Sofia was doing her best to avoid pacing and or staring out the window like a desperate puppy upset about being left home alone.

Miguel and Dad were in the kitchen, Dad cooking, Miguel unwinding from a day of physical labour. Hector was upstairs in his room probably playing video games which left…

“What’s wrong, mi hija?” Maria asked.

“Nothing,” Sofia replied, this had to wait until the others got here.

Maria just gave her a look of disbelief. “Is it about your eyes?”

Sofia shrugged the question off, she didn’t want to say no but she wasn’t quite ready to say yes.

“Your father and I did some research, we couldn’t find anything like what you described,” Maria added neutrally.

“Do you ever feel like there’s something out there?” Sofia asked, “Something impossible?”

Maria frowned slightly at that. “I don’t mess with the spirits and they don’t mess with me,” she added, crossing herself.

That was probably a sensible approach, who knew what else was real anymore? Sofia glanced back out the window, willing Jackie and Eloise to show up already.

“Did you and Jackie fight?” Maria asked, still gently trying to get answers.

“We’re ok now,” Sofia offered with a sigh.

Maria shook her head. “You’ve been so distant all summer. I wish you would just tell us what was wrong?”

Sofia swallowed the lump in her throat. Her flesh was still warm enough for grief if just barely. She would need to hunt again soon.

“You… you remember the article about the girl in the bathroom? The one with my name?” Sofia asked nervously. She hadn’t really thought it over, apparently, this was happening now.

“Yes, I remember you calling me,” Maria nodded slowly, though she clearly didn’t know where this was going.

Sofia took Maria’s hand and raised it to her throat. “Feel my pulse,” she ordered shakily.

Maria did so, her frown of confusion only becoming more prominent. “Madre de Dios, what…”

“It was me, I just… didn’t want you to worry,” Sofia offered, keeping her lips tightly shut as she gave a small smile.

“¿Eres una fantasma?” Maria asked, pulling her hand away. However, she didn’t otherwise recoil.

“No, Mamá,” Sofia promised uncomfortably.

“Oh Sofía,” Maria sighed, pulling her into a hug. “Mi bebé.”

Sofia hugged her right back. “I’m still here, I’m not going anywhere.”

“You better not be,” Maria retorted sternly. “What is with your eyes then?”

“The sun, Mamá, it burns me,” Sofia offered.

“¿como una vampira?” Maria asked.

“Sí,” Sofia replied, unable to bring herself to lie.

Maria nodded as she processed this and shook her head with disbelief.

“Do you drink blood?” Maria asked eventually.

“Animal blood from the butcher,” Sofia retorted, the lie she had already established with Eloise.

“How?” Maria eventually laughed, seemingly lost in what exactly to do in this situation.

“The friend Jackie is bringing, she’s my… the one that made me like this,” Sofia offered. “They're not actually friends,” she added, because that was probably the weakest link in this whole lie.

“She’s one too?” Maria asked.

Sofia nodded.

“How could she do that to you?” Maria demanded.

“She heard I had an irregular heartbeat, Mamá, it could have killed me,” Sofia offered.

“So you go to a hospital,” Maria retorted, becoming increasingly upset.

“I didn’t know about it,” Sofia tried.

“She had no right,” Maria shook her head.

Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

Sofia pulled her into a hug, “It’s ok, Mamá. I’m ok.”

“No, Sofía, estás muerta,” Maria sighed.

“I’m right here,” Sofia corrected even though Maria was right. Neither of them said anything for a long moment.

“Don’t tell your brothers, I don’t want them to know about this,” Maria decided.

That hurt, Sofia hadn’t seen that coming. Instead she just nodded. All things considered her mother was taking this well, Sofia was in no position to start demanding things.

“Your Papá will… take convincing to believe such a thing,” Maria offered with a grimace. “You know he is not a believer. For tonight let’s just keep this between us, yes?”

“Okay,” Sofia replied, smothering anything unease.

She didn’t have any time to examine her feelings further as there was a knock at the door. Sofia could feel the mental thread, she knew who it was and hurried to the door to open it.

Jackie stood on the stoop looking just as nervous as excited. She wore a jean jumpsuit tied in the front with a little bow over a white shirt. Her long blond hair hung casually around her shoulders.

“Hey,” Jackie offered.

“Hey,” Sofia replied. Jackie looked good, she smelled delicious. Sofia put aside that uneasy realization, she wouldn’t let herself freak out about that. “Uh… where’s Eloise?” Sofia added instead.

Jackie motioned to the car where… that couldn’t be Eloise talking to John. She looked… so normal. Jeans, a flannel top, hair not even styled, the only out-of-place thing was the dark glasses. What the hell? It was like seeing the secret identity compared to the superhero.

“I know,” Jackie chuckled.

The fact they had arrived in the black diplomatic vehicle kinda shattered the casual disguise. John climbed back into the car and Eloise hurried over.

“Evening,” Eloise offered politely.

Sofia glanced inside to make sure the coast was clear. “The plan’s off, I told my mom. She doesn’t want my brothers to know.”

“How did it go?” Jackie asked, conspiratorially looking around.

Sofia shrugged, then remembered they were essentially having this conversation on the porch and waved them in. “I don’t entirely know yet. So far so good I guess.”

Jackie gave her a skeptical look. Eloise nodded, seemed to consider something… and then winced.

“Well… on the bright side,” Eloise offered apologetically. “She doesn’t think you’re a demon,” she finished quietly.

Sofia was actually somewhat grateful for Eloise’s mind reading right now.

Jackie shook her head. “I need a fucking tinfoil hat around her.”

Sofia snorted.

“Welcome,” Maria offered approaching the entryway, her smile a little too strained.

“Thank you for having us, you have a lovely home,” Eloise offered as charmingly as she could.

Dinner itself was awkward. Eloise was charming and chatty as ever, somehow the food on the place seemed to disappear despite the fact she didn’t eat a bite. Sofia’s brothers mostly just ate in silence since they barely knew Jackie and Eloise was a total stranger.

Jackie kept glancing at her from across the table when she thought Sofia wasn’t looking and Sofia was far too nervous about the whole thing to focus on any one thing.

Maria and Charles were managing to make small talk.

Thankfully, dressed casually as she was, Eloise looked a lot younger. Not that someone in their late 20s couldn’t attend university but that would have been another level of strangeness.

Maria glared a little too much at Eloise to be polite. Charles, oblivious as he usually was to these things, just seemed happy to chat.

What originally was going to be an opportunity to come clean had devolved into an awkward anxious dinner that Sofia just wanted to be over.

As they were finally clearing the table Eloise put a hand on Sofia’s shoulder and leaned down to whisper to her. “Come stay at the hotel tonight, let your mother process.”

She was already slipping into the kitchen with her plate before Sofia could respond. That had to be an ill omen. Sofia was both desperate to ask for more information and also terrified of what she would find out. Being able to read minds had to have been a strange ability, Sofia definitely didn't want it. It would further distance herself from humans irreparably.

Maria had disappeared into the kitchen to clean up. Sofia stopped herself from going to talk to her. She wanted everything to be fine but it was out of her hands now.

“It’s ok,” Jackie offered, giving Sofia a reassuring smile.

Sofia took a deep breath. “I really hope it is.”

----------------------------------------

Sofia wanting to spend time with Jackie didn’t make her departure strange. Maria definitely did not put up any protest which did hurt a little. But the hug goodbye was somewhat reassuring.

Still, the unease lingered all the way to the hotel.

“Are you two staying together or do you want another room?” Eloise asked as they entered the lobby.

“Uh…” Sofia blanked.

Jackie seemed equally unsure about what the answer should be.

Sofia wanted things to go back to how they had been, well… no. But she did want to move past the strangeness she had created by calling the break in the first place, regardless of how necessary it would be.

“Together? If that’s fine,” Sofia suggested hopefully.

“Totally,” Jackie smiled almost bashfully.

“You two are sickening,” Eloise scoffed. “I’m going to go find a drink. Don’t… kill each other.”

“Yes, Mom,” Sofia scoffed.

Eloise didn’t seem remotely embarrassed by Sofia’s mockery, instead, she just smiled slightly and headed towards the hotel bar. Sofia was unfortunately fairly confident she wasn’t going to be drinking alcohol.

Sofia looked to Jackie who was giving her a strange look. “What?”

“Nothing, I just… I’m glad you have her,” Jackie retorted.

“Me too,” Sofia smiled. “Should we… go to your room?”

Jackie blinked at her.

“To catch up and stuff,” Sofia awkwardly added. Fuck, since when was this so hard?

“Okay,” Jackie replied with an amused smile and tugged her towards the elevator.

Jackie’s hand was warm in Sofia’s, she missed this, she missed her blood.

“I know you’re cooling,” Jackie said, tracing her thumb over Sofia’s hand as she hit the elevator button.

“Yeah,” Sofia replied, painfully aware of how little air circulation there was in the elevator. She didn’t ask Jackie how, Sofia knew she visibly worsened, becoming gaunt and leathery. It wasn't that noticeable, it was more she knew to look.

“Look… if I’m too… much or whatever just say so,” Jackie offered hesitantly. “And if you want to feed from me just say so too,” she added.

Sofia opened and then promptly closed her mouth. She wasn't sure which option she would take Jackie up on, neither for now. She decided to simply nod.

Jackie led her down the hall and to her room. The hotel was small all things considered but big enough that Sofia could have probably found a way to get lost.

Jackie’s room was well… a hotel room. A single bed, bottles of water that cost extra, her suitcase. It felt weird to be staying here, Sofia’s home was a short ride away. Yet it might not be home much longer.

Being a lesbian was one thing, being a vampire was totally another. Her very existence now revolved around the suffering of others. She was a parasite on the world, on life.

Or at least, that was her existence from a utilitarian point of view. And then didn’t even take all the good she could do with immortality into account. The knowledge she could preserve, the answers she could find. Perhaps she took life but she also had much to offer.

“So…” Jackie began, sitting on the bed. “Why is this so weird?”

Sofia chuckled. “I don’t know. How are you healing up?”

“Good,” Jackie smiled, before shrugging off the suspenders of her jumpsuit. “You wanna see the scar? I mean it’s kinda nuts how fast it healed.”

“No thanks,” Sofia stopped her with a tight-lipped smile.

“Okay,” Jackie retorted, pulling the straps back on and letting out a slow breath.

“I just…” Sofia trailed off, she wasn’t even entirely sure why the idea alarmed her. The idea of seeing Jackie’s skin, the idea of seeing her marred flesh, the reminder of how mortal she was? “Sorry.”

Jackie quickly shook her head. “It’s fine.”

“Eloise has been training me,” Sofia eventually offered, trying to come up with something to ease them back into things.

“Oh, how is that going?” Jackie asked,

“Good, I think. I… you wanna see something cool?” Sofia smiled, suddenly having an idea.

“Sure,” Jackie grinned.

Sofia closed her eyes to focus herself before she took a deep breath and promptly exploded into a vortex of thick fog that immediately smothered the room.

She had never felt… artificial things, or living things. They had always been outside. This was… even weirder. She could feel Jackie around her, inside her, breathing, shifting, alive.

“What the actual fuck,” Jackie muttered with disbelief. Sofia could feel the way Jackie’s breath blew her, the way Jackie tried to wave her away so she could clearly see.

Sofia called herself back together. The fog drained back into her as she rematerialized on the bed beside Jackie.

“That’s so fucking awesome,” Jackie laughed.

Maybe things would be ok after all.