Living with a Vampire (Completed)

Chapter 2: Personal

When Valerie reached the top of the stairs and entered the circular tower room, she immediately changed into her working clothes. Then she set to cleaning the abysmally dusty and dirty room.

After all the surfaces of her room were dust free, she went back down the spiral staircase and started to clean the other rooms of the house.

When Vladimir returned to his study, there was someone inside. He saw the girl dusting everything inside his study. It looked better than it had in decades, perhaps even centuries. But she was nearing the Book of Peoples.

"Hey, girl. What are you doing?" Vladimir asked her irritably.

She jumped and squeaked in surprise. "Cleaning." she replied quietly, gesturing to the Book of Peoples which she had been wiping off. Her stomach made grumbling hungry noises.

"I suppose you need human food to survive, yes? Here's some money for groceries. You can put your food in the fridge in the kitchen with my blood bags." Vladimir said, handing her money.

She took it and smiled shyly. "Thank you."

"Thank me by staying out of my way." Vladimir replied coldly.

Valerie withdrew, looking scorned. She cautiously walked around him and once around, scampered quickly out of the study and slammed the front door on her way out.

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At the supermarket, Valerie stood in the checkout line with her food in hand, trying to ignore all the people staring at her. Apparently news spread quickly in this town. Everyone seemed to know that it was her that was living with the town's vampire, and they all seemed keen to watch her and see if she was really human.

"She went in and she came back out. He would never let a human walk back out. So what is she?" one shopper whispered to another.

"Maybe he turned her already, and she's immune to sunlight too." the other shopper suggested back.

Valerie was paying for her groceries. And of course, continuing to ignore the whispers and gossip and the stares she was receiving. Taking her bags, she rushed out the door and ran back to the house.

Valerie came running in the front door, only to have Anton take her bags from her and walk through a door that she assumed led to the kitchen. Before she could follow him, however, Vladimir confronted her. Despite his warnings to not bother him and to leave him alone, so far it seemed like it was the other way around.

"People in town already know you're here, don't they?" he asked her sharply.

Valerie recoiled slightly and replied, "Yes. They figured that I must not be human since you let me live with you."

Vladimir looked thoughtful. "Anyway, you should probably eat before you go and do whatever it is you plan on doing for the rest of the day. You've been registered at the local highschool?"

"Yes." she told him simply.

"Anton tells me that school begins next week. That's the whole reason you're here, isn't it?" he asked her shrewdly.

"Yes, that's the reason I came. How do you know?" Valerie wondered.

"I have my own sources. I know things about you now." Vladimir assured her.

She looked frightened. "What things?"

"Nevermind what things. Suffice it to say that it convinced me to let you stay, and we'll leave it at that. You should eat." Vladimir told her firmly. Her stomach growled loudly and she blushed and walked around him and through the door that Anton had gone through.

The door did in fact, lead to the kitchen, although when Valerie came into the kitchen, Anton handed her a sandwich and ushered her through another door that led to a dining room with a long dining table. Valerie sat at the nearest end, next to the head of the table.

Moments later, Vladimir came in carrying a cup of hot something. He sat at the head of the table and drank it. His mouth was stained red when he brought the cup away. Valerie surmised that the cup contained reheated blood. This did not bother her, and she ate her sandwich in his company.

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The rest of the week passed quickly, with Valerie doing things like reading and cleaning and cooking things for herself. Soon enough, it was her first day at her new highschool.

"Look at her, she looks so Gothic and creepy." a student whispered as Valerie went to find her locker.

"I know, she even looks like a vampire. Do you think he really turned her?" a girl whispered back.

"I heard he knows things about people that they've never said to anyone." a boy murmured frightfully.

"She looks like a doll, she's so pretty." one of the girls in a group said to the rest of them.

Whispers like these would follow Valerie all day. She reached her locker, and had just put her things in and closed the door when she noticed that there was a person on either side of her.

"Hello, long time no see. So how did you get the vampire to let you stay?" Serena asked her curiously.

"I don't know what changed his mind. He said that he found something out about me and he decided to let me stay. He was kind of weird about it." Valerie told them.

"Yeah, they say that he knows things about people, like their deepest secrets, and no one knows how." Mark said.

"I think it's one of his powers." Serena said.

"She thinks so, but I don't. I think it's something else." Mark argued.

"Anyway, we volunteered to show you around. We also have quite a few classes together." Serena told Valerie.

"That's good. I don't think I'm going to make many more friends with all these people whispering rumors about me." Valerie noted.

"Hopefully it will die down by the end of the semester." Mark said.

"Only hopefully. My pessimistic side doubts it." Valerie said dully.

"Come on, we'll walk to class." Serena said consolingly, putting an arm around her.

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"And so your first day was wrought with whispers and rumors and lies." Vladimir surmised. They were in the living room, having a conversation for once.

"Yes. The only friends I have were Serena and Mark and that's because they met me over the summer and tried to make me get out of your yard. They thought you were going to eat me. Funny, huh?" Valerie told him with a smile.

"Very funny, especially since it's true that I could eat you. I'm sure you would taste absolutely delicious." Vladimir said confidently.

Valerie's smile died. She stood up and edged away from him and looked afraid. He advanced toward her, an indiscernible gleam in his eye. Valerie felt quite sure that it was predatory lust. When she was backed against the wall with no where left to run, he stopped advancing.

Vladimir smiled. "If I intended to eat you, I assure you I would have done so long ago."

"So why are you coming towards me?" Valerie asked, her voice shaking.

"It has been a while since I have seen mortal fear. It's a bit intoxicating for me, and quite hard to resist. I'm restraining myself from licking your neck, which would speed up your pulse and tempt me to go further." Vladimir informed her.

"You wanted to lick my neck?" she asked him in a small fearful voice.

"Yes. Why, do you want me to?" Vladimir asked, leaning in and causing her to recoil.

"No! It's just...that's a very personal thing to do to someone." she told him.

"Yes, mostly among lovers, and I wouldn't want you to get any wrong ideas." Vladimir said lightly. Valerie blushed. She quickly said good night and rushed up the spiral staircase.