Tuesday after school, Anna and Mia hopped into Carmine’s car. Carmine almost couldn’t believe they were really doing this as she drove the six minutes to Anna’s house. Even as they walked through the apartment lobby and up the stairs, Carmine was still thinking that somehow this was all a joke. They’d get up to Anna’s apartment and someone would tell her how they’d changed their minds. After all, she’d known Anna and Mia for almost three years, and this was the first time her becoming like them had ever even been discussed.
The girls walked silently into Anna’s living room, and Carmine could practically feel the tension. She’d been in this room plenty of times, but this was the first time she’d ever been nervous about it. She didn’t want to admit it, but when it came right down to it, it the idea was pretty scary.
Carmine might have idly thought about this on and off, but she still wasn’t completely sure she had the nerve to do it. Part of her wanted someone to come in the room – to stop them all. At least that way Carmine could put off the decision for a little while longer. But there was no one – Carmine knew there was no one. Anna didn’t have any family; they’d all died over two hundred years ago. It was the whole reason they were doing this at Anna’s in the first place – there was no one to interrupt them, no one to see what they were doing or to interfere with it.
Besides, this was the only plan the three of them had managed to come up with, and Carmine knew she didn’t have a lot of time left to think up another one. She knew an incubus could easily kill her if she gave it enough time. And she already felt so weak, she wasn’t sure she’d be able to defend herself if she waited much longer. So here she was, about to make the most important decision of her life. So much for not making big decisions during times of stress.
“…Are you ready?” Mia asked after a minute of awkward silence. She was sitting on the couch, next to Carmine. Anna hadn’t been able to stop pacing the floor since they’d walked in the door.
“Uh...I guess.” Carmine said. She crossed her arms over her chest, trying to hide the fact that her hands were shaking.
“Just relax.” Anna told her reassuringly. Carmine nodded. Anna turned on her heel and started making her way back across the room.
“Can you stop that?” Mia asked, looking over at Anna. “You’re making me nervous.”
“Me too.” Carmine said quietly.
“Sorry.” Anna told them. She perched herself on the edge of an antique-looking chair, running her finger over a pattern in the wood.
“I can’t believe I’m doing this.” Mia mumbled.
“So what do I have to do?” Carmine asked, shifting in her seat.
“Just watch me. That’s it.”
“Ok.” Carmine nodded. She learned back and stared at Mia’s face. Carmine fidgeted a little as she watched Mia try to settle down herself.
Mia took a deep breath and spread her fingers out on her lap, trying to calm down. Then, she opened her eyes and stared intently at Carmine, not moving, not making a sound. Carmine was a little nervous at first. Something in the back of her mind told her that this was a bad idea, that she should stop. She almost told her friends that they should come up with something else; this couldn’t really be the best idea they could come up with. This was a life-changing decision; she’d never be able to take it back.
But even though she thought all that, Carmine didn’t say any of it. It just seemed to take so much energy. And the more she stared at Mia’s eyes, the more that feeling that something was wrong just seemed to fade away. Within a few minutes, the nervousness she’d felt before was gone completely, leaving Carmine with nothing but a sense of calm.
Carmine watched as her friend’s eyes changed from their natural deep brown color to a bright gold. It took a few minutes to complete, but when her eyes had changed completely, Carmine felt an incredible sense of peace, unlike anything she’d felt before. A fog started to creep into the edges of her mind, dulling any lingering concerns she might have had.
The fog thickened, and Carmine’s eyes started to get heavy. She struggled to keep them open, not wanting to miss anything that happened. After all, this was her life here. And it would be the most important thing that ever happened to her – how could she not know absolutely everything that went on tonight?
Despite all her efforts, however, Carmine’s eyelids were just too heavy. Slowly, they closed and the fog in Carmine’s brain seemed to envelop her completely.
Carmine slumped down into the couch, the effort of sitting up just too difficult. She felt the light, cold touch of fingers on her jawline. Her head was tilted carefully back and to the side. She felt a light breath on her neck and a quick, sharp pressure. Carmine felt a momentary panic as she realized what that meant. The feeling only lasted a minute before she finally lost consciousness altogether.
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Carmine opened her eyes. She was lying on Anna’s couch, her friends looming anxiously over her.
“Did I fall asleep?” she asked. She tried to sit up, but Anna put a firm hand on her shoulder.
“Just relax.” Anna told her gently.
Carmine opened her mouth to ask what happened; she didn’t remember falling asleep. Last thing she remembered, she’d been sitting on the couch with her friends. Mia had been right there next to her, and... Carmine’s eyes went wide. Suddenly, she remembered exactly what had happened – what her friends had done.
A sudden panic washed over her. She sat up quickly, moving back to the far side of the couch. Anna and Mia looked at each other with wide eyes before Anna immediately resumed her pacing. Mia just sat at the far end of the couch, staring down at her hands.
“This was a bad idea.” Anna said quietly. Mia didn’t say anything. She fiddled with the hem of her skirt, not looking at anybody.
“No, it’s fine.” Carmine told her friends.
The fact that they seemed to be even more nervous than Carmine was actually doing wonders to ease her fears. She was still a little wierded out, but that didn’t mean she had to show it. She’d just keep it inside for now, and freak out at home if she had to.
“I just remembered all at once.” she said. “It’s kind of a lot to absorb.”
“Sorry.” Mia told her, still fidgeting. “I wanted you to remember basically what happened, because it’s better than us reminding you. But I didn’t want you to remember like that.”
“Wait, what?” Carmine asked.
She knew vampires could make their victims forget an attack, but it was still weird to think her friend had done that to her. Well, sort of done that. But how had Mia managed to mess it up? Weren’t vampires supposed to be better at the whole making-people-forget part? How had Mia lasted this long if she couldn’t do it reliably?
“I got nervous!” Mia whined.
Carmine actually found herself grinning. How could she have ever been worried that her two best friends in the world would do something to hurt her?
“How long was I asleep?” she asked finally.
“Couple hours.” Mia told her.
“So...did it work?”
“We think so.”
“You think so? How could you not know?” Carmine couldn’t believe there was a chance she’d done all of this for nothing. Would that mean she’d need to do it all over again?
“It’s not an exact science.” Anna told her.
“Can’t you feel it out or something? Like, sense one of your own?”
Both her friends shook their heads.
“It doesn’t work like that.” Anna told her. “If it did, I would have known about Mia the minute I met her.”
“I don’t think it did work.” Carmine told them, trying to decide how she felt about that. Part of her was disappointed. But she was also a little relieved. Maybe it was a sign – she should stay human, be the only normal one in their group. “I mean, I don’t feel any different. Just tired, maybe. Shouldn’t I feel something if it actually worked?”
“You probably won’t. I know I didn’t.” Mia said. “I was fine for a couple days – I didn’t even realize anything was wrong. I thought I was lucky.” she added darkly.
“And then what?” Carmine asked.
“Then I felt like…well, like I was dying.” Mia admitted somewhat slowly.
“Great. Can’t wait.” Carmine grumbled. “Same for you?” she asked Anna. Maybe Mia just had a bad reaction or something.
“I don’t remember.” Anna confessed. “I mean, it wasn’t fun. But I don’t remember exactly what happened. It was kind of a long time ago.”
Mia smirked.
“So I’ve got ’til Saturday?” Carmine asked. She really wanted to know when she’d start feeling sick.
“Probably.” Mia nodded.
“Probably?” Carmine blinked.
“Everybody’s different.” Mia said, like it was obvious. “My…friend…said she was fine for almost a week.”
“Your friend?” Carmine asked. Mia never talked about anyone she knew before she moved to town.
“Hana.” Mia sneered. “I think she was lying though.”
“Why?”
“Because I barely made it two days.”
Carmine nodded, not sure what else to say. It was a weird feeling, knowing for sure that she’d be feeling terrible in a few days. At least she knew her weekend would be shot in advance.
“How long will I feel bad?” Carmine asked slowly.
“A day, maybe two.” Mia told her.
“Great.” At least she might have part of Sunday to herself. She felt ok now – maybe she wouldn’t get sick this weekend. After all, Carmine wasn’t entirely convinced that their plan had worked anyway.
Even though her friends were almost positive that it had worked, Carmine wasn’t holding out much hope. The only change she felt in herself was an even bigger sense of weakness. And that could easily be explained by her recent blood loss. It figured her friends would come up with a plan that would make her even more vulnerable to that demon if it failed. Carmine tried not to think about that – there was nothing she could do about it now. Instead, she spent a couple hours resting on Anna’s couch. She tried not to actually fall asleep, but she needed to get some strength back before heading home.
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