Created Sunday 10 May 2009
Version 2.1
I want to thank Sephrena Lynn Miller for her extensive review of this chapter, that helped me refining this story (even if it means some delay). Thanks as well to Sika Sinn for some corrections.
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Ashley was now back in her bed, deeply sleeping. There was no chance of waking her up. Meryl was looking over at her friend with mixed feelings. She seemed as if she was on the verge of doing something, but, there was always something that was keeping her from doing it. She finally decided to let her friend sleep a little more. Meryl opened the window some and changed into her pixie form. She fluttered out the window and over the houses of the neighborhood. She occasionally hovered by a window, peering inside with curiosity.
After a few hours of flying about, Meryl flew back to Ashley's room. After closing the window, Meryl started growing taller and taller until she became her other self in human form. With Ashley sleeping like a log, Meryl proceeded to look through Ashley's clothes and selected a lavender flowered nightgown to wear for the night.
Meryl then slipped quietly and softly into bed with Ashley. After a moment of indecision, she brought her mouth closer to Ashley. Meryl then gently kissed Ashley’s lips. Ashley was still fast sleep, seeming impervious to the tactile movement her friend had just done. Meryl sensed a slight warmth of passion from within Ashley’s mind.
Meryl gently pressed her lips against Ashley’s cheek, then again below her chin, on down to her neck. The slight kissing Meryl started with turned into a gentle sucking on her neck, much like a baby feeding. Meryl slid her arms around her friend’s waist and held her in a loving embrace.
After what seemed an eternity, Meryl pulled away from Ashley’s neck. Traces of blood were showing on Ashley's neck where she had obviously been bitten. With a small sense of guilt, Meryl's red lips came back to the wound. When Meryl pulled away from kissing the wounds this time, no hint of what had happened remained.
Meryl snuggled in close with Ashley and closed her eyes. Soon her breathing slowed in rhythm to her friend beside her.
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Ashley, with sleep still in her eyes, shut off the alarm clock off. She suddenly sensed that she was not alone in her bed. After a brief moment of panic, she remembered: last evening, the egg, and Meryl. Meryl was supposed to be accompanying her to school today. How was she going to explain her presence to her mother? she wondered, as she was rubbing the sleep out of her eyes.
“Morning,” came the feminine voice from beside her, interrupting her thoughts.
“Morning,” Ashley replied, finally blinking her eyes wide open. “I see you decided to sleep with me. I don't really mind that, but I don't know how Mum will react. If she finds out...”
“I don’t mean to cause any trouble…” apologized Meryl.
“No, you haven't. But have you figured out how we can explain your presence?”
“Why not tell her the truth? Usually, it’s the best solution.”
“Somehow, I don't think she would understand.”
“I can fix that!” Meryl grinned.
Ashley, suddenly realizing that perhaps there was more to her friend than she knew, started timaging her mother chastising her for having a stranger over without permission and Meryl sweetly talking her way out of it – the image was a bit much. Ashley couldn't help but to giggle at that. When she recovered, she then told Meryl. “I had a strange dream last night. It's a bit silly, and I don't know how it came to my mind, but I dreamt that you were a vampire and that you were feeding from me.”
Finishing the sentence, Ashley burst out laughing as if what she said was the funniest thing on earth.
Meryl just lost all color from her face. She has planned on telling Ashley what had happened, but didn't expect that!
‘Uh oh!’ she thought, ‘if she was able to perceive that then she may have a talent!’
Ashley sensing discomfort from her friend asked, “What's the matter?”
Meryl , fingering the bedspread, just looked sheepishly down at the spread, really at nothing in particular. She stayed silent.
Ashley, then, with some concern in her voice, asked what she dared not think. “Is there something between your kind and vampires?”
Meryl lifted her gaze to meet Ashley’s. “Well,” she replied shyly, “I guess. In your mind, your image of it, there is similarity.”
Ashley, somewhat frightened, just kept her mouth shut and decided to let her friend continue.
Meryl, flush with embarrassment and sensing Ashley’s feelings sharply said “Stop! Please, I am not that! Well... yes, I am something like that. Let me explain.”
Meryl furrowed her brow and put her finger to her upper lip and finally figured out how to say what she was going to tell Ashley.
“You have nothing at all to fear from me, please! I never kill. And, I do not need much blood.” Blushing a deep rose red, she continued, “It’s not the blood itself I need - it’s the gift of life from it. That is different from how you are thinking of what the word ‘vampire’ is.”
Ashley was dumbfounded by what Meryl had told her.
“So, yes, I fed from you last night. I could only do so because you let me do it, unconsciously. I could never do any harm to you.” Meryl lowered her eyelids. “I care too much… for you.”
Meryl paused and looked at Ashley. Ashley‘s mouth was slightly open.
“You mean you drank my blood?”
Meryl, seemingly ashamed, just nodded in affirmation.
After the first moment of shock passed, Ashley, now curious, asked, “But why would you need it?”
Meryl slightly grinned, “I don't need the gift of life to survive - I'm not a ‘vampire.’ But if I want to do anything magical, I need, what you call the ‘energy’ - the gift of life. I don't need to drink blood. There are other ways to ingest the gift.”
Ashley’s response was, “Cool!”
“You really don't have a problem with it?”asked Meryl, not quite understanding her friend's reaction. She could sense her friend’s emotions and knew there was something about the situation that she did not like. She knew most humans did not find drinking blood ‘cool.’ Ashley seemed different somehow.
“Well,” Ashley started and raised her eyebrow, “Just ask me next time, before you do something like that to me. I probably would not mind, but I would at least like the choice of saying no.
“I will. I promise. I just hadn't planned this out, and I needed the gift badly. Since you let me ...”
Ashley pulled her hair from her face and pulled it back out of the way over her shoulder. “I like vampires.”
Meryl‘s look changed to puzzlement.
“Vampires that don’t kill. I don’t suppose it’s rational, but that’s just the way I am. It’s cool.”
Ashley took both of her friend’s hands and clasped them into her own and stated. “We are friends.”
Meryl smiled and felt the warmth from Ashley’s feelings.
“And friends help one another. I really have never felt this way towards anyone else, but I do feel that we are friends. And I suppose you do need my help.”
Meryl broke into a smile as Ashley pulled her close and the two embraced.
Suddenly, a woman’s voice hollered up from downstairs. “Ashley! What's taking you so long? If you don't hurry up and get dressed, you'll be late for school.”
“Oh my!” Ashley exclaimed.
••••
The door then opened, to let Eryn come in. She soon realized that her daughter wasn't alone, and stared at her guest, lost for words. Meryl then spoke, “So, you're Eryn? Ashley's mother?” It was the morning to make revelations it seemed.
“Em ... yes, and ... should I know you?” asked Eryn.
“Don't think so. I'm Ashley's friend, in fact, I was just born yesterday. I believe that's why we haven't seen each other yet.” replied Meryl as if that was the most normal thing she had said.
“You were born yesterday? What kind of joke is that?” asked Eryn, not knowing how to take the information she was given.
“It's not a joke, actually, I'm not human, you see. That's how it happens I suppose.”
“Who are you then?”
“Someone special” said Meryl, before she took without warning her pixie form. “See?”
Shocked, Eryn tried to reply, “So I see ... well, if you don't harm my daughter, I don't see why you can't stay.”
“Thanks,” answered Meryl with a large smile on her face.
“And, you are not going to school I suppose. My daughter has to go soon. I guess we'll talk later then. If you don't mind, I'd like if we knew each other a little better.”
“I'm going to school as well,” informed Meryl.
“Whatever, but, be quick. We'll go in less than an hour now. And I will take you whether you are ready or not.” And with that, she left. probably still wondering if what she saw was an illusion.
“I guess I did OK, what do you think?” asked Meryl to her friend, after Mum left.
“You still amaze me, you know?” replied her friend, “But we have to get ready, we are late already.”
“Don't worry,” said Meryl. In an instant, they were ready and dressed. Ashley felt like she had taken a shower. It felt good. They just had to take breakfast. “You see magic is useful sometimes,” continued Meryl, “Just don't do it too much or your life becomes boring. That, and that I'd need to eat you completely,” she said jokingly.
“In truth, this barely required energy, some things I might do today might be more demanding though,” finished Meryl, letting Ashley wonder what it might be she was talking about.
“Would you start being normal?” asked Ashley, seemingly crossed, before a smile crept on her face.
“I'm hardly normal”
“Shall we take a breakfast?”
Then the two came down to the kitchen for their breakfast.
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