Thirst | JENLISA

Chapter 8

Needless to say, Jennie doesn't get much sleep that night. She keeps her windows locked, curtains drawn, covers wrapped around her so tight that she should be sweating, but she can't seem to stop shivering.

She had all but run home after finally convincing herself it was safe to get up and move. It wasn't the smartest idea given the pain she was in, but her desperation to remove herself from the outside world and seek comfort in her bed drove her. She bypassed Irene and Donghyun, skipping dinner, skipping a shower, stripping down and climbing into bed.

She had tossed and turned all night, replaying the scene in her head. She couldn't make sense of any of it. Something had happened, but Jennie has no idea what it could have been. She considers talking to Irene, but she knows she can't do that. Besides, she wouldn't be of much help. She thinks she ought to ask Lisa. Lisa who knows some of the missing pieces from last night, who knows more about vampires than Jennie or even from Dara's books.

Dara's books. Jennie chastises herself for not snatching them up while she could. She needs to get her hands on those before Dara can take them. If something really is wrong with her, Jennie can't lose her only direct source of information.

She manages to doze off a little here and there, but every time, she's awoken by some kind of nightmare where Dara is killing her. The first time, it's set during that night, Dara taking that extra step and crushing Jennie's neck. The second dream, she gives birth to Jennie, kisses her on the head, and then holds a pillow to her face until she stops breathing. In the third, Dara decides to turn Jennie into a vampire. In the fourth, Dara is torturing Lisa relentlessly, until she sets her on fire. It's after that dream that Jennie gives up on sleeping.

She doesn't leave the house until the sun is up, and when she gets to the school, she walks tentatively to the library, doubting to see Dara there but worrying nonetheless. She wanders through the swinging doors, through the shelves, not daring to speak. She doesn't find anyone. Dara's office is open so she moves towards the doorway. She notices the fresh coffee in the pot and her heart starts to pound when she hears a noise behind her. She swings around, suddenly on offense, expecting to see Dara. She's surprised to see it's a totally normal-looking middle-aged guy.

He grins at her, putting his arms up in defense. "Woah, woah, you're fine." He chuckles, and it's somehow soft and rough at the same time. His smile meets his eyes, but despite that, he still looks sad like he's been through a lot. The look he's giving Jennie is so intense she feels the need to look away. "My name's Jiyong. I'm the substitute librarian."

Jennie blinks at him. "Substitute?"

"Yeah, the school called me yesterday, asking me to fill in. I might be here for the rest of the school year, depending." Jiyong isn't grinning anymore, but his sad eyes are still smiling somehow. Jennie doesn't know what to make of it.

"Oh," is all she says.

"Sorry," Jiyong shakes his head, "your name is?"

"Jennie Kim, uh, I'm kind of Dara's assistant. Or I guess I'm the librarian assistant technically. Sixth period."

Jiyong smiles at her again, bright and full, holding his hand out to her. "It's great to meet you, Jennie. I look forward to working with you."

"You too, Mr... uh..." Jennie trails off.

"Kwon. But really, you can just call me Jiyong if you want."

"Jiyong. Okay." She eyes Dara's vampire books, hidden on a low shelf in the corner of the book cage, wondering how she's going to get them out without making Jiyong suspicious. He seems nice enough, but he doesn't need to get wrapped up in the crazy vampire/ Slayer drama that consumes Jennie's life. He doesn't need to know about this stuff. He seems like a good guy and deserves to be able to sleep at night without having horrific nightmares about vampires or death or the kidnapping of babies.