dog days (open)

Time was beginning to eat its way through Teyha’s savings again, even as careful as she was about managing her money, it seemed every few months her funds would run dry. She didn’t like to be forced out into the vampiric society again, away from the safety of her small two-bedroom home in the suburb, where she didn’t have to blend in with a mass of her own predators. Every part of her life revolved around the lie that she was one of them, a sheep in wolf’s clothing praying that a hunter wouldn’t get too close. It was why she spend weeks locked in her house, curtains drawn shut, doors locked, spending as little time outside as she could manage. Inviting attention wasn’t wise.

Absently she ran her tongue over her teeth, pressing the tip against the pointed tip, as if to remind herself that it was still there. Years ago she had the false teeth sewn into her gums, before she fully understood how this old, powerful species could hide their fangs at will. It was a useful quirk of nature, keeping the edge of the teeth from digging into the inside of the lip or gums, as Teyha’s had the tendency to do. She bit the inside of her own lip so often that she had grown used to the taste of blood, sometimes even boasting the edge of lurid red on her lip as proof of her vampirism. Occasionally she would entertain the idea of having the implants removed, relieving her of trying to hide the ever-present tips, before deciding she would rather have and not need, than need and not have.

The fangs weren’t the only part of her disguise. Every day she would blink a pair of mirrored contacts in place, the reflective surface faking the tapetum lucidum that made a vampire’s gaze so distinct. It wasn’t a perfect system; the lenses changed her eyes to an odd grey and could be seen if looked at close enough. It was troubling on hot and bright days like this, the sun beating down on the young woman as she made her way through the town square, a sheet clutched tightly in one hand, covered with names and numbers from the odd-jobs she worked over the past few years. Nervously she adjusted her sunglasses, hiding the way the sun reflected off of her lenses unnaturally, and shuffled her way into the nearest parlor.

The smell of pizza attacked her nose and sent her stomach grumbling, protesting the light meals of canned-whatever that she had been surviving on for nearly a week. That morning it was corn and beets, which was neither satisfying nor as appealing as the smell of pepperoni and mushrooms. If she was lucky maybe the owner would let her munch on a few of the less-pretty pieces. There had to be at least a few duds a day, after all.

The door was propped open, letting out the cool air, much to her horror, but the environment was friendly and upbeat. Partrons waited lazily around the interior, munching and chatting softly, and Teyha could easily pick out the generous handful of humans, marked by jewelry or a collar, that casually chatted in the easy environment. The owner must not be overly anti-human to allow the species to intermingle at will, Teyha considered, making her way deeper into the restaurant.

For a moment she caught herself nervously tugging at the hem of her short jacket, a flattering cut of light blue wool not suited for such a hot day, her eyes scanning for the owner. “Excuse me.” She pressed a hand lightly into the shoulder of a stopping older man, who knelt to deposit fresh water to an overly excited beagle. What a dog was doing in a restaurant she couldn’t begin to guess, but smiled down at the excitable animal briefly all the same. “I don’t mean to bother you, but I’m looking for the owner?” She spoke without moving her lips much, as she has mastered long ago and half-rose the sheet of references as if to explain her purpose. As an afterthought she tugged off her dark, glossy sunglasses, grey eyes only slightly brighter than natural here in the store, and offered a hand up to the vampire. “I hope I’m not bothering, I just kind of assumed that a customer wouldn’t be feeding dogs in here.”