He vanished without a word. Swinging my head around, I saw his tall frame appear outside the glass door. Right, I was going to need to get used to that.
Rushing behind the counter, I grabbed my purse and shoved the hoodie inside it. Then I pulled the keys off the hook and hurried out. I’d do all the work tomorrow. It would mean more work at opening, but I didn't care.
Tonight I had a date with a monster!
Vie
“What should I call you?” she asked as we walked down the street. Her small hand was tucked in the crook of my elbow. I kept my strides short so she didn’t need to struggle to keep up.
“My brothers call me Vie,” I said. Should I tell her that Vie was short for Violence? No, probably not. Or at least not yet.
“Brothers?” she said. “You have siblings? Are they all like you?”
“We are the same, but different,” I answered. For some reason, my answer made her chuckle. Maybe I was better at dating than I thought. I’d never done it before, but I’d seen many humans go out on dates. I knew it was important to make her laugh, pay for everything, and encourage her to consume whatever she wanted.
I was confident I could do all of that.
When we got to the diner, a server called out for us to take any empty spot. I let Willow pick the place. Normally, I wouldn’t frequent a restaurant of any kind. If I did feel the urge to be indoors, I would sit or stand where I could observe but not be noticed.
Willow picked a booth right at the front. Not only were we close to the doors, but we were seated in front of the large windows that ran the length of the diner’s front.
I felt as if I was out in the open, but as usual, people around me averted their eyes. Humans couldn’t articulate it, but my presence always made them uncomfortable. Not long after we sat down, the family in the booth behind me got up and left.
“Here,” Willow said, plucking two laminated menus from behind the condiment holder and handing one to me. “This is my treat so order whatever you want.”
Oh no, I hadn’t thought of this. I was going to need to eat. I’d done it a few times in my life, but eating regular food never tasted or felt right. But I would do it for her.
“I’ll pay,” I insisted. “And I want to pay for the clothing that woman stole earlier today.”
Startled eyes looked up at me over the top of the menu. “What? Someone stole some clothes?”
“The woman in the green dress,” I explained. “She came in right as you opened and took several of those pants you have folded on the table near the back.”
Her eyes narrowed. “Damn it, I told Lucy to stop doing that! I’ll talk to her sister again.”
I expected anger, not mild annoyance. “You know this person steals, but you still let her in the shop?”
“Lucy is actually really sweet, but sometimes she doesn’t behave,” she explained.
“She didn’t smell of deceit,” I commented. “Her emotions were like a child's, otherwise, I might’ve done more than observe her.”
“More?”
I didn’t answer. The silence stretched again, interrupted when the server asked what we’d like. Willow ordered, then I felt the server's eyes on me.
“The same as her,” I said without looking at the server. I didn’t want to accidentally scare her and cause a disruption in Willow’s food order. I should’ve realized that going on a date was going to be a problem if we interacted with other humans.
The server shifted uncomfortably. “Do you want—”
“Exactly the same,” I said.
“Right, great,” she said before hurrying away.
“You said you would’ve done more to Lucy if she wasn’t like she was,” Willow pressed. “What did you mean?”
“I feed on bad people,” I said. “Like the men who attacked you.”
She bit her lip and fiddled with the menu. Then she seemed to take a fortifying breath and tucked it back behind the condiments before looking up at me. Her anxiety tasted unpleasant, but not as bad as her terror.
