Her fashion design studio was, for now, as close to the beach as she could get, she believed. Bright splashes of color were abundant, and there was no shortage of nautical décor in addition to the necessities for her career. The vibrant colors were a stark contrast to the darkness of Midnight Hollow, but at this point, Jillian didn’t give a shit.
Isaiah seemed to be oblivious to her heightened work ethic. But that was probably because he’d decided to make a career change of his own. Being a vampire, he had a lot of advantages when it came to treating and helping people. So he’d made the decision to earn his doctorate. Unbeknownst to Jillian, and all their other friends, he’d already earned a degree at the university in Dragon Valley not long before he’d turned into a vampire. The degree was still valid since supernatural creatures were no longer in hiding, and Jillian was glad that he’d found something to occupy his time to keep him from figuring out her secret agenda.
It was as she was stitching up the hem of a new dress that her cell phone rang, and Jillian’s heart skipped a beat when she saw that it was Austin. Cautious not to sound too eager, she put the needle back by her sewing machine and answered the phone with a nonchalant, “Hi, Austin.”
“Jill, I’ve got some news for you.”
“Okay.”
“It’s not one hundred percent yet, but I think we’ve got the cure pretty much figured out.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. We’ve tested it out on several of our vampire subjects here, and they all turned back into humans. Now granted, it took some getting used to, considering their bodies are vastly different now, but so far, it’s been pronounced a success. We’re almost ready for outside testing.”
Jillian felt like jumping up and down. It sounded too good to be true. At last, she’d be human again! She’d be able to go outside and soak up the sun without having to resemble a glitter factory, and without any discomfort or burning at all! She could hardly wait.
Austin arranged for Jillian and Isaiah to be outside test subjects, mostly to silence Jillian’s beseeching on the matter. At this point, she was so close, that if something vile were to happen to her, she wouldn’t care.
Isaiah heard her shrieks of excitement and burst into the room, his expression concerned.
“What is it?” he inquired.
“Isaiah,” she gasped eagerly, “do you still wish you could be human?”
“What in the name of the creator kind of question is that?”
“Look, don’t be mad, but when I said I was going to Appaloosa Plains a few months ago to get pictures and inspiration for a new fashion line, it wasn’t the whole truth.”
“Oh?”
“I, uh…my birthday’s in two months. And I know what I want as a present.”
“And you went to Appaloosa Plains to get it?”
“Not exactly. I mean, yes, kind of. But…what I actually did was go see Austin and ask him to come up with it.”
“Jillian, you’re not making any sense.”
“Here, sit down.”
Jillian led Isaiah to a nearby table and they sat down, Isaiah’s hand on Jillian’s. She was suddenly paranoid of what her boyfriend would have to say about this. But this was what he wanted, right?
So finally, taking a deep breath, she plunged ahead. “I love you. You know that. But you also know that I’ve always loved the beach and the sun. I’m grateful that we have a vampiric sunscreen to help us adapt to the sun, but living here in the shadows…it’s just…it’s not for me, Isaiah. And I know you don’t like it, either. We’re only living here as an extra means of protection for me. But I miss so much. I miss going to the beach and spreading out a towel, then laying on it while I listen to the waves crashing. Even with the special sunscreen, if I miss one spot on my skin, that one spot just tortures me if I’m out in the sun for more than a few minutes. And then the whole diet thing. Plasma fruit and juice aren’t that appealing, I worry about losing control around humans, and I miss my human food actually tasting good to me. And I miss my family, since they’ll hardly look at me like this. I can’t live like that anymore. It’s not who I am. So for my birthday…”
“You want to be human again?”
“Yes…”
Isaiah held Jillian’s hand tightly. “Dear, I want to give you anything you want. I have the means and the money and resources to give you almost anything. But what you’re asking is impossible.”
Jillian shook her head. “No, I’m not done. I told you I went to see Austin. He’s one of the smartest people I know, if not the smartest. He helped come up with that vampiric sunscreen. So I asked him to go a step further. I asked him to find a cure.”
“A what?! A cure for vampirism? Jillian, that’s impossible!”
“That’s what he said. Until he just called me and told me that it’s nearly done, it’s been tested on several subjects, and it works.”
Isaiah looked genuinely bewildered. He clearly hadn’t anticipated this news, but at the same time, he did show a sign of relief as he gazed back into Jillian’s eyes.
“I appreciate you saving my life,” she added before he could say anything, “and I would have been okay with living out the rest of eternity as a vampire with you. But, if there was even a chance of being human again, especially if we both want it, I was going to take it.”
“I should thank you, actually. I do miss being human. I don’t want to spend eternity watching my friends and those I care about deeply just grow old and die. Even if you were with me, I know it would have been painful for you, too.”
“So…you’re willing to go to Appaloosa Plains and test it out with me? Austin said it’s almost ready for us to be outside experiments.”
Isaiah surprised Jillian by scooting closer to her, staring at her with nothing but seriousness and affection in his eyes, and replied, “Hell, yeah.”
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