Meanwhile, Colette had finally made it to the library. She stared blankly at the overdue books. The weight of her responsibilities, a crushing burden, her shoulders slumping with exhaustion from all the cooking. After banishing the group, she single-handedly cleaned her station in the home economics classroom. Between the lack of sleep and the speed cleaning she had just performed, she figured she had earned a little personal time.
Colette reached over to her tote bag and retrieved a grey knitting piece. It was actually the knit hat she had been working on for Theo. It still had a ways to go, but she was hoping to have it ready to gift to him before Christmas. Though she knew he didn't need it, she was still hoping he would wear it. While knitting, she suddenly felt embarrassed about giving him a homemade gift. What would other people say? Would he even accept it?Colette's sudden feeling of cowardice annoyed her.
She wasn't even sure why she bothered calling Theo last night. Looking back on it, they probably just got caught up in the heat of the moment.Colette let out a groan and slowly let her head sink onto the table. Reminiscing, the mood they created was something she never experienced before. Since it was dark, she used her other senses, and that made her aware of him in a different way. She already thought his red eyes were attractive, but last night they were iridescent, and almost mesmerizing. His voice was familiar, but the darkness made it sound deeper.
More importantly, she couldn't get over the way he gently grazed her lips. His hands were still cold from being outside, and she could remember the chill it sent down her spine when he touched her. She paused and continued to stare out of the window with dissatisfaction. I'm just a pervert now, she thought sarcastically.
As much as she wanted to rationalize her feelings, she had work to catch up on. Closing the curtains, she caught a glimpse of what looked like a student watching her from the street. The property grounds weren't well lit, so she did a double take to confirm. Just as quickly as she believed she had seen a figure, the presence disappeared. Despite her wariness, she rubbed her tired eyes, blaming the late night for the strange figure she thought she'd seen.
Colette's movements were slow and deliberate as she carried out her library duties, indicating a lack of energy or enthusiasm. She was suffering the consequences of sleep deprivation, with a noticeable decline in her speed and accuracy of responses. As she worked on the bottom shelf, she found herself crouched down to make it easier to read the library books. Though she knew the Dewey decimal system like the back of her hand, her tired eyes made the work tenuous.
With her attention fixated on her work, she failed to notice the menacing presence that had been hovering behind her. Impatiently, they slammed a book shut, breaking the silence. Startled, Colette spotted the silhouette of the student from the corner of her eye.
"Oh, I'm sorry about that … I didn't even hear you come in. Were you waiting for me to assist you?" Colette asked, without confirming who the student was.
Colette finished replacing a book on the bottom shelf before standing up. She still hadn't gotten a good look at the student. She shook any dust off of her skirt and tights before making eye contact. It was Catalina, but something was amiss. Catalina's silver hair, disheveled and stained crimson, framed a face streaked with the same fresh blood that marred her fingertips and the corner of her mouth; the metallic scent of it filled the air.
Colette had experience with this kind of animalistic hostility from her encounter back in September. A cold dread washed over her; her eyes frantically scanned for an escape, but the terrifying reality of a vampire's superior speed set in. She hesitated, wondering if she should call out for help.
"Scream for help if you want…Make this exciting for me," Catalina ordered, threateningly.
"W-Who's blood is that?" Colette questioned, concerned. Her eyes welled up, blurring her vision as she realized the isolation; only a handful of people, perhaps the groundskeepers, would be on school grounds this late.
"Oh…I'm sure you know the answer to that. I ensured our meeting wouldn't be interrupted…After all, we have unfinished business," Catalina backed off with a sinister smile and licked some of the blood off of her fingertips. "Don't worry… they're alive. They won't even remember what happened to them."
Colette's knees were trembling as Catalina paced around the aisles of the library. "Why are you doing this?" Colette demanded to know.
Catalina's eyes narrowed dangerously as she yanked a book from the shelf, the pages rustling ominously as she scanned them before flinging it down with a sharp thud. She continued to do so until she found a book on romance. She sucked her teeth before continuing her monologue."I just don't understand what he sees in you…You're nothing special," she muttered enviously.
For weeks, Catalina noticed Theo's growing interest in the human girl. It was out of character for him, so she figured it was just a phase that he was going through. At first, Catalina felt a pang of jealousy, but she quickly dismissed any concerns about romantic competition from a mere blood bag. However, as time passed, Theo's feelings for Colette only grew stronger. Catalina could sense the way he yearned to spot her in the school hallways, or how persistent he was to meet her after school. It was then that she realized Colette was a threat.
Catalina changed her routine to gain some of Theo's affection. Each morning, she'd meticulously style her hair, ensuring every strand was perfectly in place, and select an outfit that was both stylish and flawless. As vain as it seemed, she carried around a mirror to spot check her hair and makeup. She was top of her class and was involved with school activities as well. Despite all of her efforts, his attention still drifted elsewhere. What bothered her the most was that the melancholic boy she once knew was melting into a softer version of himself. But, it was all for her.
It wasn't until she noticed Theo's scent on Colette that something more sinister ignited within her. Her jealousy erupted into corruption and carnality, and she devised a plan to separate the two. Though there were limitations to her glamour enchantments, she knew the consumption of human blood could strengthen its properties. She could create a permanent hypnotic state.
Exhilarated by this plan, she drank the blood of unsuspecting humans with her glamour tricks. The thrill of the hunt drove her to consume human blood ravenously night after night. At some point, she realized he could never love her as she was now, as a monster. But it didn't matter, as long as Theo and Colette stayed apart.
"C-Catalina?" A worried Colette broke her thoughts. "A-are you okay? You're crying…" Colette pointed out softly as she reached out towards Catalina.
Catalina smacked away Colette's hand. "That's the problem with you humans! You assume you know everything…Let's just get this over with," she hissed as she wiped away her tears.
Catalina approached Colette with a scowl and dilated pupils as she began her glamour enchantment. As she struggled to remain conscious, a slow, creeping feeling of falling into a void overcame her, as if her subconscious mind were slipping away. As if her mind had manifested itself physically, a sudden sensation overcame her, the feeling of standing in shallow black water, which extended into an endless, faraway distance.
Colette could hear Catalina's voice starting as a whisper, and slowly amplifying into an ear splitting threat. "You're going to forget all about Theo Dragos. Any fond memory you think you have of him is going to be erased. Stay away from him at all costs…"
As Colette moved deeper into the trance, the light in her eyes dimmed, replaced by a vacant stillness. Her visual of Catalina was fading as a deep fog enshrouded her. As the fog thickened, she felt her memories of Theo slowly slipping away. A rapid succession of images—Theo's face, their shared laughter, the feel of his hand in hers—assaulted her senses. Fighting to hold on to her memories, she could almost feel Theo's presence in the distance, slipping away against the fading light. She ran towards him, her breath catching in her throat, but the distance between them only seemed to grow as he faded into the swirling gray fog. Colette cried out in despair as her mind succumbed to the glamour.
Catalina waved her hand in front of Colette's eyes to test her handiwork. Satisfied, she barked another order, "Now get out of my sight."
Mindlessly, Colette picked up her things and exited the building. Though her movements were robotic, Catalina figured she'd become less stiff as she lost the will to fight the glamour. Colette left school, heading towards the usual park on the way home. Though her body willed her forward, she felt an un-natural presence looming over her thoughts. The scenery of the park that was once been teeming with life seemed dull and colorless. The lamp posts lost their warm glow, and the cold air seemed to add weight to the air, making it difficult to breathe.
When she finally made it home, her mother couldn't help but notice the change in Colette's presence. The lack of life in her eyes, combined with her slumped posture, conveyed a profound sense of resignation and a complete absence of willpower.
"Colette…is everything okay?", her mother questioned, concerned as she sat up from the couch.
"…yes… I'm fine…why wouldn't I be?" Colette answered monotonously, as if the thought weren't her own.
Colette continued to march toward her room, where she dropped her bag onto the floor and threw herself onto her bed. She felt her body becoming heavier, as if an invisible presence was weighing her down. As she faced her window, tears slowly streamed down her face. Despite her confusion about the reason behind her tears, she found solace in the fact that crying seemed to be the only thing under her control.