nine- sleep

I twisted and turned in bed. Do vampires sleep, or is she bluffing? Can she read my mind when she's sleeping? She must be the worst person for someone to throw a surprise party for. Why did I agree to share a bed with her? "Go to sleep." I jumped.

"Do you sleep?"

"Yes." She said. "When someone isn't tossing and turning all night."

"Do you hear my thoughts in your sleep?"

"No." She rolled over and looked at me.

"I have so many questions."

"You need sleep."

"I need answers." I sighed.

"Viv, I will answer all your questions in the morning, but right now, you need to sleep."

"I can't sleep; I need to know what you've been doing for the past 300 years; you said you got turned, so how, why? what-"

"Stop." She sat up, and I did too. "For the past 300 years, I've been pretty much everywhere in the world living different lives... I got turned on my eighteenth birthday."

"Why?"

"Because... our breed was dying. The king to get a few hundred people and put them in a.. compound. The younger people, who were in their 20s, got turned right away and went to a school until they got older. My parents died when I was born; my mother died in childbirth; my father couldn't live with me, so I got put in an orphanage. The king owned it to raise the perfect vampires. So I got adopted by a family who raised me till I was old enough to move out. Just after my 93rd birthday, I got my place-"

"93?" I said.

"You're not going to let a 13-year-old move out on their own. When you're turned young you have a lot of maturing to do. Your first instinct is to get food, and what's closet to us?"

"How do you choose who to..."

"I've never killed anyone, actually. I've eaten animals my whole life." And she said twilight was wrong. "Ok Viv, that was one thing they got right. Chill out."

"How often do you eat?"

"As often as I can."

"Do they suffer?" I mumbled.

"No, I kill them right away then..." she stopped.

"Have you ever turned someone?"

"No. Not yet." She said.

"Would you?" She shrugged.

"You need to sleep." She said.

"How can I sleep right now... my brain hurts."

"Viv, listen to me. We have a long time to talk about this, and you need to sleep."

"But I can't E. I need to know everything now."

"That's not possible. You need to rest."

"Do you want to kill me?"

"I want the most opposite from that. I want to protect you from everything in this world, that's why I couldn't wait to tell you anymore... I'm surprised you're not mad."

"How can I be mad at you?"

"I don't know." She shrugged. "Please go the fuck to sleep." She pushed herself up.

"Where are you going?" I asked.

"For a smoke, and a drink." A drink. "Of water Vivian." She sighed and I laid back on the pillow. After a few minutes, I got up and went to the kitchen, looking out the window. E was pacing and smoking a cigarette. I watched her and kept my mental shield up so she wouldn't know. Just 24 hours ago, she was an ordinary girl, now she's a vampire... that sounds crazy... vampires don't exist- well they do... but what has she proved to me? She reads minds? That's it... that can be easily explained- and who the fuck am I kidding. No, it can't be. "Jesus." E jumped when she saw me. "I hate this. Not knowing when people are watching me." She rolled her eyes.

"Are there more vampires than you?" I asked.

"Of course, there isn't a lot in America, but there are millions."

"Oh..." I was suddenly scared.

"Don't be scared. They're not going to hurt you. If anyone tried, they'd be dead." Where was she when I was a kid? "Trust me. He's burning in hell for that now." I felt sick. Oh god she knows all the embarrassing things. "Hey. I promise never to use any of your thoughts against you. Plus, I can choose not to read your mind."

"Well, why the fuck are you reading it?"

"Your interesting." She said. I am the most boring person in history. "No, you aren't." I sighed, and she looked down at me. "You need sleep. And don't say you're not tired; your eyes are burning. If you want, I can sleep on the couch, and you can lock the door- I mean to be fair, it wouldn't do anything- and that totally doesn't help..."

"I'm not scared of you, E; I'm just..." I sighed.

"You need sleep, ok? Come on." She reached out her hand and turned towards the bedroom. I looked down at it for a second and slowly reached out, laying my hand in hers. She closed her hand around mine, and we went down the hall.