“So are you saying here, or just passing through?” he asked me.

“I haven’t decided yet. I’m just going with the flow; I’ll end up where I’ll end up.”

“That’s quite a relaxed way of thinking, what about your parents?” he asked.

I stared at him for a couple of seconds.

“Hey man, its okay. Sorry I’m prying, ignore me.” He looked a bit embarrassed and turned away to clean the glasses behind the counter.

For some reason, I didn’t want to upset him so I replied, “it’s fine. My mother disappeared, and my father kept me away from everyone else, so...” I trailed off.

“You ran away ‘cause you father kept you locked up!?” he asked outraged.

“No! He wasn’t abusive or anything. I just wanted to go away for a bit.”

“That’s cool with me, you can stay here as long as you want. For a price that is.” He grinned.

“That’s okay. I have money.” I slipped the bag off my back and rummaged until I found the wad of money, “is this enough?” I asked, pulling it out onto the bar.

He whistled, “I’ve never seen that much money in my life. With that you could stay here for a couple of years!”

“Oh, really?” I looked at the wad of paper and wondered how a piece of paper could be worth so much.

“So, do you want a room for tonight?” he asks. And with no other plans, I nodded. “Oh, and you should probably put that somewhere safe. If some people saw that you could be in danger.”

I shoved it into my pocket out of sight, causing an unnatural bulge in my side, then follow him round the pub to the back where there was a set of stairs and trailed behind him up the stairs. “we don’t have any other people staying here at the moment, so you can have pick on which one you want.”

“Just one with a window will be fine.” I say.

“I can do that,” he led me to the first door on the left to a plan looking room with white walls, a bed and a small wardrobe, one which, due to my lack of attire, I would not be needing. There were eggshell blue curtains that hung on either side of the window, letting in a warm ray of sun. It was small and brightly lit, but this was my paradise. I looked out the window to the street below and watched as a few people passed. I was in the human realm- I’d made it. I’d escaped from the bloody world of my father. I felt myself grinning from ear to ear, and oblivious to Jacob who was still standing next to me, I pivoted and fell back onto to bed, with my arms stretched out; I bounced once, twice, three times until my back settled onto the matrice. I breathed in deep the smell of the sheets- it was real, I was here. It smelt of old books, but I loved it. I was finally here! I began laughing like i’d never laughed before. I will be free mother! I’ll make it so!

“Erm... are you okay?” Jacob asked, looking down on my face that was red with laughter.

“I’m fine, sorry for a second there I couldn’t believe I was actually here.” He looked confused, but I let it be. He starts to go, but turns back at the doorway, “by the way, you never told me your name.”

My name. Mihai that was father called me. But I wasn’t that person anymore. “Shion.” I answer. Yes, that is my new name, mother told me she wanted to call me Shion, but father said it was too soft. There was something thrilling about creating a new personality.

“Shion? That’s unique.” He comments

“It is?” I ask to myself, I wondered what mother was thinking when she said she wanted to call me that.

“Well, I’ve never heard of someone called Shion in this region, you must really come from far away. I’ll leave you to settle in, the bathrooms at the end of the hall, because you’re our only resident, you’ll have it to yourself though. If you need anything else, I’ll be downstairs at the bar.”

“Thank you.” I reply, and when he leaves, I shut the door behind him.

With my rucksack the only thing I took with me, I didn’t have enough stuff to fill even one draw, but nevertheless I pour the contents of the bag onto the bed: a spare set of clothes, my wad of money, three flasks- two of which empty, and a notebook and pen. I refolded my clothes and put them in the bottom draw, then I took the two empty flasks and padded along to the bathroom. The door was left open to reveal a simple bath, sink, and toilet fitted together in a small tiled bathroom. There was a few floor tiles missing, but that didn’t matter to me. I closed the door behind me and went about rinsing them out. What was left in the flask turned the water pink, so I was careful not to leave any residue behind.

There was a mirror above the sink, and when I saw my reflection, I understood why he thought I looked dark and mysterious. It had been a while since I’ve seen myself reflected back in a mirror, there weren’t any mirrors at the castle, not because he especially disliked them, but because he didn’t care for anyone’s appearance, let alone his own. And because of that, I never thought of what I looked like.

I knew that my eyes were blue and my hair was black and my skin, pale; these were simple facts to me. Looking in the mirror, my dark hair was long and straight and fell way past my shoulders like two dark curtains either side of my pale face. And eyes that here ghostly bright in contrast with my hair gave me an inhuman look- no wonder Uncle thought I was a vampire.

I grabbed the hair behind my back- I could certainly live with short hair. Yes! I’ve got to do it. First putting the flasks back in my room, I went to find Jacob, jumping the steps two at a time.

As he said, he was at the bar, “Jacob, you said that...” I trailed off. Opposite him sitting at the bar, was a girl leaning on the side lazily with her head resting on her hand. Her blond hair was tied back in a lose braid that fell down past her waist, with a halo of escaped hair falling either side of her face. Her fiery eyes turned to look at me, and I felt myself blush. She was certainly beautiful, and I felt even more embarrassed from my shock. “oh, erm sorry, I’ll...” and I went to leave. I think I may have been interrupting something.

“Shion, where you going? This is Thalia, a friend of mine; we go to the same school in the next town over.”

“hello, my name’s Shion, it’s nice to meet you.” I reply.

She chuckled, “look at the manners on this guy, where’d you pick ‘im up?” her unrefined way of speaking took me back, but from the way Jacob and Uncle spoke I guess i’m the weird one.

“pick ‘im up? I didn’t pick him up anywhere. He’s a traveller, just stopping in this town for a while. Geez, you could be a little bit more polite. As you see manners aren’t her strong suite.”

I smiled at them, “you two seem pretty close.” I said without thinking.

“well, we have been friends since forever.” He comments with slightly red cheeks.

“yeah, well I’ve kinda been stuck with him. How old are you anyway?”

“i’m sixteen.” I reply

“cool, so are you coming to our school?” she asks, tucking her blond hair behind her ears.

A human school- I hadn’t even thought of it. The idea of it terrified and enthralled me. If I could live like a normal human... if I could do that, I could forget about everything vampire. Maybe I could truly be happy.

“you don’t have to answer right now, but if you do want to stick around, it would be great. Anyway, was there something you needed?” Jacob asked.

“yes, do you have any scissors or a knife I could use?” I’m stared at for a couple of seconds, then Thalia begins to laugh. “what did I say something wrong?”

“no, its just that... you looked like... then you act like... and then you ask for a knife...”

I must have looked confused, “don’t mind her, what do you want a knife for?” he asks.

I grab a wad of hair, “to cut this off.”

“You wanna cut your hair?” he asks taken back.

“I’ll do that for you if you want. My mum’s a hairdresser. But are you sure, you’re hair’s so nice, admittedly, gothic and slightly sinister, but a lot of girls would kill to have hair like yours.”

“I’m not a girl.” I argue.

“True. I see your point. So can we use the back room?” she asks Jacob.

He sighed, “Yeah sure but make sure you clear up before my uncle wakes up.” He signals to the snoring man in the rocking chair.

She pulls me along to the far corner of the room, where there’s a wooden door that at first I’d over looked. Inside theres a small room with a large window spanning from ceiling to floor, there are brooms and buckets lining the sides of the room, but she puts a stool in the center and forces me down onto it. From somewhere, like magic, she produces a come and a small pair of scissors.

“How short do you want it?” she asks.

“Erm... well I...”

“Ok, so lets start with two inches. That’s alright for a guy, at least then you get to keep some of your hair.” She pulled the come through my hair, sending shivers up my spine, no-one else had ever brushed my hair, it felt strange to have someone else to it. “are you sure about this?” she asks once again.

I reply, “yes.”

“okay, then can I sell your hair as a wig?”

What? “ok, that’s fine with me.” Humans are weird.

“Well, I’m going to start now.” Snip. Snip. Snip. I feel the weight of my hair falling from my shoulders. She cuts my hair in silence for over half an hour, until she turns to face me, “close your eyes.” She orders, and reluctantly I do. she begins cutting the hair near my face, and I could feel it brushing past my cheek and falling onto the floor with a soft quiet sound that human ears would over look. Around ten minuets later, “right, I think we’re done.” She stands up and steps back, “pretty good if I don’t say so myself. I think mum will be proud. So go and have a look, I can make the top a bit shorter if you want, but I think it looks good as it is.”

“Thank you.”

“Don’t thank me yet, that’s all your hair I cut off.” She pointed to the floor, and I see a large pile of black hair, but I didn’t feel the least bit sad about it.

I went straight up the stairs and to the end of the hallway to the bathroom, and I look in the mirror. And what I saw was someone else grinning back at me. This someone was human. The sides of my hair were shorter than the top which hung down slightly to form a short fringe. I looked human.

“Hey do you like it?” I see Thalia in the door way, and without thinking I hugged her.

“I love it! Thank you so much!” I released her.

“Wow there, it was only a haircut!” she blushed.

And so, with my different appearance, I begun the game of playing human.