"They don't," she said. "And I don't like being a vampire, for the record. The ones who do tend to be a little bananas, so always watch out for them."

She took her hand back, hooking her thumbs through her back belt loops and rocking on the balls of her feet. One of her two favorite nervous gestures and occupations. It always felt a little awkward, when someone pointed out how young she was. Mostly because she knew she was staring down the barrel of a potential eternity looking the way she did. Already, no one took her seriously. How would she be able to handle that when she was in her forties? Her nineties? Past double-digits?

The mind boggled.

"It's not a big deal," she said. "Or, at least, I don't want it to be a big deal. But I feel like it's only fair to be open about what I am. I mean, in a village this small..."

She didn't know how to end that sentence, so she let it trail.