Empire of Vampires ✔️

Chapter Twenty-Four

Present day

Marie boinged happily on the trampoline. After two weeks with no incidents the school had finally lifted their ban, and had even cancelled classes for the day to take the kids on a trip to the fair. It was a much-needed break; everyone was relieved when the news had reported there would be no more murders now that the mountains were free of the flower. The twins were however still set to visit the crater that weekend as planned, knowing full well that the reporters rarely went there.

The two boys had gone off to play fair games and Marie was contemplating going to join them, when out of the corner of her eye she glimpsed a flash of red. Turning, she saw a stunning scarlet-haired girl.

Remembering their last encounter, Marie felt an uncomfortable sense of guilt. She'd tried to speak to Georgie a few days later but the girl had been nowhere to be found. Marie had only caught glimpses of red since the incident on the staircase. But, within a blink of an eye they'd been gone.

Making up her mind to put things right, Marie jumped on to the grass and went to the candy floss cart where Georgie was currently picking a flavour.

'Hiya!' Georgie called out as she saw her, smiling benignly as if she hadn't just spent the past two weeks going to great lengths to avoid the smaller girl.

'Hi.' Marie paused, feeling quite uncharacteristically awkward. 'I just wanted to, uh-

She dug her hands into her pockets, looking down at the stone she was kicking while Georgie waited expectantly.

'I'm sorry about what happened that day,' Marie blurted out quickly, 'I shouldn't have just left you when you were feeling like that.'

'That's okay.'

'Is it?' Marie asked, a little too hopeful that she was simply let off the hook.

Georgie shot her a look. 'It became okay, I had other people to talk to. Anyway.' She stopped to shrug. 'I get why you left.'

Marie looked up questioningly. She herself didn't quite know why.

'You can't handle it when anything gets too deep or messy; your only option is to run.'

'Wow, I expected you'd be mad but I didn't think you'd psychoanalyse me,' she joked, only serving to prove her own light-hearted attitude.

Georgie laughed. 'I might've pondered on it a while. Anyway, enough about that. Do you like candy floss?' she asked, changing the subject.

'Love it!' Temporarily forgetting she couldn't each human food, Marie accepted the big blue ball Georgie handed her. She sniffed it in interest while the other girl bought a green one for herself.

'I can never decide between green apple and blueberry, now we can have both!' she exclaimed.

Marie smiled and absently waved it around a bit, realizing she couldn't eat it anyway, and then suggested they try the bouncy castle. It was even better than the trampoline and she wouldn't be expected to eat much whilst bouncing.

They boinged around for a while, exchanging their sticks now and then with Georgie unwittingly finishing them both.

'It's all over your face!' Marie giggled, bouncing over and wiping her sticky hand over the other girl's nose with the best of intentions.

'It wasn't until now!' the human exclaimed, pushing Marie down and pinning her in retaliation as she buried her sticky face in the cropped, black hair.

'Stop stop, my heavenly locks!' Marie laughed, trying unsuccessfully to push the sticky girl off of her own cleanliness. Her hands wound around the long scarlet hair and it fell on her face in silky waves, the scent of raspberry filling the air.