Eternal temptation

Chapter 5

In the lush greenery of a dense forest, illuminated by the morning sunlight, a narrow path extended through impenetrable thickets. Apollyma was dressed in skinny jeans, boots, and a t-shirt with a cardigan. She moved through the woods with a woven basket in her hands, with a cloth blanket sticking out of it. Her crimson eyes gleamed with exhaustion and a mixture of sadness and pain.

Returning from the nightclub late at night, she was terribly exhausted, and Alice was still hovering around her, trying to find out how everything went. All her emotions merged into anger and resentment towards the vampire, as she was the one who told her to go to that damn club. That's why Apollyma yelled at her. So she decided to spend half a day alone with nature instead of the ever-annoying family of her friend. They would meet at the clearing anyway; no one canceled the training.

As she ventured deeper into the forest, the silence grew deeper. Only the rustle of leaves and the singing of birds reached her ears. But with each step, her tranquility increased, and the sadness disappeared. She was so absorbed in her thoughts about the future that she didn't notice how time passed.

And finally, after several hours of marching, a small section of the forest suddenly opened up before her. The meadow spread out before Apollyma: the vegetation, although covered in snow, still radiated its beauty. Little green fir trees, despite their young age, adorned the clearing with their freshness, and in the distance, bushes covered in a thin layer of snow could be seen.

Spreading the blanket on the ground, she took out a small bottle with a straw and placed it to her right. The last item in her basket was a book: an old book she discovered in Edward's library and kindly "borrowed." The pages were crumpled, and the cover, stained with the dust of time, was made of rough brown leather. It had "Le Rouge et le Noir" written on the cover, which means "The Red and the Black" in translation. She would, of course, read it in its original language. This book was written by her old friend Marie-Henri Beyle, known to all as Stendhal. They began their communication together back in the distant year of 1815, and by 1830, he showed her his work. Even then, it surprised the vampire; the man was reclusive and didn't trust people easily, but she valued the fact that he opened up to her.

Settling on the blanket, she began reading the book. But not even five minutes passed before the smell of a wet dog filled her nostrils. Looking to her left, where the stench was coming from, she saw a sand wolf slowly approaching her.

"Hello," the girl greeted.

The wolf nodded its head and ran off towards the trees behind it.

"Hi." a tall boy came out as a human being and approached her. "May I sit down?"

"Sure, I'm Apollyma."

"I know Paul's been bugging us about you, and I'm Seth, by the way."

"He was thinking about me?" - She raised her eyebrows up in shock and stared wide-eyed at the boy.

"I wouldn't say only good things, but it's progress."

The blonde didn't answer anything, just snickered and continued reading the book where she left off.

"What are you reading? It looks like a very old book."

""Red and Black" by Stendhal, we used to be friends."

"And when?" The teenager wouldn't let up.

"About 1815."

The boy's eyes widened in shock, his eyes radiated shock, and the rock opened in amazement.

"You're so old!"

Laughing off his line, she nodded, thinking to herself that he should be taught manners.