The Babysitter

Kedron opened the door to me and grinned.

“Ah, Grace. Come in, come in! How is life treating you?”

“Hiya Kedron. Yeah, not too bad, thanks!” I crossed the threshold and shrugged my coat off, a comical twist of the old tale. Outside, stars winked in the still night sky — thick and sticky, like tar. “How’s everything your end?”

“Good, everything is good!” He shut the door behind me. “But, ah, I regret to inform you that Kshipa has begun teething.” Kedron folded his long, delicate fingers together and pulled a funny face. A mix between an apology and sympathy. “She has been a pain in the neck for us, but maybe she will be better for you, eh? You were always her favourite.”

I blushed. “Oh, you know…” I’ve never been very good at taking compliments. Especially when true. I cleared my throat. “How bad’s it been so far?”

Kedron wobbled his head. “So-so. No worse that Kage was, at that age, thank the night!” I chuckled, and let him usher me into the lounge. Kage sat on the floor, a portable video game device in his hands, whilst Nyx paced the room with Kshipa on her hip. The baby girl seemed rather displeased with the entire world. I understood her pain.

Bright colours danced on Kage’s screen, and upbeat music played through the speakers. He bashed away at the buttons, face a rictus of concentration. The boy nodded his head but didn’t look away. “Hey Grace.”

“Hey Kage. How’s it going? Manage to beat my high score on level 17 yet?”

This time he did look up at me, victory in his eyes. “I almost doubled it!”

I whistled through my teeth. “Not bad, kid, not bad.”

Nyx and Kshipa both turned to face me and smiled, although momma looked tired. The bags around her eyes contrasted with her ashen skin. Even more so than usual. “Hello, Grace,” said Nyx. She bounced Kshipa up and down. “Are you going to say ‘hello’ to our guest, Kshi?”

The girl twisted around in her mother’s arms and eyed me. Then scrunched her face, whined, and nestled into Nyx’s neck. Momma raised her eyebrows. A similar expression that Kedron had pulled a moment earlier. I’d come to understand this look as the apologetic parent. She sighed. “Sorry, someone’s in a bad mood tonight. I did not want to leave her at all — it is not fair to you or to her — but Kedron insisted. Said it would be good for us.”

I nodded. “Yeah, I think he’s right.” I offered a sly smirk. “And not just because I get paid that way, either.”

Nyx tilted her head back and laughed.

“It’s important to not forget who you both are.” I shrugged and gestured to Kshi. “Yeah, you’re parents to these little munchkins, but you’re still a couple. You shouldn’t forget to do the things that you used to do, just the two of you.”

Nyx offered a wise head tilt. “No, I know. You are both right.”

A knock on the wall behind made us both turn. Kedron stood there, a big grin on his face. “Hey, sweetie. Are you ready to go?” He glanced at his watch. “Only, we have got about five hours of good darkness.” He arched his eyebrows. “Wanna make the most of it, hm?”

Nyx sighed. “Yes, yes, I am coming, dear.” She locked gazes with me for a split second and rolled her eyes. A what-are-you-gonna-do? expression. I suppressed a laugh and took Kshipa from her arms when she offered me the baby. After all, a babysitter’s gotta babysit, right?

“Teething rings are in the freezer, and you know where everything else is, right?”

“Right.”

Nyx leaned over and plonked a peck on the baby’s head. “Be good, sweetheart.” She then crouched down and did the same to Kage, who cringed away from his mother’s mouth. I smiled — some things never change. Nyx rose and embraced her husband by the door. Their kiss smacked, loud and audible.

Kage made puking sounds. “Get a room!”

“We have one, and it is next door to yours.” Deadpan. I couldn’t help but guffaw. Laughter danced in her eyes. Her black, endless eyes. “Call if you need anything, Grace.” Nyx raised one slender, sharp-nailed finger. “And don’t let Kage play on that thing for too long, he’s been on it for half an hour already.”

I shooed them out of the door. “Go, go on. Have a great time. Don’t worry about things here, I’ll hold down the fort. We always get along, us three.” I looked down to Kshipa, who had begun to yank on my hair. “Don’t we?”

“See ya!” Kedron pulled the door shut behind them.

I headed back to the lounge and bounced the baby in my arms along the way. She seemed very invested in my inner ear, but I didn’t mind. As long as she didn’t cry.

Or try to bite me.

I had to keep an eye on that last one. Still, you couldn’t blame Kshi for that. Only a baby. Kage had outgrown that little misbehaviour long ago, thank god. I hoped Kshi would reach that stage soon, too. Kids grow up fast. Too fast. Blink and you’ll miss it. I considered myself lucky that the Tallises welcomed me into their home. Let me look after the most precious things in their lives. Let me watch as their kids grew and morphed into the people they’d become.

Still, neither one of them would be old enough to join their parents — not for at least a decade or so. Kage turned five that year. And Kshipa had only learned to walk a few months prior. So, of course, Kedron and Nyx wouldn’t take them out on the night hunt. That would be wrong, no matter how you got your nourishment.

They’re vampires, not monsters.

No matter what other people say.

They love, they have families. Sure, some of them do kill, but they could say the very same about us. Kedron’s brother took a stake through the heart back in their home country — but never had he ever touched a human. Ever. He died because of an accident of birth. Nothing he could have controlled.

The Tallises got their blood from livestock. Not as satisfying or filling, so they’ve told me, but more ethical all around. The whole family is vocal about their anti-human consumption views. As are many in the vampire community. God knows what they’d do if they followed a vegan diet before conversion. Scientists, hurry up and invent soy blood. Don’t know if that would do the trick, though.

When I returned to the lounge, Kage had already pulled a frozen teething ring from the freezer. Blood red, for obvious reasons. Paused his game to get it and everything — it sat, screen frozen in motion, on the sofa. It doesn’t sound like much, but in the world of five-year-old boys, that’s a big deal. Right on cue, Kshipa started to thrash and whine. Her black eyes had grown wide, and her baby fangs — little bigger than a fingernail — extended. Somehow, Kage knew. He could sense it. Magic big brother powers. “Here you go, Kshi.”

As Kage held up the teether toy to his baby sister, who latched on and gnawed with ferocity, I couldn’t help but think.

Are they better than us, after all?