Escaping Christian

1: Necessary Paranoia

"I'm glad you two decided to come." I smiled. "It's like having a lil' piece of home with me."

"It would have been better if it were Evie and Amy though, right?"

I rolled my eyes. "It would have been better if they were here as well. I love everybody. You're all family. But they have their own families to look out for, remember? Their husbands? Kids?"

"True, but trust me when I say they would have loved to have come here. But the girls are at school. It doesn't matter though, you'll be home soon right?"

Would I? Home used to be New York with my mom and dad but I ended up moving to Canada after I graduated and after I turned. It was easier living closer to my best friends who were also new vampires. Easier to cope. I haven't seen my mom or dad in years. Spoke almost every week sure but not physically seen them. I always sent them postcards of places I've been or distant shots of myself close to famous landmarks by e-mail but that's all.

Walking out of the door without answering her, I thought where is home? I haven't been in one place for longer than a year in a long time. Not since I turned. After I could control my thirst, I went onto finding a job, I went to find my calling. It took another year or so but I found it. Sometimes I would be doing the dirty work like mining the earth in places like this or I'll be spending my days and nights in the lab in Norway or Germany. I've been to so many places in under ten years and I couldn't be happier.

But home? The place I rent in Canada wasn't my home. I've lived in my small apartment in Cairo longer than I have in Vancouver.

Grabbing a cab, we hopped to the busiest street downtown. It was never quiet, always buzzing with life. It holds a lot of nightlife venues - one of the places Kate and I visited two nights ago - the opera house and hell of a lot of clothing and shoe stores.

Walking along a road just off the busy street, we found the restaurant and asked for a seat outside. People watching was another of my strong points and even Kate's. Although we were facing each other, both of us watched the faces of the people or groups that walked by. The obvious 'boys vacation' on their way to one of the clubs, the 'cute couples' walking along to the well-lit open bar opposite our restaurant or the annoyed residents weaving in and out of the tourists like they see this every single day.

"What about those two?" I said around a mouthful of hummus and bread. Yes, vampire's eat. We don't necessarily have to eat all the time but I sure as hell still enjoy it.

"Mm- the girl's not happy he only bought her one Gucci bag instead of two and he's thinking how much of a mistake it was bringing his girl instead of his side chick although judging by that frown , he must of thought, 'oh wait, nah my sidepiece would have wanted two too', am I right?"

Shaking my head at Kate's extravagant guess, I tucked my hair behind my ear and listened to the couple arguing quietly across the street: "...told me you ended it with Rachel, why is she calling you in Egypt? And what about this bag? You trying to buy me...?"

"You were right about the cheating boyfriend. It's a wonder how you don't have super hearing."

She pointed her fork at me with a cheeky smile. "Ah, but the power of foresight works just as well. I couldn't get it all right you'd know I was cheating."

Laughing with one another, we finished our meals and bought another bottle of their house wine continuing to people watch. It never ceased to amaze me the amount of sounds and scents I could handle a day. Of course, I remember my first bad smell back when I was a new vampire. I almost threw up a lung.

"So what do you want to do after this? Are you waved?" I winked.

"Waved? Is that the phrase the kids are using nowadays for drunk?" She chuckled. "In that case, I am a little. What's that place everyone's headed to over there? Or has lifeless, old-lady Chelsea made an appearance tonight."