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Red. Apo’s hair was stained with red. She knew this wasn’t a good solution. It was, in fact, a very bad solution, one that would have to be washed out sooner or later. Apo looked down at her hands and sighed. They too were stained from the cheap dye she had used on her hair, with bright red blotches that looked eerily like… blood. A sharp pain ripped through her stomach.
No! She thought desperately. No, no, no!
Apo began to panic. She wasn’t supposed to feel like this. She couldn’t be… thirsty when she saw Cherri again for the first time.
I have to fix this.
She scanned the woods around her for any sign of life. There. Plodding cheerfully through the forest was a small, pink pig. Apo’s eyes stung with the reminder of another pig, an easier time, a much, much harder one. She almost wished the tears would come. But they didn’t. There was only the thick, hot blood she gulped down as the little pig lay dead. She still wasn’t satisfied, but it would have to do. Apo wiped the blood from her mouth and pressed on. She hated walking through the woods. Every heartbeat she heard, every small movement she caught was a reminder of what she was. Eventually, it all quieted and Apo found herself staring at a small cottage. It was a quaint thing, made of simple wooden planks with a dirt path leading up to the nearby village. The house was nothing special, but in front of it stood a cherry blossom tree, and in front of that tree, sat Cherri.
She was painting with her back to Apo, who stood just beyond the little house, watching. Stalling. Looking at Cherri though, she knew she couldn’t wait forever. She had fought, killed, and died for this moment.
I have to see her.
Apo took a deep breath, and started toward her love. Cherri didn’t notice her at first. Apo stood awkwardly behind her before clearing her throat slightly. Finally, she saw her. When Cherri turned around to face her, shock and hope lighting her eye, any breath left in her body was stolen from her. Before Apo could explain anything, Cherri’s arms were around her with a force that nearly knocked them both to the ground.
“You’re finally here,” she whispered.
Apo’s eyes stung. Tears slid down her cheeks and mixed with Cherri’s hair. “Yeah, I am.”
Suddenly, Cherri pulled away. “What happened?” She demanded. “Why didn’t you return any of my letters?” Her voice shook.
Apo wanted to hug her again. To kiss her and say that everything was okay now. Instead, she took her hand and led her to the cherry tree.
“Sit with me?”
Cherri nodded and sat down. She laid her head on Apo’s shoulder with a shiver. “You’re so cold,” she murmured, but she didn’t pull away.
“I…” Apo trailed off. How can I tell her? She wondered helplessly. She looked at Cherri, then back at herself, at the red still staining her hands, and knew she couldn’t. Then I’ll have to show her.
She pulled a sword out of her belt and rested it against her hip, away from Cherri. It was simple stone but it would suit her purpose. “Maybe you should back up,” Apo cautioned.
Cherri reluctantly stepped away. Apo pulled out her sword and, without giving herself time to think, plunged it directly into her chest. Cherri screamed and the sound cut through Apo like a stake. She quickly realized this may have been a very bad idea.
“Wait, wait, I’m okay!” Apo yelled, ignoring the stab of pain she felt as she pulled out the sword. She tossed it to the ground and rushed over to Cherri. “I’m so sorry.”
Cherri backed away slowly, her arms crossed protectively over her chest “Why would you do that?” She asked. “No, wait, don’t answer that.” She closed her eyes and hugged herself tighter. “What happened to you?”
This was it. She had to tell her now. “In Oakhurst,” she began. “There were more people than—There were bad people—“ she exhaled. “I changed, Cherri.”
“What are you?”
“A vampire.”
She looked away from Cherri, shameful, scared. Cherri blinked. And blinked again. Apo counted each blink as she waited for Cherri to speak.
“Well that would explain a lot,” she said.
She sat down under the cherry tree and rested her head on the bark. Apo sat down next to her, not too close, not yet. The silence made Apo all too aware of her growing a hunger, something that had definitely not been helped by her stunt earlier.
Stay strong Apo, she told herself fiercely, stay strong.
To distract herself, she began fidgeting with the rose sewn onto her dress.
“Can you turn into a bat?” Cherri asked.
The question brought Apo’s startled gaze back to her. “Yes,” she answered cautiously.
Cherri hesitated. “Could you… show me?”
“You want me to turn into a bat? Right now?”
Cherri sighed. “Yes? I just—I need to understand this somehow, Apo.”
“Okay.”
Apo furrowed her brow. Shifting into a bat came easier to her now, but it still required some concentration. Suddenly, Apo felt lighter. Cherri looked at her with an almost shocked expression. She reached her hand tentatively toward Apo and, when she didn’t move, gently stroked the top of her head.
“You know, the whole vampire thing doesn’t seem as scary when you’re like this,” Cherri said. “But… could you turn back now? I want to see the real you again.”
Apo once again concentrated and soon felt herself return to her vampire form. Cherri looked at her and smiled.
“I’ve missed you.”
“I’m so sorry,” Apo whispered. “I tried to get back to you.”
“And you have.” Cherri grabbed her hands tight and pulled them close. “You’re… different now and this will take some getting used to, but Apo,” There were tears in her eyes but she was smiling, and Apo thought she would never need the Sun again as long as she had that smile.
“You’re still the girl I fell in love with.”
And then, she kissed her. It took Apo by complete surprise but she fell into it so naturally that she felt like it should never stop. She felt safe, she felt warm, but most of all, she felt human.