The Thirst In Me

Ten

"You get in life what you have the courage to ask for." Oprah Winfrey.

Keisha's POV

I knocked on Veron's door and waited. I had a T-shirt, jeans and a pair of boxers ironed and folded just as Malik asked me to.

Just as I was about to knock again, the door swung open to reveal an irritated-looking Veron.

"What do you want!" He barked at me.

I shoved the clothes at him and he stared at them quizzically.
"What's this?" His tone was quieter.

"Your uncle asked me to bring you these."

He kept staring at the folded clothes in my hand. "What kind of idiot irons boxers?" He finally said, before taking the clothes from me and slamming the door shut in my face.

Whew! He must have been raised by wolves.

I was still standing outside Veron's door when I heard snickering.
"That was hilarious......and embarrassing," Damion said.

"Why don't you shut up and get dressed!"

"Get dressed?" He asked. "But my boxers haven't been ironed yet. What am I going to do?" He wiped fake tears from his eye.

Frat boys. They're always dramatic.

I rolled my eyes and stomped past him so I could get downstairs. I have tons of work to do today and I really don't want my morning to have a bad start.

I opened the kitchen door to see two vampires.....kissing.
Kaitlyn looked up first.
"Oh no." She said with a terrified look on her face.

"I'm sorry." I turned to leave and David was right in front of me.

"Keisha, it's not what it looks like...." He stuttered.

Malik has a strict no intimate relationship rule. If you are caught, the consequences can be fatal. If you want to date someone, you have to choose someone who doesn't live here.

"It's OK David. Your secret is safe with me." I assured him.

"Thank you. We owe you." He smiled at me and then they left.

I sighed. I really don't know why Malik hates intimate relationships. Come to think of it, I've never seen him with a girlfriend before. Well, I've seen him bring home different girls to have sex with but he has never committed to any one of them.
I sighed again.

Time to clean and prepare dinner. Yes. Vampires eat dinner in the mornings and breakfast at night. When I first got here I always got the schedule mixed up but after a few months, I finally got it right.

I decided to prepare some rice and chicken. Whenever I'm cooking I have to use blood instead of water. It was gross at first but I've gotten used to it.

Oh crap.

Damion is here. Now I'll have to prepare two different meals. I guess I finally have company to eat breakfast with me in the mornings and dinner in the evenings.

"Something smells good in here," Malik said. I didn't even hear him come in.

"I'm cooking rice and chicken." I smiled at him.

"I have a job for you."

"What kinda job?" I enquired.

"The kind that I want to be kept between the two of us." He answered.

I stopped stirring the sauce and turned to face him. "I'm listening." I folded my hands across my chest.

"It's about my nephew, Veron..." He started to say.

"I'm already babysitting him."

Malik chuckled. "It's a little more than that."

"I'm listening."

Malik cleared his throat. "I want you to make him fall in love with you."

I laughed. Did I hear him correctly? I couldn't have. He didn't just ask me to make a vampire fall in love with me. Did he?

I stared at him in disbelief.

"Did you hear me, Keisha?" He asked.

"No!" I looked him straight in the eye.

"No you didn't hear me or no you won't do it? Which is it?"

"Do you understand what you're asking me to do? He's a vampire and I'm human." I reasoned.

"Veron won't hurt you." He said.

"Why not let him fall in love with someone on his own? He's an adult after all."

Malik moved to sit on a stool at the island. "Well for starters, I don't want him falling in love with the wrong person and secondly I need him to fall in love before December 10."

"It's now September. How am I going to make him fall in love with me in a couple of weeks?" I know I shouldn't be entertaining this but curiosity was getting the better of me.

"You'll find a way." He smiled at me encouragingly.

"I won't do it, Malik," I told him bravely. "It's not right. I can't just-"

"You'll get your freedom if you make him fall in love with you."

"What?" I asked in disbelief. Malik would really give me my freedom?

"You heard me correctly. Make him fall in love with you and you will have your freedom." He said and he was very serious.

Would he really free me if I do this? I have to try. My heart beat sped up as I thought about finally being free of Malik.

"Yes, I'll do it."

"Good girl." He said then got up to leave. As he reached the door he turned and said, "Whatever you do just don't have sex with him, Keisha." It sounded like a warning.

I nodded and he was gone.

I was overwhelmed with hope. I am really going to get my freedom. I couldn't wipe the smile off my face. I'm going to be free. I just have to get a vampire, who hates me, to fall in love with me by December. How hard could it be?