Vampire Residence

XVI

As the night wore on, most of the room's occupants stayed scattered around the house, a sense of quiet and calm around the place. Daci, still in the half-asleep state she had been in earlier, stayed slumped with her head on Eleanor's shoulder, clearly still drowsy.

After a bit, Sybil had gotten up from where she was sitting and was now idly pacing through the living room, watching as the other occupants of the house quietly mingled.

Crash.

All of the residents in the room jerked suddenly at the sound. They quickly turned their heads in the direction of the kitchen, where the sound had come from, all going still.

There was a moment of silence before anybody spoke.

Eleanor was the first to break the silence. "What- what was that?" she asked, her voice sounding slightly wary

Another beat of silence, and then Sybil spoke, in a more mocking tone. "Well... somebody had a little accident, it seems."

Another pause, filled with a tinge of tension.

Eleanor, with some effort, started to move Daci, who was still half-asleep, off her shoulder and towards the other side of the couch, before she slowly stood up.

"I should probably go take a look..."

Sybil also stood up, watching as Eleanor moved Daci and slowly stood.

"I'm coming with you," she added, already starting towards the kitchen as if it was more of a statement than a question.

The two women left the room and walked into the kitchen, where they found a few of the other room's occupants already there, looking toward the source of the noise

The cause of the commotion was evident- their dining room table was completely split in half as if someone had taken an ax to it.

The mood in the kitchen was still tense and anxious, as multiple people surveyed the half-chopped dining table. There were murmurs of confusion as people looked at each other for answers, but no one spoke.

After a moment, Sybil spoke up, breaking the silence and looking around. "What the hell happened here."

Garrett was standing over the table, looking as guilty as ever.

"I swear I just set my sewing machine down and it just- gave out."

Sybil fixed Garrett with a disbelieving look.

"That's all you have to say? You're going with that story?"

Garrett looked slightly sheepish as he met Sybil's eyes, giving a slight shrug.

"I'm serious. I swear, I just set the sewing machine down and... well, it just... broke," he repeated, a hint of defensiveness in his tone, "Haven't you had this thing for like... three hundred years?"

"Daciana has had it for about as long, yes."

Sybil's expression hardened slightly, as she continued to fix Garrett in a skeptical look.

"So, your excuse is that the table is just.. old?"

"I mean, it makes sense to me," Garrett answered, now trying to look away awkwardly. "It looks ancient as hell."

Sybil raised an eyebrow, now looking more suspicious.

"And you're seriously telling me that it just gave way when you set a sewing machine down," she reiterated, her voice now laced with skepticism, "A sewing machine just made it collapse completely?"

"That thing was older than most of you are-"

Sybil rolled her eyes as she spoke again, looking annoyed now.