The Source by J B Stilwell Read Free Book Online

one who makes assumptions.”
    I try very hard to
hold onto my anger, but the look in his eyes reminds me of an animal that has
been kicked.  Scratch that.  He’s a vampire, but he’s definitely not like an
animal.  The look in his eyes shows that he’s upset with himself over how
things had went. My anger dissolves, and I find myself wanting to wrap my arms
around him in comfort.
    I stand a bit
straighter, but my voice sounds meek with abashment. “Apology accepted.  And I
didn’t realize that you were reacting purely from what you could sense with
your special abilities.”
    He sighs then smiles,
“Well, we have a couple of hours left to work.  Shall we get started?”
    “Sure,” I nod.  I
clear my throat, “We had been discussing the vampiric form of empathy.”
    “And other strengths
and vulnerabilities,” he adds.
    “What still needs to
be added to our list?”
    Rick looks at the
whiteboard, intently studying it as he slowly fingers his bottom lip in
contemplation.  I bet those hands were capable of so much more...
    Dammit.  Stop.  Don’t
slip into thoughts of erotic pleasure with a man who has thus far been an
aggravation to deal with because I simply do not understand him.
    He sighs, “My mind is
drawing a blank so why don’t we concentrate on each characteristic and come up
with ideas of how we could basically exploit them for our nefarious, but
government approved, purposes.”
    “The sun.”
     
    “I beg your pardon?”
Rick asks.
    I stare off into
space, at the point beyond the whiteboard, “I still can’t get past the sun.”
    Rick tilts his body
toward me, his brow furrows, waiting for me to continue.
    I shake my head, “I
still can’t get the fact that the sun is so deadly out of my mind.”  I begin to
pace back and forth in front of the whiteboard.  I stop in front of the phrase
“sun exposure” and tilt my head.  “Something’s there.”
    “On the sun?” Rick
asks in disbelief.
    I actually roll my eyes
at him.  There’s the angst-ridden teen again.  I turn to look at him, “No,
that’s not what I meant.  My mind keeps being drawn back to the sun.  I think
the solution to our problem lies there.”
    “How so?  We round up
all of the murderous vampires and throw them out into the daylight?”
    I shake my head, “A
little too late at that point.  We’re trying to prevent human deaths, not come
up with the best way to punish those that cause them.”  I begin pacing in front
of the whiteboard again.  “No.  There is something about the sun and its
effects on vampires that we can use to develop a safeguard.  I’m sure of it.” 
I slowed my pace, “I’m just not sure of exactly how ...yet.”
    Rick walks to stand
in front of the whiteboard and said, “Well, what we know is that sun exposure
causes an accelerated sun burn and a type of dehydration process.”
    “Dehydration is
normal with prolonged sun exposure as our body fluid basically evaporates
through the work of the sweat glands.  But the process is faster with vampires,
correct?”
    “Much faster,” Rick
responds.
    “And sun burns are
something that also happen to humans, but at a slower rate.”  Lowering my head,
I rub my temples as my brain begins to throb.  “A sun burn is basically a skin
reaction to overexposure.  The body’s natural defense against overexposure is
melanin.”  I stop massaging my temples and look up at Rick.
    He looks at me,
slowly nodding, “But there’s no difference between humans and vampires when it
comes to melanin levels.”
     
    I close my eyes,
“Then that’s the wrong direction.”  I try to envision the path that I need to
take to arrive at the desired destination.  I can clearly see where I need to
go, but the road to get there is confusing and congested with different ideas
and false impressions.  I need something to clear my way.
    “I need to dream.”
    “Beg your pardon?”
Rick asks.
    “My mind is too
full,” I explain.  “I need to