[i]"Can you believe that? Must be some kind of weird satanic cult thing."[/i]

Mila had hesitated for a moment, before making some sort of vague sound of agreement. “Mm. It’s certainly…unusual.” She cleared her throat lightly. “I wonder if they’ll ever catch the person responsible.” She saw Charlie glance at her, but for once she avoided meeting her eyes. She was bothered by the look of disgust and awe on the girl’s face – more than she should have been. In fact, Mila should have been [i]entertained[/i] by the irony of it all. Instead, it felt like a veil had been pulled back on a very unpleasant truth. She felt uncomfortably exposed.

Luckily, watching Charlie’s expression as she struggled briefly to open the wine bottle was a pleasant distraction. Mila’s own face cracked a smile at her roommate’s cute victory grin as she finally managed to pop the cork. She never ceased to be adorable. Mila took the offered wine glass and lifted it, as if to take a sip. She peered at Charlie from over the top of her drink, the corner of her mouth quirking up again when she spotted that unconscious nibble at her lip. “I like it,” she said, meaning the wine. “Good choice.”

[i]"Just so you know, I can be a bit of a wimp at times,"[/i] she heard Charlie say as the eerie music began to play. Mila looked over at her and gave her a playful smirk. “Aw~” she cooed, “I might have to tease you about that.” Her voice dropped lower as the movie opened on the first scene. “Good thing there are a few pop out moments in this~”

For the first few minutes of the movie, all she could think about was thought of Charlie burying her face into her shoulder at some scary scene, and how she would have to resist the urge to draw her in closer. It was better to dwell on something else instead, something that [i]didn’t[/i] whet her appetite. Like the silly weaknesses of the vampire in the film. Sensitive to sunlight, repelled by garlic, all this nonsense about wooden stakes through the heart. How inconvenient it would be not to be able to use a mirror. Fortunately her occasional chuckles could easily be attributed to the cheesy dated acting. 

But there were a few scenes, the ones that made the movie a classic, that seriously tested her resolve. They had reached the part of the film when the vampire had the girl in a backward embrace, her body limp and yielding to his caresses as he hovered over her neck. In her mind, the actress’s face dissolved into Charlie’s, her mouth forming something similar to that “O” shape she’d seen when she’d surprised the girl earlier. 

Suddenly she felt Charlie’s eyes on her.

Even without turning to look at her Mila could tell that her roommate was watching her closely. The flickering light from the television played across the vampire’s sharp features as she continued to stare at the screen, her attention divided between the girl’s staring eyes, the impending bite on the sceen, and the drunken sway of bloodlust clouding over her senses. Had it not been so dark, her roommate might have seen how black her pupils had become as Mila slowly glanced over at her. The dim light did little to impair Mila’s vision, however; she was very much aware of Charlie’s large, curious eyes and the warm pulse beneath her skin. The vampire met her gaze steadily. Her posture was languid, eyes half-lidded – the only sign of tension was in her jaw, which was faintly flexing.

“…I wonder why vampires are so popular,” she said, her voice smooth and deep. That tended to happen when the frenzy started coming on. It was as if her body did everything in its power to be more attractive, all the better to lure the innocents. “Books, movies, tv shows, they’re everywhere.” The actress on the screen let out a little gasp as the vampire sank his teeth into her neck. Mila’s eyes flickered in response as she continued to look at Charlie. “She seems to like it, doesn’t she.” A smile now would have revealed two long fangs sharp enough to pierce the skin. But her expression at the moment was impassive.