I feel a switch flip in my mind, something snatching the final part of me that feels normal and connected to the rest of the world. My face scrunches up, ignoring the intensity of Alex's eyes as I shake my head. 

    "No," I breathe, dropping my hands from his body and scooting back. I don't miss the way his face contorts in pain, looking betrayed as I refuse to make eye contact with him, "You're mistaken, Alex,"

    "Mic..." He begins. I shake my head once more, pushing myself to a stand and rubbing my sweaty hands on my jeans. Alex pushes up beside me, trying to catch my eye, "How could you not believe me?"

     "You don't know what you saw! You said think, you think-"

    "I know it was Alis," He dead-pans, grabbing my shoulders and holding me still as if to make the sternness in his voice more deadly. I clench my jaw, looking at him as I feel my chest heave. 

    "You were probably fucking drunk like you always are," I scoff, tossing his hands off of me and stepping away from him. I turn my back to him, looking up to try and calm my racing heartbeat. I feel disgusted with myself for how I'm responding to him, but I can't bring myself to stop. 

    "Are you serious?" He snaps, clear anger in his voice as he spins me around, his eyes a tinge of red. He can't control everything completely yet, especially with high emotions. Except, I don't take the signs of danger, my anger pushing me forward.

    "Yes, Alex, I am serious," I mock, glaring at him as he glares right back, his mouth open slightly in shock. "Forgive me if I don't trust your blood-induced vision," 

    "You can be such a dick sometimes, Mic," He laughs bitterly, shaking his head as he looks down at me with anger and slight disgust. "I died, I was murdered! I stood by you for years without ever really knowing anything about your life and now? Now, you can barely even look at me-"

     "I didn't want to go to that party in the first place," I cut him off, lifting my hands and shoving him away from me. I bite the inside of my cheek, stopping myself from allowing my voice to break or tears to show in my eyes. 

    Thomas steps between us, cutting off my vision of Alex's red eyes as Thomas holds a hand up in front of Alex.

    "Let's just calm the hell down," Thomas's suggestion sounds more like an instruction.

    "Man, fuck off. Of course, you'd defend her!" Alex scoffs, throwing his hand up in defeat in my direction. 

     "Hey, no one's picking sides but you need to get it together before you lose control," Thomas says, angling his body in front of Alex with his back to me. 

    I feel Levi appear at my side, his hand grabbing my bare shoulder as he begins to try to remove me from the situation.

    "Back off, Levi," I lash out, spinning to throw his hand away from me, my hair fanning down my back. I see his eyes flick down to my neck, his already pale skin losing a layer of colour. It takes a second before I realise, my hand lifting up to pull my hair back over my shoulder. But, I wasn't quick enough.

    By the time I glance over to Thomas, I see his eyes still stuck on the covered space of my neck before he slowly shifts his gaze upwards, landing on his friend beside me. 

    "Uh oh," I hear Yasmin mutter. From my peripheral, I see her stand up and move in front of Leila just as Thomas settles his glare on the Vampire beside me.

    "What did you do?" Thomas asks lowly, the stillness in his voice sending a chill down my spine.

    "Tommy-"

     "What the hell did you do, Levi?" Thomas's voice raises in volume, his feet carrying him until he's right in front of Levi with his collar in his hands. Thomas picks him up, stepping back until Levi's back lands against the wall. 

    "Calm down, Tommy," Levi responds, shoving Thomas away from him as they both glare at each other, "You took blood from her too,"

    "Not in the same way!" He snaps, his fists clenching at his side.

    I turn to Yasmin, looking at her with wide eyes and confusion as I step closer to her, "What the fuck is his problem?"

    "Wish I could say, babe. But, another one of those..." He trails off, lifting her hand up to pretend to zip her mouth closed, insinuating that she's been compelled against doing so. She then looks me up and down, a small amused smirk on her face, "Levi? Really?"

    "Ew, ew, ew," Leila grimaces from behind her, lifting her hands to cover her ears and pretend to gag. 

    Before I have a chance to say anything, Thomas grabs Levi and they both disappear out of the open window to my left. I turn to the window, Yasmin at my side as she peers down at the two boys now on ground level.

    "Fuck sake," Yasmin sighs, a gush of wind hitting my face as she too speeds to join them and break up their argument.

    I turn from the window, looking to Alex who only nods, understanding what I'm asking him without any verbal words. He sits beside Leila, watching her as I run out of the door and down the flight of stairs in the apartment building, the elevator too slow for me to consider it.

    Busting through the door, rain hits my exposed arms and dampens my hair, my body ignoring the uncomfortable feeling as I run to the side of the building. The second the three Vampires enter my sights, I catch the end of a conversation I really wish I had heard fully.

    "... we were told to protect her! You know what drinking from the neck means," Thomas yells.

    I reach the group, Yasmin standing in between the two like a wall of peace. 

    "Why do you care so much, huh?" Levi yells, both of them stepping closer and almost sealing Yasmin in between them. 

    "What the hell is wrong with the both of you?" I shout over the rain, stepping into both their line of view. I look at Thomas, waiting to see anything on his locked face that may point me in the right direction. "This is so fucking dramatic,"

    "If you knew everything, you'd get it," Thomas shakes his head, refusing to remove his eyes from his friend. "Neck feeding puts venom in your blood meaning, if you get hurt, you'll bleed out faster,"

   "What?" I gape, furrowing my eyebrows and turning to Levi. How did I not know this? That seems like something Alis should have told me in my training. 

    "I don't know about you, Tommy. But, I don't plan on her getting injured anytime soon," Levi mocks, ignoring my gaze as he glares at Thomas.

    "You can't guarantee that and you know it," Thomas yells, his eyes flashing red as he only gets angrier. He steps around Yasmin, getting closer to Levi and shoving him, "You think that was your risk to take without even asking her, huh? You're so fucking selfish,"

   "Can we stop this?" I jump in as Yasmin stands between them once more, turning and shoving Thomas away from Levi. I join Yasmin in the middle, turning to Levi with a clenched jaw, "Why didn't you tell me?"

    "You're a hunter, I thought you already knew," He defends. I look away from him, my brain hurting at the notion of him being right. How could I not know something like that? All the other things are just little facts but bleeding out faster? That's different. 

     If Alis really did kill Alex as a human and now might be leaving out essential information, that doesn't look good. But, Alis couldn't be evil, she may have a tough exterior but I've seen behind her shell. She does care deep down, my brain can't process her being evil. 

    "Who told you to protect me?" I ask another question, trying to piece everything together. All the small bits of information are only giving me a headache, everything adding another detail to the scheme. 

    All three of them look at each other, and none of them move to make a signal noise or move to answer me. I drop my arms in frustration, turning my back to them and walking off towards the car park.

    "Where are you going?" Yasmin shouts after me.

    "To get answers!" I shout back, entering the building until I'm all the way back into Alex's apartment, dripping water off of my soaking wet skin. 

    Leila and Alex watch silently as I close my jacket over my arms and pick my keys up from the armchair. I walk over to Leila and Alex, holding my keys tightly in my palm as I avoid Alex's gaze.

    "I'm... I regret reacting that way," I fumble for the right words, finally looking up at him. He looks at me sadly as if he can see right through me to my core the way he always has.

    "Is that your famous apology?" He grins, reaching his hand out to hold mine in a reassuring way, "I accept your apology, Mic. I always will. Whatever you need to do, do it. I'll stay with her," 

    Nodding, I quickly reach to kiss Leila on the forehead, ignoring how she shoos me away like an overbearing mother. If my plan goes horribly wrong, I don't want to just walk out the door with a rough goodbye and wave.

    I want her to have a better goodbye.