"You are both free to return to your dorms now. But make sure you rest, Lea. This old lady doesn't want to see you in her domain soon. Do you understand what I am saying?"
The doctor tried to get her point across Lea's head, but Sara shook her head. She had realized long ago that Lea's actions were beyond reasoning.
"Don't waste your breath trying to help this failure, doctor. She will be back in this room within a week. You can mark my words."
Sara promised, and the doctor groaned, adding to Sara's playful touch.
"Ugh, let me dream in peace, kid. I want to pretend I have some freedom left in my life."
The doctor moaned before she smiled gently. That was the last thing Lea saw before leaving the hospital room and returning to her everyday life.
Her body had recovered a while back, but the doctor had kept Lea in for a few extra hours. She had called it 'keeping up appearances,' but Lea was sure the old lady did this to annoy Commander Arnold.
"So, what are your plans from here on? Ugh, don't tell me! You are going to Commander Arnold's office? Have you lost your mind? Don't you remember what kind of person Commander Arnold is? You will get into so much trouble if you do that."
Sara tried to make Lea understand her point of view. It was important for Sara to keep Lea alive and well. So far, she has taken her objective very seriously.
But it was a terrible position when the target you wanted to keep alive tried to kill herself off at every chance she got. That was the situation Sara was in right now.
"I know that you are worried about me, Sara. But I cannot keep on ignoring Commander Arnold all the time. He is the chief in charge of this place. He also sent me an official mail, so I have no excuse to avoid him now."
Lea held out her phone. It did have that passive-aggressive style he preferred.
"Ugh! If that old man does something like this, he wants something from you. You should be careful while dealing with him-"
Sara was busy speaking out loud, so she missed it when Lea stopped paying attention. Lea had heard the same lines too often to let them affect her.
What caught her eyes was a familiar shade of green quickly turning the corner.
Emily Forger had seen Lea and decided to make a run for it. This irked Lea's pride, and she decided to catch up to Emily and ask her about her problem.
"-we should make a case against Commander Arnold, and hey! Where are you going, Lea? You never answered my question!"
"Sorry, Sara, but I will meet in a short while. There is a cat I need to catch first."
Lea waved Sara bye and followed the green-haired female she had seen earlier. And Lea had to give credit where it was due.
Emily was a fast person. She managed to disappear in minutes while Lea was not paying attention.
But there was no way Emily could hide away for long, especially with her current condition. She must be starving with the need to get a guide's help.
All Lea needed to do was follow the uncommon route no one took, and she would be able to find Emily.
And as expected, Emily was hiding at the end of the janitor's closet. She was huffing over herself and trying to contain her thirst.
Seeing her made Lea feel bad. She had not done anything, but this situation had occurred because of her strong presence. And now Emily was suffering because of it.
"G- Get away from me. I told you that I do not need your help."
If Lea could sense Emily from this far away, there was no reason Emily should not be able to do the same. Moreover, the bond between Emily and Lea was stronger on Emily's side when compared to Lea's.
When Lea approached her, Emily hunched over herself even more to prove her point. The smell of Lea's aura was getting too strong now.
"Ouch, look at how much pain you are in. I told you that I would visit you soon. Why did you not wait for me like a good child?"
Lea scolded Emily but was glad she had run into her simultaneously.
It was embarrassing to admit it, but Lea had forgotten about this meeting. She would have likely failed to meet with Emily altogether had she not seen Emily right now.
"I…this was not for you. Just leave me alone, alright? I do not want to see your face. Just leave me alone."
Emily begged, and her voice showed all the pain she tried to suppress. The more she tried to escape Lea, the more her body protested. The more it opposed, the more her brain had to will itself to stay away.
It was agonizing torture, but she was willing to endure it for her freedom.
"You are a fool. You will not be able to achieve anything even if you try your best to hold back. Giving in to your desire and doing what you want will be better. I am willing to help you out."
Lea offered her hand to Emily. She was impressed by her and wanted to help her. Emily had changed her indifferent attitude and made her curious.
"Fuck-off."
Emily yelled, trying her hardest to get away from Lea. Her throat itched, and Emily coughed to try to get the itch out. But instead of clean air, blood oozed out of her throat.
Emily's situation was worse than Lea expected it to be. At this rate, Emily would be unable to stay conscious for long.
"Oh dear, this is not good. You are making me somewhat concerned for you. It seems that I cannot leave you alone. Otherwise, you may wither and die like a plant."
Lea looked at Emily's collapsed body. Emily did not reply, but she tried her best to stand up. Lea pushed Emily back down and watched Emily struggling.
It was fun to watch humans struggle when Lea pressured them. It was a sadistic pleasure Lea was not allowed to indulge in often. But without anyone to stop her, Lea was not keeping track of what happened either.
"Let me see. Hmm, you are lacking a lot of energy. Let me fix that for you."
Lea used her knife to cut her finger open. Blood flew from her finger, and she held it against Emily's mouth.
It was a silent command for Emily to stop resisting and take in Lea's blood. But Emily refused to comply. She refused to allow Lea's finger into her mouth.
"You are pissing me off now. I am giving you one final word of warning. You can ingest my blood yourself and keep yourself safe a little longer. Or, you can continue to suffer. The choice is yours to make."
Lea handed the ball into Emily's court. But Emily refused to take the easy way out. She still resisted the urge to suck Lea's blood for as long as possible.
But the power that could help her was just in front of her. Emily could not resist the temptation forever, especially when Lea grabbed her mouth and forced it open. One bloody digit was pushed inside Emily's mouth, and her body finally got the energy it craved.
Once the first taste of blood had been reached, Emily could not stop herself. She needed more blood, and she tried to go deeper.
Blood was only a temporary solution for Emily's plight. She would need something more soon. Her body was craving for it badly.
Lea wanted to help Emily out as well, but Emily needed to figure things out first. Only then will Lea be able to help her out.
If this was not all, then the timing of Lea's phone going off reminded her that it was the worst time for her to start something with Emily.
Commander Arnold was calling her in his office. He wanted to hand the assignment over to Lea, but she had yet to reply.
"Commander, can this call wait for a few hours? I am in a difficult position right now."
Lea confessed once she finally picked up the call. But as expected, Commander Arnold was interested in something other than what she had to say.
"I do not care 'how' difficult your situation is. I want you to do your job. Just wait wherever you are, and I will get you. I am near your location, so it should only take a minute. Stay put and don't try to run-"
Whatever Commander Arnold had been imagining, this was not it. He did not expect to find Lea's bloody fingers down young Miss Forget's throat. And he especially did not expect to see blood seeping out of Emily Forget's mouth.
"Oh god! Lea, what did you do? Did you kill someone? What are we going to do now? Do you know what kind of family this girl belongs to?"