Unbitten by Valerie du Sange

well.”
    “That is why, obviously, we do the work we do. And we
     are very pleased to teach you all we know, Tristan, and to
     have you as part of our team,” said Jessica.
    Tristan was dumbfounded already, even though none of what
     Alain had said was that much of a surprise. Certainly the
     connection of vampires to aristocrats wasn’t news,
     since he was dealing with that in his own village. But
     despite his already being convinced, it was nevertheless
     very strange to be having a conversation with other
     people–obviously educated, sensible people–who
     also believed vampires were not simply the stuff of rumor.
    He looked at the menu, feeling a sorrow to be so
     distracted. He couldn’t help resenting Jessica whom
     he blamed for this sacrilege of a working lunch.
    And yet, he was equally greedy for information. He decided
     to start with snails
à la bourginonne,
then
     on to lamb. Or maybe sweetbreads? Oh, it will be good no
     matter what I order, he thought irritably. He prodded Alain
     to continue.
    “Well, I can tell you the basics, but our research is
     far from complete,” said Alain. "It’s true they
     cannot endure sunlight, and they get more sensitive to sun
     as they get older. The really old ones–and
     we’ll talk about life-span in a minute–must
     stay inside at all times. Moonlight is too much for them.
     Younger ones may be able to go out during the day if they
     are completely covered up, at least for a short time.
    “As with humans, there seems to be some genetic
     variation in how much sun exposure they can handle, and at
     what age that endurance, if any to start with,
     fades.” Alain waved to a waiter, dressed in black
     with a white apron tied at his waist.
    “What about killing them?” asked Tristan.
    “Jumping right to the point, eh?” said Alain.
     "Well, there’s not been much evolution with this. In
     the old days, a stake through the heart would do it, as
     well as a silver bullet. You could weaken them with garlic,
     or a silver cross, or holy water. These days, the stake
     still works. The silver cross, as far as we can tell, is
     only effective when used by a person of authentic religious
     faith, and there are not many of those around anymore.
    “Garlic,” he said with a rueful smile,
     “seems to be a favorite seasoning for vampires rather
     than any sort of repellant.” He shrugged. “One
     thing about vampires, at least French ones –they love
     to eat and they appreciate good food. So it’s not a
     surprise that along the way some of them figured out how to
     neutralize the weakening effect of garlic. No
escargot
     à la bourginonne
otherwise.”
    The waiter approached and took their orders. Tristan looked
     around at the other tables, quickly imagining a back story
     for each one. A couple on the verge of a breakup. A pair of
     students celebrating passing an exam. A young man dutifully
     having lunch with his aunt. Everyone, even the couple
     breaking up, looked like they were enjoying their food
     immensely. Tristan put his hand on his stomach to calm it
     down.
    “Now, about aging,” continued Alain.
     “Generally speaking, worldwide, vampires stop getting
     older when they become vampires. It’s as simple as
     that, and true to the mythology. But here in France, we see
     a different strain. These vampires, who appear to have been
     turned at young ages, prepubescent in any case, do get
     older, albeit extremely slowly. So they might live to be
     two or three hundred years old, and just like humans, their
     faculties and strength will fade over time. Why, we
     don’t know.”
    Jessica continued the explanations. “They do like the
     high life, these vampires,” she said. “Here in
     Paris, and back in New York as well, they party all the
     time. Love wearing couture. Eating the most extravagant
     food.” She paused and sipped her drink.
    “I haven’t thought of it like this
     before,” she said, “but it’s like they
     are