Cora slowly moves away from Kristian, crawling herself towards the end of the bed to get up. She looks back at the vampire, peacefully asleep almost like a human being.
There was no nightmare last night. Just a long solemn sleep while staying in his arms. He did not take advantage of her. He just stayed still the whole night. Guarding. Alert in case she starts screaming again. He probably haven't had a decent sleep yet.
Kristian groans, turning face down as he continues to sleep. Snoring.
Giggling, she carefully lays a blanket on him. Not that vampires really get cold. But he really seemed human at this point. He has done so many things for her and caring is the only way she could repay him.
As she exits the bedroom, she saw a man with a trolley laying two boxes on the table.
"Good morning, ma'am," he politely greeted, bowing at her. "Breakfast will be served in a few minutes."
"What's in the box?" Cora asked.
"I don't know, ma'am. I just deliver what was asked." His wrist watch beeps. "I have to go now. Please feel free to use everything in this room and press that button," pointing at the red button beside the door, "if you need any help."
"Thank you."
The man politely excuses himself then leaves the room.
Now alone, she stares at the boxes closely. "Should I open it?" she asked herself. Her curiosity tingling.
She shakes her head. "No, I'll just wait for him."
Sleeping in a train attendant's uniform, she rummages in the closet to find some fresh clothes. All clothes hanged and folded are in white, just like the ones Kristian wears.
Grabbing the right type of clothes that would fit her and a new towel, she immediately went to the bathroom. After hanging the clothes and towel in the rack, she closes the door then takes off her clothes.
She noticed bits of coagulated blood underneath her nails. She must have missed these before they left the train.
As she steps into the shower, welcoming the soft yet pressurized spray of water, her thoughts drift back to that point where she slashed the vampire's throat. His blood spilling all over her.
She opens her eyes and in a glimpse, she thought the water coming out of the shower was blood. Immediately jerking away in shock.
It is her first time killing someone and it is sinking in just now.
"It's self defense," she convinces herself. Of course it is. He attacked her. She had no choice. Yet again, laws in Wisteria are different. She might go to jail for it.
But this is also one of those inevitable circumstances that she and Stella already accepted the moment they agreed to get in this place. Getting in trouble. Getting killed. They are already expecting all of these. Yet it still feels different when it already happens for real.
Using a scrubs and some soap, she roughly scrubs off the blood stains underneath her nails. "Let's not think too deep anymore. Please," she tells herself.
Upon finishing her bath, she turns to the sink. The big round mirror was fogged. Using her hand, she wipes off the fog, clearing the view to see her reflection.
At the other side of the mirror is a lady, her curly hair damp and pushed back. Below her eyes are almost dark circles.
"Wow. You look exhausted," she sarcastically said, talking to her reflection.
Looking back, she realized how blank her eyes are. She looks worn out yet dark. Almost evil.
"How does it feel?" her reflection asked.
She was taken aback, shocked to see her reflection talking to her. "No. Calm down. It's just your imagination." She splashes some water on her face then rests her hands on the sink.
"It felt great, right? Killing someone. Killing a vampire," the reflection speaks again.
"You're wrong! I don't have a choice!" she yelled at it.
But the reflection is right. She may have felt shocked that time but she could not also deny the fact that it felt reliving. Good. It is like finally releasing all those rage and frustrations that she has been keeping in her since all their ruckus started.
"Papa didn't train us to be weak, Cora. He trained us to kill them." The reflection turns to the side, as if looking at the door.
And she is right again. She and Stella grew up to hate these creatures because that is what their father taught them to believe. They never asked why. They just follow all his rules.
"No! I'm not that person anymore! I'm not going to kill him!"
"Wait til you see who he really is." The reflection grins at her.
"Shut up! SHUT UP!!!" Unwittingly punching the glass in front of her until it shatters.
The door swung open as Kristian barges in. "Cora! What are you--." Seeing her standing naked in front of the sink with bloody fist, he quickly grabs the towel from the rack then wraps around her. "What happened?"
Her wounded hand trembling, her free hand holds on to him. Some shards still stuck on her knuckles.
"C'mon. Let's patch that up." He carries her in his arms then lets her sit on the bed, properly wrapping the towel around her body before he leaves to grab the first aid kit from the other closet.
Pulling the chair beside the door, he takes a seat in front of her. "This will sting," he said. Pulling her other hand to lay on his shoulder. "Grip as tight as you can if it hurts, okay?"
She nodded.
Grabbing a hemostatic forcep, he slowly pulls out the shards of glass on the wounds. Putting each piece in a stainless tray.
"Ah--!" She grips on his shoulder. She didn't feel any pain when she punched that mirror. The pain just manifested now.
"Last one. This will definitely hurt, okay?" he said as he positions the hemostatic forcep to pull out a quite big shard of glass lodged between her phalanges.
Biting her lip, she groans deeply, stopping herself from shouting out loud. There was a sigh of relief as it was released. Catching her breath as she leans down, resting her forehead on his shoulder.
He gently pats her head, comforting her as he caresses her hair.
As soon as she gets settled, he grabs some cotton then applies some antiseptic on the cuts.
She hisses as the antiseptic sips in the wounds.
"Sorry," he said.
"It's okay."
He just smiles at her as he continues tending her wounds. After cleaning up, he grabs a sterile gauze then wraps it around her palm. "This should do for now. But you still need some stitches. I'll be calling someone to do that." Getting up to press the red button beside the door then speaks through the speaker. "Medical attention. In need of sutures. ASAP."
He then turns to face her. "May I know what happened now?" he carefully asked.
She looks down, staring at her now wrapped hand. The wounds are starting to bleed through the gauze. "I think everything that has happened in that train just sunk in to me this morning." She paused. "I just realized that I killed someone."
Kristian feels sorry for her. She doesn't deserve to go through this. But with everything that has been going on with her life, she is forced to do so.
He sits beside her. "We're already caught in this big complicated pile of mess. And killing is just among the risks that we might have to face to survive. You understand that, right?"
She nodded.
"I can't keep you out of it. But maybe I can prepare you for it. Prepare you for everything that you have to face as soon as we continue our journey. Will that be alright with you?"
She nodded again. Crossing her mind is her reflection grinning wide. "No! No! I'm not a vampire killer!" She kept on shaking her head.
Pulling her to embrace, he stops her from shaking her head. "You're not a vampire killer."
"But what if I kill you?"
"Then it must be something that had to be done," he coldly said.
"I don't want to kill you." Gripping his shirt. "You're the only vampire friend that I have."
He chuckles. "We're friends now?"
"A-Aren't we?"
"Of course, we are." He softly kisses her hair. "I'd love that."
"Room service!" yelled someone behind the front door, continuously knocking.
"Oh! Right." Kristian immediately let goes of her then went to get the door. He came back with a man holding a big stainless tray with some medical instruments in it.
"Good morning, ma'am. I'll be tending your wounds now," said the man as he takes a seat in front of her. Using a pair of surgical scissors, he cuts through the now soaked gauze. He then grabs a small syringe from the tray then takes off its cap. "This helps your hand to stay numb for a while. Please take a deep breath."
But she didn't. She's never afraid of needles. As a matter of fact, she watches it as it punctures her skin slowly before the liquid was being injected.
After injecting the numbing agent, the man started stitching her cuts. They bled out again and was immediately applied some ointment on them to induce quick clotting. He then wraps it with new sterile gauze again, sealing it with a clip to avoid loosening.
"That should do it," the man smiles then gets up, grabbing his tray.
"Thank you," Cora said.
"Anytime, ma'am. And please be careful next time. Here are some pain relievers, only prescribed to be taken once pain comes back." Pulling out a foil of tablets from his pocket then hands it over to her. He then turns to Kristian. "Master?" He politely bows at him then exits.
"So, how is it?" Kristian asked Cora.
"Still numb." She smiles. "I'm okay now." She forces herself to get up.
"And where do you think you're going?" Raising his brow.
"I..." Looking down on the towel wrapped around her. "I gotta change."
"Oh! Right." He went straight to the bathroom, grabbing her clothes then puts it in bed.
Creasing her brows. "Either turn around or leave."
"Of course." He turns around. "But don't you think you'll be needing a help on that?"
"Nah, I'll be fine." Grabbing the underwear then takes off the towel around her. Taking a seat in bed, she struggles yet manages to put on the underwear and shorts. Now holding the long sleeve, she lifts her arm. She stops halfway, realizing that her wounds might bleed again if she force it. "This won't do..." she mumbled.
"Need any help?" he asked.
"I'm afraid so..."
He turns around, seeing her having the towel cover her chest.
"I can't put on my top."
"Let me." Approaching her, he takes the long sleeve, gently slipping each sleeve in her arms. "Now slowly lift both arms."
As instructed, she did.
He carefully slips the top over her head then pulls it to completely drape down to her waist. "All done."
She then completely takes off the towel. "Thank you."
"You know you can tell me anything, right?"
"Of course."
"Because that's what friends do."
"Yes. Friends."