Killian

Sunrise. That was Killian's favorite hour. The sunlight was good for him.

The humans of the vampire territory appreciated the few hours after sunrise and liked to meet outside. They were used to the fact that night was considered day here and they could only enjoy a few hours of sunshine before going to bed. There was no other way to live between vampires.

Killian was on his way to meet his best friend. They met close to the moor, on the outskirts of the city. In the sunlight, nature here looked almost enchanted. The grass was lush green, the leaves of the trees shimmered slightly, and the dark, dense forest shone in the bright sunlight. Unlike at night, the forest seemed inviting. Of course, they wouldn't enter it. Because in front of the first trees, a dark moor ran through the ground, which gave way slightly here.

Mailo grinned when he spotted Killian. He was a well-fed young man with blond hair and many freckles. "There you are!", he shouted happily.

"Did you think I'd keep you waiting? Do you think I'm such a bad friend?" Laughing, he put his arm around Mailo's shoulders. "Do you have a new shirt? I thought you were short of cash?"

He looked with interest at the pink shirt that Mailo was wearing. Mailo stroked the shimmering fabric with a grin. "I've outgrown the old one. My grandma insists it's because of the cookies. The shirt was given to me by Ole. He works in the bakery now. His cookies taste like love!"

"Like love?" Killian frowned.

"Ole is a god in the bakery!" Mailo sighed contentedly. "Eat one of his cookies and see what happens to your clothes!" Ole. He had been Mailo's boyfriend for about a month. The young man was a year older than Malio and Killian, nineteen, and Killian's neighbor.

"Better not!" Killian shook his head in amusement. "He's really spoiling you. But why pink?"

Mailo snorted. "Because pink is my favorite color? And you want to be my best friend!"

"I'm your best friend. Didn't you like purple?"

"That was last week. Now I like pink." Mailo stroked his new shirt again. "Ole spent his first salary on the shirt. He bought it in Sumpfstadt. That's not far from here. There is a small tailor's shop with an associated shop."

"What about the one in our city?", Killian Killian, irritated. "The tailoring of the Städter family?"

"The Städter family takes too much money! And they only sew to measure. They don't have standard sizes. Unfortunately, Ole can't afford anything from them. Not yet."

"I understand."

The two walked close to the moor. They heard a few crickets chirping. This is where they met up since they moved here. At night it was too dangerous for humans to come here, as they could not see the moor in the darkness.

"And you?", Mailo asked. "Do you have a girlfriend by now? Oh! And what is it like to work with a vampire? Tell me everything! Question one first."

Killian felt himself blush. "No. I don’t have a girlfriend."

"What? You're blushing. Are you lying to me?" His friend gave him a friendly push. "Tell me! Who's the lucky one?"

Grinning, Killian shook his head. "There's a girl. I don't think I'd stand a chance."

Mailo stopped and frowned. "Oh, yes? Which girl?"

"I'll keep that to myself."

"Unfair! Is it Marianne? She has a sweet nose. Or is it Alessia? She has two very thick plums. Do you care about plums? Or is it Bruna? Don't say it's Bruna! She has a bad breath all the time! Tiziana?"

"No, none of those." Killian shook his head. Tiziana, Mailo's cousin, was his girlfriend in his last year of school, but she had clung to him too much.

"But is it a girl with plums? Thick plums?"  Laughing, Mailo winked at him.

"Uh..." Killian's cheeks turned all the redder.

"I interpret this as a yes," Mailo murmured. "So? The vampire in the bookstore? Wait... Does she have big plums?"

"Mailo!", snorted Killian. "That's not how you talk about girls!"

"I'm allowed to do that. Because I'm not interested in plums. They're in the wrong place." His friend stuck his tongue out at him. "So? The bookstore?"

Killian shook his head. "You’re horrible. The vampire's name is Jasmine and she's nice."

"Nice?" Mailo raised his eyebrows. "That’s good."

The two chatted a bit more and made their way home. Malio accompanied Killian to the bookstore and then said goodbye.

"Killian!" Angelika excitedly tore open the door of the bookstore. "There you are! Come! Mom and Dad cooked together! For us and the guests. You can help me bring food to our guests in the basement. It’s quite a lot!"

"Okay. I’ll help you." He petted his sister's dark hair.

Their guests. This was a werewolf family that was on the run. Killian had met them close to the moor a few days ago, and he had taken them home. Since then, they’ve been hiding in the family's basement.

They fled their mountains because they wanted to escape slavery. The queen of witches was known for her cruelty. Fearing that they were being searched for, the wolves went into hiding. Soldiers of the Witch Queen had noticed their attempt to escape. They had escaped them only out of sheer luck.