Darcia's pov

Wednesday morning was incredibly sunny. No clouds appeared in the blue sky. It was a truly perfect day. Not for me, though.

The reason I moved here to Artondale was because of the constant rain and cloudy sky. The summer was around the corner, so it was understandable to see the sun once again after days and months not to.

Talia was determined that I would wake her up when I got ready in the morning. But she hates waking up. She sleeps at least ten hours a day. She's worse than a cat.

I gently poked her rose cheek to wake her up. Her eyes opened as the sun shined through the glass window. Not even the curtains were thick enough to stop the strong sunlight from coming through.

"It's time." I articulated with my mouth. She nodded her head in understanding.

We walked toward my closet and studied every piece of clothing I had. The last time I went, I was too revealing. This time, I want to look like myself. Not a fake version of me.

"What about a suit?" Talia suggested it. I turned my head instantly, a smile appearing. I grabbed it from the hanger and took a better look at it. I have never worn it. It looks brand new, and the deepest black color caught my eye.

"You look so formal, but gorgeous!" Talia approved, as she saw me. This suit was made for a woman. Custom-made by a very talented woman. I don't remember which year it was, but I always wanted my own suit.

After that, we went downstairs to the kitchen for Talia to have breakfast.

"Making my favorite breakfast as always, huh?" Talia asked Nicoli, who had an apron, fully focused on cooking.

"Yes, Ma'am. Your favorite breakfast will be almost done." He teasingly answered.

"What do you find so enjoyable about eggs and some ham?" I wondered as we took a seat on the kitchen island.

"Well, I always loved it back in the orphanage. For me, breakfast means eggs. Prepared in all kinds of ways. I love everything." Talia replied, smiling at me.

I sighed, looking at the clicking watches on my wrist. It was barely even eight. I did not call Mr. Elwood beforehand, but I don't think that's going to be a problem. I'm sure he wants to know how Talia is doing. It's been so many months since he last spoke and saw her.

"And by the way, there's something I want to ask you two to do for me if possible." She hesitantly announced. We both raised our eyebrows at her, waiting to hear it.

"As you know, my friend Stacey is still there. We haven't spoken in months, and I would like her to know I'm alright. I'm sure she's very worried about me."

We looked at each other with Nicoli and didn't understand why she was asking both of us.

"So, you want us to find her and tell her you're fine? But that's not why I'm going there, Talia. I'm sure she already knows you have a new life and-"

"I will find her and tell her what's on your heart!" Nicoli interrupted me.

I looked at him confusedly as to why he was agreeing on this. Finding more problems is not an option for us.

Talia looked slightly disappointed in my answer, but I'm just caring about her and us. No one can know where we live or it's over for us. Humans already hate me enough.

"Here you go." Nicoli put the plate with eggs in front of her, and her eyes were glaring.

"Thank you! I can't live without your delicious breakfast." She said and smelled the aroma of the eggs that were lingering in the air.

***

We took a seat on the big leather couch in the living room, as we needed to discuss the conversation I would have with Mr. Elwood.

Talia looked kind of nervous, and I don't blame her. It's the part of her life that is missing. She wants to know the truth.

Her fingers were in constant motion. Picking the skin around her nails. I kept staring at her, but her mind was not present with us.

"Talia?" I spoke. She looked surprised at me and readjusted herself by sitting on her knees.

"Uhm, we don't have much time left, so let's go through it now." Talia cautioned.

Nicoli slowly shook his head up and down, and I did the same.

"So, I will simply ask about your past, telling him that you want to know more about your past. I think that's it, or?"

Talia's eyes dropped to the floor. She crossed her arms and blinked many times. "Yes, I think that's it. Just- tell him I really want to know. I'll be 18 in a month. I have the right to know." She softly said.

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"Alright, that is settled, but how should I reach your friend? Humans are everywhere. I can't just bust into her room and tell her you have a message for her." Nicoli suddenly reasoned.

"I know I'm asking for a lot, but I want her to know. Please just find her and say to her, I'm fine." Talia begged.

Her tone was angry. And I was not too fond of that. Why does she care about her? Is she more important than my existence? She doesn't understand how dangerous this could be. Nicoli looks extraordinary. Long ass hair up to his butt. We are not humans.

I looked at the clock, and it was time to leave. "We can't promise anything. We have to go now." I alarmed.

Nicoli got up from the couch and waited for me at the doorstep. Talia was peering at me with anger.

"Can we have a moment, please?" She turned to Nicoli. He quietly agreed and left the living room.

Talia got up from the couch too and stared out of the window. Her arms crossed with her fingertips tapping on her arm.

"I am not asking for a lot, Darcia. Just let my friend know I am alive and well. Can you do this for me?" She waited for my answer.

"Yeah," I replied immediately and left the living room. I switched to Nicoli, who was waiting for me at the entrance hall. He didn't say a word to me, but he saw my frustrated expression.

We got into the garage and took my car. He didn't let me drive, surprisingly. But I was glad I didn't have to. I had too much anger building inside. I had no idea what was going on.

Why did the thought of her friend being so close to her make me enraged?

"Do you think it's okay that we left her there alone? I mean, no one will visit our house, but still." I spoke after long minutes of silence.

He sighed before he spoke. "I will go back immediately after I finish my job. But I'm sure she will be fine; don't underestimate her."

Before I knew it, we were in front of the tall black gate. The memories came back quickly. I remember when I took my first steps through it. But this time, I'm not going alone.

As we got out of the car, I realized that I heard no one inside. No talking, no walking. As if they were all dead.

We walked inside, and thankfully the door was unlocked. I remembered where his office was, and slowly we walked up the stairs.

"Could you tie your hair?" I requested. He rolled his eyes and grabbed the hair tie I was holding in my hand. If someone saw him, they wouldn't believe he was a guy. Sometimes I don't either.

I knocked twice on his door and waited for any kind of answer. It was dead silent.

"Can I help you?" A voice from behind alarmed us. We turned around, and I recognized Mr. Elwood in front of me. His facial expression changed once he realized who I was. His eyes widened, and a brief smile appeared on his face.

"Ms. Smith? What a lovely surprise. Come inside!" He greeted me and unlocked his office. We followed him inside and took a seat in front of his desk.

Yes, I did forget about Nicoli, but it was too late to disappear.

"We're so incredibly sorry we came unannounced. I should have called-" My forehead creased, and the tone of my voice changed to be softer.

"You have nothing to be sorry about! I'm here every day, and as you can see, I'm not busy at the moment." He claimed and paused for a second. "Is this your husband?"

My what?

My eyeballs almost jumped out of my skull. I bit my tongue as I wanted to say something inappropriate, but I couldn't.

Nicoli, on the other hand, was enjoying every second of this. Everything ends up chaotic when he's present around me.

"Yes, I'm her husband. Nice to meet you, Mr. Elwood." They shook hands and exchanged smiles.

The way he was playing nice and sweet made him annoying even more. Could I hate him, though? No, I couldn't...

"You must think something happened, but the truth is, Talia started to ask about her past. To be exact, what happened to her father? Our relationship is beyond amazing. We are so close to each other and-"

"The closest you can imagine such a relationship as daughter and mother is exquisite in these times." He jumped into my talk. I reached with my hand for his and squeezed it so tightly, almost breaking bones.

"Isn't my husband so sweet? Anyway, she wishes to know what exactly happened. She told me part of the story, but the rest of it is blank for her." I explained.

He got up from the chair and pulled her documents out. He went through the first page and stopped in the middle. He stared at us and then went back into the documents.

He took a deep breath in and out and turned it in our direction so we could have a look on our own. I grabbed it and saw pictures glued to the first page.

"W-What is this?" I questioned myself under my breath.

Bite marks.

Talia's father's pictures at the crime scene, his whole body was covered in vampire bites. And suddenly, a flash of memories strikes into my brain. I closed my eyes to control the switch of colors in my eyes. I couldn't believe what I saw.

Nicoli read the police report and went through all the pages of text. Mr. Elwood was looking out of the window, unfazed.

Nicoli closed it and put it on the desk. We looked at each other as if we knew the truth about what happened that night. The report says it was an animal attack. Wolf or a dog. But doesn't that sound ridiculous?

"Frankly, I don't believe it was an animal attack. No animal could cause such marks on the human body. No one can convince me. This is another reason why I didn't want to reveal this to Miss Talia. Because this is not the explanation that she would have hoped for." Mr. Elwood declared in sadness.

"How is she?" He wondered.

"Trust me, she's fantastic. She's very happy with us." I replied.

"I'm glad, then. I hope she's not angry at me anymore." He said with sadness. I still feel his pain. He misses her very much. He was like a father to her all these years. His emotions were chaotic.

Nothing more was there to say. Mr. Elwood accompanied us outside of his office right away. But we forgot what Talia was asking from us. As he closed the door to his office, we decided to do this our way.

"I'll be waiting outside in the hall, and you just slip inside and talk to her, okay?" I explained to Nicoli in a whisper. I pointed at the door where the room was, and he quietly and carefully opened it and went inside.

I stood there, focusing on every sound around me, hoping no one would go outside of their room. Everyone in this building was sleeping except Mr. Elwood and the workers.

I went back into my dark thoughts as I leaned my back against the wall and realized again what I had done.

I cold-heartedly killed Talia's father that night.