Vampiric Visits

Babysitting my sisters hadn't been as bad as I had initially thought it would be. Getting them to agree to keep it a secret that May had chosen to pay a surprise visit was another story, but we had it all under control. The girls agreed to keeping May's visit a secret.

My mom had returned just an hour after May had left, and when 8 PM rolled around, I proceeded with helping my mom in getting my little sisters to go to bed. I then retired to my own room and closed the door behind me.

My heart began to pound, and I knew then that I was dreading the visit that Gastov would most likely pay that night. I let out a sigh and tried to calm myself. With heavy thoughts, I sat down on my bed and laid back, my calves dangling over the edge of the bed. I felt comfortable then, and closed my eyes.

I had probably been asleep for about two hours before his presence hovering near me cause me to stir.

"You're awake now," his voice, with that strange accent, was quiet. I opened my eyes then to see him standing against the wall across from my bed. He looked even more pale than ever before as the light of the moon streaming through my bedroom window surrounded him. My gaze then drifted to the oddity that was his left eye.

"Why is your eye like that?" the question was uncontrollable. Gastov remained silent for a moment, his eyes widened ever-so-slightly in thought.

"They call me a Star-Catcher, although it has nothing to do with the catching of stars, and is completely unrelated to stars," he admitted, although I was not yet satisfied with his current answer. "Technically speaking, though, I have 'caught' the eye of a demon.

"That is why my eye is the way it is, and in turn the reason I am called a Star-Catcher." He finished speaking then, and turned away form me to gaze out the window to the star-filled night sky beyond.

"Why are the colors the same, then?" I asked, referring to his irises. "Did the demon have the same messed up eye color?" A small smile turned the corners of his lips up.

"Only the pupil is useful, because only the pupil holds the unique ability for the demon to see through to the soul of a person," he answered then.

"Why isn't your other pupil like that?"

"There really is no need for two pupils of a demon; one works just as well, and brings about less pain."

I remained silent for a few moments, processing the information. What a truly interesting vampire Gastov was. Another thought occurred to me then.

Why did he come to visit me only when night rolled around? Was he allergic to the sun, or was it simply easier for him to come around at night? There were probably fewer chances of getting caught in the act of feeding at night than there were in the day. Even with the logical explanation set into my mind, though, I felt the need to ask Gastov about it himself to satisfy my thirst for reasons.

"Gastov, are you weak to sunlight?" I asked aloud then. A small chuckle erupted from him as he raised his eyebrows in amusement.

"Heavens, no," he hid his quiet laughter behind his hand. "I am as weak to the sun as you are. I must admit, though, the sun does weaken any magical abilities I wish to use. Dear, I visit you at night simply because it is more convenient."

In the light of the moon, even if only for a fraction of a second, I could have sworn that I had seen the demon lurking within him. That animal that I felt all vampires would hide within them.

"Now, onto the part I came here for," he sighed, seeming disappointed that he'd be cutting this little visit possibly too short for his liking. "I really need to feed, and you really need to get some rest."

I nodded in response, and he slowly approached me while his fangs slipped past his lips. Would these feedings really become a "normal" routine for us?