A Girl in the Shadows

Chapter Twenty-One

I sat there for far too long, battling my head and my urges to scream. Molly tossed and turned in her bed. She got up a few times here and there. Her roommate Jen returned after a while and the two chatted back and forth in a mindless conversation about something in popular culture. Stella joined in at some point, where the three giggled and joked, as normal teenagers do. I worried about Kai, all alone in the hallway, probably spending her time worrying about me, checking for this door to open every few seconds. Eventually, one of them said, "You guys ready for dinner?"

They mutually agreed. My whole body uncurled from the relief. Could I go? The girls grabbed their things and all three were out the door. There was nothing but me and the hissing of the air conditioning. Are you going to sit or are you going to escape? I rushed to my feet, went out the door, and down the hall. The sun was setting through the window by the elevators. Kai was on the floor, leaning against the wall and talking on the phone.

"Oh, she's back! She's back!" she said. "I gotta go! Yes, yes sir! I'll do my best. We'll be there soon. Bye." She jumped up and over to me. "I saw them! I saw the three of them! What happened? Tell me everything! Tell me!"

"I have so much to explain...how long was I gone?"

"Huh. Let me see." She rolled up her sleeve, realized she wasn't wearing a watch, then opened her flip phone. "About five hours."

"Lovely. Let's get out of here."

"But what about Molly? Did you give her—" She lowered her voice. "The stuff?"

"Yes, Kai. I gave her the blood." I went over to the elevators and pressed the down button. "Just keep your voice down. I know that's not really possible for you, but try."

"What happened with Molly? Is she coming with us?"

"Did I ever tell you how much I enjoyed your optimism?"

"No." An empty elevator opened in front of us. We stepped in. "Actually, you always used to tell me that you hated it. That I looked on the bright side 'far too much.' But you know what? I think you should, more often. It's what keeps me going."

Third floor. Second floor. Lobby. The tables of sorority girls dissipated. All the eateries were full. The line to the cafeteria stretched past the circular front desk. I put my hood up.

"Here's the problem. We're dealing with not only a confused human, but an idiot." Or perhaps a fool, like yourself. "Molly doesn't know what happened to her?"

"She what?"

Heads turned in the courtyard from Kai's voice. I pulled my hood down as far as possible. They went back to their screens and conversations.

"Again, keep your voice down," I said. "I tried to convince her, but she believes she was drunk, sick, and has a bad hickey." Kai giggled. "Laughable, yes, but highly unfortunate for us. In case you haven't forgotten, we're in a tough spot."

"Trust me, I didn't. What are we gonna do?"

"She drank it. She's going to have urges. I don't know how to stop that, and I don't know how you convince someone who doesn't believe they're a vampire that they actually are? The girl's either a dimwit or so far in denial that...that...I don't know."

"Oh, I've got it!" Kai started leaping and pulled out her phone. "We'll phone a friend. Use a lifeline. Ace convinces me to do stuff all the time."