The False Vampire

Being pregnant sucked. Firstly, I always had either a backache or a headache, I was always tired, and I always, always had to pee. Secondly, the looks. Don't even get me started on those. I wasn't even out of the first trimester and already, people couldn't help but judge me. Thirdly, if I was going to be treated like a helpless maiden than why not act like one. More often than not, the princess treatment from Jae and Samuel sent me running - well, jogging, out the house in search of other company. It may have been Grace had she been here, but for now it was to my only other friend, Trinnean.

I currently sat on an old stool inside the aforementioned friend's apartment, staring at him in frustration. It had been a while since I was last here, more precisely, since I found out about the Folk. Trinnean was thumbing through an old, tattered book. Its pages matched the colours of the walls around us. He seemed to be immersed in the book, despite the fact that it had no writing and that Trinnean himself was blind. He had actually seemed to have been reading that for upwards of two hours while I sat and stared.

I sighed again, hoping to gain his attention. It worked this time.

"Yes Adrienne, I can feel you staring at me," he sighs. I uncross then recross my legs, uncomfortable with sitting in the same position for any length of time. My hand flutters down to my slightly protruding stomach and a yawn escapes my mouth.

"What are you reading?" my words are muffled as I say this, exhaustion creeping up on me. I used to think the saying that pregnant women were always tired was a myth but it was definitely a fact. I seemed to be tired all the time.

"An ancient book called The Book of Res," Trinnean distractedly mumbles. I yawn again, my eyelids drooping.

"But you're blind," the words come tumbling out of my mouth. Perhaps six months ago, I would've been embarrassed, but not so much now. Trinnean just laughs in response to my hastily thought out reply. It seemed more often than not lately that my foot was lodged firmly in my mouth.

"No one can see the writing the book. Most rely on sight to read, and not touch. My sense of touch is heightened as a result of an experimental treatment in the hospital as a child. I can feel the indentations of the words written long ago," Trinnean paused for a second, as though deep in thought. "Well, no one can read it, with the exceptions of those with divine bloodlines. Supposedly."

My face must have shown its bafflement, a look that Trinnean may or may not have picked up on.

"What's the Book of Res about anyways?"

"The Folk. Their rules, regulations and laws. Everything about every species in existence. Some of the records are incomplete, or I just can't read them. I'm not too sure, but it's all quite fascinating," Trinnean smiled in my direction, his gaze only inches off. "Transcribing it has been my life's work, and yet these pages always change. They're alive."

I grinned at Trinnean, at his enthusiasm. "Where do you write down what you learn?"

"The Hunters Guideline," Trinnean shrugged, continuing on reading, "I know it's not an original title but I was pressed for time." He pointed to a series of thick, clustered folders that were arranged haphazardly on the floor.

"I couldn't think of anything either. How much would you say you've translated?" Trinnean shrugged.

"About two pages." My jaw dropped.

"May I read it?"

"Go for it."

Trinnean continued to read the book whilst I decided to thumb through the files in the folders. They seemed to be divided into alphabetical order of each different type of Folk, sorted into their base elements of Air, Fire, Earth and Water. The first thing I looked at was mermaids - I had been fascinated in them since I was a little girl. I could determine the basics of information, such as being unable to survive without shifting into their true forms at least once in a forty eight hour period, or losing the coloured streaks in their hair when they meet their true love. How romantic, I sighed again, resting my head in my hands. I stroked the letters on the page, a mixture of handwritten and typed. It was obvious that Trinnean had put a lot of care into his work.

The jingling of keys startled me into dropping the folder onto the floor. Behind me, Nadia was placing her keys onto a small table. She glanced at me, unsurprised at my presence here. I had been around a lot lately. She leant against a doorframe, crossing her arms. Her Russian heritage shone strongly through her features, manifesting in her strong nose and naturally downturned lips.

"How's the spawn going?" she shoots at me. We've come to accept that we just don't like each other.

"Nadia Volkov! Hold your tongue!" Trinnean has not. Nadia snorts before walking away. I turn back to the fallen folders, stretching out my worn body. Being three months pregnant is hard work.

"Hey brat!" Nadia calls as I hear her clanking around inside the small kitchen. I continue stretching.

"Yeah?"

"Did you bring that bow and arrow?" I know Nadia is referring to the bow that appeared in my room just over two months ago. She had asked time and time again to see it, mostly because it seemed to have the ability to hit whatever target you aimed for.

"No, and you're not having it Volkov!" I huffed before turning back to the folder. It had opened to the 'I' section of the water family. It listed several creatures, such as an Iara, Ichthyocentuar, Incubus and an Isonade. Mythological creatures that existed in every culture known to man. My head swam just slightly as I thought of the possibilities. Was every dream, every nightmare that I had as a child real? Or figments of my imagination?

The thing that caught my attention however, was the Incubus. Listed as a male dream demon and known rapists. I felt the blood drain from my face and my hand start shaking. As I continued reading with shaky fingers, my left hand covered my stomach.

Trinnean must have heard my sound of distress. He paused his reading and came over to where I was sitting, before settling next to me. It took a few slight fumbles, but his hand found the centre of my back and he began to rub in circular, soothing motions.

The simple comfort that he was providing made me break into tears as I buried my head into his chest, my silent tears staining the fabric of his shirt. My hands compulsively clenched and released the worn material. Trinneans arms wrapped around me and with a slight hesitation, he began rocking me slowly, whispering meaningless words into my temple.

Beside me, my phone started buzzing. We paused of movements, the saltiness of my tears still stinging my cheeks. I tried to untangle myself to answer, with only Trinneans quiet 'no' stopping me. I could see out of the corner of my eye that it was Elisa that called. I didn't want to answer. Not now, not ever. Not while I was swamped in the memories of pain and the realness of my panic. The panic swept over me so strongly that I started sobbing. Memories of the dark, of pain swept over me. I clawed at my stomach. Nadia was right. It is spawn. Suddenly, Trinneans arms around me was too much. My breaths started to come in gasps and my sight began to blur, until it darkened completely.

#

I was so, so sick of passing out. I seemed to be doing it with regularity these days. Was this a side affect of being pregnant? None one ever told me these things!

With a groan I brought my arms up to my face, crossing them as though I was shielding myself. Whoever said I had to face reality at this moment? It totally wasn't me! Peeking out of the small gap between my face and arms, I could easily make out that I was on the old, sagging lounge in Trinneans apartment. You'd think considering that the hunters provide the shelter for Trinnean and Nadia, that they would provide something above just-barely-liveable.

I must've been muttering my thoughts aloud, because then Trinnean suddenly spoke up from across the room.

"They're taking advantage of the fact that I can't see. Don't worry though, I know it's clean. Nadia is obsessive compulsive about hygiene. Not so much cleanliness. She tends to freak out at the slightest fleck of dust." Trinnean's nose was buried inside of that book, reading all that he could.

"That book is freaky." Just the mere sight of it gave me shivers, it's aura screaming 'danger!'.

"That is not what we were discussing Audrey," Trinnean pointed out, his tone as narrow as his eyes. Mine rolled in response. I couldn't help but compare him to a stern primary school teacher.

"I know that, Trinnean. I heard that Nadia has a phobia of dust, but that book is still freaky," I replied tartly. Trinnean's only response was a long, drawn out 'hmm'. I took that as a sign of a finished conversation, and began migrating on swollen feet towards the bathroom. It wasn't far away, but with my full bladder it couldn't come soon enough. As I sat on what my father jokingly called the porcelain throne, I continued my conversation. "Would Nadia object to living here then?"

"Is it really that bad?" I snorted loudly, shaking my head.

"It truly is, Trinnean. You need a paint job and desperately. Get rid of the yellow wallpaper."

"I know it's peeling, but otherwise it is fine, isn't it?" Trinnean stuck his head around the doorframe, staring unnervingly in my direction. Shivers ran up and down my spine whenever he did that. It didn't feel right that he was staring at me while I was on the toilet either.

"It is grotty looking, yellow and looks like you peeled it straight out of an abandoned victorian building." I cocked my eyebrow at him, knowing full well he couldn't see it. Trinnean sighed in defeat before smirking in that cocky way of his. "And not that nice canary yellow or anything like that. It's this faded yellow that might have been the colour of a mango once," I mused. Trinnean rolled his eyes.

"Alright then, you can redecorate it!" Floundering, I finished my business before running out after him, stammering.

"What do you mean - ?"

"Nadia! Audrey is redoing the digs!"

"Digs?" I whispered to myself, before totally and outright refusing Trinnean's statement. I may as well be colourblind for all that mattered. I was not redoing the digs, as it were.

"But you said it needed to be done, why not you?"

I pointed to my pregnant stomach. "Uh, because I can't bloody well do anything with this!"

"I can't see it, remember?" Trinnean smirked lightly, "besides, you don't actually have to do anything. Just find a colour and design the space."

"But I can't afford to do it!"

"I wasn't going to ask you to pay for it," I'm going to wipe that smirk off his face if he doesn't stop it, "I was going to give you a budget." Trinnean walked his way over to his wallet.

I rolled my eyes. He wasn't going to give up. I would play complacent until I was somewhat positive that he forgot all about my wayward promise.