Baboom, baboom, baboom.Over and over it played like an annoying song you wish would end.If being a vampire was as romantic, exciting and perfect as movies made it out to be, I would be happy. But I am not. I refer to myself as a person out of pure habit. I am far from a person. To be considered a person you have to be human. I am not. You have to eat food. I do not. You have to sleep. I do not. You have to have a beating heart. I do not.“Enough of this self pity!” I said as I walked away from the window toward my dresser. “This is your life. Deal with it!” I realized as I opened the top drawer I had said this aloud. What did it matter? There was no one to hear me. If I did not speak aloud to myself, I may forget how to use my voice. That would be strange.It was time to get dressed and go out. Anything to sate this burning thirst. Besides, I couldn’t stand the sounds coming through the thin walls. They made my mouth water.Looking in the bathroom mirror, I decided to wear my hair down. It was a good place to hide from staring eyes. So what if I look like a madwoman hiding behind a veil of hair? That was my business. My brown eyes looked almost black, showing my hunger. I needed to do something about that, fast.On my way out the door, I grabbed my black leather jacket off the back of a chair. I’m not sure if I wore it out of habit or for the sake of appearance since I never felt cold. I was a good actress, doing things because they were expected, but I usually didn’t bother because it wasn’t always worth the effort, pretending to be human. Don’t get me wrong, I was human once. But when I spent most of my time alone, what difference did it make?As I went down the stairs to the front door, I couldn’t help but notice the mailboxes. The names of the tenants were neatly taped to the bottom of each box. There were four, Clara Warren, the old lady across the hall, me, Samantha and Paul Worthington, and Jack Collins. The other tenants were here long before me and would be here long after - as always. I could imagine people thinking of me and referring to me as “the lady that left.”Just as I grabbed the doorknob to step into the brisk night air, the door was yanked open and Jack walked in with his dog. The dog shook himself before he realized I was standing there. As usual, he let out a growl from the back of his throat. The fur on the back of his neck stood straight up. Jack tightened his grip on the leash and looked at me with embarrassment. The dog continued to growl and sniff. I stood motionless.“I am so sorry. I don’t know what’s wrong with him. Silly dog! He usually likes everybody.” He looked back and forth between the dog and my feet as he spoke.“That’s okay. He doesn’t mean any harm. He’s just being protective.” Keeping my eyes on the dog, I tried not making any sudden movements.“Let’s go, silly dog. Leave the nice lady alone.” He squeezed past me and around the side of the banister. He rushed down the hall but glanced back with an apologetic look. I turned the knob and left the building as fast as I could manage while appearing as if all were normal. If I moved too slowly, he might take it as an invitation to talk to me and that’s something I didn’t want right now. I didn’t want to know anything personal about the people in the building. I didn’t want to hear their thoughts. Besides, quenching my thirst was more important.Walking down the street with no particular destination in mind, I looked at the houses nestled along perfect yards or hidden behind picket fences and imagined what it would be like to live in one. What would it be like to have a husband, children and a job? What would it be like to have dinner with a family at a table with fresh linen and place mats instead of in some dark alley? I let those visions run through my mind as my feet carried me around the corner and in the direction of Joe’s Place. The local corner bar would be full of possibilities tonight, despite the frigid temperature.I reached the door just as someone was leaving and she held it open for me. Avoiding her eyes, I thanked her as I passed. I felt her tense and knew she sensed something about me. That is how most humans react to my presence. They keep their distance but they never really know why. It is an internal defense mechanism they are equipped with, even though their minds are too closed to notice.Looking around the smoke-filled room, I noticed a handful of tables open and chose one in the back corner. The table wobbled, though there was a matchbook under one of the legs. The ashtray was filled with butts and there was a crumpled napkin next to it. Oh well. Not the classiest of places but it was best being concealed behind a cloud of smoke. Besides, if I was going to feed tonight, this was the best place, besides the police station, to get the kind of meal I desired.“What can I get you?” The waitress, a petite blond with blue eyes and a pony tail grabbed the ashtray and the used napkin as she looked at me. Her eyes filled with questions her lips refused to ask. Lucky for me that she dismissed her thoughts as crazy. I did not want what was on her mind tonight. That would be a distraction and while most days it is what I enjoy to pass the hours, tonight, I needed something different.“A glass of white wine, please.” I kept my eyes on the table.“Would you like a menu?”“No, thank you. Just a glass of white wine,” I repeated as if she would have forgotten in the past two seconds. Sometimes I think I underestimate the human mind’s potential.“Sure thing.” She carried the trash away.In my years of hanging around dark, smoky bars, I discovered white wine is the easiest thing to pretend to drink. I could dump it into a plant or under the table before anyone noticed there was a puddle. It was also a scent I rather enjoyed. Hard liquor had an overpowering, medicinal scent that was distracting to my overdeveloped sense of smell. Beer reminded me of the day after a frat party with its stale aroma. White wine had a mild, flowery scent.