Chapter 2

The only reason I managed to accept any of this was that vampires were how I'd met my online boyfriend in the first place.

I was a devoted reader of The Bat and the Rose, a dark romance comic.

It told the story of a young vampire who took the form of a small white bat and appeared at a human girl's window, learning to love her with clumsy devotion.

The art was exquisite, the panels beautiful and romantic.

I was hooked by the second chapter.

Every morning, the first thing I did was beg for updates.

"Eli is so handsome, so gentle, so rich!"

"I love it, I love it, I want to smother him in kisses, I want to marry him!"

"Please update soon, or I'll screenshot the first few chapters and make them my phone wallpaper, my desktop background, and my chat backdrop so the entire world can see how much I love your little vampire!"

Maybe my sincerity got through.

The author replied.

Just one word.

"Okay."

I begged for updates every day. He updated every day.

Before long, we got to know each other.

His voice was low and gentle. He could keep up with every random topic I threw at him, and he kept transferring money to my account, saying it was "to buy sweets for his future girlfriend."

Soon enough, we were together.

One night, we were on our goodnight call.

I said I wished vampires who could turn into bats actually existed.

He went quiet for a long time. When he spoke again, his voice was suddenly tense.

He said there was something he needed to confess.

He was actually Eli.

He'd created the comic because he was too afraid to approach me directly, so he'd drawn himself into a story and used it to slowly walk into my life.

I laughed so hard I rolled around on my bed.

He really knew how to make me happy.

He'd even drawn a whole new set of illustrations just for me.

They showed a little white bat reading, lost in thought, playing around, in a dark pine forest, on a castle windowsill, under a rose trellis, beside a moonlit graveyard.

I treasured every single one and saved them all.

The little bat in my apartment was well-behaved.

I directed it to push all the gold coins and jewels scattered across the floor into a corner.

It clumsily swept the floor with its wings, sneaking glances at me as it worked.

I opened the saved images on my phone and compared them carefully.

White fur. Silver-gray wings. Green eyes. The curve of those pointed ears. Every detail matched.

So Nightfall really hadn't lied to me.

He might not actually be Eli.

But he definitely owned a bat identical to the one in the comic.

I'd assumed he was just wealthy.

I hadn't imagined he was wealthy to this degree.

Rich people really did live in a world beyond anything an ordinary girl renting an apartment could fathom.

He could even keep a pet bat that looked like a vampire's familiar.

I'd never raised a bat before.

I had no idea what they ate.

I searched online: What to do if a white bat suddenly appears in your home.

The first result told me to get away immediately and contact animal control.

The second said never to touch it with bare hands.

The third said if bitten, get to a clinic as soon as possible.

I silently looked at the hand I'd just used to pet it.

The little bat silently looked back at me, its expression so hurt you'd think I'd falsely accused it of something.

I called my best friend Nora.

After hearing me out, she was silent for ten seconds, then said, "Leah, either see a doctor or quit drinking."

With no other options, I pulled on thick gloves, tucked the little bat into a canvas bag, and took it to the supermarket.

I kept the bag mostly closed, worried it would get spooked by the crowd, and even more worried the crowd would get spooked by it.

Inside the bag, it nuzzled gently against my wrist.

I leaned down and whispered, "I don't know your name, so I'll just call you Eli for now.

"I'll take good care of you. Just make sure Nightfall comes back to me, okay?"

The little bat seemed to understand. A pointed ear tip poked out from the top of the bag.

It stared up at me, and a faint blush slowly crept across its pale little face.

It really could understand human speech.

I wanted to test its reaction, so I whispered again, "You know, you're a lot cuter than I imagined a bat would be. Even though you nearly scared me into throwing the frying pan at you."

The moment I finished, the little bat shot back into the bag with a whoosh, leaving only the tip of one ear poking out, trembling slightly.

That reaction... you'd think someone had just confessed their love to it.

I patted the bag. "Don't be shy. When I finally meet the real-life version of Nightfall, I'll have to compliment him in person. Amazing art, and even his pet bat is practically human."

A faint purring sound drifted up from inside the bag.

Like a happy kitten, or someone stifling a laugh.

A few seconds later, a tiny claw extended from the bag.

Resting in its palm was an enormous diamond.

My eyes went wide. I pocketed it at the speed of light.

I grinned.

Like owner, like bat, I guess.

Even his bat knew how to drop diamonds.

That settled it. I was absolutely going to treat Eli well.

In the supermarket, I pushed the cart down the aisle, quietly consulting the little bat in my bag.

"Is chicken breast okay? Or do you need actual blood? In the comic, you only ever drank that red liquid from those fancy goblets..."

The little bat suddenly popped its head out and pointed a claw at the shelf.

I followed where it was pointing.

The most expensive cut of ribeye in the refrigerated case.

Rare, too.

"Seriously?"

It nodded, eyes sparkling.

I looked at the price. Looked at the bat. Looked at the price again. Gritted my teeth.

Fine.

As long as Nightfall came back, this bat could eat whatever it wanted.

And even if he didn't come back, the bat had better keep dropping diamonds.

At checkout, the cashier stared at the white ear tip poking out of my bag. Her expression slowly froze.

She took a step back, her voice cracking.

"Miss, is that... a bat in your bag?"

I pulled the zipper shut, feigning calm.

"It's a toy. A night-light with flapping wings."

She looked only half convinced. Her hands shook through the entire transaction, and she held my receipt out at arm's length.

Back home, I'd barely finished searing the steak rare when the little bat dove in and polished it off.

I mourned the price tag while refreshing my chat window with Nightfall.

Still nothing from his end.

I felt a sting of hurt and crouched down.

"Eli baby, you just ate the most expensive steak of my life. Can you please help me get Nightfall back? I miss him so much. He hasn't talked to me for a whole day."

The little bat's eyes flickered. It tilted its head at me.

Then it suddenly took flight and tapped its claws across my phone screen.

The screen lit up. It opened my chat history with Nightfall and jabbed a claw at the last voice message he'd sent me.

I pressed play.

That familiar voice came through: "Baby, can you give me one more month? One month, and I promise I'll come see you."

I looked at the little bat, puzzled.

Was this its way of making a promise on his behalf?

"Really? Just one month?"

The little bat nodded vigorously, then opened another voice message.

"Baby, I miss you too. I want to hold you, want to take your hand and walk along the river at night."

Seeing I still wasn't fully convinced, the little bat took a deep breath, leaned forward, and gently kissed my cheek.

It lasted barely half a second before it retreated two steps, shyly covering its face with a wing tip.

I touched my cheek, and the weight in my chest finally lifted.

I patted its head.

"Thank goodness you're here. I wouldn't know what to do without you."

The little bat's ears turned red. It ducked its head and patted itself down.

Then it yanked out a diamond the size of an egg.

I stuffed it into my pocket at lightning speed and scooped the bat into my arms.

"Eli, do you really like me too?"

It hesitated for a moment.

Then nodded solemnly.

It hooked its wing tip around my finger and traced a tiny heart on my palm.

Then it let out a contented purr and flew off.