“What?” Dennis appeared behind me while I tried to back away.
“I—I saw myself,”I stammered,“I was there. I was smiling and sitting in the car, and I was there…” I pointed a shaking finger at the empty backseat, where I’d somehow just been.“Can I walk back?” I pleaded, trying to pry myself from his arms.
“No.” He held on and motioned for Sean to come get the keys.
“It’s okay, Emy. It’s always hard at first. You’ll be fine.” Sean pulled me into a hug and I couldn’t hold it any longer—I fell into painful, suffocating sobs.
“I’ll take her,” Dennis’ voice came. I was gently shifted into his arms. “Can you give us a minute?” He moved me into the car, then sat beside me and shut the door.
“I’m such a waste of your time,” I barely managed between sobs, “I don’t know why—” I was almost choking,“why you even—” I could hardly talk,“and haven’t left yet—” I broke off as my breathing constricted. Became impossible. My chest heaved as panic set in. It was smothering me, pressing closer with each passing second.
“It’s okay,” Dennis draped my legs across his lap, “you’re okay. Take deep breaths. Don’t think. Just breathe.” He pulled me closer, resting my chest against his.
I squeezed my eyes and took his hand. Trying to calm down. Trying not to think about the people I’d killed. I flinched when something touched me but realized it was onlyDennisstroking my hair. It was soothing. Eventually, my breathing evened out and the sobbing slowed to steady tears. Dennis kept stroking while I took deep, shuddering breaths.
“Is she okay?” Sean was back.
“Okay enough,”Dennissaid, still running his fingers through my hair.“We should go back now.”
Sean got in and started the car, and I snuggled into Dennis as we left the lot. I listened to his heartbeat, which was the same as mine now. It was slower than I was used to but faster than I’d expected for a vampire. I focused on the steady rhythm, letting it lull me into an exhausted sleep.
* * *
My senses all returned at once. I swiftly opened my eyes. I could feel the change of energy as they one by one noticed I was awake. I knew Mateo and Dennis were in the kitchen by the distinct sounds of their footsteps against the tile. Sean’s shirt rustled as he shifted somewhere to the side. Ari’s unique heartbeat was beside his.
I sat up and examined the room to see if my new senses were correct. They were.
“How’re you feeling?” Ari asked. And then I remembered everything that had happened. My eyes brimmed with tears as a familiar tightness filled my throat.“It’s okay!” She jumped up and rushed to my side.“You wanna go to bed?”
I nodded. She pulled me up, then grabbed our small bag of bathroom supplies. I was painfully aware of everyone watching us leave the room. She dropped the bag once we entered the bathroom and turned to me.
“Do you wanna talk about it?” She closed the door. I shook my head.“I figured.” She unzipped the bag and handed off my toothbrush, then got her own. I kept my eyes on the sink while we brushed.“Do you wanna shower to get all the… uh,” she stopped, but I knew she was gonna say blood.
I could practically feel her relief when I simply nodded. I discarded my ruined shirt right as a knock sounded at the door.
“It’s me.Mateo.”
Ari glanced at me before cracking the door, careful to shield the gap while I undressed.“What’s up?”
“I thought you guys might want these.” He held both our pajamas through the small opening.
“Thanks. I totally forgot to grab those.”
“No worries. You guys can sleep in my room if you want. I washed the sheets and got it ready for you. Dennis would probably offer, but he has a coffin.”
“He has a coffin?”
Mateo laughed.“Yeah, he does. I’m sleeping in Sean’s room so you can have my bed. I’m not sure if it’s the best idea for you to sleep in the same room as Emy, though—”
“We’ll be fine,” she interrupted. “If anything happens, it’ll probably be her shoving me off the bed in her sleep.”
“Okay,” his tone was hesitant, “but if anything else happens, let us know.”
I drownedtheir conversationout with shower water. I could’ve easily heard the rest, but I’d heard enough. He left after a couple of minutes. Ari’s clothes rustled while she moved around the bathroom. She anxiously looked up when I slid the door open and grabbed a towel.
“We’re sleeping in Mateo’s room.”
“I know,” I croaked. My voice was even worse than before.
