Chapter 4: Confession

Maria sat quietly in the tiny Chevy Spark the entire way to the hospital. Thank the gods for Savannah, though, who was the complete opposite. It seemed she had an insight about each Redrock they passed or plants she saw at every turn. It wasn't until they parked that Savannah turned to Maria with her lips pursed.

"Look, I know I talk a lot, but that was a thirty-minute drive of you not saying anything at all. If I'm super annoying, just tell me to shut up, and I promise I will."

Maria fidgeted, not saying anything in response, and instead picking at one of the many empty fast food bags that sat on the passenger side. Her heart raced as she replayed the image of Alessandro turning into a bat and flying away into the night.

"I've already f*cked up this friendship, haven't I?" Savannah pulled the keys out of the ignition. "You know my Mama always told me, some thoughts need to stay in my head, but I guess even at twenty-nine years old, I still haven't learned — "

"I saw my neighbor turn into a bat!" Maria blurted out.

There was a momentary pause, and then Savannah burst out laughing. The sound filled the small vehicle, and Maria slid lower in her seat, slightly embarrassed for having said anything.

"Look, I know how it sounds—" Maria began, but Savannah cut her off.

"No, I'm sorry,” she wiped away a tear that had formed from her uncontrollable outburst. "It's just, when I saw your house up on that hill, all alone except for your one neighbor, I really thought that this was going to end with you brutally slaughtered, chopped into bite-sized nuggets, and stuffed into a freezer — but a vampire?! That's hot!"

Maria looked Savannah in the eye. She was insane. But it seemed that if Maria was going to endure whatever craziness this was, then Savannah was the person to confide in.

"I was probably just seeing things," Maria said decisively.

Savannah shrugged. "Maybe."

"Plus, who actually believes in vampires?! He could be some sort of magician."

"Magician! Really?" Savannah seemed disappointed in Maria's inability to believe in immortal beings. "Have you never watched any classic vampire films? They ALWAYS turn into bats, especially on a night like tonight when the moon is clear, bright, and they live up on a deserted hill. There is only one way to find out, though..." Savannah said with a sneaky tone in her voice.

"Puncture his heart with a silver stake?"

"Damn, you're morbid," Savannah responded.

"Two seconds ago, you literally told me that you thought I was going to be axed and put in a freezer," Maria said defensively.

"But you can't group all vampires together. What if he's one of the good guys? Oh my god, what if he's your Edward Cullen?!"

Maria wrinkled her nose, "I feel like I should be offended."

Savannah ignored her remark, already on to her next thought, "You need garlic. Leave a trail or something outside his door, and then ding dong ditch his a*s and see what happens when he steps out on the front porch.

"That's a dumb idea," Maria said, knowing full well that it would be precisely what she did tomorrow morning.

***

THE NEXT DAY — MARIA'S HOUSE

Maria stared at the fresh garlic cloves sitting on her counter (and seven succulents she’d ‘adopted’) that morning at the Farmer’s Market. Her little Plant Daycare was finally coming back together. After having to leave so many plants at her exes she’d feared she’d never rebuild her collection, but she was off to a good start for having been here less than a week.

Picking up the garlic cloves she walked decisively out of her door. While half of her couldn’t believe that she was about to do this the other half had a firm resolve as to what needed to be done.

However, the first attempt to discover whether Alessandro was a vampire or not epically failed. Maria rang the bell. Then rang it again. Then after ringing it five times, she gave up and walked back to her place.

Either he was the world's hardest sleeper, or this was yet another clue about his vampire origins.

That evening, with garlic in hand, Maria again set out to Alessandro's front porch. The butterflies in her stomach knocked against her rib cage as doubt once again crept in. This was insanity. Why in the world had she let Savannah slip into her mind and convince her that this was the logical thing to do? There was still time to turn back.

But Maria's curiosity was getting the better of her. After all, she had seen him transform with her own eyes. She needed answers!

Maria set the cloves of garlic out on the porch. Then she reached up to ring the bell when a familiar deep voice behind her said, "That's just a myth, you know."

Taken completely off guard, Maria stumbled over the step, about to plunge head-on into the concrete when a set of muscular arms caught her mid-fall. She found herself staring into the deep grey eyes of Alessandro. He looked down at her with a small smile.

"Hey," was all she could muster.

"Hey," he replied, setting her upright. His black hair seemed freshly washed as he pushed it back from his face.

Maria looked nervously over at the garlic. For a moment, she wondered how she was going to clarify what she was doing, but then remembered it was her neighbor who needed to be the one explaining.

Alessandro strolled over to the porch and picked up one of the cloves. "It took centuries for vampires to build up a tolerance to this sh*t." He tossed it up and down as if it were a baseball.

"I saw you," Maria clamored.

"I see you too," Alessandro's mouth twitched again with a smile.

"No, I saw you last night, turn into a...a...bat or something."

Alessandro's lips twitched as he tried to hold his carefree smile. "Really?" he replied coolly.

"You're not even going to deny it?" Maria said in disbelief.

"Would it change your mind about what you saw if I did?" Alessandro set the garlic clove down then looked her straight in the eye. "My biggest trepidation these past years has been over having this moment of truth with a human."

Maria's breath hitched. She wasn't sure what he was about to say, and she wasn't sure she wanted to hear it.

"You could walk away right now," Alessandro said. "You don't have to be a part of this."

Maria knew he was right. She should turn around. Yet, instead, she found herself stepping closer to him.

"I'm so tired of hiding," Alessandro said, "and the moment I saw you, things felt...different." His lips drew so close to Maria that she could feel the warmness of his breath on her as he said, "Yes, I’m indeed a vampire."

Maria stood speechless. Then, the air from her lungs escaped, and her world turned black.