Fighting a bunch of monsters didn't hurt. Dragging herself through the school work until sunrise didn't either. But having a period, did.
Jane knew what the pain in her abdomen meant. Pulling the blanket over, she had braced herself for the worst, but strangely enough, the sheet underneath stayed clean.
The ache was still there, though, sore and painful like a hand was gouging inside. Throwing the confusion away, she stood up from the bed.
Right then, a warm sensation poured down from her stomach and stopped between her legs. Using the strangest position, Jane grabbed a pad and rushed to the bathroom.
To her surprise, there was barely anything — again. The clean underwear stared at her, and she stared back at it, not knowing what to do.
Her girlhood started at sixth — no, fifth grade. Sixth was the lie she told the other girls when she knew they only started then. For seven years, eighty-four months, it had come. And now, it just…left.
Jane guessed she should be happy. No more back pain, no more worrying about stains, no more cursing why she was born a girl, and no more… children.
Her chest rose sharply as she gasped for air before settling down. A kid had never been in her near-future plan anyway.
Jane stuck the pad to the fabric. She had a long day ahead of her, starting with going to the lab.
✦✦✦
A lean figure in the familiar white blouse sat at the desk. Her brown hair was pulled into a bun, secured by a simple hairpin of the same color.
"Come in," Ms. Kelsey said, moving from her private desk to the guest area.
Without a word, Jane followed.
She came here with a lot of questions, but now she wondered if they should wait for another time. Asking Ms.Kelset felt uncomfortable — and no, it wasn't because she was a vampire.
"I heard that you've been skipping class lately."
What an unexpected opening for their conversation.
Jane had dreaded the day she would get caught, but not so suddenly, and definitely not from Ms.Kelsey. This must be the life of a student with no background and no connections.
"You can tell me why," Ms. Kelsey continued.
Her tone was low and soft, humming almost like the last breath of a patient. The corner of her mouth lifted slightly, nothing compared to the commercial smile she'd given Jane when they first met.
Seeing this calmed Jane's nerves. Even Ms.Kelsey could have a bad day.
"My stomach hurts. From… the period," Jane said with her back hunched just enough to support her words.
"Ah…right. Elly did tell me about your situation. How is it? Does it hurt that badly?"
Jane was in a dilemma. Lying to the doctor was never a good idea, but what should she do when the doctor was also the teacher?!
"Yes. It hurts a lot. Like… you know, wrenching," Jane smiled nervously. Then, the smile slowly faded from her face as she realized what she'd just said.
Ms.Kelsey used to be a human, did she?
"I actually don't know," Ms.Kelsey said gently. "I was born a vampire."
"You are?!"
"Yes. I am."
"I thought you used to be a human. Because…"
The words got stuck in Jane's mouth as her curiosity slowly turned into terror. In front of her sat a creature with no experience of being a human, but can mimic them perfectly. It was terrifying. And disgusting at the same time.
"Because of my ability?" she finished Jane's sentence. "Those powers work in a strange way. Mine was considered a bad omen."
"Bad omen?"
"Two vampires gave birth to a human-looking baby. If they had found a heartbeat, I wouldn't have existed."
Jane gasped. She had never thought that Ms.Kelsey would have such a tragic background.
"After about a hundred years, my vampire 'mode' finally showed. So in a way, I have lived a life of a human."
Those years were just grains of sand in her eternal life. Charlotte Kelsey no longer remembered the details — only some residual emotions that had been solved.
"So… do you consider yourself more of a vampire or a human?" Jane asked, her chest tightening as she waited for the answer.
"Vampire."
Her heart dropped with the sentence — not with dissapointment, but with relief. If Ms.Kelsey had said otherwise, she wouldn't have believed it anyway.
"So… can we give birth without having periods?" she finally shot the question. Was it an urgent matter? Jane wasn't sure. She just knew she had a burning desire in her stomach, probably pushed by hormones.
"Yes and No."
Ms.Kelsey's jaw was tense. Her posture stiffened as if there was air stuck inside her lungs. Jane waited, but no matter how silent the room became, Ms. Kelsey's mouth never opened.
She thought of Elly and the library — the sources of information that might require more time, but would be more —
"Not all vampires have periods. But those who do, can give birth."
— Useful.
Jane sat still as the realization hit: Ms. Kelsey was infertile. She wanted to say something to fix it, but was afraid anything would only make the situation worse.
"What's your plan for Hunt Day?"
The conversation took another unexpected turn.
"Why are you asking?" Jane looked up, her eyebrows knitting together, hearing the strange question.
Charlotte Kelsey stayed unfazed. She placed the folder on the table and stood up. Within a split second, her body blurred — leaving behind the white shadow of her blouse before that, too, vanished.
Jane was stunned. And scared. Her heart hadn't been at ease since she entered this room. Jane used to convince herself that the wall between them was normal, shared by all doctors and patients. Now, she believed she had turned it into a wall between two people who couldn't get along.
Suddenly, a lethal strike appeared in Jane's head. She turned to her right immediately, her hand caught the incoming attack.
"Not bad. But not enough," Ms.Kelsey's voice stayed beside her ear.
Jane didn't dare move to the left. She saw the strike, but didn't see what came after it — a cold syringe, millimeters away from sinking in.
"What are you doing?" she grunted, the tension making the muscles in her neck more prominent.
"This is a stabilizer, used for half-vampires who participate in the hunt," Ms. Kelsey said calmly as she walked from behind Jane to the opposite couch. "I was hoping you would turn into a vampire before that day, so I wouldn't have to inject you."
Jane stared at the clear vial trapped between Ms. Kelsey's fingers. Inside glowed a neon-green substance — a color that reminded her of poison.
"Why are you telling me this?" she asked.
"I want to keep you alive," Ms. Kelsey said with all sincerity. Then, she scoffed softly. "Even thought about buying you a bonker."
Which was dismissed, as the action would catch attention if it came from her.
Looking up from the desk, Charlotte Kelsey continued. "But I believe you wouldn't accept it. So, Jane, whatever you are doing, you will have to do better. And practice your horse-riding skills."
Those were Ms.Kelsey's words before Jane left the room. Her mouth parted open, and her eyes stayed shocked as she processed everything that had just happened. So she was wrong, and Ms.Kelsey was actually nice?
"And call me Charlotte next time," she smiled.
As the door closed, her mouth slowly settled into its relaxed state — a natural upturn that contradicted the cold calmness in her eyes. Whatever had happened, the child was not to blame. Charlotte Kelsey reminded herself of this, yet there was always a weight pressed against her chest.
She genuinely enjoyed that lively, sensible girl, who despite having too many questions, knew when to ask them. And Charlotte Kelsey didn't enjoy lying. She never did, not even today.
Yes, those who bled could give birth. But how many of them could bleed with the moon?
Charlotte Kelsey pulled the heavy envelope from her desk. The finest paper made by Italian artisans, decorated with hand-painted gold lines, and exquisite calligraphy — all to deliver a single news: one pure vampire had been born after centuries of drought.