Amends
"Henry, I'm not sure I should be doing this."
"Don't worry about it, Mina. You need to talk to Nelly and I need to talk to Vlad. Vlad shouldn't bother you so don't worry about him." I sighed and held Epitomize tightly to my person. "If you hold it any tighter Tom won't make it to Vlad's."
I laughed and loosened my grip. Epitomize grew to be a long word for us so we nick-named the book Tom. So far Henry and Casimir's family are the only people who know about Tom. I don't have the courage to show it to Vlad and I'm not planning to show it to Nelly.
"Are you sure you don't want to go to the party?"
"Not really. Melissa with be there with Mike and also I don't want to leave you alone. I know you'll have that guy in your band but... I feel like I leave you alone a lot lately."
"You shouldn't. I go to the Crypt more than I do anything lately, and I'm always at one of the guy's places. We don't do anything anymore."
"All Vlad and I used to do was play video games and go to the movies. All you did was sit there and watch images on a screen go by, how is that any better than being in a band! Or helping a guy run a club! Or even finding out about Tom."
"It was better because I was sharing all that time with Vlad." He nodded as we kept walking. I couldn't help but remember that three years ago I was in this exact same position. Henry walking next to me towards Vlad's house on Halloween, it is all just a repeat.
I knocked softly on the door and Nelly came to open the door with a smile. "There you two are, why aren't you wearing costumes?"
"Hey Nelly, I need to talk to Vlad..." Henry looked around.
"He's in the kitchen getting a snack." Henry disappeared into the kitchen and Nelly wrapped her sweater tighter around her. She looked at me and smiled. "Long time, no see."
"I know, look Nelly I'm sorry! I know I should have come over more often. I just-" Nelly shook her arms and lifted a finger to her lips. She pointed to the kitchen and walked towards the backyard. She led me outside and closed the door.
"Mina, don't be sorry."
"But I feel like I'm treating you like... a drug dealer or something! I shouldn't make my issues block my connection to you." I sat down on the chair outside and she leaned on the wall.
"Well I can't say much about what's going on with you, but if something is keeping you from here it's fine with me." I looked up at her and she smiled warmly at me. I sighed and felt the chilled air tingle my flesh. As the air flew by my lips and brought the frosty wind inside me I felt the cool sensation as it seemed to encircle my dead heart. "He misses you."
"Huh?" My head twitched up to look at Nelly.
"Vlad, he misses you." I felt that growing sense that one gets when tears want to form. "I've seen Henry less and less and I don't see you at all anymore. Without Otis, I have no choice but to leave him alone when I go to work. He's a big boy, and he can take care of himself. But when we are eating dinner he seems out of it."
"What do you mean?" I asked in a soft tone. Nelly walked around and stopped leaning on the wall.
"Blood is the only thing that seems to keep you and Vlad connected lately. Both of you need it to survive, and it is like he wants to replace you with blood. As you both get older your thirst gets bigger too, I know that, but he fills up his yearning for you by drowning in blood."
"Do you know this for a fact or just guessing?"
"Just guessing, but I do know for a fact he misses you both. He wants everything to be back to normal again."
