Helsinki, 2.

I have been living in Helsinki for a while now. As a dhampir I am able to walk freely around in the sun. Well, I was, until the ozone layer decided to play its trick on the world. I was a bit ashamed at not seeing that one coming. But it was alright; Helsinki is a surprisingly vibrant city, even at night. Not as much as some other European cities, but enough for me. I managed to live quite comfortably during the late evenings and early mornings. Summer days were the killers. And summer days in Finland, they are long and sunny.

I was contemplating creating a new personality for myself, and leaving to another country within a year or two. Vampires are not the only long-living creatures in this world, and there are… ways and places for us to circle the laws and recreate ourselves. There is always a way, someone who knows someone, if you know who to ask. But a new life was not that important at the moment. Just a tickle in the back of my mind. I was liking the Helsinki of that time; the culture, the scenery, the people. Considering that I’ve become something of a hermit in my old days, I do enjoy watching people. They never stop to amaze me, be it with their stupidity or with their wit.

Let’s make one thing clear before I get to the story itself.

The fact that I am nearing my 200^th birthday within two decades does not mean that I look old. I cannot change my form as some true vampires can, but I age very, very slowly. I look maybe 25. I am a poor judge of age. I am quite short, and most people tend to take that as meaning that I am weak, easy to push around. I like to give that image from time to time, just to keep a low profile.

To give you a bit of a better idea; my hair is long and black. Dyed, naturally. My true colour is an ashy grey. My eyes are a dark reddish brown. I like scarves, I pretty much always wear one. I prefer my clothes comfortable and dark in colour. Stylish, not necessarily fashionable.

This story starts at a bar. I’d had a long night already, had wandered the streets of Helsinki for the most of it, just watching people, having coffee or a drink or two in a café or a bar. The smell of lilacs in the late spring was intoxicating. It was nearing two in the morning, so the sky outside was already starting to get lighter behind the scattering wall of clouds as I was heading to a night club. It was warm enough that the drunks wandering the streets were in no hurry. In fact, more than one amorous moan could be heard from the bushes and corridors.

I had needed the fresh air to clear my head, as I had been thinking about the aforementioned new life. My cat was getting old; after she was gone, there wouldn’t be anything to keep me in Helsinki. Still, it was not something I needed to decide upon right then and there, but I tend to obsess over things. I sometimes have a hard time letting go of an idea. Stubbornness and some inherited vampiric traits, I suppose.

The line had been long, but I had finally gotten in, and gotten a drink to calm my nerves. A Bloody Mary. I could always pretend that it was blood.

To clarify that one, yes, I do drink blood from time to time. Not much, and it’s not entirely necessary, but it strengthens me much better than any food or drink. So a few times a year I indulge in it. Back in the days when I was actually fighting vampires I needed more, since they hurt me as well as I hurt them. But nowadays it’s just a treat. And a part of the fun is the ‘hunt’.

In my opinion, to get a few sips of blood, it’s much more enjoyable to get the human drunk and seduce her, or him. It’s more of a challenge than just dragging someone out of sight and biting her. I also think it’s much more fun if there’s sex involved.

Father would be proud. No, really, he would. He was a very passionate man, and I inherited that as well.

Despite the rain, it was a warm Saturday night, one of the first truly warm ones that spring, so the club was packed. People were dancing and sweating, their blood pumping in their veins. I let myself sway along to the music as I stared at the dance floor, wondering if I should find some company.

But company found me first.

I was startled out of my wandering thoughts when someone suddenly slipped an arm into the crook of mine. I turned my head and was greeted by two passionate blue eyes.

“Do you dance?” the mouth underneath them, painted dark red and slightly glittery, asked not so quietly. Still, she managed to make it seductive. Who was I to say no?

“Sure.” I said with a grin and finished my drink. I left the empty glass on a nearby table as my seductress guided me through the twisting bodies to the middle of the hot floor.

Finnish girls are very pretty, and this one had just about gone out of her way to look cute. Long brown hair cut in that feathery style which seems to be the latest fashion, a black tank top, blue denim mini-skirt and black calf-high boots. Very cute. I smiled appreciatively, and hoped that I didn’t look too horrible to her. It had been a while since I had taken any blood, so I suspected that I was a bit on the pale side.

It soon got so hot that I decided to ditch my long-sleeved shirt. Luckily I was wearing a sensibly nice sleeveless shirt underneath it, black with white decorations. My dance partner smiled at me and moved closer. We were almost the same height, she a bit taller than I, so our breasts brushed against each other more than once.

This was starting to look like a nice night.

We danced for the better part of two hours, stopping only to grab a drink or two every now and then. The music was so loud that we had little chance of talking; I didn’t even catch her name. But I understood when she slipped her sweaty body right next to mine, her erect nipples brushing against my naked arm. She looked into my eyes and tilted her head towards the door. I nodded, and let her drag me out of the bar once we’d gotten our coats.

My ears were ringing once we got out, but she apparently wasn’t planning on talking anyway. As soon as we were a bit out of the public eye, her lips pressed against mine and her tongue invaded my mouth. I was a bit surprised, but didn’t struggle as it caressed my teeth. The thought did occur to me that she might be some kind of a sexual predator, but I wasn’t too worried. What could she do to me, after all?

Well, she could shove a silver crucifix to my face, and she did. I just blinked at her after she suddenly pulled her lips away. “What the hell?”

She frowned at me and turned the cross towards herself. “Oh shit.” With one last look at me, she turned and started to run.

“Hold on!” I shouted, but she just ran faster. No matter. She couldn’t possibly outrun me, not in those boots. “Wait!” I wanted to know what the hell was going on!

She didn’t even slow down as she looked over her shoulder. When she saw me catching up, she tore the bead necklace from her neck and threw them on the ground. I stopped immediately, fighting the urge to drop on my knees beside them. It did slow me down enough, though, that she managed to make a good head for herself and disappear from sight. Once I started running again, I couldn’t find her anymore.

Swearing and wondering what exactly had just happened, I returned to kick the beads around before heading home.

She had obviously taken me for a vampire. It’s nothing new, many people who’ve gotten to know me a little have always joked that I look and act like one. I do. But why would she intentionally hit on me to try and kill me later? The thought kept me occupied all the way back home, and bothered me until I fell asleep at dawn, my cat curled next to my feet.