Roisin

III

    "Wow!" Alfie exclaims breathlessly when we stop at the front door of my cabin.

    I gaze at my house as well. It's any wooden cabin you'd find with a little run down fence surrounding it. Ivy climbs up the side, obscuring the the view from one of the windows.

    "It's a fixer-upper," I tell him, opening the gate to let him through.

    "You can't tell— you did a really good job. I love it," Alfie's teeth chatter so I usher him inside.

    He kicks off his shoes and strips off all of his layers. I lead him to the shower and turn it on for him. He thanks me, steps in, and shuts the door.

    Aradia watches carefully from the couch as I come back in. I quickly open the fridge and grab a small blood pack to keep me from biting him.

    On our walk back, I found that I don't think I could even think of hurting him. His blood may  be sweet, but something tells me he shouldn't be turned or eaten.

     I turn towards the pantry and peer in. Thankfully, I decided to take a random trip into civilization and buy some actual food. I don't eat it, but it makes me feel better to actually have food in my pantry.

    Collapsing on to the couch, I lazily suck on my straw. Aradia glares at me.

    "Don't look at me like that," I mumble.

    She turns her head away and begins licking her paw.

    Ten minutes later, he comes out in the spare change of clothes he had and falls on to the couch next to me.

    "Fancy a warm drink?" I ask.

    "Yes, please. Tea?" He inquires, finding a blanket and pulling it over his legs.

    "Of course," I rise and head to the kitchen.

    "So, how did you find this place?" He asks, looking around my jungle of a living room.

    "Um, it was a bargain on the market— they were about to knock it down," I lie, turning on the stove.

    "What a steal. It reminds me of my old lake cabin I would visit when I was younger."

    "Ah, and how old are you?"

    "Just turned 25 last week," Alfie informs me proudly. "Er, and you?"

    "24, about to turn 25."

    Truth is, I don't remember my birthday.

    The kettle whistles and I pour the piping water into a mug. I grab a random tea bag and plop it in.

    "What school did you graduate from, if you went to college?"

    "Um, I dropped out first semester from. . . Pennstate,"

    "What were you studying?"

    "Biology."

    He nods and snuggles deeper into the couch.

    "I graduated from James Madison University for music," He tells me, playing with a vine hanging from a pot.

    "Oh? What instrument do you play?"

    I sprinkle a little bit of sugar and honey into the murky water.

    "Percussion," Alfie yawns.

    I stir it up and bring it over to him. He gladly takes the mug from me and begins sipping his tea.

    His eyes droop just as he takes the last gulp and I watch as he slumps over and begins to snore. I gently take the cup from him and leave it in the sink. With Alfie asleep, instead of going back outside, I take the opportunity to clean up around the house a bit. By the time I'm finished, the sun it just barely peaking over the horizon so I call it and go to bed.

•••

What wakes me up this morning is not a boop on the nose from Aradia. A presence stands in the doorway, but I don't open my eyes. A draft from the open door cools my ears. Wait, ears?

    Oh no.

I jolt up and snap my eyes open. Alfie stands at the edge of my room with wide eyes.

"What are you doing?" I ask.

"What am I doing? What are you doing with your fridge full of blood? And pointy ears?" He points at me.

I scowl, my fangs glinting off of the morning light. His face goes white.

"There you go," I grumble, throwing off my sheets. "You figured it out faster than I thought you would."

I look at the clock. I've been asleep for three hours.

"Wh-Why. . . how?" He stutters, leaning against the door.

I sigh and pull on a pair of shorts. As I walk over to him, I thread my hand through my hair. It falls smoothly against my back. He gulps and takes a step back.

"I'm not going to kill you," I tell him straight up.

"I bet that's what they all say," His voice trembles a little.

"I found you because I was going to but after talking to you. . . I don't think I can," I explain truthfully.

Alfie looks down at me. I can practically feel his pulse.

"Why?"

"You don't seem the type to be turned and, if I'm being honest, I can't bring myself to kill you. You've already told me a lot about yourself which brings attachment. . .," I trail off and look away.

"So you brought me here because you genuinely care for my wellbeing?"

"Yes."

Alfie's eyes fall to the ground and he takes a deep breath.

"I thought it was wine," He suddenly laughs.

I quirk and eyebrow and cross my arms.

"You're not afraid?" I ask, tilting my head.

"I was a little, but I trust you." He admits.

"Great," I clap my hands together. "I'll make you breakfast."

"Cool. So what's with the scar?" He asks, his heavy footsteps sound right behind me.

I can't help but laugh at his sudden interest.

"I got it in a fight a few years back."

    "What kind?"

    "Back when I was newer to the area, I went down a path I've never taken and stumbled into a pack of wolves. They didn't appreciate my intrusion and proceeded to attack," I tell him as I look through my pantry.

    "Did it hurt?" Alfie sits on the couch and looks back at me.

    "Like hell."

     He falls silent while he watches me work. I whip up a small batch of pancakes and poor him the last of the OJ that I could find.

    Alfie eagerly scarfs down his breakfast. He wipes his mouth and smiles at me.

    "Thank you, Roisin. That was lovely."

    "You're welcome," I mumble, busying myself with the dishes.

    Later in the day, all is quiet in the house as I finish up the dishes and while Alfie reassembles his bag. As I finish hanging up my hoodie, I hear a noise from beyond the wall. I look to Alfie to see if he heard it, but he happily continues sorting out his things.

     "Hey, Alfie, I'm gonna step outside for a second, okay?" I inform him, my voice dropping.

    "Sounds good!" He gives me a thumbs up.

    I open the door, step out, and shut it firmly behind me. I turn and look out into the forest. The sun sets over the horizon, blinding me. But in the distance, a silhouette disappears into the shadows.

•••

* A challenger approaches! *