Violet

21. A Bloodthirsty Sign.

Toby never clarified what he meant by the "unfortunate option," but it wasn't hard to guess. Even if the vampire, being what he was, might indeed be capable of mercilessness, I found it difficult to truly imagine that about him. Although he had revealed his true nature to me and shown a few tricks—like moving through space and reading my thoughts—he hadn't yet shown me the monster within. Or maybe I just hadn't noticed. A bloodthirsty, terrifying creature with fangs... Did he even have fangs? I hadn't noticed too.

Despite his somewhat brooding appearance and matching everyday style, Toby didn't have an intimidating presence. If I hadn't known him and had gotten lost somewhere, perhaps in the middle of the night, I wouldn't hesitate to approach him and ask for help finding my way.

My irrelevant thoughts, coming at the worst possible time, were interrupted by a loud honk that filled the entire house. A car was honking outside. My eyes, wide with surprise, darted first to Sofie, then back to Toby. I waited for one of them to comment on this sudden noise and explain it to me, but in the hallway, no one even blinked. They all seemed to understand something that I didn't.

"Oh, my dad's here!" Sofie exclaimed, quickly picking up a large bag from the floor that had been sitting against the wall, probably filled with her belongings.

She moved abruptly, and watching her sudden urgency, I also made a pointless move, as if my legs were carrying me after her, toward the car, to the city, and then straight home. I truly wasn't in control of my actions or decisions, simply following Sofie's lead, but I was quickly stopped by the guy. Not too forcefully, but firmly, he grabbed my wrist, and I froze in my unclear impulse. It was as if I suddenly remembered that I was supposed to go in a completely different direction.

"We should get going too, Violet," Toby said softly.

In that moment, which felt fateful and tragic to me, I realized how quickly everything was happening. This reality was real, and my decisions truly had power and very real consequences. Helplessly, my eyes darted around the entire floor, searching for another exit, as if somewhere in the house there was another door, another way out, where I could change everything, make things different, or at least start over.

"Don't forget to bring me a souvenir if you've already promised, okay?" Sofie said as she prepared to leave. "I'll be back at my aunt's place in about a week or two. We'll see each other then."

Toby was facing away from Sofie—impolite. I was facing her—lost. He stood still, not letting go of my wrist, silent, barely listening to Sofie's words. And yet, he wasn't changing any of my thoughts. That's when I noticed the first bloodthirsty sign of a vampire in him. Surely, he wasn't intentionally preventing me from saying a proper goodbye to Sofie. His motionless indifference came from a pure heart. He didn't empathize with me in the slightest, because he didn't think he needed to wave at the girl standing behind him, unsure of what to do with the silence.

"Well... goodbye then?" Sofie nodded at me, finally giving up on hearing any words or seeing any movement from me. Just then, another, longer honk sounded from outside, urging her to hurry.

Sofie's steps were quick and wide, and before I could even part my lips to say something, I was already looking at her back. She was already on the porch. I was still in the house, standing in the same spot.

"Wait! I'm coming with you!" I shouted at last, feeling how all the unsaid words burning inside me were crushing my chest. Somehow, I found the strength to pull my hand free from Toby's grip.

The thought that the vampire might have just humored me, letting me slip from his hands of his own accord, briefly crossed my mind—as it was far too easy to break free. But I didn't dwell on that "lucky break" and instead hurried after Sofie. She had already heard me and, stopping in her tracks, turned back to me, confused. Immediately, she was engulfed in my overly tight hug. I clung to her so tightly, with my arms wrapped around her neck, that her bag fell from her hands.