Violet

14. No Surprises.

Unlike me, Toby didn't immediately notice the knocking at the front door, as if someone was trying to get inside. He seemed frozen, like a statue, retreating deep within himself, hiding not just from me, but almost from his own awareness.

By now, I fully believed that although he appeared to be just a guy on the outside, he was truly a vampire inside, capable of many things. I was certain he could grant any wish I had if he wanted to. Yet, my latest, very simple request had proven too much for him. He was probably even afraid of accidentally saying "yes" to me, which is why he avoided looking at me. And still, he ignored the second, more insistent knock at the door.

Withdrawing my hand from him, I glanced back over my shoulder towards the hallway that led out of the kitchen. I wondered if I could allow myself to walk over and open the door for whoever was outside on my own. I didn't think I could; it didn't seem like I had the right. But the persistent knocking filled me with even more anxiety than Toby's silence did. I felt torn apart inside, unsure of what to do.

I turned back to Toby, and without thinking, my hand reached out for him again. This time, I grasped the hem of his shirt and tugged, trying to pull him out of the trance that was starting to frighten me.

"Hey!" I called softly, holding onto him. "Someone's knocking..." I said, hoping he would at least glance at me or move in some way.

For a moment, I imagined the person knocking might be a police officer, and that's why Toby hadn't moved. Perhaps, like me, he was just unsure of what to do and was scared. Maybe he, too, thought this was all a big mistake. Neither of us had ever wanted to be a vampire or a prey. It had all just happened by chance.

Before I could think any further, or decide whether I should start blaming Toby for anything, since I might soon have to explain everything to the authorities, Toby suddenly turned his head sharply towards me. He grabbed my wrist and pulled my hand away from his shirt, prying my fingers loose. I had been holding onto him a bit tightly in my fear, which probably hadn't pleased him.

At least, that's how it seemed—like he didn't like it. Toby could have been gentler with me, especially since he already knew that he had frightened me yesterday and today to the point of causing me brief memory lapses.

Just a few minutes earlier, while thinking about my upcoming trip home on the subway, I had completely forgotten the name of the station. My station.

This was the result of being treated in a way I wasn't used to.

"I hear it," Toby said curtly, looking at me. "Do you want to open it?" he asked, catching me in my unspoken thoughts.

It wasn't pleasant, as it had never been, knowing I couldn't hide anything from this perceptive guy, not even in my own mind. But right now, I wasn't thinking anything negative about him or about anything in general that would make me panic over this apparent vampire ability (if I remembered what Matthew had said). And besides, I couldn't control my thoughts anyway. Probably due to the shock of everything that was happening, all I could think about were silly things like, "I forgot to bring my English textbook. I urgently need to get to school... I think I'm in big trouble."

I knew that compared to everything else, that textbook wasn't a problem at all. But out of all my worries, I clung to the smallest one, using it to calm myself down. Toby, reading my mind, likely thought I was foolish, thinking about trivial things when I should have been trying to save myself. He was sure — I wouldn't do that, and he was right.

"No, I don't want to open it," I shook my head, refusing. I was still waiting for Toby to let me go and head to the hallway to stop the noise.

"Are you sure?" he asked again, then fell silent, listening. "It's Matthew," Toby said firmly after a moment. "You can open it for him. But afterward, go upstairs to your room. You'll only see each other for a brief moment."