Therapévo

~ Chapter 1

"You smell funny." The young boy scrunched his little button nose as he tried to decipher my scent. This may have been odd - if he wasn't a werewolf.

A solid clap to the side of his head silenced his sniffling; his mother glowered at him from beside the plush examination table, face a picture of anger and embarrassment. "Aiden, we do not tell nice people they smell funny!" She seethed, a slight growl echoing her voice.

"But she does..." Aiden pouted and looked to me cutely, shifting his head to tilt to one side in what could only be described as puppy dog eyes. His mother growled at him again, hand rising for another strike. Wolves had a more... hands on approach to parenting; they would never permanently hurt their young- god forbid- but it took some getting used to from an outside perspective.

"Its fine Mrs Kinston, I'm aware I have a peculiar scent." I spoke, turning back to the boy with a pair of scissors in hand "Not many Dhampirs choose to stay unturned these days." I went about cutting the last layer of bandage from the cast on his leg, pulled away the plaster and then patted his leg with a smile. "Good as new."

"Cool!" Aiden exclaimed, a broad grin showing off his newly budding adult teeth filling the gap at the front of his jaw, his canines already grown through and sharp. He shifted off the table, flexing his newly released limb before flinging himself off and hop scotching around the room. I had to laugh at his antics.

Mrs Kinston and I partook in some casual conversation, that being Mrs Kinston complaining how her mate was caught up in patrolling the pack lands as of late and expressed how frustrated she was becoming with his frequent absences. One could see why, in many cases, talking is as good a medicine as any. Eventually, an hour after the appointment should have ended, she took Aiden's hand and began dragging her son from the lego tower he had constructed, gathering miscellaneous items that had been strewn about on the way out.

"Oh and Aiden!" I caught them at the door, very nearly forgetting, knelt then handed my young patient a bright red cherry lollipop "Wait until you're a bit older before jumping across Lupin's Ravine again." I winked with a side smile.

"Thank you doctor!" Aiden shouted, sticking the candy into his mouth as soon as he tore off the wrapper. I ruffled his mop of chestnut hair then stood and shook Mrs Kinstons hand, exchanging formalities and bidding both farewell.

"Hey mum, what's a dhampir?" Aiden's voice carried through the crack of the closing door; my lips turned up as I shook my head and meandered back to the examination table, removing the paper sheet and replacing it before going about putting away my tools. My eyes found the wall clock, reading seven, it was about time I closed up shop. By this I meant I would flip the sign out front and lock the doors before retreating back to my office to do paper work until the sun fell.

Although only being half vampire, a dhampir, meant I didn't need to take blood from humans to survive, my skin was still sensitive to UV light. I wouldn't turn me into dust like my full blooded counterparts but it did give me a wicked sun burn.

I shivered in memory of my last daylight adventure.

Being a dhampir also meant that I did not age as fast as a human, despite turning eighty this year, I looked no older than a twenty five year old. Yet, despite my appearance not changing, my personality was often compared to that of 'a little old lady' according to many of the townsfolk here at Ljungborg - which I couldn't exactly refute. After all, sometimes I did bake too many muffins and just had to give them out, waste not want not.

My lack of aging was the main reason I'd found myself at Ljungborg, that and the fact that I needed a major change in scenery. Before this I was a doctor, a human doctor, and completely oblivious to my heritage as I had been orphaned and adopted at a young age, never knowing my parents; I and my co-workers began noticing something was wrong when I turned forty yet still looked like a senior from highschool. I remember being confused - even embarrassed- and made up all kinds of excuses for my youthful appearance but people only believe in Korean skin care to a certain extent.

When I turned fifty I started exclusively working night shifts, realising the sun made my skin blister and head feel light also wanting to expose myself to a minimum amount of people. By then I and everyone around me knew something was off, even people on the streets would cast me lingering strange looks.

And then I met Hetty. Hetty was a nomadic witch who taught me the majority of what I know about the supernatural world and about wha little she could tell me about dhampirs. I didn't believe her a first, but then she turned me into a tortoise - "For being so slow" she'd said. I had no choice but to confide in her. Without much to lose, with never having a spouse, many friends nor lack of money dissuading me, I quit my job and traveled with Hetty, learning all I could from my outwardly young friend and experiencing things I'd never thought possible. All the while, I gathered as many medical books, and scrolls, as I could deciding that medicine was still my calling.

Eventually, that leads me here, to Ljungborg. When the old Medicus decided to retire I snatched up the position eagerly; ready to hang up my nomadic ways for a while, settle down and maybe even settle down with someone else- I wasn't getting any younger after all.

A month in and I loved the job, feeling a sense of fulfilment every time I came into work, I even ended up buying a quaint bungalow on the quiet side of town with my accumulated wealth, it wasn't much in comparison to my neighbors abodes but it was a castle to me.

I flipped the hanging door sign to closed - call 09100 XXXXX in case of emergency, and locked the tinted glass doors, another reason I stayed late was in case the nocturnal residents decided to pay me a visit. But that was unlikely. The main night lurkers were vampires in Ljungborg and although they made up a decent percentage of the population I'd never seen nor spoken to any, my assistant Meghan usually took whatever few calls they made, and that was only ever to arrange blood bag deliveries.

With a yawn I didn't even acknowledge the note left for me on the reception desk, simply breezing past it and back into my office, intent on reading a report on the newest vaccine for Lupine Lyssavirus as I waited out the hours.