The Vampire's Apprentice

The girl heard only a bit of it, having been caught up in sleep again. She felt better now. Not perfect, but better.
 
Clancy stayed with her for nearly an hour before he slipped away. He left her a note about the dog bine then went back to work until the sun gleamed it's promise of life and destruction once more.
 
Just because she was tired did not mean she woke any later than normal. An internal clock was a hard thing to override. That said, Kitty barely noticed she was awake until around the time she let Sam out that morning; frigid air hitting her face when the door was opened. It was Sunday.

Too often, she thought little of what she wore on a daily basis. So long as it was clean, she was quite content to keep with the theme of jeans and a T-shirt, trusting her mint jacket to offer protection (however meager) from the cold. Even on Sunday, this was how it went.

Finding something to put the cans in was harder than she had anticipated, but she managed. Kitty made effort to put as many of the soups into this box as she could carry—quite a few, all things considered. It was both relief not to need to finish them off and happiness at the idea she was doing something helpful.

Hopefully.

She let Sam inside again, making sure that was where he stayed, and promising she'd be back later. The neighbor's house and church were not places one would normally bring a dog without purpose. Locking the door and lifting the box again, Kitty successfully made her way off the porch steps without tumbling over, then set off for next door.
 
Norville was lounged out on the porch in a lawn chair that had seen better days. His clothing looked exactly the same as the day before except that the flannel shirt was now dark blue instead of red. He had his eyes closed, head bobbing and fingers tapping to a tune only he could hear through his earbuds.
 
The steps were as far as Kitty made it before her arms finally gave out; she set the heavy box down and scooted it further onto the porch.
Hmmm.... Music. It would be a shame to disturb him. She was tempted to remove herself before he noticed her. Indeed, it seemed like the thing to do, so she turned to head back down the walkway, leaving the cans on the porch.
 
The music absorbing teen wouldn't have noticed her at all except the front door flew open, crashing into the railing. Two youngsters anywhere between seven and ten years of age stampeded out, falling down the porch steps and almost running right into Kitty. Their screams stopped as abruptly as their bodies as two grubby faces turned up to look at her.
 
Kitty went rigid at the sound the door made, whirling to face the two children before trying to wipe the exceedingly alarmed expression off of her face. Even after she managed a small smile, the sound had caused her nerves to string themselves into a knot; her posture remained tense.
 
The two kids stared at Kitty. "Who are you?" the one on the left demanded.
"What's in the box?" the right one demanded.
"Why are you here?"
"Where are you from?"
"Why are you staring at us?"
 
Kitty stumbled a half-step back, raising her palms to the kids in defense. There were too many questions; even more than what she had been asked were now ringing in her ears. It brought forth past hatred, terror, and pain, though she did her best not to speak or stutter for fear of letting these emotions show. She shuffled back again.
 
Norville finally looked up and took out his earbuds. "You little dudes aren't supposed to be out yet, remember?" he said mildly. "Mum said you have to finish your room and homework."
They stuck their tongues out at him. "Make us!"
Norville shrugged. "Nah, I don't feel like it, but what I could do instead is tell Mum what happened to that new bottle of shampoo she swore she packed."
The two hesitated, glancing at Kitty in irritable curiosity, then shuffled inside grudgingly.
Norville smiled languidly at kitty and raised a couple of fingers in greeting. "Sup, Kitty Cat?"
 
She replied with a breathy laugh, rubbing nervously at the back of her head. "Nothing much. I-I'm going."
 
"That's for you," she turned to walk backwards for a moment. "You and your family. Find a good use for them."
 
"Cool." He got up to get the box and looked confused at the soups but shrugged and took them in.

Sam waited for Kitty, sitting his rope dangling out of his mouth, staring intently at the door.
 
Kitty closed the front door tightly behind her, pressing her back to it before sinking slowly to the ground and hugging her knees. Though she wasn't visibly appreciative of the dog's presence, it made her feel a little better as a form of distraction.
 
Sam whined and went to his person. He dropped his rope so he could better snuffle her all over. What was wrong? Poor person was upset! He licked her arm a couple of times then picked up his rope. He pushed it at her hopefully. His rope made him feel better. Maybe it would make her feel better.
 
She took the gnawed object and set it aside, rubbing the dog on the head. Her breaths shuddered, almost as if she were trying not to cry; to keep her emotions in check. Not too much longer, Kitty went upstairs, offering Sam if he'd like to jump on the bed with her. For protection, she rationalized. Other plans for the day seemed irrelevant now.
 
Sam accepted the offer a little cautiously. He'd never been allowed up before. He settled down, leaning into Kitty comfortingly. He licked her cheek, tasting her salty skin. There, there, human. He'd take care of everything!
 
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