Chapter 34: The heck is going on.
"You…." The word was a dry, pathetic croak. All the color drained from my face, leaving me cold and bloodless. The prank, my petty revenge, my fleeting sense of control—it evaporated into nothing, leaving behind only the crushing, humiliating weight of her perfectly executed counter-strike.
The prank war was over. I hadn't just lost. I had been played. And the evidence was now permanently, digitally, in the hands of the enemy.
"Well, aren't you one horny dog." She looked like she couldn't control her laughter, pressing a hand to her lips. "Even after I explicitly told you not to come in here, you still did anyway. And to think you came in here looking for that."
"You know there's no way that's true!" I blurted out in exasperation. "You planned this all out, didn't you!"
"Oh? And what if I did? Still doesn't change the fact that my mother's dear little friend is nothing but a creep who enjoys snooping around in her daughter's room."
"That..." I wanted to explain, yet I felt as if I had no clue what to say. She was right... I did enter her room nevertheless.
"What? Cat got your tongue?" She chuckled, wagging her phone in front of me.
"Just what is it you want..." I asked with a scowl on my face. Never did I expect the little girl I once used to play with to actually end up playing me like this.
"Oh my, getting down to business, are we." She giggled while walking towards me. "You know, all I ever wanted was for you to leave this apartment... You coming here was nothing but a big mistake, and I regretted ever having you here in the first place." I unconsciously swallowed down a mouthful of saliva when she poured down on me a gaze colder than she'd ever shown me.
'Wait a minute... All she wants is for me to leave?' I finally recalled what she'd just said. For a moment, I felt as if a huge weight had been lifted off my shoulders. For a second there, I thought she'd call the cops on me.
"Alright, alright, I'll leave. Just please don't show that to anyone." I forced a smile on my face. Getting kicked out was honestly a slap on the wrist considering how hostile she'd been towards me as of late.
"What are you talking about." Yet I stiffened when she placed a hand on my shoulder—a hand with more power than I expected, which forced my legs to nearly buckle.
"I said that was my original plan, but luckily for you, I've changed my mind." I suddenly saw her grinning at me, which no doubt left me feeling wary.
"What?" I muttered absentmindedly. Yet my eyes began to widen when I saw the same glowing eyes I'd brushed off before, only this time, they were staring into mine with a strange intensity that was nearly frightening.
"Since you seem to love the time we used to spend together, I've decided to give you another chance to make it up to me..." She chuckled. My pulse grew cold as I bore witness to her canines slowly protruding from her mouth.
"Only this time, we won't be just friends... You'll be mine... And I promise to make sure you won't run away again like last time!" Her sudden, estranged voice was the last thing I heard before I felt her cold lips pressing against the side of my neck, followed by a momentary, sharp pain as her fangs sunk into my flesh.
"Ngghh~!" I groaned from the unexpected pain, yet her hands only seemed to clamp down on my shoulders, refusing to let go. Before I knew it, my vision slowly began to wane until, eventually, I lost consciousness.
---
When I came to, I found myself back in my room, my eyes staring at my ceiling.
'Argh... My head.' I raised my left hand to clutch at my head, feeling as if I had a migraine coming on.
But I suppressed the feeling and sat up straight on my bed.
"What's going on..." I caught a glimpse of myself and realized that my outfit looked a bit unfamiliar; at least I was sure I hadn't worn such a thing this morning.
Trying to think of what was going on, my mind suddenly clicked. Only then did I recall the main thing I should have thought about the instant I got up.
"That darn midget actually bit me..." I muttered to myself, my eyes staring at my hands, unfocused.
"Why on earth did she do something like that." I reached for my neck, but my fingers flinched when I didn't feel any wound whatsoever. To be sure, I traced my fingers around the spot I remembered vividly that she'd bitten, and yet...
"There's nothing there..." I muttered again, this time even more astounded.
"Does that mean I was dreaming then?" I thought to myself but quickly shook my head afterwards.
"There's no way that's possible. I clearly remember it; that couldn't have possibly been any kind of dream." I reassured myself that what had transpired between us was real, and there was no way it could've been fake.
"Ophelia... That darn midget..." I bit my lower lip. Recalling the scene more and more, I never expected her to actually bite me—and not just that, but force me to go unconscious right after.
Standing up and pacing around my room in thought of why she would do such a thing, I suddenly froze for a moment, a few paces in front of me.
My reason for pausing wasn't because of the mirror, but what I saw in it... My very own reflection. Only, I myself looked strangely pale, like a patient in a hospital who'd been drained of a lot of blood.
Just as my thoughts threatened to spiral on, I heard a sudden knock on my door. The perpetrator didn't even bother giving me the benefit of the doubt before walking in right after and closing the door behind her.