Count

16. Vampire Q-And-A

I thought about it. "Perhaps you're right."

"Of course I am," she said.

In my room that night, I sent Sergio a text asking him to call. My phone rang several minutes later.

"Inari," he said when I answered, his voice thick with emotion.

"Hi," I said. "I missed you."

"And I, you."

I stared at my feet in their fluffy socks. "I'm sorry it's taken so long for me to call."

He was quick to reassure me. "Do not be. I put you in a difficult position by not telling the truth sooner. I am sorry."

"Could we meet somewhere and talk things over in person?" I asked.

"Yes," he said. "Somewhere public so that you feel safe."

"There's a little coffee shop next to Treehouse Books that stays open late. Would you like to meet there tomorrow night?"

"I know the one. How's seven o'clock?"

"Perfect," I said, tingling with anticipation at seeing him again.

"Inari?" he asked. "Thank you."

I didn't have to ask what he meant. Thank you for calling, for giving him a chance to tell his side of the story. "No problem," I managed to say. "I'll see you soon."

At the coffee shop, I ordered my drink, sat at a table outside, and waited.

Sergio arrived not much later. He sat across from me and politely remained in his own space, for which I was grateful. "Hello," he said.

"Hello." I had been super nervous leading up to the meeting, but now that he was here, I felt surer of myself than I was expecting. "So, how should we do this?" I asked. "Can we talk about you-know-whats here?"

He chuckled in a familiar way. "This place is noisy enough to mask our conversation, so yes. Ask me anything you'd like; I'm sure you have many questions."

"Vampire Q-and-A session," I said. "I like it." I took a deep breath to steady myself. What did I want to ask first? There were so many things I had thought about in the month that Sergio and I had been apart. "So vampires exist. And you are one of them."

It wasn't a question, but he nodded.

"How old are you?"

He seemed to steel himself. I guessed that this would be as difficult a conversation for him as it was for me. "I was born in 1752, so I am 267 years old. But I became a vampire at 27, so I have remained in the body of a 27-year-old since then."

I balked. Sergio was 267 years old? It was hard to wrap my head around. "Okay," I said. "Who were your parents?"

"My father's name was Antonio Genovesi. He was a minister and a scholar who lived in Naples. Isabella Zaffaroni was my mother; she was just a maid, so he kept the pregnancy, and my birth, a secret. I am illegitimate."

"Gosh, I'm sorry," I said. That must have been a terrible thing in those days.

"Do not be. I have reconciled myself with it." His voice became quiet. "Though my poor mother struggled to take care of me on her own. I have the greatest respect and gratitude for her sacrifices. If I could change anything, it would be to have given her the life she deserved. She died penniless."

Moved, I reached out and squeezed Sergio's hand. I didn't have words for him, but I hoped he understood.

He was taken aback by the gesture—that I would touch him so willingly. He looked at our joined hands, then up at my face, searching.

"So," I cleared my throat, suddenly shy, "how many vampires are there?"

The tension abated. "Many thousands all over the world," he said. "There are seven vampiric nations, the European one being the most populous. Vampires originated in Eastern Europe."

"There are vampire countries?" This was bigger than I'd imagined. I guess I'd pictured singular vampires wandering solitary estates, not groups forming governments.

"Yes. Their names and borders have shifted over the years, but these are the current ones: VDAC (The Vampiric Democracy of America and Canada); Latina, in Latin America; Feudalia, in Europe; Okafora, in Central and Southern Africa; The Second Ming Dynasty, in East, South, and Southeast Asia; Afrabia, in the Middle East, Russia, and North Africa; and Oceania."

"If vampires started in Europe, how did they spread?"

"Good question," he said. "Vampirism can only be passed through a bite to a human. We are not born. The condition spread to other continents as vampires traveled, settled, and turned new vampires there."

I hesitated, then pressed forward. We might as well get everything in the open now. "How do vampires die?"

"We can not perish by ordinary means," Sergio said. "A vampire can only be killed in certain ways: by silver or a wooden stake to the heart, by sunlight, or by starvation. We must drink blood to sustain ourselves."

We would definitely come back to the whole "drinking blood" thing later, but I was curious about other things first. "What about garlic? Religious symbols? Can you see yourself in mirrors?"

He smiled at my enthusiasm. "The myth of our aversion to garlic is superstitious nonsense. Religious symbols, however, can have an effect when placed with wardific intent. Don't ask me how it works; I couldn't tell you. As for mirrors, I see only clothes floating on an empty body. I can be seen in photos and on video, though."

"And do you have to be invited inside?"

"We do! Vampires cannot cross thresholds without an invitation, though welcome mats and signs count. And if a person says, 'You are always welcome here,' the vampire has a free pass to enter.

"We have heightened speed, strength, and senses. When transformed into vampires, we are beautified into perfect versions of ourselves. We heal quickly and retain no blemishes."

"But do you sparkle in the sun?" I asked with a grin.

Sergio dropped his head in his hands. "Vampires rue the day Twilight was conceived. Besides being full of inaccuracies, it sparked unwelcome interest in our kind from the public. And to answer your question, no, I do not sparkle."

"A shame," I said.

We shared a smile. It felt good to joke with him again. I'd missed his company. But could things ever go back to the way they had been before?

"Sergio," I said, stirring my drink with the straw to avoid looking at him, "could we— Do you still want to date?"

He took my hand gently, the way I had taken his. "If by some miracle you are still willing, then I would like nothing more."

I saw that he was sincere, and my heart warmed. "Before we go further, though, is there anything else you need to tell me about? Do werewolves exist? Fairies? Dragons? Please say dragons."

"Not to my knowledge, no."

"Okay, then. Just making sure."