Vampire Residence

XII

The sun was rising, and night was quickly fading as the sky began to turn.

The house was now mostly silent, with everybody having gone back to their rooms.

All but one person, that is.

Sybil, who was currently lying awake in bed- in her coffin- was idly staring at the ceiling, wide awake and still thinking.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a small but steady knock on her door.

In response, she sat up slightly in the box, turning her head toward the door.

"Who is it?" she spoke, her tone calm and quiet.

There was a moment of silence, and then the voice of Daci spoke up from outside of the door.

"Just me," she answered in a similarly quiet voice. "Can I come in?"

Sybil was rather surprised. She was not expecting Daci to be the one to come to her, given their previous interaction.

She sat up fully, leaning back against the lid.

"...Yes, fine."

There was a pause, and the door handle turned and opened, Daci slipping inside silently.

She left the door open just a crack, enough for a thin stream of dull orange light to spill into the room.

Sybil was silent as Daci cautiously came in, slowly shutting the door behind herself before leaning against it.

There was another pause of silence as the two stared at each other, with Sybil sitting in the bed, and Daci standing by the door, neither saying a word.

"Why are you here?"

Sybil was the first to speak; the question came out of her mouth bluntly, with no further elaboration.

"I just... I came to talk, I suppose," Daci replied in a similar blunt tone.

She slowly walked forward into the room, leaning against the wall opposite the coffin.

Sybil raised an eyebrow. "Talk about what, exactly?"

Her tone suggested suspicion, as she studied Daci silently, her blue eyes showing a mix of wariness and curiosity.

Daci shrugged, now beginning to look a bit uncomfortable.

"I just... I felt that I needed to talk to you. There's... There's something I wanted to say to you," she replied, now avoiding Sybil's gaze and looking at the floor.

Sybil, who was now slightly surprised at the fact that Daci had come to her to talk about something, shifted her position, folding her arms across her chest in a slightly defensive manner.

"Go on, then," she said, her voice quiet and prompting.

Daci was quiet for a brief moment before she slowly lifted her gaze again to look at Sybil.

"I just..."

She swallowed, and continued.

"I know you and I have always... always butted heads, and you've made plenty of comments that I am sure you know have upset me... and I have said things to you too that probably irritated you, a great deal...."

Sybil was now listening with slight interest mixed with continued wariness, tilting her head slightly as she waited for Daciana to get to the point.

"...what I'm trying to say is..."

Daci paused, now looking uncomfortable.

"I just... you and I have always annoyed each other, and I don't think we've ever had a civil conversation... not since I turned you, but... I just thought-"