33: [Shey/Si-bas-chuh-n]

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"Come in and make yourself comfy," Sebastian says, dropping his car keys in a small ceramic dish on the kitchen counter.

The car ride back to Sebastian's house had been almost completely silent. Neither of them had any energy left to discuss what they had seen.

Carmine crosses the threshold and scans Sebastian's apartment. It's simple, modern and decently sized for a bachelor's pad. She pulls off her shoes and makes her way to the living room. Sinking into the plush leather sofa, Carmine reaches for a mint from the small candy jar on the coffee table. Unwrapping the crinkly plastic wrapper, Carmine pops the striped candy into her mouth, pushing it around in her mouth until sweet juices melt along her tongue. It's not as sweet as blood but tasty enough to encourage saliva to flow once more into her dry mouth.

Sebastian is in the kitchen plugging in an electric kettle. "Do you want tea or hot chocolate?"

"I'll take some tea please," Carmine says, flipping on the T.V. The screen comes to life and starts flashing news footage of the fire. A reporter is interviewing several local residents, many of whom are crying. An angry older man launches a tirade about the how useless the police are and how everyone in Richmont is going to hell. With a sigh, Carmine turns the T.V. off again.

A few minutes later, Sebastian sits down beside Carmine with a mug of steaming hot tea. "It's Chamomile. It'll help you sleep."

"Thanks Sebastian." Carmine wraps both hands around the hot mug, feeling its warmth seep down into her sore muscles. After a few sips, she sets the mug down and says, "Thank you Sebastian. For taking me in without any questions. This really means a lot to me."

"You're welcome Carmine," Sebastian smiles. "I meant what I said earlier. In the car. I care about you. I really do. I'll help you any way I can."

Sebastian is sitting so close that Carmine can feel his knee bumping against hers. He has slight bags under his eyes and his eyes are bloodshot. Carmine has never seen him look so frazzled and exhausted before. The look doesn't suit him at all.

The two do not speak for a few moments.

"May I use your shower?" Carmine asks, slowly standing up. She lets out a cat-like yawn and stretches out her arms. "I'm feel really gross."

"Of course!" Sebastian stands up as well and leads the way. "It's just right here...Guest towels are here and I can throw your clothes in the laundry while you shower."

"Uh- Thanks Sebastian. That would be great." Sebastian is about to turn around when Carmine whispers gently, "You're too kind."

After shutting the bathroom door, Carmine peels off her dirty t-shirt and jeans. The cold bathroom tiles make the soles of her feet tingle. Wrapping a towel around her body, Carmine opens the door just a few inches. "Here," she says, handing him her grass-stained clothing.

Sebastian takes the bundle and throws it in the washing machine located right beside the washroom. He tosses a few of his t-shirts in as well and starts the spin cycle. The mechanical droning and shaking of the washing machine rumbles through the apartment.

Carmine pops back into the bathroom and steps into the white bathtub. She adjusts the faucet to 'hot' and pulls it to start the shower. A blast of icy cold water assaults her like a tidal wave, forcing Carmine to let an ear-piercing screech. "SHHHIT!!" With torrential streams quickly soaking through her hair, Carmine fumbles around and turns off the shower.

"Crap!" Sebastian calls from the living room. "Sorry!"

Carmine hears his footsteps approach until he stops right outside the bathroom door. "Sorry Carm. I forgot to tell you that you need to let it run for about 20 seconds first. It always starts out ice cold."

"Thanks for the heads up," Carmine cries sarcastically. As rivulets of water cascade down her back, she lets out a cold chuckle.

She feels so filthy. Physically speaking she isn't too dirty but there is an unexplainable slime that seems to penetrate through her skin, all the way down to her bones. She has a feeling it's something that can't be washed away with Sebastian's mild-scented body wash.

But she has to try.

Carmine turns the faucet back on, stepping back and waiting 20 seconds before letting the water hit her body again. This time the water is hot and quickly slaps her skin in furious jets. The skin on Carmine's back immediately turns red. She starts scrubbing her arms and legs with her nails, scratching them up and down until red welts appear across her skin. Dead skin cells scruff off and float in the little puddles of water gathered at her feet.

Carmine even uses her thumbnail to dig under her other nails and scoop out the gunk lying beneath them.

She needs to get clean. Wash away all the horrible things she'd seen tonight.

A sudden, intrusive thought enters Carmine's brain. Father isn't like that when he hunts is he? He doesn't kill them...right? He used to be a monster but mother changed him for the better...right?

An uncomfortable chill runs down Carmine's spine. She's seen Mason glamour Red on more than one account. What if...What if he's just as bad as Nyla? Or worse? And he's just been getting away with his lies? The sudden thought makes Carmine feel even worse. Her gut is roiling with discomfort and she feels like she's about to hurl.

Carmine switches off the shower and steps out onto the bathmat. She hovers in front of the glass sink, her hands pressed down against the countertop for support. Her long black hair is twisted and glued to her back, slowly dripping at the ends.

Carmine swipes her right hand back and forth across the mirror, wiping off the condensation gathered there. She reveals a reflection she hardly recognizes anymore: a young woman with thin purple veins crawling up her neck, a cracked lip and small scabs on her face. She looks like she was in a fist fight. Or the victim of domestic abuse.

Why did she risk her life to save the stupid hotel? The one that technically belongs to the Redoza family, at least in part.

She should have let it burn to the ground.

Carmine clenches the edge of the sink even harder, her nostrils flaring. She doesn't know which part of the day upset her most: seeing Liam, learning about her father's history or uncovering Nyla's true identity.

Father.

There was a time when Carmine worshipped her father. When she was younger, he would show her small tricks using his supernatural powers. She loved it when he made books flip pages all on their own or when he could make her dolls dance up and down as if controlled by invisible strings. She didn't know that it was telekinesis back then. She thought it was vampire magic. Which it was, in a sense.

Because Mason couldn't hold a day job, he stayed home to raise the children while Red worked full time. At night, he would work part-time graveyard shifts.

Father was weak.

They could've been the wealthiest and most powerful family in Richmont. Live lavish lives beyond their wildest dreams. If only Mason had the courage to stand up to his ex-lover.

And of course there's Liam. Perhaps it was fate that she ended up with him. Some sort of twisted eventuality that bound the Greene family with the Redozas.

What now? Just move on and pretend nothing ever happened?

Of course. That was the only logical thing to do. Bury the past and move on.

Wasn't that what they always did?

Carmine combs her hair with Sebastian's brush and then tucks the white towel neatly into her cleavage. She opens the door and a whoosh of steam escapes the humid bathroom.

"You feeling better?" Sebastian asks, sitting up straighter on the sofa. He puts down his cellphone and stands up. "The bed is all made up. I don't have extra sheets or anything so I'm afraid you'll have to make do. I'll be crashing here. If you need anything just give me a shout."

"Thanks Sebastian," Carmine murmurs, tiptoeing into the bedroom. "Good night. Thanks again," she whispers before closing the door.

Once the door is shut behind her, Carmine walks over to the Queen sized bed and flops on top of it. A flabbergasted moan escapes her lips. Images of Nyla's blood-soaked face, the burning truck, and the massacred victim play in her mind like a slideshow on repeat. The visions are permanently tattooed onto Carmine's retinas.

She will never forget them.

Carmine eventually falls into a fitful sleep. She dreams of Mason turning into a zombie dog and Nyla walking him around the park with a human femur in her hand. "Fetch!" Nyla says and Mason obediently chases after the human remains with his tongue lolling out. Once the Mason dog reaches the bone, he begins lapping up the blood oozing from the marrow and then he gnaws on femur, leaving a series of bite marks all over his doggie treat. While Mason works on the bone, Liam strides into view, holding a bouquet of fresh roses. He hands the flowers to Nyla and gives her a sloppy kiss before pushing her onto the grass and ripping her clothes off.

Hope you enjoyed this chapter! Please leave a vote!

Happy Canada day to my fellow Canadians!

I am aiming to finish this book by the end of this month. I have written up to Ch. 39 of 50 so far. So if all goes according to plan, I should have only 11 chapters to go!

Predictions on what will happen next? :) Update on Friday July 3!

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