I waited patiently for the phone to get charged.
By saying patiently, I mean tapping my feet or fingers on the surface at 70 beats per minute.
The news announced that I was missing. It had been only a few hours, and they assumed I was missing.
I learned a thing from this you should never try to help people. You should not try to get revenge on someone. You must not get too curious.
Never be too popular. More importantly, never be unpopular or socially invisible. You can't be too kind. Don't be mean— you know what? Existing is a threat.
No matter what you do or who you are, you can end up in trouble.
Trouble centered around everyone but was invisible to the rest of the world. Aka, you'd feel like you're in so much trouble.
Everyone is.
So there were billions of people on earth, and everyone faced some kind of crisis at that very moment.
I wasn't the only one.
It was selfish of me to be grateful because I wasn't the only one in nuisance. But when I looked at my surroundings and realized the circumstances, I had the right to be selfish for the time being.
I took my nearly-charged phone from the desk and turned it on hurriedly.
My head started to spin like a merry-go-round when my eyes landed on the notifications; more than 200 calls and messages.
I wasn't in trouble. I was doomed. The kind of doom that two people on earth couldn't face at the same time.
I dialed Dad's number with shaky hands, and Seren stared at me curiously. She wasn't scary or stern, but I felt under pressure under her gaze.
"Hello?" I choked out as soon as Dad received it.
"Lyra? Oh my god! Where the hell are you?" I distanced the phone from my ear to survive the shouting.
"Are you ok?" he asked.
I opened my mouth and shut it again. How was I supposed to answer the question?
"Answer carefully." I heard Sylvester's sinister voice and looked at him. He wasn't looking in my direction, but Seren was. She smiled at me apologetically.
It felt like a silent threat from him that spoke I had obligations. Obligations that might get me killed either way.
"Dad, I'm ok," I answered.
"You know what the news did?" he asked in a calmer voice.
I sighed. "Yeah, I know, Dad. My phone had died so I couldn't talk to you sooner. There was a misunderstanding. I'm alright," I assured.
"Please keep your phone on. You know how much it worries me that you passed out somewhere." I could sense the worry in his voice.
My dad had a different set of worries for me.
"I will, Dad. Love you. Bye." I hung up.
My heartbeat doubled up the moment I stopped talking.
I hardly lied to Dad. The only times I lied to him were when I stole cookies from the cupboard or didn't do my homework.
Those were nothing compared to what I had done now.
I almost died in a room full of dead bodies. I was in a house with strangers. My body was in pain, but I said I was okay.
Living counted as okay, right?
Sylvester's warning was so unclear that I couldn't decide what to tell and what not to.
With a deep breath, I continued checking the calls.
The following number I came across was Ms. Lee's. She wasn't the right person to talk to at the time, but I had to inform someone that I wasn't dead yet.
"Hello, Professor Lee-"
"Fenix! Where in the world are you? How could you leave the college premises so irresponsibly?" She kept on with her lecture.
I lost track of what she was saying.
And my name isn't Fenix!
"I'm sorry, Professor. I'm out of town, and my phone died earlier. I found out what happened only a while ago," I told her. There was a pause on the other end.
"You need to be more responsible. Return to the dorms immediately," she ordered.
"Yes, Pro-" The phone slipped out of my hand abruptly. I looked at my hand and then behind.
"Quit bossing around. She isn't dead yet," the guy from earlier, Amias, said bitterly on the phone and hung up.
He threw the phone back at me, which I barely caught.
How could he talk to my professor like that? She'd kill me if she couldn't kill him.
"Where the hell did you run off to?" Seren inquired.
"Someplace free from annoying witches," Amias answered emotionlessly, and Seren rolled her eyes.
He wouldn't try to kill me again, would he? My blood pressure was lowering with every moment I thought about it.
"Do you have any idea how confused Lyra is?" She asked Amias.
"Just as much a brainless human could be," He remarked.
If I wasn't completely clueless about what was going on, I would have opposed it, I swear.
"Learn to take responsibility for your actions, Amias," Seren retorted. Actions? Did that mean killing me? Wiping my memory? Living me in the middle of a desert?
"I swear I wouldn't tell—" My words were avoided as though I was invisible.
"I did the most responsible thing by leaving her be," Amias retorted.
"But your dearly beloved had to drag her here to make my life miserable," he said in the same emotionless tone. That was kind of true. He didn't kill me on the spot. I can go back to my dorm, forget this ever happened, end of trouble.
"Pfft," I turned to look at Sylvester. Out of the four of us, he looked like he was rather pleased with the situation. Seren was bubbly too, but he was on another level where he was enjoying the drama.
"No one encouraged you to bite her. You did that on your own accord. Now you're blaming me for bringing her here?" Sylvester asked him.
Amias scoffed.
"If only this deceiving little witch had a brain," He muttered loud enough for me to hear.
"Excuse me?" I snapped. He looked at me coldly.
"What?" I almost flinched at the response. Almost.
What was I supposed to say again? Oh right!
"Why do you keep humiliating me? What did I ever do to you?" I asked. He stared at me.
If I said I felt under pressure from Seren's gaze, then the aura his red eyes were giving off was seconds away from crushing me.
This is going to be a nightmare.
Were vampires supposed to have red eyes? Probably not. Because Sylvester's eyes weren't red, though, I didn't know if he was a vampire or not.
"I'm humiliating you because your vacant head is unaware of what you did to me," He growled.
What the hell did I even do?
"Amias, you can't blame her for it," Sylvester said calmly. Define 'it' for heaven's sake.
"Of course, I can," said Amias.
"She's only 20. She knew nothing of this," Sylvester informed.
The duo stared at each other for what felt like hours. The this, that, and its conversation seemed relatively serious.
"Send her back to wherever the hell she was," Amias hissed and walked out.
"Stop acting like a kid, Amias. You know we can't send her back," Seren remarked.
"Do you think I care? Get her out of here before I kill her," I heard his harsh voice.
Do you know what I hated most about vampires? That this rude, mannerless jerk was one. It wasn't like I wanted to stay here. Why did he have to be so violent about it?
"Sorry about that. Amias has anger issues," Seren apologized.
"He has behavior issues," I muttered and covered up my mouth, realizing I said it out loud.
"Sorry! I didn't mean to say it!" I blurted out.
She was smiling widely. "Oh, no! You can say whatever you want. Suits him right!" she exclaimed.
"Follow me. I'll show you to your room!" She said and jumped up from her seat.
I had no interest in staying here. Not to mention I cared about my life.
"I want to go back to my dorm," I mumbled, and she looked at me.
"Huh? But-"
"I think you should let her leave," Sylvester told Seren.
"You know that-"
"No." He pulled her out of the room along with him.
I was having the most confusing time of my life. I just wanted to go back and wait in my room till the college was open again.
Everything would become normal by then, and I would be able to go on like this day never existed.
If the entire world could forget about the most important power source and go on as if nothing happened, then I could forget a few miserable hours of murder, blood, and vampires, right?
Yes, I could.
Seren came back alone. "Do you truly want to leave?" She asked me. I nodded my head vigorously.
"Fine," She said with a loud sigh. "Syly, please help Lyra get back," she said. Sylvester appeared moments after. "Come on."
I took my phone and followed him outside.
"Remember to visit me," Seren said and hugged me. She was a sweet person and all, but I wasn't planning to come back anytime until I was dead.
But I nodded anyway.
After saying goodbye, we left.
The wild night was finally going to end.