"Finally!" Suddenly, Hazel exclaimed, which made Lauren pay attention to her, "I've been waiting for more than two long days! Like seriously? I thought dad would bring you with him."
Lauren sobbed briefly before responding with a smile. "I apologise for being late. Actually, the weather was very chilly, and it was also raining. Furthermore, I don't want to come right away. I have to think about it before I decide what to do. I'm sorry for that."
"Yeah, we heard it a lot," she said, grimacing.
"I'm guessing their weather is even worse than ours, and hey! You don't have to apologise, you know." She sat beside Lauren on the bed and smiled widely. Lauren looked at her, wanting to know what she had next to say.
"You can compensate for it."
"What do you want?" Lauren was ready for whatever she will request.
"Let me think... umm, you have to get me a meal."
Lauren smiled at her. "Just a meal?" she asked to confirm if this girl has anything more up her sleeves for her so she should be ready before ahead.
Hazel smiled and shook her head, assuring her that it was just a meal. However, Lauren couldn't shake off the feeling that there was something else going on. And as suspected, Hazel speak up.
"Maybe I would send you on the roof."
"Roof?" Lauren sounded disapproving.
"Yeah. You will be devastated while covering the hundreds of stairs." Hazel blew air on her nails while Lauren assumed she must be joking. Where it looked like a deal, it was a complete punishment.
Hazel grinned shamelessly. Lauren, on the other hand, couldn't believe that Hazel had agreed to such a harsh punishment.
"Are you giving me punishment?" Lauren was disappointed with the outcome of the deal and felt like she had been tricked.
"No, not exactly. I just said maybe," she laughed, teasing her cousin. The truth is, Hazel was trying to make Lauren less stressed over something she knew she was incapable of doing.
What happened to her was not something easier to let go of. The little Lauren knows Hazel; the girl has always been a supportive friend to Lauren and understands the weight of her struggles. She knew that Lauren needed time to heal and that it was okay to not be okay.
Hazel also knows she is going to ask her the questions she wanted to avoid. And she was playing with her mind so for the time being. She would forget about the whole scene that happened in the parking lot.
Basically, it wasn't a parking lot at all, just a spot where students had parked their cars in. Not one car was functional. The fact that the cars were all damaged is what allowed Lauren to get inside with ease, even though the door was open.
"Anyways. How was your journey?" Lauren wished to complain; after miles of mild breezes and a long journey to get here, the nauseousness was something else she had to witness. The encounter with a lady who fled to nowhere and the watchman of the land also seemed suspicious to her.
After all this, she had to fight for her life the moment she entered this place. But, even though they're cousins, she didn't know Hazel very well, and she didn't want to offend her in any way. She was the only person she knew in this place besides her uncle.
Not to mention the only family Lauren had left. Which was why, in the end, she just shrugged. "Nothing much. I had a good ride." Hazel smiled and gave a nod.
"I apologise for not arriving on time; my professor had given me detention just as I was going to come to visit you." Did the headmaster's daughter get detention too? Didn't they get some other VIP protocols?
She was aware that she had read that story in which the girl's father was the head of the school and she was free to do whatever she wished, from bullying to making out to skipping classes. Nevertheless, she didn't ask any questions regarding her excuse.
There was a part of her that whispered not to tell William about vampire secrets because it was hard enough being the new girl without also being a snitch. But every time Lauren thought about what might have happened, she wondered what would have happened if Elliott hadn't come along.
He was a vampire, and he might hurt someone hiding among humans if they do not get to know about him. Lauren knew she had to confront Elliott about his true identity, but she was afraid of what he might do if she did.
She decided to gather more information about vampires before taking any action. Lauren surely knew Uncle Harrison had to be told. Otherwise, what was to stop the monster from doing it again to somebody else?
But as she thought deeply about it, she came to the conclusion that she would not tell Harrison right now just because he saved her and she owed him some debts for her life, so she would keep it a secret and see how far she could keep it. Or how far it will be hidden as a secret before everyone knows about it.
She knew that keeping secrets could be dangerous and that it might affect her relationship with Harrison in the future, but she also believed that timing was everything and that revealing the truth at the wrong time could cause more harm than good. Therefore, she decided to wait for the right moment to tell him.
"In the meantime, you probably need to get some more sleep." Hazel stood up and said, "Unless you are hungry?"
Since just the thought of food had her stomach spinning in protest, she told her, "I think I'm going to pass on that. But I'm not sure if I can sleep, either. Maybe I should unpack my suitcases and get stuff ready for tomorrow."
"Don't worry about your suitcases. I already did them."
"You did? When?" Lauren snapped her head towards the suitcases, which looked the same as they had the day before. Her bag that she had left in the office was also placed on the couch near her bed.
"After you arrived here, I figured if you didn't like where I put things, you could change them. But at least this way, all your stuff is within easy reach."
"You didn't have to do that, Hazel," she said, looking at the suitcases. "When I get better, I will do it myself."
"I know I didn't have to. But you are not in good shape, so I figured a little help couldn't hurt. Besides, I was bored." Lauren was not sure what amused her more—the way Hazel just casually dropped in the fact that she did nothing great but also did.
"Do you... perhaps you know about the lady— I mean, the monster who attacked me?" Lauren wasn't sure if she should ask because somehow she knew Hazel knew about something that Lauren did not.
She continued. "Honestly... I don't know anything about the monster thing." Hazel sighed and gazed at her hands. Lauren's gaze also travelled from her to her hands, which she was massaging right now.
"This is the first time I heard about it, and also that happened to you. I am so sorry." Hazel's expression looked worried and tensed, as if she were running from something that Lauren shouldn't know about.
"It's not your fault." Saying this, Lauren laid down on her new bed, which was soft but wasn't as soft as the situation around her.
But then again, the thought occurred to her that maybe it would be better if she didn't know what was going on around her; maybe then everything would be as she wanted it to be, even if things wouldn't necessarily turn out as desired.
She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, trying to clear her mind of all the worries and uncertainties. For a moment, she allowed herself to indulge in the comfort of her bed and the blissful ignorance of her surroundings.