"I think I need you as my personal fashion designer because... well... You see what I mean."

Mila chuckled and made an obvious pretense of appraising her outfit. “Hm, let’s see.. Oh, you look fine. Besides, you have the advantage of being petite enough to get away with anything,” she said knowingly. Her eyes suddenly lit up. “Still, I’m not gonna pass up the offer to play dress up with you, since you’ve just given me permission! I can already think of a few of my dresses and tops that I want you to try on sometime~” She smirked inwardly at the thought of helping Charlie slip into one of her silky, black dresses. The thought seemed to remind her just how hungry she was beginning to feel.. All of a sudden she was acutely aware of Charlie’s blush, and the fact that she was moving away, into the kitchen.

But she was back beside her again soon enough and Mila contentedly settled in closer, sitting with her body turned toward the girl. “Ah yes, that’s the one,” she laughed, recognizing the title. “A little silly for me not to remember his name. But it’s not like he’s real,” she added off-handedly, almost as if to herself. She studied the back of the dvd case with a look of amusement. “Ridiculous. Let’s watch this one.”

As the television popped on, a handsome newscaster appeared on the screen with an image of police tape and flashing lights. “...the bodies were found in an alley behind RAVE, a popular night club who’s owner has refused to comment on the incident. Police are currently questioning the club’s security staff. Here with us tonight is Police Chief Ron Hues with the latest updates on the case. Good to have you with us, Ron.”

“Thanks for having me.”

“Can you tell us any new information about how these men were killed?”

“Unfortunately no, Bill, so far the doctors are stumped as to how someone could remove the blood from a body without making a single laceration to the-..”

“But you’re sure it was murder?”

“Oh yes, these men were brutally killed-..”

Mila had been too busy reading the movie cover to pay much attention to what was happening on the screen. But at the mention of blood, she looked up and immediately recognized the image of the alley and the faces of the victims as the newscaster showed them one by one. Her expression remained completely neutral as she watched the screen.

“..Here, I’ll set it up,” she said, glancing over at Charlie and gently taking the remote from her hand. What kind of wine did you get?” She pointed the remote at the tv and the murder headlines disappeared, replaced by a blue input screen. Mila got up to put in the dvd, feeling slightly distracted by the memory of that night. She’d had a pretty big feast. Nothing like the small sip she’d taken from Charlie – which, of course, was ten times the quality. But it was such a small amount. The thought made her feel suddenly ravenous. She swallowed and began wondering if it had been wise to put herself in this situation. Sitting close, in the dark, watching a movie parody of her own unnatural impulse to lean in, press her lips to her throat and…

The title screen came to life suddenly, startling her out of her train of thought. “Oh, ah.. It’s ready,” she said, feeling the sharp points of her incisors behind her lip. She quickly crossed the room to dim the lights. She was doing it again, making things more complicated. Mila had plenty enough control to cuddle up to her prey without striking. She’d done it hundreds of time before, why should Charlie be any different? It might be a bit of a strain, but the vampire was more than capable of holding back while she’d toyed with the girl a little longer, attempted to wrap her a little tighter around her finger.

Mila got comfortable on the couch again, scooting over to make a space for her roommate. “It’s been too long since I’ve done something like this,” she said looking pleased. “Feels like all I’ve been doing lately is working. Hey, do you have a-.. ah, there’s one.” She reached over to grab a throw blanket from the chair and pull it over her lap. “I tend to get a little chilly. We can share if you want?” She tossed half the blanket over to Charlie’s side.

(Desktop Problems. Sorry.)

(Desktop problems. Sorry.)

(More desktop problems... *cries*)

"Can you believe that? Must be some kind of weird satanic cult thing."

Mila had hesitated for a moment, before making some sort of vague sound of agreement. “Mm. It’s certainly…unusual.” She cleared her throat lightly. “I wonder if they’ll ever catch the person responsible.” She saw Charlie glance at her, but for once she avoided meeting her eyes. She was bothered by the look of disgust and awe on the girl’s face – more than she should have been. In fact, Mila should have been entertained by the irony of it all. Instead, it felt like a veil had been pulled back on a very unpleasant truth. She felt uncomfortably exposed.

Luckily, watching Charlie’s expression as she struggled briefly to open the wine bottle was a pleasant distraction. Mila’s own face cracked a smile at her roommate’s cute victory grin as she finally managed to pop the cork. She never ceased to be adorable. Mila took the offered wine glass and lifted it, as if to take a sip. She peered at Charlie from over the top of her drink, the corner of her mouth quirking up again when she spotted that unconscious nibble at her lip. “I like it,” she said, meaning the wine. “Good choice.”

"Just so you know, I can be a bit of a wimp at times," she heard Charlie say as the eerie music began to play. Mila looked over at her and gave her a playful smirk. “Aw~” she cooed, “I might have to tease you about that.” Her voice dropped lower as the movie opened on the first scene. “Good thing there are a few pop out moments in this~”

For the first few minutes of the movie, all she could think about was thought of Charlie burying her face into her shoulder at some scary scene, and how she would have to resist the urge to draw her in closer. It was better to dwell on something else instead, something that didn’t whet her appetite. Like the silly weaknesses of the vampire in the film. Sensitive to sunlight, repelled by garlic, all this nonsense about wooden stakes through the heart. How inconvenient it would be not to be able to use a mirror. Fortunately her occasional chuckles could easily be attributed to the cheesy dated acting.

But there were a few scenes, the ones that made the movie a classic, that seriously tested her resolve. They had reached the part of the film when the vampire had the girl in a backward embrace, her body limp and yielding to his caresses as he hovered over her neck. In her mind, the actress’s face dissolved into Charlie’s, her mouth forming something similar to that “O” shape she’d seen when she’d surprised the girl earlier.

Suddenly she felt Charlie’s eyes on her.

Even without turning to look at her Mila could tell that her roommate was watching her closely. The flickering light from the television played across the vampire’s sharp features as she continued to stare at the screen, her attention divided between the girl’s staring eyes, the impending bite on the sceen, and the drunken sway of bloodlust clouding over her senses. Had it not been so dark, her roommate might have seen how black her pupils had become as Mila slowly glanced over at her. The dim light did little to impair Mila’s vision, however; she was very much aware of Charlie’s large, curious eyes and the warm pulse beneath her skin. The vampire met her gaze steadily. Her posture was languid, eyes half-lidded – the only sign of tension was in her jaw, which was faintly flexing.

“…I wonder why vampires are so popular,” she said, her voice smooth and deep. That tended to happen when the frenzy started coming on. It was as if her body did everything in its power to be more attractive, all the better to lure the innocents. “Books, movies, tv shows, they’re everywhere.” The actress on the screen let out a little gasp as the vampire sank his teeth into her neck. Mila’s eyes flickered in response as she continued to look at Charlie. “She seems to like it, doesn’t she.” A smile now would have revealed two long fangs sharp enough to pierce the skin. But her expression at the moment was impassive.

She was lost in her own thoughts, buried deep in them like they were a mountain of blankets on a dismal and rainy afternoon. Charlie's eyes were on Mila, who was keenly watching the movie, and her thoughts had travelled to another realm in a way that wasn't new to her. She was a daydreamer and often she found herself adrift in some conceived fantasy. This one so happened to be related to Mila's skin and the almost eerie, yet still beguiling, glow the incandescent light gave her ivory face. Charlie was so engrossed in her own musings that when Mila's enchanting eyes met hers it took a moment for her to pull herself out of her spellbound state. Quickly, her inquisitive gaze was dropped for several seconds before she regained some sort of composure and met Mila's watch again. The cloak of darkness was a relief, at least Mila wouldn't be able to see the fierce burning in her cheeks and ears. Charlie completely overlooked the slight tightness in the other woman's jaw as she gave her a small smile.

“…I wonder why vampires are so popular. Books, movies, tv shows, they’re everywhere." Mila's voice was sultry and the tone stunned Charlie some, enough so that a slight shiver ran it's course down her back. "I know, right?" Her own voice was hushed and a little broken. She pulled the blanket tighter around her legs, and doing so forced her to move closer to Mila just slightly. "I've never been one of those occult obsessed people, my sister Diana was when we were younger and she forced me to read every single vampire, werewolf or supernatural book she could find." She thought of her sister sitting in the bed across form hers in their shared room that made it's home in a large, two story house. The room around them had been decorated with lace curtains, movie posters and many, many books one of which her sister was pretentiously shoving towards her. The memory caused a smile to warm Charlie's face.

“She seems to like it, doesn’t she.”

Charlie glanced at the screen, the actress didn't seem to be all that reluctant to Dracula. "Well that's one fetish." She chuckled sarcastically returning her gaze to Mila. "Personally I don't get it, how can people be so obsessed with a fictional species!" Her hands smoothed the blankets out over her legs which were haphazardly folded beneath her. "I think it might be because of the whole 'invincibility' status that vampires have. People were so afraid of death, that they created a version of themselves that lived forever." She nodded her head more so to herself. That seemed like a plausible explanation to her methodical mind. Despite loving the arts, and having an imaginative soul, Charlie always seemed to desire an explanation for most everything. It was a trait that she had must have acquired from her mom. "But really, it can't even be physically possible. What about diseases or varying blood types? Wouldn't they factor in?"

She realized that she was rambling, so clamping her mouth shut she let her shoulders rise and fall in a lethargic way. She turned her attention back to the television, yet at this point she was so unaware to what was going on that it was hardly worth trying to avert her attention back to it. She leaned forward to pour herself another glass of wine, her hand brushing the side of Mila's arm in the process, when the sound of the music intensified and a startling figure on the screen caused Charlie to shriek in surprise and grasp Mila's hand unconsciously. "Oh shit!" She dissolved into shaky laughter as she looked towards Mila with bewilderment. "I told you I was a wimp." Charlie managed to get the statement out between heavy gasps of breath. Shivering slightly, she glanced down towards her hand that was clasped with Mila's.

Slowly pulling her hand from Mila's cool grip, Charlie smiled apologetically. "And now I feel silly." She blushed deeply and moved her hands to her lap were the flitted listlessly, unsure of what to do with themselves before she consciously folded them together tight enough so that her knuckles turned a ghastly white. Her hair fell into her face, like a thin veil that clouded her soft features. She stared down at her hands for a few silent moments before she remembered what she had been doing before her she'd embarrassed herself. The wine bottle, which was still pretty full surprisingly enough, balanced precariously close to the edge of the coffee table. Enough so that Charlie's heart lurched for a moment when she imagined it tipping over and spilling all of her floor. That would not be fun. Expertly grabbing the bottle and pouring herself another drink, she looked towards Mila ready to offer her more before she realized that the other woman's glass was still pretty much full.

Making sure that the bottle was no longer in danger of falling off the table, she leaned back, drink in hand, and eyed Mila inquiringly. "I take it you're not much of a drinker?" She motioned idly to the glass that was still adequately brimful with blood red liquid. Charlie lifted her own glass to her lips and took a slow sip of the bitter wine, she herself was not the most abstaining of people. That was a trait she had received from her father. Of course, unlike her dad, she never went too overboard and knew when enough was enough. Placing her glass lackadaisically on her lap she fell into a dazed silence at the thought of her father and suddenly wanted nothing more to do with the refreshment. Pursuing her lips she glanced back up at Mila and smiled. "Not that that's a bad thing."

Mila noticed that distant look in Charlie’s eyes and wondered what the girl was thinking about so intensely. She watched as Charlie suddenly looked away. To her surprise, the girl’s gaze quickly met hers again and this time she held fast, despite the fact that her face was turning crimson. Mila liked this kind of challenge; her unblinking eyes turned just a touch mischievous as she waited for Charlie to be the first one to break away again.

Was she just imagining it, or was her roommate intentionally moving closer? Mila adjusted herself so that she was sitting cross-legged, her knee touching Charlie’s thigh now. She made no attempt to move it away as the girl described her theories about vampires in pop culture.

"But really, it can't even be physically possible. What about diseases or varying blood types? Wouldn't they factor in?"

“Hm, who knows,” she drawled, raising her eyebrows. “Maybe it’s like, different blood types taste differently or something. And some vampires greatly prefer one type over the others. What’s your blood type, O negative?”

It had been so long since she’d seen the film that she hadn’t remembered the scene that startled Charlie. This made for a pleasant surprise when she heard a shriek and felt a small hand slip suddenly into her own. Mila laughed, her incisors flashing openly for a split second before she remembered to cover her mouth. “Ahh, that one really got you, didn’t it~,” she teased. She gave Charlie’s hand a squeeze, just before the girl pulled it away.

"And now I feel silly."

“You shouldn’t, it was cute~” she chuckled, watching as the curtain of blonde hair fell between them. Mila reached out and tucked Charlie’s hair behind her ear.

“I guess I’m…just not in the mood to drink wine tonight after all.” She sounded distracted as she watched the red liquid pass through Charlie’s lips. This was so all torturous. Her fingertips curled in pleasurable agony as the girl pulled the glass away again and she saw that the red wine had colored her upper lip a little darker. It would take nothing, nothing to reach out and cup one soft side of her face with a firm hand, guide her forward to her own lips…

Humans had the most endearing reactions to those kinds of things. So often they drew themselves to her willingly, even when she was sure a voice in the back of their minds was whispering danger. If there was one thing she had been able to perfect over the many years, it was knowing precisely how to soothe that little whisper of doubt into submission – stroke it carefully and quietly until it was no longer strong enough to resist.

“Charlie..” she began, her voice dropping low again, "I.." She might as well have had half a bottle of that wine for how light-headed and impulsive she was feeling at the moment. Mila was leaning toward her now, a hand removing the wine glass from Charlie’s grip and setting it aside. “Do you..?” The questions lingered unfinished as the vampire touched her arm, turning the motion into a caress. Her nails lightly scrapped the skin as she dragged them up to her shoulder, then to her collar bone, all the way to her chin to tilt it up as she’d done before. She was going too far, and she knew it. But another wave of hunger made her grip on Charlie’s chin just a touch firmer.

She was crossing a line that couldn't be uncrossed again. Her eyes were still black from hunger, and she knew they would appear dilated to girl. They studied Charlie's features slowly and deliberately. Ravenously. A thumb moved to rub over the girl's lower lip, dragging it down until her mouth was slightly open. Mila exhaled, and it was almost a shudder. "Your lip is red. From the wine," she breathed.

Charlie looked up as Mila brushed the hair from her face. A shiver ran down her spine and the baby hairs on the back of her stood on end as the soft ends of her hair caressed her cheek gingerly. She gazed up at Mila with glistening blue eyes and wet her lips unconsciously. It was painstakingly obvious, the feeling of Mila's knee against Charlie's thigh and she was perhaps a bit too focused on the feeling of skin on skin, so much so that it took her a while to realize what Mila had said moments before. “Maybe it’s like, different blood types taste differently or something. And some vampires greatly prefer one type over the others.” A crooked smile made it's way across Charlie's face causing one cheek to dimple charmingly. “I suppose that's one theory...” She had her mouth open to say something witty when the question accompanied with the prior premise caused her to pause suddenly.

'What’s your blood type, O negative?”

Charlie's eyes widened in a mixture of surprise and bemusement. “Wow, you're good.” Her lips curved into a full fledged smile that touched her eyes and showed off her straight, perfectly normal teeth. “That's actually it, how did you guess?” It didn't strike her as odd at all as she leaned one elbow on the back of the couch and propped her chin in her palm. Curiosity written all all over her warm, flushed face. “Do us O neg people have some sort of unmistakable charm about us? I wouldn't be surprised...” She trailed off, sloshing around the drink in her cup and watching the liquid inside create a small tornado. The quiet was short lived as they struck up a new conversation about drinking habits that also faded away quickly leaving both women in a state of not-so-silent silence.

At some point the television had gotten turned down and was now no more then white noise in the background, however that was not what made the quiet room around them seem louder. There was something in the air, some unspoken feeling that Charlie couldn't exactly place. She could feel eyes on her, studying her features in a way that gave her an unnatural rush of something that could have been called fear but also could have been considered desire. They went hand-in-hand, Charlie had come to know, yet never had she experience such a feeling of danger, some unconscious murmur that she nervously laughed off as she turned her head to gaze back at Mila. “Charlie... I...” The sound of her voice made something in the pit of Charlie's stomach ache, like a knot of angst that was so unexplained she silently scolded herself for being such an idiot.

She glanced down in response to Mila slowly moving the glass from Char's hand aside. She had suddenly become very aware of the other woman's movements as the glass was placed carefully on the coffee table with a small clinking noise. Charlie wet her lips and watched Mila, by this time both women had completely forgotten the flickering television and the movie that was coming to a close. “Do you..?” She waited impatiently for the rest of the question that never came, the lingering inquiry was soon completely forgotten as chilled fingers caressed up her arms, across her chest and finally firmly grasped the edge of her chin. The slight red from where Mila's nails had gently scraped Charlie's flesh throbbed, yet not unpleasantly.

Charlie wasn't sure how to react, a slow breath was released from her slightly agape mouth. “I...” She couldn't find anything conceivable to say at that moment as Mila's grip on her chin tightened slightly. Gazing into the dilated pupils of her roommate, Charlie felt her mouth go dry and her breaths become shallow. The feeling of Mila's thumb across her lips made her swoon slightly and lean into the touch. "Your lip is red. From the wine," Charlie felt her head bob slightly. “Is it?” Her response was almost unconscious as the movie drew to a final close and the television grew dim, plunging the women into a darkness illuminated only by the moonlight that pooled in through the window making a small spotlight on the floor.

Unsure of what she wanted to happen next, Charlie closed her eyes and took a steadying breath. Any previous feelings of fear of danger were lost to her now. She was reacting just as any other person would react, leaning closer to Mila as her heart thudded loudly against her rib cage. She could hear the blood rushing through her ears and feel the heat brush across her face.

The sight of Charlie’s vulnerable, flushed face leaning up towards her, with closed eyes and parted lips made Mila smirk in a positively sinful manner. The girl was like putty in her hands now – as pliable as the actress had been to Dracula’s ministrations. The grip on Char’s chin became a caress along her jawline, slow and possessive, making its way down to stroke the skin around her neck, to feel the throb of blood beneath her hand. Mila let her fingertips dip into Charlie’s hair, twisting them tightly around the soft, downy strands at the base of her neck.

“Mmm, you know, I think you’re right… I think you O negatives must have some unmistakable charm,” she purred in a taunting, sultry tone as the hand in Charlie’s hair tightened even more. “There’s something else about you though..” She pulled the girl’s face up to her own, abruptly forcing Char to tilt her head back. “..makes it so I can’t help myself.” By this point, Mila was in a heady state of bloodlust. There was no concern for the aftermath of her actions – just the indescribable ache to satisfy her thirst.

Her lip just barely grazed Charlie’s own, soft and teasing, before pulling away. She curled them into a faint smirk and pressed them to Charlie’s open mouth again, more deliberately this time. Her teeth caught at the girl’s lower lip and gave it a little tug, as she thought of all the times she’d seen her nibble at it. Mila marveled at how plump it felt between her fangs. The hand behind Charlie’s head held her in firmly place, while the other found its way up to cup her cheek, the kiss becoming more and more aggressive.

The vampire was clearly taking control of the situation. As if to demonstrate that, Mila pulled away suddenly and gave Charlie a forceful push, so that she fell back roughly onto the couch. Mila hovered over her, each leg moving languidly to straddle the girl’s petite torso. Her hands had reached down to press Charlie’s shoulders against the couch cushion. Now they dragged down her arms and encircled her slender wrists. She pinned them above Charlie’s head as she leaned forward to bring her mouth to the girl’s ear.

“Now I've got you~” she murmured playfully. Her lip rubbed against Charlie’s ear as she whispered. “Can you move? Hm~? Oh, but you don’t want to, do you?” She laughed, but it was more of an exhale of delight. The rush was transforming her into someone else, bringing out the impulse to manipulate and toy with her food. “You want to lie still for me.” She blew a cool jet of air over her skin and laughed again, scrapping her teeth against Charlie’s ear. After a moment, she brought her mouth to that sensitive spot just below the jawline and kissed it, gently at first, then roughly, nibbling and suckling her way over Charlie’s neck. Her sharp fangs left red marks on the skin as they threatened to pierce the surface at any moment.

She was breaking her own rules. Throwing away a perfect set-up that wouldn’t come again so easily. Nothing mattered at the moment though, except to relish the warm body underneath her. Whether she planned to just have a snack or go ahead and finish the meal had not yet crossed her intoxicated mind. She growled against Charlie’s skin as her last resistance gave way. Her teeth closed over the girl’s neck and she felt that familiar warmth flood into her mouth.

The echoing silence pounded around the two women, and despite the fact that there was no sound, not even the television anymore, something about the air around them still seemed to be full of noise. The feel of fingers against her jaw, gentle at the same time proprietorial, caused a shudder to ran its course through Charlie's body. Her hands shook slightly where they were neatly placed on her lap, and her eyes gazed deeply into Mila's . She felt as if she were on fire, the nerve endings on her body flared with every benign caress against her heated face. The soft tickle of fingers weaving themselves through the back of her hair caused the pit of her stomach to flutter with butterflies, a reaction she remembered was her fight or flight instinct kicking in. Yet, she wanted to do neither as Mila's breath warmed her face.

“Mmm, you know, I think you’re right… I think you O negatives must have some unmistakable charm,”

The loud silence was broken by Mila's vixenish murmur. “There’s something else about you though... makes it so I can’t help myself." Charlie wanted to laugh, but the sound was more like a whisper of cool breath. People didn't find her desirable, they didn't say things like that about her. She was the person that they used and left because there was nothing about her thin frame, her small chest, or her sharp features that people found overly attractive. She mused over this only slightly before the hand that was interwoven with her hair tightened. A small gasp escaped her parted lips as she was drawn closer to Mila, close enough so that they were only inches apart. Charlie wanted more then anything to close this distance between them. Her eyelids fluttered closed instinctively as she leaned forwards yearning for the feel of Mila's lips.

And finally she felt the hesitant brush against her own quivering lips. The kiss started slowly, gentle and romantic, but did not stay so for very long. Charlie sunk into Mila's touch, the feeling of butterflies in her stomach intensified as their lips touched heatedly. Char exhaled slightly at the feel of sharp canines against her bottom lip; it didn't occur to her, as she moved one hand gently on Mila's waist, that the teeth were perhaps bit too sharp. All she could focus on was the incredible need to let herself be swept away in this kiss, to lose all thought, especially the ones that were almost screaming at her that something wasn't quite right, and be carried away like a kite in the wind. And she did just that, as the grip on the back of her head kept her locked firmly in place her body reacted and moved ever closer to the woman beside her. Yet suddenly she felt Mila draw away, and her body became very aware with just how cold the room had become.

The window was slightly ajar and the curtains blew inwards filling the living room with icy air, yet that wasn't exactly it. Mila herself was cold, unlike Charlie whose body was covered in a thin layer of sweat. She didn't have time to wonder about this long as rough hands shoved her backwards and she fell onto the couch cushions with a muffled thud and a murmured 'ouf'. Her eyes widened, her mouth formed that O shape from earlier. "Mila..." it had been the first time Charlie had spoken the entire time and the two syllables came out a cross between a moan and a croak as she felt Mila's weight on her chest, and her hands pin Char's wrists above her head, rendering her docile. She flushed hot read, the slightly ajar window now not a problem, as she felt a tickle against her ear. “Now I've got you~”. The feral edge in Mila's voice induced just the right amount of excitement and fear.

Charlie's mouth opened slightly as she felt Mila's cool lips against her neck, on the spot right where her pulse thudded out of control. Mila was saying something in her ear, and Char should be able to hear it but the blood was rushing in her ears too badly and she could barely apprehend a thing. “You want to lie still for me.” Yes, she did... right? Her mind felt like mush, but for however unaware she was mentally, she made up for with how hyper aware her body was. The rough nibbles against her neck made her breath come fast and her cheeks turn a crimson red that matched the colour left by Mila's teeth grating against her soft skin. She had never been the type of person who enjoyed a little pain with their pleasure so her warning voice piped up hoarsely: "Mi-"

She was cut off by a guttural sound that resounded off the walls. Fear paralysed her body and she tried to struggle. But the weight of Mila's body on top of her own, and the steel grip holding back her arms, refused her that option. "Mila!" Her voice coughed and sputtered as she felt a numbing pain against her neck, like a needle would feel, followed by an icy feeling that spread all throughout her body. "What are you..." Her voice trailed off and was replaced by a whimper that escaped her swollen lips. Something deep inside her was screaming like a caged animal, telling her to fight telling her that she was in danger, that she was dying. But despite this her body went limp and compliant, filled with a cool pleasure that made her numb. Mila's hands slipped away from gripping Charlie's, giving her the perfect opportunity to fight, or try to, but inexplicable thrill and desire that had taken over stopped her from doing that. This felt good. It felt really good. So, Instead of shoving Mila away like that little piece of her, which was growing quieter and quieter, wanted, Charlie's hands moved to hold Mila's head against her own neck.

The moment she pierced the skin, her world exploded in a glorious burst of warmth.

The bite was pure ecstasy. Something about taking her prey while they were awake and aware made the act that much more pleasurable; Mila felt it overwhelmingly now. For the first minute or two, she saw nothing, heard nothing and felt only euphoric bliss. Somewhere in the deep recesses of her mind, she knew the girl was struggling against what was happening, but Charlie’s soft sounds were ultimately lost on her.

Her hands kept their hold Charlie’s wrists as she bit down, but gradually they began to loosen, then slide down the girl’s arms and tangle themselves into her hair. The whole process was virtually silent, save for the occasional slick sound of lips on skin or her own sighs of content. Gradually the shock of pleasure became a gentle glow and she began to become dimly aware of her surroundings again as she continued to take and take. She became aware of Charlie’s hands against her head, holding her close. The realization sent a curious flutter in her chest. She shouldn’t have been surprised though, she knew Charlie would be feeling a euphoric rush of her own. Still, the image she had suddenly of what the girl’s expression must have been at the climax of that rush seemed to pull Mila out of her bloodthirsty frenzy and into a different sort of trance…

Stop. Stop! She needed to stop right now, if Charlie was going to be ok. Mila had already taken more than she usually did, when she wanted to be sure her prey would be able to recuperate afterward. And yet, it was so difficult to pull away… This was the best she’d had for as long as she could remember. Maybe the best. But it would be over forever if she didn’t stop now. That thought should have been enough to make her yank away…It was something else though that finally did it. Big blue eyes, enchanting laugh, that charming lip bite. She imagined them dying at her hands and was suddenly pulling away from Charlie’s neck, panting heavily, and letting her head rest on her roommate’s chest.

She lay there for a moment, exhausted, eyelids heavy. Suddenly she stirred and hurriedly pressed her ear more firmly to Char’s chest, listening for a heart beat with a horrible sinking sensation in her stomach. Where was it…?! There! She thought she felt something but it was weak. “Charlie..” Her tone was so different from the alluring one she’d used earlier. It sounded faint. “Charlie, can you hear me?” Mila raised her head and sat up to hover over the girl. She placed a cool hand against both cheeks, her eyes scanning frantically over her features. “Char, open your eyes,” she demanded hoarsely. A hand moved to her neck, but this time it wasn’t to lust after her pulse but rather to beg for it to come back strong again.

“Please wake up,” she whispered. A line of blood still lingered from her lip. A bead of it trembled from her chin before dropping onto Charlie’s cheek. Mila quickly rubbed it away with her thumb. Her fingers moved down to the two small bite marks that were still quite visible. Two gaping wounds in an otherwise beautiful, slender neck. She touched them gingerly with her fingertips and blood colored the ends of them red.

It was like her entire being was suspended in the air, floating above herself in a dreamlike state. Charlie could feel the blood slowly draining from her body, but in that moment of pure ecstasy she didn't care. She could have died then, let herself be drained of life on this very couch at this very moment, and she didn't cared. Because she would die with this feeling of pure rapture, with her heart fluttering like a bird caged inside of her chest and the warmth spreading it's way through her skin. Better then any fine wine, good chocolate or sweet lover. A feeling like nothing Charlie had ever experience before in her entire life. A small, whimpering moan filled the quiet around them, a sound that told of it's owners distant intoxication.

She didn't feel any faze as the quivering beats of her heart grew more and more intense as the muscle tried to compensate for the lack of blood circulating through her system. Her chest started to burn like she was on fire and the lack of oxygen made her breaths come more and more quickly as her body struggled fruitless to hold onto some form of life. The internal struggle of her body systems, however, was lost to the woman who was so far gone in her own rhapsody to care that she was dying, slowly and painfully. The burning sensation trailed down her arms to her fingers, that were wrapped in Mila's hair, bringing with it a feeling of numbness. Her arms went slack with the rest of her body as slowly and surely consciousness slipped from between her euphoric grasp and finally eluded her.

She was dropped into a dark cavern so deep that there was absolutely no way she could claw herself back out. Her heart, which moments ago had beat in a furious attempt to save her, now thumped at a slow pace. Thud. Pause. Thud. Pause. Thud. Like the slow sound of a war drum being beating as the savage battle continued below. Despite the inevitable pain in her chest, the weakness of her limbs and the mess of confusion running around inside her skull, Char still hung on to that desirable feeling that made her nerves quake and her eyes water. That is until her body went cold. She was left feeling empty and fearful as the last wisp of euphoria faded away like a feather in the wind. With nothing left to hold her to this world, Charlie slipped fully into the darkness.

She couldn't tell time. Had it been seconds? Minutes? Hours? Years? She didn't know, all she knew was the darkness and the desolation. That is until something cold pressed against her chest, something firm and real that startled her suddenly from the place of woe that she now inhabited. Something was making a noise, a sound she couldn't quite make sense of...

“Charlie..”

That was her name.

“Charlie, can you hear me?”

Yes, yes! She tried to answer but found that her tongue was thick inside her mouth, swollen twice it's size. She tried to grasp some kind of word, tried to make the letters form, yet all that she could manage was a weak noise that whispered through the room and could have been a figment of someones imagination just as much as it could have been reality.

“Char, open your eyes,”

Eyes. Open. She felt herself being pulled more and more into the grasp of tangibility. She could feel how weak her body was, how hard it was to breath and the slight flutter of a heartbeat that fought it's losing battle inside of her. Eyes. Open. That voice was right, she needed to open her eyes, something had just happened to her and she was dying and if she didn't open her eyes, didn't fight, she would soon be all the way gone and there would never be another chance for her to open her eyes, ever again.

“Please wake up,”

Her body was almost entirely present now, bringing with it pain. She was highly aware of the couch cushion squished underneath her, digging into her back uncomfortably, of the convulsion of her hands, the beat of her heart, and the weight of someone on top of her. What had happened? Why did she feel like every breath she took was more painful then the last? The last thing she could coherently remember was sitting close to Mila, very close to Mila. Charlie could remember the gentle kiss and that taste of Mila's lips against her own and then... then everything was a white hot blur of boundless pleasure that had lead her to here. The feel of fingers against her neck made her eyes flutter open slowly. She was still in a daze, still trying to think straight through the wave of different sensations that all stopped as her gaze caught something that froze her labouring heart.

Mila's lips. Mila's bloody lips.

If she could have, Charlie would've backed away, yet try as she might her weak body could hardly conjure the energy that allowed her to lift her body just slightly. Gasps, this time out of fear, escaped through her parted lips as she stared at the scarlet dripping down her roommates chin. With obvious effort, Char's hand fluttered towards her neck, which throbbed as if with it's own pulse, and touched the wet bite marks hesitantly. Tears made cheeks sodden and fear filled her chest. Every fibre of her being wanted to run, run as fast as she could. She settled for sinking back into the cushion, her hand now covering the wounded side of her neck forcefully and more tears filled her eyes as she choked and sputtered trying to say something. "W-what are you?"

She’d done it. She’d gone too far.

The realization spread through Mila like dowse of icy water, sobering up any last vestiges of pleasure from the bite. Her dark eyes were wide and unblinking as she stared down at the bloody wounds, the disheveled hair, the weak rise and fall of Charlie’s chest. Mila took it all in and felt the shock of what she had done. She’d made a mess of this beautiful girl. The vampire had a sudden, desperate urge to stroke Charlie’s hair again, but she could only manage to hover over her, as if not daring to touch her fragile frame and risk doing any more harm.

“I-.. but I didn’t want-…” Her voice caught. There was an ache in her throat that made it difficult for her to say anything. She tried to swallow the unfamiliar sensation away. She’d finally allowed her fingertips to stroke the sides of Charlie’s face and neck, as if trying to coax the life back into her. It was no use. Charlie wasn’t responding at all. For all she knew, she watching the girl’s body fail, right in front of her and there’s was nothing she could do…

’Take her to a hospital. Expose yourself,’ came a small voice from the back of her mind, one that Mila thought she had quieted a long time ago. She could do it. There might still be time to save her. The healthcare in this day and age was unbelievable, they could do incredible things now, they could..

“Oh!” Mila let out a quiet gasp as Charlie’s eyes fluttered open. She was awake! She was looking at her! Thank god. The relief was immediate and powerful. She was never so pleased as she was now to see those blue orbs staring up at her. She could also see now from those large expressive eyes just how much pain her roommate was in. It brought another hollow ache to her chest.

“Charlie…,” she began gently, unsure of what she could possibly say. ’Sorry I manipulated you into thinking I was a good person. Sorry I weaseled my way into your life just to seduce you. Sorry I almost killed you just now…’ She swallowed again and tried to peer into the girl’s dazed, blue eyes, her own gaze hesitant. But Charlie wasn’t looking into her eyes…she was staring at Mila’s lips, a horrified look on her face. They were still stained red with blood and glistening in dim moonlight from the window. Mila immediately drew her hands away from Charlie and wiped her mouth and chin with the back of her hand. All of a sudden, she was painfully aware of how monstrous she must have appeared.

“W-Wait! Don’t try to move,” she said beseechingly as she watched Charlie try to scramble backwards. The girl was way too exhausted to manage much more than a weak squirm. “You need to be still.” Mila felt disgusted with herself as soon as she said it, as she recalled making a very similar demand, under very different circumstances, earlier that night. She watched as Charlie lifted a frail hand to her neck to feel the ghastly bite marks and she could have let out a soft sob at the way the girl’s face broke into horrified realization.

"W-what are you?"

Mila winced at the fear and revulsion in Charlie’s tone and looked away without answering. What was she… Devil, demon, monster. Vampire. Forced to walk the earth for all eternity, praying on hapless victims to keep herself sane. If she was supposed to have no soul, then why did she feel so much agony at the way Charlie’s cheeks had become wet with tears or at the disgust that was directed at her. She looked down at her hands in her lap. She felt repulsed at how bloody they were and tried to hide them in some way. By this point she had moved away from Charlie, still sitting on the couch but no longer straddling her waist. She stood up suddenly and went into the kitchen.

“Here…do you want-..?” She had a glass of water in her hands and she knelt beside Charlie to offer to help her drink it. How stupid and cruel she felt for doing it, as if it somehow did anything to make the situation any less sickening. “Please, just be still for a moment,” she repeated quietly. The last thing she wanted was for Charlie to overexert herself by trying to sit up, or worse, by trying to run away. Mila dared not to touch the girl, but she kept close enough to be ready to restrain her should she try anything. Though she hated herself for thinking it, there was no way she could let the girl escape the apartment any time soon to contact the authorities. She glanced at the coffee table, suddenly looking for something.

“…Where’s your cell phone?” she asked softly, feeling a pang of guilt for having to ask the question.

This had to be some kind of dream. Charlie's watering eyes gazed up at Mila with disbelief. Yes, a dream. But if that were true, then why did her entire body feel as if she had been tied to the back of a car and heinously pulled down some dark highway a hundred miles per hour? She shut her eyes, willing herself to wake up from this nightmare. However, when her eyelids slowly slid back open she was still in the same room, with the same throbbing neck and the same sick feeling of violation twisting deep in her gut. She felt her chest be relieved of the weight as her attacker, she shuddered to use the word at someone who only moments ago she was lusting over, moved away. "I... I.." Charlie's voice was a croak as she slowly tried to put as much distance as possible between herself and Mila, the motion caused a burning pain to flare up in her chest. She was helpless.

Her mind reeled with confusion, fear and anger. She could hardly breath through the mixture of feelings combined with her broken body trying to recuperate itself. Her vision was clouded by tears that slid down her cheeks, leaving a salty trail in their wake. Slowly Charlie removed her hand from her neck and brought it into view, the fingers convulsed almost uncontrollably as she did so. The palm was covered in a slick, wet scarlet. A small sound, somewhere between a shriek and a sob, escaped her as she closed the hand into a tight fist and gazed towards Mila, who now held a cup of water out towards her, a complicated look of fear and misery was written across Charlie's ashen face. If this wasn't a dream, then it was either real or she was insane... and Charlie didn't know which she preferred.

“Here…do you want-..?”

Char shook her head. "Oh my god..." Her pitifully hoarse whisper was heart wrenching. "You were going to kill me." The realization brought a lump to her throat as she ignored the offered water and turned her head upwards towards the ceiling, no longer bearing to look Mila in the face. "You were going to kill me." Her accusing voice was sharp as she ran her swollen tongue over her cracked lips, tasting metallic blood. She cringed at the taste and tried to shift a little farther away from Mila, despite the fact that she very much ached to drink the water she offered. Charlie's eyes shut slowly as she tried to hold back another wave of tears that threatened to join her already damp cheeks. Her head pulsed slightly as she thought over and over again in her head; You were going to kill me... The phrase repeated like a broken record in her dubious mind. Her heart wrenched suddenly as she came to another startling realization. “And I was going to let you...”

Her parched throat now craved the sweating glass of water which would soothe it. Yet she stayed defiant and stared upwards at the ceiling, it was the only way for her not to break out into a fit of hysteria which bubbled just under the surface of her skin, lurking like a criminal in the night ready to strike at any moment. She couldn't let herself fall into that feeling of derangement. She had to stay alert, had to get away, had to call for help. “…Where’s your cell phone?” The sound of Mila's voice made Charlie shudder. It was so gentle now, not at all like the sultry tone that she had used to entice Char earlier. It was instinct the way she glanced towards the island counter where she always set her phone to charge. She realized, with a hopeless feeling growing in the pit of her stomach, that she may have given up her only resource to the outside world.

"Why...?" Her voice was a quiet moan as she fought away from the hopelessness and hysteria that threatened her. She wouldn't let herself become some kind of vegetable, frozen in a state of shock and horror. Charlie struggled to pull herself into a more upright position, a motion that proved to be most painful yet worth it as she propped herself against the pillows and alleviated some of the demoralization she felt. Her entire body still went rigid, though, as she stared past Mila, refusing to look at the woman. Char's bottom lip trembled slightly and her hand, which was still clamped in a bloody fist, slowly shook open. She was transfixed on the blood that was slowly dripping down her palm and streaking her wrist. It created an affect that reminded her oddly of paint dripping down an unmarked canvas. There was something so irreversible about that which turned her body cold as she slowly closed her hand once again.

"Why me?" Her voice dipped with a slight quiver as she dared glance at the monster before her.

It was too much to bear now, meeting Charlie’s eyes; Mila could not endure it. As the girl turned her stricken gaze up at her, the vampire felt another painful twist of the knife. She was suddenly looking down at the floor, at the edge of the couch, the glass in her hands, anywhere but at those watery blue eyes that seemed to simultaneously plead for an explanation, but also gape at her in disbelieving horror.

When Mila finally worked up the nerve to look at that ashen face again, she found that Charlie was looking defiantly up at the ceiling, refusing to look at her. She felt crestfallen at that. She realized that the girl had no intention of accepting the glass of water so she slowly lowered it again, reluctantly because she knew Charlie probably needed it. Despite her awful uneasiness, Mila still moved with her familiar grace and charm, still managed to look poised even with her tousled hair and smudged red hand. She ran the clean one through her hair distractedly as she tried to think of what to say.

“Charlie-..” she tried carefully.

”Oh my god…You were going to kill me.”

Mila froze.

“I-..”

”You were going to kill me.”

The way she said it, sharp and accusing, made Mila visibly flinch. She felt its sting like a slap in the face. She looked up at Charlie in earnest now, despite the fact that the girl sill wouldn’t look at her and was still making feeble efforts to move away.

“No! No I-… I never wanted to k-..” She couldn’t say it out loud. “I mean, I didn’t want to-... Just now, that was an accident!” Her words came out suddenly, uncharacteristically desperate and jumbled as she tried to find the right way explain herself. But the explanation was hardly better than Charlie’s accusation. She hadn’t meant to kill her, but she had meant to use her until they went their separate ways. …Or until… ‘until she’s all used up!’ a horrible voice in her head finished, making her cringe. She thought of Charlie’s beautiful singing voice, and then imagined being the one to stamp it out of existence. Worse even, to siphon it slowly and painfully away…

She was still gazing at Charlie through all of this, as if to silently beg her to at least look at her, even if it was just to glare at her. The refusal to do even that cut Mila deeper than a vicious look might have done.

”And I was going to let you.”

’Yes, because you’re wonderfully trusting and sincere. You’re a rare creature in this modern age,’ Mila answered silently, wanting more than anything to touch the girl’s knee, to do something. Instead, she looked down at her own hands that were clutching the glass and saw that they were shaking.

“There was nothing you could have done to prevent it.”

Why me?

Mila felt Charlie’s reluctant gaze turn toward her and she quickly looked up again, desperate to meet her eyes. With her hunger satiated, she had a glow about her, which softened her features and made her appear young and vibrant, though the effect was dampened somewhat by the anguished expression on her face. She met Charlie’s glance with large eyes that implored her not to look away again. She seemed like she was trying to choose her words carefully.

“…It was chance. At least, at first.” She blinked, but continued to hold Charlie’s gaze for as long as she could. “I knew you were looking for a roommate. I…pretended to be in distress so that you’d feel like you’d helped me. So you’d trust me.” She fiddled with the glass in her hands. “I did everything I could to win your favor. And on the first night, after I-.. a-ah.. after that, I was hooked. I didn’t know it would be so powerful, or that I wouldn’t be able to stop myself from…” She swallowed and looked away, a melancholy expression on her face. “A small taste every night. You were never supposed to find out…” She was sure this was not a comforting thing to add, but she said it anyway, speaking around the lump in her throat, her voice growing softer until it was just a timid whisper. “…I know what you must think of me, for doing this. It’s just that…I would rather not kill people…”

If she’d thought her fellow blood sucking peers would have laughed at her for keeping a pet, she knew they would be rolling on the floor now at the way she was kneeling at the girl’s feet, confessing her sins, wracked with guilt about what she had done and what she’d planned to do. ‘Guilty?? For feeding??’ they’d sneer. They’d point out that Mila had the girl now. Charlie was weak; she wouldn’t be able to prevent the vampire from tying her to a bedpost and using her as a personal blood bank whenever she liked. She might even play with her now while she was still in a daze. Humans could be so entertaining when they didn’t have enough blood to pump oxygen to their brain. She shuddered at these thoughts, and at the fact that she’d allowed them to cross her mind at all. Even she had standards. She seduced and manipulated… but she wasn’t evil… Somehow, she was not sure Charlie would agree with that just now. Or if she even agreed with that… Despite her reluctance to kill haphazardly, she’d be lying if she said she didn’t enjoy the hunt. It was an undeniable thrill to ensnare people with her charm. Certainly she was a monster to Charlie and to any other human who had the misfortune of becoming her plaything.

Mila had watched uneasily as Charlie had propped herself up. She’d been caught between trying to dissuade her from moving, and wanting to help. She’d done neither, resolving to sit silently as the girl made the painful effort of raising herself up to a sitting position.

“You’re exhausted. You should sleep,” she said quietly, rising to her feet. She reached for the blanket they had shared not too long ago. “You must be cold..” She moved it closer to Charlie, wishing she could wrap it around the girl’s slender frame. She knew better than to put her hands on her though, thinking how much she’d hate to see Charlie shudder at her touch.

Mila left the blanket within easy reach and moved into the kitchen. It had been all too easy to notice Charlie’s quick glance at the island counter when Mila asked about her phone. The vampire had looked in the same direction and had spotted it immediately. She’d felt relieved that it was out of the girl’s reach. And then she’d felt wretched because she knew that Charlie must have realized her own mistake – that she’d inadvertently given up her last hope of contacting the authorities anytime soon. When the girl had questioned her about asking, Mila had given her a gentle look that said ’You know why.’

She returned with Charlie’s cell phone in her pocket and a damp cloth. “For your hand,” she murmured, gesturing to her blood stained fingers. Her own were clean now. Mila doubted her roommate would take the offered cloth, but she couldn’t stand to see the ugly red on the girl’s slender white hand. With hesitation, she sat down beside Charlie, twisting the cloth absently in her hand. She would probably regret what she was about to try.

“Please, don’t pull away. I’m not going to do anything.”

She looked at Charlie earnestly and then pointedly at her bloody fingers. Very carefully, she took her slim wrist in her hand, holding it gently in her strong grasp, and began using the warm, wet cloth to wipe the blood away.

The dark room was growing ever darker as the night wore on. It was late and Charlie could feel that in her bones, she should be tucked away safely in bed sleeping peacefully. Yet she sat on the couch, stunned and horrified. Ensnared in a dreamlike state as she tried to make sense of what was happening to her. This couldn't be real, because if it was everything that she had ever believed in was untrue. Her world was crumbling around her like brick walls crushing the city they were built to protect. A million questions ran through her reeling mind, a million questions that she couldn't find the words to phrase, so she settled to sitting in a stunned silence with tears burning in her eyes.

“No! No I-… I never wanted to k-.. I mean, I didn’t want to-... Just now, that was an accident!”

Charlie flinched slightly as Mila's voice piped up. “So you accidentally almost killed me?” Charlie laughed harshly. “That makes it so much better. Thanks for clearing that up.” Her cruel voice was almost a snarl as she glared passed Mila and at the far wall, blinking away tears that spilled onto her cheeks once again. She hated crying, hated it more then anything else. It was weak and pathetic, the exact opposite of everything Charlie wanted to be. Yet as she reached her clean hand up to wipe away the tears in her eyes she wanted nothing more then to let loose the waterfall of emotion that she had been holding back, she wanted to curl into a tight ball and cry until her chest hurt and her eyes were puffy. She wanted all of this because she was human and sometimes when you are human things became too overwhelming for you and you need some kind of outlet for your pain. “There was nothing you could have done to prevent it.” Charlie rolled her eyes and tried to turn away from Mila. "Next your going to say that I was asking for it." Her thick, sarcasm filled voice was distant and very quiet, almost inaudible, as she reached to push a strand of hair out of her eyes.

Charlie wasn't sure why she even asked 'why', because she wasn't interested in the feeble excuse that Mila gave her. "You lied to me? I fucking knew that there wasn't anyone here named Mark Rothers." She shook her head, disgusted with herself for being so naive, so quick to trust. If there was anything she had ever learned in her life, it was that peoples motives weren't ever pure. 'Why would I do this?' She mentally scolded herself. 'Why would I let a complete stranger into my home, what sense does that make?' She leaned her head back onto the pillows, suddenly feeling very tired and weak. She knew exactly why she'd done what she had. Her reasons had not been motivated by pity for some poor soul on the sidewalk, she had been completely self involved that night when she let Mila into her apartment. She'd been alone, starved of any human contact that wasn't necessary or for someone else's gain. Charlie had craved the company of another person so much that her judgement had been impaired and look at where that had gotten her.

She grew more and more sick as Mila's explanation ran on, her sarcastic comments ceased as she closed her eyes and listened to the words that Mila said. She was describing Charlie's death, in some sense. "I didn’t know it would be so powerful, or that I wouldn’t be able to stop myself from…” Charlie flinched. "Oh." Her voice was strained as she realized that Mila was talking about her blood. "Oh... wow." There was no amazement in her voice as she squeezed her eyes closer together, trying to block out the awful image that came with the description. "You were never supposed to find out…” Some plan that was, Charlie suppressed another snide laugh as she sighed and looked up at Mila. “…I know what you must think of me, for doing this. It’s just that…I would rather not kill people…” Something in Charlie's chest fluttered, a feeling that could have been loathing but felt more like... pity. There was genuine sadness in Mila's tone, and Char could tell that there was much more to this story. She wished she could have cared enough to know.

She noticed the soft blankets being pulled closer to her body as Mila's voice murmured that she should sleep. Charlie did want to go to sleep, because if she slept then she would forget about all of this for at least a little while, and the dazed headache that she had would finally go away and she would be able to actually think straight, at least for a little while, when she did wake up. But sleep wouldn't come to her, her body was too on edge and she was in full survival mode, to sleep meant to be vulnerable and she couldn't let that happen. However she still reached down to pull the blanket over her waist, it made her feel less exposed, which was silly and very childish. But the young part of her still insisted that this blanket could act like a barrier between herself and the outside world and that was comforting.

Charlie was acutely aware, when Mila came back from the kitchen with the wet cloth in her hand, of her phone in the other woman's pocket. She closed her eyes slowly and sighed. Even if she could get the phone, who would she call that would believe her story? No one. Absolutely no one. She resolved to sitting quietly and staring up at Mila with stony eyes.

“Please, don’t pull away. I’m not going to do anything.”

"Why don't you just lick it off? Seems like an awful waste to me." Charlie's voice was a sneer as she felt Mila's cold hands, stark in contrast to the warm cloth, wrap around her frail wrist. She tried fruitlessly to pull away but Mila's grip on her wrist was too firm and Char had to resolve to glaring at the undeniably beautiful monster before her. She felt the cloth swipe over her palm, through her fingers, the red was replaced by the alabaster colour of her palms. She looked up at her clean fist and sighed loudly. The blood had been like fuel to her anger and defiance, with it gone she just felt tired and very, very sad. The room settled into an uncomfortable silence as she sat there and glared down at her hand. "What now?" Charlie's defeated murmur finally broke the quiet after several long seconds. Her eyes were cold and the fight in them was dead. She turned her head away from her fingers, a frown twisting on her lips. "What are you going to do with me now?"

She fiddled her hands slightly on her lap as she thought. What would happen now? She could tell someone, but that wouldn't get her anywhere but the nuthouse, and she couldn't imagine actually putting into words what had just happened. 'I was attacked by a vampire.' The words even sounded silly in her mind. Shuddering slightly she buried her ace into her hands to muffle her groan of frustration and confusion. "It's not like you can keep me here forever." She continued when Mila herself didn't immediately respond. "People will realize that I'm gone, they'll look for me!" Not true. She hadn't seen her parents for nearly two years, hadn't even spoken to her sister for three years and her brothers for almost seven. No one would think much if the flighty girl from work stopped showing up and she had no friends who cared enough to wonder about her. Charlie was alone. Yet she still kept up the pretence of being loved, it was a game that she played very well.

“So you accidentally almost killed me? That makes it so much better. Thanks for clearing that up.”

Mila bore Char’s cutting remarks with downcast eyes, her face emotionless despite the tightness of her chest and the ache in the back of her throat. She didn’t try to respond because there was nothing she could say that wouldn’t just upset the girl more. That, and she had an awful feeling that if she did try to speak, her voice would tremble. ’Let her take her anger out, uninterrupted. Let her punish me in the small ways she can.’ It was the very least she could do. What did she think she deserved? Forgiveness? There was no forgiving what she’d done and what she’d planned to do.

”Next you’re going to say that I was asking for it.”

Mila twitched with a slight, automatic shake of her head, feeling sick behind her mask of silence. Still, she made no retort. And as Charlie scoffed at her weak explanations, her features became unmovable, like marble. But the girl’s snide comment as the vampire reached for her bloodstained hand was almost too much.

"Why don't you just lick it off? Seems like an awful waste to me."

Mila’s impassive face broke a little at that, enough to let a tormented grimace flicker over her features. She would have blushed, if she was able. Instead, she looked miserable for a few seconds and then she gradually recovered, letting her expression become rigid again as she continued to clean Charlie’s hand. The girl’s glare was like a hot iron. As soon as the blood was gone, Mila released her wrist and slowly moved away.

She went over to the open window and closed it quietly, knowing Charlie didn’t need the cool breeze to make her colder. After that she stood there at the far end of the room, arms crossed, looking around listlessly as if she didn’t know what to do with herself. A hesitant glance in Charlie’s direction revealed that the girl was still staring down at her hand.

”What are you going to do with me now?”

Mila watched as Charlie seemed to mull the question over in her own mind. It was clear by the way she covered her face in frustration that her expectations weren’t good.

”It’s not like you can keep me here forever. People will realize that I’m gone, they’ll come looking for me!”

“I don’t doubt that,” Mila replied numbly. She reached into her pocket to take a look at Charlie’s phone, as if she half expected it to be buzzing already with worried texts and calls from Char’s loved ones. There was nothing like that yet, of course. Mila swiped her thumb across the screen and began scrolling through Charlie’s most recent calls and messages. To her surprise, they weren’t all that recent. It seemed like most of them were from work and even those were few and far between. She glanced up at Charlie with a questioning look.

“…You don’t…communicate with your family often, do you?” It was more of a statement. She looked from the phone to the girl again and this time her eyes lingered on Charlie, studying her as she done so many times before. “You’re alone.” Like she herself was. Mila didn’t need the swell of emotion that came along with that thought – she was already feeling more fragile than she had in a couple hundred years. Stiffly, she tucked the phone back into her pocket and sunk into one of the armchairs.

“You want to know what I’m going to do with you?” she asked somberly. “I’m going to sit here until you fall into a deep sleep. Then I’m going to pick you up and carry you to your bed. And then…” She was looking away from her now, down at her hands that were tangled up together in her lap. When she spoke again, her voice came out a little higher and more uneven than she liked, “…And then, I’m going to leave, and you’ll never have to see me again.” She cleared her throat softly. After a tense moment, she opened her mouth again as if she wanted to say something else, but then seemed to think better of it. Her eyes were clouded in thought as she shifted uncomfortably in her seat.

Now she sat silently in the armchair across from Charlie, not looking directly at her but very much aware of her sounds and movements, of her blonde hair catching the light of the moon, the subtle glow of her smooth, pale skin. None of these were to be shriveled away by her after all, and that thought had a calming effect on her. Mila sat so still, she might have been frozen in time. She was imagining Charlie waking up sometime tomorrow to an empty apartment, feeling groggy but better. She’d be hungry. Mila would leave her something to eat. Then she pictured Charlie throwing it away in disgust and the faintest crease appeared on Mila’s brow. She resolved to think of something else. Something like, her next destination. …or her next meal. She shuddered and pushed that out of her mind too. For now at least, while she was still full and feeling more human than she did at any other time in her feeding cycle, let her forget about her ungodly thirst.

How had she let this slender girl disrupt everything. There had been a time in the beginning, after that initial craze, when it had been difficult to come to terms with what she’d become and what she had to do. But she’d gotten over it a long, long time ago. She’d become good at it. She’d enjoyed it. And now it was as if Charlie had held a mirror up to her soul - or lack there of - and had shown her just how deplorable she really was. Terror, leech, parasite…

“…but I didn’t choose to be a monster…” It came out soft and breathless, and Mila blinked because she hadn’t meant to say it out loud. She looked at Charlie and thought that the girl must have been asleep by now or at least too drowsy to really comprehend anything. She let her face break into an anguished expression and raised a shaky hand to her forehead. “I’m sorry,” she apologized wretchedly. Her murmur was almost swallowed by the silence.

Charlie watched with growing unease the internal strife that beat itself inside of Mila's eyes. She glanced away stifling a sigh as she pulled the blanket closer around her body. Charlie's head felt thick and foggy, she could tell that sleep was fast approaching her. Leaning back on the couch she gazed up in silence at the ceiling, her shallow breaths were the only sound in the deathly quiet apartment. Her teeth chattered slightly from a cold despite the fact that Mila had just shut the window and she could tell by the sweat on her skin that the room was not as cool as she felt. She watched Mila thumb through her phone with a grimace, there would be nothing in there to attest to her claim. Her eyelids fluttered as Mila's curious eyes tried to meet her own.

“…You don’t…communicate with your family often, do you?”

“Don't talk about my family.” Charlie's voice was a squeak as she tilted her head, which felt as if it were filled with lead for how hard it was to move, towards the woman. Of course Mila was right, she didn't communicate with her family often and the reasons behind that were simple. Her parents valued perfection, in their small, god-fearing bubble anything less then faultless was to be discarded. That included their flighty daughter who, in their eyes, would never amount to anything. Charlie shut her eyes and exhaled slowly, her gut twisted slowly and she felt as if she would be sick at any moment. She was able to pull herself onto her side and curl into a tight ball, causing the blanket around her to fall off her shoulder and expose her skin to the harsh cold. "Just please, don't talk about them."

“You’re alone.” Charlie flinched, her throat went dry and her eyes filled with tears that didn't fall, not this time at least. She couldn't think of anything to say to that. All of her sarcastic, snide comments seemed to cease as she wiped the water from her eyes. Yes, she was alone and she would always be alone and tonight had just reinforced that thought for her. She wasn't the type of person who got to be cared for or loved or wanted. She'd never been that person, so why would she let herself believe that maybe she'd have a friend in Mila. Curling closer into herself Charlie shut her eyes tightly. Her entire body felt laden with fatigue as she wrapped her arms around her knees in an almost childlike gesture. Seeking comfort in her own body heat.

Charlie was already nodding off, falling steeply into lethargy, when Mila's strained voice spoke. “…And then, I’m going to leave, and you’ll never have to see me again.” Charlie's head bobbed wearily at this, an unpleasant smile wove itself on her cracked lips. "Yes. That's a good idea." She murmured, her eyes were shut tightly and if she hadn't been speaking she would probably appear to already be lost in slumber. "You should leave, I won't tell." Her voice grew more and more abstracted, merely a sigh against the formidable silence that engulfed the two. "Who will believe me anyways..." This last thought was barely a movement of her lips, a whispering exhale of breath as her fluttering eyelids slowly stilled and her chest rose and fell evenly.

That last thing she heard before falling into the deep oblivion of sleep was Mila's voice, trembling and quiet. “But I didn't choose to become a monster...”

None of us do.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The next morning, light shone through her window and woke Charlie from a fitful dream. In her dream Charlie had been running through the woods, her legs had felt heavy and she kept stumbling and falling, her head whipping behind herself to make sure that the ominous figure that lurked between the trees wasn't getting closer. But it was, slowly and surely, and Charlie's strength kept depleting until she was desperately crawling, digging up the moist dirt with her sharp nails, but it was no use and she knew that at any moment she was going to die... That was when she bolted awake, the warm sunlight unfitting for the sick feeling that enveloped her entire body, which was sore and starving. A thin layer of sweat coated her skin and she felt grimy and dirty. Looking down at herself she tried to remember how she'd gotten into bed, clothed in the same outfit she'd been wearing the night before. Her foggy mind cleared quickly and with the events of last night came back to her with blinding clarity.

Choking on a sob, Char swung her legs off the bed and tried to tentatively stand. Her legs were weak and could hardly support her body weight as she stumbled out of her room and towards the bathroom. Swaying on her unstable legs, she shut the heavy wooden door behind herself. The click of the latch into place, followed closely by the firm sound of the lock, was deafening in the otherwise silent apartment. She leaned heavily against the door, slowly allowing herself to fall to the ground. Her body thudded against the tile, shaking ever so slightly. Small noises heaved from her as she let the composure she had tried so hard to keep last night collapse around her. This wasn't real, it couldn't be real. Last night had to have been a dream. She leaned her head back against the door, tears dirtied her cheeks and spilled from her chin and fall onto her crumpled clothing. She suddenly couldn't bare the way the fabric hung of her body, making her feel sick and claustrophobic.

She wanted the clothes off, off her body that was still slick with sweat. Her hands balled up the thin fabric of her shirt, ripping the thing over her head violently and tossing it across the small distance of the room as hard as her weak arms could manage. Her body convulsed with silent sobs as she slid the jeans over her hips, the zipper catching against the inside of her thigh and scraping a long line down her leg. She could hardly feel the cut as she thrashed her feet, trying to free them of the jeans that caged her ankles. Her clothes were piled loosely on the bathroom floor and Charlie sat across from them, a mess of tears as she hugged her bare knees to her chest and tried to calm herself down. She still felt trapped, somehow, claustrophobic in her own dirty skin. Her hands reached forward to grasp the edge of the tub, using it as a crutch so that she could stand up and turn the tap onto hot. The steaming water filled the tub, burning into her flesh and turning her an unhealthy pink colour. She scrubbed at her legs, arms, torso. Trying to cleanse the grim that wasn't physically there. It took her a long while to realize that she was being foolish, childish even, and that letting her skin burn in the scalding water was not the answer.

She stood up, her hand gripping the wall for support and took a slow, calming breath. “It's over.” She murmured, looking at her ashen skin and gaunt features in the hazy bathroom mirror. “Just forget about it.”

’You’re alone.’ She’d regretted saying those words as soon as she saw the defeated look on Charlie’s face. Mila watched her fall onto her side and curl up into a ball, as if she could somehow make herself disappear. The motion made the blanket slip away from her angular shoulders. If only Mila could have crossed the short distance between them to tuck the blanket snuggly around her. She knew Charlie would have flinched away from her, at best. She ached to do it anyway; the girl was so chilled that her teeth were chattering. But she also knew it was better not to do anything that would agitate her and prevent her from drifting into the heavy sleep that Mila could see coming in her eyes. Charlie needed sleep more than anything.

Clearly she’d hit a nerve by mentioning Char’s family. Needless to say, she hadn’t pressed for details. If things had been different, she might have asked why she was all alone in this lonely apartment. Where were the parents and siblings who surely must have cared for her. Where were the friends and love interests who should have flocked to her charming, personable demeanor. Something kept them away. Or kept her away. Maybe Charlie was more like her than she could have guessed at first glance. Ever surrounded by people, but always separate from them. ’Someday you’ll cross paths with someone who will recognize you for what you are,’ she thought to herself. ’You won’t always be alone.’

To hear Charlie so readily agree that Mila should leave was painful, but not unexpected.

"Yes. That's a good idea."

Mila didn’t offer a reply. And anyway, she could see that Charlie’s eyes were already closed. Her voice was just a soft sigh on her lips.

"You should leave, I won't tell."

It wouldn’t matter if she did. The wounds on her neck would be healed by the time she woke up. With those gone, there’d be no evidence that Mila had laid a finger on her. It would be safe then to let her contact anyone she liked. It was like she said, no other human would believe her story anyway. Mila had left people like this before – waiting for them to drift into a heavy sleep before skipping town. She only had to do that when they’d been conscious, or when she’d been too rough and had gone too far… That had happened often in the early days, but very rarely now. In any case, letting the surviving ones go free had never brought her any trouble in the past. This time would be no different.

The tension in the air gradually subsided as Charlie slipped into unconsciousness. Mila could hear the light, even sound of her breathing, could see that her body had completely relaxed into the couch cushions. The vampire rose quietly from her seat and moved to stand over her. Charlie looked perfectly at ease now with the glare smoothed away from her features and her lips slightly parted. Mila brushed a few fallen strands of hair from her eyes and tucked them behind her ear, her fingertips lingering on the girl’s cheek before she pulled away. She wrapped the blanket around her shivering shoulders, hating the fact that her close proximity would do nothing but make her colder. With the blanket pulled all the way up to Charlie’s chin, Mila bent to scoop her up, one arm under her shoulders, the other under her knees. Her head rested heavily against Mila’s chest. The vampire marveled at how light she was as she moved carefully down the hall to the bedroom.

Soon she had her tucked into bed, her pale cheek on a pillow, more blankets draped over her body. Mila sat at the edge of her bed for a little while longer until she was satisfied that Charlie’s breathing was becoming stronger and that her wounds were healing as they should. Finally, with no other excuse to delay, she stood up and moved to the doorway.

“I wish I had met you under different circumstances,” she whispered to the empty air, hesitating halfway through the door. She took one last look at Charlie’s sleeping form and then she quietly left to go fetch her things.

It didn’t take long for her to gather her belongings. After she’d tidied up the living room and put the wine glasses away, it was like she was never there. All that was left was to put Charlie’s phone back where she’d found it on the island counter. With everything done now, she headed to the front door. But something there caught her eye and made her pause. It was Charlie’s scarf hanging in the entryway, the one she’d been wearing that first night. Mila touched the ends of it lightly. Like everything else in the apartment, it had the girl’s scent. On an impulse, she pulled it off its hook and wrapped it around her own neck. She found the spare key that Charlie had loaned her and hung that in its place.

And then she was gone, driving down the empty city streets with everything thing she owned in the backseat. On the move again, as always. Nothing had changed. Except that now she’d been made self-conscious again of her own monstrous nature. She needed a distraction. Something she could lose herself in and get back to the way things were before. She wasn’t hungry yet, but she would be eventually. She’d go back to her old hunting grounds, familiar territory. Find some young thing that would throw herself at her willingly…

---

“You think you can just sweet talk me for a while and I’ll throw myself at you?”

“No need for that, sweetheart, I’ve already got you.”

The woman on Booker’s lap giggled loudly as he as gave her side a squeeze and nuzzled his scruffy chin against her neck. She was wearing a heavy perfume and sweet smelling hair product, but all the vampire’s senses were focused on the throbbing vein under his lips as he kissed her above her collarbone. His hand snaked over her bare thigh to dip under the hemline of her short skirt. She shrieked and playfully pushed him away, turning the shove into a caress over his chest and shoulders. Their sounds were almost drowned out in the loud pulsating music that filled the nightclub. They were sitting on plush leather seats in some dark corner of the room. Colored lights flashed over the woman every now and again, giving Booker a glimpse of her half-lidded eyes that were gazing at him intently.

He certainly did have her now. He could probably whisper what he planned to do and she’d still be fawning over him. The wonderful thing about clubs like this – apart from the fact that they were filled with desperate people – was that he could have her right now without anyone noticing. His teeth had already become sharp as he growled against the skin of her neck and become more and more rough with hands. The breathy moans in his ear only egged him on.

Somewhere in the back of his mind, he was curious about what kind of mischief Lisette was getting into, and whether or not he should be saving some thirst for later. They didn’t always tag team their prey, but it was a fun way to mix things up. And he was sure she couldn’t be too far away…

“Woah.” The young man's voice was covet as he leaned into Lisette's grasp. A grin spread across her lips that were pressed heavily to the boys neck. “Don't talk, love.” She purred, nipping lightly at the thin skin around his jugular. Her hands were wrapped tightly in the fabric of his shirt, pulling him closer to her on the darkened dance floor. The two appeared to be amorous lovers as they swayed in time to the steady beat of the piercingly loud music. No one noticed the gleam of sharp teeth or heard his slight gasp as she punctured his neck. Her body was instantly filled with warmth as that wretched thirst that plagued her was sated, however not entirely quenched. She moaned slightly, a sound low enough not to be heard over the music as she pulled her prey even closer, her hand wrapped securely around the back of his neck.

The boy didn't struggle, they never struggled, and instead sagged closer towards her. His quipped breaths and echoing sighs caused the corner of Lisette's mouth to twitch slightly. She didn't take much, couldn't take much because despite their blindness these humans would still notice a dead body, and as soon as the fire in her throat had subsided to a slight throb she pulled away and smiled. His eyes were dazed and glossy, his lips parted slightly as he blinked confusedly and stared down at her. Luckily enough for Lisette he was too intoxicated to realize what had just happened. “Thanks.” She murmured in his ear, pressing her lips gently onto his. The taste of his blood was still in her mouth causing her to euphorically smile. "Goodnight, darling." She turned away from him then, ignoring his futile protests, and disappeared into the crowd.

You couldn't hear the click of her heeled shoes over the pulsating music as the slender woman wove her way easily through the tangle of gyrating bodies. The smell of sweat and lust wafted in the air around her causing a grin to curl across her ageless face. Lisette had always enjoyed the nighttime atmosphere of this modern era, where once these humans would have coward away from her, now they flocked towards her. Stories of ghosts and ghouls and monsters in the night were just that, stories, and these silly little beings thought themselves invincible. It was a pity, really. She chuckled silently to herself as broke through the crowd of people and into a dimly lit seating area that was almost completely empty save for one giggling lump in the far corner.

“Didn't your mother ever tell you not to play with your food?” Lisette's sugary voice wafted towards Booker as she sauntered into the darkened corner and wiped the edge of her mouth carelessly with her thumb. Slowly, she sank onto the sofa next to the seemingly lascivious couple. Lisette leaned forward to tuck a piece of the girls hair behind her ear and smiled. The look that should have warmed her face, making her appear gentle and kind, only made her stark features seem meaner and her dark eyes turn colder. “Well aren't you pretty.” She murmured, letting her hand slowly fall onto her lap. “Maybe a little less make up next time lovie.” She laughed softly and pulled her gaze from the young girl's wide eyes and towards Booker.

Everything about Lisette's indolent demeanor screamed boredom as she sighed and reached up to fix her own hair. “Are you almost done, here?” She mumbled, crossing her legs gently. “I'm bored, this is all far too easy.” She quite obviously meant the prey. “People just don't have the right amount of fear anymore. It's a shame really.” She exhaled and clucked her tongue, letting her eyes sweep across the mess of sweating entities contemptuously. To her, these were not people with lives and families and feelings, they were playthings, there for her own amusement and nothing more. She smoothed out her tight skirt, pursing her lips slightly. "Let's do something fun."