Chapter 19
19
Once he leaves, I go into the bathroom to shower. I let the water wash over me as I stand there feeling like I still have so many questions. Despite what he did answer, my mind feels like it’s spinning with all the information I learned from Finn. After I finish in the shower, I get ready for the day, getting dressed and brushing my hair before throwing it into a ponytail. It should bother me, right? That the man I’m quickly falling for is a vampire?
My dad always told me about his own beliefs that supernatural beings existed, he always used to joke about Flora being descended from witches because of her natural desires for healing. As she got older, she fell in love with the medicinal purposes of herbs and drifted toward the various abilities crystals hold.
We talked about vampires, werewolves, mermaids, and so much more. Dad always said, “The lore had to have come from somewhere, right?”
Turns out, he was onto something the whole time.
I check the time on my phone to make sure I’m not running late, and a text from Flora catches my attention.
I’m at hot yoga! Should be back before you need to leave for work. Can’t wait for all the dirty details .
I turn off the bathroom light and go back into my bedroom. My eyes are immediately pulled to the dark stain of blood, my blood, on my sheets. Flora cannot see the proof of what happened last night, or she’d ask too many questions, and I don’t want to blatantly lie to my best friend. My stomach drops and heat rises in my core as I remember the feeling of Finn’s teeth sinking deep into my thigh. I lean across the mattress and pull the corners of the sheets off the bed and the cases of each of my pillows, bundling them all together.
There’s enough time before I need to leave for me to make some tea, so I toss the sheets in the laundry room and fill up the kettle. My phone vibrates against the counter, the name Sophi scrolls across the top of the screen.
“Hey, Soph.”
“Hi boss.” She’s so congested that it sounds like her nose is completely plugged up.
“Oh no. You don’t sound too good.”
“I caught a bug or something, I don’t know but, I’m not going to be able to go to my shift tomorrow.”
“Absolutely. You take care of yourself!”
“I’m so sorry, Lil. I know you just gave me that promotion and here I am calling out already.”
“Oh my gosh, Sophi! You didn’t ask the nasty germs to invade your body. Your health is top priority. I’ll see about getting your shift handled.”
“You really are the best,” she sighs in relief.
“Drink some tea, lots of water, and eat some soup. ”
“Thank you.”
We hang up the call and I place my phone on the counter next to my mug. The timing is perfect because the kettle begins to whistle at the same time. After the burner is off, I pour water over the bag and let it seep. While I wait for the responses about covering Sophi’s shift, I go into the laundry room, start the sheets, and decide that next week I’m going to have to buckle down and get serious about setting up interviews. My stomach sinks when I see the blood stain again. It’s hard for my mind to not replay the events of last night, or this morning, when I look at it. There’s still so much unknown air around Finn, but I find myself getting more and more excited to learn more.
After the sheets are loaded and the washer is all set, I tidy up the rest of my room. There’s still more or less thirty minutes left before I need to leave for the shop, so I’m not too rushed for time. I collect the dirty clothes, both from my room and the bathroom, and put them in the laundry room. Making sure to make a mental note to start a load when I get home because nothing overwhelms me more than an excessive amount of dirty laundry.
When I go back into my room, my eyes glide in the direction of my bookshelf, specifically to the location of my newest addition to my Dracula collection. I pick it up, admiring the beauty of its pristine condition. My chest aches with thoughts of my dad and how much he would have loved to be able to hold a first edition. My phone pings with a notification, so I set the book back in its temporary spot and go into the kitchen. I begin a mental checklist of all the things I need to get done, adding rearrange bookcases onto it.
Flora’s name is on the screen with a notification of a text message.
Leaving yoga now! Do. Not. Leave!
“Better hurry or I’ll be late,” I responded out loud, putting my phone back down on the counter. The washer sings in alert that my sheets are done. I groan loudly when I see there’s still a load in the dryer, thankfully it’s just towels. After shoving them into a hamper, I add folding towels onto my list as well. A sound coming from the front of the house catches my attention, it’s the door opening, and it's followed by slow creaks of the floorboard beneath footsteps.
“That was fast,” I yelled from the laundry room. “Cyrus warned you that he was going to impound your car if you couldn't slow down.” She doesn’t respond. “Flora, you know how much I hate being scared, so will you stop?”
I turn to exit the laundry room, and I immediately stop in my tracks. Two men that I’ve never seen before stare back at me.
My legs and feet suddenly feel like they are weighed down with sand. I try to move, but my body doesn’t respond. There’s not a single cohesive thought running through my mind. The men stand on both sides of the island, trapping me in the space just before the laundry room. I open my mouth to scream, but nothing comes out. The three of us just stand there, waiting for someone else to move.
“Wh… Who are you?” My voice shakes.
“Don’t matter,” the bigger one responds.
“M… My name is Li… Lillia. Wha… What’s yours?” I ask the other one. His eyes refuse to meet mine. They’re both larger than I am, and I know I can’t fight them off. Scanning the room, I see my phone behind one of them, but I know I can’t reach it so I slowly inch backwards toward the laundry room.
In one swift movement, I turn and run into the room and shut the door behind me. There’s a fight against the door; he’s pushing against me. My heartbeat echoes in my ear as my heart practically bursts out of my chest. My arms and legs tingle with the adrenaline that is coursing through my veins.
There’s a shuffle of feet outside the door and the fighting stops. I remain in my spot, pushing hard against the door. Suddenly, there’s a loud thud and the entire door shakes against me. I push as hard as I can but after the third ram, he knocks the door open. The impact causes me to stumble and fall, my head hitting the wall and then the floor. Throbbing radiates through my head, and I fall into a dark tunnel of nothing.