Charlotte pulled open her front door to greet the person who was repeatedly ringing her doorbell at the most inconvenient time. She greeted her grandmother with a smile on her mouth despite her mind shaken after she pushed a vampire out the back door.
He left without a backward glance, and Charlotte slammed the door. She had washed her hands off the whole situation. Looked like she wasn't going to make a trip to the police station after all. Guilt ate at her for leaving the nameless person with no reason of death, but she needed to protect the little life that she did have.
She was shameless to leave the deceased girl like that the street without ever going for help. God was going to punish her for doing so. From first glance, anyone could have known that she was raped and killed. Guilt made her stomach blanch, as she silently prayed for mercy.
Vampires lived among them. Anybody who she had met until then had a chance of being a blood sucking humanlike creature. She was astounded at the thought. There were many questions that still lurked, but she pushed them out of mind.
The more that she knew, it was would put her in a vulnerable position. So she needed to take a step back to start anew. Charlotte hoped that her grandmother wouldn't comment on the kitchen chair that was abnormally bent or the random bits of rope all over the ground. There were also dark marks along the white walls.
She wanted to face plant in embarrassment. The first thing that her grandmother would think was that she had a lover. Her grandmother had been extremely hopeful lately, going on tangents about how important it was to get married.
Her parents didn't care much about Charlotte's non-existent love life, but her grandmother was there to cheer for her in that department. It was endearing as it was annoying.
There was no reason for her to rush in a relationship, but she was sure that her grandmother only wanted to see her happy and looking out for her best interests. It was why she didn't dispute the little nagging moments, because Charlotte wanted to spend time with her grandmother, no matter if they were enjoyable or not.
"Good morning, Grandmother. I didn't expect a visit so early."
Her grandmother pinched her cheek. "You slept late? You look miserable, darling. Let's go inside. I brought some side dishes for you."
"Thank you," she said, as she ushered her grandmother inside. Charlotte tried to steer her to the living room, but her grandmother bullheaded her way through to put the food into the refrigerator.
Charlotte discretely tucked the beat up chair snug to the table to hide it and kicked the random scraps on the floor beneath the rugs. It would be a pain to clean up later, but it was better than her grandmother's romantic advice rambles.
"Your fridge is empty. We should go grocery shopping whenever you are free," her grandmother mused.
"Okay," Charlotte agreed. "I want to get more of the candy you gave me last time we went down to Millennial Center too."
"Those were pricey, but I'm sure your luck has enhanced. There should be a beautiful person around you by now," her grandmother rambled. "I talked to the fortune teller the other day, and she gave me a good sign."
"Well, the fortune teller is right since there is a beautiful person around me. You're so pretty, grandmother."
Her grandmother laughed. "Thank you, sweets."
Glancing down, Charlotte quietly picked up piece of split wood from off the floor and tossed it in the trash bin. Standing up again, she walked back and crashed into the familiar hard body and expensive smelling person from earlier.
Charlotte squeaked in shock, and her grandmother turned back to see the commotion and dropped the container in her hand in the process. She knew what it was like to meet him first. All that it was capable was to stare for a moment. And then for another longer moment.
Charlotte got of his grip and placed a fake smile on her face. Her eyes were wide as she tried to ask him what he was doing. He completely ignored her with all his attention set on her grandmother.
Dread coursed through her blood, and she tugged on the bottom of his shirt. "What are you doing here?" she muttered.
"I forgot to erase my existence here. If someone were to come here, they would be able to catch me immediately."
Charlotte rolled her eyes. "I am not going after you."
"I would hope not. It is just security in case other people who don't concern you will knock on the door."
"Hm, that sounds amazing. How about you walk out the door now?"
"I will after I clean this place up. I'm sure welcome to the help."
"I would if it's not from you," she said sweetly.
The clearing of one's throat brought their attention back to her grandmother who held an open container of food and began to split it. It appeared that her grandmother finally got her senses back. Charlotte wanted to bury herself when her grandmother crossed her arms and examined him from head to toe.
"Who do you think you are young man?" her grandmother sourly asked.
Charlotte pressed a hand to her cheek embarrassed. The whole situation was very weird as it was dangerous.
"Vincent Covington. Pleasure to meet you."