Emily pack was very worth it.

I turned and began to call the little dog with the nasty temper over with my sweetest vampire voice. He responded by growling louder and advancing with his tiny hackles up.

I had to admit, he was either very brave or insanely stupid, either way, he was the only animal that had ever growled at me. He stood his ground about three feet away, so I sweetly advanced, holding out my hand in a very non-threatening way.

Just as I hoped, the dog who had ruined my skirts and stockings snapped at my hand. I heard the teeth crack against my stone hands, and he yipped in pain and ran back a few feet. He hadn't lost any teeth, but I would bet they were a little loose.

"Don't forget it!" I scolded him.

Stupidly, he began a low growl then and started advancing on me. I really did want to kill Emily's dog, but it would be so hard on her to lose him.

I turned to face the small, vicious mop showing every part of the vampire I was. With teeth barred and ready, I let out a loud and impressive roar that shook the windows.

The dog stopped, puddled on the floor, and dropped like a stone into the wet mess.

I couldn't believe it, I killed him with a roar.

No, I could make out his fast heartbeat. Then I roared with laughter. He had fainted. All those times he had nipped my legs and torn my clothing, and he keeled over from just one growl.

I used his fur to mop up his mess, carried him downstairs, and tossed him out the door. That was definitely worth all the hassle of packing.

By the time the family returned from the restaurant, all of the needed items were boxed and in the truck, and I was busily inspecting all the bric-a-brac that was left.

"How did you do that?" gasped an incredulous Emily from her door.

"I've lived away from home for some time now, so I had a fairly good idea of what you needed. What was this for?" I asked, burning with curiosity over the odd items left in the room. I was holding up a tattered tin can with a leather strap.

"That was my first lunch bucket. You can just barely see it, but my grandma painted a picture of my teddy bear on the can so that I wouldn't miss him," she laughed sweetly. "Oh, there is Mona, my doll." She held up a lifeless, formless lump with a face dimly painted on it. "My mom helped me make her when I was six."

I was fascinated. I had no memories of playing or loving or enjoying anything as a human.

"What about those?" I said, pointing to a rather foul smelling leather pair of what looked like pants.

"Those covered my diapers," Emily broke out in giggles. "And here is my teething ring, and here is my bear."

"Tell me about them," I pleaded.

"Oh, you don't want to hear about all my childhood junk, do you?"

"It may seem odd, but, yes, I really do want to hear about them. They're rather interesting."

"Well, if you want to... Um… This is the bonnet that my aunt made for me when I was a baby, and these were the first shoes I wore…"

I absorbed all her words and maybe even a little of her delighted and delightful inner-child as she spoke. I listened until nighttime as she told me stories about her childhood and life, examining each item as if it were a treasure map that held some kind of clue about who I used to be.