Colette shifted her blanket, searching for the right words.
"Well…I'm not sure how to explain this, but it was Catalina," she uttered uncomfortably. "It wasn't the first time either…I remember what happened in the gym storage room too. Her eyes do strange things and dilate right before the odd memory lapses hit me."
As Colette turned her gaze toward Theo, she noticed that he was visibly seething in a barely suppressed rage. His pupils reacted to his rage as they curved into slits, while he clenched his hands into fists. Colette, startled, thought she had upset him with the news.
"I'm really sorry, Theo," she muttered, disappointed.
Immediately, Theo softened his eyes and grabbed her hand. "I should be the one apologizing to you," he sighed softly. "This would have never happened if I hadn't introduced you two…"
Feeling guilty, Colette impulsively revealed, "She probably likes you…I mean she's really pretty, and -"
"Colette. Regardless of all of that, she will never do this to you again. Besides, I'm not interested in her." Theo picked up her hand, inspecting the purplish discolored skin left over from bruises of her IV. Without thinking, he gently kissed the back of her hand and rose from his seat. "I'll come check on you again later."
Colette was speechless, her face burning red as a blush crept up her neck. Theo stumbled out of the room, his forced smile cracking as he desperately tried to ignore the sinking feeling in his gut.
Natalie came back into the room, having just missed the interaction between Theo and Colette. "The nurse gave an update. They'll likely discharge you by the weekend after observing you for a few more days…but why is your face so red? Are you okay?" Natalie asked concerned, placing her hand on Colette's forehead.
"I-I'm fine! I just overheated for a second," Colette replied as she fanned her face to cool herself down. What was that all about Theo?! She thought to herself.
"Hey mom, by any chance is the bag I had on me around?"
"Yeah, actually, it's in the closet. Did you need it?" Natalie instinctively headed over to the closet to pass it to Colette.
Sifting through the bag, Colette pulled out the grey knitting piece she had packed. Now that her memory was back, she realized the hat was meant for Theo. Finishing it was the least she could do to thank him for everything he had done.
Meanwhile, Theo never made it to school. The Catalina problem was on his heavy on his mind, so he used the morning to strategize his approach. Although he desperately wanted to lash out at her, he knew he needed to proceed discreetly. He was, after all, defending a human. He hated the thought, but he knew a simple way to get her by herself.
Midway through the day, Catalina received a text message from Theo: Hey…I thought about what you said in the hallway the other day. Did you want to go out tonight? We can meet in the city. Catalina was absolutely elated. She quickly responded, I'll meet you at 10pm tonight. She flipped her hair in satisfaction as she thought, "so he finally came to his senses."
*****
As night fell in the city, it became the perfect time for vampires, as clubs and lounges switched their neon signs to signal the start of the night. Mimicking the moon's soft glow, the luminescent lights cast an ethereal, mesmerizing light across the scene; their gentle hum adding to the allure.
Catalina's beaming smile lit up the city streets as she marched proudly, her heart brimming with happiness and a sense of accomplishment. With no humans around and Theo's date invitation, she was elated. She went all out getting ready: high ponytail, little black dress, and black heels. Despite the 20 degree weather, she was radiant, un-phased by the cold.
In the distance, she spotted Theo leaning on the brick wall outside. His clothing was simple and far less extravagant than Catalina's flamboyant attire. That's what he wore tonight? Catalina thought, unimpressed but also undeterred.
"Hey," she said, leaning closer, eyes sparkling.
"Hey…you're a little overdressed, don't you think?" Theo quipped, sarcastically.
Catalina flipped her hair arrogantly. "I look great…would it kill you to drop a compliment?" She tugged at his wrist and pulled him into the lounge.
It was clear to Theo that he'd have to hide how much he disliked her. She droned on and on, her voice a dull murmur as she recounted the insignificant details of her day, each word less distinct than the last. Theo couldn't understand how she could remain so cheerful, so oblivious, knowing the wicked things she'd done to Colette; a chilling indifference washed over him.
Catalina was three drinks deep before she noticed Theo clearly wasn't listening to her. Worried, she asked, "So Theo…what made you want to come out?"
Overcoming his disgust, Theo finished his drink and said, "Do you want to get out of here?" He headed for the exit before she had a chance to say anything.
"O-oh sure! Wait for me!" She quickly gathered her things and met him at the exit, where he opened the door for her, guiding her out.
Theo grabbed her hand and lead her to the closest alley way. Mislead by his intentions, Catalina's cheeks burned, and her heart raced as she swooned over him.
"There's something I wanted to ask you…" Theo stated as he backed her against the brick wall.
"Yes?" she questioned as she readied herself. She was certain their feelings were mutual. Bringing his hand to her chin, he tilted her head up as he leaned in. Is he going to kiss me? She thought as her mind raced.
She closed her eyes before he whispered into her ear, "How can you live with yourself?… I know what you did to Colette."
Instantly, Catalina smacked his hand away from her face and hissed, "What are you going on about now?"
"Why did you put a glamour on her? Are you that intimidated by a human girl?…Real pathetic Catalina." Theo scoffed and continued, "This is your last warning…stay away from her."
"Hah, stay away from her?…You'll be lucky if I don't suck her dry by this point. That troublesome blood bag is a distraction for you!" In a menacing tone, she continued, "Don't worry Theo, I'll make it painless for your little pet."
With a blinding rage of fury, Theo lost control and punched the wall beside her. With his fangs bared, he threatened Catalina, "Enough of your bullshit, Catalina!…I have every right to report you to the school board for endangering the humans."
"Hypocrite," she mentioned sarcastically as she pointed to the hole Theo punched in the wall beside her. "You mean to tell me you haven't been consuming human blood? If I had to take a guess, you've been drinking from the little blood bag."
Theo stared at the deep gash on his fist, the raw, pulsing wound a testament to the rage that had driven him to punch the wall so hard. "I …"
Catalina pushed Theo back and continued, "Don't worry, Theo. The more I think about things, the more I think I'm better off transferring to an all vampire school. Just remember, this is only the start of a painful journey for you and your beloved human... It's truly unfortunate. You could be so much more." She flipped her hair and walked off proudly. "You haven't seen the last of me, Theo, not by a long shot."
He examined the damaged wall, a jagged hole marred by his fist, and then his bleeding hand, stinging with a sharp pain. Considering the night flights and this newfound strength, he questioned the validity of Catalina's words. Just two days earlier, he had consumed a large quantity of Colette's blood. Does human blood really have this effect on vampires?
His hand continued to drip blood on the ground, each drop a dark stain against the dry earth, and he tasted the metallic tang of his own blood as he licked his wound. Sadly, he wasn't lucky enough to be able to heal his own wounds. Running to the nearest convenience store, he bought gauze to treat his hand. Theo still intended to go back to the hospital to check on Colette for the night.
He finally reached the hospital after 1 AM. He was sure she'd be asleep, yet he found her knitting.
"What are you still doing up?…and how are you feeling?" He asked.
"I've only been sleeping for the last two days, right? I can't sleep…Besides I was just finishing up something." She added a few more stitches, finishing the grey knit hat. "You came just in time, actually…I made this hat for you."
Surprised, Theo questioned, "For me? How come?"
"Well, for starters, you saved me again. I've also been wanting to give you this for a while… You always say you aren't cold, but your red ears tell a different story. I couldn't resist knitting you a hat for the cold."
A blush crept onto Theo's cheeks as he hesitantly reached for the hat, his fingers brushing against the soft felt. "T-thank you."
Colette noticed his bandaged hand and quickly grabbed it. "What happened to your hand?!"
"It's a long story, but I assure you I'm fine."
Colette puffed her cheeks in disagreement. "I'll be the judge of that." She mentioned as she started peeling back his bandages. Despite the bandages being soaked in blood, there was no visible sign of injury on his knuckles, much to her surprise.
"Oh? I guess it healed already." That was really fast…even for a vampire, he thought to himself.
Colette sighed in relief, "At least you're okay…but I'd love to know you got an injury like that."
"I can tell you another day…you should seriously get some rest," he ordered as he put the knit hat on.
Closing her eyes, Colette laid down. "That hat is cute on you," she whispered.
Theo blushed, then turned off the lights in her room. Even though he felt relieved, he couldn't shake his concern over Catalina's last words.