The Camarilla

Chapter 2

Break time, at last, though it was always a time for John to ask me questions. I never minded it, his conversations were always interesting. "So, Harley," he asks me, while I was eating a sandwich, "have you noticed anything strange about Nathen?"

I put up one finger and took a bite of my sandwich, chewed, swallowed, and placed it down on my plate. "First off, don't interrupt my mealtime. Second, yeah I noticed a few odd things." Nathen or Nat for short was the suspected vampire hunter coworker. He was the one who offered me pasta that had garlic in it and I had to politely decline as I could feel myself depowering just being near it. Not only that, but Nat had the last name 'Cunningham'. The family of Cunningham was a clan of vampire hunters and throughout the centuries, I tangled with a few of them. More often than not, I won these battles, but it always seemed like there was more of them. At one point, I was so fed up with them that in 1883, I decided to wipe them off the face of the earth! It was a long hunt, but I won. I didn't find a single Cunningham vampire hunter left after the fact. At least, that's what I thought, until 2014 when I first took up the job here at the café, and lo and behold, I met Nat.

"Yeah, he seems pretty strange. Kind secretive too."

"Hm." I didn't want any trouble with Nat. For all I knew, he was probably part of a family of different Cunninghams.

"Think he's part of a cult?"

I choked a bit on my food and turned to look at John. "First, I don't know what cult would allow you to dress the way he does. Second, he lives in my apartment complex so I'm pretty sure he's not in a cult. Thirdly, who would want him in a cult?"

"Fair points." John shrugs, "I don't know man, he's strange. He offered me a plate of pasta but I declined because who knows what he put in there."

"Who knows?" I turned back to my sandwich and John pulled out his food from the microwave. He was probably questioning me about Nat because I had to work a double shift. Stupid Cindy couldn't make it in so I had to work her shift and work alongside Nat and some other guy who I never learned the name of. Suffice it to say, I was not looking forward to it. I waved goodbye to John and later Margert as Nat and the other guy came in to do their shifts. I was now alone with the Cunningham and another guy. This is going to be a long shift.

I was on till duty and Nat was on coffee and pastry duty. The other guy was on the table busting. I did my darndest to ignore Nat and have no interaction with him. The sooner I can leave, the sooner I can leave his presence. Though, he did smell delicious. I slap my cheeks. No! I would not give in! Not now! Though, I had to admit, if he just cleaned up, I could do so much with those muscles. Another slap. I wasn't much for eating human flesh, but if he was a Cunningham. Hm... Another slap. I could kill for one of those thighs...

"Dude, are you ok?" Nat asks as I slap my cheeks again, "You've stared at me for a minute straight."

"I-! Er-!" I turned away from him and nervously greeted the next customer. How embarrassing. He'll catch on in no time! I'll have to move away, take Rexy with me, start anew with a Harley identity, after faking my death of course. What do I do?

Nothing now. I just wish this stupid shift would end. Thanks, Cindy, you bitch.

After another few torturous hours, my break came and my backup arrived sooner than expected. They heard my pleas for help in the group text and arrived as soon as they could to fill my spot while I rested and waited out my time. Finally, I could escape this hell and go home. At least, that was the plan until Nat came into the room.

I glared at him and he just smiled, angering me more, "Harley, Harley. Why keep the act up? I know what you want." Pause, record scratch. Is this stoner idiot also a Cunningham?

"What?" I snarled, trying to mask my confusion.

"Yeah, I saw you staring at me and slapping yourself awake from your daydream." He sits down across from me, "I can't blame you though. Everyone wants a piece of me."

"What on earth are you implying?"

"All I'm saying is that everyone wants good old Nat." He scoots his chair over and gets closer to me, still wearing that stupid smile.

"I don't follow." Perhaps playing dumb will get him to spill the answer.

"Come on, you know." He places his arm over my shoulders and with his other hand pokes me, "You know."

"Nat, if it got to the point where you have to touch me to get me to know what you mean, I believe we reached the point of me not knowing."

"Eyyy playing hard to get it seems." Nat gets up and takes his apron off, heading to the door. "I'll meet ya later tonight handsome. Or gorgeous. Whatever term you like best." With that, he finally leaves.

I just sit there confused. I grabbed my phone and started texting John and Margert, replaying the conversation for them. I express my confusion about the situation. What did he mean by what he said? Finally, John put it in layman's terms, saying, "Pal, he's got eyes for you. Bedroom eyes."

"Yeah, sounds like it." Margaret added, "Remember to use protection."

At this point, I dropped out of the conversation. Was that an attempt at flirting? I've watched humans from afar do their courting rituals but it's like with every new generation that it changes. I still hadn't grasped the 21st century way of dating at all, now a mortal wanted to have intercourse with me? Why? Because I seemed frustrated and interested? I shook my head and mumbled, "Humans are so confusing..." But this could be an opportunity. I could be rid of Nat once and for all, make it look like a freak bong accident, and disappear in the night. I would need to cover my bases by letting the other two know I declined his offer. However, I would also have to sacrifice that tasty human meat and just go for the blood. What a shame though. He was some eye candy.