A thin ray of light lands on Katherine's eyelids; little by little, the young woman's eyes open; her body feels heavy and tired, a side effect of the medicine. Katherine makes an effort to get up from her bed; she drags her feet to the bathroom and splashes her face with icy water. She looks at the water for a few moments before recalling events from the night before.

"I'm hungry." The young woman murmurs, trying to forget last night.

The kettle squeals. Katherine slides without lifting her feet off the floor and turns off the stove, pours herself a coffee, and makes herself a sandwich, cheddar cheese, and ham. Katherine enjoys the silence as she realizes how unnatural the situation is. The young woman watches the time on her cell phone: 3:30 p.m. The house should be full of sounds, whether from her mother and her music or from her brother and his screams when playing video games.

"Mom?!" Katherine calls, but no one answers.

"Bryan?!" Nothing.

Katherine walks around the house, past her mother's bedroom, which is empty, just like her brother's.

"Maybe they went out." Katherine puts her thumb to her bottom lip. "The bike!"

Katherine goes to the front door to see if her brother's bike is parked. When she opens the door, a familiar face greets her.

"Kathy?"

"Lexy" Katherine can see her friend squatting in front of the door. "What are you doing here?"

"Oooh~ I was just passing by the neighbourhood and... I feel like shit." Lexy says, placing her hand on her head.

"This hangover is killing me. If my mother sees me like this, she's going to scold me like always..."

"And you decided to come to rest at my house."

"I... yes..." Lexy lowers her head in shame.

"Come in then." Katherine waves her hand.

Lexy stumbles into the house, and they both reach the kitchen.

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

"I was having breakfast... lunch... brunch." Katherine sits down and takes a sip of her coffee. "Are you going to stand there?"

"Yeah... I think if I sit down, I'm going to throw up." Lexy rubs her eyes.

"Then I get nothing from offering you something to eat."

Lexy shakes her head.

"Water?"

"Ok."

Katherine stands up and walks over to the kitchen sink, grabbing a glass, but she's interrupted by the sound of the front door.

"I'm home." Bryan's voice is heard from the hallway; Lexy runs to the table and hides under the tablecloth.

Bryan walks in with his backpack on his back.

"Mom?" The young man asks.

"I don't know." Katherine answered.

"Ok, I'll be in my room; don't bother me."

"What's wrong with you? Bad night?"

Bryan ignores his sister and heads upstairs.

"What are you doing hiding down there?"

"I don't want your brother to see me like this."

"I don't think he cares; he always asks me about you, and I'm almost sure he likes you."

"Aww, how cute; he's not that ugly either, but I don't think he's for me."

"Eww."

"What? You don't like the idea of us being family?" Lexy lets out a muffled giggle.

"You are already family," Katherine responds with a smile.

The scene is interrupted by the sound of the front door. Lexy ducks under the table again; this time it is Katherine's mother who appears from the hallway.

"Hello, Katherine." The woman says it with a tired expression.

"You look like shit."

"The boss asked me to stay a couple of extra hours."

"Again."

"Yes... I'll be in my room taking a nap, here." The woman hands Katherine a couple of bills. "Buy something for lunch."

"Ok..." Katherine looks at the money, and the first thing that comes to mind is a pizza.

The woman walks away, the sound of her heels echoing through the house.

"What are you going to buy?" Lexy appears from behind the table.

"I'm going to order a pizza; do you want some?"

"Sure, I guess eating something is going to help with this headache." Lexy rubs her eyes.

Katherine pulls out her cell phone and dials the number for a local pizza place.

"I don't think I can party for a long time; I feel bad; I don't remember having drunk so much; what they gave me made me feel bad; I think I'll go blind." Lexy runs her hand in front of her face.

"Did you drink ethanol?" Katherine jokes as she listens into the earpiece. "Hello, yes, I want a pizza; yes, four toppings: salami, ham, jalapeño and meat, um, extra cheese and a drink... yes, medium; 8542 Arcadia Street; thank you very much."

Katherine turns to her friend, who is still waving her hands in front of her face.

"Done; the pizza will arrive in a few minutes." Katherine raises an eyebrow. "What are you doing?"

"Katy, I'm not kidding, I think something is not right with my eyes; when I see you, it's like I see the sun."

Katherine stops for a few seconds; she can hear her heart rumble in her ears, and she feels an emptiness in her chest.

"What did you say?" Katherine's voice shakes.

"When I look at you, I only see a light." Lexy turns and narrows her eyes in annoyance.

Katherine drops her phone to the ground; her mind is blank; she can't believe what she's hearing; a sharp beep invades her ear; the young woman blinks a few times and returns to reality when she notices a small mark on Lexy's neck; black teeth.