DAGON MANSION

CHAPTER FIVE: MIA ADMITS HER FEELINGS.

The park was a serene retreat — a patch of calm wrapped in sunlight and whispers of green. Theolinda and Alisha sat on a wooden bench, their faces softened by the late afternoon light. The breeze rustled through the chestnut trees, carrying the faint scent of wet earth and roses from the garden nearby.

"Please, Alisha," Theolinda said gently. "Tell me who was closest to Sia."

Alisha hesitated. Her lips trembled slightly, and for a long moment she said nothing. The sound of birds filled the silence, mocking her restraint. Finally, she spoke in a low, uneven tone.

"Sia was with Dan. He was her boyfriend. But... she was always so beautiful, so confident. Everyone wanted her. She liked to be admired."

"Were there any others?" Theolinda pressed, her gaze steady but not unkind.

Alisha looked away. Her eyes glistened.

"Your friend had sex with two men before she died," Theolinda continued. "That doesn't make them murderers — but they might have seen something. Anything."

Alisha's voice came out almost as a whisper.

"My boyfriend, Rob... he liked her. I think something happened between them. Since she died, he's been distant. Cruel, even. I think... maybe he feels guilty."

Theolinda exhaled slowly. There was truth in the girl's eyes — the raw kind that couldn't be fabricated.

"Thank you, Alisha. That's what I needed to know."

Rogers and Brady stood across from the two boys — Dan and Rob — who looked pale and restless under the harsh light of the interrogation room. Rogers' patience, already fragile, was wearing thin.

"Are you going to fucking tell me what happened that night?" he barked.

Dan's voice cracked. "We don't know anything! I swear!"

"Do you think I'm an idiot?" Rogers growled, shaking the boy's arm.

"Rogers." Theolinda's tone cut through the tension like a blade. "If you can't control yourself, leave."

His nostrils flared. For a heartbeat, she thought he might lash out at her. But instead, he smirked darkly and stormed out, slamming the door behind him. Theolinda exhaled. Something was off about Rogers lately — something deeper than frustration. There was a shadow clinging to him.

She turned back to the boys.

"I'm not here to judge you," she said evenly. "You had sex with Sia. That's your business. But after that... she was attacked while still naked. You must have seen something."

Dan and Rob exchanged a fearful look. Finally, Rob spoke first.

"You won't believe us."

"Try me."

Dan swallowed hard. "After we were done... we started getting dressed. Sia was laughing. She was fine. Then—then a man appeared. Just like that. Out of nowhere. Tall. Beautiful. He had—" He stopped.

Rob finished the sentence for him. "He had fangs. Claws. He wasn't human."

Theolinda blinked, but her heart beat faster. "What did he do?"

Dan's face went pale. "He grabbed her. Bit her neck. We ran. We didn't even look back."

"You left her there?" Theolinda's voice trembled between disbelief and disgust.

Rob lowered his head. "Yes."

There was a long silence.

"I won't report what you told me," Theolinda said quietly. "Because no one would believe it. But you'll have to live with the truth — that you left her to die."

The campus common room was bathed in golden light. The scent of coffee, warm paper, and vanilla hung in the air. Xena sat by the window with Brisa, who looked radiant, her dark curls gleaming like silk.

"I got the part," Brisa said, smiling so brightly it almost hurt. "My first TV role!"

Xena's lips curved. "That's wonderful."

"We have to celebrate," Brisa said, her voice lowering into something playful. "Just the two of us."

"Here?" Xena teased.

"Where else?"

Brisa stood, slowly undressing, letting each garment fall like a petal to the floor. Her body was golden in the afternoon light — every curve alive with breath and fire. Xena rose too, unable to hide her admiration. When they met in the middle of the room, it was like two tides colliding — gentle, then fierce.

Brisa's whisper was a caress. "I want you to make me lose my mind."

"Even more?" Xena smiled.

"Sí. Más loca."

Xena's laughter melted into a kiss. Their bodies found the rhythm of intimacy, moving with unspoken trust and yearning. Every sigh, every gasp echoed through the room like music. When Brisa finally cried out Xena's name, it wasn't only pleasure but devotion. They lay together afterward, their breathing soft and slow, as if the world beyond that small sanctuary had dissolved.

Mia arrived at the prison later that day. Scarlett babbled softly in her stroller, her laughter like chimes in the quiet hallway. Ryan was already waiting — his eyes brightening when he saw them.

"She's grown so much," he said, lifting Scarlett into his arms. "Look at her, Mia — she's perfect."

Mia smiled, her heart twisting. He looks even more beautiful when he smiles.

"Did Theolinda come see you?" she asked.

"Yes. She told me about the case. I think the killer's a vampire."

Mia frowned. "That's... quite a claim."

"The symbols were the same as the ones used in blood rites. Rogers will never believe it, but I know what I saw."

Scarlett giggled, tugging Ryan's collar. He kissed her forehead tenderly. For a brief moment, the cell didn't feel like a prison at all.

When it was time to leave, Mia lingered. She bent toward him and pressed her lips to his cheek. He hesitated — then kissed her forehead instead, a gesture of restraint that burned more than any passionate embrace could have. She left with tears in her eyes.

That night, back in her room, she finally spoke the truth aloud.

"I love him. I'm madly in love with Ryan. I want him. I've tried to deny it — but I can't anymore."

Her reflection in the mirror stared back at her — haunted, beautiful, trembling. Somewhere in the silence, Scarlett's faint laughter echoed from her crib, as if she knew that love, in this family, was never without danger.