The Vampire And The Orphan
Chapter Five

Lettie woke up midday after her restless and long night. Even though she couldn’t see the sun through Nathanial’s thick curtains, she could feel it.

It must be late afternoon, she mused. She climbed out of the very comfy bed she’d slept in. Her feet were still achy and sore from her long walk. She rummaged through the clothes she’d brought up to the loft. She loved all the old-fashioned dresses. She found a red one with tiny white flowers on it. She picked that up along with some undergarments and headed downstairs.

She could see Nathaniel left the latch to the cellar open.

How weird to think he was down there sleeping in a coffin! She was still trying to wrap her brain around all that. He sure was handsome, this vampire bodyguard of hers.

She wondered if he ever got close to any of his charges. She knew he had called Greta a friend. Was she ever anything more? She couldn’t help but be curious about him. He lived a long and storied life. He must’ve fallen in love at some point. Try as she might, she couldn’t see it. Cold and stiff, Nathanial being all lovey with someone. She could nearly laugh trying to envision it. Only she didn’t. The very idea bugged her for some reason.

She put it out of her head for the time being. She took her time enjoying a nice long bath. It was amazing not having to share the bathroom with other kids!

Once she was freshly cleaned and dressed, she went to check on the wildflowers.

“Oh, you’re all looking so good!” She squealed in delight. “Let’s get you in the dirt!”

She carefully picked up the water glasses. Balancing them in her arms as she made her way outside.

The bright warm sun felt so good on her face. Ella rarely let her go out during the day at the orphanage.

She found a spot near the strawberry bush to plant them.

“You’re getting some pretty neighbors.” She plucked herself a handful of sweet berries first. They were so sweet and juicy!

“Yum! Your fruit is delicious!” The bush looked even more significant and brighter at her compliment.

She then got down carefully on her knees to plant the flowers. It didn’t take long, but she got her knees and feet all dirty.

“Oh well.” She laughed as she brushed the dirt off.

She headed back into the house. It was so quiet. She was not used to being quiet at all.

She found a spot on the couch and sat for a while.

After what felt like a million hours, she was bored. She started to wonder what Nathanial looked like in a coffin. The curiosity began to nag at her.

Maybe she could just take a quick peek. Just a quick one, and then she’d run back up. With that decided, she tiptoed down as quietly as she could. The top of the coffin was open. Nathaniel was lying on his back inside of it. He was so still. He looked like a corpse.

She got a little closer and was stunned at how dead he looked. He didn’t even seem to be breathing. Maybe he didn’t need to?

“Boo!” He sat up suddenly

“Ahhhh!” She jumped back with a scream. She clasped her hand over her heart which was beating wildly.

He started laughing and heartily at that.

“Not funny!” She yelled once she had herself under control.

“I thought it was.” He said as he climbed out of the coffin.

“You told me no one but your maker or soulmate could wake you.” She recalled.

“If it’s closed.” He clarified. “I wasn’t in a deep sleep.”

“Oh.” She said sheepishly. “Well, you didn’t have to scare me, you big meanie.”

“Well, you didn’t have creepily stare at me.” He shot back at her, and she blushed.

“I wasn’t being creepy. I was curious.” She folded her arms across her chest.

“Sure, Lettie.” He said with a slight twist of a grin.

“Will you tell me now about your maker?” She asked as they started to head upstairs.

“I just woke up.” He complained. “Not right now.”

“What about the soulmate thing? Is that like a lover?” She felt a blush come to her cheeks. Her curiosity was winning over her modesty, though.

“No, a lover is a lover.” He explained. “A soulmate is your heart and soul’s one true mate.”

“That’s so romantic!” She breathed out, and then she wondered. “Did you ever have one?”

“Everyone has one.” He said simply.

Her heart clenched at that for some reason. So he did love someone once. Someone that no one else would ever compare. It bugged her the more she thought of it.

“What’s wrong with you? You look all sad?” He asked, and she tried her best to regroup.

“I just wondered, um.. what happened to them?” She finally asked. “Or, was it Greta?”

“No, not Greta.” He laughed at that. “We were only friends. I never met my mate. Likely never will. They don’t usually meet. They are normally born either worlds or decades apart.”

“That’s so sad.” She frowned. “If their hearts and souls are meant to be, why are they star-crossed like that?”

“Because fate is cruel, Lettie.” He said, and she supposed that was true. She’d heard Ella say that more than once.

“Can I take a shower now, or do you have more questions to nag me with?”

“Go ahead!” She giggled at that.

She didn’t mean to pester him so much. He just made her so curious!

The sun went down around seven, and they hit the road shortly after. Nathaniel was surprised that Lettie remained quiet for the ride. He nearly zoned out until a grumbling sound caught his attention.

“I forgot to feed you again.” He glanced at her. “You should tell me when you’re hungry.”

“I didn’t know if we’d even have time to stop.” She explained. “The sun is only down for so long.”

“We have time. It’s only nine, and we only have five hours to go. Have you ever been to a restaurant?” He asked.

Her eyes widened, and she sat up excitably. “No, never! I’ve always wanted to!”

She combed her hands through her hair a little. “Am I dressed okay?”

She was wearing a halter-style red sundress with little white flowers. It fell to her mid-calf. The waist was cinched tight, but the skirt was big and belled out.

“Sure, sixty years ago.....” He chuckled at that. “You don’t have any shoes.”

“Oh yeah.” She frowned at that.

“We’re going to get you some shoes and normal clothes.” He took a turn towards the exit. He saw the familiar red and white signs ahead. “Then we’ll go to a restaurant.”

Lettie was like a deer in headlights inside the department store. He wasn’t too at home either. It was so obscenely bright in there. What was it with humans and their obsession with recreating the sun?

They hurried along through the clothing and then shoe sections. They then headed over to the grocery section so that she could grab some food. She mainly chose vegetables, fruits, and grains.

They were getting some strange looks, well she was. She was barefoot and wearing what looked like a costume dress. He hurried her along before they got kicked out.

When they left the store, he handed her the bag with the shoes. She slipped on some white tennis shoes.

“Much better!” She said happily.

“Do you want to change your dress?” He asked. “There was a bathroom right inside the door.”

“What’s wrong with this dress?” She asked as she twirled around.

“You look like a fifties housewife.” He said bluntly. “We don’t need you sticking out.”

“Fine, I’ll change.” She huffed and grabbed a bag. He followed her and waited outside the bathroom.

She emerged in jeans and a fitted pink sweater. She’d pulled her long tawny hair into a ponytail as well. She flashed him a shy smile as she walked towards him.

“How do I look now? Better?” She asked.

“Perfectly normal.” He said. “You’ll blend in just fine.”

“Uh, okay.” She shrugged. “I guess we should go then.

The parking lot was bright with exterior lights. So far, they hadn’t had any sign of the dark cloud. It was much earlier than it was last night, though.

They stopped at a restaurant close by. It was a small hole-in-the-wall style diner. He chose it because of the lot’s scarce number of cars—less chance some other vampire would randomly be there.

She was wide-eyed and awed as they walked in and sat. It was a basic old-school

diner. White walls, back, white checkered floor, and red booths.

They were sat by a tired and rather grumpy-looking older woman. Her muddied brown hair was streaked with grey. Her grey eyes were weary and had huge bags under them. She shuffled off to get them water and left the menus on the table.

“Can I get some oat porridge with honey and berries, please?” Lettie asked when the lady came back.

“Are you talking about oatmeal? That’s on the kid’s menu.”

“Oh! That’s cool.” Lettie didn’t understand. “I usually eat the same thing the kids do anyway.”

“The kid’s menu is for eight and under.”

“I’m sure you could make an exception,” Nathanial spoke lowly; he touched her wrist to connect and looked into her eyes.

“Of course, we can make an exception!” She said instantly. “No trouble at all.”

“Thank you, and just bourbon for me,” Nathanial ordered.

She nodded and hurried off.

“That was kind of weird,” Lettie commented. “Did you do something to her?”

“Your perceptive.” He noted. “Just influenced her a little.”

She looked like she wanted to ask more. However, the server came back at that time with their water.

It wasn’t long until her oatmeal was ready too. To their credit, it looked decent. She added some more honey and then dug right in.

“Not quite as good as Ella’s, but I like it.”

“So you’ve never had junk food?” He asked.

“No.” She laughed out loud. “Ella would have never allowed that. Some kids snuck in candy, though. I wouldn’t say I liked it. The other kids sure did! My ex had a bunch of chocolate bars he smuggled in; he was popular.”

“Your ex?” He raised a curious eyebrow.

“I told you I’m not a kid! I had a boyfriend.” She huffed out.

“Who? When?” He asked, his tone sharper than he meant.

“When I was sixteen. His name was Cash.”

“Cash?” Nathaniel asked.

“It was a nickname; besides, it’s not any weirder than Olette.”

“Your name isn’t weird. It’s just old.”

“Some kids picked on me for it and my eyes.” She said with a sad smile.

“They were all idiots.” He said gruffly.

“Well, soon enough, I got older, and the new kids were usually younger. In the end, no one messed with Lettie.” She grinned at that.

“So what happened with Cash?” He found himself asking.

“He was the first kid my age in so long. So we would hang out together and sit together on movie night. Then after we watched beauty and the beast, we talked about love. He asked me if I wanted to dance as they did. Ella would let me go out at night, and all the moon flowers glowed.” She lit up at the old memories.

She stopped to eat some of her food. Her eyes were slightly misty.

He leaned back and listened, and he slowly sipped his drink. He didn’t understand this unsettled feeling he had about this.

“So we went out and danced every night.” She said softly. “Then, one day, it was all over. He found out his dad was out of jail and could take him back. So he was going to leave.”

“I asked if we could have one last dance and our first kiss, his last night.” Her voice had dropped. He could see this was where she ended up hurt. “He said yes, but he didn’t show. He never came to the garden that night. I waited so long. Finally, I went to find him. He was in his bed asleep. I was forgotten.”

She set her bowl aside and sipped her water.

“Then he left just like everyone always did.” A shadow crossed her lovely face. “He didn’t even say goodbye.”

“I’m sorry, Lettie.” He said, softening his tone.

The door chimed, indicating another customer had walked in.

“Let’s get going.” He left a few bills on the table.

He felt it as soon as they got outside. Eyes on them. He ensured Lettie was tucked safely behind him.

“Show yourself,” Nathaniel demanded.

A tall red-headed boy with freckles across his pale skin emerged. He was wearing dirty jeans, a tee, and an apron. He must’ve been the cook or dishwasher. As he stepped closer, Nathanial smelled it. He was a wolf.

“I can help you.” The boy was talking to Lettie.

“I don’t need help, but thank you,” Lettie said politely.

“You don’t understand! You’re in danger.” He said more urgently.

“She’s in no danger with me,” Nathaniel said calmly.

“Why should we believe you?” A man joined the lot. They looked similar. “My son here called me and said he was getting creeper vibes. Said a young girl was with. You did good, son. You were damn right; he’s a bloodsucker.”

He was taller and broad-muscled. His red hair was shaved close, and his skin was more bronzed than his son. He gave off a strong alpha vibe. “Listen, honey. This man isn’t what you think.”

“I know what he is.” She said.

“I’m asking you to leave,” Nathaniel said. He wouldn’t stay polite for long.

“You pose a threat to a human. we are allowed to intervene.” He said in a menacing tone.

“He’s not a threat to me,” Lettie said again, but the man was already circling Nathanial.

“If you aren’t going to leave, come at me, but I promise it won’t end well,” Nathanial warned them.

The men both lunged toward Nathaniel. He quickly swiped them both off him. They were decisive, though. Even without having transformed. They likely wouldn’t risk that in the open like this. He’d bet his letting his fangs out, though, giving him the edge. So he did.

As the son ran towards him, Nathanial caught him by the throat. He was about to bite down when the father grabbed him from behind. He dropped the son and growled at the father.

“Do it bite me like the monster you are? Show her!” As the father taunted, he sensed the son behind him. He whirled around just in time. The kid was about to try plunging a stake at him. He snatched it from him and then flung the boy across the lot.

Lettie gasped at the thudding sound. She looked panicked. Nathaniel tried his best to give her a reassuring gaze. Then they both heard the bone-crunching sound of a transformation from behind Nathanial. Lettie’s eyes were big, and her jaw dropped. He turned to see a large ruddy brown wolf rushing towards him.

They fought for control, both snapping their fangs at each other. The wolf swiped at Nathanial’s face with his paw, leaving a trail of blood dripping down his shirt.

“Nathanial!” Lettie warned.

He heard the son now transforming too. He turned to see a more minor but formidable-sized wolf on the other side of him. He stalked closer to it, and it also moved cautiously.

The father suddenly jumped him from behind. He fell face forward and cringed when the sharp teeth pierced his neck. He bucked the wolf off his back but bounced right back on him.

“Stop!” a scream from Lettie filled the air.

Everyone suddenly stilled. The wolf rolled off him. Nathanial sat up. Both wolves had stepped closer to Lettie. They tilted their heads and locked their yellow eyes on her.

“I said he’s not a danger to me! Go away and leave us alone.” She yelled out.

The older one whined once as, the younger looked at him. Then they both looked back at her as if for confirmation.

“Go.” She said again.

They then turned and... left?

“What the was that?” He asked.

“I don’t know.” She looked as mystified as he felt.

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