V is not for Vampire

Five

urbem latericium invenit, marmoream reliquit

he found the city a city of bricks, he left it a city of marble

My history project for the night delved deeper into the realm of current events, intertwining with the mysterious circumstances surrounding Lisa's demise. A myriad of questions swirled in my mind, each more perplexing than the last. Who exactly was Lisa, beyond the facade she presented to the world? How long had she been ensnared in the dark embrace of vampirism, walking among the living while harboring an unnatural secret? And perhaps most chillingly, how much time had elapsed between her transformation into an undead being and the moment Meredith extinguished her existence? The line between life and death seemed to blur in this supernatural landscape, leaving me grappling with the complexities of Lisa's true nature.

Delving into online news articles, I uncovered more concrete details about Lisa's identity. Her full name was revealed to be Lisha Bhatia, a young woman of merely 20 years old. The police reports painted a picture of a seemingly ordinary life - she resided in an apartment, sharing the space with two roommates. One of these roommates, Daniella Abrenica, had accompanied Lisa to the fateful party where her life would come to an abrupt and violent end. This tidbit of information sparked my curiosity further, prompting me to wonder about the extent of Daniella's knowledge regarding Lisa's supernatural condition.

Driven by an insatiable need for more information, I turned to social media. Opening Instagram on my web browser, I carefully typed Daniel's name into the search bar. Through a meticulous examination of his following list, I eventually stumbled upon Lisa's account, a digital footprint of her life before and possibly after her transformation.

As I scrolled through Lisa's Instagram feed, I was struck by the façade of normalcy that permeated her online presence. Her pictures portrayed the life of an average young woman, filled with friends, outings, and everyday moments. One particular detail caught my attention - her employment at a nightclub in Montgomery, the bustling town situated just across the Gorda Island bridge. A realization dawned on me; it was entirely possible that Daniel had first encountered Lisa during one of our frequent visits to that very establishment. The coincidence seemed too significant to ignore, and I found myself wondering if there was more to their meeting than mere chance.

Continuing my digital investigation, I meticulously combed through Lisa's followers and following list. At first glance, nothing seemed out of the ordinary, but I reminded myself that appearances could be deceiving. After all, if vampires truly existed and moved among us, it stood to reason that they would take great care to conceal their true identities on social media platforms. The thought of these supernatural beings seamlessly blending into human society, simultaneously mingling with and preying upon mortals, sent a shiver down my spine.

Just as I was about to conclude my Instagram search, feeling somewhat defeated by the lack of concrete evidence, a name suddenly leaped out at me from the screen. The unexpected discovery jolted me upright in my chair, my heart pounding with a mixture of excitement and trepidation. There, nestled among Lisa's connections, was Rhys's Instagram account. The implications of this connection were staggering. Not only did Lisa and Rhys know each other, but their association raised a chilling question that I had never before considered: Could Rhys himself be a vampire? The possibility was both thrilling and terrifying.

Eager to uncover more about Rhys, I quickly navigated to his profile. However, I was met with disappointment as I scrolled through his posts. They were frustratingly opaque, revealing little about his true nature or activities. The majority of his feed consisted of artfully composed landscapes and carefully arranged still-life shots of books. It was as if he had deliberately curated his online presence to be as unrevealing as possible, reminiscent of a cloistered nun's attire. Despite the overall lack of personal information, one crucial detail managed to slip through the cracks of his carefully constructed digital façade: Rhys resided at Vologda Manor on Gorda Island.