The next Friday night, Juliet put on her coat and bemoaned that she hadn’t bought a new one. She wanted to go back to the thrift store to see if she could find something passable, but she was out of cash. In the end, she layered two sweaters and put on her scarf and gold mittens. It wasn’t the darkest part of winter yet, so she decided she probably wouldn’t freeze to death.

Juliet left to go to the Occult’s Addict meeting. Same day, same time—Friday night at midnight. They met in one of the campus libraries and sat at a long table beside the reference material. 

At the meeting, Rylan was his usual moody self as he gave a lecture on crop circles. He stood at the end of the table and showed a variety of different designs on a wall of the library with a projector. He talked about locations where they’ve been seen, highlighted one that looked like Hello Kitty, and several reasons why people rather than aliens may have done them throughout the decades.

He wrapped up his lecture, saying, “In the summer, I think we should make one of our own. I read about how amateurs can do it if they use a garden roller or wooden planks to flatten the wheat. Are you girls feeling buff? I hear it takes a lot of muscle,” he said with a wry smile.

“We’re always buff,” Fiona waved, showing off her bicep.

“I know. I know. Then we’ll leave it to Juliet to call the newspapers and stuff to let them know that there’s a new crop circle. She’s the only one of us that doesn’t come off like a crackpot. They’ll definitely believe her.”

Juliet frowned. She hadn’t liked the way he worded his lecture. It was almost like he had prepared the entire thing to make her look ridiculous for her interest in them. She was almost trembling from the humiliation.  

“You really don’t think aliens made them?” she asked, using up every ounce of her concentration to speak rationally rather than to cross the room and slap his face. She couldn’t believe he was such a poor loser.

He stopped his reading and looked up. “I’m critical of everything. Haven’t you figured that out by now?”

“But, everything you’ve said makes it sound like you wouldn’t even consider the evidence that it could be the work of something that’s not human. Aren’t you supposed to give a presentation that looks at the subject from every angle?” 

He didn’t answer her, but the expression on his face seemed to say, “The simplest answer is usually the correct one.”

Taylor stepped in and spoke up for him. “Rylan’s specialty is conspiracy theories. He likes to present them and explain how they’re right. He’s even suggested a couple on the internet that are quite popular. So, don’t mind him. He doesn’t even believe in the moon landing.”

“So,” Juliet said, turning to him. “What’s something unusual that you do believe in?”

Rylan frowned deeply. Taylor was about to answer for him when he put his hand up to stop her. “I believe in the afterlife.”

Juliet didn’t know what she expected him to say, but that certainly wasn’t it. In her mind, there was absolutely no doubt that there was a spiritual existence after death. She was hoping he believed in something more outrageous. His answer was so tame, she was certain he was still making fun of her. She gulped in utter aggravation and started gathering her things together.  

“What? You’re leaving?” Rylan asked.

“Yeah. I’m leaving.”

He left his perch at the head of the table and came over to Juliet’s seat. “What’s the problem? Why are you angry? You said you were interested in crop circles and so I researched them for you. I was trying to be nice to you, so why does that make me the bad guy?”

“‘Trying to be nice’?” she gawked, putting her arm through the sleeve of her first sweater. “I wanted to hear a lecture that was trying to prove that crop circles were really done by aliens. Isn’t that more interesting? I didn’t say I was going to believe it. I wanted to hear the argument. And you..” she said, throwing her other sweater over her shoulders, “don’t want anyone to believe in anything that you don’t believe in yourself.”

Rylan stared at her with hard red eyes. “I guess that’s true,” he said slowly.

Juliet glared at him and grabbed her bag.  

“Wait. You haven’t even eaten and the witches brought something really good tonight,” he urged quietly.

“I’m not hungry.”

“You’re being a baby.”

Juliet fumed, “And saying that is going to make me stay?” She turned away from him and shouted to Fiona, “What’s the meeting next week?”

Fiona got up from her chair and closed the distance between them so she wasn’t also shouting across the library. She didn’t actually say that Juliet’s manners were bad, but the tone she used when she spoke said it for her. “It’s the Halloween party. Rylan and Taylor are sharing their story of how they got their scars. You know, the ones that helped convince us that they were conjoined twins.”

Juliet nodded.

“Will you come?” Rylan asked soberly.

She hesitated. “I’ll think about it.” Then she stepped away from him.

“Look,” he said, grabbing her elbow. “I wasn’t trying to piss you off. I presented the information in a way that was the most natural for me. You didn’t like it and I’m sorry, but don’t stay away from the meeting next week just because I didn’t present the information the way you wanted.”

She ground her teeth. She wasn’t leaving because they had differing views. It was because he was being petty about her and Seth and he called her a baby! But she could hardly accuse him of that in front of everyone, so she took a deep breath and listened to what he had to say. 

He continued, “I’ll be on my best behavior. I promise. You don’t know how hard it was to convince Fiona to give me the meeting. She was planning on a séance. Please come,” he pleaded.

Juliet wanted to blow him off, but there was a desperate quality to his voice she found impossible to ignore. 

“I’ll come,” she agreed. “Are we dressing up?”

“I don’t know. I don’t think the witches ever look normal and Taylor has been talking about dying her hair gray. I don’t know. Wear whatever you want.” He paused for a moment, as though he was considering Juliet’s current outfit. “You look lovely.”

Juliet smiled and pulled her arm out of his reach. “Thanks. See? That’s a nice thing to say. You should work on saying stuff like that to girls instead of trying to prove that you’re smarter than they are. See you later.” She left them and headed toward the exit.

She noticed a red Safewalk phone at the front of the building. She picked up the receiver and called for a walk back to her dormitory. For a second, it didn’t sound like Seth was going to be the one coming, but when the operator took her name she heard Seth in the background insisting on taking the walk even though it wasn’t his turn.

Juliet blushed deeply as she replaced the receiver. He hadn’t cooled. Thank goodness!

A few minutes later she saw Seth and Nixie coming across the lawn. Juliet’s breath caught in her throat as she recognized his dark head and striking features. Somehow, even though she had his picture up in her room, seeing him in person always dazzled her. It was the simple things about him that were amazing; the angles of his legs as he walked, the way he held his head, and perhaps the greatest thing about him—a kind of mystery in his eyes. Like there was so much more to him than he showed. There had to be mountains of thoughts and emotions behind his eyes he’d never shared with anyone. For a glimpse of what he hid, how high was the price?

“Hi,” Nixie said in a lazy tone as she cranked the door open. “Let’s get a move on.”

Seth smiled at Juliet and put out his arm so they could walk with their arms linked.

“Is this professional?” Juliet asked as she fell into step with him.

“And if it isn’t?”

Juliet smiled, but couldn’t meet his eyes for a moment. She was dizzy with the pleasure of walking side-by-side with him.  

This time Nixie headed out first and let Seth and Juliet linger behind her. She even had the courtesy not to turn around to check on them. She just walked on steadily, trusting Seth to not let her get too far ahead of them.

When Juliet felt comfortable, she turned to have a look at Seth. Apparently, his winter coat had just come out of storage because it wasn’t the same as before. This one was khaki gray with a fur collar. His dark hair curled into the edges of it by his ears and lit up Juliet’s imagination. That was how she always felt around Seth—on fire.

He licked his lips. “I’m glad you called. I’ve been watching for you around campus. Before we met officially, I used to see you everywhere, but not anymore. Where have you been?”

“I’ve been around,” she answered, trying to sound casual. “I just needed to get my ducks in a row. So, I sorted some things out. Do I seem any different to you?”

  “Different?” He sighed, “I haven’t even begun to discover you. We need more time together. When can I see you next? I need to learn everything.”

Juliet’s fingers curled into fists to stop herself from trembling. For a moment, she couldn’t even answer, and when she looked up, they were already standing outside the dorms. Seth held the door open for her.

Nixie leaned against the handrail and warned, “Just like we agreed, you can walk her to her room, but don’t take more than ten minutes. I won’t wait longer than that and it would look really bad if I went back alone.”

“I won’t leave you hanging,” Seth said as he put his arm around Juliet’s waist and headed up the stairs with her. Once they passed through the double doors at the top of the stairway, Seth leaned toward Juliet and whispered in her ear, “So, what ducks have you been organizing? Don’t tell me you’re still trying to figure out a way to prove I’m a vampire?”

“Not everything is about you. It’s me that I’ve been thinking about. I’ve been giving myself a teensy bit of a makeover, so I’ve been spending some time at the mall.”

“A makeover? Is that all? You had me worried.” 

“Well, it was nothing. I just needed a little time to take care of myself and work my identity out.”

“By shopping?” he exclaimed.

“Well, it might seem frivolous to you, but just wait. You’ll be grateful. I got a killer dress. Do you want to see it?”

“Maybe later,” he said languidly, his breath still lingering around her ear. “Didn’t you hear Nixie? I have to be back downstairs in less than ten minutes? But, you still didn’t answer my question. Do you still think I’m a vampire?”

Juliet breathed deeply. “I know you keep saying you’re not, but those fangs of yours speak differently.”

Seth chuckled.  

“All the same, I’m unconvinced. You’re too perfect to be human.”

His smile faded and for a moment he looked thoughtful. He bent down and whispered, “I have to tell you something.” Suddenly, his arms came around her and he slammed her firmly against the wall. Looking directly into her eyes with his tiger-colored ones he said, “Listen carefully.” He held her gaze in order to give weight to his words before he continued. “Please give up your vampire fixation. I think there’s one prowling around campus, and I don’t want you to get hurt, so promise me you won’t go looking for it. If you need to go somewhere after dark, call for a Safewalk.”

Juliet stared at him with intrigued eyes. “And what if I want to meet the vampire?” She wasn’t sure if she meant what she said. The only thing she knew was that she wanted to hear Seth’s response to her rebellion.

“Mercy! Don’t go looking for it!” he hissed emphatically, his eyes full of fury. “You wouldn’t be able to handle it regardless of your interest in the occult. It doesn’t follow the rules you’re familiar with. It would murder you.”

“There haven’t been any murders on campus lately,” Juliet said defiantly.

“Yeah, no murders,” Seth agreed. The way he said it suggested he was the reason why no one had been killed.  

“All right,” Juliet said weakly. “I’ll stay indoors, but on one condition.”

“Name it.”

“You’ll come back tonight after you’re finished with work and tell me about vampires—the real ones.”

“Done. See you later.” He let her go and headed down the hall to the stairs.

Juliet leaned against the wall and let out a satisfied sigh. She was finally going to learn the truth about vampires and, hopefully, Seth’s exact connection with them. She crossed her fingers for luck, that nothing would stop him from returning, before getting out her keys and unlocking her door.

It was going to be a night she would never forget.