Spellbound // Elmax Vampire AU

If You Like It Or Not

Max has been having a particularly hard week.

It didn't help that since waking up in the library a week ago, restful sleep has been few and far between.

In fact, the only time she was able to sleep for longer than a few hours at a time was the night she got home after the encounter happened. But when she woke up, she didn't feel rejuvenated or refreshed, she still felt strung out and exhausted.

It also didn't help that any and all of her short lived dreams have been tainted by that woman in the alley. Even when she was more or less unconscious, her brain never failed to remind her of that complete stranger. It's like she was trapped in a loop, with no instruction or direction on how to make it stop.

Max wasn't sure how much more of this she could take.

For what felt like the hundredth time this week, Max was being pulled out of an exhaustion driven daydream by one of her friends.

With a tap to her shoulder, Max let out a long exhale before lifting her head to see who could possibly be disturbing her. Her once dark field of vision was assaulted by the bright fluorescent lights of the classroom. Her eyes pulsated, trying their best to adjust to such a jarring change in lighting.

She opened her eyes to see Lucas looking back at her with confusion and concern written all over his face. It should probably be alarming that she has gotten used to seeing that expression on the face of nearly everyone she has spoken to that week, but she really didn't have the energy to care.

"Hey– um, class just ended, I didn't want you being woken up by the professor. We should probably leave." Lucas said.

Max's tired eyes trailed across the expanse of the classroom, watching as her fellow students slowly filed out of the classroom. Max turned her attention back to Lucas.

"Yeah, you're right, we should probably go. It's embarrassing enough as it is that I couldn't keep my eyes open." Max muttered, matter-of-factly.

Max began to collect her scattered belongings, shoving them into her backpack with no formality. Both of them rise to their feet, making their way out of the classroom.

At first, Lucas tried his best not to comment on Max's demeanor, he was willing to write it off as one of her moods, or maybe she was just having a rough couple of days. But throughout the week, he noticed that Max was much more irritable than usual. Most notably, she could barely keep her eyes open for longer than 20 minutes at a time. He wasn't even sure how she could manage to still attend her classes in this state. She was also being extra dismissive, anytime her behavior roused concern from him she insisted that she was fine and that he doesn't need to be worrying about her, and that she has everything under control.

Unfortunately for Max, he wasn't buying it.

Once outside the building, Lucas felt obligated to pry, to do anything that could get him some insight on what's happening with Max.

"Look, Max, I know you're going through something right now and you want to keep it private but I'm really concerned for you. A-and it's not just me, Will and the others have all noticed that something has been off with you lately and we just want to know if there is anything we can do to help, if there's anything I can do to help, please just tell me what's going on."

Max rolled her eyes. She knew it was only a matter of time before Lucas brought up the question on everyone's mind. She knew this was putting a strain on her relationship with Lucas and the others, but what did he want her to say? Some stranger in an alleyway put a curse on her and now she was doomed to a reality of sleep deprivation and obsessive thoughts and dreams? Even if she were to tell Lucas about what happened last Friday, she wouldn't even know where to begin.