People don’t understand us.

They think we don’t work, just hide behind our curtains all day, waiting for the sun to go down. And then … what? Just roam the streets?

But I guess it’s better that way. If they understood, maybe my existence would be even harder.

As it is, this summer has been the toughest one yet. The days so bright, the nights so short. I’ve lost twenty pounds since May.

This job is the only thing that keeps me going. The technology has been a godsend. Where else could you watch so many people come and go all day, pick up on their patterns, and do it all from a deep, dark dungeon far removed from the sun?

It’s ironic that work would save me considering the misconceptions about my kind. But then, nobody knows the truth about me. If they think about me at all, it’s just in an abstract way — how do I avoid the cameras, stay away from the security guy?

The job puts me at risk, too, though.

It’s rarely dark when I come into the mall, or when I leave at night. That presents its own challenges, but I’ve managed to cope, with only minor burns.

Working all day leaves me little energy at night, though, so feedings have been rough. Hence the weight loss.

But it was 57 degrees when I came to work this morning. Hardly anyone is wearing shorts today.

And the days are getting shorter. Soon it will be fall.

It’s my favorite time of year. Especially this year. People love routine, and I’m observant.

Soon, it will be easy to find what I need. Once the darkness comes back to me.

Soon … I won’t be hungry anymore.