"Immediately, you need to feed." Jaden responded.

"Get some blood in you." he said further.

"In the long run, you'll need to learn what your strengths and limitations are." he continued.

"And my mother and I can help you with a support group for those that have been changed." he then went on.

"Now..." he mumbled.

"We'll need to know your blood type... or what it WAS... as a starting point to determine what your... tastes are."

Jaden nodded.

"All right." he said, grabbing his phone and making a call.

"It's Sherwood.... yeah... we have a fresh situation. Mmhmm. Yep. The sampler. B+." he went on, before she saw him form what looked to be a hole in the wall behind him.

"...shh." he said to her. "I'm technically not supposed to be doing this here." he whispered, before his arm disappeared within it, and he withdrew a plate of small bags... all of them filled with a red substance.

"All right." he said, closing the hole.

"Try these, straws are provided, and let me know which one you prefer."

Jaden just sighed, and watched as she partook of the offering.

-A few days later-

Rene walked into the room, where the woman and Jaden were conversing, and nodded.

"All right, you're good to go." he said.

"You're not in any danger, you're stable, and you've come down from the initial high from the species change." he told her.

"Awesome." Jaden responded.

"If you want, I'll take you to your soul-partner now." he said to her.

Jaden nodded in response.

"It'll be a bit of a bumpy ride." he warned her.

"But sure, let's go." he said.

- - - -

Zach was sitting on the bed in the dorm, trying his best to calm down.

He'd felt the connection he'd had with his partner severed at some point, and now he was feeling... weird. Was it still there? It didn't feel gone any longer, but it was... different.

"...what's going on?" he muttered.

"Is she gone!?" he exclaimed quietly, as he got up and started to pace.

"..........." Zach was silent as she greeted him, unsure as to what to say here.

"I..." he finally stammered.

"I... uh..." he stuttered further, before shaking his head.

"Y-yeah. I'm Zachary." he said.

"And... Corrinne? Corey?" he asked.

"You're... we're... we're soul-partners, aren't we?" he then asked her.

"Also, dinner? I mean... sure." he then said.

"But why do things feel... different... somehow?"

Zach was silent again, and then sighed.

"....right." he said.

"Later." he agreed.

"....I should pack up." he then said further, looking back at the dorm.

"Don't need to be here any longer." he chuckled quietly.

"Can you wait a few minutes?" he asked her. "You can come in and sit down, of course."

"..................that is a good question." Zach responded.

"I live in New Zealand." he then told her.

"I guess... I'll head back there?" he said further.

"And if you want to help, feel free." he then commented, thinking for a moment.

"My clothing can all be packed up in the larger suitcase."

Zach thought for a moment, and sighed quietly.

"Sure." he replied.

"I... think Mister Sharp can accommodate that." he told her.

"He may be able to even help with citizenship." he then said further.

"What do you do for a living?" he asked her.

"I'm a journalist in this life."

"I... ditch?" Zach asked.

"But... we're destined to be together." he told her.

"No matter what." he said further.

"What could have happened to have changed that?" he then asked her.

"Especially when, as you said, we're a perfect match in more than one way?" he then inquired with a small chuckle.

Zach's eyes, as well as his body, seemed to freeze in time.

"A... a..." he stammered.

"A... a vampire?" he finally got out.

"Like... an... an actual vampire?" he asked her.

"With... the fangs, and the drinking blood, and all that?" he asked further, his voice barely audible. It was clear that this had hit him hard, and he was doing all he could to process it, without shutting down completely.