The Guest & The Change - By M. D. Bowden Page 0,41

like that went well,’ said Daniel. He’d been hovering around the corner, out of her line of sight.

‘You weren’t supposed to be listening!’ she said.

She threw a pillow at him, but he dodged it.

‘How could I not?’ he said mischievously.

Sarah walked across the room and looked out of the window. Endless conifers reached to the horizon. The sky was dark, a storm approaching.

She shuddered, remembering a hint of her dream. Looking back, she saw Daniel had sat on his bed. He gestured towards another door, which Sarah presumed led to the bathroom. She smiled shyly at Daniel, feeling self-conscious about being covered in dirt and blood - it was much more apparent in the spotless room.

She stepped through the door and got the shower running. She peeled off her dirty clothes and stepped under the warm water, letting the blood and memories wash away.

***

Outside the hotel, the forest became very still. The birds were silent, and small animals hid out of sight. A patch of darkness materialized between two trees.

At first it had no visible form. It was a hazy outline, surrounding an intensely black, swirling mist. It was slowly taking shape - the shape of a human man. He was tall with dark hair and black eyes. His form was still fluid, like he wasn’t quite there - not whole yet.

His piercing eyes looked up, towards the hotel. He caught a glimpse of a pretty blond woman - she was looking out of the window, at the horizon.

Anyone who was watching would have seen his eyes darken, and his shape disintegrate before their eyes.

He returned to a swirling blackness, and moved off, deeper into the forest.

CHAPTER 2

Daniel waited patiently while Sarah showered. He lay back on the bed, one arm supporting his head. He listened to the water splashing down in the bathroom and absentmindedly gazed at the clouds moving in, shading the sky.

He had an uneasy feeling that maybe everything wasn’t resolved. When Sarah had looked out of the window sounds in the forest had disappeared. That was strange, he couldn’t quite fathom it. He was a vampire, and when he walked in the forest life continued regardless, wildlife didn’t seem to notice him. When he had first been turned by Sebastian they had lived in the forest together, out in the wilderness on their own. No house, not even a hut - they had slept in the trees.

Wildlife hadn’t been affected by Sebastian either. Birds still sang in the trees, even if Sebastian was in them. And Sebastian was evil, as evil as anything he’d known.

What could have caused the birds to stop singing? He shook his head. Maybe it was a coincidence, yet he suspected something had been out there. The question was what, and what was it doing there?

And he still wasn’t convinced something wasn’t going on with Sarah. She said she felt really good, that she could see clearly. He wondered how clearly she could see - more clearly than before? As clearly as a vampire?

He hadn’t wanted to question her too much, not when she’d just woken up, when she was in such a hurry to see her family. She seemed in a surprisingly good mood though, considering all that had happened. He wondered how she was holding up inside. He could sense she was experiencing some turmoil, but he couldn’t tell how much. She was putting on a good show. She’s probably buoyed up by the whole experience, Daniel thought, happy to have survived; it must be keeping her going. He admired her strength.

She certainly wasn’t acting like a vampire, and she still smelt human - her blood smelt delicious, tempting. She wasn’t going crazy and didn’t appear to be desperately thirsty for blood, as newly turned vampires tended to be. He could still hear her rhythmic heartbeat pumping blood around her body. She was still human.

Could it be the residual effects of the power of his blood that was making her feel different, or had that power had a permanent effect on her? He would have to watch her closely, see if her behavior changed, to make sure she was ok.

***

Sarah stepped out of the shower. She picked up the largest white towel from the worn-looking pile by the sink and wrapped it around herself - it felt slightly hard and scratchy against her body. She found a smaller one and tossed her hair upside down, wrapping the towel into a turban so that her long wet hair wouldn’t drip down