THE MOMENT
Edith's dream vanished. It was as if her body rejected sleep all at once and she suddenly found herself awake and alert. She sensed something and slowly sat up to take a look around her room. An unknown figure stood huddled in the furthest corner of the room away from her bed.
"I'm sorry!" the pale stranger apologized the instant he noticed her sit up. "I didn't mean to wake you, I didn't know what else to do," he said. "I'm a vampire!" he felt obligated to confess. "But, I don't want to hurt you, I needed somewhere to hide!"
"It feels like you're kind of new," Edith gave a tall stretch in bed, then, she swung her legs off the bed and got to her feet. She approached the unfamiliar vampire with a warm smile.
"My name's Edith, what's yours?" she asked.
"Pyke," he answered. He was amazed that she not only greeted him; but, she offered a warm, delicate handshake along with it.
"Well Pyke, I'm already awake," she giggled and tilted her head toward the open door. "Let's have a chat." She walked out of the room and through the narrow hall to her kitchen. Pyke followed the young woman into the new room; but, she stopped and opened the fridge.
"Want a snack?" she asked. Pyke tilted his head at her; he wasn't sure if she was serious or not. He chalked it up to her being half asleep and let the subject drop.
"No thanks, I'm good," he replied.
"'Kay," Edith nodded and pulled out a single serving bottle of orange juice. Then, she took a seat at her small round table and encouraged him to take the other seat.
"So, you're a vampire, huh?" Edith broke the silence after taking her first sip. Pyke nodded and Edith gave him a follow-up question. "What's your favorite number?" she asked.
"Why do people keep asking me that?" Pyke shook his head. "I don't have one."
"Oh no," Edith seemed instantly concerned. "No one's told you why? You poor thing, no wonder you're so nervous. We need to get you to a Mundo," she said.
"That's where I was headed...," Pyke nodded. "...but then I got an alert about a vampire hunter in the area and here we are," he said.
"Well, don't worry about a thing, I'll get you an escort," she said. She pulled a glass card from out of her pajama pocket and began tapping and swiping at it. After a few moments, she nodded, then set it down to focus on her guest again.
"Okay, someone'll be here soon. So, you really are brand new aren't you?" she asked.
"I only joined the association today, not long ago. They offered me a shortcut to the orientation; but, it was such a nice night I didn't think I'd need one...," he shook his head with an uneasy chuckle. "...I had no idea so many vampire hunters came through here. I didn't want to hide; but, I couldn't dodge them anymore," he said.
"Unfortunately, we get a lot of new vampires coming through here; it's become a reliable hunting ground for them, which is why we're here too," Edith smiled.
"Thank you," Pyke nodded.
"But, I'd like to give you some advice while you're here," Edith said. Pyke gave her his full attention. "That logo...," Edith pointed to a white window decal stuck to the inside of her window. It had a prominent pair of red scissors on it facing outside. "... is a standing invitation for any Vampire in the association. The people who put that up, myself included, know what it means. We're glad to welcome polite vampires that just need a breather into our homes." She turned and pointed at the fridge. "I have blood stocked in there, in case you didn't know. The typical protocol is, you're welcome in the house to hide out and keep a low profile. Ideally, the host barely knows anyone was there until after the fact."
"Oh...wow.. .really?" Pyke asked. He was surprised at the blind trust involved.
"Well, you don't have a node yet," she held up the glass card. "So, maybe this will all be covered by Mundo. But, the node keeps a record of everything, including where you stay. Some vampires leave a tip, some don't," Edith shrugged. "But, overall the goal is to make the interaction as seamless as possible."
"Okay," Pyke grinned. "Thanks for the tip!" But, Edith shook her head.
"That's just telling you how it's supposed to work. Here's the real tip," she said. She leaned over the table as if about to divulge a sensitive secret. "...Going into people's bedrooms is considered pretty rude," she said. "Don't do that."