Uncharmed

Chapter 16: Tour

            “You don’t honestly expect me to believe Ilana hated normal humans before I met her?” Tania asked.

            “They destroyed her tree and it nearly killed her. When I met her again she was doing her best to stay as far away from the normal humans as possible. She wanted to limit her contact with them even if outwardly she was nice. Or did you think it was normal for me, who isn’t a member of the biology club or any club for that matter, to be helping water the plants. Why didn’t she get one of the other members to help?”

            “But…”
            “Ilana’s fine now but it was different before you started hanging out with us.”

            “I just can’t believe that.”

            Alex chuckled and ruffled her hair. “You don’t need to; you just need to realize you change people just by believing they’re good when they might not be. I wouldn’t have believed it was possible for someone with your kind of optimistic viewpoint to survive long in the real world if I hadn’t met you. But it’s that viewpoint that keeps you safe. Everyone ends up wanting to protect you and your idealism.”

            Tania stopped and stared at him. “I’m not like that. You’re making me seem better than I really am.”

            The vampire smiled. “Believe what you want but those of us who are close to you know the truth of the matter.”

            The black-haired girl harrumphed and started walking again. Laughing, Alex followed her, bidding her goodnight once they’d reached her residence. It was as she was taking her coat off that Tania realized Alex had distracted her for so long she’d forgotten to give him back the cell phone. That bastard did it on purpose! Tania thought, both annoyed and amused.

            Tania was jamming her books into her backpack when she heard a strange sound. Looking around quickly she heard it again. Frowning she got up and walked around her room trying to locate the source of the music-like noise. Shifting through the junk on her desk, Tania came across the cell phone Alex had given her the night before. Making a face, she answered it. “Hello?”

            “Good morning Tania.”

            “Didn’t we already do this at breakfast?”

            Alex’s laughter rang through the phone. “Yes but it’s fun. Anyway I was just making sure you remembered to take this with you today.”

            “I’m giving it back to you as soon as I see you.”

            “Now that’s just silly. You don’t have a cell so why shouldn’t you keep it?”

            “Because I can’t accept this kind of present.”

            The vampire’s eye rolling was practically audible. “I don’t see why you can’t. If it honestly bothers you that much think of it as a present for me. This way I don’t have to worry about you quite so much.”

            “You make it sound like I get into trouble every day,” Tania replied, disgruntled.

            “No, just every other day.”

            “You’re exaggerating again.”

            Alex laughed again. “Yep. Anyway I know you have to get to class so I’ll let you go but you’re keeping the phone. Bye.”