Chapter 4

Hailey's pov;

Upon hearing Austin's claim that he was a vampire, I took a sick leave from school and remained at home. When questioned by my parents about my absence, I reported feeling unwell. My younger brother, Charlie, disregarded the situation and proceeded to attend school as usual. In the meantime, I conducted extensive research on vampires. After poring over numerous sources, one commonality emerged - vampires are not real. It became apparent that the internet cannot always be relied upon for factual information.

When I opened the window after a nap,  the bright light hurt my eyes. I quickly locked the windows and closed it with the curtain. Damn! I showered and covered myself with clothes  to avoid exposing my skin to the sun and remembered that I was going to school and left home. 

In college, I sought out Austin on campus. When I came to look for him in the classroom, everyone gave me strange looks. I ignored them and continued looking for Austin. Where the hell is he? I left class and looked for him in the sports club, the canteen and the playground. And finally I found him in the library. I went to him and said, "We need to talk. Come with me." 

He asked, "Who are you? Why do we have to talk?"

I sighed and took off the hood, goggles, and mask that covered my face and asked, "Shall we go now?" 

"Hailey..." 

"Shhh..." And I led him to a corner of the library where there was no one. He asked, "Why are you dressed like that?" 

"Don't play dumb. It's because of you, I'm dressed up like this. Do you know how to sweat under this?"

"What?" 

"I don't have any more bite marks to prove it to others. No one believes me now. I know you're the one who made that mark go away. Aside from that, because of you I'm a vampire too." 

"What?" 

"Why did you do that? Why did you change me into a vampire? What happens to me after this? Will I become like you? Am I drinking other people's blood too?" 

He sighed and grabbed my hand. 

"Hey, what are you doing? Let go of my hand." He didn't listen to me and led me out of the library. "I didn't wear the mask and glasses yet. let go of my hand I have to put..." 

Once we're outside the library, under the bright sun, I didn't feel anything after I stepped out of the library. I didn't feel the burn and my eyes didn't sting. 

"Does that mean I haven't become a vampire yet? Does it take days? How many days will it take for me to become like you?” 

He asked, "Am I burning under the sun?"

"No." 

Thinking about that, I noticed him walking in the sun as if he didn't care. I asked him, "Is this some kind of evolution? Does this mean I can also randomly walk under the sun  after I become a vampire?" 

He sighed and said, "You're not turning into anything." 

"But you bit me. I read that when vampires bite a human, their venom spreads and infects all of the host's cells, turning them into vampires." 

"Where did you read that?" 

"From the Internet." 

He sighed and said, "You won't change. This is all you need to know now." 

And as he tried to leave, I asked, "I also read that vampires can't walk under the sun." 

"It's a myth. Do I look like I'm in pain when I walk in the sun." 

"No. But garlic, do you hate them?" 

"No." 

"What about living an immortal life? Was it fact or myth? How long can you live? How old are you now?" 

He looked at me and asked, "Shouldn't you be afraid of me after knowing that I'm a vampire? Instead, why are you interested in me?" 

"I'm not interested in you. I just want to know more about vampires. I thought they were all fictional characters, but after seeing a real one, I'm intrigued. I've read that there are three types of vampires: blood, psychic, and hybrid. What kind of person are you?" 

He stopped and said, "You're annoying." And walked away from me as I stood stunned. Did he just call me an annoying person? How rude!? How annoying do I look? No wonder he had no friends. With that mouth, he won't get friends at all. I sighed and started walking to my class. I'm glad that I won't change into a vampire. But I'm eager to know his age though.