Bloodsucking fiends: a love story

explain it. It felt like I was supposed to."
    "If you were hungry you should have told me. I don't mind, really."
    "It wasn't like that, Tommy. Look, I don't know how to file this – emotionally, I mean. I don't feel like I killed someone. The point I'm trying to make is that the body crumbled to dust. There was no body. The people the vampire is killing aren't dying from his bite. He's breaking their necks before they die. He's doing all this on purpose to scare me. I'm afraid he might hurt you to get at me. I've suspected it for a long time, but I didn't want to say anything to you. If you want to leave, I'll understand."
    "I didn't say anything about leaving. I don't know what to do. How would you feel if I told you I had killed someone?"
    "It would depend. This guy wanted to die. He was in pain. He was going to die anyway."
    "Do you want me to leave?"
    "Of course not. But I need you to try and understand."
    "I am trying. That's all I've been doing. Why do you think I've been doing all these experiments? You act like this is easy for me. I've been a mess all day worrying about you and you're in a basement a few steps away. What about that? Who dragged you into the basement?"
    "I don't know."
    "Whoever it was saved your life. Was it the vampire?"
    "I said, I don't know."
    Tommy went across the room and pick up the paperback of The Vampire Lestat . "This guy, Lestat, he can tell when there's another vampire around. He can sense it. Can't you sense it?"
    "Right, and that's why we have a dead guy in the freezer. No, I can't sense it."
    Tommy held up the book. "There's a whole history of the vampire race in here. I think this Anne Rice knows a real vampire or something."
    "That's what you thought about Bram Stoker, too. And I spent an hour standing on a chair trying to turn into a bat."
    "No, this is different. Lestat isn't evil, he likes humans. He only kills murderers that are without remorse. He knows when there are other vampires around. Lestat can fly."
    Jody jumped up and ripped the book out of his hand. "And Anne Rice can write, Tommy, but I'm not throwing that in your face."
    "You don't have to get personal."
    "Look, Tommy, maybe there's some truth in one of these books that you're reading, but how do we know which one? Huh? Nobody gave me a fucking owner's manual when I got these fangs. I'm doing the best that I can."
    Tommy looked away from her, then at his shoes. "You're right, I'm sorry. I'm confused and I'm a little scared. I don't know what I'm doing either. Hell, Jody, you might have AIDS now, we don't know."
    "I don't have AIDS. I know I don't."
    "How do you know? It's not like we can send you down to the clinic to test you or anything."
    "I know it, Tommy. I could feel it if I did. Except for sunlight and food, I'm not even allergic to anything anymore. Hand lotions and soaps I couldn't get near before without breaking into a rash don't affect me. I've done a few experiments of my own. My body won't let anything hurt me. I'm safe. Besides…" Jody paused and grinned, waiting for him to ask.
    "Besides what?"
    "He was wearing a condom."
    Tommy resumed staring at his shoes, said nothing, then looked up at her and laughed. "That's incredibly sick, Jody."
    She nodded and laughed.
    "I love you," he said, moving to her and taking her in his arms.
    "Me too," she said, hugging him back.
    "That's really sick, you know that?"
    "Yep," she said. "Tommy, I don't want to break this beautiful moment, but I have to take a shower." She kissed him and pushed him away gently, then headed into the bathroom.
    "Uh, Jody," he called after her, "I got a present for you in Chinatown today."
    There's an explanation for this, she thought, standing in the bathroom, looking at the turtles. There is a perfectly good reason why there are two huge snapping turtles in my tub.
    "Do you like them?" Tommy was standing in the doorway behind her.
    "These are for me, then?" She tried to smile. She really did.
    "Yeah, Simon helped me get them home. I didn't think I could carry them on the bus. Aren't they great?"
    Jody looked in the tub again. The turtles were trying to crawl on top of each other. Their claws screeched on the porcelain when they moved.
    "I don't know what to say," Jody said.
    "I thought that we could feed them fish and stuff, and you'd have a blood supply right here at home. Besides me, I mean."
    She turned and regarded Tommy. Yes, he was serious. He was really serious. "You haven't…"
    "Their names are Scott and Zelda.