Chapter 6

After re-entering the car, I sat for a moment and contemplated my next steps, both in regards to Sara but also of today.

The daylight waned as the sun grew lower in the sky. Although I had taken care of many things throughout the day, the situation with Sara still lingered in the back of my mind. Most vampires in our world care very little for humans in any form. However I have found myself to be a minority. The God s of Old tasked the Keepers with not only protecting their kin but also the humans in which they feed upon.

Even though my age spans millenia, I still find myself partial to the old values of shilvary and the medievals mentality of a knight. With this in mind, I found myself unable to walk away when I felt that harm could come to Sara. I had given my word to check on her well-being, and I intended to keep this word.

As the grey light of darkness began to creep across the sky, I stepped back out into the darkness that crept up upon the world. As I did so I transformed into my true form. Currently I resided a considerable distance away from where Sara lived but it would not take me long to traverse this distance. I took to the sky just as the last rays of light struggled to hold on to the sky.

By the time I arrived at Sara’s residence, the darkness of the sky had swallowed everything whole. From the direction in which Sara had walked when dismissed by her father, I knew the general area of the house that she must stay in. I easily found the balcony that sat just outside of her bedroom. I did not wish to enter the home nor scare anyone within so as I landed gently on the balcony. I resumed my normal human form. With steps as quiet as a feather I moved into a vacant corner shielded from light and simply waited patiently. Although I had the ability to cloak myself within the night, I did not feel the need to do so for dark wrapped my body and as a vampire I stood extremely still. The chances of being seen by a human were extremely limited. As I stood silently on the balcony I could easily hear the movements within the bedroom. Papers wrestled, sheets rubbed against each other, and in some cases even the exasperated breathing of Sara herself. About one hour after I arrived, I heard the door began to open to the balcony, and I watched as Sara walked out to sit in one of the fluffy chairs. She relaxed comfortably in the cool night air in flannel pajamas with various characters and shapes upon them. Not wanting to scare her I made no sudden moves. I softly started to walk forward fast enough to get her attention but not to be perceived as a threat. Sara quickly looked up with a moment of fear in her eyes but that fear quickly faded once she realized who stood up on her balcony.

I smiled slightly and greeted her, “Hello again Sara.”

To my surprise Sara jumped out of her soft chair and flew with great speed in my direction. She flung her arms around my waist giving me a very large and exuberant hug. “Charles. I didn’t expect to see you again. I am so glad you are here.”

I gently pried her from my waist and separated our distance to a relatively normal amount once again. Vampires as a whole do not typically want to be hugged by a human. The temptation of blood is strongest when in such close contact.

“I gave you my word Sara that I would check on you. I got the feeling from your parents that your punishment would be harsh. Maybe even more so because of my presence.” I said

Sara’s head drooped slightly as she looked at the floor. “After you left, my father came into my bedroom and told me how dangerous you are. He called me many names that I’ve heard many times before so that didn’t hurt my feelings, but him calling you dangerous as though you would harm me, hurt my feelings the most. At the moment, I am grounded to my room and I’m not allowed to leave it. The staff bring me food when I request but they are not allowed to stay and keep me company. In my father’s anger, I was told this would be my punishment for at least six months. Although I do not believe it will last that long, I have never seen him this angry before so I’m not sure.” she responded.

I waited a moment after she finished speaking and replied, “I understand that you feel the punishment is harsh. However, you are safe and sound here within the home. That is what matters most. I will check on you again in the future but I wanted to assure you that I had not broken my word.”

Even though I knew that Sara was deeply disappointed that I did not take her away, that option had never crossed my mind. She was far too young to understand the complexities of our world. Adults in the human world do not come of age until eighteen years old and vampires do not truly become wise for hundreds of years after being turned. Once these two situations are combined, the potential volatility can be dangerous for both the human world and ours.

As the months passed, I checked in on Sara from time to time. We sat many nights talking about my world but also I gained more insight into the young woman’s mind. She contained curiosity that bound from her like an antelope escaping a predator. Sara actually enjoyed history more than most humans which meant she could hear in detail what the world was like thousands of years ago. Sara also enjoyed listening to the adventures of my long life. She fell asleep in the fluffy chair many times while listening to me speak about Egypt, Someria, even the Wild West.