Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The mattress squeaks underneath Carmilla as she moves her pillow up against the wall. She leans back and continues to flip through her book. The squeals of the younger children echo through the hallway. She groans and rubs her temples.

I can never get any peace and quiet.

She gets a couple more pages through when her bunkmate storms into the room. She feels something being thrown on the mattress underneath hers, but doesn’t look up from her book. Her roommate starts rummaging through the drawers a little too loud for Carmilla’s liking.

“Sarah, if you do not shut up…” Carmilla growls, but her bunkmate just laughs and shakes her head. She starts putting her hair into a ponytail and turns around to face Carmilla.

“You know they just brought the new kid, right?” Carmilla glances up from her book, looking out of the window at the black car parked in front of the house. She looks back down and flips the page.

“I heard the car pull up.” Sarah shuts the drawer and walks towards the door. She stops in the doorway and looks at Carmilla one more time.

“Aren’t you going to come greet them?”

“No.” Carmilla didn’t care anymore. Kids came and went every other month.

“Suit yourself. Just make sure you don’t miss dinner this time. You know how upset Miss Katherine gets.” Carmilla grunts in response and Sarah disappears into the hallway.

/

Carmilla heads downstairs almost an hour after everyone was called for dinner. When she walks into the dining room, the toddlers are still seated at the table and an older woman with dark hair is ensuring that they eat every last bite on their plates. She doesn’t turn her head when Carmilla sits down and starts making herself a plate.

“Thank you for coming to dinner tonight, Carmilla.” Carmilla rolls her eyes and takes a bite of her food. It’s a little bit cold, but if anything could be said about Miss Katherine, it is that she makes a mean tuna casserole.

Carmilla finishes her dinner before the toddlers do and disposes her plate into the sink. She ascends the stairs and starts making her way back to her room. She stops when she hears hushed voices coming from just around the bend of the hallway. She softens her steps and creeps forward to listen to what is going on. She hears the familiar voices of a couple of the older boys.

“Come on, Kid,” a boy her age is talking. “That’s the way things are done around here.”

“Yeah, Jake’s right,” asserts another boy, a year older than her. “We all divide our things with each other here, especially the good stuff.”

“I’m not giving you my Game Boy.” Carmilla doesn’t recognize this voice, but he sounds younger than the others. She figures it’s the one who arrived earlier today. “Just leave me alo-” The sounds of a scuffle cuts the boy’s sentence short, and Carmilla takes this as her cue to walk around the corner. She crosses her arms and clears her throat.

“What the frilly hell is going on here?” The boys are towering over the smaller one, who is desperately clutching a small yellow square to his chest. The older ones freeze and turn to look at her. Carmilla can see fear flash through their eyes, and a wicked grin stretches across her face.

The older boys quickly let go of the smaller one and take a couple steps away from him. No one says anything for a couple seconds, then the oldest one speaks up.

“W-We were just, um. Ya know…” He stumbles through his words. Carmilla rolls her eyes.

“I know what you two were doing,” she snaps. The boys flinch and she shoots them a deadly glare. “Get lost.” They trip over each other as they flee.

“I didn’t need your help.” Carmilla raises her eyebrows as she looks over at the little boy. His brow is furrowed, his chin is tilted up towards her, and his brown hair slightly hangs over his blue eyes. She narrows her eyes and tilts her head.

“I know you didn’t,” she says with a small smile. “But it’s fun to watch them squirm.” He visibly relaxes and lets out a quiet chuckle.

“Yeah, that was pretty funny.” He offers her a smile. “I’m Will.”

“Carmilla,” she says, giving him a polite nod. She moves her bangs out of her eyes and sighs “Well, fresh meat. If they ever give you trouble again, I’m right down the hall. Not that you need it of course.”

“Cool.”

She walks towards her room and he hesitantly follows her. She climbs back onto her bunk and begins reading. Will quietly sits down in the armchair on the other side of the room and flips open his Game Boy. They sit like this for a couple hours before heading off to bed, and Carmilla lets him hide his in Game Boy in her room.

 //

“Mom! He’s waiting outside!” Laura whines as she waits by the front door.

Her mom rushes down the stairs carrying a small yellow sweater. Her golden brown hair, the same shade as her daughter’s, is pulled up in a neat bun. She kneels down to Laura’s eye level and gives her a warm smile.

“I know, my little bird.” She pulls the sweater over Laura’s head and fixes her ponytail. “But it’s kind of chilly outside. I just want you to be warm.” She plants a big kiss on Laura’s cheek.

“Thanks, Mom!” Laura flashes her big smile, and goes to open the door.

 Waiting on the porch is a little boy, stabbing some dead leaves with a stick. He looks up when he hears the door open, and his bright blue eyes light up when he sees Laura and her mom. He tosses the stick into the front yard and Laura skips over to his side.

“Hi, Mrs. Hollis,” he says with a toothy grin.

“Hello, Kirsch,” she greets him with a smile. She eyes the two of them next to each other. Laura is a few inches taller than Kirsch, him being a little small for his age. They usually don’t get into too much trouble, but she always likes to make sure. “Make sure you kids are safe and check-in in about an hour, Okay?”

“Okay,” they respond in unison. Laura takes off running towards the backyard, Kirsch hot on her heels.

They run into the wooded area behind her mom’s studio and slow to a walk, their chests heaving. Laura hops up onto a fallen tree and walks forward, one foot after another and arms stretched out on her sides. Kirsch picks up a long stick and swings it around like a sword.

“Don’t fall and hurt yourself. I’m supposed to be looking out for you,” Kirsch says, stabbing at an imaginary foe. Laura laughs and hops around on the log so she is walking backwards, facing him.

“You looking out for me? Please,” Laura scoffs. Kirsch looks up at her, his eyes grow wide when he sees her current position. “Says who?”

“Says me.” He slashes at another adversary to his right. “I’m the boy. I’m supposed to make sure girls are safe.” He broadens his shoulders and salutes, bringing the stick up to his chest. “Especially when my best friend is a girl.” Laura scoffs.

“I am perfectly fine with taking care of myself, Kirsch.” She turns back around and hops off the end of the log to walk beside him and starts absentmindedly playing with the little brass bird hanging from the chain around her neck.  “Just because I’m a girl, doesn’t mean I’m not tough. My mom always tells me that girls can be just as tough as boys… even tougher.”

“Yeah you’re right. You’re like the toughest chick I know.” He starts using his ‘sword’ as a walking stick.

They walk a little bit more, stopping to see who can throw a rock the farthest and to see who can make it to a certain tree first. After Laura beats him to the tree, something catches her eye and she gasps. Kirsch follows her line of sight and sees an abandoned treehouse nestled in a cluster of thick trees. Laura starts walking towards the ladder and looks back at Kirsch to wave him closer.

“Come on, let’s check it out.” She reaches out to grab a hold of the ladder.

“Um. I don’t know, Laur.” He backs away a couple of steps, shaking his head. “It seems pretty old and we should start heading back to check-in anyways.” She gives him a pointed look and starts to ascend the ladder.

“Girl up, Kirsch.” She is about halfway up the ladder and she looks down at him. After seeing how far up she is, she quickly faces forward, focusing on her hands in front of her. Her knuckles turn white as she tightens her grip. She shuts her eyes.

“Are you okay? Just come down.” Laura takes a deep breath and shakes her head.

“No I’m good. I just want to see real quick.” She opens her eyes, more determined than ever, and continues the rest of the way up. 

She climbs onto the balcony and balances herself on the wooden railing, the wooden planks creaking beneath her feet. She looks back down at Kirsch, who is watching her with wide eyes. She flashes him an open-mouthed smile and gives him a thumbs up. She looks back up towards the entrance to the treehouse and walks through the opening. The walls are decorated in old posters, torn beyond recognition. A large branch of the tree comes up from the floor and through the roof across from the entrance. A multicolored rug lays on the floor and in the far corner is a plain, wooden chest. She hears creaking behind her and turns to see Kirsch climbing onto the balcony.

“Woah.” He stands next to her and takes in their surroundings. “This is so cool!” He exclaims, clenching his fists in excitement.

“I know!” Laura squeals. “We should go back to check-in now, but we’ll come back afterwards,” Laura adds after seeing Kirsch’s face fall.

“But I don’t wanna go!” Kirsch whines and Laura’s laughter fills the room.

 “It’s pretty sweet, Carmilla. They already have working prototypes and everything!”

Carmilla watches Will continue with his rant about the latest and greatest in gaming technology as they sit on the roof. It amuses her, how much of a geek he is, but it’s also nice to see him so passionate about something. He has his hands above his lap, fingers curled inside an imaginary sphere, explaining the hand gestures he read about on the internet.

“And that’s nothing compared to the other projects that Morgan Industries is working on.” He leans back on his hands and looks up at the stars. “I want to do that one day,” he sighs.

“Do what?” She pulls her knees closer to her chest.

“Ya know,” he says waving his hand. “Make new technology and stuff like that. It would be really cool to see people using something that I came up with.” He looks at her, eyes filled with passion and dreams. She smiles and looks off into the distance, picturing him many years from now.

“You’ll get there, Willy boy.” He starts laughing and Carmilla gives him a confused look. He doesn’t stop laughing and she starts to feel a little bit offended. She frowns and quickly looks away.

“No! I’m sorry.” She reluctantly looks back at him, her frown still in place. He calms down and nudges her with his elbow. “Who knew you were such a sap, huh?” She glares at him.

“Whatever,” she mumbles under her breath.

He chuckles again, but it then turns into a sorrowful sigh. Silence settles over them for a beat and he stares at his shoelaces, trying to form his thoughts into words.

“Will we still know each other?” Carmilla studies his face, not knowing what she is looking for. She clenches her jaw and lets out a steady breath.

“What do you mean?” He wipes his hands on his thighs and they curl into fists. He closes his eyes and shakes his head.

“I mean… Do you think we would still be together by then?” His voice trembles as he speaks. “What if we get separated? What if you leave with some family and I’m stuck here? Would we still talk or would you forget about me?”

Carmilla tenses as a cool chill creeps up her spine. In the two years since he arrived, they've never really had this conversation before. She’s always known that it was going to happen sooner or later. She was just hoping it would be later. She isn’t too sure how to approach the topic, so she tries to laugh it off.

“Let’s be real. If anything, it would be you going off with some family and leaving me here.” The look on his face tells her that it was the wrong move.

Damn it.

“I’m serious, Carmilla!” His voice is firm, but not loud enough to wake Sarah on the other side of the glass. “What if we never see each other again? I-I’m scared of losing you.”

Carmilla sees his bottom lip quivering and immediately reaches for him. She pulls him into an embrace and he buries his head into her shoulder. His body shakes as he quietly cries, dampening the material of her shirt.

“Hey. You’re not going to lose me. I promise,” she says softly, tightening her grip.

She takes a deep breath, trying to steady herself. She does not cry, but feeling his grip tighten on her shirt almost breaks her resolve. She realizes that his confession mirrors her own fears, but she needs to be strong for him. She leans back to look at him and he sits up, her hands still firmly on his shoulders.

“When we leave this place, we leave together. You hear me?” His eyes meet hers and he nods, wiping away the tear tracks from his cheeks. “Besides, who else would keep people from stealing that hideous yellow Game Dude of yours?” He barks out a laugh, not bothering to correct her, and she can’t help but to smile.

“You're the best."

"Don't I know it."

He rolls his eyes and looks off into the distance for a few seconds, before getting interrupted by a big yawn. He stands and looks down at her.

"I'm going to head to bed now. I'll see you in the morning." He starts making his way to the window.

"Goodnight, Sleeping Beauty," she whispers when she hears the window slide open.

"Whatever." He grunts as he steps back into the room. "Love you, Sis." He doesn't wait for a response before sliding the window closed again, leaving Carmilla to herself. She smiles and looks back at the stars.

I love you too, Will.

/

"Carmilla! Carmilla! Wake up!" He is pulling on her right arm, and if it was anyone but Will, they may have gotten a black eye.

"What?" She groans without opening her eyes.

"Get up! Get up!" She worries he might pull her arm out of socket. "We're leaving!"

Her eyes shoot open, and she sits up. She studies him, his head peeking over the railing and looking like he is about to burst from excitement.

"What do you mean we're leaving?" She asks, shaking her head in disbelief.

"We're getting adopted, Carmilla." She knows she heard him wrong. He probably just got something mixed up. She opens her mouth to respond but Sarah walks into the room, cutting her off.

"It's true," she confirms. "Things are being finalized as we speak. Miss Katherine wanted me to tell you two to pack your things."

"I'm almost done with mine! I'll be right back!" Will jumps off the bunk and races to his room.

Carmilla climbs off of her bunk and pulls her duffel bag out of the closet. Sarah goes to sit in the armchair, watching her pack. They don’t speak, both of their minds are elsewhere.

Is this really happening?

She’s been at Miss Katherine’s for a few years, and before that she bounced around from home to home. She had given up all hope that she was ever leaving the system, so she had taken to counting down the days until she was able to leave this place. Only 2,010 days left, or at least it was; now the countdown has skipped to 0. She is leaving, and not only is she leaving, but she is leaving with Will.

As she zips up her duffle bag, she doesn’t fight the excitement that washes over her body. She wants to jump for joy, but that is not what Carmilla Karnstein does. Her hands tremble as she grabs the bag strap and slings it over her shoulder. She turns around to face Sarah, whose smile clashes with the sadness in her eyes. Carmilla’s excitement dies down, and she realizes she might actually miss her roommate. She wasn’t as annoying as the other kids she had roomed with in the past. Even though they didn’t speak to each other a lot, their dynamic worked, and now Carmilla was leaving. She may never see Sarah again.

“So,” Sarah interrupts the silence that had settled over them. “Looks like this is it.”

“Yeah, looks like it,” Carmilla says giving her a sad smile. Carmilla doesn’t do goodbyes very well.

Suddenly, Sarah stands and wraps her arms around Carmilla’s shoulders. Carmilla tenses at first, this was unfamiliar to her, but then she relaxes and awkwardly wraps her free arm around Sarah’s back.

“I’m happy for you,” Sarah says as she lets go, stepping out of Carmilla’s space. “It’s going to be weird without your shining personality around here.” Carmilla rolls her eyes.

“Well I am the most interesting thing about this place.” Sarah laughs.

Will rushes back into the room with his suitcase, and excitedly waves Carmilla over as he walks out into the hallway. Carmilla looks back at Sarah and gives her a genuine smile.

“See ya around,” Sarah says. They both know it’s a lie.

“See ya,” Carmilla lies back as she walks out of the door.

After waving goodbye to Sarah, Will grabs her hand and pulls her down the stairs. Will’s excitement seems to flow into Carmilla through their conjoined hands, because with each step down, Carmilla’s smile grows bigger. They are going home.

//

It’s a beautiful day. The skies are clear and birds are singing in nearly all of the trees. On spring days like this, when she was little, her mom would walk her to the park. Every day she would wake up and look outside of her window. If the skies were clear, she would run into her parents’ room to wake them up. It was on one of these walks that her mom had given her a necklace. She had stopped in the middle of the path, knelt down, and took a silver chain out of her cardigan pocket. On the end of the chain, hung a small brass bird.

‘For my little bird,’ she said as she put it around Laura’s neck.

The smell of the freshly cut grass envelopes Laura and it brings this memory back to her. She brings her hand to the necklace, tracing her fingers over the brass silhouette. A firm hand on her shoulder brings her back to the present and she chokes back a sob.

It’s a sick joke really. The day is so perfect and it shouldn’t be. It should be cold, rainy, and cloudy. Everyone should be shrouded in the shadows cast by their black umbrellas and the cold is supposed to numb the aching in her chest. At least, that’s how it is in the movies and TV shows. This is not the type of day for this. This is not the type of day that one buries their mom.

The hand gently squeezes her shoulder and she turns to look at her dad. His jaw is clenched and his eyes are closed. Laura watches as tears trickle down his cheeks, and she starts to tremble. He is so strong for her, but she knows that he is just as broken as she is. She hugs him tightly and cries into his blazer.

“I know, Baby. I know,” He says softly as he wraps his arms around her. “I’m here.”

The past couple of years are seared into Laura’s memory and she knows that they will be forever. The earliest signs of her mom being sick are the clearest memories. About two years ago, she started getting winded very quickly when they would go walking along the trails behind the house. She had dismissed it, saying that it happens with old age, but she knew that something was wrong. She shouldn’t have been feeling like that at 36 years old. When she went for a check-up, the doctor told her that it was nothing to worry about and gave her prescription medication to ease the symptoms. Everything went back to normal after that. They continued their walks, she kept painting, and everything was just as it had been. These memories are the clearest to Laura because they are the ones that she replays in her mind over and over again, wishing she could go back and prevent what happened next.

The shortness of breath came back and this time it came with chest pains and body aches. One night, Laura was woken by sirens and flashing lights. Her dad had explained to her that her mom wasn’t feeling well and that he was going to go with her to the hospital. Kirsch and his mom came over to the house to keep her company, and even though Kirsch tried his best to keep her occupied with other things, she was too worried about her mom. She and Kirsch had fallen asleep on living room couch and she woke up when she heard the front door open. She was about to rush to her dad when Kirsch’s mom met him first. She couldn’t hear what he had said to her, but when Kirsch’s mom used her hand to muffle the sob that erupted from her mouth, Laura knew it wasn’t good.

Her mom was diagnosed with Stage IV Pericardial Mesothelioma. When it was being explained to her, all she heard was ‘cancer.’ The most advanced stage of cancer, and it was everywhere. It was in her heart, her liver, and her bones. She didn’t want to know anymore when her dad tried to give her more information. Knowing more about it wasn’t going to change the fact that her mom was dying. The next year was a blur of chemotherapy, radiation treatments, and various medications. Laura saw her weaken and shrink more every day. That is, until last week when her dad found her mom lying on the floor in their room. Her dad had stopped by the school to pull Laura out, and they spent their last night as a family in a small hospital room.

Her dad loosens his embrace and she looks up to see him offering her a yellow tulip, her mom’s favorite flower. She takes it from him, and straightens her posture. The casket is lowered into the grave and the Pastor waves them over to say their final goodbyes. Her dad offers her his hand and she takes it, following him to the opening. He lets go of her hand and walks over to the edge. He murmurs some words before taking a deep breath and dropping the flower into the open grave. He steps off to the side, gesturing for Laura to go next.

She swallows the lump in her throat and wills her legs forward. She stops at the edge and looks down. Tears well up in her eyes again and she shudders as she takes in a slow breath. She is supposed to say goodbye, but she doesn’t know how to. She looks down at the flower and rolls it back and forth between her fingers.

“Hey, Mom,” she whispers. Tears fall onto her hands but she doesn’t bother wiping them off. “It’s not fair. It’s not supposed to be like this. You should be alive. You should be here with me, with us. We should be walking together on that new pathway that we discovered before you-” Her voice cracks and her lower lip quivers as she tries to keep herself from breaking down. She needs to get away from here. “I love you and I’m going to miss you every second of every day.” She lifts her arm, holding the flower with the tips of her fingers. “Goodbye.” She lets go and watches it bounce off the coffin and roll next to her dad’s flower.

As soon as she walks away from the edge, she feels incomplete. She has so much more to say, but there are many other people who wanted to say goodbye and she couldn’t stand there all day. She walks over to her dad and he wraps his arm around her shoulders, kissing the top of her head.

/

The reception is held at their house. People are swapping stories about her mom as they sit on the couch and there are people scattered about the house, looking at and talking about her paintings. Her dad and the rest of the family are at the dining table retelling stories about the various photos that are arranged in a timeline along the wall. Laura goes through the motions, giving smiles that never reach her eyes and forcing out laughs at the appropriate times. After some time passes, she slips away from the crowds and makes her way out to the place where she knows she can be alone.

When she gets to the treehouse, she starts climbing up the reinforced ladder. She and Kirsch, with a little help from her dad, had touched up the place. They both brought little pieces of themselves and made the space their own. Laura sits on top of the wooden bench and gazes at the painting on the opposite wall.

She stands up again and walks closer to the painting. She looks at the brushstrokes along the bird’s feathers. She remembers sitting in her mom’s studio, watching her work on this particular piece. She remembers the way her mom’s brush glided across the canvas, and the way her brow furrowed when she was really concentrated on her work.

Laura’s eyes travel across the canvas, looking at how the colors blend into each other. She stops at the bottom left corner of the painting and brushes her fingers across the leaves. She remembers when she accidently splattered some brown paint on the corner when she offered to clean her mom’s brushes. She had almost cried. She thought she had ruined it, but her mom reassured her that it was no problem.

She looks over at the two signatures at the bottom right corner. When her mom had finished the piece she signed her name at the bottom. Laura was too busy admiring her work to notice her mom holding a brush out to her. When Laura gave her a confused look, her mom laughed. It was such a beautiful laugh. She told Laura that since she helped with the painting, she thought that she should get credit as well. Laura took the brush in her hand and signed ‘L. Hollis’ underneath her mom’s ‘E. Hollis.’

Laura smiles and a lets out a small giggle as she remembers how proud she was, and how proud her mom was of her after the painting was completed. Her giggle turns into a strangled sob and she slumps onto the floor, hugging herself as the sobs wrack through her body. Her sobs grow louder and she doesn’t hear anybody come up until the floorboards creak. She turns and sees Kirsch standing hesitantly by the entrance. She doesn’t have the strength try and stop crying, so she cries even harder.

He rushes over to her and wraps his arms around her. She buries her face into his chest and he hugs her tighter, resting his cheek on the top of her head. He rubs her back softly and tears start to fall from his eyes as well. She starts telling him about all the things that were left unspoken when she was standing over the grave.

“It’s not fair!” She screams in between sobs, pounding her fists on his chest. “I want her back!”

Kirsch doesn’t loosen his grip. He lets her continue her assault until she stops and grabs the material of his suit, holding on for dear life. Kirsch cries as he gently rocks her back and forth. He cries for the loss of a wonderful woman who was like a second mom to him, but most of all he cries for Laura.

Carmilla is digging through her locker after third period, trying to find her history book. She slumps her shoulders and groans when she realizes that she forgot it at home. Her frown turns into a smile when she feels a pair of arms snake around her waist, accompanied by a familiar flowery perfume 

“Carmilla.” She shivers when she feels the breath of the whisper on her ear. She places her hands over the ones across her midsection.

“Elle,” she responds before turning around to face her girlfriend. Carmilla is met with a devilish grin and she glares at her, instantly suspicious. “What is it?”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Elle says innocently. She pulls Carmilla closer to her and Carmilla’s hands rest on her shoulders.

“You have that look in your eyes.” Carmilla rolls her eyes when Elle shrugs and shakes her head, still playing innocent. Her golden locks cascade across her shoulders. “The look you get before you are about to suggest something that we probably shouldn’t be doing.” Elle giggles and heat rushes into Carmilla’s cheeks. She really loves that sound.

“Well now that you mention it,” Elle teases and takes a small step backwards, putting some distance between the two of them. Carmilla frowns at the loss of contact, but is immediately comforted when Elle laces their fingers together. She wants to slap herself.

I’m being gross.

“I don’t really feel like going to third period today.” It sounds like a question and Carmilla already knows her answer. She pulls on Elle’s hand, bringing her closer and places a lingering kiss on her lips.

“I didn’t bring my book today anyways,” she mumbles against her lips. Elle kisses her again, smiling into it.

Carmilla shuts her locker and they head off towards the back exit. Just when they are about to open the door, a voice stops them dead in their tracks.

“And just where are you headed off to, Kitty.” Carmilla tenses and turns around to see Will leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. He looks at the two in amusement with a menacing glint in his eyes. Carmilla clenches her jaw; her words are caught in her throat. Elle seems to pick up on this and speaks up.

“I don’t think that’s any of your business.” Will shoots her a deadly glare.

“I wasn’t talking to you,” he snaps. Elle flinches and Carmilla’s nostrils flare. It takes everything in her to not slap the look off of his face.

“Don’t you have somewhere else you need to be?” Carmilla growls and Will turns his attention back to her, taking a few steps forward. He stands in front of them, a few inches taller than Carmilla. Carmilla narrows her eyes and clenches her fists, trying to contain her anger.

“As do you.” He matches Carmilla’s glare. His lips curl into a smirk and he tilts his head slightly. “I wonder what Mother would say if she were to find out about your recent behavior. You know she hates it when you embarrass the family,” he says threateningly. Carmilla’s nails dig into her palms as she struggles to keep herself from blowing up. Elle squeezes Carmilla’s forearm, trying to soothe her. Will watches the exchange and grimaces. “And you know she disapproves of you associating yourself with filth,” he spits, punctuating the last word with a glance towards Elle.

A loud smack rings out when Carmilla’s fist connects solidly with his jaw. Will stumbles backwards, holding his face. Elle brings her hand to her mouth, stifling her gasp. Carmilla’s right hand throbs, but adrenaline is still pumping through her veins. Will regains his composure, his eyes wide with shock and rage. The red mark on his jaw is already starting to turn purple. He glowers at her.

“You’re going to regret that, Kitty,” he snarls through gritted teeth. He storms off, disappearing around the corner. Elle quickly grabs Carmilla’s good hand and pulls her through the doors.

/

Elle holds Carmilla’s hand over the middle console, placing a cup of ice to her knuckles. She applies some pressure and Carmilla winces at the pain.

“I’m sorry!” Elle apologizes as she gently squeezes her fingers. Carmilla shakes her head, shoving the last of her fries into her mouth.

“S’okay. It’s probably going to hurt for a bit.” She removes her hand from Elle’s and slowly flexes it. She hisses at the pain, but is satisfied that she can still move it. “At least it isn’t broken.”

“What do you think your mom is going to do when she finds out about what happened back there?” Elle’s eyes are cast downward, staring holes into the small cup. Carmilla takes the cup from her hands and places it in the cup holder. She then takes Elle’s hand and gently rubs her thumb over the back of it.

“She isn’t going to,” she says dismissively. Elle’s head snaps up.

“What do you mean?” she asks, clearly confused.

“He is going to be too ashamed to admit to her that I was the one that gave him that lovely bruise. She wouldn’t let him hear the end of it.” She stares out across the parking lot and forces out a bitter laugh. “Hell. She might even praise me for it.”

“Hey,” Elle sighs. She brings her hand up under Carmilla’s chin. She turns Carmilla’s head, forcing their eyes to meet. “Let’s go for a ride, yeah?” The sadness in Carmilla’s eyes dissipates and turns into excitement. She nods and leans forward, giving Elle a chaste kiss. When she goes to lean back, Elle’s hand wraps around the back of her neck, pulling her in for a longer one.

“Let’s go.”

Carmilla turns the key and the engine roars to life. She would never admit this to anyone, except maybe Elle, but her mother has an impeccable taste in cars. She had received hers as a reward for obtaining her license, and soon enough, taking a drive along the scenic routes outside of town became their favorite pastime.

They eventually make it to the winding road that is carved into the mountain face. They can see the whole town from up here. Carmilla keeps stealing glances at Elle as she drives. Elle is singing along to whatever horrendous song is blasting through the speakers and is showing off her dance moves. Carmilla doesn’t hold back the grin that stretches across her face when Elle points at her in the midst of her performance. She bobs her head in time with the beat, knowing that she probably looks ridiculous. She doesn’t care, not when she is with her. Everything else fades away, her mother, her brother, the pressure of “family legacy”; all of it. It doesn’t matter because when she looks at Elle, she is happy. When she sees the way the sunlight reflects off of her hair, she knows she is in love.

//

Laura’s train of thought gets interrupted when she hears Kirsch walking back to their table. He is carrying two milkshakes and sits down across from her. He gives her an awkward smile and then clears his throat.

“One Choco Brownie Milkshake for the lady,” he says placing the glass down in front of Laura.

“Thank you,” she mutters with a small smile.

“And one Butterfinger Milkshake for me.” He shovels a big spoonful in his mouth and smiles at her, cheeks full.

Laura laughs and it’s one of the few genuine ones that she has had all night. All the other times have been forced laughs and uncomfortable smiles. She didn’t think tonight was going to be like this, and she is pretty positive he is feeling the same way by how he is stuffing his face in lieu of having another awkward conversation. She follows suit and stuffs her cheeks full with ice cream and brownie chunks. She smiles back and he almost chokes on his next bite.

“You look like a chipmunk,” he sputters, wiping his chin with a napkin. Laura swallows the mass of ice cream in her mouth, praying she doesn’t get a brain freeze.

“You did too!” she asserts, pointing her spoon at him.

“I bet I can hold more ice-cream in my cheeks than you,” he challenges, raising an eyebrow. Laura shakes her head.

“Doubt it.” She crosses her arms. He scoffs and starts pinching his cheeks.

“Oh come on, Laur. Have you seen how elastic these babies are?” He stretches out his cheeks and Laura bites down on her bottom lip, trying not to laugh at how ridiculous he looks.

“Fine, let’s do this.” She takes a big spoonful and shoves it into her mouth. She scrunches her nose, giving him a playful glare.

He does the same thing and they go back and forth, taking one spoonful after another. Laura’s cheeks feel like they are about to explode and Kirsch looks like he is about to cry. This probably wasn’t the best idea they’ve ever had. They hear a dramatic gasp and turn towards the door. They are greeted with the sight of a woman wearing a shell-shocked expression and a small child pulling at her hand, trying to lead her to the counter. The little kid looks to see where her mom is looking at, and when she sees Laura and Kirsch, she starts giggling and pointing. Her mom grimaces and covers her child’s eyes, glowering at the pair as she drags her struggling child out of the door.

Laura and Kirsch turn to look at each other, taking in the image of each other’s faces. After a beat, they simultaneously gasp for air through their nostrils. Kirsch slams his palm onto the desk, trying not to choke. Laura holds her chest as she wheezes and tries to slowly swallow the ice cream in her mouth.

“I cannot believe that just happened,” Laura laughs, her cheeks finally back to normal. Kirsch chew the last chunk of chocolate, and joins in with her laughter, wiping the tears from his eyes.

“That was one of the funniest things. Oh man,” he sighs. Their laughter dies down and Laura is so content that she almost forgets they are on a date.

Almost.

Her smile turns into a grimace for a split second, but she quickly reverts to a neutral expression, hoping Kirsch didn’t notice. The tension between them starts to build up again, and Kirsch begins to fidget in his seat. Laura tries to ease the tension.

“So…” she internally cringes, fighting the urge to slap her forehead.

Wow. I totally nailed that one.

“Yeah…” he nervously laughs, rubbing the back of his neck.

“Um-”

“Laura listen,” he interrupts. She is glad because she is not sure she can trust anything coming out of her mouth. “I know we thought that trying this out was a good idea, but I can’t be the only one who feels how awkward this actually is.” He pauses, waiting for a response and Laura nods her head, giving him an apologetic smile. “No, it’s okay. Don’t be sorry. At least we now know that we are meant to be just, like, the best buds ever!” Laura laughs, thankful that something was finally said.

“I wanted to say something, but I wasn't sure how to. Thanks for being understanding, Kirsch." He smiles, nodding his head.

"Of course, little nerd bro.” Laura rolls her eyes.

“Never call me that again,” she deadpans. Kirsch shrugs and she lightly kicks his shin under the table.

“Okay. Okay. Fine,” he chuckles. “So do you wanna come over to my house and watch that movie about that Beobab guy?”

“Don’t you mean Beowulf?” He nods his head furiously.

“Yeah that one. I’ve been dying to watch it ever since I found out there was a movie about it.” She gives him a pointed look.

“You know that you can’t watch the movie in place of actually reading the book right?” His smile falters for a second but he quickly recovers.

“Duh, of course I know that,” he scoffs. “But what do ya say, Laur?”

“Sounds good to me.” They both smile and proceed to dig into the rest of their dessert, laughing and poking fun at one another like they always do.

/

“Dude, that was crazy!” Kirsch yells after the end credits start rolling. “He had to kill his own son, who was a freaking dragon!” His eyes are wide and he is animatedly waving his arms around as he freaks out. “And the tomb raider chick is just chilling in the water, staring at Wiglaf as he holds the damn horn! Do you think he just does the same thing?” Laura stifles a laugh.

“I don’t know. I think that was kind of the point of that ending though.” Kirsch groans and rubs his hands through his hair.

“He probably does. Oh gosh, what an idiot,” he sighs.

“You know you still need to read the book though right?” Kirsch answers with an impartial shrug. “Anyways, what was that new game that you were telling me about?”

Kirsch’s eyes grow wide and he scrambles from the couch to the large glass display on the opposite wall. He double taps the screen and the credits stop. He pulls up a pop up menu and starts scrolling through the options while rambling about the game. Laura smiles, only vaguely aware of what he is saying. She studies him for a moment, watching how his whole body perks up as his excitement heightens. Her smile grows as she pictures the younger version of him doing the exact same thing. His mannerisms have only become livelier as the years pass. The amount of energy and passion he puts into nearly every aspect of life is one of the many things she loves about him.

He rejoins her on the couch and starts to explain the newer gestural controls for this game. She isn’t really paying attention, but she isn’t worried. She knows he will repeat everything at least one more time just to make sure she gets it. She can see now how easily she may have mistaken her love for him as something more than platonic. He is always caring and patient with her. He is everything that she had imagined an ideal partner to be, minus a couple things that she hasn’t really talked to anyone about. Maybe she was trying to make him into something that she thought he had to be.

“You got it?” He looks at her questioningly, his hands are poised and ready to demonstrate again. She shrugs, smiling apologetically. He shakes his head and beams at her. “No problem, Laur. Okay, look.”

The way things are between them is perfect as it is. He is everything she needs him to be, nothing more.

Carmilla’s eyes flutter open, air enters her body in short, ragged breaths. She looks over to her right and her head spins violently. She closes her eyes, willing the spinning to stop. Vaguely aware of moisture trickling down the left side of her face, she tries to move and a sharp pain spasms across her upper torso. She cries out, tears pooling in her eyes. She immediately stops moving, and the pain settles in her chest, not going away. She looks down, suddenly aware of the pressure on her chest.

Her quickening heartbeat thunders in her ears, and she can feel each pulse reverberate through her body. Her breathing becomes rapid and the pain escalates with each inhale. Shattered glass falls from her right hand as she slowly lifts it from the middle console. Her hand tremors as she slowly brings it up to the top of the steering wheel that is jammed up against her collarbone. Every inch of her skin is so sensitive that the light graze of her fingers against the leather makes it feel as if her skin is being scraped from her fingertips. Her eyes flick to her left to see her hand pinned in between the seat and the mass of metal that used to be the door. She is completely immobilized, aside from her neck and right arm.

She tries to fight back tears, but they fall from her eyes anyways, making streak marks down her grime covered cheeks. A choked sob erupts from her throat, slipping past her clenched teeth, and a sharp pain surges through her chest again. She feels a shiver creep up her spine and goose bumps spread across her skin as her body grows cold.

“Carmilla!” Adrenaline enters her bloodstream, numbing the pain to a dull ache. Her eyes grow wide, and she desperately searches for the source of the voice, pleading for the person to call out again.

Please. Where are you?

“Carmilla!” She knows that voice, but it takes her a moment to match it to a face. As soon as she does, she starts fighting against the mass of metal that is crushing her body. She fights back the pain, clenching her teeth as her body protests her sudden struggle. She needs to get out. She needs to find her.

“Carmilla!” Tears start flowing out of her eyes, and she doesn’t try to hold them back.

“Elle!” she screams.

Elle responds with another shout of Carmilla’s name, and Carmilla screams her name over and over again until her throat is raw. She cannot see her, but she knows that the blood spattered throughout the interior of her car cannot be hers alone. She shuts her eyes and shakes her head.

Please, God! No!

She screams Elle’s name until her voice is hoarse. She screams until she feels a pair of firm hands, one on the top of her head and another on her right arm.

“Carmilla!” This voice is deeper. It isn’t Elle’s. Her eyes shoot open and she gasps for air. She tries to sit up, but the hands gently press her back onto the bed. The voice speaks again, softer this time. “Carmilla, it’s okay. You’re safe. I promise you’re safe. Don’t move, you’re going to hurt yourself. Please, just rest.”

She looks up and sees Will looking down at her with watery eyes. His hand moves from the top of her head to the side of her face. Her bottom lip quivers and she closes her eyes, leaning into his touch. She bites her lip and lets out a soft whimper. She reaches for his other hand and his hand moves to meet hers, interlocking their fingers. Her shoulders shake as she begins to cry and Will’s composure breaks. He leans forward and presses a kiss to his sister’s forehead, his own tears falling down his face.

“She’s gone,” Carmilla croaks in between her sobs. Her throat is still very raw from screaming in her sleep.

“I know. I’m so sorry,” he whispers, gently squeezing her hand.

They stay like that for a few minutes, the sounds of her sniffing occasionally interrupting the cadence of the beeping monitors. She shifts in the bed, wincing in pain. Will notices this and presses the call button.

“I’ll have someone will come by to check on your IV bag. Just try not to move around too much.” He holds her hand in both of his and gives her a small smile. “Do you need me to adjust your sling at all?” She looks down at her left arm cradled close to her body. The pain in her collarbone has significantly decreased since they first put in on a couple days ago. She shakes her head, looking down at the empty space below her left knee.

Before she has the chance to break into tears again, a nurse walks into the room. Carmilla rests her head back on the pillow. The edges of her vision slowly darken as the medication kicks back in. She looks over to Will, before slipping out of consciousness.

“Thank you.”

/

"What do you mean?" Will's voice drips with hostility. Carmilla slowly wakes up from her drug induced slumber. She keeps her eyes closed, waiting and listening.

"William." Carmilla's blood runs cold at the sound of her mother's voice. "I have been here every day to check on her status." Her voice is firm, unwavering. Will scoffs and Carmilla can almost feel the fury radiating off of him.

"Yeah, only when it's convenient for you," he snaps at her. "Don't think for a second, that I haven't noticed you only coming by when you are sure she isn't awake. Did it ever occur to you that your daughter might want to see you?" He is nearly yelling by the end of it.

"Did she say that?" her mother asks coolly.

"What?" he asks, the volume of his voice slowly lowering.

"Did she say that she wanted to see me?" Carmilla clenches her jaw as silence settles over the room for a few seconds.

"No," he says quietly. Carmilla doesn't need to open her eyes to know that the answer doesn't faze her mother.

"Well, as I was saying earlier, I have responsibilities at the company that I need to take care of," she states. Carmilla hears the clicking of her heels across the floor as she walks towards the door.

"Of course your company responsibilities come before family ones." Will challenges her again. Her mother sighs.

"William, I have ensured that she is catered to by the best doctors in their fields. She knows this. She will be fully capable in no time at all, and her leg won't even be a hiccup in the recovery process. I have the best people working on it."

"Yes, Mother," he says, defeated.

"Good. Now, my sweet boy, I am very pleased to see you asserting yourself. I want to see more of that strength, but you will not question me on this matter again. Do I make myself clear?" Carmilla feels herself shrinking underneath the power of her mother's voice. She can only imagine what it would feel like had those words been spoken directly to her.

"Yes, Mother. Of course, Mother." He never stood a chance.

"Good. I will see you at home." She opens the door and walks away.

After a moment, there is a large bang. Carmilla flinches and her eyes shoot open. She sees Will leaning up against the door on his hands. His chin is tucked against his chest. One of his hands is curled into a fist and the other lays flat against the surface of the door. He must have punched it. A quiet sob escapes his mouth, and his shoulders slightly shake. Carmilla looks away, her eyes burning a hole into the opposite wall. Tears fall from her eyes as she listens to his cries joining the chorus of beeping monitors.

//

Laura zips up her sweater and slides her mile tracker onto her wrist.

"I'm headed out, Dad!" She calls out as she heads towards the front door. She can hear his heavy footsteps against the hardwood floor.

"Okay, Sweetie," he says as he appears at the top of the stairs. Concern overtakes his features and Laura knows what's coming next. "Please be careful. Make sure no cars are coming when you cross the road. Avoid the heavily wooded areas if you can. There have been reports of a lot of bear activity lately. Two words: Stranger Danger. And don't forget-"

"A water break is always welcomed," she smiles, finishing his sentence for him.

"That's my girl," he proclaims with a huge grin on his face. She giggles and opens the door.

"I'll be back in a couple of hours. I love you."

"I love you too, Munchkin." She groans loudly at the nickname, and she hears his booming laughter echo throughout the house as she closes the door behind her.

She stays on the porch for a few minutes, stretching her body and enjoying the fresh air. When she finishes she walks down the steps and looks out across the yard towards the neighbors’ houses. She takes a deep breath and closes her eyes, letting the cool air fill every inch of her lungs. She exhales and sets off in a steady pace towards the park, controlling her breathing with every step.

Some of the neighbors are outside lounging on their porch while their kids play in the yard. They wave to her, the children adding a high pitched 'Hi, Laura!' She waves back, and smiling at how their faces light up when she notices them. She envies that childish wonder and innocence. She wishes she still had that, because right now everything is just confusing. She decides that she wants to be alone with her thoughts, and opts for a shortcut to the center of town.

Soon after she leaves the neighborhood she turns into the forest and sticks to the trails she has been using since she was younger. She is actually pretty positive she could run these trails blindfolded. Of course she won't, because with her luck she will run straight into a tree. After a little bit she comes to a clearing. All the little shops, restaurants, and bars are lined up along the streets. She slows to a walk when she reaches the flower shop.

Laura takes time to smell the flowers on display outside of the shop. She likes to stop by the shop every once in a while during her runs. Mrs. Davis is always sweet to her and doesn't mind Laura lingering around the tulips for a little bit. Mrs. Davis spots her from the other side of the glass and waves, giving her a warm smile. Laura waves back, and takes off again.

She makes her way closer the park in the center of the square, passing smiling neighbors and other familiar faces on the way. The good thing about a small town is that everyone knows each other. Everyone is friendly and nearly everyone has watched Laura grow up from a little girl with messy hair and missing teeth to a young woman halfway done with high school. The bad thing about living in a small town is that everyone knows each other. Gossip and news spreads across town so quickly that everyone knows every detail in less than about an hour after the word gets out.

She slows to a trot when she nears the playset that her Mom used to walk her to. She feels her throat constrict and she struggles to swallow the lump that forms there. Those same smiling faces she saw moments ago looked at her family in pity once news about her Mom's sickness spread. She shakes her head takes off in a sprint, hoping that an increased heart rate will dislodge the heavy feeling in her chest. She isn't focused on where she is heading, and when she feels like her lungs are going to burst, she slows to a stop. She bends over, clutching her knees with her hands. She closes her eyes and raises her hands above her head, taking deep breaths. She opens her eyes and the feeling she was trying to rid herself of tightens its grip on her heart. The hidden path before her looks the same as it did many years ago, and she silently curses her subconscious for bringing her here.

She stands there frozen, staring at the untraveled path. She takes a hesitant step forward, considering breaking through the veil of vegetation. Her heart tightens and she starts to tremble. Panic overtakes her body and she takes off in another sprint, ignoring her burning legs and lungs.

/

She lies spread eagle on the multicolored rug that lays on the wooden planks. Her chest is still heaving as she tries to regulate her breathing. She looks over at the painting on the wall and closes her eyes, taking deep breaths.

"I couldn't do it, Mom," she whispers. "I found myself in front of it, but I couldn't bring myself to go through. It feels wrong even thinking about exploring the path without you. I can't do it."

Her eyes remain closed, and she listens to the sound of her steady breathing and the wind blowing through the leaves of the trees.

Not yet.

"Next year is the last year before Kirsch leaves for college," Laura blurts out into the silence. "He isn't entirely set on anywhere yet, but he definitely wants to get away from home… and I do too. I want to see what else the world has to offer outside of the town lines." She laughs to herself. "I'm sure, Dad is going to have a heart attack at the thought of me not being close to home. Whenever we start talking about college, he always talks about the schools closest to here. I know he just wants to keep me safe, but he’s going to have to loosen the reins a bit. It's going to kill him, but it needs to happen."

"Anyways... It's going to be strange once Kirsch leaves. I'm just so used to him being there all the time. Which is definitely the reason why I thought I had feelings for him last year," she adds. She lets out an awkward laugh. She and Kirsch haven't mentioned that incident to anyone, and they haven't talked about it since. "I mean he is all kinds of awesome and everything, but it was way too weird. He is practically my older brother. And..." Laura struggles to find her words. "I've come to the realization that I don't really like boys like that anyways," she takes a deep breath. "I'm gay. I like girls." She immediately feels a giant weight dissipate from her shoulders, and she feels her body relax. She didn't realize she was so tense.

"Wow, it feels really good to finally say that out loud," she sighs. "You're the first one I wanted to tell. I just wasn't sure what I was feeling, and it was all very confusing. It still sort of is." She imagines her Mom's warm hazel eyes looking into hers and she can see the soft expression she always wore when she was listening intently. Laura smiles and a peaceful warmth settles over her body. "I'm going to tell Dad when I get back, and I think he is going to be a little happy that he doesn't have to keep giving me talks about boys." Laura's smile slowly curls into a frown as she comes to another realization. She groans and covers her eyes with the back of her hand. "And instead he will give me awkward talks about girls."

She hears the chirps of birds for the first time since she arrived at the treehouse, and she can almost hear her Mom's laughter. Laura removes her hand, and lets out a huff as she rolls her eyes. "Thanks, Mom."

Carmilla doesn't understand how this measly piece of paper gives her an overwhelming sense of freedom. It has some signatures and all the other things that makes a diploma official, but in the end it really is just a piece of paper. She holds it up to her face, the corners clamped between her index fingers and thumbs. Her eyes follow the curves and loops of her instructor's signature, and she rereads it for the 5th time in the two hours, since she received it.

She places it down in between her duffle bag and herself, and then falls back onto her mattress. Her hair splays out in a halo around her head, and she lets out a sigh. This is the most relaxed she has felt in a long time. She involuntarily tenses as her mind wanders to all the memories of the past year and her heart starts to race. Her hands clutch the material of her duvet in order to keep her grounded as the feeling passes.

Once her pulse becomes steady again, she releases the duvet and sits up, surveying her room. Her drawers are empty and ajar, their remains lay scattered across the mattress and stuffed in her bag. Her room is barren; she was never really into material possessions besides her books and the anchor necklace that Elle had gifted to her. Her jaw tenses as she becomes very much aware of the small weight hanging from her neck. She closes her eyes and exhales a slow, ragged breath. After a beat, she stands up and continues to pack her bag, leaving nothing behind. Once she finishes, she gives it a test lift to see how heavy it is. She grunts, but lifts it up with barely any effort.

Thank you, physical therapy.

She places the bag onto the floor and sits back on her bed. Her eyes wander from the bag to her left foot, resting next to it. She takes her foot out of her boot and removes her sock. She looks down at the toes, and flexes them. It still perplexes her how she can feel each and every movement of the limb. She rolls the ankle in a circle and marvels over the realness of it. Before she has more time to contemplate about it, she hears someone coming up the stairs. She quickly puts on her sock and boot once more and stands up. There is a knock. She moves her bangs out of her face and turns towards the door.

“Come in,” she calls out. The door opens, and Will peeks his head through the opening before walking inside.

“Hey, Carmilla. I was just wondering if you wanted to-” He stops mid-sentence when he notices the state of her room. He eyes her bag and then looks up at her. She stares back at him, seeing the confusion in his eyes disappear as he realizes what is happening. He takes a step towards her. “What is going on?”

“Exactly what it looks like, Will,” she deadpans. She was really hoping to avoid everyone and just sneak away, but that obviously isn’t going to happen now. He furrows his brow and shakes his head.

“I don’t understand.” His voice starts to get louder. She can feel herself start to shrink underneath it; it reminds her of their mother. She stands up straighter instead, and clears her throat. “Why are you doing this?”

“I need to get out of here,” she says plainly, trying not to match his rising tone. He takes another step towards her.

“Why?” He is shouting now, and she cannot hold it back.

“You know why!” She clenches her jaw.

“No I don’t! Why don’t you enlighten me?” His anger is radiating off of him, but his glassy eyes give away his true emotions. She instinctively wants to comfort him, as she used to when they were younger. She opens her mouth to speak, but he continues before she can start. “This place was never good enough for you was it? This family was never good enough. Mother gave us everything. She gave you everything, but you always threw it back in her face. You were never grateful. You never deserved any of it!”

“How can you be so blind? She doesn’t care about us, Will. All she cares about is the company and her public image. You think I wanted all that so called ‘attention’ that she was giving me? You think I liked having to be the ‘perfect’ daughter in order to uphold the family image? You’re lucky that she never put that pressure on you.” He scoffs. “She is manipulative, and she has twisted your mind up so much that you can’t even see that. I mean look at us right now. She’s has purposely set us against each other.”

“You’ve done that very well all on your own, so don’t blame Mother for that,” he spits back. He sees confusion in her face, and his anger boils over. “She has given you everything, Carmilla. While you have actively done your best to ignore her all of these years, she has effortlessly ignored me.” Her face softens, but he doesn’t let up. “We were adopted by my fucking idol. I constantly rambled about her and her company every single day when we were in that home. Do you know how ecstatic I was when I realized that she was to be our mother? It was something that I could only dream of.” He forces out a bitter laugh. “I would have killed to be given just a fraction of the attention that you despise so much.”

His words hang in the air as the silence settles. He studies her, waiting for a response. The look in her eyes hardens once more, and she picks up her bag, slinging it over her shoulder. She looks him over one last time, and swallows the lump that has formed in her throat.

“Well now that’s exactly what you’ll get.” Her words don’t have as much bite as he thought they would.

She brushes past him and walks out of the door. She descends the staircase quickly and opens the front door, not looking back. Just as she closes the door she hears Will desperately call out her name.

“Carmilla!” She slams the door and takes off running. Her adrenaline makes her bag feel weightless as she heads to the edge of the property. When she hears the faint call of Will’s voice, she picks up speed.

She runs until her lungs nearly burst. She leans over, gasping for air as tears run down her face. When she catches her breath, she stands up straight and wipes her face with the back of her hand. Her bag starts to buzz, but she doesn’t bother trying to retrieve her phone. He will eventually stop calling. She takes a second to take in her surroundings, and comes to realize that she isn't far from the bus station. She sets off in its direction, occupying her mind with where she will go. The tension from her encounter with her brother leaves her body and she is once again overwhelmed with joy at her new found freedom.

When she gets to the station, she buys a ticket to the farthest destination and settles herself on the bus. Her hands start to tremble and she closes her eyes. She is working on steadying her heart beat when her phone begins to buzz again. She takes it out and turns it off. The first thing she will get is a new phone. She only needs a few numbers in her address book anyways. She throws her phone back into her bag and stares out of the window. A calmness settles over her and she leans her head back onto the headrest. For once in her life, she feels in control of her own destiny.

//

“So what exactly happened with Mandy?” Kirsch tosses up a piece of caramel corn and catches it in his mouth. He looks over at Laura and holds the bag up to her. She takes a couple pieces and pops them into her mouth.

“I dunno,” she mumbles in between bites. “We just weren’t really at the same place. She isn’t ready to be out yet. I already am. So you can kind of see how that doesn’t really work out to well.” She gently swings her legs back and forth as they dangle off the edge of the treehouse balcony.

“That sucks, Laur. I’m sorry.” He wipes his sticky hand on his pants before placing it on her shoulder. She gives him a small smile.

“It’s okay, Kirsch. Plenty other fish in the sea, right?” She reaches inside the bag again and tosses one up in the air. She moves a split second too late and it hits the side of her mouth and bounces off, falling towards the ground below. Kirsch chuckles when she pouts. She stuffs the remaining pieces into her mouth.

“Totally, little nerd! I’m sure you’ll meet plenty babes when you leave for college.” He wags his eyebrows at her, giving her a cheeky grin. She giggles and shoves his shoulder playfully.

“Yeah, sure. Speaking of college, are you excited to start next semester?” Kirsch places the bad down in between them. He purses his lips, giving it some thought.

“Excited? Yes. Nervous, but very excited.” He leans back onto his hands, and lets out a sigh. “I can’t believe I’m finally getting out of here. I mean like I’ve been sort of dreaming of this for a while, but you already know that.” He glances at her and she nods her head, signaling for him to continue. “It’s just that… now it’s finally here. It’s kind of unbelievable.”

“I agree. I can’t believe you’re leaving already. How am I going to survive my senior year without my best friend?” she teases.

“Oh you’ll do just fine. Just make sure you are never late to Mrs. Gilbert’s class, or else you will be paying for it the rest of the year.” His eyes widen as he remembers his encounters with Mrs. Gilbert. Laura watches his face and erupts in laughter, breaking him out of his daze. “Anyways,” he continues, “You won’t be that far behind me. Have you given any thought about where you want to attend?” Laura takes a second to organize her thoughts.

“I’ve thought about it, but I haven’t really narrowed anything down yet. Out of all of my options, Silas seems to be the one that has the best writing program. So it’s definitely become my top choice.” Kirsch nods his head in understanding, but Laura can feel the excitement radiating off of him.

“Honestly, it would be super awesome if you went to Silas. The campus is very nice, there are a lot of things to do on campus, and I know for a fact that there will be at least one pretty rad Zeta bro there.” He finishes his sentence by pointing his thumbs at himself. Laura rolls her eyes.

“So you’re going to be a frat boy?” He shrugs. “You aren’t going to be one of those types of frat boys though? Right?”

“What do you mean by that?”

“You know,” she waves her hands around, trying to choose the best way to explain it. She clears her throat, puffs out her chest, and deepens her voice. “Bro, this party is super sick. Check out those hotties chillin over there. Let’s go show them how real men play some beer pong.” She relaxes her body and looks over at Kirsch, who is looking at her as if she has sprouted horns. She shrugs. “Like that.”

“Come on, Laur. Don’t you think that’s a bit of an exaggeration?” He frowns and folds his arms across his chest.

“You’re already halfway there with how often you use the word ‘Bro’ on a regular basis,” she teases.

“I haven’t said ‘Bro’ at all during our conversation. Well... except for right now,” he adds defensively.

“That’s because I’ve conditioned you not to when we are together.” He continues to pout.

“Not cool, dude.” He pauses. “Wait is ‘dude’ okay with you?” She smiles and nods her head.

“Oh yeah. I’m okay with that. I really couldn’t tell you why, but thank you for making sure, Kirsch.” He grins and wraps his arm around her shoulders.

“What are best friends for?” She leans into him, looking down at their dangling legs. The bag of caramel corn catches her eye. She grabs it and waves it in front of his face.

“For helping me practice catching these babies in my mouth. Because if you haven’t noticed, I kind of suck at it.” Kirsch laughs, shaking his head.

“Sure thing.” He scoots back and squares his body to hers, sitting crisscross. “Learn from the master, little one.” She rolls her eyes but mimics his positioning, scooting a little farther back.

She takes a piece out of the bag and lifts it up. He nods and wiggles in his spot, raising his chin slightly. She lobs it at his face, but seems to have overestimated the trajectory. It bounces off of his forehead and lands on his thigh.

“Oops, sorry,” she giggles, taking another piece out of the bag. He rubs his forehead and pops the fallen piece of popcorn into his mouth. He raises his hands, and motions for her to try again.

She narrows her eyes, and her tongue peeks out of her mouth in concentration. She tosses the second piece at his face. She feels discouraged when she sees it start to descend earlier than she had intended. Kirsch leans forward and catches it, grinning victoriously.

“Okay, your turn now,” he grunts as he leans forward as she hands him the bag.

She sits up straighter when he reaches his hand into the bag. Her hands splay out on her knees. She is ready. He tosses it at her and when she goes for it, she jerks her head to the right a little too much and it hits the corner of her mouth, falling onto the floorboards.

“Darn it,” she grumbles. “Again,” she demands, sitting up straighter.

He tosses another piece at her and she is determined not to let this one go. It’s a little high and she leans back. She loses her balance and continues falling backwards. Her head thumps against the floorboards, and she groans.

“Oh crap! Are you okay, Laur?” Kirsch starts to get up, but stops when he hears her laughter.

She sits up, smiling with the piece of caramel corn in between her teeth. She chews her prize and raises her fists into the air.

“Victory!”

Chapter Text

Carmilla wakes to the sound of gunshots, explosions, and shouting. Her eyes snap open and the sheets bunch up in her clenched fists. After recognizing her surroundings, she groans and rubs the sleep from her eyes, ignoring the thin film of sweat collected on her forehead. She takes a deep breath and props herself up on her elbows to see Danny and Kirsch avidly playing video games. The graphics are being displayed on the entire wall, and the two are bobbing and weaving as if it affects the outcome of the game.

Idiots.  

"Are you kidding me?" They don't even glance her way. "This early in the morning?" That earns a scoff from Danny, but she doesn't turn around.

"It's 4pm, Jackass." She leans forward, moving her hands inside the small red holographic sphere that floats above her lap. She flicks her right wrist and her character throws a grenade, which explodes soon after. Kirsch's side of the screen erupts in a bright light and flying shrapnel.

"No!" Kirsch slumps in his seat, and then shoves Danny's arm when she snickers. Carmilla gags.

"Yes!" Danny fist-pumps the air and turns around to face Carmilla. "Some of us actually go to class."

"I go to class, Xena" she sneers. Kirsch laughs and turns around.

"Sure ya do, Carm-sex- OOF!" A flying pillow lands square on his face.

Danny holds her sides, erupting with laughter. After the initial shock fades from Kirsch's face, he starts to laugh as well. Carmilla groans and flips around, pulling the sheets over her head. She can't help the smile that stretches across her face.

After trying to sleep for a few more minutes, she decides it’s useless so long as the two gargantuan weeds are still enthusiastically engaged in their game. She sits up and stretches her limbs in a manner which Danny describes as feline like. Her back is stiff and she starts to regret staying out so late. She pulls back the duvet and starts massaging her left leg. Her fingers glide over the pattern of scars on her lower leg, slowly moving up and down the length of it. Satisfied, she throws her legs over the side of her bed and wiggles both sets of toes before sliding down from the mattress onto the hardwood floor. She looks over to the kitchen and only one coherent thought goes through her mind.

Coffee.

She shuffles into the kitchen, and double taps the counter space next to the coffeemaker. Control buttons illuminate on the countertop, and she taps and swipes with her eyes half closed. After a couple more hand gestures, the machine comes to life. She gives it an approving grunt, grabs some clothes from her drawer, and makes her way to the bathroom to get ready for the day.

As she finishes up, the explosions and gunshots cease. So she isn't surprised to see Danny walking the giant puppy out of their room. Carmilla's pillow is laying at the foot of her bed, and she walks over to place it correctly when she looks over at them. Kirsch is standing outside of the door with his hands in his front pockets, slightly leaning towards Danny as he talks. Danny is leaning against the doorframe with her arms crossed and a slight smile pulls at the corner of her lips. Carmilla overhears something about 'having a good time today' and decides she's interrupting a moment. She goes to retrieve her coffee from the kitchen, returning to gather her things for class. 

"See ya later, Carmilla," Kirsch calls out. She throws him the sign of the horns.

"Later." The door closes and Danny turns around with a smile plastered across her face. Carmilla is all too happy to tease her about it. "So... you and the pup official yet, or am I going to have to endure another year of nauseating flirting?"

"Shut up." Danny's face nearly rivals the shade of her hair. She sits down on her side of the room and combs her fingers through her hair. She lets out a big sigh, and Carmilla raises an eyebrow.

"What's up, Clifford?" Danny rolls her eyes, but starts to fidget with the edge of her duvet. A habit that Carmilla picked up on their freshman year. It equates uncertainty.

"I just don't know." She stops playing with the duvet and wipes her palms on her jeans. "We have a good time when we hang out and stuff, but what if things get weird? What if we realize that we've made a mistake?"

Carmilla sits on her bed and takes a big gulp of her drink. She needs a caffeine spike to talk some sense into her roommate.

"Listen." Danny looks up at her. "You didn't have to bear witness to the painfully obvious pining that occurred between the two of you from the beginning of freshman orientation to just a few moments ago. You two are crazy perfect for each other." Carmilla internally groans at herself.

Ew. What did you just say?

"Anyone with a brain can see that." Danny stares holes into the floor. "I say give it a shot, and if it doesn't end up working out, then at least you can say you tried. Anyways, I'm sure you two are both mature enough to still be good friends if it goes that way." Danny looks up at her again, her eyes more hopeful this time.

"You're right. I might as well go for it." She shoots Carmilla a smile, and is given a smirk in return.

"Of course I'm right." Carmilla stands up and grabs her bag. "As much fun as I have playing marriage counselor, I have to get going." She is met with a genuine look of disbelief.

"First week of classes, and you're actually being punctual?" Danny looks at her phone. "Scratch that. You're showing up early? Are you feeling alright, Karnstein? Are you dying or something?" Carmilla laughs.

"No. I'm just really looking forward to this class. Is that a crime?" Her mug is almost empty, so she downs the rest of her coffee and places the mug in the sink.

"Let me guess. Astronomy?"

"How did you know?" Carmilla feigns confusion.

"It's the one of the only classes where you get assigned to spend hours in the holorooms. I mean, it's not like you don't already spend most of your nights there anyways." Carmilla shrugs, resisting the urge to rub her back. "Not to mention how you wouldn't shut up about being so excited to take it this semester."

"Yeah. Yeah. Whatever." Carmilla waves her hand dismissively. "I probably won't be back when your Summer Socialites meeting wraps up or whatever, so don't wait up."

Danny reaches in her backpack and pulls out an apple. She smirks and tosses it over to Carmilla.

"There now you're fully equipped for the teacher's pet role." Carmilla shoots her a glare and takes a bite out of the apple.

"Fuck off, Xena." She flips her off and saunters out the door.

/

The campus is quiet as Carmilla makes her way to the Natural Science buildings. Most people are in class and the ones that aren’t are scattered about the quad. She passes the campus café, making a mental note to stop by and get her usual before she heads to the library for the night. As she nears the building labeled ‘NS 2’ people start to pour out of the doors. She pushes past the flow of the crowd, glaring daggers at people who don’t move out of her way. When she finally makes it through the doors she slouches against the hallway wall, exhaling forcefully. This is the last time she shows up this early ever again. Her attention is drawn to the sounds of chanting coming from the elevator doors. Before the doors even open, she knows what to expect. She rolls her eyes as a group of Zetas step out of the elevator.

“Pizza or death! Pizza or death!” They all pump their fists in unison, punctuating each word of their chant. She doesn’t understand how Kirsch associates himself with these meatheads. When they make their way towards the exit, a group of girls standing a few feet away start to glare at them.

“Oh my god! Shut up already!” Carmilla can’t identify which girl shouted it, but she certainly agrees with her.

“Chill out, Summer Psychos,” one of the Zetas addresses the girls. “You hotties don’t need to be so hostile.” A tall blonde takes a step towards the group of imbecilic morons.

“Don’t, Elsie. It’s not worth it, we are going to be late to our meeting.” A brunette holds her back, and the girls exit the building. The Zetas soon follow, starting their chant back up again.

Carmilla looks at her watch. The hands on the face read 5:10pm. She groans. She just wasted the last few minutes watching a near brawl take place. She pushes herself off the wall and makes her way towards the staircase. She walks down to the basement level still thinking about how idiotic the Zetas are, and how irritating the Summer Society sisters can be. She gets to room B-7 and the frosted glass doors slide apart to allow her to walk through. Her thought process brings her to Danny and Kirsch. She shakes her head.

I don’t know how I let myself get attached to those two idiots.

She emerges from the corridor and finds herself on the lowest level of a large lecture hall. There are a handful of people already sitting down, scattered about the room. She scans the seats, trying to gauge who she would be least likely to strangle during the duration of the semester. So far, most of them are definite no's, and there are two maybes. She looks to the right side of the room, hoping to see some more viable options.

Her eyes wander to the middle row and stop on a girl with golden brown hair. She is clad in light brown boots, tan leg warmers, and dark grey leggings, which hug her toned legs very nicely. Carmilla tries to stop herself, but she can’t and her eyes continue to rake up the girl’s body. Her olive green sweater contrasts perfectly with the color of her hair, and a small necklace that catches the light. Her brow furrows as she reads the papers in front of her. She leans back and runs her hand through her hair. Carmilla cannot look away. The girl’s tongue peeks out from between her lips and she takes her lower lip between her teeth. Carmilla’s eyes linger on her lips, and when she looks up, the girl is staring back at her.

//

Laura’s first week has had its ups and downs. Being away from home for the first time, attempting to figure out her dynamic with her roommate, and trying to navigate campus without looking like a typical naive freshman was proving to be more difficult than she first thought. She has enjoyed almost all of her courses so far this week, and she is really looking forward to her 5:20pm course. Her floor don had explained to her how all of the buildings are labeled with the acronyms of the courses that resided in each. LA for liberal arts, FA for fine arts, SS for the social sciences, NS for natural sciences, and so on. It was a little confusing at first, but Laura was starting to get the hang of it.

She makes her way towards the NS buildings, rustling through her backpack. She pulls out the hard copy of the course syllabus that she had printed out a couple weeks before. She knows that mostly everything will be given out electronically, but the habit of keeping paper records is something that she never grew out of. Most people are in class so the campus seems quite serene in comparison to the usual activity that takes place during the day.

She passes by a few students reading and napping on some benches in the quad. She resists the urge to wake the sleeping ones and offer them a lesson about the dangers of napping out in the open. She laughs to herself when she imagines their faces as they wake up to a tiny freshman rambling on about campus safety. She realizes that she must have laughed a little louder than she thought because a couple people look her way. She ducks her head and quickens her pace towards building NS 2.

Nice one, Hollis.

She walks through the doors and heads to the building directory. She taps on the glass display and she enters the classroom number into the search bar. The map transforms into a three dimensional display, highlighting the two available routes to get to the room. She opts for the top route and sets off in the direction of room B-7. She makes it a few feet forward when somebody turns a corner and crashes into her. Her papers spill onto the marble floor, and they both kneel down to pick them up.

“Oh no. I’m so sorry!” Laura looks up to see a familiar face. The redhead must have recognized her as well because they give her a big grin. They stand up, offering her the collected pages of her syllabus. “Hey, Frosh! How has your first week been so far?”

“Hi! Lafontaine, right?” She stands up and takes the papers.

“The one and only,” they say proudly, “but you’re more than welcomed to call me LaF.” They look at her questioningly and Laura remembers that they had asked her a question.

“Oh- my week. My week has been pretty good. Navigating around campus is a little confusing, but I’m making it work.” She waves her hands around as she talks. “Besides that, all my classes have been wonderful. The layout of this building is so different from the LA buildings. I’m actually on my way to class right now. It’s the only class I have in this building. Well, the only science class I really have this semester.” She sucks in some much needed oxygen, after having just spewed all of that in one breath. She sees slight hint of fear in LaF’s eyes and she groans, pinching the bridge of her nose. “Sorry I tend to ramble sometimes.”

“Don’t worry about it, Laura. I understand. Though I have to admit, you scared me a little bit.” They laugh, removing a white coat from their satchel. “Well I have to head to a lab, but I’ll see you around. Don’t hurt yourself.” They wave goodbye, walking towards the exit.

“Bye!” Laura waves back. She turns around to see a large crowd of people rushing past her. She maneuvers her way around the corner, just as the sound of chanting erupts behind her. She sighs in relief, thankful that she just missed a run-in with what sounds like a particularly large group of Zetas.

She finally makes her way into the lecture hall. She walks over to the railing and looks down, observing the room. It is a lot bigger than she thought it would be. The railing wraps around the top level and the stadium seating slopes down to the lowest level. A holodisplay is in the center of the floor and there is an entrance to a dark corridor on the far side of the room, next to what she assumes is the professor’s desk.

There aren’t a lot of people in the room and she worries that she is too early, but the screen on her watch flashes 5:10pm. She makes her way to a seat, proceeding to look over the syllabus again. People slowly start filing into the room, claiming seats. She is too focused on the course calendar to notice, until she feels a rush of nerves wash over her body. She furrows her brow, resisting the urge to fidget in her seat.

You’re probably just anxious for class to start. You’ve been looking forward to it all week. Yeah, that’s probably it.

She combs her fingers through her hair, trying to calm herself. It doesn’t help. Her teeth tug on her bottom lip.

What is wrong with you?

She peeks over the top of the syllabus and her gaze locks with a pair of dark eyes near the lower corridor entrance. Blood rushes into her cheeks, and her mouth goes dry. She tears her eyes away and stares holes into her syllabus. She dares to take another peek and she sees the woman walking away from her, towards the seats directly across the room. Her dark curls bounce off of her leather jacket as she ascends the stairs.

Laura should really stop staring, her dad has taught her better, but she just can’t bring herself to stop. The woman finds a seat, drops her bag and her jacket slides off her arms. She flings it on the chair before sitting down and she locks eyes with Laura once again. A smirk spreads across her face and Laura can feel heat rise into her cheeks again. This woman is gorgeous. The woman narrows her eyes but then a voice brings Laura back to her senses.

“Good evening and welcome to Introduction to Astronomy. I am Dr. Sheridan and I’ll be leading you on our journey across the cosmos.” Dr. Sheridan’s enthusiastic introduction fades into background as Laura’s focus is elsewhere. She looks back at the woman, who now has her boots kicked up on the seat in front of her as she listens to the professor talk. Laura sighs. It’s going to be a long semester.

/

As soon as Dr. Sheridan dismisses them, Laura is the first one out of the room. She really tried her best to pay attention to what he was saying during class, but it was near impossible under the heat of the woman’s gaze. It took every ounce of willpower in her body to not rush out in the middle of lecture. At least she caught her name, or rather her last name. Karnstein.

She walks out into the cool night air and makes a beeline for the café. Some hot cocoa should surely soothe her nerves. A bell rings when she walks through the door. She walks up to the register, quickly orders, and seats herself away from the entrance. She begins chewing on her lip, her mind bringing her back to those dark curls and darker eyes. She continues like this for a few seconds before the ringing of a bell interrupts her thoughts. She turns around to see more people walking into the cafe and the line at the register getting longer. Thankful that she had just missed the evening rush, she turns back around. Her drink should be done in no time at all.

“Caramel Macchiato! Americano!” The people start going to collect their drinks as the baristas call them out. “Vanilla Latte! Flat White!”

After a few more drinks are called, Laura gets up to see what is taking hers so long. She makes her way around the line, muttering apologies when she grazes passed a few people. She quickens her pace towards the counter. All she wants to do is get her hot cocoa and go freak out in the privacy of her own room. She isn’t paying attention and she collides with someone waiting for their order. Her hands shoot forwards trying to grab anything to prevent her from falling backwards, but a pair of hands grasp her firmly by her shoulders, steadying her. The person lets out a low, breathy laugh.

“Careful there, Cutie.” Laura’s head snaps up at the sound of the silky voice. Her breath gets caught in her throat when she looks into a pair of dark eyes. “You could’ve hurt yourself there.” Laura’s eyes travel down to the woman’s red lips as she speaks. “And we wouldn’t want that now, would we?” The red lips curl into a smirk and Laura realizes close their faces are.

“Uh. Um…” Laura becomes aware of the material fisted in her hands. She looks down and releases her grip on the woman’s jacket. The woman drops her hands from Laura’s shoulders, skimming her fingertips down her arm. Laura takes a small step back, ignoring the goosebumps spreading across her body. “I-I’m so sorry! I wasn’t paying attention to where I was going and I didn’t mean to run into you. I mean, of course I didn’t mean to run into you.” The woman raises her eyebrow, and Laura feels her temperature rise. “Not that there is anything wrong with you. You’re perfect.” Both eyebrows rise this time. “That’s not what I meant. I… Uh…”

The woman laughs again, her eyes closed and her head shaking slightly. Laura, thankful for the interruption, takes the chance to look at her again. She was gorgeous from across the lecture hall, but up close she is absolutely stunning. Her eyes open, freezing Laura’s train of thought. Her red lips part to say something but a voice from across the counter interrupts.

“Excuse me, Miss?” Laura turns to the barista, trying not to glare. “We are so sorry about the delay, here is your cocoa.” She slides the cup towards her.

“Oh, it’s okay. Thank you.” She takes the cup and turns back to the woman, who is looking at her with amusement.

“Chai Tea Latte and a Red Eye!" 

“And that would be me.” The woman takes the cups from the counter and offers a nod to the barista, who blushes. Apparently, this woman has an effect on everyone.

Well, at least I know I’m not going crazy.

She turns back to Laura, and gives her a once over from head to toe. Laura is pretty sure that she is going to spontaneously combust at any moment now. 

“I’ll see you around, Cupcake.” She takes a step backwards, holding Laura’s gaze for a moment longer, and then turns away towards the exit. The bell rings when she opens the door, and Laura says the first thing that comes to her mind. 

“Take care!”

The woman looks back at her with a small smile and walks out of the door, leaving a mortified Laura amongst the crowd of café patrons. Laura groans and slides the palm her hand down her face.

Ugh! Take care? Really?

Carmilla face is still plastered with a smile by the time she makes it up to the fifth floor of the library. She is almost halfway done with her drink when she approaches the front desk. An older woman sits at the desk, nose buried in a book. Purple frames rest low on her nose and her silver curls contrast with her dark complexion. Carmilla’s steps are anything but quiet against the tile floor, but the clerk doesn’t look up from her reading. The clerk quickly glances at Carmilla, once she gets closer to the desk, and sees that her mind is elsewhere.

“It looks like someone had a good day.”

Carmilla snaps out of her daze and focuses on the woman. The clerk pushes her glasses up the bridge of her nose with a knowing smile. Carmilla’s mind wanders to her encounter at the cafe and her stomach flutters. She rolls her eyes, and holds out the cup of Chai Tea.

“Hello, Anne.”

“Hello, Miss Carmilla. Thank you.” She takes the cup from Carmilla and takes a drink, sighing contently. “You might be my favorite student.”

“Might be?” Carmilla smirks and Anne laughs, sliding a key card towards Carmilla.

“Well I shouldn’t be picking favorites, but you know you are.” Anne closes her book and starts gathering her things to leave. “So what happened today that painted that rare smile on your face, huh?” Carmilla’s smirk falters.

“Oh. Um, class just went really well tonight,” she mutters quickly. Anne doesn’t buy it, but she doesn’t press any further.

“Well, I hope your class continues to go well,” she says, sending Carmilla a wink. She stands up to leave, drink in hand. “Thank you again, and don’t forget to lock up when you leave.”

“Of course, Anne. Have a good night,” Carmilla says with a small smile.

“Good night, Dear,” Anne calls over her shoulder as she disappears out of the door.

Carmilla lingers near the front desk for a few moments, basking in the silence. She then chugs the rest of her drink, discards the empty cup into the trash, and walks past the desk. She walks through an archway, which leads to a series of corridors, lined with rooms. Each room is veiled behind frosted glass that expands from floor to ceiling. Carmilla navigates her way to one of the smaller rooms, waving the key card in front of the small panel on the wall. The panel beep when the red blinking light flashes green, and the glass door slides open.

She walks inside and the ceiling trim emits a soft glow, lighting the room. She crosses the room and places her bag onto a small table in the corner. She walks back into the center of the room and raises her left arm out in front of her with her palm facing up. A small blue light appears in the center of her hand. The light pulses three times and then stretches to wrap around her hand. She grasps the handle and turns it clockwise as a humming sound resonates throughout the room. With her palm now facing down, the handle slides towards her fingertips and transforms into a holographic control panel. She navigates her way through the controls and inputs a couple codes when prompted. The control panel disappears and the lights dim down to near darkness.

Just as Carmilla’s eyes start to adjust to the change in lighting, the room is filled with a seemingly endless amount of stars. She fights the urge to walk amongst the stars and instead lowers herself to the floor. Once seated, she shrugs her jacket off of her shoulders and neatly folds it. She leans backwards and lays the jacket behind her head. She places her right hand underneath her head to give her neck extra support and her left hand rests on her stomach. Her body relaxes completely and she feels as if she is floating. Her mind is completely blank as she feels at peace, lost in the universe.

Her trance is interrupted by the ringing of her phone. She sighs and digs it out of her back pocket. A picture from last year’s Halloween party of Danny in her warrior princess costume yelling at some guy in a shrimp costume lights up her screen.

“What do you want?”

"Aren’t you at your happy place right now? Why so grumpy?” Carmilla rolls her eyes.

“Well maybe if you hadn’t interrupted me, I wouldn’t be so grumpy.” Danny laughs and there is a beat of silence. Carmilla can picture Danny considering the statement.

“You have a point.” There is a loud scuffling noise on the other end of the phone. Carmilla winces and pulls the phone away from her ear until it subsides.

“Back to my original question. What do you want?” She hopes it didn’t come out with as much bite as she thought it did. Luckily, Danny seems unfazed.

“I just wanted to let you know that I’m heading over to Kirsch’s tonight, so I may not be in the room by the time you get back.” Carmilla smirks.

“Lawrence, I know we talked about ‘going for it’ earlier today, but I didn’t think you would move this fast.” Carmilla does not hold back on how smug she sounds.

“T-That’s not what I meant,” Danny stumbles over her words. Carmilla laughs and she hears Danny huff on the other end. “I’m going over because Kirsch is having a small get together at his place tonight, before the big party this weekend, which you are going to by the way.” Carmilla groans.

“No I’m not,” she grunts.

“Oh yes you are.” Carmilla groans louder into the phone. “I am not going to let you miss out on another year of the full college experience. What kind of best friend would I be if I let that happen?”

“I don’t know. You’re already pretty crappy,” Carmilla teases, “making me do things against my will.” Danny cackles; it’s the special one she reserves for when she has won something.

“So you’re coming,” she states, matter-of-factly. Carmilla frowns, and closes her eyes.

“Shit.” Danny cackles again. “I suppose so,” Carmilla sighs, “but I won’t be happy about it.”

“Okay.”

“And I’m going to be complaining the whole time.”

“Whatever you say.” Carmilla huffs, rolling her eyes. “You could join us tonight. It’s nothing too crazy, and Kirsch’s childhood best friend is going to be there. He's been dying to introduce us to her.”

“Laura right?” Danny answers with an affirming hum. “What time are you heading over?”

“Probably in a little bit. He told people to come around 10.” Carmilla’s eyes nearly bulge from her head.

“It’s already almost 10?” she asks, looking at her watch. “I didn’t realize it was this late already.”

“By your standards is it really considered late?” Carmilla shrugs, forgetting that Danny cannot see her. “You usually come back when I’m dead asleep.”

“I guess I just lost track of time…” she trails off.

“What happened today?” Danny asks, suddenly serious.

“What do you mean?”

“Don’t bullshit me. You only zone off like that when something significant happens, good or bad,” Danny says firmly. “So do I need to kick someone’s ass? I can call Kirsch and tell him I can’t come by tonight - ”

“Nothing bad happened today,” Carmilla cuts her off. “I promise. Today was a good day.”

“Okay good. So… what happened today?” Danny asks playfully. Carmilla pictures her smug expression.

“Well, Intro to Astronomy is going to be very interesting this semester. The professor isn’t infuriating, so that’s an adequate indicator for a good semester.”

“That’s good, but I’m more than positive that wasn’t enough to make Carmilla Karnstein zone out for a few hours.” Carmilla rolls her eyes. “Did someone catch your eye?”

“Now you’re just being ridiculous,” Carmilla grumbles.

“Oh my god,” Danny gasps. “That’s exactly what happened isn’t it? So tell me all about this mystery person who managed to snag your attention.” Carmilla remembers the sensation of the cafe girl’s hands clenching her jacket in an attempt to remain upright.

“There’s nothing to tell.” Carmilla tries to brush it off but Danny doesn’t budge.

“I can see right through your bullshit, Karnstein, so you might as well tell me. Spill.”

“Golden brown hair. Amber eyes. Awkward. Short. Tends to ramble when flustered,” Carmilla says indifferently.

“You’re already smitten.”

“She’s cute, I guess.” Carmilla slightly flinches at the loud banging sound on the other side of the phone, she assumes Danny just slammed her hand down onto her desk.

“This is amazing! So what’s her name?”

“Didn’t stay long enough to find out. I had places to be.” Danny sighs.

“You’re completely useless.”

“I’m sure I’ll find out soon enough.” Carmilla can feel Danny’s excitement radiating through the phone.

“Wait so you plan on seeing her again? Is it going to be one of those things where you ‘accidentally’ run into her, but you are actually stalking her?”

“No,” Carmilla growls. “I just know for a fact that I will see her again.” Carmilla looks at her watch again. “Shouldn’t you be leaving?”

“Oh shit. You’re right. Are you coming with me? I can pick you up.” Carmilla takes a second to consider it.

“No thanks, I’m going to stay in tonight. I’m sure I’ll meet Laura at the damn party this weekend.” Danny tries to suppress her cackle. “Tell the puppy I said hi.”

“Will do, Karnstein. You better make the most of your night in, because you’ll need it for this weekend.” Carmilla grunts. “Oh and have fun dreaming about your amber-eyed mystery woman."

“Bye!”

Carmilla hangs up, cutting off another one of Danny’s laughs, and lets her hand fall to her side. She gazes at the stars in front of her and lets her phone slide out of her hand. She closes her eyes and sighs deeply, recalling the way the cafe girl’s hand shot up in class during roll call. The poor girl nearly dropped her papers when she finally realized that Dr. Sheridan was calling her name.

Carmilla laughs as she remembers the blush creeping up the girl’s neck after her spastic recovery. Their eyes had met again. It was brief, but it was enough to make Carmilla’s heart race. If she wasn’t practiced at keeping up a front, she might have found herself in the girl’s position.

Pull yourself together. You don't even know her first name.

Carmilla shakes her head and lifts her hand to pass through the holographic stars in front of her face. Particles of stardust trail the path her hand takes. She sighs once more and lays her hand across her stomach, watching the particles disperse and evaporate.

Hollis will do for now.

//

Laura lies down face first into her yellow pillow. Her empty cup sits on her desk next to a couple of open textbooks and scattered papers. She had tried to do some homework after finally making it back to her room. Needless to say, her mind was too preoccupied to focus on work. After several failed attempts to refocus, she flung herself onto her bed and voiced her frustrations into her pillow.

“Um… Laura?” Laura lifts her head to look towards the door.

“Hi, Betty,” Laura mumbles, before plopping her head back down onto her pillow.

“You okay there?” Laura shrugs her shoulders. “Rough day, huh?” Laura flips over onto her back and sighs.

“No today was good.”  She feels the ghost of the brunette’s touch running down her arms. “Really good actually,” she says breathlessly. Betty raises an eyebrow and shakes her head.

“I’m not even going to ask,” she laughs. She walks over to her bed and glances over at Laura’s cluttered desk. “So were you planning on studying yourself to death tonight, Hollis?”

“Hmm?” Laura sits up in her bed and follows Betty’s gaze. “Oh that. No, I’m actually heading out tonight. I was just trying to get a head start on some work before I leave.”

"I see." Betty drops her bag on the floor and sits down on the edge of the bed, leaning forward. "So I heard about some big party happening this weekend, and I think it is the perfect opportunity for some de-stressing."

"De-stressing? It's only the first week of school. Exactly how stressed out can you be?" Betty shrugs and leans back on her hands.

"Think of it as letting loose for all the future stress of our college careers." Laura laughs and rolls off of her bed.

"That sounds pretty convincing." Laura walks over to her wardrobe, pulling out her outfit for the night. She quickly goes through the rest of her clothes, looking for potential party outfits.

"At least think about it.” Laura closes her wardrobe and walks into the bathroom.

“I will,” she calls from behind the closed door.

A little while later, Laura emerges from the bathroom and tucks her phone, keys, and bear spray into her jacket pockets. She says goodbye to Betty and begins the walk to the Kirsch’s apartment. The minimal street lighting along the route to the apartment complexes gives a clear view of the night sky. Laura gazes up at the twinkling lights and thinks of home. She thinks about her late night walks to the treehouse and how the starlight would stream through the openings of the canopy above. A cool breeze slithers down the back of her neck, shaking her out of her daydream. She crosses her arms, trying to contain the warmth that seems to be escaping from underneath her jacket.

She picks up her pace, and soon finds herself in front of the Kirsch’s apartment. She takes the elevator to the third floor and hears the muffled sound of music drifting down the hallway. She starts to worry that she is late, but her watch screen reads 10:15pm. She lets out a deep breath and heads towards the source of the music.

Immediately after her second knock, the door opens and a pair of arms wrap around her waist, lifting her up from the ground.

“Hey little Laur!” She giggles and wraps her arms around Kirsch’s neck.

“Hey yourself, Big Guy.” He lowers her back down and gestures for her to walk inside. She follows him inside and shrugs off her jacket, placing it on one of the available hooks by the front door.

The music is a lot louder inside and she can barely make out cheers from around the corner. She over at Kirsch to see that he was talking to her, but she can't hear him over the bass reverberating through the walls. He looks at her expectantly and she give him an apologetic smile.

"I can't hear you!" She exaggerates her words and points to her ear.

He mouths 'Sorry' and turns to panel mounted on the wall next to him. He lowers the music and a couple shouts of protest come from the other room. He rolls his eyes.

"I don't want to hear it! Being able to hear what my best friend is saying trumps whatever techno jam you were trying to get down to, Jerry!" He shakes his head and turns back to Laura. "Sorry about that. The Zeta bros are passionate about only a few things, and music happens to be one of them. Well... that and beer, brotherhood, being better than the Summers, pizza, and pretty ladies, of course." Laura can’t help but to roll her eyes.

“Well haven’t you turned into quite the frat boy. At least you aren’t referring to us women as ‘hotties’ because I don’t think I could handle being 100% spot on with the impression I made before you left for this place.”

“I’m glad to help maintain your sanity, Miss.” He gives her an exaggerated bow and she smiles at the sight before her.

“I’ve missed you, Kirsch.”

“I’ve missed you too, Laura.” He picks up an opened bottle from the small stand near the front door and lifts it up. “Would you like a drink? If you don’t want alcohol, I have soda and water as well.”

“Sure, I’ll have a little something.” She follows him through an archway opening and into the kitchen, which already has a few cans and bottles collected on the countertops. “But please tell me you have something other than beer. I can’t stand it ever since that one party after our football team won sectionals.” Kirsch chuckles as he recalls the nasty hangover he had the morning after.

“We were so wasted. Whenever I think back on it, all I get are flashes of shots, beer, and that poor girl that you kept trying to hit on. Rather horribly, I might add.” He opens up the refrigerator and pulls out a bottle from behind the rows of beer.

“Please don’t remind me,” she groans.

“It never happened. Got it.” He offers her the bottle. “So besides beer we have hard stuff and cider, but I think we should save the shots for the Zeta party this Saturday.” She accepts the bottle and twists the top off of it, taking a sip.

“Thank you. So is this Zeta party the one that people have been talking about all week?”

“Totally! It’s going to be killer, and you should definitely come. We throw the best parties on campus.”

“Second best, actually.” Laura turns and sees a tall woman with red hair leaning against the archway. Laura sees her eyes soften when Kirsch pouts. “But I will admit that the Zetas consistently do alright with the first party of the school year.” Kirsch’s face lights up at the admission.

“Laura, this is my- Danny. This is Danny.” He ducks his head, trying to hide his blush and quickly gestures towards the redhead walking over to them. He composes himself and clears his throat. “Danny, this is Laura, my best friend since childhood. The Robin to my Batman. The Luigi to my Mario. The Chewy to my Han Solo. The Little John to my Robin Hood.” He finishes with a proud smile.

“You know it’s totally the other way around for all of those duos right?” Danny laughs and nods her head in agreement.

“Yeah, you are definitely more of a Chewy than a Han Solo.” He pouts again, and Danny pats his shoulder. She turns back to Laura and sticks out her hand. “It’s nice to finally meet you Laura. I've heard a lot about you." Laura blushes and shakes her hand.

"It's nice to meet you too, Danny. He has told me a lot about you too. Good things, of course."

"That's good to hear. This one was practically vibrating with excitement for your arrival, and I couldn’t find the off switch.” Laura giggles and takes another swig of her cider.

“I don’t think he really has one,” Laura stage-whispers conspiratorially. Kirsch purses his lips as he watches the two girls laugh together.

“I’m standing right here you know.” Danny pats his cheek and this time he doesn’t try to hide his blush. Laura smiles as she watches them interact with each other.

Wow, these two are adorable.

Danny turns back to Laura with a mischievous grin on her face

"Since you two grew up together, is it safe to say you have some embarrassing Kirsch-related stories?" Laura mirrors her grin and Kirsch groans.

"Oh definitely." Danny cackles and grabs a cold beer.

"Wonderful!" Danny pops off the bottle cap and drapes her arm around Laura's shoulder, leading her out of the kitchen. Someone yells 'Drink up, Asshole' from the other room. "Well now that I'm here, I have to take Jerry’s ego down several notches. But right after I hand him his ass at pong, how about you tell me all these fantastic stories?"

"Or how about not?" Kirsch whines as he follows them out.

Chapter Text

The sound of coffee being poured into her empty mug soothes Carmilla as she leans back against the counter, arms crossed and eyes closed. She had returned to the room last night soon after her phone call with Danny. It’s the earliest she has ever come back to their room after one of her visits to the library. Despite getting a decent amount of sleep, she is nowhere close to being able to function without some caffeine in her system.

A loud groan disrupts Carmilla’s tranquil state. She rolls her head to the side and glares at her roommate, who is starting to stir from underneath the mass of blankets. The top of Danny’s head slowly peeks out from underneath her duvet. She rolls to her side and groans again.

"Shit.” She winces at the sound of her own voice and continues in a whisper, “Why do I do this to myself?” Carmilla scoffs and moves to grab her mug.

“You think you’re invincible or some shit.” Carmilla walks to the edge of Danny’s bed and takes a sip of her coffee. She revels in the warmth that spreads throughout her body before snatching the blankets off of her roommate’s body.

“What the fuck, Karnstein?” Danny shouts, immediately regretting it. She buries her face into her pillow and blindly reaches for the sheets that Carmilla is holding out of reach. Carmilla shakes her head and lifts her foot to poke Danny’s hip.

“Get your ass up. We are going to Jimmy’s.” Danny’s hand drops to her side and she slowly pushes herself up from the mattress. She sits up and tries to blink the sleep from her eyes. Her hair sticks out in all directions and Carmilla bites the inside of her cheek to hold back her laughter. “All right, Sleeping Beauty. Let’s go. I don’t want to miss Perry’s shift. That one guy doesn’t know how to poach eggs to save his life.”

“Perry’s shift?” Danny rubs her eyes and glances at the clock mounted on the wall. 8:30am. “Why are you up this early? More importantly, why did you wake me up?” Carmilla rolls her eyes and tosses the sheets onto the bed, before walking over to her dresser.

“I slept well, I want a good breakfast, and you’re not the worst company in the world.” Carmilla drapes her clothes over her shoulder and turns back to Danny. “Also you can tell me how it went last night.” Danny dramatically places her hand over her heart.

“You give the best compliments. I’m touched. Truly.” Carmilla places her empty mug in the sink and heads toward the bathroom, sneering at Danny as she passes by.

“Shut up and get ready.” Danny’s laugh turns into a growl when Carmilla slams the door shut.

“Dammit, Carmilla.”

/

“Nope.”

“Oh, come on, Xena.” Danny crosses her arms and shakes her head.

“Not happening.” Carmilla groans.

“I’m going to kill you if I don’t get my breakfast.” Danny holds her ground and scowls at Carmilla.

“That’s fine. I’m not getting on that thing.” Carmilla places the extra helmet on the seat and pinches the bridge of her nose.

“What’s your issue? It’s not like you’ve never ridden one before.”

“Well, obviously. I’m just not used to being a passenger, and I’m going to look ridiculous. I’m so much taller than you.” Carmilla smirks.

“Did hitting your head on enough light fixtures finally give you the hint?”

“That was one time, and it wasn’t my fault that the house had low ceilings. That’s not the point.” Carmilla sighs and runs her fingers through her hair.

“Look. You don’t want to drive, and I’m not driving that metal death trap of yours. Could you set aside your ego, and just get the fuck on? We could already be at the diner by now.” Danny huffs and grabs the extra helmet.

Carmilla pulls her helmet over her head and fastens the straps, before turning on the display. She mounts the bike and places her thumb on the scanner, before slipping on her gloves. She kicks up the kickstand and shifts the transmission into neutral. After setting the choke, she pulls the clutch and starts the engine. It roars to life, and she looks back at Danny, standing beside the bike with a scowl on her face. Carmilla shakes her head and motions for her to get on. Danny lowers the visor on her helmet and clambers on behind Carmilla. She wraps her arms around Carmilla’s waist and they take off in the direction of the diner.

They pull into the parking lot five minutes later and Danny hops off as soon as Carmilla kills the engine. They lock their helmets and make their way inside, seating themselves at their usual booth. It doesn’t take long for Perry’s brother to come to their table with two coffees and a gatorade.

“Perry is already whipping up her hangover cure for Danny and the usual for you, Carmilla.” Danny quickly empties a couple sugar packets into her coffee and takes a big gulp, sighing in relief.

"You're a godsend, J.P." He waves his hand dismissively.

"Yeah I know. Don't mention it.” Carmilla eyes his pulled back hairstyle.

"What’s with the man-bun?" J.P. smirks at Carmilla’s question. He tucks a loose strand of hair behind his ear and shrugs.

"Don't be jealous that I can rock a bun better than you can." Danny chuckles into her drink. Carmilla shoots her a glare and then redirects it back to J.P.

"Stop harassing us and go tend to the other patrons."

“Don’t miss me too much,” he smirks. He pats his hand on the table, smiling at Danny. “Feel better, D.” She smiles back and he saunters away towards the kitchen.

“Sweet kid,” she says. Carmilla leans back and crosses her arms over her chest.

“Pain in the ass, if you ask me.” Danny rolls her eyes.

“Well I wasn’t.” Carmilla shrugs and reaches for her coffee, drinking half of the contents in one go.

“So how was Kirsch’s?”

“Oh yeah.” Danny takes another big gulp of her drink and sets it down on the table before clearing her throat. “It was fun, and Laura is wonderful.”

“Right. The best friend.”

“I think you’d like her. She’s funny, smart, can hold a conversation, and enjoys teasing Kirsch just about as much as we do.” Carmilla nods her head approvingly.

“Sounds like a cool girl.”

“She’s cute.” Danny wags her eyebrows “Not like that matters now that you’re preoccupied with this mystery girl of yours.”

“Anyways,” Carmilla deadpans, motioning for Danny to continue.

“So I get to his place and he introduces Laura and I. You should have seen him. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him that excited before. He also turns into the biggest dork when they are together. It’s really cute.” Danny blushes, ignoring the grimace on Carmilla’s face.

“Gross.”

“So after the meet and greet, I had to go set Jerry in his place at the pong table.”

“Naturally,” Carmilla comments, taking sip of her drink.

“Then Laura told me all of Kirsch’s embarrassing childhood stories. I would tell you, but I don’t think I can paint the scene quite as well as she can. I’m sure she will tell you when you two finally meet. Things get a little fuzzy after that because somebody started handing out shots. All I know for sure is that it was loads of fun, and that Laura is the best pong partner.”

“It sounds like a fun night.”

“You could have been there," Danny reminded her.

“I was busy.” Carmilla places her mug on the table, and takes a deep breath, preparing herself.                                                      

"I know, you usually are. Nearly every night...” Danny trails off quietly.

Carmilla sighs, “Danny-”

“I know our friendship works because I don’t push you to talk about anything you don’t want to. I understand there are certain things you would rather deal on your own, or forget altogether. It’s just… I want you to know that I’m here, if you ever decide you do want to talk. I’m always going to be here.” Carmilla taps her fingers against her thigh, and meets Danny’s intense gaze. Carmilla curls her hand into a fist, digging her nails into her palm.

You don’t know that.

“Thanks.”

Carmilla is thankful the moment is interrupted when J.P. returns to their booth, carrying a tray of plates. He slides two small plates of buttered toast in between them, along with some extra napkins.

“Perry’s ‘Morning After Special’,” he says setting a plate of eggs, cheesy potatoes, bacon, and sausage down in front of Danny. He places a plate of Eggs Benedict smothered in a red pepper sauce in front of Carmilla. “And the ‘Lesbian Vampire’ for you.”

“Please name it that,” Danny snorts.

“Or don’t.”

“I just might,” J.P. chuckles. “Can I get anything else for you ladies?” Carmilla opens her mouth to speak, but J.P. raises his hand. “You can get the hell away from me. Yeah yeah, I got it.”

“I don’t sound like that,” Carmilla grumbles, angrily cutting into her food.

“You absolutely do.” Danny fist bumps J.P., and Carmilla ignores them, stuffing a massive bite into her mouth.

“So will I see you two at the party on Saturday?”

“Definitely. You and LaF better bring your A-game because I have a new pong partner, and we are out for blood.” The challenge makes his mouth twist into a toothy grin.

“Bring it on, Lawrence.”

//

Laura is more than relieved when her Lit professor dismisses the class early, saying something about resting up for the big weekend. Laura is pretty sure the professor stares directly at her when hinting about the Zeta party. She made quite the impression on only the second day of class, that’s for sure. On top of yawning nearly every five minutes, she totally spaced out on a couple questions directed at her. Luckily, the guy sitting next to her sensed her panic and answered for her each time.

Note to self: No drinking on weeknights.

She at least had the foresight to put a glass of water and some ibuprofen on her desk last night. It lasted her a good few hours this morning, but now her headache is returning full force. She quickly flees the building before student traffic gets heavy.

She decides to heads towards the cafe, hoping that a good sugar fix will remedy her exhaustion. It would be quicker to head back to her room and raid her cookie stash, but she tells herself that the café sweets taste better. It’s definitely not because she is hoping to see a certain someone again. Of course not.

She walks through the front door and manages to maintain a thread of self control, refraining from scanning the area for brunette curls and dark eyes. She approaches the register and orders a variety of baked goods from the display case. After receiving her bag, she notices someone waving to her at the far end of the room.

“Hey, Laura. Come join us,” LaF calls from across the cafe. Laura makes her way over to the two redheads and pulls up a chair.

“Hey, LaF. Hi, Perry,” she greets them as she scoots her chair closer to the table. Laf tilts their head, staring at the large bag of baked goods.

“That is a truly alarming amount of sugar. How does your tiny body handle all that?”

“When I was little, I used to ask my dad for cookies and brownies for dessert almost everyday. He never could say no to his little girl, so I guess I’m just used to it.” Laura shrugs, taking a bite of a chocolate chip cookie.

“Even so, you should really consider your long term health. You can’t maintain this diet forever,” Perry suggests as she pulls a few napkins out of the dispenser. She slides them over to Laura, touching beside her own lips before motioning over to Laura. Laura gives her a small smile and takes a napkin, wiping a chocolate smudge away from the corner of her mouth. She mumbles her thanks and Perry nods.

“Rough day, Frosh?” Laura slumps in her seat.

“Yes, and it’s only halfway done,” she groans. “At least I only have a couple more classes. Then I can go back to my room, curl up in bed, and get some much needed rest.” LaF chuckles.

“I take it you had a late night?” Laura sighs and nods her head.

“It probably won’t be my last. Maybe next time I’ll hold off on some of the... activities,” she finishes, casting a quick glance at Perry.

“You don’t have to watch what you say around me, Laura,” Perry laughs. “All that matters is that you are safe and don’t do it in the dorms.” LaF leans closer to Laura, shielding their mouth with the back of their hand.

“But if you ever do want a little something while you are on Silas grounds, just let me know. We have a pretty impressive collection of confiscated goods.”

“Lafontaine! We do not distribute alcohol to the on-campus students."

"Oh come on, Perr. Laura isn't like your other residents. She's cool." Laura blushes at the compliment, and bites into another cookie.

"Thanks, LaF." Perry purses her lips and leans back in her chair.

“Even if I agree with you, I can’t just start breaking the -”

“Because keeping confiscated contraband instead of turning them over to security is totally in the rulebook,” LaF interrupts. Perry’s eyes widen and she opens and closes her mouth a few times.

"I-I guess I could look the other way, as long as you two are careful," she mutters. LaF pumps their fist in the air and then turns back to Laura, sporting a victorious grin.

“Oh we will be.”

“So, Laura. I figure we will see you on Saturday, correct?” Perry asks, folding her hands in front of her.

“You two are going as well? Is everyone going to this party? Is the whole school going? Even the professors know about it.” Perry nods her head.

“Most people do attend the first couple parties.”

“But attendance dwindles down as the semester goes on,” LaF adds. “People can only handle so many raging hangovers. Most people end up missing morning classes the first couple of weeks, so the professors adapted their class schedules around the major parties.”

“I thought it was weird that my Monday classes don’t meet again for another two weeks,” Laura muses.

“It’s quite daft if you ask me. I don’t understand how the Board can be okay with allowing the students' extracurricular activities to dictate the academic curriculum. What are we paying this institution for anyways?”

“Well, Perr, you’ve never gotten a hangover in your life, and these aren’t your normal everyday type. It takes at least a couple of days function properly again,” they explain as Laura’s face twists into horror.

“A couple days?”

“If you manage to survive this weekend, then you’ll be just fine,” LaF shrugs and Laura nearly crushes the cookie in her hand.

A laugh bubbles out of their throat and Perry swats at their arm.

I’m never going to make it through college.

“Shit! I’m late!”

Carmilla digs her phone out of her bag as she rushes into her dorm building. She sends a quick text as she heads towards the staircase.

Carmilla (6:45pm): I’m going to be late. Sorry.

She ascends the stairs, two steps at a time. When she makes it up to the fifth floor, she bursts through the door and rushes down the hallway. Perry exits one of the rooms, just in time for Carmilla to barrel into her. Perry’s ring of keys, a clipboard and a few loose papers clatter to the floor, and Carmilla reaches out to steady Perry by her shoulders.

“Sorry, Pippi. I wasn’t paying attention,” Carmilla apologizes as she bends down to pick up the fallen materials.

“It’s quite alright, Carmilla,” Perry says as she straightens out her sweater. “No one was hurt.”

“Luckily.”

Carmilla hands Perry her keys and the reassembled clipboard. Perry reaches out to grasp Carmilla’s forearm as she turns to walk away. Carmilla stops and peers down at Perry’s hand before looking back at the redhead expectantly. Perry quickly releases her hold on the brunette and grips the edge of her clipboard.

“Are you busy tonight? We are having the first ‘Feature Film Friday’ event in the common area at 7:30 tonight. Danny confirmed that she was coming, but she never mentioned if you were or not.” Carmilla’s pocket buzzes.

“As much fun as that sounds,” Carmilla begins sarcastically, “I have somewhere I need to be tonight.”

“Okay, but you are coming to the one next week.” Carmilla grunts in response and retreats to her room. “You will,” Perry calls out, “even if I have to drag you there myself.”

Carmilla waves her hand at Perry without turning around. She makes it to her door and checks her phone as she attempts to open the door.

Nat (7:01pm): No worries. Don’t rush and make sure you get here safely. (:

Carmilla rolls her eyes at the smiley face and her hand misses the keyhole for the third time. She growls and shoves the key in its place, before entering the room.

“God damn, keys,” she grumbles as she dumps the contents of her bag onto her bed. “Fucking Longstocking had to make everything difficult.” She grabs a few things off the bed and zips them up in her leather jacket. “Couldn’t have fucking keycards like every other building.”

She continues to curse Perry’s lobbying to keep physical locks in the dorms instead of digital ones, as she quickly moves about the room, collecting what she needs. She pauses by the door one last time, quickly going through a checklist in her head, and then hurries out of the room.

/

Carmilla slows her bike as she approaches a small village. She descends the hillside, passing a few clusters of houses and a small church. Her visor display directs her to side street, where a single house is located. She pulls into the driveway and kills the engine. She glances at the time in the bottom corner of the visor before turning off the display. 7:45pm.

I made good time.

She unfastens her helmet, tugs it off of her head, and hangs it on the handlebar. After dismounting the bike, she unzips her jacket and removes her neck warmer. She takes a deep breath, adjusting her jacket and running her fingers through her curls. She grabs her helmet and approaches the front entrance. She knocks against the mahogany door and hears the sound of footsteps on the other side.

The door opens and Carmilla is greeted by a woman a few years older than herself. She is wearing a white button up shirt on top of dark jeans and her cropped black hair slicked back out of her face. She is looking at Carmilla with a large grin on her face. The corner of Carmilla’s lips curl into a small smile, and she greets the woman at the door.

“Hey, Nat.”

“Hello, Carmilla. Come inside.” Nat moves aside, holding the door open.

Carmilla steps across the threshold and immediately goes to hang her helmet on one of the coat hooks embedded into the drywall. Nat closes the front door and walks towards the kitchen. Carmilla shrugs off her jacket and places it next to her helmet. She takes her phone out of the jacket pocket and opens up her messages.

“Drink?” Nat asks from the other room.

“Please,” Carmilla answers as she sends out a text message. She turns her phone off and shoves it back into her jacket pocket.

“Do you want the usual or something different?” Nat asks when she hears Carmilla walk into the kitchen.

“Just water tonight.” Carmilla catches the look of approval that flashes across Nat’s face before she turns away to grab a couple of glasses. She fills them both with ice water and picks them up, motioning with her head for Carmilla to follow her into the living room.

Carmilla makes herself at home on the large couch, lifting her feet up onto the coffee table in between her and the recliner across the way. Nat places the glasses on the coffee table and eyes Carmilla’s boots, before staring at the girl disapprovingly. Carmilla feels Nat’s glare burning into the side of her head, and after a few seconds of resisting, she sighs and places her feet back on the floor.

With a smug smile on her face, Nat sits in the recliner across from Carmilla. She picks her glass up from the table and takes a drink of water, before glancing at the girl on the couch. Carmilla is now leaning forward with her elbows on her knees. She is playing with the watch attached to her wrist, her thumb rubbing the against the worn leather strap. Nat clears her throat, and Carmilla’s body stiffens.

“Okay.” Nat leans back and straightens out the bottom of her shirt. “Let’s begin.”

//

“Hey, could you hand me a soda?”

“Sure thing, Betts.” Laura digs into the plastic bag resting in her lap, before handing Betty a grape soda.

“Thanks,” Betty mumbles with a mouth full of chips. The roommates settle further into the couch and adjust the blanket that lays across their laps. They had to use one of Betty’s blankets because Laura’s were two small to fully cover Betty’s long legs.

More and more people start to settle around the room with their blankets and pillows. Laura looks towards the welcome table, where Perry is handing out little bags of brownies to each person who signs in. As Laura zones out, attempting to figure out how Perry baked enough brownies for the whole building, Danny takes last available space on the couch, draping her arm over Laura’s shoulders

“Hey, Partner.” Laura turns and leans into Danny’s embrace.

“Hey! I didn’t know you were coming tonight. Where's Kirsch?"

"He's around here somewhere..." Danny trails off as she scans the common area. "Anyway, Perry's movie events are kind of a tradition for our gang."

"What's this about a gang?" Kirsch inquires as he approaches the girls with a gym bag hanging off his shoulder.

"Just about to explain the significance of 'Feature Film Friday' to Laura and..." Danny trails off, looking at the blonde girl next to Laura.

“Betty,” Betty clarifies with a smile. “Nice to meet you both.” She shakes Danny’s hand, and Kirsch extends his hand out to the blonde.

"Ah. So you are little Laura’s ‘best roommate ever’. It’s wonderful to meet you,” he grins as he let’s go of her hand. He chuckles at the sight of Laura’s pink cheeks and leans forward to plant a kiss on the top of Danny's head.

"Wow. That was adorable," Betty mutters, bumping Laura's arm with her elbow.

Laura agrees with a nod, before turning back to see Kirsch settling on the floor in between Danny's knees. He shifts his body so he is leaning against the couch, facing Laura and Betty.

"Fridays are the best! Perry started doing these movie nights last year, and we all eventually started attending. We met each other here, and now, it's a tradition," he explains, echoing what Danny had said earlier. “Perry’s brownies are the best part”

“How does she manage to bake so many of them?” Laura asks, looking around the room once more. It’s packed. “The whole building is pretty much down here.”

“I’m pretty sure she makes them at her family’s diner, but I don’t know how she finds the time to bake so many,” Danny shrugs.

“I’m able to make half before my classes, but Lafontaine helped me with the rest,” Perry explains as she walks up to the group. Laf follows behind her with a couple of blankets tucked under one arm and a grocery bag slung on the other.

“I’m pretty great. I know,” LaF boasts. They lay one of the blankets down on the floor and settle in next to Kirsch. Perry slides up next to them and drapes the blanket over both their laps.

“We have the extra brownies,” Perry says as she takes out a tupperware filled with brownies. Next to Laura, Danny sits straighter in her seat. Laura gives her a confused look, and Danny shakes her head, motioning for Laura to just watch and see.

LaF turns around and clears their throat. “Okay, for the competition. Let’s see who brought the best goods.” Perry starts handing them the assorted food from their bag. “Perr and I brought popcorn, licorice, chai tea, and uh, brownies.”

“The event brownies don’t count, LaF. You know that,” Danny frowns.

“Yeah I know. I just realized we forgot some stuff in our room, so I had to try at least.” Perry rubs their knee soothingly. She looks back towards Laura and Betty.

“What did you girls bring?”

“I convinced Laura to raid her cookie stash for tonight, so we have some chocolate chip cookies, chips, and grape soda,” Betty says as she looks into the plastic bag.

Kirsch starts removing snacks from his gym bag. “We have peanut butter cookies, gummy bears, a thermos of cocoa, and some shortbread cookie-biscuit things that Laura likes.” Laura’s face lights up when he tosses her the biscuits. Laura squeals and ruffles his hair.

“No fair. You can’t buy people’s votes,” LaF pouts. Danny and Kirsch exchange a look and turn back to Laf with matching smiles.

“We have no idea what you’re talking about,” Danny claims innocently, casting a glance to Laura who is already tearing into the biscuit packaging.

“Either way,” Laura grunts, struggling with the plastic, “You two have my vote.” She finally opens it and takes a bite of one of the biscuits. She sighs and starts happily humming to herself.

“I’m going to have to side with my roomie here,” Betty chuckles. “I have a weakness for peanut butter anything.”

“We already know what your votes are, so it looks like you two are the winners.” Perry announces, handing Kirsch the tupperware of brownies.

Kirsch pumps his fist in the air and then opens his hand for Danny to high-five him. He places the tupperware on the floor next to him before addressing the rest of the group. “If any of you want some, feel free to ask.”

Before Laura or Betty can ask, Perry explains. “The winner usually ends up sharing the winnings anyways. It’s just a friendly little game we play.”

“Except for J.P. and Carmilla, they like to keep the brownies for themselves when they win,” LaF points out.

“Speaking of my bro, where’s J.P.?” Kirsch asks as he takes a bite of a cookie.

“Jeep’s studying with a friend right now. He’ll be here next week,” LaF explains and Perry confirms the statement with a firm nod.

“What about Carmilla?” Kirsch asks, casting a look to Danny.

“She couldn’t come tonight. She had to be someplace she needed to be.” There is something in Danny’s voice that quietly settles over the group. Laura can feel the weight of it, and by the way Betty shifts next to her, Laura guesses that she feels it as well.

After a few seconds of silence, Perry looks at the clock on the wall, clears her throat and straightens her spine. “Well, I’ll make sure they both come next Friday. Let’s get this show on the road.”

/

About twenty minutes into the movie, the left side of the couch vibrates. Laura slightly jumps and turns to see Danny digging in between their blankets. She pulls out her phone and gives Laura an apologetic look.

“Sorry,” she whispers.

Laura mouths back ‘It’s okay’ and Danny smiles at her, before looking down at her notification. Laura’s curiosity compels her to peek at the phone screen, and she sees a text message.

Fangface (7:52pm): Here.

Danny puts her phone on silence and locks her phone without responding to the text. Laura quickly looks back towards the movie. She tries to focus on what is happening on screen but she can’t help but to wonder who ‘Fangface’ was. Was it the friend that they were talking about earlier? Carmilla? Laura’s mind wanders back to the heavy tension that fell over the group when Danny mentioned that Carmilla had someplace to be. Danny’s tone made it seem like she had no idea exactly where Carmilla was, just that she wasn’t here. Laura figures that Carmilla must do so very often in order for everyone to just accept that explanation without any further questions. It must just be a normal thing for the girl to do. Does anyone really know why she does it?

Laura’s eyes focus on the figures moving across the screen, but becomes so absorbed in her own thoughts that she doesn’t really pay attention. She starts to wonder what could drive a person to drop off the face of the earth for a while, and what it would be like to do so.

What I would give to be able to escape from it all, if even for a few hours.

The collective laughter of everyone around her, breaks Laura away from her thoughts. Betty places her hand on Laura’s knee, desperately trying to catch her breath. Laura grins at her and pretends to laugh along.

Carmilla opens the door to her room very slowly, hoping not to wake the sleeping giant within. She creeps inside and quietly shuts the door, before turning around to find herself alone. Danny’s bed is empty and it doesn’t look like she has been in their room since yesterday morning. Carmilla slides off her jacket and lays it on the back of her desk chair. She checks the time, before removing her watch. 6:37am.

She laughs quietly at what the lack of Danny and time of day suggests. The silence in the room swallows the breathy sounds coming from her lips, and her smirk disappears. She kicks off her boots, leaving them where they fall. She unbuttons her pants and slides them down her legs, tossing them into the laundry basket at the foot of her bed. She leans over, slightly lifting up her right leg and removes her sock. When she brings up her left leg, her fingers glide over her scars. She pauses, before ripping off the sock and tossing it into the basket.

She throws back the duvet and collapses onto the bed. She grasps the edge of the cover, but doesn’t drape it back across her body. Her chest is heaving but the sound of her blood rushing in her ears drowns out her gasps. Her left foot twitches and she tightens her grip on the duvet. She closes her eyes and takes a deep breath through her nose, holding it for a few seconds, and then slowly releasing it out of her mouth. As she does this, the lingering scent of pine envelops her, slowly easing the tension in her body. As she focuses on this scent and on the sound of her breathing, her hand slowly releases its death grip on the duvet. The last bit of tension leaves her body and she feels like she is floating.

After a couple minutes, she opens her eyes and stares at the space where the ceiling and wall converge. She runs her fingers along the threaded edge of the duvet and slowly brings it up to cover her body. The silence doesn’t seem so deafening anymore, but she still feels off. She shuts her eyes and imagines herself surrounded by stars. She focuses on this image, until the rhythm of her breathing lulls her to sleep.

/

The smell of food stirs Carmilla from her slumber. Well, that and the hand that is currently shaking her by her shoulder. She cracks open the eye that isn’t buried into the pillow and sees Danny waving a paper bag in front of her face. Carmilla props herself up on her elbows and blinks herself awake.

“I bring nourishment,” Danny says as she hold out the bag to Carmilla. Carmilla flips over and sits up against her headboard. She grabs the bag and immediately goes for the fries.

“Breakfast in bed? You’re so sweet,” Carmilla drawls in between bites. Danny rolls her eyes and kicks off her shoes before jumping onto her own bed.

“It’s almost 8. It’s past dinner.” Danny takes another paper bag out of her backpack and takes out her burger. “You need to eat something. You slept like the dead today.” Carmilla shovels another handful of fries into her mouth and shrugs.

“I got in really late.” Danny opens her mouth to say something, but decides against it, taking another bite of food instead. “And when I got in, you were nowhere to be found.” Danny’s cheeks color and Carmilla delights in her roommate’s reaction. Danny groans and holds up her hand, before Carmilla can say another word.

“Okay. We are not talking about this right now.” Carmilla hums skeptically , and Danny glares at her. “Not that it’s any of your business, but we went back to his place to watch another movie. We fell asleep during the movie, and it was too late to walk back.”

“Oh, so you went to ‘watch a movie’ and it was ‘too late’, huh?” Carmilla teases.

“Shut up and eat your food, dead girl.” Carmilla laughs quietly and finishes the last of her fries. “You’ll need something in your stomach for tonight.” Danny cackles at the horrid realization that flashes across Carmilla’s features.

“Shit,” Carmilla groans as she bangs her head back on her headboard. “Is there time for me to back out?”

“Hell no! No backing out.” Danny shakes her head. “I will carry you to this damn party, if I have to.”

“Whatever,” Carmilla grumbles as she unwraps her own burger. She tears into her food and studies Danny for a couple seconds. “So,” Carmilla smirks, “did you have fun last night?”

Danny nearly chokes. “Uh- What are you- Excuse me?”

“Don’t get your panties in a bunch. I was obviously asking about Perry’s movie night,” Carmilla states, rolling her eyes at Danny’s flustered state. “What did you think I was talking about?” Danny glares at Carmilla’s smug expression.

“Nothing,” Danny mutters. “Movie night was fun. Laura and her roommate, Betty, participated in our competition.”

“Who won?” Carmilla asks.

“Kirsch and I did,” Danny beams.

“How did you two dimwits manage that?” Danny rolls her eyes.

“Well, we sort of bribed Laura.” Carmilla quirks her eyebrow. “Kirsch brought one of her favorite snacks, and apparently, Her roommate has a peanut butter weakness.”

“So you cheated?” Danny nods and tosses a couple of fries into her mouth.

“Basically,” Danny shrugs.

“Nice.” Carmilla takes another bite of her burger. “But you all are no fun anyways, because you share the winnings.”

“We can’t all be as ruthless as you and JP,” Danny remarks.

“This isn’t elementary school. Participation trophies don’t exist.”

“You sure do sing a different tune when you are receiving said participation trophies,” Danny points out.

“Yeah, well, Perry makes some mean brownies,” Carmilla shrugs. She takes a two big bites out of her burger, nearly finishing it. Danny grimaces at the sight.

“Gosh, you’re an animal.” Carmilla flips her off. “When did you last eat?”

Carmilla hums as she considers the question. She swallows the food in her mouth. “Uh, probably a little after noon yesterday.”

Danny stops mid-bite. “Carmilla-”

“Bringing out the first names are we, Xena?” Carmilla drones, avoiding her roommate’s disappointed gaze. Danny is still silent on the other side of the room. Carmilla sighs and glances across the room. “I’ll be fine. It was just one of those days.”

“One of those days,” Danny repeats quietly as she watches Carmilla finish her food and discard the trash back into the paper bag. Danny shakes her head and continues eating. “Your milkshake is in the fridge.”

Carmilla’s feet get tangled in her sheets as she bolts out of bed. She stumbles forward but manages to stay upright. Danny snickers, and Carmilla flips her off again.

“Hurry up and eat, slow poke, so we can get this shit over with,” Carmilla grumbles as she walks over to her dresser, milkshake in hand. She starts pulling articles of clothing out with her free hand.

“That’s quite the outfit you got there.”

“When have I ever failed to impress?" Carmilla smirks as she tosses the clothes on her bed.

"Don't make me answer that," Danny mutters into her food as her cheeks grow pink.

"Stay away from the tequila tonight, Big Red. I wouldn't want you to hit on me again," Carmilla teases. She walks into the bathroom, sending a wink Danny's way before she shuts the door.

"You're never going to let that go," Danny groans.

"Not until I'm dead," Carmilla calls from the other side of the door.

//

“There are way too many to choose from,” Laura says desperately as she scans the various bottles and cans scattered about the kitchen counter.

“We could always try what they have in the fountain,” Betty gestures to the far end of the kitchen where a Zeta pledge is dressed in a speedo, wielding a plastic trident.

He stands guard near a statue of a Kraken wrapped around a golden trident. The pedestal that it rests on has three taps that dispense three different types of beer. Kirsch walks up to the girls from behind, slinging his arms over both of their shoulders. The smell of alcohol clings to his breath.

"Hey, girlies," he slurs. "What are we drinking?"

"Betty and I are still deciding, but it seems like you're already taken care of," Laura chuckles, slinging an arm around his back to hold up some of his weight.

"I'm definitely taken care of." He removes himself from the two of them and leans over the counter, reaching for a bottle. "I think you two should start off with a couple shots."

Betty nudges Laura. "I like him."

Kirsch lines up three shot glasses and fills them with vodka. "You ladies okay with no chaser?" Laura smiles when Betty nudges her again.

"I really like him." Betty picks up her shot and pats Kirsch's shoulder. "You and I are going to get along just great."

Kirsch smiles brightly and hands Laura the other glass. "Just like old times, Laur."

Laura nods and raises her shot. "Bottoms up!"

They clink glasses, tap them on the countertop and knock them back. The intensity of the burn makes Laura shiver. She glances at her friends to see how they fared. Betty grimaces and tips the shot back to get the last remaining drops. Kirsch exhales forcefully, but the shot seems to have pumped him up.

"Another?" He asks. They nod in response and he pumps his fist in the air.

The next two shots don't burn quite as much.

/

Laura is standing by the pong table, watching LaF and Perry’s brother celebrate their fourth win in a row. Their defeated opponents grumble as they shuffle away, leaving the table open for the next team.

“Laura! When are you gonna come face Jeep and I?” LaF turns to her and asks, slurring their words a little bit. It seems the alcohol is starting to get to them, but it certainly doesn’t show in their hand-eye coordination.

“As soon as my partner gets here,” Laura promises, leaning back against the wall. They accept the answer with a nod and turn around to face their next victim.

“You would think their skill would worsen with the number of drinks they’ve had.” Perry comments as she walks up to stand by Laura’s side. Laura chuckles into her cup.

“Why aren’t you playing?”

Perry shakes her head. “Oh, I don’t play. I’m perfectly fine watching from the sidelines,” she explains, watching her two favorite people sink both of their balls into a pair of cups. “Do you play?”

“Definitely, I’m just waiting for Danny to get here.” Perry nods and checks her phone.

“She should be here pretty soon. She is probably waiting on Carmilla, otherwise Danny would have been here earlier.” Laura’s interest piques at the mention of Carmilla’s name.

“Do they live together?”

“Yes they do, ever since their freshman year. They didn't get along at first, but they eventually grew on each other."

Laura hums in response. Perry smiles at her and then turns back to watch the game. Laura takes this opportunity to wander around the house. She walks out of the room, stepping down into an area packed with bodies, moving to the beat of the music that blares through the surround sound. She keeps to the edges of the room, to avoid getting sucked into the mass of sweaty bodies. She is almost past the dance floor when someone moves past her, knocking her cup from her hand. She manages to step back just in time to avoid it spilling all over her dress.

“Hey!” She calls out. The guy who was moving in a haste, stops and turns around. It’s too dark to really see what he looks like.

“I’m so sorry,” he apologizes, bending over to pick up the fallen cup. “I wasn’t paying attention to where I was going. Can I get you another drink?”

“It’s okay, and no thank you. I’m good.” Laura declines his offer. He nods his head in understanding.

“Alright. Well, I need to go,” he gestures behind him. “Pledge duties and what not. I’ll throw this out for you.”

He scurries away before Laura can even thank him. She looks down at the spill, luckily she was almost done with it, otherwise it would pose a serious safety hazard. Another person moves past her, pushing her up against the wall.

Okay. I need to get out of here.

She starts pushing her way through the crowd, muttering ‘sorry’ when someone gives her a dirty look and trying not to gag when someone’s sweat rubs off on her bare arms. Near the entrance, she brushes up against a couple viciously making out. She scrunches her face in disgust, and slowly maneuvers her way around them. Once she finally leaves the room, she releases a relieved sigh.

“You look like you could use another drink.” Laura looks up to see Betty smiling down at her with flushed cheeks. Her bangs are sticking to her sweat slicked forehead, and Laura is pretty sure she sees a hickey on the side of her neck.

“I’m going to slow down a little bit. It's still pretty early.” Betty nods her head and moves to stand next to Laura, both looking out at the party.

“You’re right. It's only 10:30.”

“We’ve only been here for an hour and a half?” Laura asks, pulling out her phone to confirm the time.

“Yup, and we have many more hours to go.”

“It looks like you've been enjoying yourself,” Laura teases, pointing at Betty’s hickey. Betty moves her hand to the spot, before laughing.

“Quite right, Hollis. I need to make my mark on the first party of the school year. These boys won't know what hit them,” she adds with a sly smile.

“Planning on breaking a few hearts?” Betty shrugs.

“Eh, I may break some hearts. Bust some balls. Depends on what they’re into.” Laura shakes her head.

“Way too much info, Betts,” Laura groans.

“You’ll get used to it,” Betty laughs, sending her a quick wink. “While we are on the topic of love lives, what about you? Spot any women that tickle your fancy?”

“Tickle my fancy? Um, no.” Betty raises an eyebrow, tilting her head.

“Really? There are some beautiful women here tonight. Wait, do you already have your eye on someone?” Laura hesitates. “Oh no! It's me isn't it?” Betty asks, dramatically draping the back of her hand over her brow. “Sorry, Hollis, but I play for the other team.”

“Funny,” Laura drones, narrowing her eyes her laughing roommate.

“Oh come on. You know I'm just teasing.” Betty nudges Laura with her elbow before turning her gaze back in front of them.

“Yeah I know,” Laura smiles, watching people move in and out of the hallway. After a few seconds, Betty whistles.

“You know. If I wasn't tragically heterosexual, and if her and Kirsch weren't an item, tall, strong, and red over there would totally be my type,” Betty comments, gesturing with her chin over to the front door.

Laura has to scoot closer to Betty in order to get a clear view of the door. She sees Danny standing at the open door, scanning the room. She spots Laura and smiles.

“Woah.” Betty gasps. Laura looks back at her questioningly. “You might have to disregard what I said earlier regarding my heterosexual nature. Sexuality is fluid after all,” Betty adds, not removing her gaze from the front door.

Laura looks back toward the entrance to see Danny take a step in their direction, before turning around to look towards the open door. The brunette from Astronomy steps out from behind Danny, shutting the door before running her fingers through her curls. She pulls down the hem of her grey v-neck and adjusts the lapels of her leather jacket. Danny says something to her, pointing towards Laura and Betty. The brunette glances over at the two girls.

Laura’s lips are slightly parted from her shock, though to her it feels like she is gaping. She inhales sharply when the brunette’s eyes meet her own.

Chapter Text

Carmilla’s feet won't move. She sees the girl looking back at her, but her body isn't responding. This time is even worse than the lecture hall.

“Did you hear me, Karnstein?” Danny asks, snapping Carmilla out of her daze. Carmilla clenches her jaw, hoping that whatever just happened wasn't obvious.

“Probably not,” Carmilla shrugs. She can feel the girl’s eyes on her still.

“Of course you didn't,” Danny mutters, shaking her head. “I said that I just spotted Laura and her roommate, so I was going to head over there. You coming?” She gestures in the general direction where the source of her unease stands.

Carmilla purses her lips before daring another glance in the girl’s direction. The girl’s attention is on the tall blonde standing next to her. Carmilla turns back to Danny, shaking her head. She needs to go clear her head before she interacts with any new people.

“I’ll catch up with you a little later.” Danny’s face falls a little but she smiles anyway.

“Sounds good to me.”

Carmilla nods and Danny turns to walk in the direction where the girl and her friend are talking, or were talking. The girl is staring at her again. Carmilla forces herself to look away, and she quickly disappears into the crowd. The tension in her body slowly dissipates the further she moves into the house.

She wanders around and finds herself in the room where bodies are packed in the center, moving to the beat of the music. She leans up against the wall in a dark corner of the room. The bass shakes the walls, reverberating through her body. There is a familiar flash of red out of the corner of her eye. She turns to see the Three Musketeers immersed in the crowd. J.P.’s hair flops around as him and LaF jump around to the beat. Perry bobs her head, uncomfortably moving with them. The nerds reach out and grab each of her hands, prompting her to jump with them. Perry is stiff at first, but then smiles and gives in. Carmilla laughs to herself at the sight.

While she is busy watching the three, someone bumps into her, making her stumble to the side. “Watch it!” she growls, catching herself. The person’s eyes widen and he puts his hands up in surrender, before scurrying away from her. “Idiot,” she mutters.

She decides to leave the room, lest she get knocked into again. She is too sober to deal with this many people right now.

She strides into the kitchen, passing the impressive display of alcohol and reaching for a red Gatorade bottle. She grabs a red plastic cup from one of the several stacks on the counter and empties the bottle inside. She discards the bottle in the recycle bin and heads into the large living room. It’s still pretty crowded, but it’s much less crowded than the dance floor. There are a few misplaced bar stools scattered around the room, and when she spots one in the corner, she immediately occupies it. She pushes the stool back closer to the wall, and sits back, taking comfort in the way the cold cup leeches the warmth from her hand.

She really hates going to these things. The cheap beer stench, her sex-driven peers, and the over enthusiastic frat boys are too much for her. She’d much rather go to one of Mattie’s clubs. At least she knows she would enjoy herself there, not having to worry about making people happy. The people there are busy doing their own thing, so nobody is worried about her. No expectations. No ties. Just her, some dancing, and the occasional chat with Savannah behind the bar. Sometimes, if she feels like it, she can lose herself in the sheets of someone else’s bed.

“Carmilla right?” She rolls her eyes before turning towards the unfamiliar voice. A girl with dark brown hair and bright blue eyes looks down at Carmilla with a cocky smile.

“Who’s asking?” Carmilla asks, looking away from the girl.

“Um…” The girl’s composure falters, and Carmilla refrains from laughing out loud. “I’m Karen. I couldn’t help but notice that you were over here by yourself.”

“Wonderful observation skills,” Carmilla comments, looking back at the girl with a bored expression. “What is it that you want?”

“I was wondering if you wanted to go dance with me?” Carmilla glancing in the direction where the music is blaring. She opens her mouth the reject the girl, when a voice rings out in the back of her mind.

“What’s wrong with a little fun, Darling?”

She closes her mouth and looks down at her unfinished drink. She tips her cup back, downing it all in one go. She licks droplets of fruit punch at the corner of her lips, before turning to look at the waiting brunette. “Why not?” She says and the girl’s eyes light up. “Lead the way, Cutie.”

The girl takes the empty cup from Carmilla’s hand and places it on the fireplace mantle before grabbing Carmilla’s hand. Carmilla internally cringes, but allows herself to be pulled back to the dance floor.

//

“She’s hot right?” Betty asks after the brunette turns back to Danny.

“What?” Laura asks, reluctantly tearing her gaze away from the brunette. Betty is looking at her with an amused smile.

“Judging by your reaction, I’d say that you more than agree with me.” Laura can’t hold back her blush. “I think we’ve found the one that tickles your fancy,” Betty says in a sing-song voice.

“Please, stop,” Laura mumbles.

“Well it looks like her and Danny know each other, so I’m sure you will get a chance to know her as well,” Betty points out, wagging her eyebrows at Laura.

“You’re terrible.” She glances back towards the door to see Danny walking over to them. Her eyes meet the brunette’s again, before she watches her disappear into the crowd.

“Hello!” Danny greets them.

“Hi, Danny,” Laura smiles back. Betty greets the redhead and then glances at Laura with a mischievous glint in her eyes. Laura gives her a pleading look.

“So, Danny, where’d your friend go?” Betty asks, slinging an arm around Laura’s shoulders. “Laura was wondering who she was, weren’t you, Hollis?” Laura tenses up, wondering what the student handbook says about murdering your roommate.

“Who Carmilla?” Danny asks, gesturing to where she was just standing with the brunette. “She went off to do her own thing for a little bit, but she should be joining us a later.”

“Carmilla? As in your roommate Carmilla?” Laura asks, shrugging Betty’s arm off of her after the blonde squeezes her shoulder suggestively.

“Yes. The infamous Carmilla Karnstein.” Betty nods her head appreciatively.

“She’s hot,” Betty comments without hesitation. Laura’s eyes nearly bug out of her head, and she slaps Betty’s arm. Danny just laughs and shakes her head.

“Yeah. I know, but don’t tell her I said so,” Danny quickly adds. “She doesn’t need her ego stroked, and she would never let me live it down.”

“Deal,” Laura quickly agrees, before Betty can say another word to indirectly embarrass her. “So before we make our presence known at the pong table, I say we get a couple drinks in you, Lawrence.”

“I second that,” Betty chimes in, linking her arm with Danny’s.

Once they get into the kitchen, Betty grabs three cups and gestures to the bottles and mixers on the countertop.

“Pick your poison.”

“I’ll have whatever you’re having, Betts,” Laura says, glancing at the crowd where Carmilla disappeared though.

“I’ll do the same,” Danny nods, grimacing at the sight of the pledge guarding the fountain.

“Get ready to get fucked up, ladies!” Betty cheers before starting on the drinks.

Danny notices that Laura seems to be zoning out. “So, Laura.”

“Yeah?” Laura asks, turning her attention back to Danny.

“What's the competition look like?” Laura shrugs.

“We can take ‘em, but…” Laura trails off. “We might see a tiny bit of trouble with LaF and J.P.”

“That's typically how it goes. So did you have a productive day? I remember you saying that you had some things to do this weekend.”

“Oh yeah! I just wanted to get a head start on a couple of term papers. This week my professors just went over their syllabi and expectations for the semester.”

“It's always good to start ahead instead of procrastinating. Keep up the good work and you’ll do just fine.”

“Okay, you two aren't allowed to talk about homework, professors, syllabi, or anything school related for tonight,” Betty tells them as she hands out the drinks. “We’re at a party.”

Danny nods her head. “You’re right. I can agree to that.” She moves her cup to her nose, but Betty reaches out and lowers the cup, shaking her head.

“You’d be better off not doing that.” Laura groans and they turn to look at the her as her face scrunches up after taking a whiff of the contents in her own cup. “Case and point.”

Danny shrugs and takes a sip, preparing for the worst. She can't taste any alcohol. She gives Betty and Laura a confused look before taking another sip.

“Holy shit.” Laura is confused by Danny’s bewildered reaction so she also takes a sip of her drink.

Betty just stands there watching the two of them with an amused expression.

“What the heck, Betts!” Laura sniffs the contents of her drink again, she grimaces at the smell. “How is it possible that I’m not tasting any of the alcohol I’m smelling?”

Betty tilts her head, shrugging her shoulders. “Not to boast or anything, but I'm a pretty killer mixologist.”

“Mix-a-what?” Laura quirks her eyebrow.

“Fancy name for bartender,” Danny informs her, before turning her attention back to the blonde. “But seriously, this might be the best drink I’ve ever had.”

Betty raises her cup and winks. “Well you’re life is about to be much more exciting with me around.” Danny raises her cup and both of them look at Laura expectantly.

Laura rolls her eyes and smiles at the two of them. “So full of yourself,” she laughs, raising her cup as well. She knows that Betty is right though. Things are about to change. “To Betty’s drinks and new friends.”

“Cheers!” Betty and Danny respond in unison.

//

So Karen isn’t a bad dancer. No, she is actually quite talented. The only problem is that the floor is so crowded that whenever the girl presses her body closer to Carmilla’s front, Carmilla is pushed up against another person.

Carmilla isn’t sure how long she has been out on the dance floor, but she isn’t sure how much longer she can stand bouncing back and forth between the two bodies. There jacket is making the heat on the dance floor so much worse, and when the girl turns around to grasp Carmilla’s neck, everything becomes too much.

Carmilla removes the girl’s hand from her neck, wincing as her nails drag across her slick skin. “I’m going to go get another drink,” she says into the girl’s ear, attempting to be heard over the music. The girl nods her head, but holds onto Carmilla’s forearm to prevent her from walking away.

“I’ll go with you!” Carmilla’s lip twitches as the girl shouts in her ear.

Carmilla shakes her head. “No it’s okay.” The girl’s smile falters. “I have some people I need to meet up with, so I’ll come find you later, Kristen.”

“It’s Karen,” the girl frowns, dropping her hand from Carmilla’s arm.

“Right. See you.”

Carmilla rushes away without another word, pushing past several people before she starts to feel like she can breathe again. She immediately heads towards the kitchen, completely focused on getting her hands around another cold cup. Right before she gets there, she feels her jacket vibrate. She stops in the hallway, sliding up against the wall before pulling out her phone.

Danny (11:25pm): Where tge fukc yoi at,?

Carmilla chuckles into her shoulder.

Carmilla (11:25pm): I see you’ve had quite a bit to drink.

Carmilla tucks her phone back into her jacket pocket before walking up to the counter. There is a lot of Gatorade left. It seems the party has shifted into the “no mixers” phase. Her phone vibrates as she pours herself another cup.

Danny (11:28pm): Betty isa killerr bartnder.

Carmilla (11:29pm): If she got you this fucked up, she has to be good. You can usually handle your alcohol.

Danny (11:29pm): I do’nt know wat happnde.

Carmilla (11:29pm): Where are you? If you are making an ass of yourself, I want to see it in person.

Danny (11:30pm): We arebyy the table.we lost

Carmilla puts her phone away and takes a big sip of her drink, closing her eyes as she feels the cool liquid hit her stomach. She takes a deep breath, looking down at the red liquid in her cup.

She takes a smaller sip, feeling her body cool down.

She walks away and makes her way over to the pong table, opting to take the other way around to avoid the dance floor. She doesn’t want to feel suffocated and she may run into that girl again. She turns the corner to see LaF and J.P. at the table, while Perry sits in the corner of the room talking to a Summer. Danny is standing off to the side, leaning up against the wall. She is frowning at her phone with glassy eyes. Carmilla laughs quietly. She hasn’t seen Danny this drunk in a long time. Danny looks up from her phone to the two girls in front of her. Their backs are facing Carmilla, but she thinks she recognizes the tall blonde in the jean vest and the brunette in the blue dress.

Danny quickly glances over the brunette’s head mid-sentence and sees Carmilla standing at the other end of the room. She breaks into a grin and pushes off the wall to stand up straight, but she pushes too hard and ends up stumbling to the side. The brunette reaches out to steady her, before turning around to see what caught Danny’s attention.

Fuck.

Carmilla clenches her jaw before sighing and walking over. Her knuckles go white as her grip on the cup gets tighter with each step. She immediately goes to Danny’s side, relaxing slightly as Danny drapes her arm over her shoulders.

“And here is my best friend,” Danny slurs as she leans on Carmilla some more. Carmilla stands up straighter to compensate for the extra weight.

“So you must be Carmilla,” the tall blonde smiles at her.

“Must I be?” Danny frowns and pinches her shoulder, but the blonde smiles. Carmilla prepares herself for the awkward handshakes.

“I’m Betty.” She says, raising her cup and nodding her head. Carmilla purses her lips for a second, before nodding back.

Carmilla turns her attention to the small brunette who seems to have been staring at her the entire time. The girl doesn’t say anything, until Betty nudges her with her elbow. It seems to snap the girl out of whatever daze she was in.

“Hi,” she squeaks. Carmilla’s lips twitch, resisting the urge to smile.

“Told you I’d see you around, Cupcake.” Carmilla smirks, watching a blush dust across the brunette’s cheeks as she reacts to the nickname. Betty and Danny share a confused look before turning back to the two girls.

“You two know each other?” Danny asks, using her cup hand to gesture between the two of them.

“Um,” Laura says, looking to Carmilla.

“We have class together,” Carmilla quickly explains.

“Uh, yeah. That,” Laura confirms, clearing her throat.

“Awesome! What class is it?” Betty asks.

“Intro to Astronomy,” Laura and Carmilla answer together. Carmilla gives her an amused smile when they make eye contact, and Laura looks away to stare down at her cup.

“That’s your wednesday night one right?” Betty asks again.

Laura suddenly brings her cup up and chugs the rest of it. “Yup. That’s the one,” she says, taking Betty’s cup and stacking it on top of her empty one. She hands it back to the blonde who is looking at her like she grew two heads.

“Intro to Astro? Your Wednesday class? That’s coool,” Danny comments, attempting to take a sip of her drink but finding her cup empty. She frowns at her cup before looking back up at the three girls. “Wait, that was the night I met Kirsch’s BFF.”

Carmilla rolls her eyes. “Cupcake is right in front of you, Lawrence.”

“Perry brought cupcakes?” Danny gasps, looking around the room.

Betty attempts to stifle her laugh, while Laura just starts giggling. Carmilla chuckles under her breath, patting Danny’s arm that is still slung over her shoulders.

“How much has she had to drink?” She asks, looking between Betty and Laura.

“She just finished number four,” Laura says.

“About to be number five!” Danny shouts, raising her empty cup in the air.

Carmilla reaches up to grasp Danny’s raised arm. She pulls it down, takes her empty cup and stacks it under her own. “I'd rather not have to take you to the hospital.”

“You’re no fun,” Danny pouts.

“Neither is alcohol poisoning.” Danny nods her head as her frown deepens. “I think you need some water.”

“Someone needs water?” Everyone jumps as Perry appears next to them.

“Turns out gingers are ninjas,” Carmilla mumbles under her breath. No one else seems to catch the comment, except for Laura, who bites her bottom lip to keep from laughing.

“Hot stuff here has reached her limit,” Betty says, patting Danny’s shoulder.

“I'll go take her,” Carmilla offers, seeing an opportunity to possibly leave the party.

“Nonsense.” Perry shakes her head. “I'll go take her. I want you to enjoy yourself. It's been awhile since you’ve come out with us.” She lifts Danny’s arm over Carmilla’s head, and starts to lead Danny away from the group.

“I'll come too!” Betty says, throwing Laura a wink before hurrying after them.

//

Laura watches her new friends flee the room before turning her attention back to Carmilla. The brunette’s knuckles are white from clenching her drink.

“Something tells me that Danny doesn't usually get like this?” Laura asks, watching Carmilla tighten her grip.

“Yeah.” Carmilla says, eyeing Laura before taking a sip of her drink. “But it's the beginning of the year, and she’s a big girl. She knows what she’s doing.” Laura notices the slight edge to her voice.

“Oh no. Sorry. I wasn't judging,” she apologizes. “She just seems… seasoned? Uh, no. Not that. Bad wording. Uh, I mean she just looks like she knows what she’s doing. Like she can handle her stuff. It's a little intimidating. But, uh, yeah like that. I didn't mean t-”

“Breathe, Cutie,” Carmilla interrupts. “It's okay. I understand what you mean, and you’re right. I think she severely underestimated the potency of your friend’s drinks.”

“Yeah, they were pretty strong. I think i’m done for the night,” Laura sighs, moving next to Carmilla on the wall.

“Tapping out pretty early, Cupcake,” Carmilla observes. “These parties are like a rite of passage. Aren't you eager to delve into the full college experience?”

“Of course.” Carmilla scoffs, and Laura eyes her suspiciously. “Well, isn't everybody? Weren't you?”

Carmilla shrugs. Despite Carmilla’s nonchalant attitude, Laura can feel uneasiness and discomfort radiate off of her.

“These parties are just an opportunity for upperclassmen to prey on the naive,” she looks to Laura, “unsuspecting, and way too eager freshmen.” Laura presses her lips into a thin line, trying not to take offense at Carmilla’s insinuation. Carmilla studies her face before turning away. “Besides, there are more tasteful places to get drunk and party.”

“Yet, here you are,” Laura says through her teeth. Carmilla pauses then takes a sip of her drink, letting the sticky flavor coat her tongue before swallowing it.

“It’s nice to downgrade sometimes,” she shrugs. Laura has to physically fight the urge to roll her eyes. Carmilla’s knuckles are still white, so Laura knows she’s just trying to push buttons, but the warm buzz from the alcohol is starting to make Carmilla’s call for confrontation hard to ignore.

Laura answers with a hum as she turns away from the brunette, leaning back against the wall and tucking her hands behind her back. She watches LaF toss their ball to the other side of the table. The ball bounces off one cup into another, and J.P. grasps LaF’s shoulders, shaking them as he jumps up and down excitedly. “Do you play?” Laura asks, nodding her head in their direction.

“No, I don’t,” Carmilla responds immediately. Laura laughs quietly and turns her head towards to brunette, who is frowning at the table.

“Are you that bad?” Laura asks as she rests her head against the wall.

“I’d rather watch than partake, and I hate beer,” Carmilla explains, moving her bangs out of her eyes.

“Why am I getting the feeling that you’ve never played before?” The corner of Carmilla’s lips twitch as she holds back a small smile.

“Beats me,” Carmilla shrugs, tipping her cup back to down the rest of her drink. Laura purses her lips as she studies Carmilla. She knows the brunette was trying to get under her skin, but now she is just being short. It’s a defense mechanism, one that Laura is familiar with. Maybe Carmilla’s just uncomfortable with meeting new people. Laura can barely fight the urge to push further, but she manages to hold her tongue.

Laura’s thoughts are interrupted as Carmilla pushes herself off the wall. Laura watches the brunette’s eyes dart around the area, probably looking for the trash. Carmilla shifts on her feet, and Laura sees her getting ready to leave. Laura’s hand shoots out before she can stop herself.

“Here, let me,” Laura offers, all too eager. She plucks the empty cups from Carmilla’s hand, feeling a little bad for the lost look that flickers across the brunette’s features. “I’ll be right back.”

Before Carmilla can respond, Laura scurries away to find the trash. She looks over her shoulder before she leaves the room and sees Carmilla lick her lips before burying her hands in her jacket pockets. Laura smiles, feeling satisfied that the brunette didn’t flee as soon as she left. She watches Carmilla sit down on one of the chairs near where they were standing. Carmilla’s head turns towards her direction, and Laura jumps behind the corner before she is caught staring.

Not wanting to traverse her way towards the kitchen, Laura looks around for a place to throw away the cups. She spots a pledge in a turquoise speedo walking past her.

“Um, excuse me?” Laura taps his shoulder.

“What can I do for you, Little Hottie?” Laura grimaces at the pet name, but forces a smile.

“I can’t seem to find a nearby trash and I didn’t want to leave my… friend alone by herself. Could you throw this out for me?” His nods his head.

“Sure thing, Little Hottie. Maybe when I get back, we can-”

“No thank you,” Laura interrupts with a straining smile. “I better go. Thank you!” She speeds away before he can say another word.

She spots a few girls lingering near the entryway, speaking in hushed voices and pointing towards the other side of the pong table. Laura slows her pace to catch what they are saying.

“... haven’t seen her before, do you think she goes here?” A girl with curly blonde hair asks her friends.

“Are you serious? That’s Carmilla Karnstein.” Laura stops at the mention of Carmilla’s name. She pulls out her phone, and pretends to be preoccupied with it. “Karen said that she used to see her at all the parties the beginning of freshman year, but then she just stopped coming,” one of the other girls responds.

“I heard something happened at last year’s Halloween party and she just freaked, hasn't been out since.”

“Karen managed to get her to dance for a little while, but then Carmilla just left.”

“Damn. Karen’s thirsty ass must have been so disappointed.”

“I heard she’s a bitch.” Laura clenches her phone, before shoving it back into her purse.

“Yeah, but she’s so hot.”

Laura grinds her teeth and pushes her way past them, bumping into a couple of them. “Excuse me,” she says loudly. “This is a walkway you know.”

As Laura marches away, she hears one of the girls mutter “what the fuck,” and she bites her lip to hold back a satisfied smile. When she plops down in the seat next to Carmilla, she leans back and closes her eyes with a sigh. She can feel Carmilla’s eyes scrutinizing her, but she doesn’t turn to look at her.

She doesn’t know why she got so angry hearing those girls talk about Carmilla. It’s probably because Kirsch considers her a friend. He may not be the brightest of people, but he is almost always an excellent judge of character. That’s another reason Laura knows that the Carmilla she has been interacting with isn’t the real Carmilla.

Jesus, Hollis. You’ve officially known her all of twenty minutes, and you’re already deciding on who the real Carmilla is. Chill out.

“You seem a bit tense, Cutie.” Carmilla’s voice seems a little closer than it should be.

Laura opens her eyes and turns to see Carmilla MB’s king out of her space. Laura feels her cheeks warm at the image of Carmilla leaning closer to her to speak.

“I am far from tense,” Laura argues, sitting up and smoothing out her dress. She quickly glances towards the entryway and, unsurprisingly, sees the girls whispering among themselves. A wave of anger courses through her as they erupt in laughter.

“Tell that to your shoulders.” Laura huffs and relaxes into her seat. “Now was that so bad, Cupcake?” Laura grinds her teeth as she hears more laughter from the other side of the room.

“Laura,” she snaps. Carmilla raises her eyebrows at the sudden hostility.

“Excuse me?” Laura takes a deep breath before turning in her seat to face the brunette.

“My name is Laura,” she says calmly. “I figured you forgot, since you have been calling me everything but my actual name.”

“Oh, I know your name,” Carmilla responds without missing a beat.

Laura waits a couple seconds for Carmilla to continue before she realizes that isn’t going to happen. More laughter. Laura takes another breath, telling herself not to take out her frustrations on Carmilla. “Wonderful.”

The brief surprise that flickers across Carmilla’s face tells Laura that the brunette clearly expected another heated response. Carmilla’s lips part just enough for Laura to see her run her red tongue over the edge of her bottom teeth. Carmilla inhales to respond.

“Carmilla! I’ve been looking for you everywhere.”

Carmilla looks over Laura’s shoulder and tenses before donning her earlier mask of indifference. A perfectly manicured hand lands on Carmilla’s shoulder before sliding around to rest on the back of her neck. The only sign of discomfort from Carmilla is the brief clench of her jaw and the slight twitch of her lips when the hand tangles in the curls on the back of her neck.

“So is this one of the people you had to meet up with earlier?” Laura looks up and finds herself being studied by piercing blue eyes. “Well isn't she just the cutest thing.”

“Um, thanks?” Laura makes eye contact with Carmilla and sees a hint of amusement in her eyes. She glares back.

“Carmilla promised we would meet up again later.” The girl rests her other hand on Carmilla’s shoulder, rubbing the smooth material of the leather jacket. “I’m sure she mentioned me.”

Carmilla rolls her eyes. Laura looks back up at the girl and shakes her head. “No. She really didn’t.” Carmilla’s lips curl into a smirk. “Who are you?”

“Cupcake, meet Kristi,” Carmilla drawls, gesturing towards the brunette. “Kristi, Cupcake.”

The girl clenches her teeth as she smiles, offering Laura her hand. “It’s Karen actually,” she corrects.

Oh, so you’re Karen.

Laura takes her hand, shaking it firmly. “Nice to meet you.” Not really. “I’m Laura.”

“It’s good to know I’m not the only one whose name she forgets,” Karen laughs, flipping her hair over her shoulder.

Laura laughs uncomfortably, reaching up to run the brass bird around her neck. Carmilla’s eyes track the movement. “So how long have you two known each other?” Karen’s eyes light up at the question.

“We actually met for the first time tonight,” Carmilla answers before Karen even opens her mouth. “And I didn’t forget your name, Cutie.” The seriousness of her voice and intensity of her gaze throws Laura for a moment. “I mean it’s kind of hard to forget with a face like yours,” she says with a smirk, prompting an eye roll from Laura.

“How do you two know each other?” Karen asks, casting a not too subtle glare at Laura.

“Mutual friends,” Laura states, not bothering to explain further. She watches Carmilla, seeing the gears turning in her head. Something must click because Carmilla’s smirk widens.

“Speaking of mutual friends,” Carmilla starts, reaching up to peel Karen’s hand, which has tightened its grip within the last couple minutes, off of her shoulder. “We should go check on Big Red. I need to know whether or not it's safe to sleep in my room tonight.” She stands up and adjusts her jacket, not sparing a glance at Karen, who sidesteps into her line of vision.

Laura follows Carmilla’s lead, standing up and smoothing out her dress. “Do you have to go?” Karen pouts, stepping in front of Laura. “I'm sure little Laura here will be just fine going by herself.”

Laura purses her lips as irritation blooms inside of her at Karen’s condescending tone. Carmilla catches her gaze over Karen’s shoulder and responds before Laura even thinks of a response.

“Of course she can handle walking to another part of the house.” Carmilla rolls her eyes and walks around the pushy brunette. She extends her hand to Laura and, when Laura hesitantly grabs it, tugs her forward. “But I don't think I could stand to be apart from this beautiful face.”

Carmilla drapes her arm over Laura’s shoulder, fingertips playing with the strap of her dress. Hyper aware of Carmilla’s movements, Laura’s arm instinctively wraps around Carmilla’s back. She feels the brunette tense for a split second before relaxing once more.

Karen stares at them with wide eyes that suddenly narrow when Carmilla’s lips ghost over the shell of Laura’s ear to whisper, “Hold my hand. Really sell it.”

Laura reaches up and stops Carmilla’s fidgeting by lacing their fingers together. She feels Carmilla’s thumb barely brush against the sensitive skin on the back of her hand. She ignores the unexpected tingling sensation by focusing on the fuming brunette in front of them.

“It was nice to meet you.” Laura gives Karen a sheepish smile. Carmilla clears her throat, and Karen’s eyes light up as Carmilla finally makes eye contact with her.

“Later, Cathy.” Laura bites her lip as Karen’s face turns red with anger. Carmilla turns and leads Laura towards the kitchen, pulling her closer.

“You did that on purpose,” Laura chastises her quietly as they pass the pong table. Carmilla shrugs.

“Yeah, but she was annoying.”

Laura nods her head and hears Carmilla chuckle. She can feel Karen’s eyes burning holes into her back as they walk away, but Laura doesn’t care. The only thing she can focus on is faint scent of pine that seems to waft from Carmilla’s jacket into the air around them.

She prays her hand isn’t sweaty.

//

She should’ve moved away from Laura the second they turned the corner, but Karen’s annoying friends continued to watch them. So instead of letting go of her hand, she pulled her closer, feeling the warmth of Laura’s body pressed into her side.

Neither of them have said anything since Laura called her out, and as they get closer to the kitchen, Carmilla finds herself wondering what is going on through Laura’s mind. She feels a little guilty for the way she was treating her, before Karen had rudely interrupted. It's just that she feels as if the ground has shifted beneath her feet, leaving her unbalanced. She feels unprepared and lacking a sense of control.

Someone bumps into her and knocks her further into Laura. “Shit.” Laura’s grip around her waist tightens as she manages to keep them both from tripping over their feet.

“Are you okay?” Carmilla releases Laura’ hand and quickly steps out of her embrace. She moves her bangs away from her eyes and nods her head.

“Peachy.” Carmilla shoves her hands into her jacket pockets and continues forward.

The first thing Carmilla sees when she walks into the kitchen is Perry taking a shot with Kirsch and Betty.

What the fuck?

Before she can ask how the hell they got Perry to drink, she spots Danny sitting on the counter and leaning up against the side of the fridge. She has a water bottle in hand as she cheers the three on.

Carmilla turns to face Laura, who is watching the others with an amused smile. “They seem to be handling things just fine.”

“Just fine might be an understatement,” Laura laughs, drawing their friends’ attention.

“Laura! Carmilla!” Kirsch waves them over.

When they join them at the island, Betty shoves a shot in Carmilla’s hand. She looks at it with wide eyes, and shakes her head. “I'm good. Thanks.” She offers it back to Betty.

“Oh come on.” Betty nudges the shot glass back towards Carmilla. “Just one?”

The sound of voices pulls Betty’s attention away from Carmilla before she could refuse once more.

“Doing shots without us?” LaF strides into the kitchen, trailed by J.P.

J.P. throws his arm around Perry’s shoulders and rests his cheek on her shoulder, smearing the glitter in his beard. “Big sis is finally letting down her hair.”

“I think her hair looks great either way.” J.P. rolls his eyes as LaF gazes at Perry with puppy eyes.

“Adorable,” Danny hiccups from where she sits. Kirsch walks over to her and moves the hair out of her face. He kisses her cheek and whispers something in her ear. She nods her head, lifting her water bottle back up to her lips.

Carmilla would have gladly gagged at both couples’ exchanges, but she was too busy staring at the tequila in her hand. She knows one shot wouldn't hurt, but she would be breaking her rule.

She looks up and sees that Betty is almost done filling the rest of the shot glasses. Her eyes dart around the room, finding the sink. Surely she could just toss it out, but that would be wasteful.

“Hey.” Carmilla startles at the sound of Laura’s voice. She reaches out and takes the glass from Carmilla’s hand. “I've got you.”

She raises it to her lips, maintaining eye contact with Carmilla, and her hair falls from her shoulders as she tips her head back. She scrunches her nose for a brief moment before exhaling forcefully. Her tongue darts out to collect the drop of tequila collected at the corner of her mouth.

“Thanks.” Carmilla’s mouth goes dry at the smile Laura gives her in response.

“Alright. Is everyone set?” Carmilla steps away from the island as Betty turns around. Kirsch moves away from Danny, and Carmilla slides next to her, leaning up against the edge of the counter.

As Betty hands everyone their shot, Carmilla feels a sudden pressure at the top of her head. She instinctively tries to duck away from it and hears Danny laugh.

“You’re such a cat.” Danny pats the top of her head. Carmilla rolls her eyes, but doesn't shy away from the affection.

“I'm not used to being touched by Orangutans,” Carmilla sneers as Betty starts counting down from three.

“Sweet as usual, Karnstein.”

Carmilla shrugs, watching Laura take her second shot. This time, some of it falls down her face, trickling down her neck. She laughs mid-shot, bringing her hand to her chin in an attempt to catch any other stray drops. She slams her empty glass on the countertop and wipes her chin with the back of her hand. When she leans over to grab a paper towel, the tequila falls past her collarbone and disappears underneath the neckline of her dress.

Danny clears her throat, and Carmilla cast her gaze downwards, chastising herself for leering. “I told you that you’d like her.” There is a smugness in Danny’s voice that means Carmilla wasn’t being subtle.

“You’re drunk.”

“While that may be true, I am slightly less drunk than I was thirty minutes ago. Just admit that I’m right, and I’ll stop bugging you,” Danny teases.

“You always bug me.” Carmilla crosses her arms. “But yeah, whatever, she’s alright.”

Ignoring Danny’s cackling, she watches a couple of Zetas stumble their way over to the fountain. After filling their cups, they linger by the pledge. The one with long blonde hair talks to the pledge, while the one wearing a letterman jacket stares at her friends over the rim of his cup. Carmilla follows his line of sight and sees J.P. sneak a glance to make eye contact. Carmilla smirks at the blush creeping up his neck.

“Hey, Theo!” The Zeta stops staring at JP and turns his attention towards Kirsch. “It's past one. Are the lights on?” Kirsch asks, nodding his head towards the dance floor.

“Sure are.” Kirsch’s eyes light up with excitement. “You better hurry before it gets too crowded.” Kirsch looks to Danny with pleading eyes, and she nods her head.

“Who’s down to dance?” Carmilla’s groans are drowned out by everyone’s cheering.

“I think I’m going to head out.” Carmilla pushes herself up and starts walking away.

“Oh no you don't.” Danny hops down, and grabs Carmilla’s sleeve, pulling her back. “I'm not letting you bail early.”

“Please stay, Carmilla.” J.P. pleads, and everyone turns to look at her. Her eyes dart around as she shrinks underneath their pleading gazes.

God dammit.

Her eyes meet Laura’s and she thinks she sees a hint of pity. She bristles at the thought. Pity is the last thing she needs, especially from a stranger. She’s about to make an excuse to flee when Laura sends her a small smile. Carmilla’s excuse evaporates from her mind as she fights against a smile pulling at her lips. The pity that she thought she saw was actually a look of understanding.

She takes a deep breath, knowing she is going to regret this.

She looks away from Laura and rolls her eyes at the rest of them. “Fine.”

//

Laura opens her eyes and sees the sun shining through the window, illuminating dust specks floating in the air. She shifts under her duvet and groans as a headache hits her full force. She grabs one of her pillows and covers her head.

“Betty,” she croaks, and waits for a response.

When none comes, she lifts her pillow to peek over at Betty’s bed. The bed is still made, minus one pillow and add a pair of pink heels.

Laura carefully props herself up on her elbows and looks around the room. On the floor next to her bed is a water bottle and a bottle of ibuprofen. She leans forward, pausing when the room spins, and picks them up. She takes a couple pills and a few generous gulps of water. As she twists the caps closed, she notices Betty’s jean vest discarded by the bathroom door.

She throws back her duvet and stares pointedly at the single sock on her left foot. She doesn't remember changing last night, but that is definitely not her sock. Deciding it's too early to solve the sock mystery, she swings her legs over the edge of her bed and pushes herself into the cool wooden floor panels. She stretches, sighing as her back cracks. She rolls her neck, and when her chin is pressed against her chest, she scrunches her nose at the the stench drifting up from her shirt. She brings the collar of her t-shirt to her nose and inhales.

Wow. Okay. I need a shower.

She walks over to her drawers to grab underwear and a pair of socks. She walks over to the wardrobe, and sees her reflection. She grimaces. Her hair is tangled and uneven, there is evidence of dried saliva at the corner of her mouth, her eyes are bloodshot, and her eyeliner is smudged. Overall, her image is akin to a feral raccoon.

She groans and pulls open the doors. Something falls towards her and she quickly jumps out of the way with a surprised squeak. The item crashes to the floor with a heavy thud. She puts her hand on her chest in a subconscious attempt to slow her heartbeat, and glares down at what almost killed her.

A steel trident with the Zeta Omega Mu insignia etched into the top of the hardwood staff lays on the floor. She shakes her head, and steps over it to grab some clean clothes. She trudges towards the bathroom, kicking the jean vest out of her way. She’ll deal with the weapon later.

When she walks through the bathroom door she is greeted by the sight of her roommate asleep in the tub. Her head rests on the missing pillow, one of her legs hangs over the lip of the tub, and, still attached to the tension rod, the shower curtain drapes over her as a makeshift blanket.

Laura stares at the blonde for a few more seconds, before walking out of the room. She places her clothes on the foot of her bed and returns with the pills, another water bottle, and her phone. She takes a few pictures of her passed out roommate, placing them in a new album she labels as ‘Freshman Year.’

After she is satisfied with the quality of the photos, she places her phone on the sink counter and walks over to Betty. She sits on the toilet seat and nudges Betty’s leg with her foot. Betty stirs, before mumbling unintelligibly and falling back asleep.

“Betty, wake up,” Laura whines, nudging her leg with more force.

“No more jägerbombs,” Betty grunts before blinking awake.

“Rise and shine.” Betty winces and shushes Laura.

“Why are you yelling?” Laura smiles and shakes her head, immediately regretting it after nausea rolls through her stomach.

“It might have something to do with the acoustics in here.” Betty quirks her eyebrow and looks around.

“Well this explains why my ass hurts.” She sits up, leaning her head back against the tile. She feels something against her leg and lifts the curtain to grab it.

“Here. I have water,” Laura says, offering her the bottle.

“It's okay. I have some right here apparently.” Betty holds up an already opened water bottle that was resting in her lap.

She opens the top and takes a large gulp, before immediately spitting it out. The liquid runs down the edges of the shower curtain. As Betty coughs, they can hear it run down the drain.

“Who the fuck put vodka in this?” She caps the bottle and spots writing on the label. “4 Betty. Love, Betty,” she reads aloud. “Oh. I guess I did.”

Laura erupts in a fit of laughter, gripping her stomach as she doubles over. Betty joins in after the initial shock wears off. Laura offers her the water bottle and pills as she catches her breath.

“You’re a real lifesaver, Hollis.” Betty takes the pills, washing them down with a few large gulps of water. When she is done she sighs and closes her eyes, resting her head against the wall. “So do I look as bad as I feel?”

“There is minimal makeup smearing, an absence of throw up, and your hair looks as great as it did last night. So besides your questionable sleeping arrangements, I’d say you’re great.”

Betty nods her head, satisfied with the answer. She takes another drink of water, scanning Laura’s appearance. “You look like shit.”

Laura snorts. “Thanks, Betts.”

“Anytime… Cupcake ,” Betty teases with a mocking drawl. Laura rolls her eyes.

“Shut up.” Betty laughs as Laura avoids eye contact, grabbing her phone off the counter.

“I would’ve thought that little nicknames like that would bug you, since I had to hold you back earlier this week when a couple of guys called you Little Hottie.”

“They do,” Laura answers, not looking up as she scrolls aimlessly through her phone.

“Could have fooled me,” Betty shrugs, climbing out of the tub. As she reaches up to stretch, Laura receives a text.

Kirsch (12:11pm): Are you alive?

Laura huffs out a laugh.

Laura (12:11pm): I feel dead.

Kirsch (12:11pm): You probably smell like it too.

Laura scrunches her face, and furiously types a response.

Laura (12:12pm): That is so rude. Do you have any idea of the types of stenches I’ve had to deal with all these years?

“What's with the face?” Betty asks as she moves over to the sink.

“Kirsch is being offensive.”

Betty turns on the sink, and grabs her face wash. “What's he saying?”

Kirsch (12:13pm): Still not as bad as your after-party aroma. You attract skunks.

“He says I smell.”

“He’s right.” Laura’s jaw drops as she turns to glare at Betty, who just laughs.

Laura (12:13pm): You and Betty suck.

Kirsch (12:13pm): HAHAHA

Laura (12:14pm): I hope you’re enjoying yourself.

Kirsch (12:14pm): Very much, thanks.

Laura (12:14pm): :(

Kirsch (12:14pm): Okay, I'm done. I promise.

Laura (12:14pm): :)

Kirsch (12:15pm): So do you and Betty want to go get some grub with everyone? Perry’s family owns a joint that serves breakfast all day.

“You want food?”

“God, yes,” Betty moans as she dries her face with a fresh towel.

Laura (12:15pm): Meet you there at 1?

“I need to take a quick shower first.”

“Please do.” Laura rolls her eyes.

“Well the quicker you put the curtain back up and get your shit out of the tub, the quicker I can stop smelling like a zombie.” Betty smirks.

“You said it, not me.” Laura gives her a pointed look, and Betty raises her hands in surrender. “I’m going. I'm going,” she says, hurrying over to clean the shower.

Kirsch (12:16pm): Perfect. I'll text you the address.

“Oh, Betty?” Laura calls as she goes to retrieve her clothes from her bed.

“Yo.”

“Would you happen to know anything about the Trident in the wardrobe that almost killed me earlier?”

Betty walks out of the bathroom, tossing her pillow on her bed, and looks down at the weapon on the floor. She grimaces as she realizes how badly Laura could have gotten hurt. She looks up at Laura with an apologetic smile.

“Oops?”