Page 6 of Illuminated

Auris shrugged. “It’s just a conversation. Or we can make it something else. How would you like an adapted version of Twenty Questions?”

“Are you joking? Is this funny to you?”

“Not in the slightest. You ask me something, and I answer truthfully, then I do the same, and you answer truthfully. Would you like to start?”

I stared. Dumbfounded. That was a word I’d never had cause to use, but it described me pretty well right about now. I took a swig of the wine. It was good, or perhaps anything right now would have tasted good. On top of being in a restaurant with a vampire, I’d somehow ended up in a nice restaurant with my old Schrödinger’s kitty T-shirt, which made me underdressed as well as terrified. And confused. I was likely more confused than terrified at this point, and Auris didn’t help. He was distractingly beautiful. He was so freakishly aloof, but also… hot.

I looked down to the white tablecloth, shook my head. I could play if he wanted to play. Maybe if I did, he’d just let me go, and I could get back to my hotel where I would then be able to just sleep and forget this ever happened.

I looked back up at him. “What happened in the church?”

“They dragged me there. The idea was that holy ground would weaken me and that they could banish the evil from my flesh before they beheaded me and burned my body. They went to fetch their exorcist to do the banishing and possibly the beheading. Then you showed up out of nowhere. I saw your flashlight and wasn’t sure whether I was hallucinating or not. I think what followed was bad timing on their part.”

I tapped my feet under the table. That was a lot, and… beheading?

“What happened when you… moved?” I pressed.

He sighed. “I broke the neck of the first, hit the second very hard, which wasn’t enough to kill him, then I fed. I think you saw some of that. Now --” He twirled the rim of his glass between his thumb and fingers but didn’t drink. “Why abandoned buildings?”

I blinked. I’d thought he would ask me where I lived, if I had family who would miss me, friends who checked in with me, not this.

I considered giving him some line, an excerpt from the email I’d sent to my agent. Bullshit, in other words. I opened my mouth to do just that, but out came the truth.

“They are beautiful,” I said. “Something happens when nature reconquers a space. It’s as if the space becomes a world that is neither wild nor domesticated. It’s like a dream, but more like the place’s dream, not your own.”

He seemed to consider this, then nodded. “Your turn.”

“Why were they trying to kill you?”

“You mean, why, other than that I’m a vampire? I don’t think there was any specific reason beyond that. I assume they found me, most likely through some old photograph and through properties I own and owned. You’d be surprised the research skills some of these men pick up at seminary.” The disdain in his voice was there, but it was like he couldn’t bring himself to fully commit to it. Like he couldn’t find the fucks to give.

I drank more wine. “You don’t seem to like priests.”

“A bunch of them just tried to kill me. They would have shot you too, by the bye, if you had stood between me and the barrels of their guns. And you were about to get in their line of fire.”

“But you were faster.”

“I was indeed faster. Let us drink to that,” he said and lifted the glass to his lips. He only pretended to drink, though, and I didn’t join him.

“Ethan. Are you an only child?” he asked after his glass was back on the table.

“Yes.”

He lifted one eyebrow at the curt answer, but when I remained unwilling to elaborate, he let it go.

“What have you done to the people? Here in the restaurant I mean,” I continued. “This isn’t normal. How they are basically ignorant and just leaving wine on the table.”

“Oh. Well, I can control minds. Not an unlimited number, and some are easier than others. Let’s just say, no one here will remember us, but the service will be impeccable.” He looked at me, gauging my reaction. “This troubles you.”

“Are you going to do this to me as well?” I said.

“Come now, two in a row. The first, I was happy to give you, but now, that’s just cheating.” He smiled. It gave warmth to his whole face. “In any case, I answered that already, back at the church, so let’s not count it. And let me say it again, in case you missed it in the confusion: no, I will not entrance you again, even if it would make this easier. Easy is not always the best way to resolve a complicated situation. Why did you become a photographer?”

He put his hands on the table one on either side of the wine glass. His nails still looked unusual. They were one shade, a milky white. I got the sense they were hard, but the vicious, blade-like edge that had struck me before was less pronounced now. I chalked that up to the light that was warmer and brighter in here.

“I don’t know. I just always liked to take pictures, ever since I was little. I got my first camera, was the photographer for the student newspaper, and it just sort of went on from there.”

“Like a true calling,” he said, propped his chin up on one hand.

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