Total pages in book: 34
Estimated words: 30747 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 154(@200wpm)___ 123(@250wpm)___ 102(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 30747 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 154(@200wpm)___ 123(@250wpm)___ 102(@300wpm)
“Is that okay, Snowball?” The pup gave another yip, and the duo climbed on his back. They hung on tight as the playful puppy dashed and bounced across the room.
“That was fun,” Joey said once Snowball decided to take a nap and our figurines climbed off of his back.
“Yes-” I cleared my throat, coughing away my Barbie voice. I was so engrossed in our game, it took me a moment to come back to myself. “Yes it was.”
I suddenly remembered that Tage was still in the room with us; when I was playing, everything around me had faded into the background. I spun around and saw that he had taken a seat on the floor, and had his chin propped in his hands as he watched with a smile. He wasn’t involved in our game, but he looked like he was having the time of his life.
“What should we play next?” Joey asked, capturing my attention again.
With one game under my belt, I felt more comfortable as I searched the room. The piles of toys were no longer intimidating; they were enticing. One thing in particular caught my interest, and I asked Joey, “Can we try the blocks?”
“Sure!” He pushed the pile of wooden squares to the center of the room and we got down on our knees to reach them. “What do you want to build?”
“What about a house for Barbie?”
“Ooh, good idea! We should make a giant one so that there's room for Snowball in there too."
We laid the blocks end to end in the shape of a large rectangle to make the outline of the home. Then we stacked them high to make strong walls which would keep intruders out. Once the walls were nice and tall, I was able to poke out a few blocks to create windows.
Soon, every square was in place, and our house was complete. Barbie and Snowball approved; Barbie loved how spacious it was, and Snowball barked happily as he looked out the windows.
“Oh my, that’s a nice house you’ve made,” Ian complimented as he entered the room.
“Thank you,” Joey and I replied together.
“Are you two having a good time?”
“The best!” Joey exclaimed before jumping to his feet and running to Ian. He hugged his Daddy around the middle and lifted him right off the floor. I knew that vampires were strong, but it still surprised me to see him pick up the larger man.
“I’m so glad,” Ian said with a chuckle as Joey placed his feet back on the ground. “I hate to interrupt your fun, but dinner is ready. Please go wash your hands and come to the kitchen.”
“Yes, Daddy!” With that, Joey zoomed out of the room and Ian followed him, laughing again.
As quickly as Joey left, Tage appeared in front of me, offering me his hand. I slipped mine inside and my skin warmed, making me realize how much I’d missed his touch, which was both exciting and disappointing. He wasn’t mine to touch, and I shouldn’t let myself need it, but I couldn’t help it.
Tage pulled me to my feet as if I weighed nothing, removing any tiny doubt in my mind as I said without thinking, “You’re a vampire too.”
“I am. Does that bother you?” His voice held no offense; everything he said was laced with care.
I shook my head no before telling him honestly, “I wasn’t sure what to expect from vampires; Dalton always said he didn’t trust them because they were strong and could take whatever they wanted from humans. But every vampire I’ve met has been so nice.” Granted, I’d only met Joey and Tage, but it didn’t matter. I was finding out that Dalton was wrong about many things.
“Some people are scared of our speed and strength,” Tage nodded understandingly. “But there’s no need to be. Vampires want to live in harmony with all species. If we didn’t, we wouldn’t have worked so hard to create the blood substitute. It took away our need to feed from humans, while helping your species with blood supply and treating diseases.”
“I never thought of it like that,” I admitted. Realizing that he said ‘we’, I asked, “Did you help make the substitute?”
“I did. There were many people helping me, but I led the group of doctors who created it.”
“That’s amazing. You’re so smart!”
“Thank you, duckling,” he replied with a dazzling smile.
“I wish I were smarter,” I blurted out. Tage was easy to talk to, and I felt like I could tell him anything. “I only made it through middle school before I had to drop out.”
His eyes grew sad and he looked as if he were about to ask something, but before he could speak, Joey’s voice called from the other side of the apartment. “Andy, are you coming? Daddy says I can’t eat until you’re in here.”