LINGR

[Eleven] Vampires Anonymous, Part 2

There's a weight lifted from me when Mateo releases us from our small group. Before they do, they thank us for opening up and being vulnerable with each other. Most people shepherd from the room quietly, though I do get some encouraging shoulder pats on the way out. One vampire woman even goes to shake my hand and pulls me in for a hug. "That was so brave of you to share," she whispers to me. "Triggering to hear, but I can relate to what happened to you." Then, she pulls away and stares directly into my eyes. I watch her red irises twinkle as she says, "I promise, it gets better."

It's a sweet sentiment, though a part of my chest feels relieved once she walks away. I turn over my shoulder and see Mateo and I are the only ones left in the room. They grin at me. "Almost done for the day, aren't we?" they say, and even though I know it's just to make conversation, it doesn't feel that way. It always feels like Mateo cares, and that means a lot.

I smile. "Thank you for your time, Mateo. This was super needed."

"Then I did my job well." Their grin is unparalleled, teeth bright white, fangs glistening under the lights in the room. "Not everyone wants to be a vampire, but that doesn't mean we can't help each other out. I think you helped people by sharing your story today, Vic."

With that, I follow them out of the room, my steps a little lighter.

***

We have about ten minutes to mill about, grab refreshments, and otherwise chill before we head back into the bigger meeting room, where Connor is expected to give some last words before our day is over.

I pull out my phone and open up my messages with Abi. I text her:

Vic: Thank you for suggesting this, Abi. I hope you're having a good day <3

Smiling, something tugs at my chest, and my heart thunders. I open up LINGR and—instead of going to swipe—I look for Neil's name and begin typing to him.

Vic: hey Neil! I just wanted to reach out and see how you're doing, since we haven't seen each other since the last (and first?!) time we hung out. Just want to let you know I'm thinking of you

Well, the message is a little weird, but it's honest. I need to practice being more honest. My fingers hover over the keys, but in my peripherals, someone slinks up next to me: Priscilla. Shoving my phone into my overalls pocket, I nod at her. "Hi."

"Hi," she says, "we were in the breakout session together."

"I know. You're Priscilla, right?"

"Yup, and you're Vic."

She doesn't make it sound like a question, so I ditch my formalities. "Your story today was really meaningful for me, Priscilla."

"R-really?" they say, eyes wide. "Yours was too! We have some eerie similarities. A-although—"

Though she falls silent, I know where she's going with this. My turning was an accident; yours was assault. Before she can say anything else, I jump in. "But we both didn't want it and didn't expect it. That's where I related to you so much." The noises of the rest of the hallway suddenly filter in as if on full volume: chattering vamps in the corner, the one sucking down their third glass of blood, and the general din. Then, it hits me, and I cackle: this is a vampire conference.

"Wh-what's so funny?" Priscilla says, almost as if ready to scold me, but then I choke out, "Vampire... conference..." and I'm grateful when they giggle along with me. Once our laughter subsides, then she says, "Yeah... when you think about it like that, it's like something we would never expect."

"But it's helpful... at least, I think so," I say.

They nod and hum. "I've found it cathartic, though I'm sure there are those where this isn't quite their thing. People—I mean, vampires who enjoy their newfound existence a bit too much."

"You're probably right." I sigh, shoving my hands in the pockets and staring down at the linoleum floor and the scuff mark on my Doc Martens. "If you can't tell, I'm afraid I'll become like that. Hungry for blood, willing to do anything at all costs to satisfy the thirst."

"It's a curse," Priscilla whispers, and when I look up, her eyes shimmer. "It really is." Then she clears her throat and steps closer, lowering her voice even more. "As a fledgling, have you ever—"

"No," I say quickly, cutting her off. "No, I have not hurt anyone. I never want to."

She breathes in relief. "Me neither. That's what I've locked myself in my dungeon of a room... although, it's not really a dungeon," she says sheepishly, raising her voice. "It's my escape nest... I play a lot of Stardew Valley to pass the time and try to ignore my thirst."

I bite my lip, and for once don't pierce it, before a grin spreads on my face. "Priscilla the vampire farmer!"

"I left the city and my endless supply of blood for... a failing farm." Her stoic expression is enough to crack us up. A small trio of vampires walking by look at us oddly, and one even roll their eyes at their companions but fuck them. Who says being a vampire means you need to be boring and forsake everything from your human life?

Did... did that thought just occur to me?

Before I can ponder it further, Mateo and some other facilitators being to corral us back into the big meeting room. Priscilla and I share a smile and they ask, "Shall we?"

"Let's do it." We link arms like we're children instead of in our mid-twenties and trot inside.

***

"I want to thank you all for your participation today in Vampires Anonymous." Connor bounds across the stage, lyrical and smooth, placing his hands on his hips. He gazes across the room at everyone. "I know this type of stuff isn't everyone's cup of tea, but we here at the Vampires Anonymous Foundation are always grateful to have people show up and want to learn about what we do here.

"And what is it we do here?" He halts, staring straight out at us, taking a moment to take us all in. He breathes in, his nostrils flaring, and then he breathes out through his mouth. "We create a safe space for vampires to talk about what they're going through. That's all. We don't claim to be the best vampire therapists around, but we do want you to feel supported, no matter if you fell off the wagon and accidentally killed your latest meal"—ugh, what the fuck, although I guess the point is not to judge—"or whether you're trying to develop good habits from the get-go. Whether you're in need of people to listen to you who understand what you're going through, or you're looking for a fresh perspective on your vampiric reflections. Whatever you came here for, I hope you leave with it." Connor smiles and brings his hands together, clapping. "Right! That concludes our day. Thank you all again."

Vampires begin to mill about again, and I turn to Priscilla, who's sitting right next to me, their hands folded in her lap, a ring gleaming on their left hand's ring finger. My eyes widen, and before I can ask my question, she anticipates me: "Yeah, I'm engaged," she says, the corners of her lips twitching upward into the faintest smile line. "His name is Patrick. I adore him, and I've adored him for nearly seven years now... We met in our freshman year of undergrad."

"That's awesome, dude," I say, and they wiggle in their seat. "So why do you look so uncomfortable?"

"They're one of my roommates... and I haven't been able to sleep in the same room as them since I turned," they say. "But honestly, I'm going to go home and practice some of the mindfulness Mateo taught us. I hope I can learn how to be with them in my new form."

I nod. "Maybe it will be easier when you fully turn."

"Maybe," she says, and we fall silent.

Just then, my phone buzzes in my pocket. I fish it out and glance at the notification—Neil—before Priscilla prods me with her finger. "You look happy."

"Do I?" I open my phone, bring up my contacts app, and hand it to Priscilla. "Here, put your name and number in here if you want. I'd love to keep in touch. I don't know any other vampire fledglings, and maybe we can share our wins together? And also memes. Do you live in town?"

As Priscilla inputs her contact info, she hums before responding. "No, I don't live here, but I live a forty-five-minute drive from here." She slides the phone back to me, and our hands brush for a second. There's no spark, nothing like that, but just a warmth I didn't expect from someone who is also turning into the undead like myself. "If you find yourself there, or next time I'm here, let's make plans to meet up."

"I'd love that," I say, and with that, Priscilla stands up, brushing her skirts off. We're the last ones in the room: even Connor, Mateo, and the other vampire advocates have already left. I get up too as she heads toward the door. Before she leaves, she turns around. "See you around, Vic! I'll text you. And good luck."

"You too," I say and watch her leave. I feel a little heavy, but then I pull out my phone to read the message from Neil.

Neil: Vic the vamp! I've been thinking of you too—and all of the golden era YouTube vids ;) what are you up to?

I don't feel much like explaining my day, but I do feel like I need to be the one to initiate things further, whether we just stay friends or are trying for something more. Neil is cool, but I want to get to know him more before we jump into hooking up. So, I pop the weirdest suggestion I've had in a while.

Vic: I can tell you about it later, but I'm wondering—are you free? And does that broomstick I saw in your cottage actually fly? ;)

***

Author's note: Hi all! Thank you for reading so far :) I'm curious if reading Priscilla's pronouns--alternating between she and they--was confusing for any of you in these last couple of chapters. It's important to me to show that Priscilla uses both pronouns, but I also want to make sure the story is clear. Let me know! Also, please remember to star this chapter if you liked it :) Thank you for the support!