AS THE CLOCK STRUCK FIVE, I couldn't help but feel the anticipation building up inside me, knowing that my two dear friends would soon be arriving. I paced back and forth, stealing glances at the door every few seconds, hoping to catch a glimpse of them as soon as possible.
Finally, a knock echoed through the house, making my heart skip a beat. I rushed towards the door and opened it, only to be greeted by their smiling faces. Winter exclaimed excitedly, "It's time!" and I couldn't help but nod in agreement, my heart pounding with excitement.
We quickly headed out and hopped into a cab, wasting no time in beginning our journey. As the cityscape passed by, we chatted away, catching up on each other's lives, our laughter filling the air. Soon enough, the cab pulled to a stop, and we disembarked, continuing on foot down the charming neighbourhood street.
The scent of freshly cut grass tickled my nose as we strolled down the sidewalk, admiring the picturesque houses lining the street. Each house seemed to tell its own story, inviting our imagination to fill in the gaps. We continued our casual banter until we finally arrived at our destination.
There it stood – a delightful single-story bungalow, radiating warmth and simplicity. The modest, yet well-tended garden added to the charm, with vibrant flowers and manicured hedges offering a colourful contrast to the green grass.
As we made our way up the porch, Winter reached out and pressed the doorbell with a single finger. My heart was pounding in my chest, and I couldn't shake the feeling that something unexpected was about to happen. We waited for a moment or two, and then the door swung open, revealing a girl whose face made my breath catch in my throat.
I had to blink a dozen times in rapid succession just to make sure my eyes weren't playing tricks on me. Holy cow! My undead heart began to race as the girl standing in the doorway gasped at the sight of me, her eyes wide with shock and recognition. It was her – the same girl that Vivaldi had compelled to tempt me until I succumbed and took a bite of her neck. The very same girl I had spared and allowed to escape into the night.
Panic welled up inside me. What on earth was I going to do if she spilled my secret? I couldn't keep compelling my friends to forget every time something like this happened. My mind was racing, trying to come up with a solution, but I was drawing a blank.
The girl's voice trembled as she spoke, her lips quivering with fear. "You…" she said, backing away from the threshold. She turned her gaze to Scarlett and Winter, her face contorting with terror. "Get away from that freak of nature!" she yelled at them, her voice shaking. "He is evil – stay away from him!"
Her eyes locked onto mine once more, burning with a mixture of fear and determination. "Get out of my yard, or else I'll spill your secret…" she said, her words hanging heavy in the air between us. I could feel the weight of her threat pressing down on me, and I knew I had to find a way to fix this before it was too late.
Scarlett and Winter stood there, their faces frozen in a mixture of shock and confusion. They looked at me, their eyes searching for answers as they tried to make sense of the girl's frantic warnings.
"Do you know her?" Winter asked, her voice tentative. I could feel their eyes boring into me, waiting for an explanation, but my mind was a whirlwind of panic. I opened my mouth to speak, but all that came out was a series of incoherent stammers. I felt like a fish out of water, desperately gasping for air as I tried to come up with something – anything – to say that could save my butt.
Just as the silence stretched to its breaking point, a gentle voice called out from within the house. "Hey, honey, who's getting you all jittery and pissed?" The voice was smooth and familiar, but I didn't want to believe it belonged to who I thought it did.
Footsteps started padding our way, and I couldn't help but scrunch up my face in anticipation. I knew that voice, I reasoned. There was something smug and familiar about it that sent a shiver down my spine. But before I could dismiss the thought, the owner of the voice appeared in the doorway. Damn it, I cursed in my mind. It was him – that little brat – and as he turned to look my way, his face broke into that Cheshire cat-like grin that always managed to piss the life out of me.
"Hello, brother," he said, his voice dripping with self-satisfaction. I couldn't help but let out a resigned sigh, knowing full well that my night was about to get even more complicated than I could have possibly imagined.
Turning his gaze back to the girl who was on the verge of exposing my secret, Vivaldi spoke in a calm, collected voice. "Honey, why do you keep your friends standing outside like that?"
The girl fidgeted nervously for a moment before replying, her voice trembling with fear and confusion. "He's the one I told you about – the one with a face like the devil, the one who stood there and watched his friend almost ki–"
My heart nearly stopped as she spoke, and I could feel the world spinning around me. I was on the brink of passing out, but luckily, Vivaldi interrupted her before she could say the last word. "Honey, that's my brother," he said, his tone a mixture of amusement and reassurance.
"Brother?" Everyone exclaimed in unison, their eyes darting back and forth between Vivaldi and me. The shock was evident on their faces, and I could feel the weight of their questioning gazes settling on my shoulders.
"Snow, is that true?" Scarlett asked, her voice a mix of disbelief and curiosity. I looked away coyly, running a hand through my hair and ruffling it nervously as I tried to gather my thoughts.
The words caught in my throat, and I found myself at a loss for what to say. I just couldn't bring myself to admit that this smug little piece of shit was my brother – not now, not ever. The mere thought of him irked me to my very core, but as I stood there, I knew that denying our connection could cost me everything.
I was all too aware of the fact that he wouldn't think twice about compelling the girl to reveal the truth of what happened that night. He had never been one to care about his own secrets coming to light, but for me, it would mean the end of my carefully crafted life and any chance at happiness. Still, as much as I hated to admit it, his presence had, at the very least, delayed the exposure of my darkest secret.
"Yeah, he's my little brother," I said finally, forcing the words out through gritted teeth. I could see the shock on everyone's faces as they stared at me, their eyes wide with disbelief.
"Oh my God, why didn't you tell us you had such a cute little brother?" Winter exclaimed, her voice a mix of excitement and confusion. "I thought you said you were an only child!"
I couldn't help but ruffle my hair as I scrambled to come up with a plausible lie. "Well, little brothers can be pretty whiny, and we don't always get along because this one is as stubborn as they come," I said, trying to keep my tone light. "That's why I act like he doesn't exist sometimes."
As the words left my mouth, I could feel my face heating up, knowing that this was just another lie to add to the ever-growing pile of secrets I was desperate to keep buried. But with Vivaldi standing there, his Cheshire grin taunting me, I knew that I had no choice but to play along with this charade – at least for now.
"Oh, you shouldn't say that about your little brother," Scarlett chided, moving closer to Vivaldi and cupping his face in her hand. If only she knew that this seemingly innocent kid was actually an old man trapped in a child's body – a fact that made his wide-eyed, innocent act all the more frustrating.
"Look at those pretty green eyes," Scarlett cooed, her fingers gently caressing Vivaldi's soft, youthful features. His face remained passive, his eyes locked onto hers like a puppy seeking attention. I couldn't help but roll my eyes at the whole display.
"So, Chloe, are you gonna let us in or not?" Winter asked, redirecting everyone's attention to the girl who had initially refused my entry.
Chloe's face softened, and she glanced sheepishly between Vivaldi and me before speaking. "I'm sorry for how I acted before. It was just a prank – Vivaldi wanted me to play a trick on his brother."
Winter raised an eyebrow, a skeptical expression on her face. "So, you don't mean any of those things you said?"
Chloe shook her head, her cheeks flushing with embarrassment. "Yeah, come on – this place is your home. You don't need any invitation, do you?"
Scarlett smiled warmly and chimed in, "Of course not!" Without hesitation, she walked through the door.
"Come on, Casper, let's go in," Winter said, her voice cheerful and oblivious to the turmoil roiling inside me. She walked through the door without a second thought, leaving me standing there, fidgeting on the doorstep.
"Snowwhite?" Scarlett's voice was soft and questioning, her gaze probing as she studied my face. Fear crawled over my body like an army of tiny spiders, their prickly legs making me jittery and desperate to escape the situation.
I wanted to walk through the door – to brush off the paralyzing fear and join my friends inside – but I couldn't. It was as if the doorway had transformed into an impenetrable barrier, a gateway to a personal hell that I couldn't bring myself to face. No matter how hard I tried to convince myself that it was safe to walk through, my mind revolted against the idea, reminding me of the pain and suffering that awaited me on the other side.
"Hmm," Vivaldi mouthed, a smirk playing at the corners of his lips. His eyes danced with a sinister amusement, as if he was savoring my struggle. "Seems someone can't get himself past the threshold magic," he said smugly, understanding my plight all too well: I couldn't get into the house without the owner inviting me in.
Scarlett's brow furrowed with confusion and concern. "Are you coming in or not?" she inquired, taking a step back toward me.
I swallowed hard, shame and fear mingling in my chest as I shook my head in defeat. "I can't," I admitted, my voice barely more than a whisper.