Changes

“Let me see your fangs.” I whispered suddenly. I couldn’t help myself. It just slipped out.

“Pardon me?” Jimmy asked quickly.

“I want to see them. The first two times I saw them I was scared beyond belief. I’m interested in seeing them when you’re not going all psycho.” I answered him honestly.

“Ah, Colie, I can’t just draw my fangs whenever I want. It’s a bit more involved.” He said hesitantly.

“Well, what sets you off?” I asked curiously.

“Blood is a good start.” He said with a laugh. “The other thing is when I feel extreme emotions, like in the park earlier. Just feeling your fear and seeing what that guy was doing to you got me fired up.”

I sat there and pondered to myself. There was no way that I wanted to piss him off. Besides, I don’t think that Jimmy could ever be that angry at me. A little idea popped in my head and I instantly jumped to my feet. Running into the kitchen I threw open the fridge door and grabbed the pack of raw hamburger meat. I was supposed to make myself spaghetti last night but I never got around to it. The lump of beet was perfectly fine and when I held it up I could see that the blood was pooling in a corner of the bag. Anyone would have thought I was acting crazy but I was patting myself on the back for thinking of this. With the bag of meat hidden behind my back I walked into the living room where Jimmy was waiting patiently for me.

“Colie, what’s behind your back?” he asked as I approached him.

I shoved the bag in front of him and broke the seal. Smiling down at Jimmy I just looked back and forth from the bag and Jimmy. He looked at me hesitantly and grabbed the bag from my hand.

“You want me to huff this bag?”

“If it does the job, then sure, sniff away.” I said with confidence.

“Cow blood won’t do much for me Colie.” He stated like it was widely known amongst everyone.

“I could get a sewing needle and prick myself.” I suggested.

From the look on Jimmy’s face I could tell that he didn’t like that idea. He tore his gaze away from my eyes and looked at the bag reluctantly. Jimmy sighed in defeat and slowly raised the bag to his head. Taking one last look at me with those blue eyes his head tilted downwards and he inhaled deeply. I took a step towards him although he hadn’t brought his head up from the bag yet. I knelt down by his legs but I still couldn’t see his face because his hair blocked my view.

“Are you sure this is what you want?” Jimmy said, barely audible.

“Yes, I’m sure.” I responded quietly.

He tore his face away from the bag of bloody meat and looked deep into my eyes. His eyes were a cloudy grey like they were when I was in the hospital. Still, he kept his teeth hidden by pursing his lips, although I could distinctly make out two small bumps through his skin.

“Jimmy,” I scolded, “just give me a smile.”

“That’s right. You like it when I smile don’t you?” he added with a cocky grin.

I would have given him a comeback but I was in awe of what I saw. Two gleaming white fangs extended from the top row of his teeth. In this situation I was mesmerized by them. They made him seem so majestic.

“Majestic?” he asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Will you stop doing that?!” I whined and I even slapped his arm just to get my point across.

“I’m sorry. I had to see if you still thought I was a monster.”

“No, I’m the one who should be sorry. It was wrong for me to call you a monster. That was unnecessary.” I said ashamed of myself.

“Forget about it Colie. You had every right to call me that. Let’s just consider it water under the bridge.” He stated.

I nodded in agreement with him and yawned loudly. There was no point in trying to stifle it because I was too tired to care.

“Come on Colie, I was once human myself and I can faintly remember the trials of trying to stay awake. I’m putting you to bed.” He said getting off the couch.

Even though I could have walked myself to my room, he insisted that he carry me. He lowered me onto the mattress softly and pulled the sheets up to my neck. My eyelids were becoming heavier every time I blinked so I wasn’t sure how much longer I had. In my semi-conscious state I began to ask him any questions that came into my head, even if they were stupid.

“Do vampires ever sleep? Like, in coffins?” I asked sleepily.

“Nope. We do have our random slumber periods though, but not in coffins.” He answered while closing my drapes.

“Can you guys turn into bats and fly away?”

“I wish, but no dice.” He responded with a small chuckle.

“How do you kill a vampire?”

“A stake through the heart and fire.” He stated shallowly.

Another yawn escaped my mouth before I asked my last question. “If vampires kill people, are they capable of really loving people?”

He paused a bit before he said anything. “We are very capable of loving humans. That’s how Andrea came to be with us, however; that’s a story for another time.”

I smiled at his response. I wasn’t sure why this made feel warm on the inside. My lids grew heavy and fell for the last time of the night. The last thing I remember before I drifted off completely was Jimmy holding my hand and caressing it.

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What does Jimmy do now that Colie is asleep?

1. Gives her a kiss on the cheek.
2. Watches her throughout the night.
3. Whispers something in her ear.