Vampire Residence

XIII

The woman was silent for a few moments, studying her intensely. When she spoke again, her voice was quiet.

"You think that being a bat makes you a monster?"

Eleanor took a few more shaky breaths, trying to steady herself as the woman's words washed over her.

"I think that being a vampire makes me a monster."

The woman's expression darkened slightly, just barely. The usual sense of detached gentleness faded from her eyes, replaced by something a little... more intense.

"A monster?" she spoke, her voice still soft but edged with something more serious. "You are not a monster. A monster is a mindless, violent beast. You are not like that. You are still yourself, despite everything. You have simply... evolved."

"Evolved?" Eleanor repeated, her voice shaky, a bitter note of sarcasm in her tone. "Is that what you call it? Because from where I'm standing, it sounds an awful lot like being cursed."

"The gift of immortality is not a curse." the woman spoke, a slight hint of frustration slipping into her tone. "It may feel that way right now, but you will adapt. You will grow to accept... and, in time, to love it."

"Love it?" The word slipped out of Eleanor's mouth as a scoff, disbelief, and irritation coloring it an ugly shade. "How am I supposed to love being a vampire? I didn't ask for this! I never wanted this!"

"You were dying."

"I would rather have died than become a monster!"

The words were out of her mouth before she could stop them, and even to her ears, they sounded petulant, like a child. But she couldn't stop herself. The emotion, the frustration, and the anger, all came together, spewing out of her mouth in a jumbled mess of words and fury.

"How could you do this to me?" she spat out, her voice cracking as the first hot tears began to slide down her cheeks. "What did I ever do to you? What did I do to deserve a curse like this?!"

"You... became the sole object of my affection. That was damnation enough."