Ethan
McKayla sat on the bed with the little girl. She was tucked in my bed like a doll thanks to McKayla. Her swelling had gone down and the blisters were slowly fading. McKayla continuously dipped a wash cloth into a bowl of cool water and would dab her face with it. It wasn't even worth the time to tell her that wasn't getting rid of the remaining blisters and the redness. "If she's not a vampire, then what is she?" McKayla asked. That was the first time in two hours I heard her talk. That had to be the longest she had ever been quiet minus the times she was sleeping or scared silent.
"She's albino, blind and allergic to the sun," I said. "Three rare things wrapped in one and enough to make a lot of humans afraid of her."
"She's just a child. Why can't I keep her?"
"She needs a good steady home without the use of nannies. She's going to need constant surroundings, people not coming in and out of her life for a long time, possibly the rest of her life. I can guarantee she's been rejected more times than she can remember. The first time she broke out her father probably accused her mother of cheating on him with a vampire."
"Vampires can't reproduce," she said.
"Try telling a human father that when his child can't go in the sun," I said.
"This has happened before?"
"It's happened once in this kingdom in the last thirty years. It's rare, but it does happen and it has been happening since the beginning of time. The accusations are more hyped up now that humans know we exist."
"It's only happened once," she said.
"It's happened all over the world. Baby, I promise she will go to a very good home where she will be loved, protected, and cared for."
"Why can't Edna have her? I'm sure she'd change her sleep schedule. For a human she stays up late."
"She's too old," I said. I didn't want finish that statement.
"She won't live long enough to see her children," McKayla said, looking at the girl.
"I'm going to guess she's only at the very most five years old. Edna might not make it to see her graduate elementary school. Edna's seventy-eight years old, that's a miracle for a human." I didn't want to remind McKayla humans don't live as long as they used to, but I felt I had no choice.
"There's nobody in the castle that can take her?" Maybe I wasn't going to hear another one of her save the world ideas. Maybe I finally got it through her head the money might be there, but the technology and knowledge wasn't.
"I have a couple in the village that wants a child. She'll go to good home."
"You're going to put her with the peasants," she said.
"No," I answered. "When was the last time you went to the village?" She sat quietly thinking. "When these wars are all over, we're going to the village."
"She's in danger in the village?"
"No, she's not important enough for a trader to snatch up and hand over." I strolled over to the door, slowly opening it and revealing John and his partner. "But they would find her to be the most important person in the world. Do they pass your inspection?"
"You live in the village?" McKayla asked, with nose curled. It's about time her nose kicked in, except John and his partner don't stink.
"Yes, this is my partner, Amy," John said, offended.
"Ignore her. She still thinks the only village is the peasant village. There's a little girl who needs a good home," I said. I pointed at the bed.
"What's wrong with her?" Amy asked. Her hand hesitated over the girl's face.
