While Julie and Roman had already started to plan their future days together, after an hour, in the next dorm, Melanie had just entered the room after showering. She had a dazed look on her face, resembling a zombie as she had barely got a wink of sleep after her conversation with Conner.

  She sighed loudly before pulling the towel from her head, in which she had wrapped her wet hair. Her thoughts went back to last night before she had left the boy's Dormitorium. She had not responded to Conner's words and had instead dodged by saying she was tired. Escaping from there as soon as she could.

  "Why now?!" Melanie questioned the wall before frowning deeply. This was not how things were supposed to happen, but then what exactly was supposed to happen? She asked herself.

  While she got ready, picking up her clothes, even though she doubted she would leave her dorm today, she didn't know how to deal with things anymore. Maybe the best was to let things be. However it was, she thought to herself. But what good would that bring?

  Melanie had been in love with Conner for so long that it had taken every ounce of effort and willpower in her to stop those feelings. And though they weren't completely gone, someone else had slipped or seeped into her mind.

  Simon Wallace, the red-headed vampire.

  It wasn't like she was in love with him, or they held any relationship with each other. But then why?

  "Why do I feel like I am going to do something very very wrong?" She shook her head, feeling goosebumps forming on her skin.

  When she was done wearing her clothes, Melanie combed her hair, standing in front of the mirror. After a few seconds, she heard someone knock on the door, and Melanie believed it was Julie as it was time for breakfast. They always headed out of the dorms to the lunchroom at this hour. With a lack of appetite and stress running through her veins, which was related to the heart and mind, she opened the door and said,

  "I don't think I will be joining you and Conner at the lunchroom today. Can you bring—"

  Melanie stopped mid-sentence when she saw it wasn't her friend Julie, but a vampire whose hair was red and a little cross hung on one side of his ear.

  "What are you doin—Simon!" said Melanie when Simon entered her dorm and closed the door with a light thud. "What do you want?"

  "Do you even need to ask something so easy?" questioned Simon, and he looked around her room. "Wow, you sure are messy," he commented, looking at her things.

  Gone was the little glimpse of the good boy she had seen last night, and Simon was back to his usual antics. Melanie said, "I didn't get enough time to clean my room last night and with the exams, I needed all the references," she said, looking at the books that crowded the floor.

  "Of course, last night," replied Simon, with a hint of bitterness and a sour look on his face. "How can I forget," he offered her a quick fake smile before the smile dropped from his face.

  Melanie slightly frowned and noticed the bruise on his face, something she hadn't seen while leaving the Elders and others. She asked him, "Where did you get the bruise from?" She wondered if Simon regretted helping her yesterday.

  "The Elder's decided to punish me for helping you and Conner. For taking your side," Simon lied about it for his own benefit. He added, "Now I wonder if it was even worth it."

  Simon's words were a little snappish, and it hurt Melanie, unknown to her that the red-headed vampire had seen her being embraced by Conner. She pursed her lips and said, "I apologize for dragging you into this. I didn't take in the consequences and the trouble I was going to put you in." Her eyes lowered because she did drag him into her trouble.

  "You should be," Simon took the opportunity to put the frustration that had built and piled since last night. "So did you both reconcile? Are you a couple now?" he asked her.

  "Huh?" responded Melanie, for a moment not getting it. She then said, "No, we aren't."

  "So did you decide to give him time, so that you can bring your feelings back the way they were? But then considering how you wanted to save him, putting your life on line, maybe they still are in there," remarked Simon, his tone still crisp like a child, who was throwing a tantrum.

  "It has nothing to do with you," said Melanie, and they stared at each other without breaking eye contact.

  Simon took a step forward, and Melanie tilted her head before taking one step back. He said, "It has nothing to do with me? I would beg to differ." His crystal green eyes stared into hers, "So what is your answer going to be?"

  "I didn't sleep enough and would like to sleep right now," replied Melanie, and Simon rolled his eyes. Why did both the boys decide that she had to decide an answer? If Simon had not told her about his family and what had happened, she would have rudely told him that he was someone she would never fall for. But then, she wasn't that heartless. "It is also very rude to be intruding into a girl's dorm doors without permission."

  Simon raised his eyebrows and asked her, "Would you prefer I make sure of the windows next time? Not that I mind, but just for the record, your windows face the front side of the Dormitorium and people might think something fishy is going on, not that I mind," he explained it to her.

  Melanie closed her eyes, not wanting to scold him, and the next time she opened her eyes, Simon's face was right in front of her.

  Startled, Melanie quickly moved backwards to end up placing her foot on one of the books. Before she could lose her balance, Simon caught hold of her, and she scolded,

  "What do you think you are doing?!"

  This time it was Simon who tilted his head, and he asked, "I am sorry." And he let go of her, for Melanie's eyes to widen, and she almost crashed backwards if the crazy vampire didn't grab her hand. "Well, this was fun, wasn't it—" but it seemed that it wasn't enough support, and they both fell on the floor.

  Melanie internally cursed while wincing in pain as she got up. Before either of them could speak, they heard someone knock on the door.

  "It must be Julie," said Melanie, standing up and ready to get the door.

  "I don't think you should open that door," said Simon, which had her turn and looked at him. Another two knocks were heard.

  "I am not scared that you are here," huffed Melanie. It wasn't like her friend didn't know that Simon had a few screws loose in the head department. When she was about to reach for the doorknob, she heard,

  "Melanie?"

  Melanie froze on hearing her mother's voice on the other side of the door.

  Simon leaned to the side and said, "Yeah, it seems like your family is here."