Without listening to what they were saying anymore, only identifying their expressions of amazement, I started running towards the fence, which I chose to climb, instead of jumping, although I knew very well that I was capable of doing it. I could perfectly sink my feet in the ground, throw my arms violently down and jump, reaching the top of the fence with extreme ease, but once again, I wanted to keep a low profile, so I took the bag to my lips and bit the knot that kept it closed as smooth as I could, so as not to cut the plastic. I crashed soundly against the metal, holding on to twenty fingers, entangling them through the holes and began to climb quickly, but hardly faster than any human. Below and behind, apparently some members of security had already arrived, and I heard them call me, warning that they would shoot, also saying that they didn’t wanted to. I could smell their fear of a creature like me, because they could still see my skin, totally intact, when it should be bleeding everywhere. They had a bitter aroma, but not unpleasant, in fact, I could compare it with the good beer you drink on a Friday night, with your friends, at the bar closest to school or work. The emotions had to give a different touch to the blood, and for me, that in the first instance I couldn’t eat absolutely anything else, that was a blessing.

When I reached the top of the fence, I held on tightly to the barbed wire and the structure wobbled under my weight. The barbs buried themselves in my skin, hurting me just like hypodermic needles, and they didn’t stop me from kicking against the cold metal, pushing me up, taking a turn in the air, still gripping the wire, showing part of my legs when the dress fell by them, product of gravity. However, the bag also fell and stuck with one of the peaks, cracking slightly on its surface, but enough so that the blood began to drip from it. Damn it, I had screwed up.

I landed again on the cold earth, perfectly on the soles of my feet, but crouched down, turning my back on them all, and again holding the bag with my hands, trying to cover the small ripping of the bag, without getting it. I quickly took off the robe that covered me and wrapped my food carefully, leaving as a result a perfect cocoon I could easily carry. As I stood up, a buzzing sound stunned my right ear, surprising me for the first time in the whole night, alerting me, giving me goose bumps. I turned to look at them, finding the first security man who had chased me, with his weapon drawn and the cannon smoking. The damned one had shot me, and he had failed only because the fear I could smell now in his sweat. I buffet, not being able to retain the desire to complain, mainly because the imbecile had pointed to my head, and although I wasn’t sure that he had killed me, it would have made me lose consciousness at least, and in that short time of regeneration, they would have caught me, taken away my food, and checked who I was.

I addressed him alone a fierce expression, frowning and, although he couldn’t see it, showing my teeth. Then the man, a middle-aged guy, completely healthy, well-built, with a normally sullen expression, and intimidating wherever he was seen, now looked at me with fear, a fear so pure that it provoked me nausea and bewilderment. That was the same look I had when I saw how my creator transformed Caroline's brains into a vampire shake. After all the effort, my idea of keeping the profile low hadn’t worked. It wasn’t yet clear that I was supernatural, but I bet that they all knew it, one way or another. I was a pale man, semi-nude, cadaverous, with maddened expression, in the middle of the forest. Maybe, at the end of the day, we were all the same, regardless of our intentions. Denying, suffering when I realized what this meant, I closed my eyes and turned around, holding my ballémon cocoon tightly under my arm. Then I started to run as slowly as I could, at first, hearing more bursts behind me, and impacts in the trees ahead, without any of them giving me.

Soon, I stopped listening to the shots so close, and they became more and more an echo in the back of my mind, not even capturing my attention, because now I was subject to the idea of the frightened man and the woman who I had helped to die. The more I thought about it, the more I came to the conclusion that, no matter what I did, not everyone would see me in a good and kind way. I would always be judged and hunted by humans, and the main reason for that wasn’t that I had to drink blood to not die, if dying was an option, but for them, living with us would be like having a pet tiger. Living among humans was impossible, completely, and that hurt me, because I had always enjoyed solitude, I had always felt at peace with her, but I also knew how to cope well in social environments and I didn’t shy away from seeing myself surrounded by people. It was one thing to choose to be alone, at times, and quite another, to be forced into darkness and loneliness.

Without realizing it, I slowed down more and more, until I stopped at a point, where I squatted down and hugged my legs, letting my tears spill over my face again. Not only could I not see my family, my pets, my friends again. I just couldn’t go back to anyone, nobody human, and to know if there was someone like me nearby. If not, my only company would be the moon, and my occasional victims. Being a vampire wasn’t the most satisfying thing in the world, even for someone who was already looking for solitude, because as I said, it was one thing to seek solitude if you weren’t alone, but another thing was to be alone, forever.

I sighed, trying to reassure myself, focusing on how things felt now. I looked around. Even with the blackness of the night and the almost absolute darkness inside the forest, I could appreciate the dark greenery of the plants. I looked at the glowing eyes of the insects that were cautious in my presence, knowing me a predator. Then I looked up at the moon and my mouth hung open. That was beautiful, perfect. Considering God as a whole, like the universe itself, he was a perfect architect. The stars shone, clear, like millions of points in the blue sky. They themselves had their own glowing colors. Some were blue, others yellow, others red, some more purple. Each one was unique, shining with a different glow. And the moon... she was enough for one more tear to stain my skin. It was a huge diamond, that reflected all the colors of the rainbow, due to the light that the sun gave her. It was a textured mirror. It was the guardian of the earth. It was stunning. It was beautiful. I closed my eyes, inhaling deeply, making a list of all the aromas I could smell at that moment, from the surrounding bark, through the skins of the different animals, to the tiny shit of the nearest bug. I laughed, surprised even by the sound of my own laughter, which reminded me of the Christmas bells. The loneliness didn’t seem so bad, if you could spend an hour looking at the wing of a butterfly, and marvel at every second for something different on that surface.

Yes, I thought, I could be a good creature of the night, even without human company, because everything around me would accompany me. After all, I was a neophyte who had to learn to leave her human and sensitive side behind, and I was willing to do so, accepting my destiny.