“You have an appetite.”

The comment didn’t stop me from wolfing down pizza slices one after another. Marie’s mother was a great cook.

It lacked meat though, she was a vegetarian.

I didn’t know what to answer, so I just continued eating, slightly slower than before.

“Yeah, she has quite the metabolism.” Said Marie in my stead.

Ha, ha. I rolled my eyes at her.

“So how did you meet?”

Marie’s smile faltered.

Yeah, how did we meet?

Maybe going to her mom's with no preparation as to what to say was a mistake.

Scratch that, it definitely was.

“Erm, it’s complicated.”

“Complicated? How can it be complicated?”

“Well, we met through Ray.”

“That’s obvious. But how? Where? When?”

It seemed that as long as I was eating her food, I would be spared interrogation, and that was a win-win for me.

I saw in the eyes of Marie she had come to the same conclusion and was now promising me unimaginable pain for my cowardice.

I gave her a cheeky smile and bit down my pizza.

Our exchange didn’t go unnoticed. Ana frowned.

“Marie?”

“It’s a secret actually.”

“A secret?”

“Yup.”

That was a dangerous way to go. Ana did not look pleased.

“So you can’t tell me anything about her?”

I realized I had just finished the last slice. No, Marie still had two, untouched, on her plate. She had stolen those. That little… I felt an inquisitive glare that stopped me in my thoughts.

Oh no.

“Why all the mystery around you, young girl?”

I cleared my throat.

“Because I met Marie after Ray came back. I am involved in the mess around him.”

She took Jackie in her arms and petted him while continuing to question me.

If it had been a cat, she would’ve been a perfect James Bond villain.

“Are you involved in something dangerous? Are you fleeing something?”

Jackie was trying its best to hide from me by going deeper in its mistress’s arms.

Marie scratched the back of her head.

I was tired of being undecided.

“I was. Maybe I still am, but she and I decided we would face it together. Even though she could just leave me.”

“Oh.” Now her mother backed off. “Marie? Are you that serious with her?”

My best friend sighed. “Yes.” She answered softly.

“That’s not a very reassuring tone.”

“It’s really complicated and hard to explain.”

“I still did not learn anything solid about you, Gray.” As her daughter was putting up walls, Ana tried mine again.

But Marie had also decided to step up.

“She can’t do that without scaring you to death, mom.”

“I thought she wasn’t in danger anymore?”

“Not that. I’m safe with her, as much as I’m safe with Ray. I can easily promise that.”

“What then?”

“She has… a secret. One both her and Ray share. He told me, and so I met her.”

“Oh. And she cannot tell her girlfriend’s mom?”

“I went into shock when Ray told me. Then I freaked out. I asked her not to do that to other people. Her secret is quite obvious when you’re close to her or Ray. You just need to be patient, and you’ll understand.”

Ana looked at me, one eyebrow arched. “You say Ray showed you the secret, but then asked her not to do it to others. You make no sense. And I have to find the dark secret of my little girl’s lover?”

“It’s not dark.” Interceded Marie.

“I cannot agree with that statement.” I countered.

“Gray!”

“I don’t want to lie to your mom. It’s dark, but not directly dangerous to you or her.”

“You don’t seem like a bad girl at all, I really don’t understand why you’re being both fussy like that.”

“Mom, I want you to trust me. You’ll see her more and more often, and you’ll understand that she’s good for me.”

Ana scoffed. “Pfuh. I know that already. Do you know how long it’s been since you introduced me to your lover?”

“Erm. During winter holidays last year?” She began.

I really didn’t want to hear about her past lovers, I had met most of them. Still, I had nowhere else to go. But this conversation didn’t go where I expected it to go.

“No. That time I just stumbled upon her. You didn’t even give me her name.”

If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

Marie seemed puzzled, so Ana continued.

“Never. It’s the first time ever you brought someone through the front door.”

“Oh.”

“Of course she’s good for you then, and I’m going to respect her. But now, let me do my job as a parent and see for myself what I’ll have to do to make sure she doesn’t hurt you.”

I winced at that because I was asking myself the same thing.

I had fallen deep into the underworld quite fast. It could be it was over now, but I felt it wasn’t.

I had, or at least part of me had killed a powerful vampire, who played the authorities like they were nothing.

It wouldn’t go unnoticed, or unanswered.

And where did Marie fit into all this? A sidekick?

She had no powers, could not defend herself.

I needed her. I couldn’t deny that fact.

I would still be cursing myself for my actions without her. Agonizing over what I had done.

For me, she was essential, but what about her?

What did staying with me mean for her?

What if instead of me, the vampire had kidnapped her to get answers about “Ray’s” whereabouts?

Marie, as she always did, answered and reacted in her own unique way.

“Mom, she is going to hurt me. But we’re going to get over it. That’s what a relationship means. And what you said mom, Gray is thinking about way too much already.” She addressed me. “You. Stop thinking about what you’re thinking about. People get hurt. People die. That’s not the important part, and I will not let it drive me. I thrive to do good, I thrive to find something true, even if it is not filled with happiness. Even if it is hard.”

She stopped. Breathed.

“It’s true with you.”

She was using my own values against me. I was the one thriving for truth, not her.

“You’re unfair.”

“It’s called love.”

We stared into each other, alone together.

Ana cleared her throat. “Why did my daughter have to inherit that part of me…”

I felt Marie’s hand squeeze mine under the table, and I remembered that her mother was still judging me.

“I understand.” She said. “It’s your decision Marie, and you’re damn too stubborn to reconsider anyway. And you.” She pointed at me. “You’re being secretive towards me. But you’re not hiding anything from her. You can promise that?”

“I can’t hide a thing from her. And I shall always be honest with her. It’s one of the easiest promises I can make.”

“Good. You’re lucky, the sofa in the living room is horrible to sleep on.”

“Your cooking was delicious.”

“Thank you. You’re sweet.”

“This bed is too small.” I complained.

“I think it’s just right.” Retorted Marie.

“Of course you would think that, you’re not the one who’s being molested.”

“You’re not complaining.”

“We’re supposed to…call the cops.”

“I know.”

I looked at my phone.

There were not 200 calls on it. My mother had called twice and my dad had left a text. King had sent a few messages. It did have ten or so calls from the police.

“Why not tell them the truth?”

Marie squirmed towards my screen.

“That you got kidnapped again?”

“Well yes.”

“Stan saw Igris in the car though, not you.”

“Did he tell the police?”

“I asked him not to.”

“I’ll have to explain…”

“Probably. We should’ve just lied to everyone and told you were Ray in drag, and that I was going out with him in this new persona.”

“That would be more unbelievable than the werewolf Conscient story.”

“I dunno, your brother was, you could be.”

“Stan knows I never even thought about doing that, because we talked about my brother.”

“You talked about your brother with Stan?”

“Yeah, a few months ago.”

She kissed my cheek.

“What was that for?”

“I’m proud of you.”

“For?”

“For opening up with someone else.”

“Shouldn’t you feel jealous?”

“I never felt you were attracted to Stan. Well except all the times you flirt with him. Wait, was that serious?” She asked ironically.

“It was not…”

“No reason to be jealous then.”

“What should I do about Lieutenant King then?”

“What about her.” Anger flared in her voice immediately. Then she put two hands in front of her face. “How could I fall for it that easily.”

“Hi hi hi.” I laughed maniacally. “Gotcha.”

“Yes. Seems I’m not as impervious to the influence of my emotions as I once thought.”

“How could you?”

“My studies? I know all about human emotion and how the brain works, so it should not affect me anymore.” She began.

“You barely scratched the surface.”

“I know, I’m exaggerating, but I think the belief was there. It’s strange to know I was wrong.”

“Strange?”

“Well, I’ve always loved you.”

I arched an eyebrow.

“I mean, even as Ray, I loved you. I didn’t want to have sex with you, that’s all.”

“Me too.”

“Definitely not about the sex part. You told me multiple times you were attracted to me.”

“WHAT?” I almost screamed.

“You’re not drunk often, only when we’re together. And you always say that to me then.”

I hid under the pillow. Now that she said it, drunken memories resurfaced, and with Igris’s point of view, the scene was much clearer. “URGH. Why did no one tell me?”

“Well, you only say it to me, and you’re not noisy when you drink, so I guess I was the only one who heard.”

“Why did you not tell me then?”

She looked puzzled.

“I don’t know. Once was because it was during Helene, and the other times… I felt really happy when you said that to me, that’s probably why.”

“Couldn’t let anyone know you liked being complimented by men?”

She pinched my nose. “Yeah. Sure. Dumbass.” She paused. “We were never going to go further than friends, and we both knew it. What would you have done if I told you?”

“I’d have stopped drinking around you, I guess. Not like I love getting drunk anyway.”

“Exactly, and I didn’t want that. I want you to have fun.” She kissed me.

“Cops.” I reminded her.

“Ooh yeah. That was quite the conversational detour.” She brushed some of my hair strands out my face.

“What do we say to them.”

“Well, Stan didn’t tell them anything. So, we could tell them you were kidnapped again. It would make things complicated though, you could just say you were camping or hiking or something, that you had ditched the cops somehow, and that’s all you know.”

“I’d rather not lie.”

“I know, it would be easier that’s all. I’d be disappointed if you had taken that route.”

“Pfuh, I’ll survive you being disappointed in me, mom.”

“No, you won’t.”

“Cops.”

“Cops.”

“So I’ll just call King, tell her my phone was out of my reach, and that I’m fine. Maybe it would be enough.”

“What if they ask you where you were the last week? As you weren’t inside your apartment, even though you apparently never left it.”

“I could say I hid.”

“That would be lying. Didn’t you want to avoid that?”

“Yes, yes... I’ll just stay quiet. Or I'll improvise.”

Marie grinned.

"What does that mean?"

"Nothing."

"You little..."