After they had gotten back in the car, silence took over. The air was tense. Vivian didn't know what to say or think. She couldn't explain what happened back there, but her mind cried for her to not believe the man. There was no way any of this was real. If it was, that would mean she is sitting in the car with a vampire. A fucking vampire. And there was no way that was real.

Although, if this was a dream, it wouldn't be playing out the way it was. For more than these past two weeks, she's been having the same dream. Night after night she dreamt of Penny and her death. Why would it change so suddenly, and why to this? She looked away from the window she had been staring out and over to the man driving the car. The vampire.

"So you're really a vampire?" Vivian asked suddenly, unable to think of a better way to breach the subject.

Kit didn't respond immediately. He took a moment, as if to think. "Yes I am."

"So you drink blood?" The question spilled out of her. That was the only thing she could think about. Drinking blood was a known thing that vampires did, from all the shows, books, and movies she's consumed in her life. It was common knowledge.

Again, the man, the vampire, did not respond immediately. "Yes." The answer finally came out, sounding like he was having a hard time admitting to it. "But it is not how you are imagining it."

"And how am I imagining it?" There was a bite to her tone.

Kit swallowed. "Vampires stalking humans like prey."

It was Vivian's turn to be silent for a moment. She still wasn't sure if she believed the man or not. She didn't know if she could trust him. "So what is it actually like then?"

"Blood is donated." Kit replied, looking over at her. "It is not taken without consent."

Vivian matched his gaze, looking into crimson eyes. She came up with her next question, remembering what he said earlier. "What is a rabid vampire?"

Kit takes a moment to answer, looking back to the road. "It is a vampire that has lost all its humanity and only knows the desire for blood. It happens when a newborn vampire does not drink blood within a certain time frame of being turned."

A shiver went down her back. She thinks about her dreams, about how she keeps seeing Penny's death. "Did someone in town get killed by a rabid vampire?"

"Yes." He responded, letting out a breath. "That was the first time I saved you."

"What?" Vivian shoved her body back. "Isn't tonight the first time?"

"No, the first time was over two weeks ago."

Her mind tried to process the words he was saying. "Over two weeks ago?" She found herself repeating his words.

"You would not remember. I... took your memories of that night." He admitted, voice tight.

"You, what?" She snapped, feeling confusion and anger mix. "You took my memories? What does that even mean?"

Kit shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "I have the ability to erase memories, rewrite them. All vampires do."

"Why did you take my memories?"

Kit looked at her quickly. "Would you rather remember seeing what happened that night?"

"I don't know, but I do think it's my right to choose whether to remember something or not."

The man- vampire, let out a breath. "You are probably right, but I did what I had to in order to keep you from becoming aware of vampires."

"So why do you not care now?"

"It is not that we do not care, but rather the fact you resisted us taking away your memories, and exploding with aether while doing so." Kit said like he was defending himself.

"Exploding with what?" Vivian tilted her head, catching his words.

"Aether." Kit lifted a hand and made a gesture. "Think of it like magic."

"You can perform magic?"

"No- I mean yes, in a sense." Again, Kit made a gesture with his hand before bringing it back to the steering wheel. "But aether is more than just magic."

"So what is it?"

Kit took a moment to think. "Life force. Energy." He finally answered. "And I have the ability to interact with it."

It was Vivian's turn to be silent and think. She was trying to take in everything the man- vampire was saying. Vivian still wasn't sure if she believed that he was a vampire. Taking one of her hands, she pinches herself. Vivian jumped at the flare of pain that ran up and down her arm. She then looked at her hands, and counted five fingers on each. Nothing was pointing towards this being a dream, besides the insanity of it all.

Vivian looked up to Kit, and thought about what it meant if he was a vampire. That it might mean other supernatural creatures actually exist too. That is what he said. What if he wasn't lying to her? Then how the hell did she end up in this mess?

"What happened that night?" Vivian broke the silence that fell over the car.

"The night the girl died?"

Vivian nodded, but realized that he wouldn't be able to see. "Yes."

Kit's fingers moved over the steering wheel. "By the time I got there, the rabid had already killed her. It was coming for you, so I stepped in and fought the rabid off. I... I killed it, and then turned to you. You were frozen on the ground. I took your memories before you could even move and sent you home."

At the same time that he spoke, the memory flashed right before her eyes. Just like in her dream, she went outside to check on Penny after hearing a scream. She found her in the alleyway with a red-eyed creature over her, blood dripping from its face and blood spilt all over the concrete. Vivian froze, dropping to the ground in her shock. The thing lunged at her, and before it could reach her, something intervened. It all happened so quickly, Vivian didn't have a chance to react. She just sat there, unable to move. Staring at Penny as she bled out. And then another red-eyed figure stood before her, and demanded she forget.

"It was you." Vivian murmured, feeling the shock of her situation. Of who she was in the car with. It made her shiver. Kit nodded, Vivian saw from the corner of her eye. She looked over to him, the shock making it hard to think. "I knew I saw you somewhere before meeting you at the cafe."

"You were never meant to see that, Vivian." Kit rushed out.

"So you took it away?" Vivian asked, feeling faint and dizzy. "You made me forget."

"I had to." His voice was hushed.

Vivian pressed her face into her hands. This was all too much. If this was real, if she really had been there the night Penny died, then her dreams would make sense. Whatever was trying to repress her memories failed to do so when she slept, memories slipping into her dreams. "It didn't work."

"What?" It was Kit's turn to be confused. "What did not work?"

"The first mindwipe." Vivian said, catching the vampire's eyes. "It didn't work. I started having dreams about that night. For these past couple of weeks I've been having the same dream."

Kit looked at her dumbfounded before turning back to the road. "You have been having dreams about that night? How?"

"That's what I'd like to know."

Silence fell over the car, Kit tapping fingers on the steering wheel as Vivian watched him. "We will get this all figured out Vivian, I promise."

Vivian didn't respond, letting the silence take over once again. Looking out her window, she realized she knew where she was. "We're almost back." Vivian said, less of a question and more of a statement. She sat up in her seat, watching as Kit took the turn onto the main road. It winded through the forest, the trees thinning out as they got closer to town. The road curved, and to one side Lake Ashton was visible. Vivian had no idea what time it was, but by the amount of buildings that were completely dark, she assumed it was late.

Streetlights lined the road, illuminating the inside of the car with each passing of one. Vivian snuck glances over to the man, but neither said anything. She was slightly surprised when the man started heading to her neighborhood and even more surprised when he pulled in front of the house. "How do you know where I live?"

"The night the girl was attacked and I took your memory, I made sure you arrived home safely." Kit responded, putting the car into park. "This is your home, correct?"

"Yeah, it is." Vivian unbuckled herself from the seat and reached for the door. The cold air from outside swept into the car as she opened the it, making the black haired woman shiver. Before she stepped out, she remembered something. "Do you have my phone?" She asked, turning to Kit. "I haven't seen it since..."

Kit reached into his pocket and handed her the phone. "You dropped it back in the alley. I figured you would want it back."

Vivian took the phone from his hands and unlocked it, seeing there were no missed calls or text messages. That kind of surprised her, she thought that Ophelia and Elias would have tried to reach her when she didn't make it home on time. Maybe they went to sleep and didn't even notice she was missing. Vivian was surprised by the hurt she felt in her stomach. She was basically kidnapped and her friends didn't notice.

Pushing the thought from her mind, Vivian exited the car and went to close the door before pausing. "Will I see you again?" She asked, looking back at the vampire as he sat in the car. She wasn't sure why she was asking, but she had to know.

"I will be around." Kit responded, meeting her gaze. "If you need saving again, I will be sure to be there."

Vivian nodded, standing up straight and closing the door. She took a step back from the car and watched as Kit drove off. The woman stood there for a moment, looking at the spot the vampire's car just was. Vampire. Letting out a huff of breath, Vivian decided after this whole event, she really needed some sleep.

✩

A week had passed since she last saw Kit. A whole week, and she hadn't seen the man once. Vivian tried to go about her life like nothing had happened. Neither of her friends had noticed she went missing that night, so neither of them asked any questions. She simply went to work the next day, and the day after that, until a week had passed. Vivian was beginning to think everything she witnessed was just a dream. There was no way vampires existed, and there's no way she met one. It was all a strange, super realistic dream.

This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

Only, ever since that night, her nightmares had stopped. She no longer dreamed of Penny being killed by that red-eyed creature. Her nights were full of nothing. She simply went to sleep and woke up the next morning. Vivian wasn't having any dreams. Which wasn't exactly weird for her. Before Penny's death, the woman didn't really have dreams at all. It was one reason why the repeating dreams were so stressful, nothing like that had ever happened before.

If she were to believe that night a couple of weeks ago wasn't a dream, then it would explain the repeating nightmare of watching Penny's murder. Kit had said she was there when it happened, he had explained the dream perfectly to her, but she was still resistant to believe him. If he was even real. Yet that made her feel like she was going crazy if she were to believe it all happened.

It was late in the afternoon on a Saturday, Vivian walking home after a midday shift. She hadn't taken a closing shift since last week, and honestly she was grateful she hadn't been scheduled for one. There was something about the night that made her feel much more tense. When she went out for drinks yesterday with her friends, she couldn't help but feel paranoid as they walked home late in the night. Luckily, nothing happened, which once again, led her to believe that what happened last week wasn't real. It had to have been a dream.

But as she turned the corner onto the street where she lived, she noticed a car parked in front of her house and someone leaning against it. Her pace slowed down, feeling panic rise in her chest. She wasn't expecting anyone at her house, but it seemed like they were expecting her. It wasn't until she walked closer that she recognized the car.

It was Kit's car.

Vivian quickened her pace before stopping in front of him, the man pushing off the car.

"Where the hell have you been?" Vivian asked before the man could say anything. "You disappeared for a week, Kit! I-I thought I was going crazy!"

Kit seemed surprised by her sudden outburst. "I apologize." He begins, eyebrows knitting together in confusion. "I thought you would have wanted some space to process everything."

"Process everything?" Her voice pitched up as she spoke, hands going to her hips. "How the hell am I supposed to process anything when the one person who is trying to convince me vampires are real just disappears?"

"I did not disappear." Kit replied, his tone staying calm as he scanned the area. "I have been around, like I said. But I thought you would not want me to hover."

Vivian shook her head. She wasn't even sure how to feel about this. The thought that it was a dream was beginning to solidify in her head, but then Kit shows back up. Now she can't tell what is real and what isn't. "How are you here right now?"

Kit looked behind him, pointing to the car. "I drove here."

"Obviously, but I mean here, outside, in the sun." Vivian waved her hands, exaggerating her point. "Don't vampires burn up in the sun?"

"Not exactly." Kit looked up to the sky, heavy clouds lingering above. "It cannot kill us, but it can hurt if we are exposed to it for too long." The man then grabbed his hoodie. "Wearing clothes like this helps block out the sun."

Vivian just stood there for a moment, staring at the man. The vampire. There was a vampire just standing outside of her house, and she was having a conversation with it. "Why are you here?" She finally asked, crossing arms over her chest.

Kit moved from where he stood and opened the car door. "It's time for you to meet someone."

"Is it another vampire?" Vivian asked, sarcasm laced in her tone, despite the question being a real one.

"No, you are going to meet a witch." Kit corrected, leaning against the open door. "They live in town so it will not be too far."

"A witch?" Vivian asked, surprised and confused all at once. "H-how... Why?" It was all Vivian could muster out.

"To figure out why you are resisting mindwipes and exploding with aether." Kit responds, gesturing to the passenger seat. "Niccolo's orders."

"And I have to do whatever Niccolo says?"

"Yes." Kit's voice grew serious, startling Vivian. "He is the person in charge of all things vampire related around here. Whatever he says is law."

Vivian wanted to say no, to turn her back and go inside so she could shower and forget that any of this happened. But the thought of meeting a witch, a real witch, made her hesitate. Letting out a breath, she moved towards the car. "Fine." She mumbled, getting into the car, Kit closing the door behind her.

Kit wasn't lying when he said it wasn't going to be far. The drive was short, Kit parking the car in front of one of the few luxury apartment buildings in town. The whole area was luxurious really, the more expensive shops and restaurants residing here. Vivian followed Kit inside the building, going to the elevator and all the way up to the top floor. When the doors opened, they were greeted to a very small space, the walls painted a deep purple and a set of heavy, black doors greeting them on the other side of the room.

The man moved toward the doors, so Vivian followed. She felt completely out of place here, never actually visiting this side of town. Mostly because she didn't have the money to spend in the shops or restaurants in the area.

Kit knocked on the door, and within seconds they both swung open, revealing the apartment inside. Although it was less of an apartment and more like a penthouse. Vivian was taken aback as they walked inside, the interior absolutely beautiful. The walls were painted the same deep purple, tapestries hung up on the walls and tables lining the hallway with various objects like vases and items that looked like they belonged in a museum. It was the most beautiful place Vivian had been inside of.

"Viktor!" Kit called out, starling Vivian. "Are you home?"

"Living room!" A voice called back from somewhere in the penthouse, Vivian and Kit following the sound.

It led them to a large open space, the same deep purple covering the walls, couches assorted in a circle with a fireplace on the opposite side of the room that looked more like a hearth than a fireplace. Standing in the middle of the couches was the most beautiful person Vivian had ever laid her eyes on.

Long silver hair flowed down to their back, lilac eyes meeting hers as the person rounded the couches. They were the epitome of androgynus, looking both beautifully feminine yet handsomely masculine at the same time. "Well hello there. You must be Vivian."

Vivian nodded, taking the hand the other had extended. "You're beautiful." Was all she could say as she looked at them.

They laughed, covering her one hand in theirs. "Thank you darling, you are very beautiful yourself."

Vivian covered her mouth, her mind finally catching up with it. "I am so sorry." She said, shaking her head. "I didn't mean to just blurt that out."

"Nonsense." They said, waving her words away. "I do rather enjoy compliments."

"They are not very good for your ego." Kit said, and it startled Vivian, as if she forgot he was even there. He stepped in the space between Vivian and the new person. "Vivian, this is Viktor. The witch."

The witch. The woman locked eyes with Viktor, a smile growing on their face. This was the witch? "Hello, Viktor."

"It's lovely to officially meet you, Vivian." The witch said, releasing her hand and taking a little bow. "I'm sure Kit has told you all about me."

Vivian shook her head. "No, not really."

"Oh, how exciting. That means I get to." Viktor then moved past them, toward what looked like a kitchen."Would you like some tea?"

The woman watched as the witch walked over to a stove and put on a kettle. "Tea?" Vivian asked, looking at Kit. The man just shrugged, gesturing towards the kitchen. She looked at the witch, feeling hesitant. She still wasn't sure if she trusted Kit, and now there was this new person claiming to be a witch offering to make tea. It all felt so weird, it felt unreal. For a moment, she questioned again if she was dreaming, but she was sure she wasn't. Maybe she just got involved with a bunch of crazy people, all living the same fantasy.

Yet, when she looked back to Kit, she couldn't help but think about what happened in the car. The way his eyes changed and fangs emerged from his mouth. Just thinking about it made her stomach turn. She still couldn't explain that.

"Yes, tea darling." Viktor said, moving to a black cupboard, opening it and revealing jars of different tea mixes. "What kind do you like?"

Vivian just blinked, her mind short circuiting. "Uh, chamomile I guess." She said as she finally thought of a tea.

"I have the perfect blend." The witch then turned and looked at her. "Come sit down, there is much to tell."

Vivian felt like she had no choice but to move forward. She couldn't run, Kit would just catch her again. And it wasn't like she felt unsafe in this place. Vivian felt more out of place. Yet she still walked over to the table and sat down. It was dark wood, matching the whole gothic theme of the place, carved like some antique that was in perfect condition. "You're a witch?" Vivian asked, not knowing what else to say in the situation.

"Yes I am." Viktor replied, moving to a tall display cabinet and pulling out a tea set. "I'm sure this is all very shocking for you."

Vivian nodded. "I still don't really believe in any of this."

"Yet, you're still here?" Viktor set up the table with a beautiful tea set, the design a dark black covered in blue flowers that swirled and wrapped around the teapot and teacups. "That's interesting."

The woman watched as they set everything up before looking at Kit who leaned against the entrance of the kitchen. She gestured her head for him to sit at the table, but the vampire just shook his head. "I don't really feel like I have a choice." Vivian finally said as the witch moved to the kettle with boiling water inside.

"Well that is unfortunate." Viktor brings the kettle over to the table and pours the water into the teapot. "I'm sorry you feel that way. I'm sure you'd much rather be at home."

Vivian stopped and thought for a moment. For argument's sake, what if this was all real? What if Kit really was a vampire and Viktor a witch? Would she want to be here, in this witch's home and learn about all that has been hidden? That vampires, witches, and who knows what else was actually real? She would want to be involved in all that, it's a real life fantasy. How could someone not want to be involved in all that? "I don't know." Vivian finally said, sitting back in her chair. "If I actually believed any of this was real, then I might want to be here."

"What if I could convince you?" Viktor asked as they sat down at the table.

Again, Vivian stopped and thought for a moment. It almost scared her. To accept all of this was real. To accept that she saw Penny being killed by a vampire, and now she had one following her around. It felt impossible. She couldn't accept all that. Yet here was a so-called witch sitting in front of her saying they could convince her. "What would you do?"

Viktor grinned, and then snapped their fingers. It felt like there was a tiny earthquake for a moment, the building shaking, but then it was over. "Kit, take Vivian to the balcony please."

Vivian looked at Kit, and the man just rolled his eyes. "Come on." He said, gesturing towards the living room.

The woman got up from the chair while Viktor began pouring the tea. She followed Kit through the living room and to huge glass doors obstructed by sheer purple shades. Kit threw them open, revealing the scene in front of her.

Vivian pushed past Kit and raced outside, breath stuck in her lungs. In front of her wasn't Lake Ashton anymore, but Paris. The Eiffel tower glistened in the distance, the city stretching out in front of her. She looked to her left and to her right, and on both sides Paris just continued to sprawl out. When she leaned over the railing to look directly down, she felt hands on her sides.

"Careful." Kit said as he pulled her back over the railing and away from it. "You could fall."

"Is that really the Eiffel tower?" Vivian asked, not even bothering to comment on the way he grabbed her. She just stood there in shock, hazel eyes matched with crimson. "Are we really in Paris?"

Kit nodded his head, his eyes not leaving hers. "This is all real, Vivian. I have not been lying to you."

Vivian just stood there, breaking their eye contact to look back at the monument. Her mind was reeling. Viktor just transported them to Paris, the Eiffel tower was in front of her in all its glory. There was no way she could deny this wasn't real anymore. When she looked back at Kit, the realization made her dizzy. That meant he was really a vampire. A living, breathing vampire. Standing right in front of her.

The woman took a step back. "You're really a vampire."

Kit didn't move from where he stood, his eyes not leaving her. "That is what I have been telling you this entire time."

"I thought you were just crazy." Vivian confessed, pressing a hand to her mouth in shock. "But you're actually a vampire."

"Yes." Kit replied, his voice calm, which was the exact opposite of how Vivian felt. "But my goal is still to keep you alive."

Vivian nodded, pressing her hand to her chest, feeling her necklace dig into her skin. "This is all real." She muttered, and Kit didn't respond this time. "You're actually a vampire and they're actually a witch." Vivian was talking to herself, walking past Kit and back into the penthouse. Viktor was standing at the doorway. "You're actually a witch."

Viktor bowed again, a grin on their face. "I'm glad I was able to convince you. Tea is ready."

They all moved back inside of the penthouse and sat around the table in the kitchen, including Kit this time. Vivian looked down to her teacup, the water tinted a golden yellow, the smell of chamomile hitting her senses. "So why am I here?" Vivian finally asked, breaking the silence that had fallen over them.

"Well," Viktor began, setting down their teacup on its small dish, "Niccolo suspects you are not human, so we're going to run a few little tests just to make sure."

"What kind of tests?" Vivian replies with another question. She watches as the witch stands from the table and exits the kitchen, and sees as they return to the kitchen with a small wooden box in hand. "What's in there?"

"You ask a lot of questions." Viktor said as they sat back down at the table. "That's not a bad thing." They add as if Vivian took offense to what they said. "In here are many different kinds of crystals, rocks and minerals that we are going to have you hold and see if you have a reaction to anything."

"Why would I have a reaction?"

"Depending on what you are, one of these is going to get some kind of reaction out of you." Viktor answers her question, opening up the box and starting to set the rocks onto the table. "For example, if Kit holds silver, it'll burn him."

Vivian looks over to the vampire. "Really?"

The vampire nods but doesn't say anything.

Looking back at the witch, Vivian watches as they push the box aside, the rocks and minerals lined up in front of her. "Go ahead and pick these up, starting with this one." They said, pointing to the rock on the far left.

Vivian picked up each and every rock, holding them in her palm before setting it down and picking up the next one. None of them gave her any type of reaction. They were just rocks and crystals. At the end, all of them sat with arms crossed over their chests, looking at the stones on the tables. Viktor was the first one to say something.

"Well," they began, "that is very disappointing."

Vivian felt like the words were directed at her. "I'm sorry."

The witch waved her words away. "There's no need for you to apologize, dear. We'll just have to run some other tests. But that will be another day."

"So we are done for today?" Kit asked, uncrossing his arms and pushing away from the table.

"Yes." Viktor replied, picking up the various rocks and putting them back in the wooden box. "I will let you know when to bring her back to run more tests."