"OH MY GAWD!" Scarlett screamed, stumbling back and staring at me like she'd just seen a ghost. "Your face!" she exclaimed, her voice shaking.
Right at that moment, Winter and Chloe showed up, looking all confused. "What is it, Scarlett? We heard you scream" Winter asked, totally clueless about what was going on.
"His face!" Scarlett blurted out again, her trembling finger pointing straight at me. Winter and Chloe stepped closer, examining my face with curious eyes.
"There's nothing wrong with his face," Winter said, shrugging her shoulders. I let out a huge sigh of relief, realizing that my face had gone back to its normal, human appearance.
"But it was skeletally pale, his eyes were red, and... and..." Scarlett stammered, trying to find the right words.
"You're just freaked out from Chloe's story," Winter suggested, waving her hand dismissively.
At this point, I was super curious, so I chimed in, "What did Chloe say, anyway?"
Winter explained, "Chloe said she was viciously attacked on the neck by a rabid street dog, and Scarlett here was totally grossed out by the whole thing."
Vivaldi had been standing there, quietly watching the whole scene with a half-grin on his face. Finally, Winter turned to him and asked, "Vivaldi, you were here the whole time. Did you notice any changes on Casper's face?"
Vivaldi glanced my way, his lips still curled in that knowing half-grin. I held my breath, waiting to see what he'd say. Would he spill the beans about my little transformation, or would he play along?
Vivaldi took a slow sip from his glass, drawing out the suspense. "About that," he said, his eyes dancing with amusement. "I noticed a change on his face too."
The room went dead silent, and I swear you could've heard a pin drop. All eyes were on Vivaldi, and my heart was pounding like a drum. This was it—he was gonna spill the beans, I just knew it.
"But," Vivaldi said, all casual-like, "it was just a frown because I was trying to tick him off."
I breathed a huge sigh of relief, feeling like I'd narrowly avoided a major disaster. "Listen, gorgeous," Vivaldi continued, turning his attention to Scarlett. "You seem pretty freaked out right now. Maybe you should get some rest."
"Honestly, Scarlett," Chloe chimed in, "you're probably just rattled by my story."
"You really think so?" Scarlett asked, still looking a bit unconvinced.
"Absolutely," Chloe insisted, giving her friend a reassuring nod.
~~~
As I stepped out of the taxi and made my way to my front porch, I waved goodnight to Winter and Scarlett. I couldn't help but wonder if Scarlett would ever want to hang out with me again after catching a glimpse of my vampire side. All I could do was hope that she'd believe her friends, and that she'd chalk it up to paranoia.
Using mind control on Scarlett, Winter, or anyone else was the last thing I wanted to do. Doing that only forced me to hold onto my vampire side, and I was desperate to keep that part of me under control. So, I'd just have to cross my fingers and hope that Scarlett would let it go. As I unlocked my front door and stepped inside, I couldn't shake the feeling that things were about to get a whole lot more complicated.
I flicked on the lights in the sitting room, my eyes darting around for any sign of Vivaldi. Luckily, he was nowhere to be seen. I made a beeline for my room and headed straight into the bathroom, splashing cool water on my face to help clear my head after the wild night.
Once I was done, I got myself ready for bed, eager to crash and get some sleep. But just as I was about to crawl under the covers, I noticed a suspicious movement on the bed. I moved in closer, pulling back the blanket to reveal that obnoxious, evil grin of Vivaldi's that always managed to push my buttons.
How dare he be sleeping in my bed after making this night such a nightmare? I growled in anger and, with super speed, I dashed at him, rolling him over and landing a dozen rapid-fire spanks on his backside. He yelped like a startled cat and managed to skip out of my reach. His face turned bright red, like a toddler on the verge of a tantrum.
"Dude, what's your deal?!" Vivaldi shouted, rubbing his sore behind like it would help the pain.
"That's payback for ruining my night, bro," I shot back.
"I saved your skin twice, man!" Vivaldi protested, his voice cracking. "I kept Chloe from spilling your secret, and I even lied about your face vamping up!"
"Still doesn't cut it," I snapped. "None of this would've gone down if you hadn't butted in."
He tried to exact revenge, using his super speed to charge at me, but I was too quick. I zipped to another part of the room, and he chased after me again, only to be met with more evasive maneuvers. The frustration built up, and his brown eyes welled up with tears. His lips trembled as he struggled to hold back a full-blown crying fit.
"Stop running!" he wailed, desperation evident in his voice. But I wasn't about to let him get the upper hand. After all, he'd been asking for it, and I was more than happy to dish out a bit of payback.
He stomped his feet on the ground like a toddler throwing a tantrum. It was a surprising display of vulnerability from Vivaldi, and, I have to admit, it was kind of cute seeing the devil himself pouting like that.
"Just get out of my room," I commanded, pointing a finger at the door. We locked eyes in a glaring contest for a moment before he finally gave in. He walked towards the doorway with his shoulders slumped, looking like a scolded puppy. As he reached the door, he halted and turned around.
"You know what happens when I go to bed angry?" he said, a hint of mischief creeping back into his voice. "I get hungry. And if there's blood flowing in Shadowvale tomorrow, you've got nobody to blame but yourself."
With that, he walked out the door, leaving me with a strange mix of emotions. Was that a threat? Or just Vivaldi being his usual dramatic self? Either way, I was too exhausted to dwell on it any longer.
The next day at school, I closed my locker door to find Scarlett standing there, an apologetic look on her face. "Sorry if I scared you," she said, diving right into a lengthy explanation. "I wanted to apologize for the way I acted at Chloe's place. I swear, I'm really sorry. I don't know what came over me…"
She just kept talking, her apologies pouring out like water from a broken faucet. It was clear that she felt terrible about the whole situation, and I couldn't help but feel a twinge of sympathy for her. After all, it wasn't her fault that she'd gotten caught up in Vivaldi's twisted games.
"I have no excuse for how evilly I described you… I… I…"
I could tell she was on the verge of panicking, so I gently cupped her face in my hands. "It's okay, Scarlett," I reassured her. "I get it. You're easily spooked by scary stories. I'm not offended, I promise. In fact, I was more worried that you'd never want to see me again."
As we held each other's gaze, I suddenly became aware of how close we were, and I sheepishly pulled my hands away from her face. "I would never avoid you," she insisted.
"Have you eaten anything yet?" she asked, smoothly changing the subject.
I shook my head. "Nah, not yet."
Her face brightened with an idea. "How about we head to the cafeteria? You can try some of my homemade food and Rooibos tea."
I couldn't help but smile at her thoughtfulness. "Sounds great."
As we made our way to the cafeteria, I couldn't ignore the whispers of our classmates. With my super hearing, I caught snippets of their conversations.
"Oh, are they dating?"
"So Scarlett's the lucky girl, huh?"
"They look cute together."
"They don't match… I'd be a better fit."
Despite the mixed reactions, I couldn't deny that there was something comforting about having Scarlett by my side.
Scarlett and I grabbed a table in the bustling cafeteria, and she plopped her giant, red lunchbox onto the round plastic surface. The thing looked like a cross between a plastic backpack and a mini-fridge, with a zillion pockets and zippers.
She unzipped the main compartment and started pulling out all kinds of stuff: disposable spoons, cups, plates, a water bottle, a thermos, a couple of Fanta cans, and containers filled with chicken strips, cooked corn, and a mountain of French fries. I stared in amazement at the feast she'd somehow crammed into that lunchbox.
"What the…!" I exclaimed, not even trying to hide my surprise.
"What?" Scarlett pouted, her eyes sparkling with a girlish charm that made my heart do a little flip.
I stuttered, "Are we having a feast or something?"
"No," she replied with a wink. "It's just my way of saying thank you."
"For what?" I asked, still trying to process the spread in front of me.
"For not holding a grudge," she explained, biting her lower lip in a way that was entirely too distracting.
I chuckled at her cuteness. "Well, you're welcome. But, uh, there's no way we can eat all this, right?"
"Oh, don't worry about that," she said with a wave of her hand. "Winter's gonna join us too."
"Where is she?" I asked, glancing around the crowded cafeteria.
Just then, a familiar voice piped up from behind me. "Right here!"
I turned to see Winter standing there, a big smile on her face as she took in the sight of Scarlett's mini-buffet. "Whoa, Scar, you've outdone yourself this time!" she exclaimed.
The moment Winter joined us, Scarlett tore open the packet of fries and stuffed a few into her mouth. Winter followed suit, both of them munching happily as I looked on.
"Come on, taste the fries!" Scarlett urged, waving a fry in my direction.
I ruffled my hair nervously, feeling the weight of a hundred jealous eyes in the cafe. Everyone was staring at us, probably wondering how Winter and Scarlett had managed to snag my attention. "I'm not really hungry," I protested, shaking my head.
"Please?" Scarlett pleaded, pouting adorably. "Just a little bite won't kill you."
Still, I held my ground, not wanting to draw any more attention to our table. "What about the corn?" Scarlett asked hopefully.
"Leave him alone," Winter said, her voice muffled by the mountain of fries in her mouth. "If he doesn't want to eat, he doesn't have to."
Scarlett's face fell, her disappointment evident. "I prepared all this for you, and you're rejecting it all. Does that mean you haven't forgiven me?"
I felt a pang of guilt. "Of course I have," I reassured her.
"Then eat something to prove it," Scarlett challenged, picking up a chicken strip and holding it near my lips.
The cafeteria buzzed with anticipation, whispers flying through the air. "Look, she's gonna feed him! Does that mean they're officially dating?"
I blocked out the noise, my vampiric senses on high alert as I parted my lips. Just as Scarlett was about to place the chicken strip in my mouth, a hand came out of nowhere, slapping her hand away. Time seemed to slow down as the meat flew through the air in slow motion, tumbling end over end as it made its way to the floor.