– Why are you home today? – I asked, sitting down by the window so I wouldn't interfere with my friend's cooking.

The whole house smelled of roasting meat.

– I took a day off because I wasn't feeling well, probably because of the weather» Mary said, and then turned to me with her arms at her sides. – By the way, mamselle, don't you eat anything at all? The tomatoes, cucumbers and apples are all there: I count them every morning!

«Well, why does she do that? Is she bored with her life?» – I thought wistfully.

– I'm eating! – I could only say, wondering what clever excuse I could come up with.

– Yeah, I can see you eating! – Mary grumbled unhappily.

– I am eating» I said again, but more insistently. – It's just in small portions, so you think…

– I don't believe it.

I was taken aback.

– Well, that's your business! I'm not going to prove you wrong! – I frowned and crossed my arms over my chest.

Mary turned away and started fiddling with the frying pan.

– Did you take offence? – I asked anxiously, not knowing how to interpret her behaviour.

– No, I'm watching a soap opera» Mary said. – It's my favourite. It's the third time I've watched it.

I wasn't surprised to see my laptop by the sink.

– I watched it a couple of years ago, too» I said, glad to be able to change the subject.

– You did? Who's your favourite character? – Mary asked, turning to me. Her eyes were shining.

– Sally» I answered, walking over to my friend.

– Sally? – She exclaimed and wrinkled her nose. – Why? She's so slippery!

– What kind of slippery? – I asked with a smile.

– Slippery: you never know what's on her mind. Why do you like her?

– She's a strong person. Sally does mean things sometimes, but she doesn't take stupid advice like Jane.

«God, what rubbish we're talking about!» – A note of amusement went through my head.

– Does she do mean things sometimes? All she knows is that she does them at every turn! And by the way, Jane is my favourite character: she's the only kind girl in the show» said Mary seriously.

– Yeah, and that's why she set Sally up on the trip to Detroit» I grinned.

– It was an accident! It wasn't her fault that Sam was head over heels in love with her!

– But that didn't give her the right to turn him against Sally.

– No matter what you say, I'm gonna stick to my point: Jane's a smart girl, and Sally's a snake!

– Okay, chill out, it's just a show» I laughed when I saw how Mary had become agitated by our pointless argument.

– Yeah… Look, if you're not too lazy, take out the rubbish» Mary asked. – You're weird… Sally… Hmm.

But I didn't say anything, took a large black bag out of the bin, closed it with special straps and carried it outside: the bin was about two dozen metres from our house. I knew how and where to put the rubbish: Mary had taught me how.

– Nice T-shirt! – said a red-haired teenager next door with freckles all over his face as I walked home. Bill, I think he's a schoolguy.

– Thanks! – I said.

– Aren't you cold? – He asked, smiling.

– I was taking out the rubbish» I said, and smiled back.

People seemed nice and funny to me now.

At home I decided to read a smart book, and I took the first volume of Chateaubriand's The Genius of Christianity out of the Smiths' personal library. I wanted to read his reflections for general development: I had never thought about God and whether I should go to church or not, but Chateaubriand in the first Chapters praised Christianity so highly that I felt interested in this religion. Catholicism reigns in Poland, and my parents often went to services at some church, but I grew up an atheist. Although, no, I had my own thoughts about the universe.

Chateaubriand soon bored me: I read a few Chapters, bookmarked it, and listened to music on my player. Sometimes I lay like that almost all day long, but now I needed to relax after this morning's disappointment and the quarrel with this Frederik. I also felt sorry for the bicycle.

Putting my hands under my head, I closed my eyes and sank into the world of my favourite indie rock. After a while, I felt something soft against me, and I opened my eyes: Mary had covered me with a blanket. I was overwhelmed by her kindness.

– Thank you» I whispered, throwing off my headphones; it felt good that Mary had taken the plaid and covered me with it so I wouldn't be cold.

– Are you going to eat? – She asked.

– No, later» I answered.

– Well, all right.

Mary left.

I raked the ends of the plaid under me so that I could curl up like a cocoon-it had been my childhood habit to lie wrapped in a blanket. I didn't feel warm, but I felt very cosy mentally lying in that soft, pleasant-smelling plaid.

Mary chatted on the phone with some guy, then turned on a sappy melodrama on my laptop.

It was the most unpleasant part of our life together: I could hear everything that went on in the house, including the sounds coming from the toilet and Mary's sniffling at night. I tried to block out these sounds, but I could not, and it made me very uncomfortable mentally. So now I was lying there and involuntarily listened to what the characters in the film were talking about: a wife left her husband and he was left on the street, without money or documents, but a kind businesswoman picked him up and gave him a job as a valet.

Suddenly someone knocked loudly on the front door.

«Let Mary open it» thought.

The knock was repeated.

I sighed unhappily: I didn't want to leave my cosy nest, but I had to go and open the door.

«Who was it that came in so late? I don't even think people visit at eight-thirty-two in the evening» I wondered, glancing at my watch.

Opening the door, I froze with surprise. No, not that: I was astonished, and terribly displeased: the man who had run me down was standing on the porch.

– You seem to have the wrong house or, no, street» I said icily, and I was about to slam the door in his face, but he held it open with his hand. – What the hell was that? – I let out a cry of indignation.

The vampire didn't remove his hand.

– You don't have to get so fired up right away» he said and grinned mockingly, as if proud of his insolence.

He was dressed like a casual dresser now. His dark hair was dishevelled, as if its owner had made a mess of it on purpose.

– Who said I was hot? Why would you be? – I said mockingly, too, and then frowned. – Let go of the door and leave. You're not welcome here.

– Don't you think you're a little jumpy? – The vampire asked, still smiling cheekily.

– It's probably because I hit my head on the pavement when some idiot hit me today! – I retorted. – And by the way, that idiot is in front of me right now! So get out! – I tried to close the door again, but the insolent man interrupted me again. His arrogance was pissing me off.

«No, look at the arrogance!» – I thought angrily, wanting to punch him in the arm or slam it against the door.

***

– Do you really think you're stronger than me? – I asked with interest, laughing inwardly at the girl's nervousness.

She was wearing some kind of obscure colourful men's T-shirt, jeans, and her hair slicked back, looking like an American high school cheerleader.

– I'll call the police» the girl said seriously.

Her eyes threw lightning bolts. How easily she explodes!

– Then you should go to the station: they're in a big meeting right now, and they're not likely to come just to throw me out» I teased at her.

She rolled her eyes. How theatrical, by God.

Suddenly I heard a shrill female voice in Misha 's house yell her name.

«What the hell?» – ran through my head.

– Who's that at your place? – Frowning, I asked, having no idea who could have been there with her, a vampire.