Reverend Charles

In a split second, the men who had pinned Alexia on the shelf were suddenly hauled a great distance from the counter. They crashed on the adjacent walls with sickening thumps but they got up a second later. They flashed back to Alexia who right now had Angela standing beside her. They crouched down low, hesitation visible in the eyes as they deliberated whether to attack Ramon's girlfriend.

"Angela" Ramon called calmly

"She said you can't feed on him" Angela said. She proceeded to tie a clean table towel over my cut.

"You insult my authority because of this human?" he raised his brows

"Hannah has clearly claimed him, feeding on him goes against the rules"

"She already has a mate"

"Well then, I claim him" Angela said "I don't have a mate"

"You are my girlfriend"

"Ex-girlfriend" she snapped "call them off or this matter goes to the council"

Ramon stood up then chuckled dryly. He glared at me for some seconds before nodding his head.

"Well, better keep him safe, FiendVille is a dangerous place for…humans" he said

Before he left, he turned back and stared at Alexia then me.

"One more thing" he started "you are fired, the both of you"

Three days later, I was reading alone in the motel room. Snow was busy scuttling around the place, chasing a bouncing ball. Ever since the night at the Vamps bar, I never got the courage to leave the motel. Everything that happened that night was so implausible and unreal. Thinking about it just brought shivers down my spine. I didn't want to believe that such creatures existed, creatures I only heard of or saw in movies. I was unwilling to believe that vampires existed yet the proof was so vast and hard to dismiss.

After Ramon threatened me, I wasn't inclined to step out of my room. He seemed like the guy who had a hard time accepting losses, the vengeful kind of guy, and a bitter loser. I wasn't prepared to face Ramon, probably a vampire, with friends who could move distances in a blink of an eye. Compared to them, I was akin to a snail, a weak snail.

I still had five hundred dollars, cash I got from Angela whom I never saw again since that night. The cash would sustain me for a couple more days but they would never last forever. I had to look for a job despite the fact that I now knew vampires existed. I had planned to go look for a job a day earlier but I dismissed the thought when I imagined myself getting sucked dry by Ramon.

Today was on a Sunday, I figured I wasn't going to stay holed up forever in the motel room unless I wanted to starve to death. Furthermore, I had offered to accompany the landlady and her two grandchildren to the church. A promise I made after Snow yet again ate their dinner steak.

The two nine-year old boys came to wake me up in a couple of minutes. Over the three days, they had grown so used to me that they spent lots of their free time in my room. I got up and prepared myself to go to church, an institution I had never attended.

The morning sermon was led by a Reverend Charles. He was a bald tall slim guy with a righteous glow about him. His face was brightly lit up with a bright smile all morning, it almost seemed like it was plastered right on his face. Even when he preached to the multitude of people who attended the sermon, he was ever cheery. Every word he uttered were filled with deep wisdom and an invisible power that made one feel touched. Reverend Charles was a man of the people, loved and respected. The loyalty of his sheep was so intense that they literally worshipped the ground he walked on, much to the humbled response of the Reverend.

He walked around hugging kids, kissing the sick, praying for the troubled and in a period of four hours, fourteen individuals were saved from the eternal fire. The sermon ended when all the worshippers were sprinkled with holy water, to rid the demons from humans.

In a town where vampires existed and probably other things that I had yet to realize, Reverend Charles was a sign of hope. He gave the illusion of protection from the town's darkness. With lots of people afraid, it was either they sought refuge in the church or leave the town completely. From the looks of it, the people seemed to believe in Reverend Charles. They even brought him gifts, very expensive gifts ranging from gold watches, to silver and bronze cutleries. One even offered to buy him a car which he kindly declined. In my opinion, he was too humble for a man who commanded such a large population.

As we left the church for home, I had an unexpected encounter

Cara was sitting on a large truck just outside the church. When her eyes lit up when she saw me, I was a little bit confused. The previous feeling of helplessness and excitement which I had experienced in the morning encounter, and which had oddly disappeared in the club that night, attacked me ferociously.

I was happy to see her.

Cara got out of the truck and approached me. Her black leather outfit revealing all of her curves in minute details. The way she walked reminded me of models on TV shows. Every believer involuntarily stared her way, but who would blame her, she was insanely attractive.

"Go to your grandmother" I hurriedly shooed the two kids away. They complained for a bit but left eventually

"Hey, haven't seen you in a long time" Cara said with a bright smile, her eyes escorting the two kids away.

I was baffled with why her aura seemed to change every time I saw her. Because this Cara was definitely different from the Cara from that night, not physically though. I wasn't this speechless with Cara from the night, on the contrary, I could comfortably speak to her. It was confusing how words got lost in my mouth right now.

Or did it depend with the time I met her? Or her moods?

"I was Uhm…" I stuttered "you look nice" I blurted

"Well thanks" she smiled "you look nice too"

"Don't know about that"

"You recall my drink right? The one you owed me?" she asked

"Yeah" I smiled as I took out some cash "it was thirty dollars?"

Her smile gradually receded as her eyes showed a disappointed look. It made me feel like I had done or said something wrong

"I'm sorry" I apologized "I was under the impression that you didn't want to…see me"

"I returned in the evening, you were not there. I figured you were busy"

"You…you came by the club, you acted ignorant and all" I said

"The club?" Cara frowned "I literally have no idea of what you are talking about, honestly"

"Stop acting dumb Cara" I chuckled "you came to meet Ramon and the…vampires" I whispered the last part

"Cara?" she raised her brow

"Wow, you really can act. I could have actually believed you if I hadn't served your men myself" I shrugged

"I never told you my name" she stood akimbo, her beautiful eyes glaring at me

"You told me yourself" I felt like crying "right after you caressed my cheeks then chest"

"Or maybe you've forgotten me already, I'm John Steward? Remember?" I was starting to get irritated

Cara sighed

"Here's your thirty dollars" I handed her the cash then prepared to walk away, right after she grabbed my arm.

"That wasn't me" she said

I rolled my eyes "really? It's actually hard to mistake that beautiful red burn of hair. And your face, who would forget it?"

"That was my twin Cara. "