This Must be Fiction

I wasn't sure what time it was when I woke up, but I did notice just how alert I was when I rose from the bed. Usually it took a cup of coffee and at least a half an hour before I was ready for the day, but it didn't even feel like I slept at all. I felt like I had been up for hours, and was just as energized as ever.

"Sleep well?" He spoke from his side of the bed. I looked over to see him shirtless. My eyes lingered down his torso, taking in the tattoos of portraits and heartagrams. His fingers softly grazed over my wrist, startling me at first.

"I suppose. I don't really feel like I slept. How long was I out?"

"About three hours. You were very quiet, it was extremely unusual for you." He sat up next to me.

"That is weird. No moaning or anything?"

"No. I think you're done with that now. It's kind of upsetting. I liked it. It always gave me a little insight into your unconscious."

"Well I'm glad. I hated that you could always hear me dreaming about you, and then I'd wake up and not even remember what I was dreaming about in the first place." I swiveled my legs over the side of the bed and began to head for the stairs. Usually at this point I would be considering what I would eat for breakfast, but now I couldn't decide what my stomach was telling me to do. Breakfast? Did Ville have something for me?

"We're going hunting in a few hours. It will be interesting to see how this goes." He followed me out of the room, his hands finding my waist as we traveled down the hallway. It was strange, somehow, that he always had to be in contact with each other now. Our bond was so strong, that not touching one another was such a difficult task, I wasn't sure how to go about it. But my mind began to rationalize and I knew that we would eventually have to leave each others' sides. I mean, Bam and Missy left each other all the time. It must be difficult for them, but certainly not impossible.

I shook my head and focused on what he was telling me. "Hunting? How exactly do we go about doing that?"

"Hm.." Ville's voiced hummed in it's extremely low bass as he thought about how to phrase his answer. "It's.. strange, but kind of... sexual in a way."

I sat down on the bar stool in our kitchen, shocked, upset, and intrigued at the same time. Ville could feel my emotions, and laughed at me. I faked a pout.

"You have to lure someone in using your sexuality. That's why, it is believed, vampires are created to be more beautiful. Finding food is easier when a person is attracted to their predator." Ville played with a pencil on the counter. "I also happen to think that's why vampires can tolerate drinking alcohol, because it is easier to pick someone up in a bar if they're drinking. I personally think that is an evolved trait, but some do not share the same ideas that I do. But.." He put his hands in the air. "Can't win 'em all over."

I put the pencil between my fingers and it instantly snapped. If I was still human, I was sure that I would have blushed. My mind changed topics before I could focus on my embarrassment any longer.

"So we're hunting at a bar?"

"Well, yes and no. I'm hunting at a bar. You're waiting until I get out. There is no possible way that you could be in a social setting after a day of being a vampire."

"Waiting where?"

"With Bam behind the bar in the woods or maybe your car. Now.." Ville took out my cell phone, which looked unfamiliar to me, and placed it in my waiting hands. "You've got to start calling people back before they think you've gone missing. Actually, a few entertainment magazines and TV shows have said that you've gone missing."

I opened my phone and looked through the long list of missed calls. I rolled my eyes, pissed off at the fact that I could not be left alone for a few days. I understood why some people called me, but there must have been tens of business calls that could have waited. I decided on calling my family first.

My fingers nervously dialed my mothers number, not sure what kind of excuse I would make up for not being able to see her. I was worried that maybe she would cry.

"Molly!" she yelled into the photo after answering. Her voice had not changed.

"Hi mommy." I said, ashamed. There was a long pause on the other end.

"Who is this?"

"It's me." I said, thinking of a way to explain why my voice sounded so angelic. "I uh... I had one of Ville's singing coaches give me some lessons, and my uh... voice has changed a bit since I began." It was possibly the worst lie in the world, but I couldn't think of anything better. How was I supposed to tell my mother that my voice was now different forever?

"That doesn't sound right."

"I know, it's strange. We're not exactly sure how it happened. But I just wanted to call and apologize for not calling over the past few days. Ville and I have been busy with work and trying to spend some time together... and I'm um.. really sorry but... I'm leaving tonight to go back to L.A."

I could practically hear her shock. "That's ridiculous! You can't just stop by before leaving? I've seen you once since you got back into town and instead of visiting your family like you should have, you've spent all of your time with your boyfriend who we barely even know! This isn't like you..."

"I know, I know. And I'm really sorry. But I promise I'll be back soon to visit."

"Molly..." She was trying to convince me to stay, but I had to end the conversation before she actually had me convinced.

"I'm really sorry mom. I've got to go... tell Dad and Jason that I love them and I'll call each of them soon." I hung up before she could answer me. I couldn't handle the pain that I was going to be putting her through by possibly never seeing her again. If I wasn't going to be able to see her ever again, maybe it was best for her to think that I was a terrible daughter.
Ville snuck up on me from behind.

"You did very well. I know it hurts... but maybe if we work on your skills frequently we'll be able to work you back into the public eye."

I sighed, breathing in Ville's scent and thinking of all the work I would have to put in to be somewhat human again, at least in the eyes of my family.

"Yeah." Was the only answer I could verbalize.

I had to call Robert next, naturally, because he had called me over fifty times in the past week and I had chosen to ignore him so that I could escape his nagging. He would be furious at me, I knew.

"You've got a hell of a lot of explaining to do." He said. I could tell that he was standing with one hand on his hip and the other clutching the phone.

"I know." I answered. He took in a deep breath.

"Molly?"

"Yeah, Robert."

"What the fuck?!"

"I uh... took some voice lessons from Ville's coach, and it's changed the pitch of my voice. It's really not that different, it sounds weird over the phone."

"I"m not buying it."

"Well it's my explanation. I'm sorry that I haven't called you or anything. How is the house?"

"The house is fine, extremely empty without you in it, but fine. Nathan is practically strangling himself trying to get into contact with you. We're all really pissed off over here. Have you forgotten that you left poor Benjamin heartbroken?"

"Heartbroken? We had one date."

"Ok well, I exaggerated, but still. He hears rumors that you've run off and married Ville Valo and he's a little upset at the fact that you lied to him about being single."

"There is a shit-load wrong with that statement."

"Like?" As much as he was pissing me off at the moment, I realized how much I missed Robert throughout the past three weeks. He had been my rock for so long, and I had completely ignored him.

"Well, I haven't married Ville. And I didn't lie to him about being single. At the time of our date, I was single. And you and I both know that I am better off with Ville." I stopped and processed what Robert had told me. "And what are the rumors about Ville and I getting married?"

"A paparazzi got a photo of you too entering a Finnish airport. You two, according to the magazines, were too close to just be dating."

Ville's eyes darted in my direction, hearing the news at the same time that I had.
"We're not married. I promise. But um.. tell Benjamin that I'm sorry, please. And since I cannot possibly call Nathan, can you call him for me and tell him that I'll uh... email him. Yeah, email's probably best."

"Really, Molly? The man has made your career and you're going to email him?"

"You know him just as well as I do, and we both know that he'll have my head the second he answers his phone. Please just call him and tell him that I'll see him soon."

"Why should I do you any favors?"

"Because you're my best friend."

Robert sighed, giving in to me like he always did when we fought. For better or worse, he was the one I could count on.

"Because I love you. And I miss you. Come home soon."

"Ok. I love you too." I hung up before I broke down, thinking about how I might not ever get to see Robert again. I imagined his shaggy brown hair and loving eyes, and then considered the fact that I would likely kill him in an instant when I first saw him. It was for his own good that we never saw each other again. That didn't mean that we couldn't talk on the phone, I secretly told myself.

Ville's hands run up and down my shoulders, sending electricity through my body.

"We'll work on human interaction later. For right now, let's go eat."