Free An Angel Among Vampires by M. Cheykota

vampires should not be awake during the daylight hours. Never interacting with vampires, I am making amateur mistakes. I should know better than to walk out of a vampire’s house at high noon. Better yet, I should have realized I was missing something when she looked surprised to see me up and about. I, also, should not be able to stand in the sun as I am now. My ability to walk in sunlight is a gift from my mother’s angel half.
    In a panic, I use my weak mind control to capture her mind. I convince her to forget that she saw me. I make her walk into another room so she can’t see me slip out the front door.
    Using the first payphone I see, I call a cab to take me back to my apartment in the city.
     
    Later that evening when the moon takes the sun’s place high in the sky, I wake up to take a shower and change my clothes before returning to the vampire feeding building. Eager to find Austin to ask him more questions about vampires, I wait patiently in line, hoping he will be there tonight.
    A short, pudgy white man in a black t-shirt and blue jeans walks down the line of people waiting to get into the club and stops in front of me.
    “Excuse me Miss.” He calls out politely, gaining my attention.
    “Is something wrong?” I ask.
    “No ma’am. I was told to escort you inside.” He replies, unlatching the rope that keeps the line straight. He steps back to give me room to leave the line and join him, before reconnecting the rope line.
    “Who told you to escort me?” I ask the bouncer.
    “My master, Austin, told me to wait for you out here. If you showed up, I am supposed to bring you to him.” He says quietly to prevent the humans around us from overhearing.
    I follow the vampire inside the feeding building. My eyes dart between him and the crowd.
    After all my mistakes this afternoon, I vowed to pay closer attention to my surroundings and be more cautious around vampires.
    He guides me to the back of the club where the hidden door is.
    The door opens and Jalik steps out of the hallway.
    “My master awaits you.” Jalik informs me between gritted teeth, stepping out of my path.
    “I don’t want to cause any tension. If my presence is a problem, just say so. I am more than willing to move on and disappear. I only want answers to my questions, not trouble.” I explain, hoping to ease Jalik’s frustration.
    “It doesn’t matter what I think. My master is waiting.” He waves his arm, trying to usher me inside the room.
    Instead of walking inside the room, I turn around and walk back out into the club. Jalik and my escort stare at my back in disbelief.
    After maneuvering my way through the crowd, I am back outside without any resistance. I am halfway down the street before Jalik catches up to me.
    “Where are you going?” Jalik asks in disbelief.
    “I don’t need my questions answered that badly.” I reply as I continue towards the city lights, picking up my pace. “The last thing I need is a bunch of vampires getting pissed because I’m hanging around their master.”
    “You are leaving without any explanation to my master?” He asks incredulously.
    I turn another corner and begin to run while responding to Jalik’s question. “He is your master, not mine. I don’t want or need any trouble from any vampires. I’ll see you around.”
    I put on a burst of speed and run as fast as I can towards the brightening lights of the city. I can hear Jalik’s soft footfalls behind me as he runs after me, trying to catch up. He keeps calling out my name, but I don’t look back or slow down until I am at the edge of a large crowd on a street full of bars or other drinking establishments.
    Several people glance in my direction when I appear next to them suddenly, but they are too drunk to question where I came from. Apparently, Jalik is being more cautious about hiding his nature than I am, because when I look over my shoulder to see if he’s still following me, I can see he has slowed to a human walking pace