SCARLETT EYED VIVALDI with a mischievous twinkle in her eyes, still under the impression that he was just a harmless kid. "So," she began, her voice brimming with curiosity, "where were you when Snow White was trapped inside the mansion?"
Vivaldi paused for a moment, cocking his head to the side as if deep in thought. "Well," he drawled, "I was… you know, trying to cool off the steam in my head."
Winter's brows knitted together in confusion, her voice laced with suspicion. "What steam are you talking about?"
As Vivaldi opened his mouth to reply, I quickly jumped in, sensing he might reveal more than he should. "We had a bit of an argument, remember?" I said, a nervous edge creeping into my voice. "So he stormed off to cool down." Our eyes locked for a fleeting moment, a silent agreement passing between us as the others nodded, seemingly satisfied with my explanation.
I figured a little extra context couldn't hurt, so I decided to pile it on, hoping to steer the conversation away from Vivaldi's involvement. "You know," I added, glancing around at the curious faces, "I think he might have busted that knob on purpose, just to get back at me for our spat." My eyes scanned the room, gauging their reactions to my little white lie.
Scarlett, her interest clearly piqued, leaned forward and pressed on with her questioning. "So, where did you disappear to all by your self?"
Vivaldi, a sly grin plastered across his face, pulled Chloe close to his side. "Well," he began, his voice brimming with self-satisfaction, "I was right here, having the time of my life and dancing with my gorgeous Chloe."
At his declaration, Chloe's face turned a brilliant shade of red, and Winter's gaze bounced between the two of them like a ping-pong ball, her brows raised in curiosity. "Your gorgeous Chloe, you say?"
With a triumphant smirk, Vivaldi proclaimed, "That's right. Chloe is my girlfriend."
The room went dead silent, all eyes bugging out in shock at his audacious claim. The first to recover was Scarlett, her laughter breaking through the tense atmosphere. "Oh, come on!" she exclaimed, disbelief clear in her voice. "That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard!"
Vivaldi merely quirked an eyebrow, looking thoroughly entertained by their skepticism. "You don't believe me, huh?" he challenged, a smirk playing at the corners of his mouth as he crossed his legs casually, leaning back like he didn't have a care in the world.
As Scarlett's laughter slowly died down, she took a good, long look at Vivaldi's dead serious expression. "Y-yeah," she stammered, her voice betraying a hint of doubt, "you're totally kidding."
Winter, on the other hand, wasn't ready to let the issue drop just yet. Turning her attention to Chloe, her voice was an odd blend of shock and worry. "Chloe, come on, say something."
Poor Chloe fidgeted nervously under her friends' intense stares, her face turning an even brighter shade of red. She looked like she'd rather be anywhere else at that moment.
With her gaze dancing around the room, Chloe bit her lip and prepared to tackle the elephant in the room head-on. "Well," she started, her voice barely above a whisper, "he's not wrong… Vivaldi really is my boyfriend."
Scarlett's hand dramatically shot up to her chest, her gasp of surprise reverberating around the room. "Good heavens!" she cried, her eyes practically bulging out of their sockets. Meanwhile, Winter shook her head vigorously from side to side, her disbelief etched clearly on her face. "Nah, I don't buy it," she insisted, her voice tinged with skepticism. "You two are just pulling our legs again, aren't you?"
Vivaldi's self-satisfied grin widened, stretching across his face like a cat that had just eaten the canary. "Oh, ye of little faith," he practically purred, his voice brimming with condescension.
And then, without warning, Vivaldi yanked Chloe close and planted a big, sloppy kiss on her lips, all tongue and teeth and spit. Their mouths mashed together in a furious, wet dance as they twirled around the room, Vivaldi's tiny, almost childlike hands tangling in Chloe's hair.
"Ewwww!" Winter exclaimed, her nose wrinkling in disgust as she averted her gaze. The rest of us quickly followed suit, our faces screwing up as if the sight of their sloppy smooching had left a foul taste in our mouths.
The kiss finally came to a climactic end, leaving Chloe and Vivaldi breathless, their chests heaving with the effort. Vivaldi scanned the room with a sly sparkle in his eye, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively at the rest of us. "So," he drawled, his voice oozing with self-satisfaction, "do you believe me now?"
A heavy silence hung in the air as we all grappled with what we had just witnessed. Nobody seemed capable of speaking, let alone forming a coherent thought.
Winter's unimpressed expression pretty much summed up what we were all thinking. "Chloe," she started, her voice laced with worry, "isn't he a bit young for you?"
Chloe just shrugged, a pout forming on her lips as she tried to justify her decision. "I don't think so. I mean, I'm 17 and he's 18. What's wrong with that?"
Scarlett's gaze traveled over Vivaldi's diminutive figure, her disbelief etched plainly on her face. "No way in hell!" she blurted out. "There's just no way this little squirt is older than you!"
Winter jumped in, backing Scarlett up with her own doubts. "I mean, you look like you're 10 years old," she said, stating it like it was a cold, hard fact.
Vivaldi was quick to fire back, a smug grin plastered across his face. "You mean 13, right?"
Winter's eyes lit up like a cat that had just caught a mouse. "Aha! I knew it!" she crowed, jabbing a finger in his direction. "You said 13!"
Vivaldi smacked his forehead in annoyance as he realized his mistake, while Chloe stood firm, refusing to back down. "It doesn't matter what you guys think," she declared, her chin raised defiantly. "I like him."
Winter's face hardened into a stony mask as she took Chloe firmly by the arm, steering her towards the door. "Come on," she said, her voice brooking no argument. "We're going to have a little chat in your room."
The three girls disappeared into the hallway, leaving the Vivaldi and me.
With Winter, Scarlett and Chloe gone, Vivaldi turned his sly grin on me. "Why the long face, bro? Or should I say… Snow White?" he teased, his voice oozing with smugness.
My frustration bubbled over, and I confronted him head-on. "What the hell is your problem, man? Why are you messing with Chloe's minds?"
He shrugged nonchalantly, like it was all just a big joke to him. "Isn't it obvious? I'm doing it because you wanted me to."
My patience was hanging by a thread. "Just sign the damn contract like I told you, and poof! I'll disappear, like I was never even here."
Vivaldi's grin twisted into something dark and menacing as he threw my words back in my face. "Oh, but if you don't give me what I want, you know I could just waltz right into Chloe's room, fang up and rawr, rawr, rawr, your sweet hearts goodbye. And even if I don't do it today, I could do it any other day. They all trust me now, you know. After all, they think I'm your dear little brother."
Vivaldi's sudden change in attitude had me on edge as he casually suggested, "How rude of me. I should offer you a drink." And with that, he sauntered off, leaving me alone with my thoughts and a growing sense of unease.
Before long, he returned with two pristine white glasses. Vivaldi took a leisurely sip from his own glass before extending the other one towards me, nodding encouragingly.
I eyed the glass with suspicion, my gaze darting back and forth between Vivaldi's face and the mysterious drink in his hand. "Uh, thanks, but I'm good," I said, trying to decline as nicely as possible.
Vivaldi's smirk only grew wider as he leaned in closer, his voice dropping to a low, secretive murmur. "Come on now, you don't want me to make a scene, do you?"
I let out an exasperated sigh, wishing more than anything that I had never left the safety of the enchanted mansion. With great reluctance, I reached out and took the glass from his hand, and Vivaldi's grin stretched even further across his face. "Go ahead, take a sip," he urged, his gaze locked firmly on mine.
With great hesitation, I raised the glass to my lips. In an instant, the intoxicating smell of blood filled my nostrils, causing my fangs to protrude and my face to morph into its vampiric form. Realizing Vivaldi's malicious intent, I quickly lowered the glass and took deep breaths to calm my heightened senses, willing my face to return to its human guise.
Just as I began to regain control, Scarlett entered the room. Her eyes locked onto my transforming visage, and her mouth gaped open in shock and horror.
I let out an exasperated sigh, wishing more than anything that I had never left the safety of the enchanted mansion. With great reluctance, I reached out and took the glass from his hand, and Vivaldi's grin stretched even further across his face. "Go ahead, take a sip," he urged, his gaze locked firmly on mine.
With great hesitation, I raised the glass to my lips. In an instant, the intoxicating smell of blood filled my nostrils, causing my fangs to protrude and my face to morph into its vampiric form. Realizing Vivaldi's malicious intent, I quickly lowered the glass and took deep breaths to calm my heightened senses, willing my face to return to its human guise.
Just as I began to regain control, Scarlett entered the room. Her eyes locked onto my transforming visage, and her mouth gaped open in shock and horror.