Sunday dawned cold, with a sky so gray it seemed to announce snow. Kara had spent the entire morning thinking about what had happened the night before.
The image of Alice facing two men on her own, as if it were nothing, wouldn't leave her mind.
Natalie had locked herself in her room, saying she wanted to forget everything. But Kara knew she couldn't.
By late afternoon, she decided to go to the botanical greenhouse, the place where Alice usually hid when she wanted to avoid everyone.
And there she was. Leaning against the glass wall, staring at the plants as if she were the only person in the world.
Kara approached slowly, but Alice seemed to sense her presence before even hearing her steps. She turned her head, and her dark eyes met Kara's.
"Are you okay?" Alice asked bluntly.
The question caught Kara off guard.
"I... yeah." She hesitated.
"But that's not who you should be asking about. It was Natalie who —"
"I know." Alice cut her off, turning her gaze back toward the greenhouse.
"But you were the one who came back for me."
Kara frowned.
"Why do you care? I thought you preferred being alone."
Alice sighed.
"I do. But that doesn't mean I want something to happen to you."
Kara's heart beat faster.
"Then explain it to me, Alice. What happened last night? How did you show up out of nowhere and take down two guys twice your size?"
Alice stayed silent for a moment. Her fingers brushed gently over the leaves of a nearby plant, as if the answer might be hidden there.
"I was just in the right place at the right time."
"I already know you're not like everyone else," Kara said, her voice steadier than she expected.
"I just want to understand."
Alice finally turned fully toward her. The cold wind tossed her dark hair across her face, and she didn't bother to push it aside.
"And if understanding means you'll see me in a way you don't like?"
Kara took a step closer.
"Then that's how it'll have to be."
The two seconds of silence that followed felt like an eternity. Alice's gaze softened, and for an instant, the hardness she always carried in her expression disappeared.
"You're too stubborn for your own good."
"Or too curious," Kara said with a faint smile. "Maybe both."
Alice didn't answer, but the corner of her lips curved into an almost invisible smile. Then she took a step back, as if remembering there was a distance she wanted to keep.
"Just... be careful, Kara." Her voice sounded almost like a plea.
"I don't want you getting hurt because of me."
"That won't happen," Kara said without hesitation. "And if it does... maybe it'll be worth it."
Alice blinked slowly, as if trying to process that answer. Then, without another word, she turned and walked out of the garden.
Kara stood there, watching every step until the red figure disappeared from sight.
And even with the biting cold, something warm began to grow inside her, something she could no longer ignore.
That night, Kara's room was drowned in darkness, lit only by the cold glow of her laptop screen.
She tried to focus on the pile of assignments waiting to be finished, but Alice's image wouldn't leave her mind, the reflection in her eyes, the strength that saved Natalie, the way she seemed... not to age.
On impulse, she opened a new tab and began typing:
"abnormal human traits, speed, strength, glowing eyes, pale skin..."
The results were chaotic, fiction articles, obscure forums, strange theories. Kara almost laughed... until one word started appearing over and over again:
Vampire.
She clicked on a site that spoke of myths and folklore. Pale skin, superhuman strength, heightened senses, aversion to crowds... the list was disturbingly familiar.
"No... that's ridiculous..." she muttered to herself, but a chill ran down her spine.
As absurd as it seemed, every detail fit too perfectly.
Alice avoided crowded places, never ate in front of anyone, was never seen under strong sunlight, and there was something... hypnotic about the way she looked at people.
Kara leaned back in her chair, her fingers trembling slightly.
She couldn't be sure of anything. But somehow, that idea, insane, impossible, made perfect sense.
And if it was true... who exactly was Alice?