Chapter Three

I got into trouble today at school. I don't know what's wrong with me, but I get mad easier than I usually do. A girl in my class, who isn't my friend, called me a freak because of my gift. I pulled her by the hair, and I must have done it harder than I realized because she broke down crying and Mr. Merlotte pulled me out of class and went real mad at me. Granny went real mad when I got home, too. She says I am grounded, and that I have to stay in my bedroom for the rest of the night. I didn't even think I had pulled the girl's hair that hard, but I guess I did because of how sad she got about it, and how in trouble I got into.

I don't know what is wrong with me lately. I keep getting angry. I yell at Jason for no reason and call him stupid. Granny says I am starting more fights with Jason than I usually do too. Sometimes I wonder if it is my own anger or if it is somebody else's. Can it belong to the vampire, Mr Eric? He told me, after I bit him like a dog, that we may start to feel the same things. Could that be what he meant? It's scary, though. I can't seem to control how grumpy I get. I get grumpy a lot, and want to throw things around the house

Because Gran sent me to bed early, I sit in my room in my pyjamas. It feels way too early and it is boring sitting up all night with nothing to do. I'm not even tired yet. Usually, I feel tired around nine o'clock at night, but Gran says I have to stay up here, I'm only allowed out to go to the bathroom. I try to read one of my books, but then there is a funny noise. Something hits the glass of my window, a rock I think, and I become scared.

I climb out of bed and peek outside my curtain to find the vampire is there, looking right at me through the window. It is a bit funny because the ground is a long way down from it. "Let me in," he says, and so I do. I pull open my window, and step back. He looks like he is floating on invisible string; It looks freaky. "Say I can come in," he says quietly, so I say that as well.

He climbs in through my window and turns around to shut it.

"How did you do that?" I ask, feeling scared.

"I can fly, small human," he says. I don't believe him for a second, but then he looks real serious.

"Vampire's can fly?" I must say it too loud, because he presses a hand into my mouth.

"Quiet," he hisses through gritted teeth, and it reminds me of Gran. I get down my knees and crawl underneath my bed, like a dog, pretending to hide. I can see his feet from underneath the bed as he walks around my room slowly.

"Hey, where did the human go?" he says to himself. I want to laugh, but I make sure I don't. The timing isn't right yet, I have to jump out at the right time to scare him. "Little human, are you here?" he calls in a whispered sing-song voice. I have to clamp my hand over my mouth to stop my giggles. "This is strange. The fairy-human has disappeared. It seems she has mastered her teleportation skills quicker than usual."

I watch his feet disappear and the bed squeak from above my head.

I slither onto my belly, and crawl off into the opposite side. Holding my breath, I risk a quick peek. I spy at him, as he touches my pillow with fascination. Then I can't wait a second longer, so I jump up and startle him from behind.

"BOO!"

"Jesus." He clutches a hand over his chest and peers behind his shoulder at me, alarmed. I think he is faking more than he lets on to be scared, though. "Please don't give an old man a heart attack. It isn't very nice of you."

I stare him down. He doesn't look like an old man. Old men are meant to be wrinkly and grey and hunchbacked. He looks as old as my teacher, Mr. Merlotte. "You're not an old man, are you?"

"Not quite. But I am over a thousand-years-old."

"You're playing me like a fiddle," I grumble, crossing my arms over my nightgown. "I may be eight, but I'm still smart. No one can be a thousand-years-old, can they?"

He smiles at me, and his funny two teeth show. "Well, I am. And your Grandfather Niall has reached over five-hundred and ten."

"That's a lie. My Granny told me people only live until they're one-hundred years old!"

"Ah, yes. Normal human folk, perhaps. But what you are forgetting is that I am not an average, normal human. I am vampire. I am immortal, little girl."

"Can I live to be that old?" I ask excitedly. I think it would be pretty cool. Death scares me.

He is silent for a moment, thinking real hard on that. "I don't know," he says quietly. "Only time will tell."

"Do you still have my drawing? If not, I can always draw you another one?"

"Of course, I have it." He slips two fingers into his jacket, and pulls it out. I feel myself flush with pride. "I said I would carry it with me always, did I not?"

"Yep, you did."

"I am a man who keeps his word. Can you do that for me, also?"

"Do what?"

"Keep your word."

"Keep it on what?"

He looks a little frustrated by my back-chatter. My Grandmother often gets that way, too. She says sometimes I act like an annoying little parrot, a chatter-box. I can't help it, though.

"About me, of course. About me, and fairies."

I feel a bit scared, because it's already far too late. "But I've already talked to Granny?"

"Right. And does she believe you?"

Huffing, I climb up on my bed and sit near him on my belly. "Nope, she doesn't. She thinks you're my imaginary vampire friend, and that fairies aren't real."

"Well, your Grandmother is very wrong. I am real, aren't I?"

"I don't know." I make a face at him.

"Then pinch me. If you feel skin, you know for a fact that I am real and am not your imaginary friend."

"Okay." Leaning up on my elbows, I reach out and yank on his earlobe. I feel hard cold skin. He must be real then, like I thought. I yank again, just to be sure, and he makes a very weird noise at me; a deep dog-like growl. Frightened, I place my hands back onto the cover of my bed. I've never heard somebody make noises like that before. "Why did you do that?"

"Do what?"

"You made a weird noise?"

He gives me his annoyed look. "I don't like to be pulled and poked at like some animal at a zoo."

"Sorry," I whisper glumly. "I won't do it again, I promise."

"Give me your hand," he orders, facing me on the bed.

"What! Why?" Oh, I hope it isn't the blood thing again. It made me feel icky last time.

"I won't hurt you. I just want to show you something. Stretch your fingers out and show me."

"Fine," I sigh. Pulling myself up with my knees resting on the spongy mattress of my bed, I put my right hand out slowly, careful not blink as I watch what he is doing. He slowly brings his left hand out too, and my fingers shake without my control, as he brings his slowly closer and closer, until I feel the cool heel of his palm touching mine. My warm palm and fingers extended halfway to his, stopping way way short of his middle joints. It makes me feel tiny, and him huge.

"Now, I want you to close you eyes," he says, his voice soft as a whisper. I close them immediately like a good girl. "Now, think of something that deeply upsets you."

I peek at him out of one eye. "Like what, though?"

"Anything. Think of something that makes you mad, even."

Now something mad is very easy to think of. I think of Jason using up all the milk this morning before I was able to use it in my cereal. I think of a girl at my school, Arlene, pulling my hair and taunting me. I think of all the people that have called me mean names. Freak. Loser. Weirdo.

Mister Eric makes a sharp noise of surprise through his mouth. "Well done. Concentrate and continue thinking about things that make you mad. But I want you to open your eyes this time, and look at what your hand is doing. Focus."

Still thinking of all the times kids at school have called me mean names that make me angry, I carefully reopen my eyes to see what our hands look like. I can feel a funny tingling in my fingertips. When I see what my hand is doing, I gasp and lose all my concentration, because I'm so shocked by what is happening. A funny white silent stream of light is passing through my fingers. It seems to be pushing his hand further and further away. But then I lose concentration and it fizzles slowly out.

"What was that?" I ask nervously.

"You did that all by yourself." He sounds very happy with me. "Niall will be pleased with your quick progress."

"But why did it happen?" I demand.

"It happened, because you're a fairy and you are able to do these things."

"But why? What else can I do?" I'm talking super loud. He doesn't look very happy by this. He puts a finger to his lips.

"Quiet, not so loud. You will learn more, within time. But you're just going to have to be patient."

I frown. Gran often says I'm the most impatient person in the universe. "Why are you teaching me how to be a fairy? Why all this stuff?"

"Because something dangerous is coming for you," he tells me gravely. "You will need to learn how to protect yourself, and it is very important that you do learn how to. Trouble might come to you when I'm not able to reach you. You need to learn to rely on yourself, and trust your own instincts. You mustn't tell anybody that you can do that with your fingers, either. All right? It's very important that you don't."

"Why can't I?"

"Because the bad people who come to harm you may try to use it against you."

I eye him doubtfully. "How do I know who the bad people are?"

"Don't trust any wolves, do you understand me? Do not trust any strange looking men who are able to turn into dogs. Do not trust any other vampires, either."

"Then how do I know for real that your my friend?"

"Because Niall informed you, and you alone, that he sent me for you."

I guess that makes sense then. "Okay. Uh, I have to go to bed soon."

"Of course, and I will let you." He moves off my bed so I can get in. I pull down my covers, and slip inside. He stands around, watching me as I lean the back of my head against my pillow. His hands are clenched and he looks funny. A bit nervous and shy. "Well, goodnight."

I sit up hastily. "D'you have to leave?"

"I do, only for a short while."

"You could sleepover? If you don't have a home, you can sleep in my room?"

He smiles. "But I do have a home. In Shreveport, where my friend, another vampire, is waiting on me."

"Oh." Shreveport? I've heard of that before. "Is your vampire friend, like... your girlfriend?"

He laughs throatily at me. "No, thank God."

"Why 'thank God'?"

"She wouldn't make a very good girlfriend."

"Why not?"

"She just wouldn't." He shrugs, then looks down at his shoes. "Well, goodnight again, small human."

"My name is Sookie!"

"Yes, yes. Sookie. I have to go now."

"Will you be coming back anytime soon?"

"Uh, I'm rather busy unfortunately, Sookie. But hopefully I will fly in soon. Probably next week."

I roll my eyes at the flying part. "Okay."

"Goodnight." He waves at me, and then a minute later, he has disappeared. Where'd he go so quickly? Rolling onto my side, I glance down under my bed. Hmmm. He isn't there. How funny.

Thank you for being so kind and for reading the story. Don't worry; Sookie won't always be a young girl. I'm intending to make her age progress :-)