Requiem Run

Chapter 4

My mind did a lot of racing in stressful situations, and being told that I would have to interact with people who would then try to kill me was some of the worst stress that I thought I was ever going to go through.

Kydro, as it turned out, wasn't exactly 'stressful,' since our picnic was absolutely okay, and then he took me around the castle and showed me his favorite painting, which was of a beautiful-looking meadow. I went to bed in my gilded cage that night wondering if all the Runners were going to be as easy to be around as Kydro was.

"Are you thinking too hard, lovely?"

I was, of course, incorrect. The sultry, creepy voice brought me out of my hopeful stupor and right back into reality, where I now had to deal with a man that kept giving me looks that just made me straight-up uncomfortable.

This man had said, as soon as I walked into the room the guards had brought me into, said, "My name is Killian Renwick. What's your name, sweetness?" and I immediately realized that I was in for a very bad time.

That wasn't to say Killian wasn't attractive - he was definitely objectively handsome, though of course I wasn't feeling much since I wasn't attracted to men at all, but even if I were, his alien-looking eyes with red iris and black sclera would turn me off all the same.

Every single time we made eye contact, I would get a chill up my spine and try to look away, and Killian would immediately notice and give me a smug smirk that I wanted to slap right off his face.

"I never think too hard," I said, "I just think."

"And that takes a lot of effort, it seems."

I had to give the man credit, he had some good clapbacks. I glared daggers into the man as his smirk returned, but I said nothing else.

"Well, as much as I love watching your beautiful face," said Killian, "I believe this is the point where I have to bring you somewhere so we can... spend some time together?" Killian winked at me when he said that.

"Ew."

That was all I had to say to him. Killian said nothing in response and simply took my hand instead. I gasped when I felt his skin; it was ice cold and clammy, like I was holding the hand of a corpse.

"Am I just that enticing?" Killian asked, then he clutched my hand before I could pull away.

"No, you're just cold as death!" I said, "What the hell?!"

"Ah, you're not aware of my species?" Killian asked. When I shook my head, he smiled, showing off those fangs of his again, and said, "Well my sweetness, I am a vampire."

In retrospect, I should have figured it out by that point, but somehow my brain just didn't make the connection until Killian confirmed it.

I think he was expecting me to be shocked, or try to deny what he was. instead, I just shrugged and said, "Oh," which caused him to look a little surprised.

"Well, that's not what I expected," said Killian, "But hey, little reaction is still a reaction, wouldn't you say?"

I said nothing, just glared. The bloodsucker had gotten on my last nerve and I just wanted the day to end so I wouldn't have to deal with him anymore. Killian smiled at me again.

"So, you're familiar with vampires, sweetness?" Killian asked, "They exist where you come from?"

"Not really," I said, "Where I come from, they're fictional."

"Well, your world sounds boring," said Killian, "What is there that you have in your world for fun?"

"The internet." I said, reveling in Killian's confused look.