I apologize for all the time between chapters. Busy, busy :) If you're following this story, feel free to leave a comment. Thanks.
*
A couple seconds passed, and Chamey's hand continued to float in the air between them. Jack's glare raised from it to the amused brown eyes looking back at him.
Chamey finally dropped his hand. "You're not very quick for a vampire, are you?"
Jack realized he wasn't getting the same weird feeling around this guy like he had with Benny's date. Chamey was probably just some lonely kid looking for excitement-something to post on the internet to his other nerdy friends.
"Don't try to deny what you are," Chamey said. "You give off the freakiest vibe, man. I've been tracking you since the airport, been watching you sleep for the last hour. What are you doing out in the daytime?"
"Look, kid-"
"I said my name is Chamey. I know you're not hard of hearing. Anyway, at first I was like, ooh, rogue vampire. Strange, cause you guys aren't usually by yourselves, are you?"
"Uh-"
"Is Savannah your destination? Or just a stop while you go on to bigger, better game?"
Jack hesitated, waiting to see if Chamey was finished talking. Then he asked, "If you think I'm a vampire, why aren't you afraid? Why sit by me, talk to me?"
"I don't know. Something weird about you. Are you a new vampire?"
"I'm not a vampire." Jack threw his hand to his forehead and rubbed hard with his eyes closed. "I can't believe I'm even having this conversation. Go back to your seat."
But Chamey stayed where he was. "What's your name?"
He sighed. "Jack." Then he grabbed up a magazine from the seat back in front of him, flipped it open, and tried to distract himself with an article on butterflies. But he was all too aware of the encroaching presence. The mouth-breathing annoyed greatly too. He threw down the magazine and turned.
Chamey's pale, freckled face was right there, honed in on him with a mixture of amazement, fear, and disgust.
Chamey swallowed, his eyes practically bulging. "Man, you creep me out, Jack."
"Good. Leave."
"That's mainly how I knew what you were. I thought, what do we got here-vamps on a plane? Got all these passengers locked in, no escape. What are you gonna do?"
"I was just going to sit here and sleep until the plane landed, but now that I have an unwanted travel companion, I may have to move to another seat."
"You're not gonna kill people?"
Jack looked around, then lowered his voice. "Better be careful what you say on a plane. And no, I'm not going to...do that."
"And for some reason, I believe you." Chamey's voice was soft, full of amazement. "But why not? I'll ask you again, are you newly vamped?"
"No. I'm not newly vamped.
"Aha. So you admit you have been vamped, just not recently. It's okay, man. You can talk about these things with me. I know you're a vampire.
Jack shook his head and stared straight ahead.
"So how are you just calmly sitting on a plane? Where are you going, and why?"
"It's none of your business."
"It is my business." He could feel Chamey's eyes boring into him. "Me, I was supposed to go to Tallahassee to see my grandparents. But I changed my ticket to go along with you."
"Yeah? Won't you be missed in Tallahassee?"
Chamey shrugged. "I told my family I had a change of plans. I'm eighteen years old. What can they do? I mean yeah, they'll be pissed, but, like they aren't all the time anyway."
"I bet they are," Jack said under his breath.
"Have you heard of the website Vamped Out? I own that. Making some money off it too. I have a forum and people share the latest sightings and stuff. I'm gonna put your story on VO."
"This conversation is over."
"Ah, come on, man. I'll keep things totally anonymous."
Jack settled back in his seat. "Go bother someone else. I'm trying to sleep."
"Of course you have to sleep, it's daytime."
"Yeah, it's not like people sleep on planes or anything."
"Were you up all night prowling around?"
Jack was already struggling to remain conscious. "I mostly stayed in and watched TV."
"Seriously? You don't kill anybody, you sit around watching TV. That's so boring."
"OK, so I'm a boring vampire. Trust me, it's better that way." Jack yawned and closed his eyes.
"Yeah, I know...it's just not right for a vampire."
Again, he felt the dark, penetrating stare on him, much too close, and it put him on alert. He jerked his head toward the offending gaze. "Get out of my face."
"I can't believe I'm 30,000 feet in the air with a vampire. Can I take your pic, man?" Chamey pulled out his phone and flipped it open.
"Nope. Do it, and I'll break your phone...and your hand." Jack smiled sleepily and shut his eyes.
He heard Chamey grumbling as he tossed the phone in the seat across the aisle. "Later then. So, don't you wanna know why I'm so into vampires?"
"Nope. But I bet you're gonna tell me anyway."
"Well, don't freak out or anything, man, but I'm a slayer."
Jack was suddenly wide awake; his eyes flashed open and he bolted upright in his seat. He couldn't believe it. Another guy who wanted to kill vampires. He'd never seen one in all the time he spent with Cole. What were the odds he'd run into two within hours of each other?
But Chamey just sat there smiling. No stake in hand.
Jack looked him over carefully. "You're not a slayer."
"Yeah, man. I am."
"How many vamps have you slayed?"
"Well, see...I haven't actually slayed one before. Haven't even been this close to one in ages."
"So you run a website and try to find vampires in your spare time." Jack leaned back again, but his senses stayed alert. "And you've been this close to one before, yet you lived to tell about it? Doubtful. It must have been sleeping. Which is what I wish I was doing right now."
Chamey started digging through the backpack on the seat across from him, and Jack grabbed his arm. "What are you doing?"