Live and let live

chapter 2

After I rummaged through Vera's closet for a suitable outfit, I end up sticking with a Star Wars oversized t-shirt with blue jeans and my Primark sneakers (we're on a student budget please). "Talia you done?!" I heard Vera shout from outside the door, "yeah I'm coming out now!" Alright let's do this.

I open the door and I'm met with Vera holding out a ring with black and gold swirls all around, "what's this for?" I ask her, "as much as it's 5 pm, I'm not about to have you looking like Sunday roast gone wrong; this is a daylight ring, you'll need to wear this to be able to walk around in the daytime." she said while slipping the ring on my right middle finger. "Oh thanks, I was gonna ask that just before we left, what about you?" I ask her seeing as she didn't have one on "Oh don't worry about me sis, I won't burn" still very confused I ask "how? you are a vampire, right?", "yes I am, I can't really say anything but I'm different," she said while leading me towards the front door "okay..." I say while side-eyeing her.  I didn't bother to pry anymore because it was clear she wasn't willing to release that information and I couldn't be arsed.

"You ready?" I inhale and exhale deeply "yeah". I get smacked with a bright light before my sight clears and I see something I'd never thought I'd see in my entire life; mythical creatures. I got a better glimpse as we left Vera's house and began my tour. There was a  half horse half man-centaur selling custom shoes, fairies with all colours of wings just giggling with each other fluttered past us, I look to my left and see two elves grooming a...unicorn! So many creatures just going on about their weirdly mundane activities.

"Welcome to Shadowshore, our little supernatural civilisation and your potential new home" Vera says drawing me out of my shock "wait, my new home?" I ask her surprised "Yeah, you think you can live among humans like that, sis you'll go crazy" makes sense but to leave my home, I haven't graduated yet there are so mu- "I can see your thoughts from here, don't worry you can still see your friends and family or whatever but you can't live amongst them it's too dangerous for them and for you," she said, I'm even more confused now. "I don't understand," I said with brows furrowed, She looked around briefly before saying "I know a place that sells these peng anime-inspired cupcakes, we'll talk more about this there" "okay, let's go."

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After settling in the cafe and two Madara cupcakes later I ask Vera "Explain" she pauses mid bite and looks at me "well shit sis just right into it, can't even let a sister swallow her cake" I give her a deadpan look "calm calm" she wipes her mouth clean and says "as you know, you are now a vamp and with that comes, the diet, you can't live with a bunch of humans in close proximity when the thing that keeps them alive is your food." well damn "okay, but, how do I explain to my friends and family?" she looks deep in thought after I ask that, then she replies with "we'll figure it out" "okay, but there's also the fact I just got fired last night" she looks at me with her head down and teeth clenched "wait you got fired just before you got turned into an immortal bloodsucking creature, well shit man, couldn't be me", this "bitch, ofcourse it couldn't be you, you, you're already one" she bursts out laughing saying "jk jk, sorry".

She speaks up again, with her face now serious"one more thing which is probably the most important part of this and the reason I didn't want to have this conversation in public is, SEA." I look at her with raised brows "who dat?" "they are the Supernatural Extermination Agency, they essentially exist to suppress us, it's the reason why you don/'t see us on the street, at least those of us that can blend in somewhat; it's the reason why we are just this little community, we are quickly going into extinction, there are species that you'll never meet and that have gone extinct, all just because of baseless fear," she says. "I wouldn't call it baseless fear, I mean you said it yourself our diet is their means of survival, let's not act like we don't have the 'evolutionary' advantage" after I said that she looked at me with the most serious face she's sported this entire encounter "so are you justifying the murder of those innocent lives, those babies who hadn't even gotten to say their first words? Worst of it all is we can't do anything because it will all be 'justified' by apparently people like you." "no, you-" "but nothing, it's wrong end of." she says with finality in her voice, but I'm not having that, "what of David, and the other Davids out there, those of us living our everyday lives until our friends or family are eating alive in front of our very eyes, huh, should we just ignore our trauma as well and dive straight into fighting for the ones that took those we love away?" she looks at me, mouth shut eyes wide.