Emerald lay still in bed, his eyes darting around, taking in every detail of the room. Once he was sure he was alone, he got up and quickly scanned the space again. Everything appeared normal. After a brief moment of relaxation, Emerald hurried through his morning routine and headed to college. The day passed quickly, and after spending time with his family, Emerald went to his room and lay down for a while.
Soon, he was fast asleep. A gentle hand began to rouse him.
He woke up slowly, finding Genna close by. He carefully moved away from her and went to the bathroom, taking a few moments to gather his thoughts before returning to the room.
The time had passed midnight. Emerald observed Genna as she poured him a cup of hot coffee, a box of cookies sitting nearby. He kept his distance as he moved to the bed, sitting there and carefully watching her every move.
"A bit old for playing house, don't you think, madam?" Emerald asked.
Genna glanced at him, gave a playful side-eye, and offered him the coffee. Emerald stared at the cup for a moment.
"It's not poisoned, brat," Genna said.
Emerald drank it all down. "Thanks for the treat. But where did you get this? Don't tell me you made it out of your bodily fluids."
Genna looked him in the eye and chuckled. "Mr. Emerald, I presume you're more of a fantasizing pervert than a boy who loves fiction."
"I'm just curious, that's all."
"Curiosity killed the cat, just a proverb though." Genna laughed softly and continued, "I just brought it from a shop nearby. I'm a vampire, so you can imagine how quickly I can get things done."
"What do you want?" Emerald asked. Unlike her, he had academic work to do and, more importantly, needed sleep.
"I just felt like chatting, so I came over," Genna stated casually.
"A lady of the house, as ever. Do all vampires talk like you?"
"No, it's just some of our kind who were raised as nobles."
"A noble vampire lady, sitting in a young boy's room – oh, I forgot, intruded into a young boy's room just because she felt like chatting."
"You are cute, you know that? I bet you would make a great husband for me."
"I'm seventeen, lady. Aside from that, how did you suddenly appear in my life like this? Care to elaborate?"
"I enjoy traveling. I've been to so many places over the centuries, and as Lady Genna, I've met countless people." Genna took a sip of coffee and continued, "This encounter we're having is merely a coincidence. But I've never served coffee to a fellow human like this in all my centuries."
Emerald only half-believed her story. He sensed the lies within it. "So, am I your long-lost soulmate or boyfriend?"
"You think too highly of yourself for such a little boy. I do have a keen interest in you, after all, you weren't afraid of me when we met last night. Normally, I would have drained every last drop of blood from your body, but I'm getting butterflies just from having this conversation with you." Genna was blushing as she spoke.
Emerald had enough. He grabbed his blanket and pulled it over himself. "I'm going to sleep now. I have work to do tomorrow. See you tomorrow, bye."
"That's rather harsh for a gentleman to do."
"I'm a human, Genna. I can't be bothered by a supernatural being like you hanging over my heart. I have too many mortal concerns on my plate."
Genna's face flushed when Emerald said her name. "You're a kind child. You didn't even tell anyone about our encounter. More like you don't trust any of your own kind."
"Don't pry too much, madam. Even if I did, who's going to believe a vampire tale? Let me get some slee...ep." Emerald began to drift off.
Genna got up and gently tucked him into bed, then turned off the lights. She seemed to be concentrating on something as she continued to gaze at Emerald. Breaking her focus, she walked over to the table, looked at his record work, and murmured to herself, "A little longer, Zinan. Just a little bit longer."
(To be continued)