[indent][hr][center][img]https://txt-dynamic.static.1001fonts.net/txt/dHRmLjcyLjAwYjdlMC5UR2xzYVdVZ1JHbHZibTVsLjAA/velocity-demo.regular.png[/img][/center]
[hr][indent]

The nonsensical tone that rang from her phone didn't sound like her ringtone or her alarm. As she slowly opened her eyes, she could see that the screen was different, too. As she stifled a yawn, she grabbed her phone, blinking a few times in the brightness of it as her eyes adjusted. The screen showed that it was a Skype call, the picture of a scowling chestnut haired young man who seemed to be yelling at what appeared to be a bird on a windowsill pecking at some baked goods that had been there.

Eyes widening, Lilie picked up immediately, and after a second of the call connecting, she could see the young man in person, considerably less grumpy. He looked like he was driving, eyes focused on the road, though he threw her a glance. 

[Color=1E90FF]“Good morning,”[/color] He greeted her. [Color=1E90FF]“Are you still in bed?”[/color]

Lilie could have cried right there and then, but her happiness took a hold of her first. [Color=00BBFF]“Good morning, Ren!”[/color] She returned his greeting enthusiastically, immediately sitting up. She couldn't believe she was actually getting to talk to her brother right now, her attempt at trying to get her sleep schedule in place having always just missed him whenever she had a chance. At his latter comment she stole a glance at the time, surprised it was only eleven in the morning. She felt like she had been asleep for much longer. [Color=00BBFF]“Yeah, I'm trying to get used to the reverse cycle sort of thing, I'm supposed to be staying up all night and sleeping during the day.”[/color]

He nodded in understanding, fingers tapping the steering wheel. [Color=1E90FF]“I meant to call you sooner, but I thought you'd still be figuring stuff out, I didn't want to add to that,”[/color] He said, hands turning the wheel.

[Color=00BBFF]“It's going to take me more than a couple of days to figure [i]anything[/i] out,”[/color] She admitted as she leaned against the headboard, freely admitting her frustration. [Color=00BBFF]“I already got reprimanded.”[/color]

[hider=The Rest of the Skype Call]Letting out a dramatic gasp, he held one hand to his chest, his breathing quickening. [Color=1E90FF]“Oh no! The perfect student actually got in trouble?! Call the fire marshal, inform the press, Lilie Dionne is a menace to society!”[/color] He wailed, albeit he broke out of it as the car came to a stop, giving her a deadpan look. [Color=1E90FF]“What did you do, offend some vampire by not getting on your knees and treating them like the Queen?”[/color]

[Color=00BBFF]“Joke all you want, I got paired with an actual [i]noble[/i],”[/color] Lilie informed him. [Color=00BBFF]“So offending someone is bound to happen, and then I'll get executed, and then we'll see who's still laughing.”[/color]

[Color=1E90FF]“Damn, Lilie, I was kidding.”[/color] Ren frowned as he turned off the car, leaning back in his seat. [Color=1E90FF]“Is it that bad?”[/color]

She was pretty stressed out, especially after already messing things up with Mariette, but she wasn't sure if she should tell him. Ultimately she decided against it; there was no point in worrying him. Besides, she didn't get beaten like she thought she would, so no harm, no foul. She probably wasn't going to be able to look Mariette in the eye for a while considering the whole ‘bloody tears’ thing, though. That was going to haunt her nightmares for days to come, for sure.

[Color=00BBFF]“I'm just stressed, I can't tell you a lot about it, but there's a lot I'm going to have to learn and no one to actually show me what to do,”[/color] She continued to voice her gripes. [Color=00BBFF]“I'm probably going to have to learn proper manners and etiquette or whatever, on top of whatever else I have to learn here, so…”[/color]

Ren nodded in understanding, thumb flicking his nose as he crossed his arms. [Color=1E90FF]“You're a smart kid, you'll figure it out,”[/color] He assured her, his faith in her being exactly what she needed to hear right now. [Color=1E90FF]“So day three now, how are you getting along with the other kids?”[/color]

Lilie brightened up, glad to tell her brother something positive. [Color=00BBFF]“I've made two new friends!”[/color] She replied excitedly. [Color=00BBFF]“One is named Salem, he's super nice and friendly, and when he gets excited he just goes off, it's hard to follow but he means well, I think,”[/color] She paused for a moment, hoping Salem wouldn't be too mad at her tomorrow. [Color=00BBFF]“And the other one is named Aaron, we actually had a spar earlier today--last night, sorry, and he's already able to use his magic, so I'm hoping I can kinda watch and learn from him,”[/color] And get some payback for her defeat.

Ren raised his eyebrows, rolling his head to the side. [Color=1E90FF]“Didn't you make any girl friends?”[/color] He asked.

[Color=00BBFF]“I met one of my neighbors that's a girl. But we didn't get to talk much,”[/color] She frowned. [Color=00BBFF]“And the countess is, well, a countess, so…”[/color]

Scowling at her, Ren uncrossed his arms as he threw them up, exasperated. [Color=1E90FF]“Then stick to them and forget the guys,”[/color] He insisted. 

[Color=00BBFF]“This isn't high school, Ren. I'm going to be too busy learning about magic and trying not to upset my vampire instead of thinking about boys, if that's what you're worried about,”[/color] She chided him. [Color=00BBFF]“I have to just...do this. I'll figure it out, like you said. So don't worry about me.”[/color]

Opening his mouth to retort, he seemed to catch something she said, his frown settling on his expression. [Color=1E90FF]“I'm never not going to worry about you, so you just need to deal with that,”[/color] He told her sternly, albeit he had a rather soft look in his eyes. [Color=1E90FF]“Here or there, I'm...listen, Lilie, it doesn't matter what the time is, if you need me you just have to call. I mean it.”[/color]

Lilie watched Ren’s image on her phone, finding herself wishing she could hug him. [Color=00BBFF]“I know. Thank you,”[/color] She gave him a genuine smile as she rubbed her eye, feeling some tears biting at her. [Color=00BBFF]“Um, I'm going to try to sleep, but I'll make sure to call you again before I go to class. I promise.”[/color]

[Color=1E90FF]“Alright. Take care of yourself.”[/color][/hider]

As she ended the call, Lilie let out a breath she wasn't aware she was holding. Everything she had been holding back seemed to sneak up on her all at once. Ren had seen right through her without her having to admit how alone she felt right now, how lost and confused she was. But she couldn't admit it to him, knowing he had his schooling and the family business to deal with. Any issues that would arise would have to be dealt with on her own. 

Part of her felt trapped, knowing that this was going to be her life going forward. There was no going back to how things used to be, the only thing she had to look forward to was being with an eccentric vampire for the rest of her life. It was a suffocating thought, and one that caused her great distress anytime it came to mind. But she also felt alone with that sense of dread; seeing her future classmates and texting Aaron told her that all of this was normalcy with them, that this was to be expected. No one was freaking out or worrying like she was, everyone was taking things with stride, falling in line as they should be, as she needed to be. She just needed to get her head in that mindset, too, no matter how scared she was. 

Looking at her phone, part of her had wished she had been able to speak to Aaron about some of her thoughts. But it was probably too personal to indulge so much to someone you had just met, right? He might think she was weird, and she was desperate for human friends. The very last thing she wanted was to alienate him, and he actually texted her back, so she wanted to think that he wanted to get along with her, too, so no use in ruining a good thing.

Making herself comfortable, she found herself thinking about what her brother said about making friends. Hopefully Salem wouldn't be too upset with her, she could find him tomorrow and apologize properly, and she could try to make friends with Cassandra, too. She still wasn't sure what she was going to do about any vampires, her experience from them soured already. Mariette was a complete mystery, she needed to decide how she was going to handle living with her.

[i][color=DDA0DD]"However, one day I will be taking you away from everything and everyone that you know, back to my manor. You'll be allowed to visit your family and friends, but you'll always have to come back to me."[/color][/i]

That terrible dread threatened to creep up on her again, causing Lilie to huff as she shook her head. The countess was giving herself too much credit; Lilie had already been taken away from her old life, everything going forward didn't mean anything to her. Not yet, anyway. Taking in a deep breath, she made herself comfortable as she closed her eyes.If she was going to lose it on the third day, then she was just pathetic. Everything was just going to take some getting used to, that's all.


Despite going back to bed within the hour, Lilie ended up getting out of bed at around two in the afternoon. She genuinely tried to sleep more, but her body refused. It didn't seem like staying asleep was an option, and though she was aware Mariette would still be asleep, she found herself getting bored in her room. Quietly putting herself in the kitchen, her hungry stomach was telling her to make herself something to eat, though she was distracted by how nice the kitchen was. Everything about this place was so [i]fancy[/i], even the cookware was high quality.

She ended up cooking herself a late breakfast (or would it be lunch at this point?) with whatever she found in the fridge, cleaning everything shortly afterwards and putting everything back before realizing that she didn't know what to do with herself for the rest of the day. If yesterday was any indication, then classes wouldn't start until late evening. 

Oh boy.

After doing everything she could possibly think of, Lilie ended up sitting outside, watching the forest move with the wind as the sun started to set on the horizon. It was a beautiful view and the sun felt nice; she had no idea why she felt like it had been forever since she had felt it on her skin. Despite knowing sitting on the wall was probably inappropriate, she figured as long as she wasn't seen, she would be fine. She had shot Aaron a quick text to see if he was awake, but being up during the day seemed to be out of the ordinary. It was so [i]strange[/i] to see a place so empty during daylight, but she supposed she needed to get used to it.

Now was as good a time as ever to decide what she was going to do about Mariette. Ignoring her probably wasn't an option, but interacting with her seemed like it was going to be difficult. Maybe she could request a new partner. Placing her head on her hands, she let out a groan. Maybe she could just run away somewhere and go into hiding or something. Running her hands over her face, Lilie's mind was abuzz with trying to figure out how to handle the vampire. She needed some advice. Eyeing her phone, she wondered what Aaron and Salem would do in this situation. Maybe they got along better with their vampires better than she did. Or at least, they would have a better idea than she did.

[/indent][hr][/indent]
[right][sub]mentioned: [@MsMorningstar][@Obscene Symphony][@Trainerblue192][/sub][/right]