Page 33 of Norah

Whenever I thought about the possibility of running into another vampire, my only emotion was sheer terror. All I could imagine was Frederick’s impassive features as he left me in the gray room with the dying man. But now I’m facing a man who claims he’s like me, who is friendly and smiling and doesn’tseemlike he wants to kill me.

Appearances can be deceiving. I can’t forget about that. That’s why my heart is racing, and my hand is clutching Ethan’s like a life raft from a sinking ship. I keep reminding myself,we’re in public. Nothing bad will happen. Romancouldbe a decent guy. Or he could be a serial killer vampire, hiding behind a ski bum facade.How did things get so complicated?

I realize that I’ve been staring into the fireplace while my mind tries to sort everything into place, completely dropping the ball in the conversation, when Ethan speaks up. “So, Roman, would it be impolite to ask you how you came to become a vampire?”Great question! Thank you, Ethan.

“No problem, I don’t mind. Nothing secret about it.” Roman leans back in his chair, brushing messy blond hair back from his forehead. “It was the early seventies, 1970s, that is. I’m still considered young for a vampire, not like some who are hundreds of years old. Anyway, I was here in Placid, working as a ski instructor at Whiteface, having the time of my life. Days on the mountain, nights partying, just having a good time. You know?”

We both nod at Roman, urging him on. “So I was really good friends with this guy, Pete; he was another instructor, and we were like brothers. We would go off-piste, taking crazy risks off the trails, acting like we were invincible. Until one day I wiped out hard and ended up smashed into a tree with a broken back.”

Roman shakes his head, remembering. “I told Pete to leave me there because I knew it was bad. I didn’t want to live if I couldn’t ski. Sostupid, but I was just a dumb kid back then. But Pete knew I was serious, so he offered me another option. I bet you guessed it.” He laughs. “Pete was a vampire and offered to make me the same. It sounded like a better option than dying out in the snow, so I accepted.”

Wow. I imagine Roman as a young man, making a choice that would change the direction of his life forever. Death on the mountain, or life as a vampire.Would I have made the same choice?Death or a vampire? A year ago I probably would have picked death. Now, the decision would be different. Looking at Roman in a new light, I ask him a question. “Do you regret it? Choosing this life?”

He thinks for a moment, then smiles. “Nope, I don’t regret it. I get to do what I love. No more worrying about getting killed doing some gnarly trick. I travel around the world and meet interesting people. I can’t complain.”

Ethan jumps in. “Have you lived here the whole time?”

“No, I move to a different place every five to ten years. It would be odd if I stayed for twenty years and never aged. So I move around enough that people won’t notice. I came back to Placid last year, so I’ll stay for a while.”

He said he never aged. I don’t sense a lie, and there’s no way Roman looks even close to his actual age. I’ve never known for sure, but now I need to ask. “So we don’t age? I wasn’t sure if it was true because it’s only been five years.”

Roman frowns at me before responding. “No, vampires don’t age. Your age when turned is the age you’ll stay. Didn’t the person who turned you explain everything?”

A lump forms in my throat as I recall the experience, and I can’t force any words out. Seeing my struggle, Ethan rubs my arm as he answers for me. “Norah had a terrible time of it. She didn’t get an explanation of anything, just told she needed blood to survive. It’s still hard for her to talk about it.” He presses a gentle kiss on the top of my head and continues speaking. “Any information you can give us would help us understand all this better.”

Roman’s expression is sympathetic, and his grin has changed to a grim line. “Norah, I’m sorry. That really sucks. Anything you want to know, just ask. I’m an open book.”

Swallowing back the lump, I clear my throat. It’s my chance to find out more, and I don’t want to lose the opportunity because I’m caught up in old memories. “OK…howare vampires made? I thought I was dying, and when I woke up, everything had changed.”

“Well, it’s pretty straightforward. You drain the blood of whoever you’re going to change, but don’t let them die. Then you give them your blood. It takes a lot of blood, two to three liters, so I wouldn’t recommend making any big plans for the day after you turn someone. You’ll need to feed right away to get back your strength. The new vampire will need blood after waking, then it will go back to the standard feeding schedule.”

“How often do you feed?”Am I feeding too much? Too little?

“Hmm, I’d say maybe once a week. I wouldn’t suggest waiting over two weeks, though, otherwise the pain will become uncomfortable.” I notice Ethan giving me meaningful glances that are telegraphingI told you soloud and clear.

ETHAN

Ha! I was right.Norah rolls her eyes at me, but she knows what I’m thinking.

Despite my initial impression of Roman, he’s growing on me. He seems like a decent guy, his big white grin withstanding. He’s giving us answers to things Norahshouldhave known, had that asshole Frederick not thrown her to the proverbial wolves. I think this may be another step towards Norah accepting that being a vampire doesn’t make you evil. Evil has to comefirst.

Norah finally raises the question that I’ve been wondering about the entire time we’ve been talking. “Roman… how do we die?”

Roman shakes his head, anger touching his features. “Man, the guy- I’m just assuming it’s a guy-sorry if I’m wrong…” Norah nods her head at him in agreement. “Well, that guy is a genuine piece of shit. To not even tell you that? That’s really screwed up.”

He leans forward, face wiped of good humor, expression sincere. “Most vamps aren’t like that. I’ve met lots and they’re nice, normal, wouldn’t know they differed from humans. I’m sorry you had it so rough.”

He sits back to address both of us again. “But to answer your question, there are only three ways to die. Burning, sustained, until there’s nothing left. Decapitation. Or total blood loss. Most injuries will heal, even terrible ones. I’ve seen someone mortally injured, but he got blood to offset the loss, and he survived. But if all your blood is gone, it’s over.”

Oh. Now I’m wishing I hadn’t asked. I glance at Norah, and she looks pale and shaky. “Um… well, gruesome info, but I needed to know.”

“So what about you two?” Roman makes a sweeping gesture towards us. “When are you planning on changing over this guy?”

“I’m not!” Norah looks horrified. Roman opens his mouth to talk, but I silence him with an imperceptible shake of my head.Not now.But wewilltalk about it. Once Norah believes that she’s not evil simply because she needs blood to survive.

Of course I’ve thought about it many times. Given this new information about not aging, I want to be with my future wife forever. Not growing old and gray while she still looks like a young woman. She’ll see it my way, eventually. But now isn’t the time to get into it.

“Oh, uh… so… any other things you wanted to know about?” Roman forces a smile as he tries to move past his unwelcome question. Norah bites her lip, looking uncomfortable after her outburst. I smile apologetically at Roman, and shift the conversation towards lighter topics.

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