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In the end, that Sunday passed in a blur. After picking up her groceries and getting her new phone—the warranty was thankfully still active, so she only had to pay a little money to obtain a new one—she headed home.

The first thing she did was make herself a spinach and kale salad and cook some of the sirloin steak she had bought from the store. She hated to follow any of the instructions her vampire stalker had given her, but she figured that he would know best what would help with blood loss and she would need all her strength to deal with the wreck that was now her life.

Although she had retained enough of her mental faculties to go about running errands and managed to keep herself composed enough to pass for normal, Sophie was still reeling in shock. Her entire world, her entire reality had just been upended. Vampires existed? How many other supernatural creatures were out there that nobody knew about? Should she believe this Mikhail, who was threatening her friends’ lives and her wellbeing? Should she ignore his threat and do what she knew was the right thing by telling the police and warning her friends? On the other hand, should she listen to this strange man’s words and follow his rules, given his threats against her friends’ lives and the very real fact that he had made two very precise wounds on her neck with just his canines, managing to nearly kill her in the process?

Was this even real? Was she dreaming?

No answers were forthcoming except for the fact that the pain in her neck and the effects of blood loss on her body were very real. She turned it over in her head many times and each time she came to the same conclusion: vampires existed and she had no idea what her vampire stalker was capable of. The only things she knew about vampires were what she had heard about from the release commercial for fictional horror novel about them, but strangely enough a few days after the book’s release it was banned by the government and taken off the shelves permanently. She wouldn’t have read it anyway because of her aversion to blood and gore, but in the end she wished she would have if only to get a little bit of an idea what she was working with Wasn’t there always that grain of truth, even in fiction? When she got some free time, she would have to go to the library and see if there was anything at all that could illuminate her situation.

She gave up thinking and took her dinner off the stove.

It turned out that Mikhail had not lied. After eating the meal rich with protein and iron, she was feeling a lot better than she would have expected.

Then, of course, the texts came in like an avalanche just after she took her phone off the charger and turned it on.

As she responded to Kenneth’s incessant texts—most of them of an unimportant, menial nature—Sophie almost felt as though her life had returned to normal. Then her eyes would stray to the note that she had left on her dining room table and she would be reminded that she was not out of the woods just yet. Things would not go back to normal unless she found a way to deal with this newest threat.

But what could she really do?

It occurred to her somewhere along the line that if vampires really existed, surely someone who was not a vampire knew of them? There had to be some kind of human retaliation—people who went after them or something? She refused to believe that humans were entirely without defense of their kind.

The more difficult matter was finding out how to contact such people. Even with her laptop, she was almost positive that a search engine would be unable to give her any real results to her problem. Most would likely be a fake or a scam because really, who actually believed in vampires? Nonetheless, after putting her dishes in the dishwasher, she found herself typing ‘vampires’ into the search engine on her computer. The results were surprisingly pitiful and she barely found out anything she hadn’t already known: vampires drank blood, sunlight was a weakness to them, and they had super strength and speed.

She pushed all thought about her situation away, and feeling almost normal at last because most of the pain was gone except what came from her actual wounds, specifically the bite on her neck, Sophie decided a shower was in order. While usually caring about what society thought of her appearance, other than changing pants and donning a scarf despite the still-warm autumnal weather, Sophie had headed out from her house as-is. However, now that everything felt a little more normal, it was important she become presentable.

A hot shower was just what she needed, it seemed. The warm water soothed her injuries and refreshed her tired body, so of course she took a very long time in the bathroom. She gauged that she had been in the stall about an hour—her finger tips were wrinkled like prunes when she was finally done. Putting on a purple V-neck t-shirt and some white jeans was normal, but wrapping her yellow scarf around her neck and securing it firmly to stay in place was not. She bandaged her wounded hand awkwardly, given that she was doing it with one hand and her teeth, but after all was said and done she felt much better about everything.

And yet the note, still on her dining room table, stayed like an obnoxious intruder in the back of her mind, reminding her that nothing was normal and that she needed to figure out what she was going to do about the vampire named Mikhail.

It didn’t seem like there was much she could do, but Sophie liked to think she was a strong, independent woman so she would not give up, even in the face of something that felt like it was a lot bigger than her.

Such thoughts didn’t make the situation feel any more manageable though.

In the end, she fell asleep around 6pm and didn’t wake up until just before her shift started the next day.

 

Cornerstone was a café not too far from where she lived that served delicious, fantastic food that brought people from all over Canton flocking. It was a very well-to-do establishment and Sophie felt lucky that she worked in such an environment even though she really should have been at school at her age. School was a little too expensive at the moment though, so she was saving up with the help of her often generous tips. Her boss, Mr. Tiller, was a kind, elderly old man who had been an activist back in his day and was now something of a reformed businessman.

Even though the man was a little weird sometimes, spouting things about classical philosophy and going on seemingly-random rants about spiritualism and karma, Sophie thought he was a wonderful person and really looked up to him. She did her best to work hard and give one hundred percent every shift, and it was well-rewarded because Mr. Tiller truly seemed to like her.

Work was just what she needed to take her mind off things and that idea was solidified in the form of her best female friend Ashley Gibson. The redhead was a fellow waitress but also her best friend since middle school. If there was anyone Sophie felt she could tell her secret and have it be safe, it was Ashley. Given that Ashley was an incredible bookworm, Sophie had no doubt that she could help her find out more about her predicament as well as probably locate someone who could help her.

Still, she couldn’t risk her friends’ lives. She had no idea how Mikhail would know if she had told someone about him, but she couldn’t take the chance of him finding out now that she had decided to play it safe when it came to his threats. After thinking about it thoroughly, she still wasn’t sure if she really fathomed him killing her friends over this—at the same time, if he was a vampire and trying to keep his existence a secret, it was definitely a possibility. In the end, it wasn’t a risk she was willing to take.

It did not stop her from trying to enjoy her shift as much as possible. She had gotten a few odd looks aimed in the direction of her scarf since she was wearing it indoors, but all she could do was shrug it off and make sure the fabric stayed in place tightly. Luckily, the yellow didn’t clash too terribly with her blue waitress uniform or else she wasn’t sure what she would have done. The bandage on her hand was easily attributed to dropping a glass and accidentally cutting herself, so at least that was one less thing she had to worry about.

The lunch rush was over and during the afternoon lull, Sophie and Ashley sat in the break room eating some of the food that had gotten sent back when not done quite to order. Mr. Tiller hated food going to waste so if there was an untouched order, he would give it to his employees for free and without question.

Sophie had claimed the dish with beef stroganoff because it turned out that meat really did make her feel better. She was still a little weak, but keeping to the diet Mikhail had given her was truly speeding up her recovery. It didn’t matter that she hated to listen to any of his commands.

The pair sat at a small table in the break room. Ashley had ordered some strawberry shortcake after finishing the soup that the customer had decided they didn’t want and Sophie was almost halfway done with her stroganoff.

“So,” Sophie said after swallowing a large bite, “How’s the soap opera with Jared?”

Ashley snorted and rolled her eyes. “For once, I’m not going to correct you. It really is a soap opera. For someone who claims not to care about what other people think, he’s having a really hard time explaining to his friends why he’s dating a ‘goody-two-shoes’ like me. It’s beyond ridiculous and I’m starting to rethink the whole thing.” Despite her cynical words, Ashley sounded decidedly half-hearted about the thought of terminating the relationship with her kind-of boyfriend.

Sophie raised an eyebrow. “You’re going to break up with him?” Ashley and Jared had been attached at the hip for six months so far, and even though Ashley had complained in the past, she had never brought up actually doing anything about the situation.

The auburn-haired girl sighed. “We’re not technically in a relationship right now, I would say, so I’d more call it ‘stop dating him.’ It’s just… things are complicated and I’m not sure about really ending it, but it’s hard when he claims to really care about me and then won’t even touch me when we’re around his friends.”

“That ass,” Sophie agreed emphatically.

“I don’t really blame him,” Ashley replied solemnly. “I mean, his friends are something of an… interesting bunch. I don’t really fit in with them and it must be awkward for him to have someone like me around. I don’t spit or smoke or drink or… or do any of the things they do. I’m literally the odd one out.”

“It’s his loss,” the blonde argued. “You’re the best thing a guy like him is going to get. If he can’t handle it, then he doesn’t deserve you. And don’t you dare ever change because of a guy, Ashley Gibson, or I swear, I’ll beat him up.”

There was a long pause as the girls regarded each other and then the two burst out laughing. The thought of slim, petite Sophie taking on a big, burly biker with piercings and wild hair like Jared was simply a joke, but nonetheless the visual was pleasing.

“You could suffocate him with your breasts,” Ashley joked, trying not to choke on the portion of shortcake she still had in her mouth.

“Shut up,” Sophie cajoled, waving her uninjured fist in her friend’s face. She couldn’t help that she reddened a little at her friend’s insinuation—they weren’t that big. “I could totally beat the crap out of him!” Even as she said this, she was fighting back giggles.

It felt so nice to be playing around with her friend and acting as though nothing was wrong. This was a conversation similar to the ones she and Ashley would have before the entire disaster concerning a certain vampire had happened. Unfortunately, just remembering her predicament made Sophie sober almost instantly and anxiety began to gnaw at her stomach. The food on her plate suddenly seemed a lot less appetizing.

Ashley noticed the mood swing instantly. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” Sophie sighed. She contemplated how to phrase her wording so that she wouldn’t give anything about that damned Mikhail but could also get some advice. “I guess I just feel kind of… lost.”

“What do you mean?”

Sophie hesitated before speaking. “Ever feel like everything you knew was a lie? Like things you thought were totally impossible suddenly became possible and you don’t know what to do about it?”

Ashley’s brow furrowed as she contemplated the question, but her eyes fixated on Sophie sharply. “I’m not really sure. I know that I’d never see myself with someone like Jared. I mean, my world completely got flipped upside down with him. Something like that?”

Sophie fought back a sigh of defeat. Of course there was no way Ashley would understand. No one would understand. “Yeah, I guess something like that,” she lied.

Her best friend frowned with concern. “What’s going on, Soph?”

“Nothing, it’s alright. I don’t really want to talk about it,” Sophie said, lying yet again. It was distressing to have to deceive Ashley because she was always usually so honest, but this was not a burden she could share without endangering her or anyone else’s lives.

The rest of the meal went on in silence, but Sophie was unable to eat any more. Anything she put in her mouth tasted like ash.

When Mr. Tiller called out to them that lunch break was over, both girls stood, straightened out their uniforms, and got ready to start working again. Sophie did so without much fervor, no longer feeling lighthearted or merry. The more she thought about it, the more uneasy she felt. Luckily, her tips didn’t suffer terribly from her lackluster attitude.

When her shift ended at seven and Sophie walked out of the restaurant, she immediately knew she was being watched; she was just as sure of it as she was sure the sun was setting. Her back stiffened and she froze immediately, eyes darting about to find the source of her fear.

Nothing—or rather, nobody—was there, but she knew that her eyes were lying to her. Someone was definitely there, watching her, and although she didn’t want to think about it, it was pretty easy to guess who that was. As she walked home, the feeling persisted and she knew that yet again, she was being followed. Her stomach twisted uncomfortably, the sensation reminding her of the night before.

Mikhail was watching her, stalking her. A discomfited shiver ran down her spine and she pretended not to notice anything, even though her body was trembling with fear. The feeling cemented her decision about how to deal with him; if she was this afraid just knowing he was there, some part of her must have recognized that he was truly dangerous. She now realized what she had felt at the club when she had very first run into him. It had been her survival instincts screaming ‘get away!’

As soon as she entered her home and the door was shut, the feeling was thankfully gone even though her skin still felt tingly. Sighing, Sophie leaned against her closed door and took a deep breath. At least for now she was alone.

A glance at her phone told her that it was almost eight—her walk home had taken much longer than usual, probably because she’d been walking so stiffly and warily. It didn’t matter; she didn’t feel those eyes on her anymore. The sun was completely gone now, as winter was steadily approaching even though it was only September.

Once her nerves had finally uncoiled, Sophie went about making dinner—salad with some chopped chicken and her favorite dressing. She ate slowly and haltingly, not feeling hungry but knowing that she needed to keep up her strength.

By the time she went to bed, exhausted, at around ten that night, Sophie was all too aware of the fact that she had less than twenty-four hours before she would have to see her stalker again. Despite mulling over the subject constantly since she had gotten home, she still hadn’t come up with a solution. Part of her continued to fervently hope that she would find a way to disprove everything she had been confronted with in the past forty-eight hours, but she was starting to feel less and less like that was going to happen. This was real. As a result, she felt a paralyzing fear start creeping into her heart. She was hard pressed to get any rest at all that night.

 

Mikhail hadn’t been able to resist seeking out his prey that night. He had risked the sunlight to see her head home, even though it was reckless behavior. He’d never felt so drawn to anybody before, especially not a human, and yet he couldn’t deny that he felt an inexplicable pull toward this young woman.

He followed her all the way home, careful to stay in the shadows to prevent any burns from the setting sun, but he was lucky in that clouds were steadily creeping over the horizon. They were by no means a foolproof way to avoid the sun, but with heavy clothing covering his body and the cover of the lengthening shadows for additional protection, he felt safe enough to risk going out.

He couldn’t help watching her hungrily as she walked, even though her movements were stiff. It was clear that she could feel him watching her, just like before, and he appreciated that she was so alert. Besides, her slow pace made it easy to study her.

The scent of her blood called out to him just as it had the night before, just as intoxicating as heroin was to its user. The only way he was able to hold himself back was by reminding himself that now, more than ever, he did not want to kill her. It would bring up too many questions if she wound up in the hospital due to him being overeager, and although his existence would likely remain hidden, it would make it much harder to meet his needs. Not to mention that he didn’t have time for her to be cooped up in a hospital, out of his reach and likely under the protection of the police. Even if they couldn’t actually stop him, it was part of his job to not put his kind under public scrutiny.

Following her also had the added benefit of allowing him to scope out the area in which she lived. Her townhome was part of a gated complex with tall, shady trees and plenty of places to avoid being seen. It was also nice that there weren’t any security guards, proving that because it was a rather nice neighborhood, most didn’t consider the place a security risk. It was all the better for him—if the humans weren’t expecting a dangerous intruder, it would be easier to fool them.

Sophie entered her home then, her footsteps quickening as she saw a destination that she foolishly considered ‘safe.’ He was no longer able continue to watch her, although technically, it wasn’t impossible. However, he was hungry now for her blood, and since he couldn’t have any of hers, he would have to settle for some other human.

The fact that the human he ended up feeding on that night looked suspiciously similar to Sophie went unnoticed.

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