Over the next few weeks, we saw each other as often as we could. There was one weekend where he said he had plans with George, but other than that, we would snatch a few hours together, mainly in bed, between me finishing my early shift and him starting his night shift. He was becoming a part of my life. One that I hoped wouldn’t disappear, despite his odd little foibles like always wearing sunglasses when we were out, and his inability to brush his hair. But I felt he was keeping something from me, and not just access to a mirror in his bedroom.
'John Mitchell, you’ve got to tell her!’
‘How, Annie? It’s not something you can just drop into conversation, is it?’
I sat on the stairs, my legs feeling suddenly wobbly. Tell me what? What was so important that he couldn’t tell me?
‘Mitchell, you can’t not tell her!’
‘I know.’ There was a long pause. ‘I know I have to. But that’ll be it, won’t it?’
‘It wasn’t for Nina.’
‘It’s different with George.’
‘Well you’ve got two choices. You don’t tell her and she finds out and that’ll be it, or you tell her and give her the chance to make up her own mind.’
‘About what?’ I asked, entering the kitchen.
Annie gasped and Mitchell muttered ‘Shit’ under his breath.
I was shaking, holding onto the doorframe as I watched them both. Annie was frozen whereas Mitchell was shredding a piece of kitchen roll.
‘Susie, we need to talk.’
‘I’ll make coffee,’ Annie said, mobile once again.
I took a seat on the armchair and Mitchell sat on the sofa, turning towards me. ‘I don’t know how to tell you this,’ he began, picking at his fingernails.
‘You’re married?’
‘No! Nothing like that.’ I waited, having no idea how this was going to progress. ‘Susie, I’m sorry, I should never have kept this from you, but I didn’t know I was going to feel this way about you.’ I was shaking and he reached out his hand to take mine. ‘Susie, I’m begging you to believe me. I’m . . . I’m a vampire.’
I laughed icily. ‘Nice one. And I suppose Annie’s a fairy and George is a . . . ninja turtle.’
‘No, Annie’s a ghost and George is a werewolf.’
‘Oh, even better,’ I said, grinning.
‘I am,’ Annie said, appearing with two cups of coffee. ‘It’s true.’
I shook my head. She was playing along. How convenient.
‘Susie, look at me,’ Mitchell said. And then his eyes turned black and he bared fanged teeth at me, hissing, before his face returned to the one I recognised.
My breath was coming in short gasps and I looked towards Annie for reassurance. She nodded at me. ‘It’s true.’ And then she began to fade, shimmering in the daylight until she had almost disappeared, slowly returning to full visibility.
I stood, despite my legs wobbling, my gaze switching between the two of them. ‘You’re a vampire? I . . .’ and then I could remember no more as the floor came hurtling towards me.
‘She’s coming round.’ I could hear Annie, but it was Nina’s face that I focused on. I tried to sit up, but nausea overcame me and I sank back onto the sofa.
‘Susie, it’s OK. You’ve just had a shock.’
‘Nina? Are you . . .?’
She applied a fresh cold flannel to my forehead. ‘I’m a nurse. That’s the most important thing at the moment.’
