Mesmerized | ✓

5

Carl met Candace on their first day of the freshman year of college. They both felt lost, confused and a little scared – like little baby penguins surrounded by polar bears. They became friends out of a necessity but remained as such because they truly began to like each other. And at some point, little by little, Carl started realizing that his feelings were more profound than only platonic. But he never voiced them, never let Candace know that there could be something more that he possibly wanted out of them.

Now, however, all of those feelings seemed gone, like they had never even existed in the first place. There was only Yuli. He was the sun. He was the moon and all of the stars in the galaxy. And yet, something deep inside was still present even if only barely. He knew that Candace wasn't safe around Yuli and regardless of what he was feeling towards her or him, Carl still felt like he needed to keep her alive and breathing, away from Yuli's sharp fangs.

"I'll make her go away." Carl said rushing to get the door before Yuli could say anything to persuade him into doing something else. He carefully opened the door and immediately closed them once he was outside so that Yuli wouldn't get the chance to hypnotize her with his gaze or smile.

And there she was, wearing her oversize pink hoodie and with brown hair tied up in a messy bun. She was watching him with her eyebrows quirked and her lips pursed. At a time that was less scary and strange Carl would have felt overwhelmed by just how adorable she was but in that moment all he felt were fear and infatuation with the mysterious creature lurking on the other side of the door.

"Oh, so you are alive." Candace said with irony. "Care to explain why you haven't answered any of my texts and calls?"

Carl opened his mouth and closed a few times, not really knowing how to explain himself. Not that he wanted to admit that his world now revolved around a murderous psychopath who also may or may not be a vampire. "I'm sorry for all that but you really need to go." He said at last needing the girl gone.

But of course Candace wasn't having any of it. The look of confusion and frustration on her face morphed into worry. "What's wrong?" She asked looking at her friend with those big brown eyes.

But he couldn't say the truth or she would think that he had gone completely insane. "Please, just go." He knew that he could go with her, escape the monster but he felt invisible chains around his ankles pulling him back inside, right into the danger's inviting arms.

As expected Candace wasn't having any of that either. She folded her arms across her chest staring at him with such intensity that Carl was sure she could see all the conflicting feelings he was experiencing in that moment. "No." She said firmly. "Unless you explain what the hell's going on."

*****

Yuli listened carefully to what was happening on the other side of the door. The voices were muffled by the wood but he still could make out each word. He didn't pay attention to the subject of their conversation though. All Yuli was concerned about was that there was a girl. A girl that could possibly grant him his deepest wish.

So he sneaked towards the door and carefully opened it. Apparently though he wasn't being careful enough as Carl noticed him and shut the door closed immediately. "What was that?" He heard the girl ask so he opened the door again but she was already being dragged towards the elevator by Carl.

"Just go!" Carl yelled pushing the girl into the elevator. Before Yuli could get a better look at her the door sled close and she was gone.

Yuli sighed seeing Carl's body tremble as the young man could clearly sense him approaching. But he didn't turn around and remained standing still. Yuli slowly walked over to him and rested his head against his friend's shoulder so that Carl could feel his breath against the skin of his neck. Yuli could see the goosebumps form right above the collar of his polo shirt which made him chuckle lightly. "Who was she?" Yuli whispered right into his ear.

Carl was silent for a few seconds, clearly trying to fight off Yuli and he admired him for it. But of course it was to no avail and he gave in after a moment of fruitless resistance. "Candace. My friend from college."

"You should have invited her in." Yuli said softly. "It's not very nice to make someone leave so harshly."

He grabbed Carl's hand and led him back into the apartment. "Where do I meet a nice girl like that, Carl?"

"Anywhere but in a night club." Carl said quietly as he sat back down on the sofa.

"Then where do you propose we go?" Yuli asked, wondering how it could be so difficult to just find a girl for himself. "Where did you meet your friend?"

"In college." Carl answered in a straightforward manner, clearly by now once again deep in the trance.

From what Yuli could gather from the movies colleges were places where people went to "learn". But the educational purposes of such institutions often turned out to be just a facade and in reality everyone just partied a lot and studied very little while still somehow managing to pass all their classes. "Alright." He said. "We're going to college then."