The Week I Was A Vampire by Brittney Dussault

good.”
                  Mafe nodded before stoking the fire she had going.  She stared down at the flames with an affectionate smile.
                  “We can feel warmth,” she said, “but can never truly be warm.  Nor can we ever be cold.”  She turned her attention back to Jude, the smile never faltering.  “My family make me feel warm inside, especially Daphne.  Her love sustains me, you could say.  The bond between sire and child is always unique, yet always profound.”
                  Jude thought about Daniel and how her undead heart flared to life whenever he touched her.  If bonds were unique, what would their bond turn out to be, assuming she didn’t last the week?  Then again, Daniel seemed determine for her to make it, so perhaps she shouldn’t be having these thoughts.  It felt almost like a betrayal to him.
                  “You feel drawn to Daniel because his blood created you,” Mafe said, returning to her spot on a chaise lounge.  “It is also because of his blood that you feel at ease around me.  The same blood is in all of us, and while you will never feel the loyalty you feel towards Daniel towards anyone else, you will always feel a connection to those of this bloodline.”
                  “Even Jemima?” Jude asked begrudgingly before she could stop herself.  She winced, hoping she hadn’t offended Mafe, but the girl seemed unfazed.
                  “It’s true my grandchild is not the easiest to deal with,” Mafe said, “but try to understand it from her perspective.  For her entire existence, it has always been her and her brother.  She has never once had to compete for his attention.  Then one day, a human girl came along and Jemima knew she was going to be demoted.  Not replaced, mind you, but the love for a lover can sometimes outweigh the love of a sibling.”
                  Jude listened to Mafe’s story intently, wondering who this human girl was.  Mafe’s pointed stare made her insides squirm and with a jolt she realized who Mafe was talking about.
                  “You can’t mean me,” she said.  “Daniel and I only talked for a few minutes at a high school party.  How could Jemima have known I’d come to mean something to him?  Heck, how did he even know?”
                  Mafe smiled her signature calm and serene smile, which made Jude feel like the vampire truly was ancient and had seen everything life had to offer; nothing could ruffle her feathers.
                  “When you live as long as we do,” Mafe said, “you reach a point when you simply know the effect someone is going to have on your life.  When Daniel saw you for the first time, he knew you were going to mean something to him, just like Jemima knew you could replace her as first in her brother’s affections.  Furthermore, I knew the moment you stepped into my home that you were determined to be human once again.  Every fiber of your being is screaming to be human, even as it changes into a vampire.”
                  Jude stared off into the fire, picking at a loose thread in her dress as she did.  It didn’t seem possible, living forever and developing a talent of just knowing who was going to be important in your life.  Had she walked into school that one day years ago and did a cursory scan of the room, she would not have pegged the then pink haired Lux Reading as her future best friend.
                  “So all of this happened because Daniel thought I would mean something to him,” Jude muttered.  “Why couldn’t he just leave me alone?”
                  Mafe leaned forward and grasped Jude’s hand, pulling the loose thread from her fingers, thus ceasing an action that could possibly ruin her dress.
                  “If the love of your life walked into a room,” Mafe said, “wouldn’t you