"Trust Zaudseth to hide the fact that there's a vampire in the school. What a shitty institution," Rosemary snarled, sitting beside me with her legs crossed. The moon hung brightly above us.
We had chosen to perch on a branch of a tree as we scoured the area around the school. Silas and Shira were still inside, hunting for Ambroxius, while Rosemary and I kept watch outside, hoping she might be nearby.
"Do you think you can fight her?" I asked, genuine concern in my voice. Rosemary looked fine, but I noticed she sometimes flinched when she walked. I suspected her leg was still bothering her.
"Hah?!" Rosemary glared at me, clearly offended.
"I'm just asking. You still wince sometimes when you walk," I pointed out, watching her cheeks flush under the moonlight.
"Tsk, worry about yourself first, weirdo," she muttered, turning her gaze away. "You should think about that before we do something important, like fighting a vampire who could wipe the floor with us…" I trailed off, hand on my neck, recalling how easily she had rendered me useless.
Where was the strength I had that night?
"You must be confused, huh? You're not used to being a vampire yet, and I can see that," Rosemary continued, noticing my bewilderment.
"What do you mean?" I asked.
She shrugged, shaking her head. "I've heard you've been a vampire for a year, yet you've never bothered to learn about your abilities. Now that you need to, you're scrambling to catch up," she said.
She was right. I couldn't even summon my wings; the best I could do was float, and even then, I struggled to control my direction.
I lacked control over my abilities because I had never cared to learn in the first place.
That was one of my biggest regrets. Ambroxius was stronger than me, and the ease with which she bested me stung my pride. We were the same kind, after all.
I should be at least on par with her.
"Yeah, I guess," I finally replied, realizing I had gone quiet while she spoke.
Rosemary hummed. "Don't take it to heart," she said as I frowned and looked down. "There aren't many books that explain a vampire's abilities, especially those involving the demon magic they borrow."
I listened intently.
"How do you manage to kill a vampire?" I finally asked, surprising her with my question.
"Why? Do you want to kill a vampire?" she replied.
I let out a small laugh. "When it comes down to it, maybe."
Rosemary smiled, rolling her eyes. "You're too much of a softie. Silas is much better than you, and he's soft as hell," she smirked, while I frowned, annoyed.
"But to kill a vampire, the first thing you need to do is find their weakness," she began.
"A weakness? Like what exactly?" I asked, curiosity piqued. I wondered what my own weakness might be.
"Well, first, you have to know which pureblood they serve. If they're under Gluttony, just cut off their tongue, and you can kill them. It's quite easy," Rosemary shrugged, a smirk on her face.
"How did you find that out?" I asked, imagining her dismembering vampires just to discover their vulnerabilities. It was a chilling thought.
Rosemary's expression darkened. "A lot of trial and error."
"Scary. Are you really our age?" I asked, shifting away from her as she burst into laughter, leaning back and slapping her knee.
"Do you want me to try to find yours? So you'll know which part of your body to protect?" she grinned, her teeth flashing as I scooted as far away as possible on the small branch.
"No thanks," I replied, blinking at her.
This time, Rosemary's laughter was genuine.
"Never in my life did I think I'd be talking to a vampire," she sighed, her laughter fading. "I've been so hell-bent on reaching Lucia (Vampire of Gluttony); all my life, I thought she was the one who killed my family. Then this servant of hers comes along and tells me it's been Sloth the whole time," she said, dragging a hand down her face.
I frowned, my hand twitching as I considered placing it on her shoulder, but I held back. I wasn't sure she'd appreciate the gesture.
I didn't know what to say either.
'Sorry, the woman who bit me killed your family'
That's a horrible thing to say!
Instead, I said, "There's a first time for everything."
That made her laugh again.
—
"So far, the search has been going… not as I planned," Silas said. It was early morning, birds chirping, but he looked like he'd been through hell. He was extremely tired, barely having any sleep at all.
That was true, considering he and Shira had been on guard since yesterday, hunting for Ambroxius.
"You should rest first," I suggested, worry creeping in as I looked at him.
I wanted to wrap him in a blanket and hold him in my arms.
If only I could!
Internally, I prayed to all the gods that someday I could do that, if he ever let me.
Silas glanced at me, smiling tiredly as he rubbed his eyes. "Yeah, I really am a bit sleepy. But I still have classes…" He winced at that, yawning, and I bit my lip.
"Then cancel them. You can just assign some homework," I replied, and Silas blinked at me, pouting.
"That makes me look really lazy," he whined, laying his head on my shoulder.
I stiffened in surprise. "You don't mind being my pillow, right?" he asked, a tired smirk on his face, trying to act cool but failing.
It had an effect on me; I gaped at him like a fish out of water before shaking my head. Silas smiled and closed his eyes. "You're my pillow now," he sang, and I clasped my hands together to stop myself from shaking with excitement.
Earlier, I was just hoping to give him a burrito blanket, and now he was resting his head on my shoulder willingly.
Oh god, I shouldn't be happy that Silas was this tired and hadn't slept for a day, but if it meant he would lean on me, I wasn't complaining!
My thoughts raced like a malfunctioning computer. Silas's hair tickled my chin, and his breath became slow. He seemed to have already fallen asleep.
Oh my god, he really is sleeping on me.
I don't believe in God, but—praise the lord! Praise the lord!
I internally screamed and celebrated as I shakily reached out to touch his hair, brushing aside a strand that was tickling his nose. He scrunched his face in response.
His eyes opened slightly, looking up at me as he caught me moving his hair behind his ear.
I froze like a deer caught in headlights.
I expected him to laugh and move away, but instead, he smiled and yawned, rubbing his eyes before closing them again. "Thanks, Seb," he murmured softly before drifting back to sleep.
I bit my lip, feeling heat rise in my cheeks.
I had a sneaking suspicion that Ambroxius had already killed me, and I was in a state of limbo, caught between life and death.
What I was experiencing felt like a dream I'd longed for when I was alive.
This was fine!
At least I got to see Silas's sleeping face again—
Not that I was saying I liked watching him sleep.
But at night, when our conversation dwindles and Silas finally falls asleep, there's nothing for me to do. My phone is dead, and there are no outlets in the room to charge it.
So instead, I spend my night watching Silas sleep.
There's something mesmerizing about the way he breathes evenly. I've noticed he moves a lot in his sleep, often rolling around, and there have been a few times I've had to stop him from falling off the bed.
He also talks in his sleep, though it's mostly incoherent. I sometimes wonder what he dreams about.
Is it work? I wouldn't be surprised.
Silas might seem like the type to slack off, but he's actually a hardworking and kind soul. You just need to get to know him better to understand how he operates.
Thinking about that made my face warm all of a sudden.
How embarrassing to have those thoughts while he's literally beside me.
Admitting to watching him sleep feels a bit creepy, but at the same time, there's nowhere else I'd rather be at night than watching over Silas.
I know I can't fight anyone yet; it's clear from my encounter with Ambroxius. She's a stronger vampire than I am, and Silas was the one who saved me again.
So, I'll just keep watch for him while he sleeps.
If you think I'm obsessed with Silas…
Of course not! I'm just a worried friend! That's all…
Silas shifts slightly, and I freeze again as I feel him wrap his arms around mine. I stiffened in shock.
Oh my god, he's hugging me.
I internally fanboyed.