ALEXIS' POV
That pounding thing your heart does whenever you try to lie your way out of something, I heard it from Dawn before she left, exactly when I asked if she knew her way back.
Why did she have to lie though? I never understand these creatures. It would take nothing to show her the right direction or even take her. I still didn't know why I'm concerned about the business of this mundane. I followed her out the door some minutes after she left because the uneasiness I felt in my chest made me so uncomfortable, I guess I wanted to be sure she was lying and she was.
After walking the whole avenue, I finally saw her prancing the streets, she was clearly confused. A snicker escaped my lips as she threw a tantrum after every dead end she hit, this mundane was funny.
I should make this easier and just walk up to her right? I thought about how embarrassing it would be for her to see me again after she lied, but that didn't matter, I should save us the stress. I was crossing the street to meet her when I saw her approaching another mundane, a male this time. A felt a burning sensation in my chest, then up to my neck; this was the second time I was feeling that—the first being when she left. It could be a side effect of not feeding as I should.
I didn't have a business with this. Why then do I feel like I should interfere? Almost all mundane guys in their youth had something despicable in mind when it came to the female of their species, their lust was disgusting. I took a few steps backwards to see how this plays out, disregarding my attempt to cross.
Their conversation seemed to be going well, till he wore an annoying smile and she started to walk with him. Was she normally this friendly with anyone? Did she just follow anyone!? That burning sensation surfaced again.
Minutes waltzed by and I found myself behind them, taking small, slow steps to see if he was just a nice mundane or despicable like the two third of his species. Turns out, he was just a nice mundane that was excessively friendly and loquacious. You never know though, that could be a font. The ridiculousness of my actions didn't hit till I followed them to school considering I had no business there at the moment. I watched them depart, Dawn heading to the school's hostel management, I guessed and the mundane headed to wherever not that I cared. I followed them all the way to school.
Why was she making me do this? No, why was I doing this?
Now that I was in Brownston, I'd make good use of this opportunity. I called Selene. She suggested we have a conversation behind the school building, that same place Dawn interrupted Matthias and me.
"You seem to have lost interested in monitoring my movements, dear brother." She jumped down the branch of the tree she sat on as I approached her. "Considering how I didn't sense you in the last twenty-four hours."
"Sometimes this poor vampire just wants a life," I responded.
"That aside, the incident of last week, I don't think Matthias did it. I tried to believe that but we both know Matthias' blood lust controls him — he would have never left a feed without a bite to the neck."
This wasn't happening. As impulsive as Selene was, her ability to join clues was impeccable. I wished she wouldn't have the slightest whiff of what was happening, for everyone's sake.
"Which has got me thinking," she continued while adjusting my collar from behind. She leaned in putting her lips to my ear "what if there was...someone else?"
Ah, jeez. Siblings are the worst.
"What do you mean...someone else?" I questioned feigning cluelessness.
"You know what I mean, brother." A tone of finality was evident in her voice. "I'd have to do the findings myself."
"Wait, have you had any encounter with Matthias yet?" I asked.
"I guess we'd never know!" she yelled from a distance with a big smile plastered on her face.
It was obvious she'd seen him, she knows where he was. Now I had just had to wait for the attempted murder as a confirmation.
~~
The library was magnificent. How ever did I get here? I strolled in between the shelves that displayed books of different varieties, each shelf to a party genre. Why didn't I think to come here before? It had everything, although I was pretty sure I had read about fifty percent of everything they displayed. I could always read one book twice or thrice, it depends on how much I liked it. Now I was in the fourth section of the library, searching for the book Dawn had recommended earlier today. I guess I was curious about her and what her taste was. People's preferences said so much about their personalities.
There, I took out the dusty hardback and wiped it clean with my hands to get a clear view of its cover. I took my seat and flipped the brown pages open, I read from the middle.
"It wasn't until after those long pauses between words and those slurs of speech he figured where his emotions lay. He had completely given himself to her. This, against his will but brewed a sensation deep in his heart that he swore to hold on to. I love you, those words aren't enough to deliver..."
That phrase alone was enough to intoxicate me, questions brewing in my mind and I shifted my gaze to the first page, maybe she does have good taste after all.
"Hey, Alexis." Someone called from behind, I knew that voice.
Throw the book away, throw the darn thing away.
"Wow!" Dawn exclaimed as she moved her focus to the book I held. "You really love books, don't you? I'm so happy you're reading this."
"I wasn't busy so I thought I'd pass time with this." I held the book up with an awkward laugh.
"Sure, I'd let you read without giving you spoilers."
"Thank you."
"Did you get the cash yet, I wired it about an hour ago."
Not that I'd know, I barely monitored whatever happened with mundane banks. Apparently, you have to have money to survive, not that I needed it.
"Yes, thank you," I lied.
"See you later then."
"Did you later sort things with the hostel and your roommate?"
"Yeah, I got a spare key... And my roommate, she'd have to be present for us to "sort things out", she air quoted her last words. "However she did leave a sticky note saying I slept off. Who the fuck sleeps off that way, what is she? A vampire?"
Wait, what?
"Vampires sleep off?" I asked out of curiosity, who fed them these lies?
"Not sleep per se. I once read in a book that they lay in a coffin for a long period — a sort of recuperation thing, I guess. Why'd you ask?"
"Nothing, I was just curious." I lied again. These authors should really be banned for spreading petty lies.
"Do you like them? Vampires, werewolves? I could recommend some really good ones" I could see the sparkle in her eyes as she asked.
"No, thank you, I'm fine with this." Equivalent to I'd rather get pinned than read the piteous lies concocted by clueless mundane writers.
Another mundane shushed from behind us, and that was when I realized how loudly we had been talking. It was a mundane after all, their small brains needed silence to comprehend, and there I sat, amidst the loud beats of their frail hearts and lousy inhalations.
"Oh, gotta run. I guess I'd see you later then, I really appreciate your help. Thank you so much."
"You're welcome."
She opened her purse in search of something, then she brought out a pen.
"Somehow, I ended up with a pen and no paper. Do you have any book with you?"
I nodded.
"Stretch out your palm." She said and I did. What I didn't expect was for her to scribble a phone number on it.
"See...I want to be friends with you but I'm not sure you want that. That's why I'm giving out my contact information to you so that when you reach out I'd be sure you want to be friends too. That's also why I'm not asking for yours."
What audacity.
She walked out of the library in the blink of an eye, I sat there — confused with balled fists.
What a mundane.