Cold One

Seven: Trueblood

Rosaline

"Hello young lady, what can I help you with?" the woman on the barn greets me with a warm gesture as I enter the counter. She looks like she's in the middle of fifty with some of her white strand visible on her loose bun.

Since it's not exactly illegal to sell blood around, supermarkets don't sell it. But some farm does, turning their barn into a lot more useful place.

"I'd like some blood, please," I reply.

"Which one? Pig? Chicken? Cow? Deer?" She asks. "We have holy water too, you know. In case you need a little extra protection."

I could tell from the corner of my eyes that Zion is shifting slightly from the uncomfortableness this woman must've caused him.

"Which one do you want?" I ask him.

"Anything," he answers.

These four types of blood are the most marketed kind. And a little something I know about them is that pig blood is the cheapest, the sometime even contain bactery that could infect vampires and get them sick. Chicken and cow blood is common too. Chicken blood is a little pricier than cow's. And the priciest is deer blood. I've heard rumor that vampires like it most because it taste somewhat a little close to human blood.

"I'll take the deer, 14 package please."

"The deer? Isn't it a little too worthy for the creature if you're buying that many?" The woman ask, making sure. Her eyes eyeing Zion from head to toe with a disgust look. "Hmm.. this one's a trueblood, isn't he? I see why you're treating him special then."

Trublood are vampires that have already born as a vampire. They never experienced ever being alive. Most of them come from their own world.

It's not really a surprise that Zion is a trueblood since he told me hints about it, but rather than that I couldn't figure how to tell which is a trublood from just their appearance.

"You could tell," I stated. More to how she could acknowledge him as a trueblood than how she thought it was the reason I bought him deer blood.

"Of course I can," she says. "Its aura, eyes and smell tells a lot. I've met too much of them that I start paying attention, dear young lady."

Nodding. She tells me the total bill and I give her the money.

"Have a good day, young lady," she says before I leave the barn.

"Didn't the woman recognize you?" Zion asks with confusion clear in his eyes.

"She didn't," I tell him.

"How could she not? You're Rosaline Winter," he says in awe.

"I'm not as famous here inside the town as I am in the vampire slaughtering world," I reply, half mocking. He deserves to eat his words sooner or later anyway.

Staying silent then, I notice Zion's eyes keep looking into the box full of blood in my hand, I didn't let him bring the box himself on purpose in case he lashes out and drink all the blood all at once. He's really hungry, I can tell.

As we get into the car, I take one package of blood before placing the box on the back seat. Zion has already settle himself down on the passanger seat when I get in.

Tossing the blood at him, the pure look of hunger in his eyes is overwhelming as he catches it.

"Your welcome," I say as he stares at me in silence quite long enough, like I have just given him a sack of gold but he just doesn't want to say thank you.

And he actually does not want to show his gratittude.

Without saying anything in response of my words, Zion quickly open the blood and drink it hastily. Hunger in his eyes that now change into red. Once again another fascinating thing about vampires. This is not the first time I see their eyes change color but it's still amusing to see.

He throws the blood package away outside the window when he is finally done. Lying his head back with his eyes closed.

Vampires don't care about environtment and littering problem, I see.

Our drive is silent then. Since it's still noon, I decide to go somewhere first.

"The lady was wrong about the eyes part," Zion suddenly says, out of the blue.

I spare him a side glance. "What about it?"

"Our eyes don't determine whether we're a trublood or not, unless we are feeding or being emotional," he explains. "And about the smell and aura, no wonder she could tell but you couldn't. She has a close relation of witch blood in her."

"Your eyes were the same red as any other vampires when they feed," I point out.

"You didn't pay enough attention to it."

I raise an eyebrow of half doubting half amused at the statement. It's either that, or maybe he's just that good at lying. Who knows.

"Tell me the difference," I ask him.

Zion opens his eyes, I cam see his dark blue eyes looking at me from the corner of my eyes. The thought of him actually being dead still brings this cold sensation about him. I'd never get used to this fact, I guess.

"You'll know it," he says. "Now, where are we going? Because this seems nothing like our path before."

"So, you notice," I reply casually, not really anwering.

"I'm not blind," he points out peevishly. "And this part of town smells nothing like the path we've passed by. Where are you taking me exactly?"

I turn my face to him, lookig him straight in the eyes. Those dark blue eyes seems to not expectig my movement, because for a split second, he flinches. "Wait, would you?"

Zion doesn't answer, as if he is struck in his place just like that.

We arrive some quite times later, however. With a strange look on Zion's face from a mixture of confussion and uneasiness.

"Are we in The Grey?" He asks

This is the bad side of town, people like to say. The darkest part. It could be referred as the black market of our capital. We call it The Grey.

"You know about The Grey?" I ask back.

"Who doesn't?" Zion says in reply, his eyes keep scanning the road we pass by with great curiousity.

I park the car in front of a place called Antallagi. Somewhere I've been to so often some times now.

"Exchange," Zion says as he looks over the signpost when we both get out of the car.

I raise an eyebrow at his word, not really knowing why he said that.

"Antallagi means exchange in Greek," he explains, as if he acknowledge my confusion.

Years now and I have just now realize the meaning behind the word.

"An auction place. Why are you taking us here?" Cold One asks.

"I have a little business going on," I tell him before leading our way into Antallagi.

_x_
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And what kind of place Antallagi is?