The Lost Girls

"Hey, I'm a little parched...need some nourishment..."

The three best friends went to the Plymouth Meeting Mall and found what they were looking for. On the ride home, Chloe was unusually quiet and looked glum.

"Hey, Chloe...are you ok?"

"Yeah..."

"Wanna go see the puppies?"

"Nah...not tonight."

"Wanna go swimming?"

"Nah..."

"What's bugging you? Want me to put on the oldies channel on Sirius XM?"

"Yeah, I guess..."

Najae and Emily exchanged curious looks.

"Is this how it's gonna be?" The most reluctant vampire asked her friends.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean Em, every two or three days we have to feed...we'll never see the sun again...can't have a romantic relationship...can't have kids...I can't even have a puppy."

Neither Emily nor Najae knew what to tell their friend.

"Sometimes, I think Ingrid was lucky..."

The silence was deafening.

"I don't want to go on like this..."

"Do you know what you're saying?"

"Yeah, I do."

They rode the rest of the way without a word being spoken. Inside the house, the atmosphere was gloomy. At dawn, the three teen vampires slept in each other's arms, but an important matter was coming to a head.

"Do you think it will hurt?"

"Chloe, don't do this...we won't let you."

"Even if it means my freedom?"

"But we're a team, the three of us, not two..."

"You'll have to convince me that it's worthwhile going on like this...I've hated it since the night she turned us...I know I can't be human again, so I don't want to live as a vampire anymore..."

Najae and Emily were beside themselves.

"Don't do anything until we've had time to talk, ok?"

"All right, I won't..."

Najae and Emily were perplexed and frequently discussed the problem, always out of earshot with Chloe.

"How or what can we do or say that will make the most sense to Chloe?" Emily questioned.

"I don't know, but she's determined..."

"What would be a good reason for her to continue in her vampire existence? Obviously, our friendship isn't stopping her from ending her life..."

"Yeah, she's the dearest friend...if we lose her..." Najae was very perturbed at the thought of Chloe's absence.

THE CURE:

For several months, Najae and Emily struggled with the conundrum and kept putting Chloe off, begging for more time. Then Najae read a very interesting news story online.

After a devastating house fire in East Greenville, a one-year-old dog was discovered, half dead and wondering near the burned-out home. The occupants were found deceased inside and never made it outside due to the intense heat. According to the report, the poor canine had multiple burns on its body, fur, and suffered severe smoke inhalation. Following a long rehabilitation, the SPCA nursed the nearly dead dog back to life. It was part poodle and part cocker spaniel, a cock a poo. A line in the item that grabbed Najae's attention; along with lung damage that had healed, the vet had determined that the poor thing had lost its sense of smell from the smoke. The dog would be eligible for adoption in a weeks' time, and they were taking online applications.

"We have to act tonight!" Emily stated with urgency.

Under the cover of darkness, Najae and Emily went to the SPCA in Perkiomenville where the dog was housed. Fortunately, it was in a separate part of the kennel away from the main cages.

They entered stealthily and the dog saw them but did not react to their scent. It sat up and wagged its tail. Emily easily broke the lock and went inside. The pooch put her paws up on Emily's leg, its tail wagging furiously. The animal's recovery was nothing short of miraculous and had most definitely lost the ability to smell. She picked it up and carried it out to Najae. The dear thing licked her face. The two teen vampires looked at each other and took off with the dog.

Chloe was wondering what happened to her friends. As soon as it was dark, they vanished. Luckily, she wasn't hungry but was still fixated on ending her undead existence. Unless Najae and Emily came up with some reasons to keep going, she'd end it by herself. As much as she loved her friends, it wasn't enough to compensate for the irreparable harm that Ingrid had caused. She, the least of all, felt any sorrow for Ingrid's demise. It was more like, good riddance!

Where are they? Except for swimming or puppy watching they rarely leave me alone, and never for this long! She thought, fighting back that panicked feeling.

Then Chloe heard a car door and Najae entered the house first.

"Where have you been? I was worried."

"Oh...out."

"That's it...just out?"

"We were looking for a present for you."

"A present? It's not my birthday and Christmas is three months away. Tell me, what were you really doing?"

"I said looking for a gift for you..."

Chloe looked totally perplexed.

"Emily's bringing it in now..."

Emily walked in holding the sweet canine.

"For you..."

Chloe was speechless.

"But how...you said that dogs hated us."

Najae showed her the news article.

Chloe took the dog from Emily and held it very tenderly. It was sleeping but woke and gazed at her new owner. It reached up and licked Chloe's face, tail wagging a mile a minute.

"Hello doggie..."

If it had been possible, Chloe would have wept a bucket of tears. She was happier than even she thought was possible.

"What are you going to name her. In the article, it said her name was Princess."

"Then that's her name. Hello Princess..."

It was love at first sight. The two bonded and it gave Chloe a reason to go on as a vampire. From Amazon Prime, they purchased everything and then some, collar, leash, bed, food, and grooming items. Nothing was left to chance and Chloe devoted herself to Princess, walking her, bathing her, and grooming her. Since she didn't shed, her hair grew and needed to be cut which Chloe did rather skillfully. Princess was one pampered pooch.

They needed a Vet and found one with evening hours. Since Chloe looked the most like a human, she took the dog while Najae and Emily waited in the car.

But Emily and Najae were very fond of Princess and were delighted that it brought such joy to their friend. When they arrived at home after the vet visit, Chloe took Princess for a walk and all three decided to go together.

Emily held the leash as Princess trotted happily by her side.

"Thank you both...thank you so much...I love you guys...you gave me the greatest gift of all. By giving me Princess, you showed me how much you care about me, I'll treasure this always..."

Chloe hugged her two dearest friends and Princess too.

One night, not long after, Chloe was playing with Princess on the living room rug.

The love between vampire and canine was obvious.

"We're not out of the woods yet." Najae silently communicated with Emily.

"What do you mean?" (Emily)

"Princess will probably live for another ten to fifteen years, possibly more. Then what?" (Najae)

"Yeah, I see what yer saying..." (Emily)

"Where will we find a dog with no sense of smell?" (Najae)

"I can hear you guys..." (Chloe)

"Oh shit, I forgot!" (Najae)

"Don't stress about it. You both taught me a valuable lesson, the value of friendship and the love that friends can have for each other. Me ending my existence would have been a selfish act. I didn't take into consideration how it would affect either of you. I'm eternally grateful for both of you and your gift of Princess." (Chloe)

"Aw Chloe...you have a big heart...remember what we used to say; it's all for one and one for all, that was our motto." (Emily)

"I would have been lost without you guys!" (Najae)

"Same goes for me...that's why I don't want either of you to worry about me." (Chloe)

"Hey, I don't want to interrupt this love fest but I'm hungry." (Emily)

"Yeah, me too." (Najae)

"I'm kinda hungry. I'll wait in the car and watch Princess while you both ah...take care of business." (Chloe)

Chloe would never entertain the idea of leaving Princess by herself.

"Come girl...lets go."

Chloe put the leash on the very happy pooch.

"Shotgun!" Chloe yelled.

Princess like most dogs loved to stick her head out the window while they drove.

"Everybody ready?"

"Yep, lets rock!" Chloe hollered.

With Najae at the wheel, they took off for the King of Prussia Mall. The three teen vampire best friends and the newest addition, Princess the miracle cock a poo. They were a family, and it would remain that way for the foreseeable future.