"Have a nice day, Laurence!" the cashier called after him. Carmilla stood outside the convenience store, smoking and waiting for the nineteen-year-old boy to emerge. She picked up a rock she'd been kicking against the cement foundation and pocketed it, feeling its size weight in her pocket.

Carmilla hated it when Laura was reincarnated as a boy. It had happened only a couple dozen times over the years, and it made Carmilla's job even harder because it slowed down her process.

With girls, she could be the forward one and ask to see them and hang out with them. But with boys, she'd have to have a little more patience and wait for him to ask—as were the customs. And here he was, Laurence Hall, buying some snacks for his younger brother. Carmilla had 'coincidentally' run into him several times now, and had even established an early friendship with him. And because he finally trusted her, it was prime time to strike.

"Oh hey," he greeted her with surprise. "It's funny, I feel as if I always run into you."

"Small world, isn't it?" Carmilla chuckled. She made sure to appear as if she were waiting for something, as she wanted tonight to be the night, but he would have to be the one to ask.

"So, uh... would you like to see me tonight?" he asked. Carmilla nodded.

"I'd love that," she told him.

"Did you have anything in mind?"

"Look at the stars, perhaps."

"Sounds good," he smiled. "So I'll see you tonight at the edge of the woods. Is sundown okay? I still have to help my father with some things."

"That's perfect. See you later, Laurence," Carmilla cooed as she watched him wave and walk away.

Carmilla stepped into the convenience store and felt herself perk up immediately. Though she was not burned by the sun, it still had a negative effect on her in that it made her feel weaker.

"Good afternoon," the cashier greeted her. "Can i help you with anything today?"

"Actually, you can..." Carmilla replied, walking over to the counter and eyeing the girl. "I'm looking for a lighter."

"I have them right here," the girl told her as she picked up a box from behind the counter and set it down. "I was just about to put them out on display."

"Excellent."

"Will that be all?"

"No, I wanted one more thing as well," Carmilla informed her as her eyes scanned the girl's body, settling on a key ring.

"What would you like?" the girl asked. Carmilla took the rock out of her pocket and set it on the counter. The cashier gave her a confused look as she stated, "That is a rock... from outside. We don't sell those here—you could've just taken it."

"I could've," Carmilla sighed. "But I wanted something to drink."

"Huh?"

Before the girl could react, Carmilla reached over the counter and grabbed her by the hair, smashing her head against the counter and cracking her skull open.

"I just had to distract you a little," Carmilla explained to the body. "Sorry."

And with that, she jumped over the counter and snatched the key ring off the girl, opening the cash register and emptying it.

"And now for that drink..." Carmilla murmured to herself as she bit into the girl's flesh and drank.

Once she'd had her fill, she walked around the counter, checked the nearby area, and made sure it was clear.

She strolled casually out of the store and into a nearby café, wiping her mouth off just as she entered.

"Are you open?" Carmilla inquired, noting the empty tables.

"Yes," a teenage boy answered. "Would you like a booth?"

"Is it just you in here?" she wondered aloud, ignoring his question.

"Yes, the waitress come a little later," he answered. "I'm simply opening the place."

"Opening in the afternoon? That's peculiar," Carmilla remarked, pulling a chair out and sitting down. The boy stared at her curiously.

"Sure, but that's how we do it."

"Can I have a straw?" Carmilla asked. "Actually, make that two."

"You didn't order anything to drink."

"I'll have something later," she told him. "The straws, please."

He grabbed two out of the cup full of straws on the counter and handed them to her.

"Thanks," she remarked as she rose to her feet.

"That's all?" he asked.

"Yes, thank you."

And with that, Carmilla picked up the chair and smashed him over the head, knocking him out instantly. She knelt down by his body and bit him, before slipping the two straws into the puncture wounds and drinking.

"Ah..." she sighed to herself. "Refreshing."

Suddenly, the door to the restaurant swung open and Carmilla jumped to her feet, preparing herself for a confrontation.

"The straws were a nice touch," Nicolaus commented as he caught sight of the body.

"Thanks," Carmilla answered sarcastically. "Warn a girl next time."

"If I don't know where you are, how am I to call before my arrival?" he asked innocently.

"Well obviously you knew where I was," Carmilla retorted.

"Yeah... I did," he admitted. He gestured to the boy. "May I?"

"Get your own," Carmilla grouched.

"Actually, come to think of it... I'm rather full," Nicolaus remarked. "And look, I thought I'd save you some time."

Before Carmilla could ask what he'd meant by that, Nicolaus opened the door and bent down to drag a body through the doorway, before dropping its legs on the ground. It was Laurence.

Carmilla stared at it.

"That was my kill," she told him through clenched teeth.

"Yeah, yeah... It's been your kill for hundreds of years. I reckoned I could take it this time. Save you the trouble," Nicolaus reasoned.

"It's no trouble, I wanted to do that."

"Oh come on... you're not tired of it yet?"

"Even if I were... what's it to you?" Carmilla snapped. "That should've been mine."

"Sorry," Nicolaus responded, though both of them knew it wasn't sincere. "Good luck finding Laura this round. I promise I won't interfere."

"I haven't seen you in a few decades and suddenly you appear and take my kill? What are you after?"

"I was just checking in," Nicolaus confessed. "I thought maybe you'd grown tired by now."

"Someone after you?" Carmilla guessed. Nicolaus didn't respond. "Nice."

"Look, I... pissed off this old vampire. I've been running from her for months, and she has been on my tail the entire time. I'm backed into a corner, and now I'm going to die," Nicolaus admitted. "She almost killed me two nights ago. I'm sure she'll come for me again."

"And what do I have to do with any of this?"

"Just make sure my body is found," Nicolaus quietly requested as he presented a piece of paper with writing on it. "It will be at this address. Make sure I am found. The wife I have now will be worried if I just disappear."

"Will that be all?" Carmilla asked coolly.

"Yes, that will be all," he paused. "It was a pleasure knowing you, Mircalla."

A sharp pain stabbed at Carmilla heart. She hadn't been called Mircalla since she'd first met Nicolaus. She was speechless.

"I do hope you learn to calm down one day," he added. "And I hope you find the peace you're looking for."

Carmilla could only stare as he turned to walk through the café doors.

"Goodbye, Mircalla."

She didn't respond.

Sure enough, later that night, Carmilla discovered Nicolaus' body at the given address. It was an abandoned shipyard, and he was floating face down in the water, tied to the dock.

Seeing his still, lifeless body there made Carmilla realize that she was truly alone, and this was the loneliest she had ever felt in her entire life.

She didn't allow herself to dwell on it, though. She phoned the police, explained to them what she'd seen, and fled.

She still had Laura to find.