Teriun

'Hey, lad, wake up.'

The throbbing headache and cutting pain in my muscles shoot through me as soon as I open my eyes. With difficulty, I keep my tired eyelids apart as I look at the older man.

I blink my eyes a few times before I can survey the man and situation before me.

'Would you like a glass of water lad? Maybe a piece of bread?'

The man, squatting in front of me with a glass of water in his hand, has a friendly face. The wrinkles reflect that the man has been around for a while. The sparkling brown eyes have a concerned but cheerful expression in them as he looks at me expectantly.

Without answering, I take the outstretched glass of water out of his hand. In one gulp I pour the contents in, knowing it is not what I need to fill the empty feeling in my stomach. Nor will the bread, which I silently take from the man. Let alone the empty feeling in my heart, which will probably never completely disappear.

'What's your name?'

I look at the man without answering. My dry throat will never be able to produce a dignified answer. All the energy is gone from my body and the glass has not helped the dryness.

The moment the man wants to ask further a bell rings through, what I suspect, the other room.

'I'll be right back lad, just stay put,' the man says before getting up and walking out of the small room. His dirty apron with white spots flutters along his set body.

It is the first time I take the opportunity to look around me quietly. Although I can only get my head turned I look around the small space. The room, not much bigger than two square meters, contains a narrow table filled with coffee cups, two chairs, a pile of clothes in the corner and a single sofa that I am currently lying on. The place smells like a combination of bread and wood. Then I remember stumbling into a bakery with the last bit of energy my body had.

'He walked in and passed out immediately. He had been lying here for three days before he woke up. For a moment I thought he was done,' sounds from the other room. Too weak to listen to the voice in which the man speaks, I lay my head back on the flat pillow. The world spins, the stars dance before my eyes.

The realization of how I ended up here slowly lands back in my memories. As fast as I can I push the dark months back to their cage. The wounds will heal, the scars can be hidden but the void will never be able to be filled.

Before I can be pulled further into the darkness, one steps in.

A woman dressed totally in black stands in the narrow doorway. The black dress hangs gracefully around her slim body. The black hair is put up in a neat bun and the black heels come out just below the skirt.

Although the expression on the woman's face is friendly, the aura around her is intimidating. Her straight shoulders and the hands behind her back radiate self-assurance. At first glance it can be seen that the woman is anything but human.

Silently she walks slowly in my direction, her heels tapping on the floor. She slowly kneels down in front of the couch.

'Good afternoon, I'm Celeste and I'm here to help you. Can I ask you a few questions?'

The woman's voice is soft and friendly. At the same time, she exudes an authority that makes you not think about seeking an argument with her.

Slowly I nod. My head still pounding and the stars dancing.

'What's your name?' How I didn't bother to use my cracking voice a moment ago I feel compelled to do so now. I make an effort to push myself further up on the couch but my limp arms have no strength.

Celeste lets her gaze pass over me in a swift movement before looking straight into my eyes again.

'T-...te...uuhm...teri...teriun,' I get out stammering, stuttering and struggling. Celeste merely nods.

'Teriun, how old are you?' I make another attempt to utter something but nothing more than a squeak comes out. The crying and screaming combined with the little moisture has made my voice disappear.

'F-f..five...t..teen.' Again Celeste nods.

'Okay. I'm going to ask you some questions. All you have to do is nod yes or no. If you don't want to share you can raise your hand. Do you understand?' I nod. She smiles.

'Can you remember how you got here?' Unfortunately yes, so I nod.

'Did you come here voluntarily?' Although I didn't intend to end up totally dehydrated and exhausted on a dirty couch I definitely left that rat hole voluntarily.

'Do you want to go back to where you came from?' As fast as I can I shake my head. The moment I set foot there my life officially end.

'Did you flee?' I nod.

'Will you be in mortal danger once you go back?' Another nod. Those bastards chop off my head as soon as they see me standing there, without any hesitation or doubt.

'Okay. Are any of your parents or guardians alive?' Slowly I nod, though I'm not happy with that answer.

'Do you want to go back to your parent or caregiver?' Again, I immediately shake my head. That pile of shit who dares to call himself my father can rot in hell. Just like the woman who once thought to call herself my mother.

'Do you have a place to stay tonight with someone who can take care of you or can we contact an acquaintance of yours?' Slowly I shake my head. My entire life has been spent in that dark place that revolved only around strength, speed and survival. The moment I fled was the first moment I took a step outside the grounds.

This time Celeste doesn't ask me a question for a longer time. She observes me before slowly standing up.

'Okay thanks for your answers Teriun. I would like to offer you a place for lodging and food. I have an orphanage for children like you. There are several children there with a similar story to you of different ages. You will have your own room for this night. You will be safe there, won't have to share your story if you don't want to, and we can accommodate special needs for vampires. If you like it and are willing to abide by the rules we can talk about permanent residence. Do you understand?'

Slowly I nod as I struggle to let the offer sink in. A woman I don't know offers me a place to stay, a safe place to stay.

When I stumbled into this bakery exhausted, that was the last thing I expected to hear.

In addition, the woman is aware that I am a vampire without my telling or showing anything about it.

The situation confuses me but my options are limited. I have nowhere else to go. Despite my suspicion and limited faith in people's sincerity, I have few other choices.

'Would you like that?'

I nod.