𝙎𝙝𝙖𝙙𝙤𝙬𝙗𝙧𝙤𝙤𝙠

By following the lambent light, I had portaled myself into Ethan's living room. The sun seeped through the blush curtains, creating a light and airy atmosphere. Hushed voices floated down the cream-coloured hallway from the kitchen with the door ajar, inviting me to eavesdrop.

I tiptoed across the wooden floor, minding where I placed my foot and held onto the bannister for support. Edging my way forward, I fixated on getting to the cupboard as the voices became less muffled the closer I got.

A high-pitched screeching noise erupted from the kitchen, and the door pulled back, shedding sunlight into the hallway.

I saw Ethan's reflection in the abstract watercolour painting hanging on the wall. "I've gotta go." For a split second, I thought he was talking to me, but he slid his thumb across the pad and ended the call. "A girl once told me that it's rude to sneak up on people."

"It looks like you've been taking notes after all." I skated on thin ice around him, not wanting to add more weight to the rink because of where the conversation ended last time. If I did, I didn't want to submerge into something far out of my reach. The warmth in the pit of my stomach validated my fear.

"I'm busy, Erika. What do you want?" His voice trailed behind him as he headed back to the kitchen, disappearing behind the door.

The warmth soon evaporated and left me lingering in the hallway, unable to function. As I swallowed, my throat seized, and I choked back the air I needed. My neck was tender and raw from the incision, and the searing burn filled every fibre of my being.

"Erika?" Ethan said in a softer tone, standing in the doorway. He rushed to my aid, parting his lips as his eyes landed on my wrists. "How the hell did you get these?"

Images of Edwina flashed through my vision, taunting me with her past. I hissed as his fingers pressed on the red welts around my wrists, swollen under his touch. "You wouldn't believe me even if I told you," I whispered through the sudden intake of breath that filled my lungs.

His deep-set eyes softened as he lowered his brows. "Try me, blondie."

"I saw Edwina." My lip quivered at the mention of her name. I waited for him to make a joke or snort with laughter because everything I said was about as believable as aliens. "You believe me?"

"Of course."

The contrast between Ethan and Cassie was apparent; one friend hadn't witnessed the implausible, while the other one had lived through it.

"You can tell me everything." The open-necked white shirt clung to his muscular physique as he gestured towards the kitchen.

"Not until you tell me what happened at your hearing," I said, guilty that I hadn't asked him about it sooner.

"Fine." He slouched against the cream cabinets, resting his elbows against the quartz worktop.

I sat on the cross-back chair nearest the door and waited impatiently for details, shaking like a leaf. By hiding my trembling hands underneath the table, I had gathered time to compose myself for the outcome, whether it was good or bad.

"My grandfather bailed me out."

When the words left his lips, relief washed over me as I sank a little further in my chair. "That's great."

Samuel must have a way with words.

Ethan shook his head and delved into his pocket, retrieving his mobile. "I'm off the hook, but I still need to pay for what I did."

"Oh." I stared at my chipped nail polish, scratching the coating off and watched it crumble over my leggings.

"That's why I was on the phone, scheduling appointments with the phlebotomist." Shrugging, he tapped the end of his phone against his defined lips. "First appointment is on Friday. Your turn."

"What are they making you do?" I held my breath, hoping it wasn't what I expected. My skin crawled from the prick of the needle digging into my flesh, withdrawing blood for examination.

Ethan puffed up his cheeks, letting out a heavy sigh. "Six months of donating blood for their community. Let's hope I taste good." He disregarded his phone on the side and pulled out the chair opposite. "C'mon, your turn. Distract me."

How can I? The thought of a vampire licking every last drop of Ethan's blood from the test vial sends a shudder through my core.

"Edwina showed me what happened when she died." I shook my head, fighting the image of the inky substance detaching itself from her body. "There was something inhuman about the whole experience."

"It's not every day you see a dead girl, and after whatever you witnessed, saying it's inhuman is an understatement. She tied you up, kinky style." He laid back in his chair with a suggestive expression on his face.

The warmth spread across the tips of my earlobes as I hid them with my hair, glad he couldn't see how embarrassed I was. "It's not like that. It was like Edwina was trying to show me something vital. She created something, and the minute she died, it was released."

"Alright, Mrs Marple," he teased and stood up, strolling towards the fridge.

Stung by his mockery, my face fell as I squirmed in my seat. "I thought you believed me."

He swung the fridge door, closing it with his foot. Putting two cans of Pepsi on the counter, he grabbed two glasses from the cupboard. "I do, but you're thinking way too much into this."

Easy for him to say, he wasn't the one chained and dragged through a mirror.

Handing me a can, he cracked open his and poured its contents into the beaker. "What do you think she created then?"

I pulled the tab on my can, releasing a hiss and a pop. "I'm not sure, but whatever it is, it wasn't good."

"No shit, Sherlock. Look what she did to your hands." Ethan gulped down his fizzy drink in bursts before resisting a belch.

The sweet citrusy flavour of Pepsi tantalised my tastebuds for more, leaving a tingly aftertaste. Trailing my finger across the rim of the can, I struggled to come to terms with what happened.

A harsh-sounding ding-dong chimed through the house, stirring me from my thoughts.

He shouted, letting the stranger know that we were in the kitchen.

Ethan said, "It's my grandfather. He has to ring the doorbell before entering. That's the rule and all."

"Is that because he's a vampire?" I asked, unsure how Samuel would ever turn on his family.

Blood is thicker than water, right?

"More or less. It's one of my mum's rules."

Light footsteps entered, and a shadow towered over the table.

"Who do we have here?" His voice was deeper than Ethan's but almost sensuous and pleasant to the ear. "I don't believe we have been formally introduced."

When I mustered up the courage to incline my head towards him, I noticed the royal blue suit with the white handkerchief neatly folded in the right-hand side chest pocket. "I've heard a lot about you," I said and stole a glance at his face. He shared the same azure eyes and blonde hair, slicked back with a quiff at the front.

Samuel took hold of my hand, and his eyes flickered to the swollen sores around my wrists, revealing an endearing grin. "I'm sure you have. All good things, I hope."

Ignoring the niggling ache within my stomach and the goosebumps that proceeded down my arms, I snatched my hand from his grasp. There was something eerie about the way he pounced, disregarding his grandson and paying more interest in me.

It reminds me of a spider luring its prey by making its web, enticing the fly further into the warzone. 

Standing up abruptly, I asked for the bathroom, afraid of the vampire in the room. I wasn't ready for Shadowbrook or its baggage.

Ethan gave me directions, saying it was upstairs. My wobbly legs carried me down the hall as the floorboards creaked with each step towards the last room on the left.

Carpet would be better. There's nothing worse than letting the household know when you're going to the Ladies' room.

A purple transparent portal reappeared in the middle of the hallway, clashing with the cream walls. Its oval shape glimmered with the inside as black as coal. It couldn't be Edwina because there was no mist circling the portal.

Circling the shape, I inspected the outside, contemplating where it could lead me. I was more curious than surprised, and having been in Shadowbrook, I had grown accustomed to the unimaginable.

If I stepped foot across the gateway, I had no idea where I would end up. I would be like a sailor lost at sea, forgotten in a world of endless possibilities.

But what if it takes me home?

As I tread closer, the prospect of being back with my dad guided me with each step. I didn't want to end up like him, a reincarnation of what he had lived through.

Pushing the dread aside, I had made a decision; whether I had made the right choice was beyond me. This was worth the risk.

A/N

Word Count: 1,547

We finally get to meet Samuel, but we know something Erika doesn't. Will she find out his secret?

Will the portal lead Erika back to the hospital, or someplace else?

Have a fangtastic day!

(㇏(•̀ᵥᵥ•́)ノ)