Chapter Text
So warm, and close. Hot breath on my neck and in my ear, stirring something up. I can hear my heartbeat quicken, pounding in my ears, blood rushing to my head to cloud my thinking. My conscious mind was drowning in the sensation, the solid ground far from my reach. But I didn’t mind. Briefly I recall (or, just feel?) fingers grasping mine, hands running up and down where they need to, lips, tongues, and teeth… Both comforting and yet also stimulating. It was hard to tell how long I was under for. Time was hard to grasp in the thick of the black and red undertow.
Until a piercing, beeping jingle broke through, each tone bringing me closer and closer to the surface. Before I feel up to opening my eyes just yet, I realize there’s a buzzing at my hip as well and groan. I have to stop it, but my arms feel so heavy. I make the effort anyway.
Wait.
I’m pinned by two bodies pressed against me, suffocating me with their body heat. My right hand’s around someone’s waist, my left buried in like a solid foot of soft hair. Now is probably a good time to take a look…yup, my eyes confirm my other senses. The guy on my right, the one with my hand approximately on his ass, opens his eyes and complains, “You gonna turn that off or what…”
Well, since he asked. I yank my arm out from under him and fish in my pocket for my phone. I’m a little disappointed my sudden movement didn’t trip him up honestly, but he did seem annoyed as I was at being awake so…good enough. I have to squint pretty hard to fight through the LED lit screen and slide the Alarm lock off. It gets a lot more quiet.
Seeing the dimly lit room properly for the first time, the full circumstances bull me over like a wave. We’re in the sleepy guy’s room, propped up uncomfortably against the bed frame instead of…in the bed, like sane people. There are a few beer cans rusting away in the carpet, which would make sense at the scene of a raging college party. Which was where we were, last night.
Emmett (that’s the guy’s name) was the one who threw it, and he invited me when he saw we were in the same business class. We had hung out for a brief time in high school, but to be completely honest I get the feeling it had a bigger impact on him than it did on me. I couldn’t even quite place his name until I had overheard one of the other party-goers mention it, but I did remember him being a cool enough guy.
Emmett yawned big enough to give me a good view of some extraordinarily pointy canines as he scooched over a bit to give me some space. “Man, I think we really overdid it last night. Hope I didn’t get, uh, too weird on ya.”
“Uh.” I had to stall on that. I remembered the party well enough. I didn’t know a lot of people there, so I mostly made awkward chitchat. It was the first time I was old enough to have beer, and I remember being a bit giddy about that. It made conversation go a bit smoother after one or two, but I don’t think it really messed with my head until much later. How much did I even have? Just the thought made my head start pounding a little harder.
But near the end, after everyone had gone home, the three of us talked real late into the night. That last stretch, it’s getting kind of hazy, but I could feel my heart clench just a bit and my blood grow hot. Oh geez, there was definitely something-
“Oh, um,” Emmett started, the edge of his mouth twitching up just a little. I could see him physically fight himself from cracking a smile. “Your fly’s down.”
Goddamn it. It bothers me that I have no idea who’s responsible for that, if anyone. I make my annoyance clear to him with my face and swear-filled mutterings as I quickly remedy that, dislodging my arm from the other body. The girl bonks against my shoulder and finally stirs, wrinkling her brow fiercely at the meager beam of sunlight that had fallen on her face.
“Curtains,” she barks as she pushes herself off me. “Now.”
“We’re all hung over, you don’t have to snap at me,” I grumble, nevertheless climbing over the bed and banishing the last inch of light behind the heavy pieces of cloth. Just from moving I could feel a wave of nausea roll over me, and that light stabbing my eyes didn’t help either.
That was Karin, I think. She was also in our class, an out-of-towner so neither of us really knew her before this. She seemed a lot more shy at the party, but I guess a headache like this can bring the worst out of anyone.
“Okay if I turn on a light then?” asked Emmett, without waiting for an answer. But Karin didn’t object. Room now illuminated with soft electric light, the mess from last night looked even harsher.
“Yeesh, what even happened…” I couldn’t help voicing. “Do you think…like, did something happen between us?”
Despite my vagueness, the tension in the air told me everyone understood what I meant.
Emmett laughed awkwardly. “Well, we definitely made out at least…I remember that much. Didn’t think you’d drink enough to black out that hard.”
“Oh god.” Some images clear up…making out, that definitely fits. I remember…more than eagerly consenting to that. I never thought I’d be that kind of guy, who’d just mack on randos, but I have to admit that a large part of me is pretty elated. After all, they are both very much my type, honestly… “Well if that’s it, I guess-”
“Oh god.”
Is there an echo?
Karin is staring up at me from the floor, bright green eyes widening. “You…I think I bit you.”
Is that all? I reach a hand to my neck, and it is a bit sore. Maybe it’s bruised. “It’s okay, guess I’ll wear a higher collar to class or something-”
She interrupts me again, hopping onto the bed and getting in close to inspect my neck, practically groping my jaw line and shoulder to do so. “Yes…that’s definitely my fault. Riku, I’m so sorry.”
Her voice is starting to shake, and that scares me. I can’t quite see her, but I think she might be crying. “Hey, it’s really no big deal, I’m fine! Hickies happen, and they go away eventually, right Em- what, you too?”
Now Emmett’s on the bed with us, and he nearly bowls me over trying to see the other side of my neck. “Oh god, oh god, oh fuck me…”
This is too much. I shout, “Will both of you back off and just tell me what’s going on? What, am I dying or something?”
The two of them shut up and slowly lean back. They look worriedly at each other, and then at me. It feels like they’re putting together a puzzle that I can’t see, and I’m getting impatient. “Well?”
Karin starts, uncertainly. “What do you remember exactly about last night, Riku? Do you remember what we, er, told you? Our secrets?”
I narrow my eyes. Secrets? If it was before the make-out session, I think I remember… “The party was winding down… We were drinking, obviously, and we talked a lot…” Oh god. “I think I told you I thought you both were cute…and I couldn’t decide which of you I wanted to ask out, or something-”
“P-past that!” Karin’s voice broke. She’s surprisingly innocent, for a college student. In the corner of my eye, I could see Emmett smirking at being called ‘cute’ and I wanted to punch him just a little. “Keep going, do you remember what we said after that?”
“Uh, I’m pretty sure Emmett said something like ‘why not both’. Then he said-” Wait, am I remembering that right? “He said ‘if we’re sharing secrets, you should know before asking me out that I’m a dangerous werewolf’.”
Emmett’s looking both panicked and ashamed, like I’ve confirmed something for him.
“And we all laughed it off, because of course that sounds insane.” I emphasize the last word, feeling on edge myself. “Karin even joked that she was a vampire too. And then we joked a lot about dumb sexy tropes in vampire stuff, and talked about biting and well…evidently, one thing led to another.”
Now that I was saying this out loud, everything about last night cleared up. I remembered all of our corny jokes, and every hot, intimate moment…I remember their teeth feeling sharper, more painful at my neck than I was prepared for. I remember how they both drew blood, but suddenly unconcerned as teeth were replaced by tongues and lips and my blood started to boil… They’re still staring at me expectantly, not even cracking any sort of smile.
“What,” I start slowly, “you guys aren’t about to tell me that you weren’t joking, are you? Because honestly, this is kind of a shitty prank.”
Karin shakes her head. There are tears in her eyes. “I’m sorry. It’s not a joke, I’m sorry…”
Emmett’s finding it hard to look at me, and instead turns to Karin. “I only transformed a little…I only nipped him, that doesn’t count, right?”
“Of course it does! You saw what we did to his neck, we both drew blood! That counts.”
“But- but maybe they cancel out? Don’t you think? If I’m a werewolf and you’re a v-vampire…I’m pretty sure we did it, like, simultaneously. So maybe nothing will happen!”
These two are scaring me. “Hey, you are joking, right? This is stupid, of course you are. You don’t have to keep going, it stopped being funny ages ago, so…just stop.”
I really hoped they would just stop there.
Emmett stands up and pulls out his phone. “Okay, I’m looking it up.”
I frown. “Looking what up?”
“What happens when someone gets bitten by both a werewolf and a vampire.”
“Seriously man, just stop. What, are you looking it up on cryptid wikipedia?”
“No, google.”
He spends an agonizingly long time pacing, typing, and scrolling through pages, looking more and more skeptical. “Most of this stuff is coming from rpers…oh my god, this guy’s citing Supernatural as lore. I swear, maybe we need a cryptid wiki, it’s impossible to find anything. Karin, what do you think?”
Karin shakes her head again. “I don’t know. I don’t think anything like this has happened before, since vampires and werewolves barely interact at all.”
“Yeah, no kidding,” Emmett sighs. “I wasn’t sure you guys even existed ‘til now.”
“But werewolves, those are fine,” I react dryly. At this point, growing denial and sarcasm is all I have.
He turns to me suddenly, teeth flashing. I can see his abnormally large canines. “Yes Riku, werewolves are real. I get that this is a lot to believe at once, but you were bitten and we’re trying to help you. So can’t you just trust us for one minute and cut the commentary?”
That’s enough. I’m annoyed, and confused, and my head feels like splitting. Whatever this is, I don’t want to be a part of it anymore. I stand up and push passed Emmett to the door. “I don’t know what you guys are playing at with me, if this is a joke or what, but this is getting fucked up. Next time, don’t invite me-”
Just as my fingers brush the knob, something huge and fast whizzes past my head, slamming into the door to block me. It’s…a hand, large and gnarled, covered in coarse grey fur with sharp, yellowed nails. The hand is attached to a similarly furred, muscular arm and, as I turn, I meet eyes with a hulking beast and freeze in place. It’s face is twisted in pain, gritting sparkling white fangs that feel too close for comfort, and topped with demonic pointed ears. This form caught between man and animal is wearing my old friend’s clothes.
“Oh god…”
The monster blinks and seems to only really see me now, and his features start to soften. I must’ve looked pretty traumatized, because there’s some serious pity in his eyes. But before he can move, his body is suddenly whisked to the ceiling and then drops hard to the ground. Karin is now standing behind him, arm outstretched.
“Sorry about that, it looked like you were going to hurt him.”
The mangled creature on the ground begins to shrink just a bit, the bizarre features melting away in seconds until only Emmett is left.
“Ow…” he moans. “Consider not hurting me too, thanks.”
I’m having trouble finding words. Or thoughts. “Wha…how?”
Emmett sits up, none too worse for wear but rubbing his battered body nonetheless. Again, he doesn’t want to look at me. “Sorry Riku…I reacted without thinking, I shouldn’t have scared you like that.”
“But do you at least believe us now?” asks Karin, who is now just floating on the air super casually. “I don’t like using my powers in front of humans but…that’s probably no longer the case for you.”
My legs feel like jelly. I let them collapse beneath me and slide to the floor. A nervous laugh escapes me…for longer than I’m comfortable describing. “What…What is this? What even are you guys, like really? W-what’s going to happen to me? Am I going to become like that too?”
“H-hey, it’s not that bad!” Emmett says a bit defensively. “I only looked like that because it was a rush job! My real transformation is way better, I can show you-”
He’s interrupted by a rumbling stomach.
“Okay, maybe after lunch.”
“Honestly,” Karin starts, “I think lunch is a good idea. I think Riku might need a break to let the information sink in, and get his thoughts in order. We can pick you up in a couple of hours and talk about it then, does that sound alright?”
“I don’t know,” I reply honestly. Everything’s buzzing so loudly in my head, I’m not sure what’s the right course of action right now. “Is it okay to leave me alone? What if I like…turn or something?”
She gives me a soft, reassuring smile. Now that she’s calmed down, it’s starting to feel like she has a handle on the situation, and it makes me desperately want to trust her. “Werewolves don’t turn until their first full moon, and we won’t know if you’ve taken on any vampirism for about a week. Today, you’ll hopefully be fine.”
Hopefully? That’s the best I’ve got. “I guess that will be fine…”
The two of them escort me to my dorm, having noticed how fatigued I was. They promised me they would pick me up at noon, and something about how gently they’re treating me makes me feel like I’d just been diagnosed with some horrible disease. This leaves me with two hours, just me and my growing worry.
When the knock finally came at my door, I wasn’t sure if it was too soon or not soon enough. I’d spent the last two hours on the couch, staring at the ceiling. It felt kind of dumb, but the first thing I did when I got home was close all the curtains to block out the light. Just in case. I’m not sure how productive it was. Mostly, I just went over Emmett’s transformation and told myself over and over that was a real thing that happened, that I didn’t imagine it. Karin’s telekinesis, that wasn’t a trick either. I didn’t want to think about what might be happening to my body, but I couldn’t help doing mental checks. Like, is my heart supposed to be beating this fast? Or is it just stress?
“Hey!” I heard Emmett’s voice through the door when I didn’t respond right away. “We’re here, you okay for lunch?”
Honestly, it was a relief to hear something other than my own thoughts. Not sure how well I can hold down food right now, but. “Sounds good, hold on.”
I change clothes real quick, just whatever I can find. Something simple as that can be refreshing sometimes. I open the door to see it’s just Emmett by himself. Somehow I don’t think he went through the same effort as I did, but at least his shirt is different.
“Karin’s waiting in the car,” he explained. “Sunlight.”
“Ah.” How did she get in, then?
“Let’s get going then.”
Ever so briefly, I catch him offering his hand to me before pulling back and walking a step ahead of me. Did…did he think I needed help? Or did he just want to hold hands? By the look I caught on his face I think he knows I noticed and now he’s blushing, holy shit that’s kind of cute.
We reach the dorm entrance and it’s just one step between me and a harsh wall of sunlight. I hesitate, but Emmett’s not slowing down and I can’t help but keep going. The sun hits my face and…absolutely nothing happens.
“Oh thank god.”
“Huh?”
“Nothing, it’s nothing!”
In a silver sedan I spy Karin willingly sitting middle seat, stoically blocking the sunlight by holding her purse up to the side of her face. How has no one else figured out she’s a vampire yet? Then again, with my pure denial this morning, I can sort of see why “that girl’s obviously a vampire” wouldn’t be a thought most people would have seriously. I join Emmett up front on the passenger side, and she immediately becomes more animated once we’re near.
“Riku, how are you feeling?” she chirps, giving me that soft smile again.
“Not good, to be honest.” Come to think of it, these two seem to be doing way better than me already, despite having the same amount to drink last night. “I’m starting to think I’m more actually sick than hung over.”
“Oh, that’s… Y’know what, let’s pick somewhere to go first!”
Damn it. That was a sign, wasn’t it.
They let me choose. Well, they made me choose, despite my weak protest. I went with McDonald’s: partially because it was close, but mostly because I wanted to punish my body. I mean I’m already sick and also possibly a werepire now, may as well.
When we arrived, Karin quickly stuck a black umbrella out as soon as she opened the door and let it unfurl, effectively blocking the sun the moment it hit her. I couldn’t help noticing that not only was her umbrella the fancy lace kind (does that make it a parasol?), but she was also dressed in a modern, but classy cardigan, skirt, and leggings, making her look like a walking doll. Made me wonder if excellent fashion taste was another vampire power.
Instead I asked, “How do you get away with carrying that with you everywhere?”
Karin smiled brightly and said in a lilting voice, “Isn’t it so bright today? My skin’s pretty sensitive, can’t afford to get sunburned! I sure hope it doesn’t rain later. Hey, don’t you think this goes great with my outfit? Have to keep up my aesthetic, you know!”
She ended with such a smirk, I couldn’t help laughing. “Okay, I think I get it!”
After ordering, we found a table that was pretty isolated from the rest of the place. It was next to one of those decrepit play areas they hadn’t gotten around to dismantling yet, so it was pretty grimy. I only got lots and lots of fries…and an iced tea. Wasn’t sure if I could handle anything else.
“So,” began Karin, sipping on her frozen lemonade, “shall we begin?”
“Might as well,” I relied apprehensively. “I guess…what’s your guys’ best guess? What’s gonna happen to me? And if it does happen, what do we do?”
“Well, from what Karin’s told me, you’re cold-like symptoms are right on the money for vampirism,” says Emmett as he pours watery syrup onto a short stack. His lunch consisted of a metric ton of items from the breakfast menu. I wanted to tease him for this, but honestly the hashbrowns are probably the best choice here and I’m so jealous I didn’t think of it. “When I was bitten, I was more…injured than sick.”
Karin nods firmly. “Yes, sudden sickness and fatigue are the first signs right after a bite. Your human body is attempting to fight off the changes your biology is being forced to go through.”
“And…if I can’t fight it off, I become a vampire?” I ask reluctantly.
“Impossible. Vampirism is trained to take other biological organisms and transform them into something like itself. Humans simply aren’t equipped to handle that.”
Sensing the atmosphere had gone chilly, Karin adds a bit quickly, “But this is an unusual case! The lycanthropy might have to compete with the vamperic changes, and they may cancel each other out…”
She pauses, coming to a much darker realization. “Although, I guess in that situation it would be much more likely that the resulting conflict would weaken your body until you die…”
“So hopefully,” Emmett cuts her off, “and likely, one of the two is going to win out and you’ll be fine!”
“Except I’ll be a creature of the night, possibly succumbing to my baser instincts and killing lots of innocent people,” I couldn’t help pointing out.
“Yeah, think positive!” He passes me a hashbrown patty. Guess he saw me shamelessly eyeing them. “But if you do become one of us, we’ve got your back man. You won’t have to have blood on your hands.”
Karin had managed to recompose herself again. “Yes, we’ll help you any way we can. Vampires are obligated to take those they turn under their wing, as the actions of our juniors are considered our responsibility.”
She smiles, almost shining like a holy figure. “And because we’re friends, of course!”
Jesus. I know I’m still feeling miserable, and the words are kind of corny, but I can’t help feeling overwhelmed. My eyes well up and I quickly try to hide my face.
“Thanks, guys…” I sniffle. “I’m…I’m glad if I have to do this, I’m not alone.”
They hand me napkins and try to comfort me, and I’m able to recover okay. I think an employee saw us, but they probably see this sort of scene a lot and just go back to what they were doing. The weight on my chest has eased just a bit. Actually, I think I’m starting to even feel a bit optimistic?
“So assuming I don’t die, how do we know what’s happened?”
“We definitely won’t know if you’re a wolf until the next full moon at the end of the month,” laughs Emmett. “So just don’t worry about it right now.”
“When the sickness passes in about a week, you’re vamperic transformation should be complete,” adds Karin. “Everything should be fully developed, but the powers of a vampire can be difficult to bring out right away. The quickest way to check would be to touch sunlight.”
Seeing the look on my face, she reassures me.
“We can stand the sun for quite a bit before it kills us, watch…”
Watch? That’s immediately less reassuring.
Before either of us can say anything, Karin stands up and walks up to a nearby beam of light a few feet away. As we both get up to stop her, she sticks her hand into the light and lets it hang. For a few seconds, it seemed like nothing was happening, but then her previously smooth skin started smoking and bubbling like a thick soup. Gritting her teeth so as not to make a sound, face otherwise completely composed, she retracts her hand and shows it to us.
It was all red and blistery, like she had just left it on a hot stove…at least for a second. Her skin reforms before our eyes and becomes taunt and unmarked once again. She smiles brightly yet again, just to rub it in. “See? Only hurts for a minute.”
The fire alarm goes off. Immediately there’s some yelling and a bit of swearing from the kitchen. An employee approaches us in seconds. He has bags under his eyes and a general disposition that says not to waste his time more than necessary (probably from overwork, I know that look well).
“You kids smoking over here?” He says kids, but he’s clearly about our age. “We don’t allow smoking here.”
“No, none of us smoke!” Karin scrambled. “We just, um-”
“Well I really don’t care what your habits are, but I definitely saw smoke from your area. Carrey, you saw that too right?” the employee shouts to Carrey at the register, who nods. “The only smoke that belongs here is on the grill, so unless you can prove it wasn’t you you’re all gonna have to leave.”
We really had no argument for that. They escorted us out, but not before getting our information for a permanent ban. Emmett managed to grab the rest of his hash browns on his way out (which let me remind you, was easily enough for five people), so it wasn’t a total loss. By the time we got back to the car, I still felt bad for causing the guy trouble, but I couldn’t help laughing with the others at least a little.
“Okay, give me your phone,” Emmett ordered me, holding out his hand. “We’re gonna need to keep a close eye on you, so we should exchange numbers.”
“Oh, right! That’s a good idea,” agreed Karin. “Can you please do mine for me, Emmett? I don’t quite remember how to work my phone…”
We both hand our phones over, and I see that hers is a really old brick model. It does have some cute stickers and a bunny phone charm like one might expect, but otherwise it seems seldom used. Is she just bad with technology or…
“Karin, how old are you?” The question pops out of me without meaning to.
She sticks her tongue out at me. “Rude! Just because my family won’t…wouldn’t let me have a smart phone. I’m only…I mean, one hundred and sixty three will sound big to you.”
We’re both a bit stunned by that. But I’m really not sure what we were expecting.
“Karin…” Emmett slows his button pressing. “That’s older than both world wars.”
“Yes, I get it, I’m old.” She looks very uncomfortable. “Can we not talk about this now? I’m not exactly ready to relive those memories for you two just yet, if that makes sense.”
“Uh, sure. Sorry…” He passes the phones back. “Anyway, we’ll just have to stand by and see what happens. If nothing, then great, but if you’re like either one of us we’ll teach you what you need to know, alright Riku?”
“Yeah, I really appreciate it you guys…” Suddenly, I start to feel very nauseous. “Can you take me home now? I don’t want to mess up your car.”
By the time I had gotten home, my illness had been kicked into high gear and I was relegated straight to bed. I slept the whole weekend away, and had woken up in a panic on Monday when I realized class had already started, but a text from Emmett told me that he and Karin had already explained my absence to the teacher. I didn’t like the idea of missing the second week in the term, but they assured me they’d keep me from falling behind.
Every day after class the two of them would bring me homework and notes (including from classes we didn’t share, which I didn’t expect) and we would spend the evening going over them. Karin’s notes were especially helpful, clean and thorough, though there were some strange bits in the margins where she’d written her observations on “human culture”. We had to correct some misconceptions at several points.
Emmett was always trying to push me to eat more, and started making things in my kitchen when I admitted I’d forgotten to. By the middle of the week, he’d also buy me high-calorie snacks daily so I could eat when he wasn’t around. Especially Sprite, which he insisted was “the best for colds”. I didn’t object to that. Even one time when I realized I’d forgotten to feed the cats (which admittedly weren’t really mine, just some strays I’d been illegally taking care of behind the dorms), he insisted I stay put and did it for me. Although based on how eager he was, I’m pretty sure it wasn’t entirely him being altruistic…
And usually after studying, they’d stay and play games until late into the evening. Emmett brought Smash, Mario Party, and Double Dash, and when those got old he’d challenge us to Pokemon battles. Karin never played before, so I lent her my copy of Moon and we made it our mission to get her team battle-ready as soon as possible (she chose Popplio, and seems very satisfied with it). Of course, usually I’d get completely exhausted by this point, so after a match or two they’d continue playing at a lower volume while I slept.
This would’ve felt like an ordinary cold, if it weren’t for the dreams. Like the first night, I’d always be plunged into the warm blackness…but events were clearer and more confusing. There were figures just out of sight, darting to impossible places. Sometimes they chased me, other times I was the one doing the chasing. Over time, the dreams placed more emphasis on the latter. In these dreams, I would feel a strange, ravenous hunger, even if I was on the verge of throwing up an hour earlier. A hunger that couldn’t be tamed with anything, it seemed, and that hollow feeling in my mouth and stomach drove any sense from my head. And sometimes, usually near the end, I caught something. Or I’d be caught, sometimes it’d be hard to tell. We’d roll over one another, nails sinking in, tongues tasting, teeth biting, lips kissing tenderly…it was hard to keep track of who did what. I’d take out a chunk of it with my fangs, and although it would give me a shot of adrenaline every time it wasn’t enough. If anything, the taste would drive me to want more.
Most often I’d lose and that would be it, eaten whole by the strange thing. I’d jerk awake, fever at a high pitch, and if Karin and Emmett were around they’d take notice and I’d have to reassure them I was fine. It was only when I was awake that it sunk in just how deeply horrifying it was to experience.
But once I did win, on the last night of my illness. I remember the moment clearly. I had finally drove my hand into the creature’s chest, deep into the muscle and sinew, and crushed the heart until I could feel it burst between my fingers. I felt the edges of my mouth twist into a wild, fanged grin. More than satisfied with the kill, I was ecstatic to the core. Then, finally, I could see the face of my assailant, only to lay eyes on my own mangled, lifeless body. And that, more than the copious scenes of gore, was enough to snap me awake.
It was, according to my dormant alarm clock, in the very early hours of the morning. I’m physically shaking in the memory of that nightmare, deeply sickened by myself in those last moments. But, I realized, no longer actually sick. Like, at all. Yesterday I could barely get out of bed, but today I felt great, better even. Like I could do back flips all the way to the cafeteria.
So…is this it? I had pushed this moment to the back of my mind all week, but now that I’m here I can feel the dread rising again. I thought to text Emmett and Karin but…I couldn’t stand the idea of waiting for them.
I walk over to the balcony window, which had the curtains drawn since day one. There’s already a bit of morning light peaking its way through the gap at the bottom, which I’m careful not to tread on. Slowly, I pull one curtain to the side just enough to let a slice of sunlight in without it touching me. I then brace myself and hold my hand out into the warmth and…
Nothing.
I stand there for a whole minute, dumbfounded. After all that buildup… I find myself wondering if this was all just a really elaborate prank, but even then there was so much that would be hard to explain. So why?
Cautiously, albeit a bit less so than before, I pull the curtain the rest of the way open and let the sunlight flood my apartment. So far so good. In a rush of determination one could characterize as suicidal, I unlatch the lock on the balcony’s sliding door and step out. Now bathed in the pale morning light, I feel the sheer relief drain the energy from my body and I instinctively grab onto the railing. Somewhere in the back of my mind I feel a bit silly. It’s just the sun, and they did say there was some possibility I would avoid the effects of vampirism, but still. After this week, I’m really just happy I’m not going to burn to death, and I can’t help breaking down to cry just for a bit.