feeling like it was on fire, pouring blood. Poor Tori was having conniptions. I don’t know what I was being punished for.

“She hates me. She hates me because she can’t escape from me, and if she can’t escape from me, then she must be a part of me.”

Theroen was quiet. He turned away from the moon, looked down at the road. He seemed to have no answer to this.

Two spoke up. “If she’s a part of you, Melissa, she’s a part that was supposed to be buried. Abraham’s blood woke her up, but she’s not a part of you that was ever supposed to... to function. She’s like a set of wisdom teeth that never come in, but never need to be pulled, except Abraham pushed them forward. She’s like a benign tumor, except Abraham made it malignant. You see?

“We’ve all got parts of us that are dormant. They don’t affect us, even subconsciously. But I guess the right shock can wake them up. But she’s not a part of you, she’s a wrongful addition. You were already complete to begin with.”

Melissa seemed to take some consolation in this. She stopped, hugged Two, and kissed her cheek. “Thanks. I thought I was supposed to be tagging along to comfort you!”

Two smiled. “You are. Glad I could return the favor.”

* * *

The trio crested a hill, stopped for a moment, looked down upon the town below them. Melissa turned to Two.

“I swear to God, I don’t know why Abraham makes us live so far outside of the city. Look at this. It’s eleven o’clock and almost every light in the town is out!”

Two shrugged. Behind her, Theroen laughed.

“That is precisely why he has us live so far outside of the city, Melissa. It allows us some privacy, away from prying eyes. We lived in Manhattan during the first century we spent here, and it caused us nothing but trouble. I personally had to dispatch four intrepid vampire hunters, and one priest.”

“Priest.” Two looked up at him. “You never finished telling me about how you became a vampire, Theroen.”

“Did you tell her about Father Leopold?” Melissa laughed, peals of silver in the night.

“Father Leopold.” Theroen’s voice held a smile as well. “No, I don’t believe we reached that point in the story. Father Leopold is almost personally responsible for my vampirism. I say almost because modern science and psychology have helped me to understand that his actions were probably not entirely under his control.

Two looked at Theroen, head tilted, saying nothing. Melissa sat down on the curb under a streetlight, leaned back on her arms, stretched.

“We have time, Theroen,” she said.

“Are you that anxious to hear it again, Melissa? I recall -- only a few years ago -- you shouting something along the lines of ‘forget that dead pope’ at me.”

“That’s only because you were in one of your theological phases, with all the questioning about God and all that crap. I was tired of it.” Melissa’s teeth gleamed, her smile having returned from its earlier departure.

“Ah. Yes. God and all that crap. Exactly what I was obsessed with at the time Abraham brought me into darkness.”

“He talks like some Goth poet wannabe. Have you heard him talk about sex?” Melissa’s tone was conspiratorial, but Two knew Theroen had heard it, despite appearing not to notice. She covered a smile with her hand.

“Father Leopold had one outstanding flaw which put him somewhat at odds with the church, though he had gone to great pains to make sure the church was unaware of it. I would likely have been his undoing, if not for my encounter with Abraham. Father Leopold, it turns out, was very fond of young men with a fervent belief in God.”

“Oh, no...” Two was smiling, shaking her head.

“It took five years. I was under his tutelage for that long, from the age of eighteen to twenty-three. I can honestly say I never knew, and never saw it coming. We were closing up the cathedral for the night. It was dark. Empty and warm. I have the suspicion that Leopold may also have been availing himself of some drink that night.” Theroen paused, rolled his eyes. “I assure you, there are few things more surprising in life than an unexpected kiss from a middle-aged priest. One of those things, though, would be the feel of his hand pressing against your groin.”

Melissa exploded into laughter. Theroen coughed, seemed to be holding back laughter of his own. He shook his head. Two