Carpathian Vampire, When You've Never Known Love

  *

  Once in bed, Alex couldn't get to sleep. She wondered if Oxford offered separate housing for vampires. Then, this second encounter with Catalin weighed heavily. When she'd first seen him coming toward her, it was as if he just appeared out of nothing. No, that's not quite it, she thought. His presence was as if she'd just remembered that he was already there, as if he'd always been there. When he disappeared, it was as if she lost the memory of his presence, as if she forgot how to remember he was still there. Are these spirits around us all the time, but we just can't remember that we see them? she wondered.

  In the middle of the night, Alex dreamed that angels fluttered around her like butterflies about a flower. They seemed to be trying to tell her something, something crucial. Although she could see them vividly in her dream, she could not hear them. Their presence was like a video clip with the audio muted. They urgently needed to tell her something; just what, she couldn't hear.

  I'll be fine? she said to herself while trying to get back to sleep. Oh yes, I'll be just fine.