DUSK

three

It was an unusually bright day, giving me the perfect excuse to stay home. 

I had no desire to see Will and possibly trigger some memory he had of me.  Maybe a day or two away would help.  I spent the day helping Tess spruce up the earthship, staining the adobe walls a more soothing eggshell color.

"So..." she said, as she dabbed the walls with color. "Are you going to tell me what you did last night?"

"What?" I said, playing dumb.

"Come on, Ibis you can't hide anything from me. I've known you for far too long."

"What, -did you kill someone last night? A vagrant or thief, perhaps?..." she said, clearly kidding.

I frowned at her, disappointed by her lack of faith in me.

"And you claim to know me." I replied.

"Well then..."  She put down the sponge and placed a hand on her hip.

"Your eyes are a nice shade of crimson this afternoon."  She smiled, her eyebrows raised. "So, you're either lying to me...or you're lying to me."

"I didn't really feed as much as ...sample." I said.

I looked down, very much embarrassed by my slight indiscretion. But, who was I kidding? I'd probably throttle the poor boy, if I saw him again.

She sighed.   "It's the boy from school isn't it?"

I looked up, not entirely shocked by her deductive skills.

"Yes, but I didn't bite him. He was bleeding and I-...had a little taste. He didn't. He won't turn. I was helping him. Otherwise I would have never done it.  A wildcat almost attacked him and his  date last night and he crashed his car...He just had an unlucky evening."

"It's a good thing you showed up then, huh?" she said, a sardonic grin twitching the corners of her mouth.

I sighed, frustrated.  "I don't want this."

She removed a glove and placed an assuring hand on my shoulder.

"I know." she said, frowning.  "...Look, this is too much for you. You won't be satisfied until you have your fill-"

"-No, Tess. I'm not going to risk everything we've managed to do for ourselves just for a moment."  I crossed my arms across my chest.

"...I can assure you. It lasts longer than a moment." she said, her eyes, very serious. "I won't be angry. In all the years you've been completely unselfish.  Not harming one innocent soul. That's better than many of us. Hell, it's better than I've managed."

"Can we move?" I asked suddenly.

"It will take awhile to find another place...It took me two years to find this place."

I put a hand to my head.

"Do you want to leave school?"  She made it sound like a statement, instead of a question.

"No. It's the only place where I've felt, even remotely normal in a long time. This is the only school, I've been in where kids are at least trying to be my friends.  Instead of the other way around.  ...Something beyond the longing and fear."

"I see." she  said.

"We'll see if you're up to the challenge.  I do know of one of us who has managed it. Even loving his intended prey, I might add. If one can do it. Others can follow suit."

I ignored the implication of some sort of romantic notion.  It would be all too confusing, a meal of the most macabre kind.   One of loved flesh.