Sarah woke up still sleepy, and the minute she sat up her cheeks caught on fire with all the strange places that ached with every little movement. Rubbing her eyes that refused to focus, she looked around to conclude that, once more, she was all alone.

Still, this time around, a smile touched her lips. She wouldn’t hastily judge him anymore. If he wasn’t there was because he’d been needed somewhere else.

Stretching, she combed her hair back with the tips of her fingers, tidying it up with a knot on the top of her head, and crawled towards the tray that had been placed on the floor, stealing a slice of bread and some strawberry jam.

She got up still licking her sticky fingers, and picked up her clothes, spread all over the place, which made her blush once again, until she felt the crumbled envelope she’d tuck in her pocket the night before. The clock on the bedside table marked eleven thirty, and she decided to take advantage of Alexis’ absence to go upstairs, take a shower and, after checking on Selena, take care of much more serious matters.

Making sure she had all her belongings, Sarah stole the last cookie from the tray and left the room, silently closing the door behind her. But the sound of voices stopped her from climbing the stairs. The torches on the wall were still burning and Sarah noticed that the other door had been left slightly ajar.

With her heart beating faster she slid over the wall as she recognized Alexis’ voice, and stopped completely when Aaran’s voice replied him, sounding tired as if he’d been insisting on the same point for a very long time.

“Why are you so stubborn?”

“It’s not a matter of being stubborn or not!”

“Alex! What are you really afraid of? Of what others might say? Or are you afraid of the Law?” Aaran insisted with an ironic tone that seemed to annoy Alexis. His anger caught her by surprise and Sarah quickly raised her mental defenses. Even if she wasn’t able to block him completely it became much less intense, allowing her to better manage his chaotic emotions.

“Neither!” he replied, raising his voice, and Aaran seemed to hesitate. Right then Sarah was sure she’d just been found out, like before, and so a sigh of relief escaped her lips when he went on.

“Very well. Then just say what you want to say. So that we can all understand you,” he challenged him in his usually indifferent tone and Sarah heard Alexis’ footsteps as he paced back and forth.

“She’s Human!” he finally declared in an explosion filled with despise, and Sarah felt as if a dark hole had been dug on her chest, stealing her breath away and her ability to think. “Nothing but a Human! And you know as well as I do that Humans only serve us for one night, and nothing else! That I might have anything more to do with one of them is just … unthinkable!”

Pain … Pain like she’d never felt before.

Sarah took a step back, not knowing what she was doing. The only thing occupying her mind was that she didn’t want … she couldn’t keep listening to that. And, when she thought she was about to collapse right there, her rational mind took over the situation and a bitter smile tore her lips.

As to be expected … Everything like I expected … Nothing more, nothing less … And yet her hands wouldn’t stop shaking, and no matter how clear her thoughts were, the pain that still threatened to choke her kept increasing, instead of diminishing.

She was running up the stairs the moment the first tears fell from her eyes. The strange murmurs filling the dark passage seemed to echo her pain, and as soon as she saw herself back on the living room she ran to open the blinds, pouring white light all over the compartment. She turned back, still panting, certain he’d followed her, but the silence that surrounded her made her feel even emptier.

I was wrong … I can’t stay here, after all. I can’t!

And her body immediately obeyed her thoughts as she climbed the stairs two at a time and stormed into her room.

The first thing she did was to make sure she opened the windows, inviting the light of the day to fill the room. She knew Alexis could only move through the shadows and didn’t want him looking for her once he found out she’d left his room.

Sarah took off her clothes on the way to the bathroom, careless leaving them all over the place, and turning on the cold water, stepped into the shower.

The shock of the icy water against her skin left her breathless and diluted the tears sliding down her cheeks. On the other hand, it helped her remain awake and rational. She’d leave that house as soon as possible, while it was still sunny outside. She’d take Selena with her. The airport. Certainly if she were to just buy a ticket somewhere neither Alexis nor Farran would be able to find her that easily. In the worst case it would still take them some time. And so, for the time being, she’d be safe. More important than anything, Selena would be safe. Maybe they could go on a travel, together, jumping from place to place until things calmed down. Maybe settle down somewhere, far away from all that mess. She was sure the University would write her a recommendation letter that would help her get another job, in some other town. It was the right thing to do, for herself and for Selena as well, and what she should have done right from the start.

By the time she turned off the water she’d already decided to go through with her plan and was completely focused on what had to be done. First she had to call her lawyer and give him an explanation. Surely no one would find it odd that she’d want to take her sister away for a few days after all they’d been through.

She put on the first pair of pants her hands reached and pulled a cotton sweatshirt over her head. Still standing she put on her sneakers, and, tucking the laces inside her shoes, almost ran out of the room. Unexpectedly enough, Selena’s room was empty, but she still got in and took the time to open the blinds before leaving again, running down the stairs.

“Selena?!” She peered into the living room and quickly turned towards the kitchen.

Sarah stopped by the door, taken aback for an instant. Selena was sitting at the central counter, with a bowl of white dough in front of her. With her hands smeared with flower and a smile on her lips, she seemed to be helping Anne with a new batch of her famous cookies.

“Selena?” she had to ask again, barely believing that her sister was right there, standing, in apparent perfect health, and the girl raised her head, offering her a warm smile.

“Oh, morning, Sarah,” she greeted her lightly, leaving her lost for a moment. It was if they were living in two different worlds.

“Good morning, miss,” Anne echoed in her usual maternal tone. “Would you like to have a seat? The first batch will be done in a few minutes,” she told her and Sarah shook her head, her attention completely focused on her sister.

“How are you feeling?”

“Great!” the girl answered pulling a handful of dough and molding it into small spheres. “You don’t have to worry. Anne even took my temperature and everything,” she added, complaining, and Anne placed both hands on her plump waist.

“Sure I did! The young master told me you were sick but then there you were, walking around the house at seven a.m.!” she criticized and Selena shrugged.

“I was tired of staying in bed.”

“Selena, come with me,” Sarah cut off, the mention of Alexis leaving a sharp pain in her chest, and Selena looked at her inquisitively.

“Why? What happened?” she asked, obeying nevertheless, and Sarah put on a smile for Anne’s sake.

“Nothing, really. I just need to talk to you for a minute,” she replied and Anne nodded briefly, as if giving her consent to take her away, although she still looked intrigued.

Selena followed her sister into the corridor, and as soon as they were out of Anne’s sight, Sarah grabbed her hand and practically dragged upstairs.

“Sarah? What’s wrong? You’re freezing!” she noticed, looking down at the hand sill holding hers, and Sarah stopped in front of her new room, holding her by the shoulders to face her.

“Listen carefully. I want you to go in there, grab some of your clothes and put them in a bag. We’re leaving.”

“Why? What happened? I thought this was your friend’s house,” the girl insisted, unable to understand, and Sarah took a deep breath, trying to calm down a bit.

“And it is. But we’re not staying here any longer. It’s time we go our own way. What do you say we just go and spend a few days in Las Vegas? You always wanted to go there.”

Selena nodded slowly, forcing her brain to keep up with what her sister was telling her, and frowned.

“Yeah, but … what about your work? And school?”

“We’ll just take a few days off. I think we deserve it, don’t you?” Selena was silent for a moment, as if pondering on her suggestion, and Sarah felt as the sharp pain returned, little by little. She had to get out of that house, the sooner the better. She had to return to her own world immediately. Or she’d be lost in the shadows forever, unable to find her way back. “Please, Selena … just for a few days.”

Selena just looked at her, as if she could see beyond her sister’s words, and when she spoke again her voice sounded strangely serious and mature.

“All right, Sarah. We’ll do as you want,” she declared and, for an instant, Sarah couldn’t help feel as if something strange had just occurred. But then Selena was smiling again, and all her doubts just melted away. The important thing was that she’d agreed and a sigh of relief escaped her lips when Selena went to her room to do as she’d been told. If everything went well they could be leaving that house in just a few minutes.