Den stared at Stella as he put her down and steadied her. She looked to be in some kind of a trance. He wondered what was wrong as he gently called out to Stella.
McCarteney was usually never this quiet. He would have expected her to fight the whole way and scream, punch and kick as soon as she was free. Den wouldn't have been surprised if she had ran back the second she was free.
But now, seeing Stella like that, Den was a little worried. She had looked in shock ever since he had told her to shut up.
Maybe he had been too severe, Stella was still a kid after all. Vampire babies were not even able to form proper sentences by the time they were eighteen.
Even if Stella was scared or angry, she should have given some kind of a reaction. She wasn't the type to bottle everything inside. Or so Den thought.
Upon getting no reply, Den reached out and gently shook Stella's arm, saying, "McCarteney? We're here."
Stella seemed to come out of her daze as she looked at Den. He analysed her expression for any signs of her previous anger or maybe a new fear or sadness, but her face was completely blank as she looked at him, then around the apartment where they were now.
It was a small two bedroom apartment that Den had hastily purchased in the city.
Stella looked around and began, "Why are we . . . . " but she understood the next second and murmured, "Of course, it is too dangerous to go back to the cottage."
She scanned the apartment once more before pointing towards the entrance of the smaller room. "This one is mine?" she asked.
Den shrugged, "I hadn't really decided. Take any one of the rooms you like."
Stella didn't reply, she just whispered something so low that even Den couldn't catch it. He stared at her retreating figure, slid his left hand in his pocket and called out, "McCarteney?"
"Yeah?" Stella asked, turning around to look at him, voice still emotionless and face still expressionless.
Den debated for a few seconds, clasping and unclasping his hands before he said, "Goodnight."
Stella forced out a tired smile before she turned around and walked into the room.
Den stared at the closed bedroom door for a long time before his hand went upto his chest. "Why is this weird feeling? Why" he thought to himself. Den had just come to the realization that he hated seeing McCarteney like this. Without hope or life. And he hated himself for making her feel that way.
Den remembered how happy Stella had looked just a few hours before, with Simon. Why couldn't the two of them be like that.
Den sighed and walked into his own bedroom.
Stella walked into her room and silently broke down. Tears began to flow from her eyes but no sound escaped her lips.
She silently walked to the bed and curled herself into a ball. "Maybe this is what I was born for after all. To put on a brave front among people and break down when I'm alone." Stella thought to herself as tears continued to steak down and dampen Simon's shirt, which she had been wearing all this time.