The Encounter

‘Are you okay to walk home alone?’ Dave asked as we stopped at his street.

‘Yeah, of course,’ I replied.

‘You sure?’

I smiled. ‘I’ll be fine,’ I promised.

‘Okay,’ he resigned. ‘’Night!’

‘Enjoy fantasising about Stuart!’ I teased.

‘Piss off!’ he shouted, laughing.

I laughed back and began walking. It was late. This was the latest I had ever stayed out, nearly 11pm now. It was a lovely night, the moon shone brightly and a few stars gleamed near it. Yet the air felt dark. It was strange but I kind of liked it. It was almost comforting.

My parents are going to kill me, I thought, but I didn’t care. It was too nice a night to rush. And I had plenty to think about. My first kiss. It had been swift but sweet and I’d enjoyed it immensely. The boy, Ken, was the same age as me and I’d liked him for quite a while now. Did that kiss mean we were going out? Or was he just trying me out? What if he didn’t even like me? The thoughts ran through my head quickly, each one creating a new little spark of worry. Then I chuckled quietly to myself.

‘Ah, the simple worries of a teenage girl,’ I murmured, happily, but a sudden sound behind me pierced my thoughts.

I whirled around quickly but could see nothing, not an animal or a human. I turned back and continued walking. Only seconds later, I heard another sound. This time I turned my head sharply but kept walking. Then turning to face forward again, I quickened my pace.

When out of the darkness a man grabbed me and pushed me up against the wall, knocking the air out of me as he did so. He bent his head and bit my neck, hard. I tried to scream but he put his hand over my mouth to stop me before I could get the sound out. The pain of his bite was so intense I could hardly breathe.

Then it suddenly dawned on me what this man was. A vampire! Vampires had always fascinated me and I’d always wondered what it would feel like to be bitten by one. Now I knew... And it wasn’t nice. At that moment I also realised that I was about to die. As this thought crossed my mind I stopped struggling against the vampire and gently put my hand on his, the one that covered my mouth. There was no way I was going to get away from him, I could never fight him and win, and I didn’t want to die in a terrified struggle for life.

In shock he stopped drinking for a moment. He resumed his meal and slowly lowered his hand to my waist, letting it brush over my curves as he went. He tightened his grip, sucking the blood from my neck. I gasped as he pulled me closer. My vision started to fade. I began to feel weak and my body went limp. Then my eyes fluttered shut and I knew no more.

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I woke with a start. I was lying on a big bed in a dark room. I tried to look around, take in my surroundings, but it was so dark I couldn’t see a thing. Under further surveillance I noticed a small light near the floor. The door!

My neck hurt like hell and I felt too weak to even move but I knew I had to. I stood up, a little unsteadily, and stumbled across the room. When I’d found the door handle, I pulled the door open and stepped into a room filled with light. The sudden brightness stung my eyes, causing me to blink a few times to try to clear my vision.

‘How do you feel?’

I jumped at the sound of the vampire’s voice. I turned to see a man with porcelain pale skin, bright blue eyes and black hair that reached his shoulder blades was sitting in an armchair. He was so striking my breath caught in my throat. He smiled as my jaw dropped and stood up. He was so tall. I stiffened nervously.

‘Aren’t you going to answer?’ he asked in a velvety voice.

‘I-My neck hurts but apart from that and a little weakness I’m fine,’ I replied, pulling myself together.

‘You’re not afraid?’ he wondered.

‘Yes,’ I admitted. ‘Why-why didn’t you kill me?’

He placed his hands behind his back and, still smiling, began to pace along the opposite end of the room. ‘You interest me,’ he said simply. ‘As I was drinking your blood I felt something. Beside the obvious pleasure. Something I don’t usually feel while feeding. Like it would be a waste to kill you. When you put your hand on mine I trusted you wouldn’t scream even though I’m not entirely sure why.’

‘I still can’t believe I’m talking to a real vampire,’ I said, watching him.

He chuckled and said, ‘Humans always find it hard to come to terms with. Although I’m surprised you seem so calm about it. I thought you would be a lot more terrified.’

‘I am terrified,’ I told him. ‘I’m just good at keeping myself in control so I don’t scream or run.’ I paused. ‘What’s your name?’

‘Kai,’ he said. ‘What is yours?’

‘Claudia.’

‘Claudia,’ he repeated, tasting my name. ‘Beautiful.’ We looked at each other in silence for a few moments until I looked away, slightly embarrassed.

‘I should go,’ I said, realising how worried my family must be. ‘What time is it?’

‘Close to twelve thirty in the morning,’ he said.

I stared at him in shock. ‘I am going to be in so much trouble. I’m surprised they haven’t been calling me.’ I felt for my phone in my pocket but it was gone.

‘They have been. It was annoying me so I put it off.’ He whipped my phone out of his pocket and tossed it to me. I caught it neatly in both hands.

‘Thank you,’ I said softly. I looked up at him one last time, then said, ‘Well, goodbye.’

‘Wait!’ he said quickly, as I moved towards the door. ‘I’m afraid I can’t let you leave.’

My blood ran cold when the words hit me and I slowly turned to face him. ‘Why? What are
you…going to do with me?’

‘I can’t let you leave because you know that we exist,’ he said, stepping towards me. ‘And what I do with you, is up to you.’

‘What do you mean?’ I took a step back as he advanced.

‘If a human finds out that vampires exist every vampire in the world feels it. Every single one searches for that human and when a vampire finds them they will kill them, because it’s too dangerous for us. If humans were to find out about us we would be hunted down and destroyed or experimented on.’

‘So, I’m going to...to be killed?’ I asked terrified. When he remained silent I asked, ‘Do they know about me now? Are they coming here?’

‘Yes,’ he answered. ‘But there are ways to get them off your trail,’ he continued quickly, seeing my expression of terror.

‘Well, what are they?’ I asked, a little desperately.

‘To die or become like me, a vampire.’

I stared at him in dismay. ‘There has to be another way! Please!’

‘There is one other way but it’s only ever used in special circumstances and it is dangerous,’ he said.

‘Please, what is it?’ I asked, hope rising in me once again.

‘Like I said it’s dangerous,’ said Kai beginning to pace again, the sudden movement making me jump. ‘You could die if it isn’t done carefully enough.’

‘I don’t care,’ I said. ‘It’s a risk I’m willing to take. But what happens? What do I have to do?’

‘Your heart has to stop,’ he said gravely. ‘Let me explain more fully. If a human wants to deceive vampire into believing they don’t know about them, the human has to let a vampire drink their blood until they are quite close to death and give them a single drop of their blood. This will stop your heart for a second or so and when your heart begins beating again it is like being reborn but your memory is intact. Not a soul will have any idea of your knowledge unless you tell them.’

‘And will I still be human?’ I asked.

‘Completely. No side effects whatsoever.’ He paused. ‘Apart from the normal side effects that come with blood loss.’

I frowned. ‘There isn’t any other way?’

‘No, this is the only way you can stay both alive and human.’

‘One more question,’ I said quickly. ‘Can I leave if we do this?’

He paused, looking away briefly. He settled his eyes on me once again and said, ‘No. I’m sorry. I can’t trust you not to tell anyone.’

‘But-I promise I won’t tell a soul! They wouldn’t believe me even if I did!’

‘It doesn’t matter. I’m willing to let you live but you have to stay with me.’

I considered the whole thing. What should I do? Maybe dying would be the best option, if I could never see my family and friends again… No! I can’t give up! It’s not like me to give up. Besides, I’ll still be human and alive.

‘Okay, I’ll do it,’ I said, firmly.

He smiled, obviously pleased with my decision. ‘If you’re sure,’ he said, moving towards me. The movement felt threatening even though he didn’t mean it to. I stepped back nervously. He stopped in the middle of the room and put his hand out to me. ‘Come here.’ I suddenly didn’t feel as sure as I had a moment ago. I hesitated but slowly stepped forward until I was right in front of him. He slipped his arm around my waist and pulled me even closer to him. He used his other hand to gently push my hair away from my neck, which he then touched with the tips of his fingernails. I shivered.

He bent his head to my neck and whispered, ‘I’m sorry if it hurts at all.’ He opened his mouth and carefully bit me. I let out a small cry as his teeth pierced my flesh. He drank deeply; I could feel the life draining from me, and my body became limp until he was forced to lower me to the floor slowly. He knelt on the floor next to me, still drinking my blood. Slowly, he stopped and pulled away from me. He looked down at me and I looked back, my eyes fluttering, my breaths coming in small, sharp gasps. Using his unnaturally sharp fingernail he cut his wrist.

‘Open your mouth a little more,’ he said, gently. With the small amount of strength I had left I opened my mouth wider. He hovered his wrist above my mouth and let a single drop of his blood fall into it. I swallowed it and felt the warmth run down my throat. He took his hand away and watched the cut on his wrist heal.

At first, as I lay there, nothing at all happened. Then I felt a sudden, excruciating pain that tore through my body. It only lasted a second but that was enough to make me scream with pain. Breathing heavily I looked up into those piercing blue eyes. They were the last things I saw as my breath and heartbeat slowed to a stop, my dark brown eyes glazing over and the always resident light in them was quelled.

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I was dead for only a few seconds. I came back to this world with a gigantic intake of breath. My heart started pumping blood through my body again and my lungs screamed for breath. The vampire caught me as I shot upright into a sitting position. He held me tightly. I felt so dizzy I could hardly stay upright.

‘It’s okay,’ he shushed me. ‘Come on, come with me. Stand up.’ He helped me to stand and led me back to the bedroom. He laid me on the bed as gently as he could and checked on my neck. ‘It’s stopped bleeding, so as long as you stay calm and rest you should be alright. I’m going to get something for you to eat, to give you more energy.’

I nodded as best as I could and he smiled kindly. He touched my cheek and neck lightly, then quickly left the room. After a moment or two I heard a door open and close. I lay on the bed for a few minutes, waiting for him to get far enough away and collecting my little energy. Finally I forced myself to stand up. I was so drained I could hardly move but I eventually made it to the front door. I pulled it open with some difficulty and fell into the open night air.

I held onto the wall all the way down the long street. I stumbled to the end of it and started to turn the corner when I walked headlong into someone. In my weakened state I couldn’t keep my balance and fell backwards. I looked up to see who I had walked into and discovered Kai, looking down at me a little angrily. I stared up at him, my eyes now filled with fear again, the weak, hopeful light that had been in them a moment ago, gone. I desperately tried to scramble backwards but it was no good. He grabbed me roughly, pulling me to my feet and picked me up bridal style. I was too weak to fight against him or even scream.

However, when I looked up at him, his expression had softened slightly. He carried me all the way back to the place he lived. He walked in silence and I didn’t bother saying anything to him. I was too tired. When we got back to his home he laid me on the bed once again. I was now so exhausted I knew I wouldn’t be able to move even if I wanted to.

‘I don’t want to hurt you,’ he said, softly.

I nodded wordlessly. He unscrewed the cap of a fizzy drink bottle and put the neck to my lips, helping me to hold my head up. I drank the liquid, and then pulled away. He put the bottle on the bedside table and checked on my neck again.

‘You’re lucky you didn’t make it bleed again,’ he commented. ‘Sleep for now, love. You need the rest. When you wake up things will be better. Trust me.’ He smiled softly, warmly. I
returned the smile as my eyes slowly fluttered shut again.