Chapter 15 CAN'T HAVE A DAY!
LILIAN POV
I woke up feeling like I’d wrestled a bear or, more accurately, like a bear had wrestled me and then thrown me into a blender.
Every bone in my body ached. My hair looked like it had staged a rebellion overnight.
I squinted at the clock, it read 10:23 a.m and guess what today is Saturday.... blessed, glorious, responsibility-free Saturday.
I have no classes, no caffeine orders and no squirrels lessons.
For once, the universe could keep its horror movie energy far away from me.
I stretched, groaning when I heard my bone crack. “Congratulations, Lilian,” I muttered to myself. “You survived another night of psycho-vampire wilderness training.”
The ceiling fan hummed lazily above me, slicing through the morning stillness.
For the first time in a long time, I didn’t feel scared
Just tired… and maybe, just a little proud.
After a shower long enough to make environmentalists weep, I threw on an oversized hoodie and pajama shorts, made myself coffee, and collapsed onto the couch.
The smell of roasted beans filled the room rich, bitter and damn comforting. The kind of normal I’d been craving for weeks, I curled under a blanket, scrolling through Netflix like a ritual. My brain wanted noise, something stupid, something human for once.
I found some ridiculous Korean rom-com with too much sunshine and fake laughter just perfect.
A movie where nobody drank blood or spoke in riddles.
For thirty blissful minutes, I managed to forget everything.
No Seraphine, no weird or nightmares.
Just me, my coffee, and people arguing about croissants in Korea you know the feeling right ?.
Then my phone buzzed, of course it did.
MIA 💅🏻
I groaned. “No, no, no... not today, you satan’s middle manager.”
I picked up anyway, because apparently I hate peace, “Hello?” I said, voice half-dead.
“Finally!” Mia’s voice exploded through the speaker. “I’ve been calling you for ten seconds, Are you even alive?”
“Barely and it’s Saturday... let me rot in peace.”
She gasped. “Rotting is for the undead, honey, You’re too pretty for that. So..... what are you doing tonight?”
“Breathing.... maybe eating probably nothing involving pants.”
“Oh my God, you sound old missy, can you come out tonight, There’s a party near downtown—”
“Hard pass.”
“Come on! You’ve been acting weird lately.”
I snorted. “Weird? Define weird.”
“Like... spacey and all jumpy. I don’t know, Lilian, you just seem different, this could be a great opportunity to hangout you know.”
Yeah, probably because I almost drank someone last week, Mia, and going to the damn party won't help a dent girl.
I plastered on a lazy tone. “It’s called burnout, try working with caffeine addicts every day.”
“Still.” Her voice softened. “You sure you’re okay?”
That small note of concern almost broke me,
Mia had no idea she was tiptoeing around the edges of something sharp.
“Yeah,” I lied. “am just tired.”
“Well, rest up, zombie girl,” she teased. “But if you change your mind, text me, I’m not letting you rest forever.”
“Promises, promises,” I said, forcing a chuckle.
We hung up, and the silence that followed felt heavy, Like the kind that presses against your ribs until breathing becomes a regular something.
I tossed my phone aside and let the rom-com play again.
The couple on screen was kissing in the rain.... they should try and change the line sometimes kissing in the rain is outdated.... what if you get nymonia.
I laughed under my breath. “Good for you, lovebirds.”
Then I sipped my coffee and nearly gagged.
The taste hit so wrong and metallic.... yucks
Like that night in the alley when I tasted that man's blood.
I froze, staring into the cup, The coffee looked fine
But that taste felt off....did someone
My chest tightened.
“Nope,” I whispered, dumping it into the sink. “Not today..... Not again, please.”
I rinsed the mug until the bitter smell vanished, then stood there gripping the counter, trying to calm the hammering in my chest... I don't wanna go on a full time panic.
“Breathe,” I muttered. “You’re fine.... you’re not turning psycho. It’s just burnt beans or bad milk or whatever.”
I didn’t believe myself, but it was something.
By late afternoon, the apartment smelled like popcorn which I did make, and I’d changed into my comfiest sweater.
The world outside was gray and wet, the kind of weather that made hiding under blankets feel like a life goal.
For once, it felt almost normal, I even laughed at something stupid on Tv.
Just when I had enough burnout for the day I heard a knock.
Three short, measured taps, My heart stopped I first muted the TV.
The sound came again, Knock.... Knock... Knock...
“Probably a neighbor,” I told myself, voice shaky. “Package, maybe.”
Except I never got packages and nobody knocked like that here unless I did Invite someone to come over.
I tiptoed to the door, every step careful. My pulse thudded in my ears, too loud and way too fast.
The room felt smaller somehow.
I peered through the peephole and there was nothing there.
“Okay,” I breathed. “ okay that's awkard...”
But then I saw a swift movement thanks to this weird vampire super sight and the voice I dreaded all day just right in time.
“Lilian... open the door.”
Oh, hell no.
I leaned my head against the wood, groaning. “You have got to be kidding me.”
I cracked the door open just enough to see her,
Seraphine stood there like a storm personified with black coat glistening with rain and her weird silver eyes calm.... she really enjoys tormenting people.
“What.... why.... how do you even know where I live?” I demanded.
She smiled faintly. “You left your scent at the park.”
“That’s creepy, that was since yesterday.”
“It’s kind of easy.”
“Stalker !,” I snapped. “Do you just… show up uninvited to people’s homes now?”
Her gaze narrowed past me, into the apartment and she just shrugged. “I knocked.”
“Wow, so polite Miss. vale, You want a cookie?”
“I don’t eat cookies.”
“Figures,” I muttered.
She didn’t move or blink she just watched me like she was studying every twitch, every breath I took.
“I came to check on you,” she said finally.
“Check? Like a wellness visit from a vampire therapist?”
“You seemed… off last night when you headed home.”
“Oh, gee, thanks.... I’ll add that to my list of compliments.”
Her lips twitched. “Sarcasm’s your shield, isn’t it?”
I glared. “No It’s actually my hobby thank you.”
The silence stretched, rain dropped against the hallway window, I felt my pulse thrumming so hard I thought she might hear it.
Maybe she did, because her head tilted slightly, like the rhythm fascinated her yeah vampires do have super hearing shit.
“Your heart,” she murmured. “It’s beating faster.”
“Yeah, that tends to happen when the undead show up at my door like it’s Amazon Prime.”
“Lilian.” Her tone softened and she made to come close but I still held the boundaries of the door, there's no way am letting her in “You don’t have to fear me.”
I laughed, short and brittle. “You keep saying that, but you really suck at proving it.”
“Then let me try.”
That made me step back instinctively am still surprised she hasn't asked me to let her in.
Something about her presence did weird things to the atmosphere, like she carried gravity around with her and I hated that it made me shiver.
“What do you want, Seraphine?” I finally asked.
“To help you.”
“Newsflash I don’t need saving even if I did need it ... it's not from you.”
She tilted her head, eyes staring me down. “You’re shaking.”
I looked down at my hands, damn it she was right.
“Maybe because you scared ten years off my life!”
“Or maybe,” she said quietly, “because part of you knows I’m right.”
The words hit harder than they should have and
I swallowed, forcing my voice steady. “You know what? Not today.... I just wanted one normal day... One.... and now you’re standing here like some horror movie bonus scene.”
Her expression softened almost pitying. “Normal isn’t coming back, Lilian.”
“Don’t remind me.”
For a heartbeat, neither of us spoke. The rain outside deepened into a steady drumbeat, a soundtrack to the tension choking the air.
Then she said it softly, almost kindly:
“Invite me in.”
I froze and pulled my lip in a thin line “Excuse me?”
“I can’t enter without permission.”
“Oh, hell no.... We’re not doing the vampire home-invasion trope today.”
“Lilian.... ” she said thumping her foot.
“Nope.... You’re staying out there, Dracula. I’m having my Saturday.”
I tried to slam the door, but her hand shot out fast stopping it with terrifying ease.
Her voice dropped low, almost a growl “Something’s coming, Lilian, Don’t be stupid.”
My breath caught. “What are you talking about?”
“Your scent’s not the only one I followed back from the park, just saying.”
Before I could respond, her eyes flicked down the hall, sharp and alert like she’d heard something I couldn’t.
She leaned closer, voice a whisper. “Keep the lights low tonight. Don’t open the door for anyone else.”
And just like that she turned and zoom dissappared as usual, she's fast though.
I stood there frozen, my heart pounding so hard it hurt.
I slowly shut the door, locked it.
Then leaned against it, clutching my chest, trying to calm the thundering in my veins.
“Great,” I whispered shakily. “Guess who’s not sleeping tonight, me !.”