The next day Rika was as giddy as ever as she imagined intricate vampire romance scenarios that Colette had no interest in entertaining. During second period, Colette’s cell phone vibrated. She discretely scanned the screen and saw it was a message from Rika. “I guess she’s determined to not get scolded for talking in class again,” Colette thought.   

‘I’ll meet you in the library again after school. This excitement has me wanting to delve into the shoujo manga section.’ 

Colette sighed. At least the manga would give Rika a distraction. The day seemed to go by slowly, leaving Colette consumed by her thoughts. She wondered if she could ever understand Theo. His behavior was initially rough, however, his manner had become noticeably gentler. She honestly didn’t expect that they’d cross paths again.

It was already 7th period, which meant it was time for gym class. Fortunately, the gym teacher put Colette on cone duty so as to avoid any un-foreseen injuries. She was in charge of setting up the relay cones, and had to return them to the storage shed at the end of class. Colette was making her last trip to the storage shed when someone called out for her.

“Miss librarian! So this is where you were all period. I was looking for you.”

It was Catalina, Theo’s classmate that she had met yesterday in the library. Colette couldn’t help but admire how pretty she was. She had long silver hair that she kept tied up in a high ponytail. Her red eyes really stood out against her fair complexion. 

“Oh, hey…How’s everything going with your project?”

“It’s fine! Did you need help with those cones?” Catalina kept her answers short as she flipped her hair arrogantly.

“Oh no, it’s okay don’t worry about-”

Catalina cut Colette off before she could finish what she was saying. “Don’t be silly. I’m here to give you a hand.” Catalina had a threatening smile on her face. She held the door open for Colette as she stocked the last set of cones onto the shelves. 

“The storage shed is super cluttered. I need to some time to organize the space…Thanks again for your help…” Colette was cut short by Catalina’s hostile demeanor. 

“Is everything okay?” Colette asked fearfully. Catalina’s pupils suddenly seemed like they were dilating as she grabbed Colette by the wrist. 

“Hey, why don’t I get the nurse or a teacher for you?” She continued to ask Catalina hesitantly. 

Catalina continued to close the gap between them, as Colette’s mind suddenly started going blank. Fearfully, Colette wondered if she was going to pass out right before she collapsed into Catalina’s arms. Catalina had glamoured her. Catalina thought to herself, what’s a little glamour prank to teach you a lesson? 

It was the end of the school day, and Rika was waiting outside of the library for Colette. About 25 minutes passed, and she still wasn’t there. She tried texting and calling her cellphone a few times with no response. “Where is Colette? She’s always the first one to the library because she runs over after her last class.” Rika was worried since this was out of character for Colette. Before she wandered off to search, she noticed the ‘hottie’ vampire passing by in the hallway.

“Hey! Th- Theo right?” She exclaimed. Theo glanced her way with a scowl. “H-have you seen Colette, by any chance?”

“Why would I have seen Colette?” He responded with attitude. 

Rika was a little disappointed by his response. In a worried tone, she responded, “I haven’t been able to get a hold of her. She usually comes here right after last period… It’s just a little odd.”

Theo stood there silently before he sighed and responded. “Maybe she’s in the nurse’s office, seeing as how she gets hurt all the time.”

Rika’s expression became lighthearted. “Oh, you’re right! Great idea…I’ll check over there now!” Rika replied as she darted off.

Theo continued on his way outside. That girl probably got herself hurt again, he thought as a joke. He made his way towards the back of the schoolyard when he noticed a faint scent. Is that blood? He still wasn’t sure, but as he continued, the smell became stronger. It wasn’t just any blood, either. He recognized this sweet fragrance. It was Colette’s. He was sure of it. 

“What the hell?” Theo questioned in a frustrated tone.

He scrambled around the back of the schoolyard to see if he could pinpoint the location. As he searched, he began to worry for Colette’s safety. He wandered towards the back of the school, following the increasingly recognizable scent of her blood. Ever since their encounter the other night, he had been thinking about her blood, so it was more than obvious that it was hers. 

He made his way to the gym’s storage shed where the scent was the strongest. He opened the doors and didn’t really notice anything other than gym equipment. Undeterred, he continued to investigate. Theo stumbled around the inside of the shed with no success. Upon further inspection, he finally noticed a tarp that seemed out of place. He lifted and found Colette there, sleeping peacefully. 

He grabbed a hold of her shoulders and screamed, “Hey…Colette, Colette, Colette! What the hell is going on here?” He growled. 

He couldn’t make heads or tails of this incident, but there were no signs of a struggle. However, he noticed that one of bandages came off of her right knee, causing her wound to re-open. Was she get dragged in here?

He lifted Colette as gently as he could and ran her over the nurse’s office. 

Colette was still resting in the nurse’s office. Theo remained at her side for longer than he expected to. He spent some time examining her as she slept. Her breathing was soft and slow, her cheeks were a rosy pink, and her lips had a glossiness to them. He appreciated that she looked comfortable despite finding her in those conditions.

Suddenly, he could hear her gentle heart beat. Ba-dump, Ba-dump, Ba-dump. He was surprised by how well his senses were attuned to Colette’s. He moved closer to her to look into this phenomenon when suddenly he lost control of his fangs.

‘What! Why am I baring my fangs?!’

His thoughts ran wild. He rushed over to the mirror. Not only were his fangs exposed, but his cheeks were flushed. He could feel heat radiating off of his body. 

“Why is this happening to me?” He exclaimed

The school nurse returned to the office, and he quickly flashed past her. 

“I’ll leave her in your care.” He stated as he ran off in a panic. 

Colette finally woke up and found herself in the nurse’s care. The nurse had already called her parents to pick her up. 

“You passed out in the gym’s storage room today. But don’t worry…you should be fine. You must’ve not eaten enough today. I’ve already notified your parents, and they should be here soon.”

“How did I get here?” Colette had a dazed look on her face. 

“A student brought you here…He actually just left.”

“Huh?”…who could it have been?