Before becoming friends with the human.
Or, to abbreviate it in a much simpler way:
BBFWTH: Approximately one year earlier.
Tesia woke up around noon every day.
Not because she had to, simply because she could.
That morning, like every other morning, she walked out of her room still half-asleep and made her way to the kitchen. She opened the refrigerator and looked inside.
"Mmm..."
There were several things in there.
She grabbed a liter of milk, then took a bowl from the cupboard and a cereal box with cute drawings in it.
Tesia preferred eating cold things in the morning. Mostly because she was too lazy to cook right after waking up, and, honestly, she didn't even need to eat. She only did it because she enjoyed it.
"Mmm... this is so good. Heaven on earth."
Tesia rested one hand against her cheek as she happily ate her cereal.
While she ate breakfast, her parents began getting ready to leave.
Both were vampires who had lived for hundreds of years, although physically they looked to be around thirty. Her mother was a blonde woman with yellow eyes and a kind expression, while her father looked considerably more intimidating, with a rough face and magenta pupils that could make any human think twice before approaching him.
"We're heading out, sweetheart" her mother said as she gathered her things. "There's chicken and rice in the fridge. You can heat it up for lunch."
"Oh, sweetheart, you forgot to tell her about the blood bag too" her father added. "This month's supply is in the usual compartment in the fridge. Good luck at work today, sweetheart!"
The man raised a hand and waved enthusiastically.
Tesia, still sitting at the table with her cereal, did the same.
"Have a good day, Daddy! Mommy!"
"See you later, sweetheart!"
The door closed.
Tesia finished her breakfast, washed her bowl, and returned to the living room.
She placed her laptop on a small table, sat down on the couch, and opened the program she used to edit her videos.
She had started working as a content creator only two weeks earlier.
Her first anime reaction video had done much better than she expected, and since then, people had started recommending anime and shows for her to react to.
Being a vampire also came with some pretty interesting advantages.
She could change the color of her hair and eyes at will, and she could even hide her fangs.
For her videos, she'd chosen an appearance different from her usual one: black hair, blue eyes, and pink cat-ear headphones, without her characteristic fangs.
There wasn't any particularly deep reason behind it.
She just thought it was fun.
After recording a couple of reaction videos, she received a call.
She looked at the screen.
Invi.
Tesia smiled and answered.
"How's the whole content-creator thing going?"
Her best friend's voice came through immediately.
"Surprisingly well. It actually helps distract me."
"You still haven't gotten over him?"
Tesia fell silent for a moment.
"Invi... it hasn't even been a month."
"Right... sorry."
There was a brief silence.
"It's just..."
Invi's voice suddenly changed.
"YOU'RE SUCH AN IDIOT!"
Tesia lowered her gaze.
"I know..."
Her voice came out much sadder than she expected.
Invi sighed.
"If you liked the guy, you should've just gone for it! Steal him if you have to! BAM! You're gorgeous. Nobody could resist you. You're only like this because you were too indecisive. You can still do something!"
Tesia let out a small laugh.
"I... I don't want to be that kind of person, you know?"
"You're too nice."
Invi paused.
"You have more right to him than that other girl anyway. You're just an awkward, shy vampire."
Tesia sank a little deeper into the couch. She had no experience dealing with matters of the heart.
"Is liking someone always this painful, Invi?"
The two continued talking for a couple of hours.
They talked about the guy, the situation, life, Tesia's videos, and pretty much anything else that came up during their conversation.
Eventually, they decided to go out for food.
"So what are we eating?"
Tesia smiled.
"Hmm... good question. Sushi? Oh, I know! Tacos! Some carne asada tacos and—"
"We could eat humans... grilled."
"Ewww... It's not like we're living in the middle ages, idiot."
"Mmmm... but i like my humans grilled..."
Invi burst out laughing.
"You're so silly Invi..."
And that was pretty much a normal day in her life.
She didn't have to worry much about money, and she didn't really have to worry about working either, since her family had enough money that none of them actually needed jobs.
They worked because they wanted to.
They lived by human rules because they wanted to.
And Tesia had found content creation to be a pretty fun way to keep herself occupied.
Her life was peaceful.
Maybe a little too peaceful.
Until she met Jean.
///
Three weeks after meeting the human. Or 3WAMTH, for short.
Tesia still woke up late, that... hadn't changed.
What had changed was that she now set alarms.
Several of them.
Starting at six in the morning, they went off every five minutes, to the point that even her parents started wondering why her alarm kept going off from six all the way until 6:50.
It wasn't because she actually had anything to do, nor because her personality had suddenly changed and she'd developed some strange hobby of waking up early.
The real reason was much simpler.
She wanted to wake up around the same time as Jean cause she wanted to text him good morning.
She'd send the message, then roll around in bed laughing before finally stretching.
And then...
She'd immediately fall back asleep, as if she had a built-in off switch.
Her life as a content creator had also improved considerably.
She had already reached one hundred thousand subscribers, enough for a normal person to live fairly comfortably.
However, since money had never been an issue for her, she didn't really care how much she earned. She simply did what she enjoyed, something that kept her mind occupied and that she'd gradually learned to love.
///
Random Tesia Fact:
A few years earlier, Tesia had worked as a cashier at a convenience store.
Her father had recommended it. Not because she needed to work, but because he thought it would be an interesting experience for her.
And it had been.
Tesia had gone in thinking she'd probably get bored and quit after a few days, but she ended up enjoying the job and stayed there much longer than she'd expected.
It seemed to run in her blood, a trait she shared with her family, who also enjoyed experiencing things humans considered normal.
Working.
Going out.
Eating.
Making friends.
And speaking of the devil...
Jean.
Ever since she'd met him, her personality seemed to have become brighter.
Happier.
Her parents had started noticing.
"Has something good happened lately, sweetheart?"
Tesia looked up.
"Huh? Umm..."
Her mother watched her with a small smile.
Tesia hesitated for a few seconds, then she couldn't help but smile.
"Well... I made a new friend..."
Her parents looked at her attentively.
"His name is Jean. He's human, and..."
The way she talked about him made it obvious that this "new friend" already meant a lot to her.
"You should bring him over sometime so we can meet him —her father said."
Tesia immediately turned red.
"It's too soon, Dad!"
Her mother smiled. "Don't tease her, honey"
"He must be a very handsome boy, sweetheart."
"Y-yeah..."
Tesia turned even redder.
"I have something to do!"
She quickly stood up.
"I'm going to see Jean! I'll be back later, okay?"
Her father gave a small smile.
"Be careful, sweetheart."
"Yes, Daddy!"
Tesia ran upstairs to her room.
It was Saturday, and Jean got off work at two in the afternoon.
Tesia had picked out a rather sporty outfit, along with a light green hoodie to help protect her from the sun. As a vampire, she didn't sweat and didn't feel heat the same way humans did, but sunlight was still something she preferred to avoid.
She put on a cap.
Then checked the time.
1:45 p.m.
She still had time.
She fixed her bangs in front of the mirror.
Put on a little perfume.
Then she stared at her reflection for a few seconds.
She smiled.
Jean...
Her smile grew a little wider.
I can't wait to see you...
She grabbed her things and headed downstairs.
"Daddy! Mommy! I'll be back tonight!"
"Take care!"
"Have fun, sweetheart!"
Tesia opened the door, and just before she took off, her phone suddenly started ringing.
"Jean?"
...
"Are you okay?"