INFORMATIVE NOTE:

Adult language

Chapter Two

Arrival Day

    MY apprehension to vampires has been well established. Two days later, I awaited what would be a change in household dynamic. I'd researched vampires and the territory thing meant a vampire's domain became theirs: They instinctively claimed the people and area they were in, which meant us and our neighborhood. The knock on the door had me flinching and standing up from the couch. I nearly dropped the remote before turning off the tv. Still holding the remote, I peeked around the half wall separating the living-room from the kitchen.

    Chen and Xiumin stood from the table and moved to the center of the kitchen, while Luhan went to the door. I gripped the remote tighter as he opened it and whirled around when the tv blasted on. The remote fumbled, and then I turned it off. When I whirled back around she'd already come inside. She reached five-five, four inches below Luhan, had dark blue hair up in a tight worrier blade starting at the hair-line. With it's thickness, I assumed when she let it down it'd reach her knees or further.

    The corner of my vision flashed gold - my eyelids lighting up. It happened sometimes and I'd never been able to pin-point why. I'd been nervous this whole time and it'd just now happened, and it'd even happened when I'd been happy. But I'm sure it wasn't caused by happiness, nervousness, or any strong emotion. Usually, I only acknowledged it in passing, because specie wise it happened.

    It passed quickly, but not in time to not draw attention from the vampire. When Luhan welcomed her she looked at him and I felt like hiding in my room.

Avoidance Any Way

    NEEDLESS to say, I took every opportunity to avoid the apartment. Thankfully, my online business only required a laptop and notebook to work. I'd sit in cafe's, the local bookstore and at the community pool. A week later I meet with a friend I grew up with, Chanyeol. He's a tall, skinny dude, with a deep voice that shocks every one new. It's what's made his voice-over career successful.

    Not only did he narrate for commercials, but he did geographical animal movies, and my favorite - Fantasy and SciFi audio books. Our conversation began ok, but wandered in to lamented territory: The vampire.

    Chanyeol said, "So, what's she like?"

    My hands clinched under the table. "I don't know."

    "What do you mean you don't know?"

    Through clenched teeth I emphasized, "I don't know." I ignored the waiter as he refilled Chanyeol's sweet tea. When he left to presumably get me a new coffee I said, "I don't spend a lot of time there."

    He nodded and said, "Yeah, Chen told me you have some irrational fear of them. What's that about?"

    I sighed, annoyed I had to repeat myself a third time: "I don't know."

    He chuckled and leaned back. "Well, I guess I can kind of understand. Although, you shouldn't be so quick to judge."

    "I'm not judging. I am not judging."

    "If you say so."

    Glaring, I said, "You're such a pain. Why are we even friends?"

    "Because our families forced us to play together and eventually we realized that we got along. It's as simple as that."

    I nodded, glad we were always on the same page.

    He asked, "So, what are you going to do about the vampire thing, because you can't avoid your apartment forever."

    "You're right. But I really really don't want to."

    He leaned his elbows on the table and said, "I met a vampire once. They seemed pretty normal to me... besides the blank expression and they do this thing where they turn their heads like-"

    I said, "-animals?"

    "Yeah.