As I glanced at the pile of dresses strewn across the room, it felt as if each one was waiting to test my patience. I had unfortunately landed in one of those awkward scenarios straight out of the hentai I used to read when I was blissfully ignorant of how it all really felt. I swear it wasn't my fault! Just a quick look, nothing more, yet I couldn't shake the image from my mind.
I lightly slapped my cheeks, trying to dispel the thoughts racing through my head. Focus, Viktor. You're in a girl's room. A naked girl's room. How much longer could this last? The seconds dragged on painfully.
"I'm done. You can turn around now," Elizabeth called, but I didn't wait for her to finish. I spun around, hoping the sight of her new dress would distract me from the unfortunate image stuck in my head.
Instead, Elizabeth stared back at me, wide-eyed. "Eh?!"
"What?" I replied innocently, though my nerves gave me away.
She crossed her arms over her chest. "What were you thinking about?"
"Nothing!" I exclaimed. "My mind was completely blank."
Elizabeth narrowed her eyes, clearly not convinced. "Uh-huh. Sure. But your nosebleed says otherwise."
I quickly wiped the blood from my nose, heat rushing to my face as I tried to redirect the conversation. "Um, this dress is... okay, I guess. But it doesn't really match your hair."
"Next one, then," she sighed, tugging at the ribbons on her dress. Realizing what was about to happen, I turned around faster this time, my gaze locking onto the stuffed teddy on her bed.
"Oh, you turned quickly this time. Almost had you," she teased.
After what felt like an eternity of dress changes, we finally settled on a red and white two-piece that satisfied us both. Relieved to have made it through, I excused myself quickly and headed for the library, eager to bury myself in something that didn't involve naked women or awkward silences.
On my way, I ran into Sophia, who hurriedly greeted me before rushing off. I shrugged it off and continued toward my destination, ready to lose myself in books once again. Upon entering the library, I scanned the shelves for something new, even though I had read nearly everything there. I made a mental note to ask Mom to bring back some new titles from her trip.
Then, something caught my eye—a book jutting out from the shelf as if someone had shoved it in hastily. Curious, I grabbed a ladder and climbed up to retrieve it. As I pulled the book out, a cloud of dust billowed forth, and it was heavier than I had anticipated. Once it was on my desk, I noticed strange, faded text on the cover, nearly obscured by layers of grime. Rubbing it with my thumb, I revealed bold red letters, though the writing was still indecipherable.
When I opened the book, the pages were completely blank. Confused, I flipped through them, wondering if the ink had faded over time. Just then, Elizabeth's voice called out to me, and as I turned to leave, the room was suddenly bathed in a strange red glow.
A whisper brushed against my ear, freezing me in place. I spun around, heart racing, aware that I was alone in the room. The book on the table was now glowing, its pages flipping rapidly on their own.
I rushed back to the table, trying to comprehend the bizarre spectacle. Slamming my hand down on a page to stop the flipping, I stared at the smudge now smeared across the paper. A splatter of red—definitely not ink. My head began to pound, my vision blurring, but not enough to miss what was happening. My heart raced, and a deep, primal hunger clawed at my insides.
Blood. The realization struck me hard. This is what vampires crave. But there was no one around, no humans in sight, and vampire blood was rumored to be terrible. So why now?
I looked back at the book, its pages now clear, revealing a haunting message: FIND ME.
Suddenly, a girl appeared in my mind's eye. She was about my age, sitting by a window, her long white hair glowing in the moonlight. Her blood-red eyes locked onto mine, a soft smile gracing her lips.
"I'll be waiting for you," she whispered, her voice smooth as silk.
With a loud bang, the book slammed shut, leaving me standing there, my heart still racing.