Bury Us Alive | Hemlock Grove|

Chapter 1 | Self Fulfilled Prophecy

Nineteen.

Roman Godfrey was nineteen years old and he didn't like himself very much. But, not that many people would know that. He had spent his life puffing out his chest and acting confident. Sometimes even he forgot it was an act. It always came back to haunt him in moments like these- when he's quickly coming down and feeling what little serotonin he has left slipping away.

His whole body had been fully electrified, but it's slowly becoming numb again. The world around him starts feeling grey and bland again.

Emma lays almost still on the bed. It had been a long day- well not really. They had awoken in the afternoon and spent the rest of the sunlight swimming and relaxing on the deck of their villa. The villa's next to theirs was filled with small families on vacation. When they would walk past the parents in the evening the would side-eye them. Not in a judgmental way per se. They looked at them with some odd sense of nostalgia and jealousy. They, at one point, had also spent their weeks trashed on a vacation that daddy paid for.

In the sunshine, they split a couple of mojitos. Due to his upir birthright, Roman's tolerance was higher than she remembered. He was already a tall guy with the ability to drink most grown men under the table, but this was absurd. He often tippled the amount of her intake- whether in alcohol or other substances.

The resort knew it's clientele well enough to keep their minibar stocked and their eyes diverted from said substances.

Roman leans forward a bit, then lays over top of her. His face is buried in the comforter and stays still. She's sure he's asleep. Before she frees herself from his weight, he pushes himself up and back to life.

Regardless of those distractions, Roman Godfrey did not like himself very much. It's a moment of clarity in the haze he's been living in. He's stumbled over to a glass table and accidentally caught a glimpse of his reflection. In the flurry of white powder that's messily spread around, he sees just how tired he looks. He almost resembles the kid that had cut his chest right open while being blown- just to scare a woman.

He looks tired and sad. Roman closes his eyes to push it away. When he opens them he uses a card and pushes a line of the powder to cover his reflection. He leans forward and snorts it quickly then rubs his nose. With a quick bounce on the balls of his feet, he's back. This is who he wants to be all the time. Roman used his finger to gather the remaining, lone specks of cocaine.

Emma watches from the other side of the room as Roman haphazardly moves around. He had left her lying there on the bed without an explanation. She fades back into a haze and watches him walk back to the table. He moves awkwardly, naked, and stumbling over his own feet. It's silly enough to make her chuckle.

She closes her eyes and waits for him to come back. Emma thinks she might fall asleep until feels his fingers pressing at her lips. She complies and allows him to rub the remaining cocaine into her gums.

She opens her eyes at the sudden sensation and looks up at him.

Life had gone on whether he wanted it to or not. Every week that passed he became less and less confidant in finding Nadia. And with every drop in confidence, he'd find some way to fill its spot. That's when Roman began acting his age.

Through all of the distractions, guilt over losing Nadia lingered in his mind. Sometimes he would catch himself zoning out and forgetting where he is. It would only be a couple of seconds, but it would be difficult to shake off.

Emma had always prided herself on not developing any addictions. Well, drug addictions anyways. She had come to terms with the slight alcohol abuse that happened in her senior year of high school. But, at least she was a high functioning alcoholic. She had managed to make it through her fair share of school days with either a hangover or a small to moderate buzz.