ALL NOVEL 42
Lee stretched her arms in the air, leaning first one way then the other. Her back arched with the motion, but after she put her hands on her hips approvingly.
She stood before me as a necromancer. Her bright green hair matched the witchy vibes she was going for and the long black cloak fell to her ankles so all of her except those excited eyes, was concealed.
“It looks good,” I encouraged. To be honest, my mind was elsewhere.
Scarlet peered at her from where she was holding my hand.
“Isn’t it great, though?” Lee asked. “I can do the make-up too so that my eyes are all black and spoopy.” She pulled down her lower eyelid to show the fragile pink flesh there.
I looked away so I didn’t have to think about it.
Lee went quiet and looked me up and down. I was in the standard black on black for my gothic silhouette.
“Are you doing okay, Lexi?” she asked.
She turned back to her vanity and started tweaking the cloak a bit here and there.
“You’ve been really out of it all day,” she pointed out. “And I know the police have been poking around about Josh’s attack but you know none of us have anything to do with it.”
“Yeah, I know,” I said. “It doesn’t mean its pleasant to sit in the police station for six hours. And they really do think I attacked him.”
I folded my arms as she glanced at me over her shoulder before leaning close to examine the contours of her eyes, tracing some shapes where she was planning her makeup out.
Scarlet stared at us from where she almost huddled into herself next to me. I gave her hand a brief and gentle squeeze to reassure her.
“In any case,” Lee sighed after she gave up on visualizing her makeup. “I wish we had somewhere to play for halloween but I doubt we’ll be able to find somewhere on such short notice.”
“In a week? Probably not,” I agreed.
She looked disappointed but nodded her head in agreement. Then she finally tossed the cloak aside and sat down on her bed, crossing her legs all in one graceful motion.
“So,” she said finally. “I think maybe we should talk about…” her eyes wandered to Scarlet, who clung closer to me.
“Its fine,” I waved off. “I’ve got her… condition all under control.”
Scarlet came out from hiding behind me a bit to give Lee a reassuring smile. I wondered if Lee could see her canines from her angle.
“Are you sure?” Lee asked. “You know that losing too much blood routinely is really bad for your health, right?”
“I know.” I pet Scarlet a bit.
“I don’t drink her blood,” Scarlet told Lee, which was half a lie. She had and enjoyed drinking my blood before. But since the incident with the hunters, it hadn’t been necessary. I hadn’t asked questions but she had a cooler full of bloody packages now. I didn’t know where she kept it. Or who exactly her brother was or how he acquired it. But some things were better left unknown.
Lee still looked skeptical. “Is just animal blood enough for you?” Lee asked.
Scarlet anxiously licked her teeth. “...not exactly,” she admitted.
“So… how…?” Lee pressed.
I pet Scarlet again, this time protectively. “We have it covered,” I told her. “I know you’re worried but it's not like she doesn’t have people… who…” I didn’t quite know how to finish the sentence. Scarlet looked up at me, curious about what I did and didn’t know.
We did need to have a talk about her brother. But that was for us to do in private, later. Lee didn’t need to know about any of that and I wasn’t sure what Scarlet’s relationship was with her brother.
Lee let out a sigh and flopped back on her bed. “I’m your best friend,” she told me. “And I know this situation is probably complicated for you without worrying about me or any of the others knowing about it but… just know that I’m here if you need me. I’m not even against giving some blood if I have to.”
“Thanks,” I told her. I did appreciate the sentiment even if this wasn’t something she could help me with.
Scarlet took my hand in hers. “I don’t want to hurt anybody,” she told Lee. “I really don’t want to hurt Lexi or any of her friends and I’m sorry my condition has caused as much hurt as it already has.”
This was surprisingly verbose for Scarlet who, until I found her, hadn’t spoken for quite a long time.
Lee got up on her elbows to look at her as she said, “thank you,” and then dropped back down.
“We should get going, I guess,” I said.
Lee nodded. “I’ll see you tomorrow. Think about anywhere you think we could play again, it’s really important we keep getting our name out there.”
“I know, I’ll do what I can.”
I wished her farewell and we left.
AN: You know, I never actually expected to get on the trending list, like at all, I especially didn't expect to be checking my notifications and realize that I was #3 on trending. And I know it's not particularly difficult to get on there but still, it felt good.
Thank you everybody for all and any support you give me, be it through the early access on the patreon or just being present here, I appreciate it. (I say that a lot but I mean it.)
Happy Fall!