Bite Shift

23

You know those movies where the main character goes through something traumatic and wakes up the next morning telling himself that it was all a dream? He smiles and lays back but something jumps into the scene to show him it was, in fact, real? Well, that is not the way it went for me. As soon as my eyes were open, I was fully aware of the shit storm I was in the middle of.

I guess vampires don't have dreams. Just fall asleep and wake back up.

The clock in Rhys' room let me know that I had slept until 8pm. I don't know exactly what time I feel asleep but that must equate to, like, 14 hours of sleep. Damn. I was clearly exhausted.

I rolled over to see if Rhys was awake too but the bed next to me was empty. I sat up, stretched and started my trek to the kitchen. How weird it felt to wake up and not crave coffee.

Rhys was in the kitchen, music playing from a small radio mounted below a counter, and the blood was in the crock pot as I had hoped. A small cardboard box sat on the table in the little nook with a red bow on it. I felt like a kid seeing a Christmas gift before I was supposed to. I sat at the table and tried to pretend I didn't notice it.

"Good evening." Rhys sang.

Wonder what's got him in such a good mood. "Good evening," I responded. "May I use your phone to call the girls, please?"

His face broke out into a smile. "No need. Open the package that I already saw you noticing."

I made quick work of the cardboard box and revealed a new iPhone. Before I could say anything, he was next to me with a SIM card in his hand.

"Shit, Rhys. Will I be able to move that fast someday?"

He arched his eyebrows. "You can now, Katie. You just haven't tried."

He kissed the top of my head and dropped the small card to the table. An instant later, he was at the kitchen sink, wiping water stains off two glasses with towels.

"Katie?"

"Do you mind?" he asked. "You've always felt like a Katie to me."

"My mom was the only one who called me Katie." He looked at me with a question on his face, unsure if that was good or bad. "I would love it if you were the second."

He was pleased and went back to buffing the drinking glass.

"I can't believe you saved my SIM card, Rhys. Thank you. And, thank you for the phone."

"You got it, kiddo."

It was only a matter of minutes before the tiny card was loaded into the new phone and my contacts were uploading. I wasn't surprised to see that the number of text messages and calls I had missed were in the double digits. I could get back to Monica and others later. My priority now was the girls.

They answered on the second ring.

"Mom?!"

"Hey there, sweetie. How was your day?"

"It was good. How was yours?"

"It was also good." I looked up at Rhys and he gave a small nod. "They have figured out what is wrong with me."

Silence.

"It's okay, Ellie, it's not a big deal." I heard her sigh with relief and feel an overwhelming guilt for the lie I was about to tell.

"Wait, Mom. Can I put you on speaker? Everyone is here and they want to hear too."

"Sure. Of course."

"Hi" "Hey" "Hi, Kate, it's Sarah." "Are you okay?" All the voices rang out at once and overlapped each other. I waited for it to die down.

"Hi, everyone. Yes, I am okay. Everyone is taking good care of me."

Silence, again.

Tom spoke next, "So, what is going on, Kate?"

"Well," I started, "it seems that I have developed a kinda rare but totally safe condition. I can tell you more when I come home but, to sum it up really quickly and simply...." I froze. Would they believe it? Would they see right through my lie and call me out? Tom would go for custody and win. No judge would give full custody to a creature of the night.

"Kate! What is it??"

"Well, it's called solar urticaria. In a nutshell, I seem to be allergic to the sun."

Silence.

Then, everyone at once. "Stop!" "Be serious, Mom." "That's fake." "Do you have cancer?!"

"Guys!" I yelled and they stopped. "I am being very serious and no, I do not have cancer. Feel free to look it up. It is very real and, it looks like, I have it. It's no big deal. I just need to avoid the sun. I can work at night, shop at night, sleep during the day. We can cover the windows in the house. It really isn't the worst thing that could happen."

More silence.

I kept going. "There is a blood doctor here who is helping arrange things at work to make sure I only work nights. He is the one in charge of my case. He wants to do a few more tests and get some things ironed out before I come home. Mostly, it's to keep me safe. But, guys, I really am okay. I don't have to take medicine or anything. I just can't be in the sun."

"You're a vampire," Ellie exclaimed.

My heart stopped. My mouth went dry. My heart threatened to rip out of my chest with every beat. She knows. I knew no one would believe this stupid story. She will never come near me again and I can't blame her.

"That's mean, Ellie." Olivia came to my defense with the usual teen snark. "Mom is not a vampire. She has a sickness and you're making fun of her."

"I'm sorry, Mom." Ellie sounded like she may burst into tears. "It was just a joke."

"Oh, honey, I know it was just a joke. You didn't hurt my feelings. It is going to take some time to get used to it. The hospital is going to make sure I work at night. Daddy can do all the daytime stuff and I will do all the nighttime stuff. I am still the same Mom."

Tom spoke up now. "What can we do to help?"

Sarah was next, "Kate. Tell us what you need."

Man, was I lucky. Who else had an ex-husband and stepmom to their kids that was so understanding? I must have been really good in a past life. "Just take care of the girls until I can sort everything out. I'll need to iron out some details over the next 2 or 3 days. Then, it'll be like nothing ever happened."

"You got it."

"Mom?" Olivia sounded scared to ask but I could tell if she was upset or afraid that I'd be upset.

"Yes?"

"Will you be at my concert? It's okay if you can't."

I let out the breath I didn't realized I had been holding. "You know I will. It is only Monday. I can definitely figure all this out and be home by then. I promise."

That was followed by a round of "I love you" and "Take care of yourself" and the line went dead so the girls could get ready for bed.

That's my new life. Getting up an hour before they get ready for bed. What a mom.

"Katie?"

I looked up from the phone I had been staring at and saw Rhys with a glass of blood in his hand. He handed it to me and I took it, gratefully. He sat next to me.

"You were right you know."

"Right about what?" I asked.

"We will figure this out. There is a way for you to live out of the sun and still be there for them; watch them grow. Don't let this discourage you. We vampires have existed for centuries, during witch hunts and wars; famine and plagues. This will not stop you from doing all that you want to."

His confidence was contagious and I felt better despite my strong desire to feel sorry for myself. He raised his glass and I clinked mine into his. A couple gulps of blood and I was ready to start the night. It couldn't possibly be worse than the night before.

Right?!