Chapter 23: Chapter 23

I spent the next few days trying to dismiss Nick and the truth about him from my mind. I deluded myself into thinking that I could forget him and his big secret. Liam and the girls, their entire family, in fact, gave me enough distractions to make these lies believable. Unfortunately, truth had a way of asserting itself, no matter how much you tried to avoid it.

Three days before New Year’s Eve, Auntie Lillian reminded the girls of their long-standing promise to go over their stuff and see what we can donate to charity. Their parish church was hosting a New Year’s Day party for two of the orphanages in the city and had encouraged everyone to donate to their cause. They specifically requested books, toys, and clothes, which Jan and Mel had in abundance. Most of their things were already in storage, though, and we had to go over to an old shed in their backyard to retrieve the items.

We were on our second day of hunting for valuable junk, as Mel liked to call them, when Jan came across a box full of old DVDs. When we trooped back to the main house, Jan and Mel both had an armful of DVDs they wanted to re-watch. I was busy cataloging our haul, so I didn't see what they had chosen for tonight’s entertainment. Imagine my shock when Jan and Mel dropped their stash in front of the TV. They were all about vampires. The sisters seemed to love anything that had at least one vampire in it. Jan retrieved the entire ‘Twilight’ and ‘Blade’ series, while Mel salvaged her entire collection of ‘Buffy, the Vampire Slayer’. Both of them chose ‘Interview with a Vampire’, which starred two of their favorite actors. They also brought back their Anne Rice books and a few vampire romances from lesser-known authors.

As a reward for a job well-done, the elder Castros granted us ‘kids’, a much-welcomed free day. We could do anything we wanted without them interrupting to mouth off orders (their words, not mine). The sisters squealed in delight because it meant that we could have marathon screenings of their favorites. Of course, they still argued about which we should watch first, but Liam easily settled it with a smart compromise. We would watch 1 season of Mel’s Buffy and then Jan’s Blade Trilogy. Tomorrow, if we still had eyes to see, we would do Twilight and Interview with a Vampire. The rest of the Buffy series we would watch whenever we had any spare time.

At first, I was skeptical about the Buffy series. I thought it would be too juvenile since it had a suburban High School setting. However, it turned out to be quite enjoyable and informative. The vampires were a bit cliché, but I loved the romantic angle between Buffy and Angel. Angel, a vampire with a conscience, kinda reminded me of Nick. Nick was also too conscientious for a vampire. Buffy’s first reaction to finding out about Angel’s vampiric persona was an echo of mine. I didn’t scream, but I ran. I ran far away from him, as if revolted by his secret. And now, I felt like a major jerk. He did not revolt me. Scared, maybe, but not revolted. I was angry, too. Angry at how unfair life was. I thought I had found the perfect man, and he turned out to be a blood-sucking creature of the night.

But then again, maybe I was the one who was being unfair. I had pushed Nick away without giving him enough credit. He had not harmed a hair on my head in all of our times together, yet I acted like he was the devil incarnate. All Nick ever did from the moment we met was to protect me. If he was only interested in sucking my blood, he would’ve done it while I slept in his bed, oblivious to the world.

I must admit that these thoughts were not very comforting, so I pushed them to the back of my mind and concentrated on learning more about vampires. If there was one thing I was good at, it was research. And these movies, these portrayals, though all works of fiction, could help me understand Nick’s true nature. I had seen his vampire face, and it looked nothing like the monstrous faces on Buffy. Except for the hardening of his features, the appearance of his fangs, and his eyes turning yellow, Nick’s face looked very much the same. One point against fiction, then. I wondered how much more inconsistencies between fact and fiction I would discover.

By the time we were through with season 1 of Buffy, I was salivating for more. It opened the floodgates of my curiosity and there was no easy way to close it now. This wasn’t just about Nick anymore. This was about a species I thought didn’t exist, but was actually walking amongst us for centuries, millennia, even. And most of them saw us as nothing but prey. I would never be anything like Buffy, but I wanted to at least be able to defend myself whenever necessary. Forewarned, forearmed. I refused to let myself remain a potential victim forever. Now that I knew who was after me, I would do my best to be prepared when I crossed paths with them again. Nick couldn’t always be there to save me and the damsel-in-distress bit wasn’t really my cup of tea. I was used to taking care of myself, and I had no intention of changing the status quo.

Blade was a far cry from Buffy’s light take on vampires, however. It was dark, violent, and more in line with what I thought vampires would be. Blade was also a Marvel anti-hero, something I was very much into. As the movie progressed, I couldn’t help but wonder if Nick was a hybrid instead of a true vampire. Nick could come out during daytime. He didn’t like it and kept most of his skin covered and his eyes hidden behind opaque, dark glasses. But he didn’t explode when exposed to sunlight. He also used silver blades to kill the vampires who attacked me. They called him the Dark Knight. What was he, a vampire executioner? Was he more like Blade than Dracula?

It was almost 4 AM when my stomach started growling. We only had pizza and junk food for dinner and I was, for once, looking forward to a hearty breakfast. I didn’t think I could wait that long, though. I would nag Jan to come with me to the kitchen and scrunch up some cereal. When I looked up, however, everyone was asleep. Sprawled on the L-shaped sofa behind me were Jan and Mel. While Liam was curled up on the carpet a couple of feet away. Funny that I, the most reluctant participant in this vampire film fest, was the only one still glued to the TV.

With a sigh, I rose to my feet and went downstairs. Having helped with the cooking for the past several days, I already knew where everything was. Taking a box of cereal from the cupboard, I also scavenged a couple of bowls and spoons and a carton of milk from the fridge. Satisfied, I loaded them all on the largest serving tray I could find. I was about to turn off the lights when I glimpsed something moving outside the kitchen window, just beyond the grilled fence. Had I not felt the hairs at the back of my neck rise in alarm, I would’ve ignored it. I wasn’t a superstitious person, but I wasn’t stupid either. My instincts helped me get through life all these years. I wasn’t about to ignore it now.

And my instincts told me there was something, or someone, outside looking in on the house, watching and waiting.

My phone was already in my hand, dialing Nick’s number before I could think straight.

“Mira?” he said, picking up after the third ring. He sounded surprised.

“Are you stalking me again, Nick? Are you outside the house?” I said, cringing at how accusatory I sounded. I didn’t want to admit it, but I was hoping it was really just Nick stalking me again.

He sighed before answering. “No. I’m not stalking you.’

“Yeah, I know. You’re just trying to protect me,” I said, irritated by his clipped answer. I hated how he sounded annoyed.

There was a short, tense pause before Nick spoke again. “Mira, what’s wrong?”

I hesitated, not wanting to alarm him. I just figured out that whoever was outside wasn’t Nick. And yet, I didn’t want him barging in here acting like a hero, saving his shivering damsel. “N-no, nothing’s wrong. I j-just thought—”

“You don’t sound like nothing’s wrong. Did you see anything strange? Is someone out there?” Nick asked, his demeanor now sharp and alert.

“It’s nothing. I’m sorry for accusing you of stalking me. Bye—’

“Wait, Mira. Listen, there’s one thing you need to know about...vampires. They can’t enter anywhere without an invitation. Tell your friends to be wary of strangers and to not invite anyone they didn’t know inside the house. It’s the only way you can all be safe.”

My breath hitched at what Nick said. Was I putting my friends in danger? But my bitchy side got the better of me.

“And should I also tell them to spread garlic around the fences and wear silver crosses on their necks?” I said, turning my fear into anger.

Nick sighed before saying, “Garlic needs to be ingested to be effective, and the crosses won't help much unless you wrap it around a vampire’s neck. We’re also allergic to silver.”

“What about holy water and wooden stakes?” I said, unable to help myself.

“Pure myth. Although a vampire can’t step on hallowed ground. You’re safest if you’re inside a church.”

“Great. Perhaps we should camp out at the local chapel,” I mumbled. Nick’s soft chuckle caught me off guard. I expected him to shoot it down with a sarcastic remark or another silent, deep sigh to signify his frustration. “Did you find that funny?” I said in annoyance.

“Sorry. Didn’t mean it to sound that way. I’m just glad you haven’t lost your sense of humor despite everything that happened recently.”

“Yeah, I’m a regular barrel of laughs,” I said.

Nick’s low chuckle died down. He sighed again before saying, “It’s nice hearing your voice again, Mira. Take care of yourself. I’m sending you the number of one of my men. If you think you need help, just text or call him and he’ll be right there within minutes. His name’s Boris, and I trust him completely. You’ll be safe with him.”

“Why can’t I just call you?” I said, too puzzled by this sudden change. Why was he passing me off to one of his men? What was I, a football?

The silence on the other end was deafening and went on for too long. I almost hung up, thinking Nick wouldn’t answer. But he did, and his words sliced through my heart like a burning knife.

“I don’t think I can bear seeing you with someone else, Mira. But I don’t blame you. You deserve to live a normal life. All I want you to know is that I will do everything in my power to keep you safe, no matter what. But I can’t do it personally anymore. I can’t be around you knowing that you can never be mine.”

“Nick, I—”

“It’s okay, Mira. I understand. Just promise to always be careful. And call Boris at the first sign of danger. He will know what to do. Goodbye, my love.”

And with that, Nick, at last, ended our brief romance. It was tragic.

Yet all that lingered in my mind were the words, ‘my love’.