"Thanks." I say as I pay the cabbie.

There's nothing more I can say. This guy drove me around for a full fifteen minutes and kept complaining of the cavity he had in one of his fangs. I'm in unknown turf so I couldn't even stop him.

Sometimes it's hard to be a vampire.

I sigh and look around as the cab races away at top speed. It's a bright day today. And people were supposed to be enjoying it but no one cares when Mondays are bright. Even I'm not here to enjoy. I'm here to look for a story, a story for the magazine I work at. The deadline is four days from now and I don't even have a clue what I'm doing.

When I asked the cabbie to take me to somewhere I could think, he nodded, said "leave it all to me" and brought me here.

It's a park, a rather small one. There's a foot path, and benches and tables under trees. No swings for kids, though. A few people roam around and I decide to join them.

When I enter, I notice a guy sitting alone at a bench reading a book. He looks... different. I'm not talking about the unusual tan of his skin. He looks like he's lost in the world of words. His frown shows that he doesn't like some thing and it's confirmed when he shakes his head and rolls his eyes as he turns a page. Something happens inside me and I start to walk to wards him. It's just like always... when there's a story around me, my feet take me to it.

"Excuse me," I say, placing my bag at the wooden table in front of him. "Can I sit here?"

He looks up from his book for a moment and then turns back shrugging,

"Sure."

I sit down opposite him and look at the cover of the book. It's some mystery novel I've never read.

"Excuse me?"I disturb him again.

He lowers his book and raises an eyebrow at me.

"I'm sorry, but can I ask the name of your book?"

He says a name and I nod, yup!Haven't read it.

"Any thing else?" He asks, he doesn't look annoyed though. If he was, I would've known by his aura.

"No." I say and turn away, a little embarrassed.

The guy resumes reading. I look around the park as I take out my notepad and pen. Come on Clair, I think to my self. Where's your story?

"Are you waiting for someone?"

I turn back to find the book guy looking at me. His arms are crossed at the table and his book lays by them, now closed.

"No." I tell him. "I'm looking for something."

"That is?" He asks.

I look in his brown eyes wondering, 'should I tell him?'

"A story." I say, turning to him completely, copying his posture. "Something which can shake the whole magazine."

"You a writer?" He asks. I nod.

"That's cool." He says also nodding. "A vampire writer. The first one I met."

Wait. What?

"I'm sorry," I tell him shaking my head. "But, your talking like your not a vampire."

A very strange stranger.

"That's because I'm not a vampire." He says. "I'm human. I accidentally ended up in this city because of some mistake with my boarding pass and-"

"Wait,You're a human?" I can't believe my ears. "I've heard awful things about you guys."

As soon as the words leave my mouth, I regret them. Me and my big mouth.

"Sorry." I say when I find him staring at me like I'm some idiot.

"It's okay." He nods and then chuckles to himself. "It's really ok. I've heard that a lot." He's got no fangs... he is a human.

"Oh god!" I burry my face in my arms to hide the red in my cheeks. This is embarrassing!!!

"Hey!" Says the book guy. "Don't worry." I look up at him. He extends a hand. "I'm Alex."

"Clair" I say as i take it, his hand is way warmer to be a vampire's. "And I really am sorry."

"No harm done." He says, crossing his arms again. Then an idea hits me.

"Can I interview you for my story, Alex?" I ask him.

"Me?" He looks shocked.

"Yeah." I tell him. "Just a few questions, like ... how did it feel to find your self in a vampire city?"

I uncap my pen as I ask and Alex's eyes don't leave it while I do.

"Well..." He starts to say. "I was scared out of my socks at the start."

"Which was?" I ask.

"About two weeks ago." He says. "When I got off at the bus terminal."

"Do you guys actually don't mate?" I ask him.

" I'm sorry?" He looks offended. I don't know why.

"Like," I explain "find a soul mate at a certain age and then-"

"Oh that." He relaxes. "No. No, we don't. For us it's different, we're not specified to one person only- except for when we get married."

"Like the actual paper agreement." I raise an eyebrow as I scribble in the note pad.

"Yeah." He nods. "Marriage."

Its new for me. In vampires, we just start living together. Our scent on our mate signifies the bond. Paper work is not required.

"And - I'm sorry if it's offensive," I add before asking. "Over population. Humans face that a lot, don't you."

"That must be one of the awful things you heard about us." He says, smiling.

I feel my cheeks warm up, again.

"That," I confirm "hunting animals for fun, politics and sweat."

He laughs.

"Hunting, I get it. Politics, never understood that either. But sweat?" He raises his eyebrows. "What's awful about sweating?"

"I dunno." I shrug. "You tell me. Isn't it annoying or disturbing to even imagine salty water coming out of the pores of your skin every time you feel hot? And then the reek..."

Even the thought makes me shudder. But Alex only laughs harder.

"No," he says. "We don't think like that."

"You don't?" I raise an eyebrow.

"No." He shakes his head. "In fact sometimes, we sweat when we're nervous too."

"Oh." I don't know what else to say. He's so... different. Different from all the males I've ever met before.

"I have a question too." He says, placing a hand under his chin. "I thought vampires drank human blood."

"And I thought humans hunted vampires." I tell him. He smiles.

"Lunatics do that."He replies. "Those who want to go to the mental asylum."

"Lunatics feed on humans." I tell him. "Those who want to get themselves burned to death."

"Really?" He asks, shocked.

"It's in the law." I say, nodding.

"Woah."

We chat for a long time, almost till sunset. We eat from a nearby restaurant, he takes cooked food while I go for my fav, blood smooth. He tells me about a-lot of things which are quite shocking. He promises me to meet tomorrow here, same time.

As I make my way back in the bus, I know one thing for sure...This interview's one hell of a story.