She nodded and took my hand again.

As we entered the elevator, I asked, “So where are you from originally?”

“New York,” she replied. “You?”

“California,” was the easiest answer I could give.

“Vampires… To become one, you get turned? Who turned you?”

Admitting that it had been my father would only invite another slew of unwanted questions. Besides, I still didn’t know this girl well enough to trust her—certainly not enough to reveal my true identity. So I gave her a similar answer to the one I’d given Jeramiah when he had first asked me.

“I came across a vampire one night—I was attending a friend’s beach party. Apparently he thought of me as an easy target. He drugged me and when I woke up… I was this.”

She gasped. “My God. Why do vampires do that? Turn people? What’s the point?”

I shrugged. “Guess they want to increase their kind.”

“How did you get here? To this place?”

“I met Jeramiah and some of his companions in Chile.”

I could see that she was still in a state of shock. None of this had fully sunk in yet.

“Did you have any idea about the existence of supernaturals before coming here?” I asked.

“I mean… I had seen footage on the TV, but I never believed any of it. I just thought it was some kind of elaborate hoax. Do other supernatural creatures really exist too? Witches? Dragons?”

“I don’t know about dragons,” I answered, surprised. “But witches, werewolves and ogres certainly do.”

She looked dumbstruck.

Reaching my door, I pushed it open and we walked inside. I looked down at her as we stood in the entry hall. “Are you hungry?”

She bit her lower lip. “I probably should eat something. I was invited to join that group of half-bloods for a meal, actually… But in case you couldn’t guess, I didn’t get far into it.”

I smiled. “I don’t really have anything, uh, suitable for you. Unless you like the idea of drinking blood?”

“Blood?”

“Yes. I drink human blood.” I thought it best to just tell her upfront.

Her mouth dropped open. “That’s all you drink?”

I knew that my answer would only disturb her about her sister, but she would find out sooner or later. “That’s why vampires kidnap so many humans. A few of those they capture are turned into half-bloods, and the rest they keep down in the basement… I’m pretty sure they’re all for blood.”

“Oh, no.”

“How old is your sister?” I asked.

“Six.”

She needed to eat something or she would get sick. I had to think of something to comfort her with or she’d have no appetite for anything.

“If your sister is only six, I think she might be safe for a while. They have gone to the trouble of kidnapping her, they might even wait until she’s grown to maturity before thinking about taking her blood…”

Of course, they could also have kidnapped her for her tender young blood. But River didn’t need to hear that now. I’d scared her enough already.

“Michael said that she wouldn’t be harmed,” she said, her voice cracking.

“Then maybe my guess is correct…” I needed to change the subject. “You’re actually in luck. Unlike vampires, half-bloods can consume regular food. You don’t have to drink blood.”

“Thank God.”

“I don’t have any regular food in my own fridge, but…” I thought about where the best place would be to get some food for her. Then I remembered my neighbor who’d been friendly to me recently—Lloyd. He’d said that I could come to him if I needed something.

“Come with me. Just a few doors down, Lloyd, my neighbor, has a half-blood staying with him. He should have regular food.”

She nodded, though she still looked petrified.

We headed for the door, and just before I opened it, she took my hand again. The idea that she got comfort from me brought me warmth. That I was still capable of experiencing emotions like this was in itself comforting to me.

I stopped with her outside Lloyd’s apartment.

We didn’t have to wait long after knocking. He opened the door and the moment he saw me, he smiled.

“Hello, Joseph. You’ve been keeping to yourself a lot recently, haven’t you?”

“Yes. Until now, actually…” I gestured toward River. “She’s my new half-blood friend. I realized that I have absolutely no food for her in my kitchen. Do you have some to spare?”

“Yes, plenty. Come in.”

We stepped inside and he led us to his kitchen—which looked pretty much identical to mine. He gestured toward the fridge and looked toward River. “What’s your name?” he asked.

“River,” she replied, even as she kept close to me.

“Beautiful name…” He looked back at me. “Would you mind seeing yourself out after you are done? I was actually in the middle of something.”

“Yes, of course. Thank you,” I said.

I took a seat at the kitchen table and watched as River opened the fridge and scanned the shelves.

Food. It felt like an eternity since I had last tasted it. While a part of me yearned for it, the other part was repulsed by the idea of putting anything but human blood in my mouth.

Judging by the ingredients River was picking out, it looked like she wanted to make herself some sandwiches. She gathered a loaf of whole wheat bread, cucumber, lettuce, cheese, and some kind of pickle. After she was done, she closed the fridge door.