"Come again?"
"A juice box. A little rectangular container with sugar and fruit and whatever chemicals they use to turn the liquid neon colours."
The haste and seriousness of my voice made Mallory blink. She turned to her friends. "Sorry guys, this sounds urgent." When they left, she faced me. "What's this all about?"
I realized Mallory had no clue about the series of events I experienced tonight. How could I explain this without sounding ridiculous?
"I met a human," I said.
"Okay."
"He is… Anemic."
Her eyes widened. "Anemic? How the hell did he get into the club? If the bouncer knew, he wouldn't have let him in."
"He didn't tell the bouncer. My human didn't read the contract before signing it."
"Oh, for the love of… An anemic human who doesn't read the contract! That's just what I need wandering around my —" Mallory stopped suddenly and gave me a sharp look. "Wait, did you saymyhuman?"
Shit.
I kept my expression neutral, hoping to lie my way out of this. "No. You misheard me."
Unfortunately, my sister and I had spent decades together as immortal abominations, so she saw right through my lie. A devilish grin took over her face and she nudged me with her elbow.
"Stop that," I said.
"I'll stop when you stop lying to me."
"I'm not lying," I lied.
"Sure. Anyway, I'll get back to that later. What were you saying about the juice box?"
"Scotty isn't feeling well. He asked for a juice box."
Mallory crossed her arms thoughtfully. "There should be drinks and snacks in the aftercare room. Have you checked there?"
Hope fluttered in my chest. "No. I've never been there."
Mallory snorted in amusement. "What, do you think we just suck the humans dry and then send them home all woozy?"
I grimaced at my own ignorance. "I'll admit, I've tried my best to avoid what happens in this club. I wasn't aware of the intricacies of the aftercare room, or that one even existed."
My sister's expression softened as she touched my arm. "It's okay. I know it's not your cup of tea. But I'm glad you're starting to see it's not all bad, right?"
I nodded. "Now then, shall we acquire the juice box?"
Her grin returned. "Sure. Let's go getyourhuman his juice box."
"I'm going to ignore the pointed way you said that."
Mallory led me through the halls and down the staircase to a quiet, softly lit room. It had a different atmosphere than the rest of the club. All the humans sat and relaxed in comfortable chairs while vampires doted on them, bringing them drinks and snacks to eat. I blinked in wonder.
"This place is more your style, huh?" Mallory teased. "Check the mini fridge in the corner, there should be plenty of drinks there."
Sure enough, the fridge was populated with many colourful beverages. A deep sense of relief and gratitude filled me. I was pleasantly surprised to find the item I needed here at home, although I wouldn't have hesitated to run outside and buy Scotty a juice box from the closest convenience store. I scanned the lineup of drinks, mulling over the best option. What was Scotty's favorite flavor? I'd have to ask him when I returned.
Speaking of which, I was taking far too long. I didn't want to be away from his side any longer. My gut told me Scotty liked fruit punch flavor, so I grabbed the box and shut the door.
