Autumn woke slowly to sunlight streaming into her living room from a gap in the blankets she’d pinned to serve as curtains. She was slumped over at her computer desk, and immediately regretted the neck pain and headache as she groggily sat up.

Sunlight...!

“Oh fuck,” she croaked, grabbing her phone. Quarter after two in the afternoon. Four missed alarms. Six missed calls: three from Chase, one from Jay, and one from Amy.

“Fucking fuck. Damn it.”

It was too late to go in now. Her shift had started at eight in the morning. She got up and fixed a glass of water as she thought of what to do.

Just tell Chase she wasn’t feeling well and slept through her alarms; it was pretty much the truth anyway. And saying she was sick would give her the rest of the day to do more research. She’d feel that pain later, when she got her pay check for the week, but right now there were more pressing matters. She couldn’t go in yet, not without a plan.

She took her phone with her to the couch, and then laid down on her back across the length of it, her head hanging upside down over the edge. She dialled the number for the store.

After a few rings, Jay answered. “Hillview Mall Starbucks, how can I help you?”

“It’s me,” she said.

“Autumn! Jesus, we were worried about you.”

“Sorry about that.”

“You sound terrible,” Jay said. “I guess you want to talk to Chase right?”

“Tell me he’s not around right now.”

There was a pause.

“He’s not around right now,” Jay said, more quietly. “I’ll let him know you’re sick.”

“Thank you.”

“Take care of yourself, okay?”

“I will, thanks.”

After hanging up, she pulled herself back up and went to her kitchen corner to make more coffee. And then she sat back down at her computer again.

Her research last night hadn’t produced anything besides that site with the list of supposed sightings. And even that was a flimsy lead; she didn’t know if Uitat was where her Grandma was from, whether Romania was even the country she’d lived in, whether 1961 was the year it has happened, or even if her Grandma’s story was actually about vampires at all. Hell, she didn’t know if the story was something that had even happened, for all she knew it was something her Grandma had imagined. It had happened around fifty years ago when Eve had told that story, assuming she had the years right.

The text at the bottom mocked her. Last updated: Oct-5-1999. More than twenty years since this person had bothered with the website; it was a wonder it was even still up and running. But somehow she knew about this town; they even had ‘several’ sightings, even though there was nothing cited that could point her to more information.

It couldn’t hurt to email her. It was a ghost of a chance that she’d see it, if she was even still alive, or if she did that she’d bother to respond or actually have anything useful. But still, what harm could it do?

Autumn clicked the contact email and typed up a quick message:

Good morning. I’m doing some research for a class about vampire history, and I came across your website. I was wondering if you had any more information about the encounters listed here? Particularly the 1961 entry, which I can’t seem to find anything about online. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Crossing her fingers, Autumn sent the email and then got up to grab her coffee.

As she stood in her kitchen and sipped coffee, she considered her situation. She needed more leads to follow; a single email to a twenty-year old website wasn’t enough. She couldn’t take any bolder actions against Summer until she had a better idea of what she was capable of.

She didn’t think she could do this alone. But she had so few people she trusted, and as it was now, anyone at the mall was uncertain. She knew Holly and Bonita were compromised, so she couldn’t go to them. That Summer had only started working at the Hot Topic a few days ago meant that there probably weren’t many others outside of that store under her control, but it wasn’t a chance she could take. She needed outside help.

She looked to her phone. There was one person she could talk to. It wouldn’t be easy... it would dig up some old bad memories. But they would be a useful ally to have right now.

Well, she’d sent the email. No harm in sending one more text.

She took the phone and searched through her contacts until she found it. Piper.

Hey, it’s Autumn. I know we haven’t spoken in a while, but I need help with something. It’s really serious. Please let me know if we can meet up soon.

Autumn took a deep breath and hit the ‘send’ button.

There, that was that. No going back now.

She set her phone down and went to take another sip of coffee, when it immediately vibrated. Nearly spilling coffee on her shirt, Autumn picked the phone back up, but the message wasn’t from Piper, it was from Amy.

Jay said you were sick! Hope you get better soon ^.^

She typed up a ‘thanks’, downed the rest of her coffee, and then went to take a shower.

Autumn emerged from the shower, feeling cleaner and a little more refreshed. The bags under her eyes were still there, but at least she didn’t look like a raccoon any more.

Her phone was blinking. She picked it up and checked; no email, but there was a reply from Piper...

If it’s really a big deal, I’ll be at the library studying. You know where.

She drew in a breath, trying not to let that last part sting. Yeah, she knew where. How could she ever forget?

She quickly typed a reply, ‘I’ll be there in a bit’, and started gathering up clothes from the clean pile, which was the one on the left; the dirty pile was beside it on the right.

After dressing, she stuffed her phone in her pocket, followed by a pack of cigarettes, her wallet, and lastly her keys, still sitting next to her undelivered envelope of rent money. Her hair could dry in the car, driving with the window down; her A/C didn’t work anyway.

Some time later she arrived at her destination, staring up a sign that she hadn’t seen in some time: Hillview Community College. She let out a sigh, and pulled in.

She quickly found a spot to park outside, and went in.

Instantly, the sights, sounds, and even the smell of the hallway hit her like a punch in the gut. Memories flooded back into her mind: sitting bored in classes, scrambling to get tests done because she hadn’t been paying attention in class, celebrating at a friend’s apartment because they both barely scraped by with a passing grade...

But of course, with those fond memories, she also was reminded of the other ones. The ones she’d rather not think of.

Autumn drew her hoodie tighter around herself, as if she were worried somehow somebody there might recognize her. Fat chance, if there was even anyone here still who she’d gone with.

She rounded a few corners and quickly found the campus library. At once she was swimming in a sea of shelves, soaking in the smell of old pages. She’d spent so many hours in there, studying textbooks for classes, or recovering from said study with a good novel. How long had it been since she’d actually sat down to read a book?

She turned one last corner, and there it was: the round table by the window. She half expected to see the old study group still there, all sitting in their usual spots like no time had passed at all; as if she’d stepped away to get a drink.

They’d never had any bottle episodes searching for missing pens, or crazy paintball fights across the campus, but they’d had one another and plenty of fun in their time.

But of course they weren’t still there. Nothing lasted forever, and it had been five long years since she’d sat at that table.

Still, she’d expected at least a few of them. But the chairs were all empty: save for the one Piper sat in, and the one with a dark-haired girl Autumn didn’t recognise.

It was that unfamiliar girl who noticed her first. As usual, Piper was so absorbed in what she was reading she was oblivious to the outside world. It wasn’t until the new girl cleared her throat and gave her a little elbow-nudge that Piper finally looked up and saw her.

“Autumn!” Piper said with a start, pushing her glasses up the bridge of her nose. “Oh wow, you uh... you look good.”

“Thanks,” she answered awkwardly. She wasn’t sure what to say to that.

A moment passed, with no one saying anything. Finally, the new girl drew herself up and approached Autumn, extending a hand. “Hi, I’m Felicia. Piper’s told me all about you.”

“Has she...?” Autumn said.

“Good things!” Felicia quickly reassured. So quickly, that Autumn couldn’t help but have doubts.

Autumn looked to Piper, who quickly looked away. Her expression was unreadable. Anger? Guilt?

“Um... why don’t you take a seat?” Felicia offered, clearly wanting to diffuse the tension.

Autumn nodded, and looked to the seat beside Piper. Her old seat. She considered for a few seconds, and then sat down at a different chair, opposite of Piper.

Autumn noticed the thick book open on the table in front of Piper.

“So... psychology,” she said. “What happened to history?”

“I realized there aren’t many jobs to be found with a history degree,” Piper said. “I took a two year break, and decided to switch majors when I came back. It really set me back, but people aren’t going to suddenly stop having mental health problems, right?”

“Not any time soon, at this rate,” Autumn muttered.

Of course, she knew all this already. She wouldn’t have bothered reaching out to Piper if she hadn’t known that she’d gone back to the college. A former history major who was now studying psychology? In a twist of fate, Piper was the perfect person for what Autumn was dealing with.

Fate had a way of cruelly twisting things like that for her, didn’t it?

“I wanted to ask you about something,” Autumn said. “I don’t know if your studies have touched on this, but you’re the best person I know to ask. So... hypnosis.”

“Okay,” Piper said.

“It doesn’t work like in the movies, right?” Autumn asked. “Like it’s not some magical bullshit or some secret code that gives you access to a person’s mind.”

“No, not really,” Piper answered. She chewed on her lip, which Autumn remembered was a sign that she was thinking hard about what to say; that she was worried about saying the wrong thing. “I’m not studying to be a hypnotherapist, but my courses have touched on it. Like most things, Hollywood tends to misrepresent it for the sake of convenient storytelling. In real-life, it puts you in a sort of... suggestive state? You’re more likely to agree with stuff, but only within reason. Like if someone put you in a trance and told you to walk off a bridge, you’d stop and say, ‘What? Why do you want me to do that?’. Well I imagine most would, but you never know...”

Catching that she was on a tangent, Piper stopped herself.

“So... it can’t make you do things you don’t want to do?” Autumn asked. “Or forget what you’ve agreed to?”

“Well,” Piper hesitated, “yes and no. Short answer, no. You still have a sense of preservation. And while amnesia through hypnosis is difficult, it’s been known to happen. The long answer is that people like sleazy car salesmen exist; there’s a lot of psychological tricks to convince someone that something they might not want is something they should want. It’s not simple, and different people are more vulnerable to these tricks than others. These kind of people tend to have a bag of tricks they use, and some of these are meant to induce light trances that make you less questioning of what’s going on. From what I know, actual hypnosis is more of a collaborative thing between the hypnotist and the subject. The person who comes in to kick their smoking addiction wants to kick it, they’re just having trouble breaking the habits that lead them back to it. With hypnosis, you’re able to bypass a layer of scrutiny, and for a lot of people, that helps them get closer to the root of the problem.”

Autumn frowned, painfully aware of the pack of cigarettes in her hoodie pocket, as well as the ‘no smoking’ sign inside the library. Back when she attended here, she didn’t smoke, and never thought she would.

“Does that help?” Felicia asked with a polite smile.

Autumn considered it. She thought back to that scene in Hot Topic, the way Holly had looked, kneeling on the floor in blissed-out adoration of Summer. The way she had, for a moment, started questioning why Summer had bitten her, before the vampire woman had told her to forget it, and how she’d smiled and done just that, as if it were a perfectly normal thing that wasn’t worth remembering.

That was no car salesman social trick. That was legitimate mind-control. The Holly that Autumn knew would never have let another woman touch her, to violate her like that.

No, this didn’t help. This was all information she could have found on wikipedia. She hadn’t broken a five year silence just for this.

Autumn sighed and scratched her chin. “Okay, what if I said that I saw a friend of mine doing something. Something they would never have done under normal circumstances. And... I had reason to think that someone was manipulating them, using hypnosis or some sort of psychological tactic to take advantage of them?”

Piper exchanged a glance with Felicia. “Well,” Piper said, again biting her lip, “many people struggle with social expectations. Many of us, in situations where we realize our reasoning is impaired, have impulse to act out on subconscious desires. Things that we secretly want but don’t feel we have ‘permission’ to do. Think of all the people who get drunk as a way to let their guard down and be more social. Yes, there is a chemical aspect to it, but for many they know they can be more reckless because they’ll go back to normal after, and can blame their behaviour on the booze.”

“No,” Autumn said firmly. “No, this wasn’t like that. I know her, she... she wouldn’t want that.”

Felicia and Piper exchanged another look, growing more visibly uncomfortable.

“Um... Autumn?” Felicia said gently. “Are you all right?”

“What?” She looked up in confusion.

“Is there anything you want to tell us?” she continued. “Or just to Piper? I can step out if you want privacy.”

“What are you talking...?” And then it hit her.

Of course. Of course, they would think something like that.

“It’s just,” Felicia struggled, clearly trying to be polite despite her discomfort, “well you and Piper haven’t spoken in so long. And I know something happened that-”

“Oh, do you?” Autumn scoffed. “I’m sure she gave you a totally unbiased account of what happened.”

“Hey!” Piper exclaimed. “I had no obligation to offer help to you. After everything that happened, I’m trying to be a good friend. I’m extending an olive branch here, don’t bite my hand.”

“Look, we’re just concerned, right?” Felicia said, as much to Piper as Autumn.

Piper continued, “Look I haven’t heard a word from you in five years. That’s a really long time; a lot changes. But then you come in here, asking questions like these? How am I supposed to see this other than someone digging at old wounds? I’m trying to give you every benefit of doubt here. But I need you to be honest with me.”

“I am being honest!” Autumn shouted. Remembering they were in a library, she lowered her voice. “I am being honest, okay? This isn’t about me. I’m trying to help a friend.”

“You have to give me more,” Piper said. “I’m an open-minded person, but something is missing in this story. I can’t help unless I have a better idea what is going on.”

Autumn noticed Felicia was holding Piper’s hand on the table. A knot twisted in her stomach.

“Fine,” Autumn said.

She gave a version of the story. She told them about Holly and Hot Topic, leaving out her friend’s name, and how she stayed late waiting for her to finish. She told them about getting bored and going inside, peeking in the back, and seeing her friend getting taken advantage of. She left out the vampire stuff, of course, but she did say that what she saw appeared to be some sort of hypnosis. And that afterwards, Holly seemed to have no memory of it at all.

“Okay...” Piper said, once the story was finished. “Is there anything else afterwards?”

“I dropped her off at home,” Autumn said. “She was... fine. She thanked me for being a good friend and said goodbye and that was that.”

Piper frowned thoughtfully. “And... did you bring up what happened?”

“Not directly,” Autumn replied. “I didn’t want her to realize I saw that.”

Well, and I don’t want her to tell Summer that I know what she is.

“It’s possible she’s dealing with internalized shame,” Piper said, again biting her lip. “Putting on a front of everything being okay while hiding her true feelings?”

“Maybe,” Autumn said. “But I don’t think so. I know her, she’s not a very good liar. She really seemed to not remember it at all.”

Was she? Autumn couldn’t help but think of what Holly had said in the car, about her reasons for befriending her. That she felt like she deserved cold, distant friends who pushed her away.

Like me.

There was clearly more to her than Autumn had thought.

“There is... another possibility,” Piper said, nearly devouring her lower lip.

“What?”

“You mentioned you were tired,” Piper said. “You said you fell asleep in the car, and then were nodding off during your shift. Are you... sure that you didn’t dream it?”

“Excuse me?”

Piper grimaced, and Felicia held her hand more tightly.

“I’m not crazy,” Autumn said. “I know what I saw. It was real.”

“We’re not suggesting that,” Felicia quickly said. “It’s just... nobody’s brain is reliable when it’s running low on power. If you go without sleep too long, you can have these micro-dreams that can feel very real.”

“It’s just... a possibility to consider,” Piper said.

“No, it’s not!” Autumn exclaimed. “Don’t fucking tell me I can’t trust my own memory. I’m not entertaining this idea. I know what I saw.”

Felicia held her hands in the air, like Autumn was about to become violent. “Autumn, please calm down.”

“I know what she did. She’s not human, I fucking saw it! She’s-”

Autumn stopped.

At that moment she knew she’d gone too far. She’d undermined her own credibility. They weren’t going to believe her now. Not Piper.

“Forget it,” Autumn muttered. She stood up from the table. “I knew this was a waste of time. Thanks anyway.”

She left without another word. Neither girl tried to stop her.

Autumn strode to the counter with a clear bottle in her hands. Good old Calico Jack: cheap rum named after a pirate who was captured passed out drunk in his own brig while two women did the fighting. It was her favourite way to drink herself to sleep.

She reached the counter and set the bottle down. The man on the other side, one of those people who you can tell just from a glance who they voted for, scanned it and looked to her expectantly.

“ID?”

Autumn reached into her wallet and pulled it out. The man looked at it, and then looked at her.

“This you?”

“Yup. It’s an old photo.”

He looked at her, and back at the ID, and his mouth started to curl like he was going to say something.

“Just scan the fucking thing, asshole,” Autumn growled. “It’s not your job to think.”

The man hesitated.

“I know your manager is in the back. I saw him going there, and you sure as shit aren’t running this place dressed in that shirt you look like you changed oil in. I will make a fit about this if you make me.”

He shook his head, and scanned her card. As she walked out the door with her bagged bottle, she heard him mutter, “Karen-ass bitch”.

Back in her car, she put on the stereo, flipping through several stations, all of which were playing ads, before giving up and shutting it off. She still needed to buy a new aux cable for her phone, but somehow she kept forgetting, and hell would freeze over before she spent $15 or more on one at a gas station that would break in a week.

After a long drive in silence, Autumn was home. She strode up the stairs to her apartment, the sun just starting to set, casting long shadows from each step on the brick wall beside her. It was the perfect time to make shitty reheated food and drink until she passed out.

She tossed her things on the counter, and then flopped down onto her couch with an exhausted sigh.

What had she expected from that? Going to meet someone she hadn’t spoken to in five years with a story she couldn’t tell half of. It was a half-baked plan. A dumb one.

She knew what she’d been hoping for: that Piper would somehow have the answers. She had always been the mega-bookworm of their group; always with an answer to every problem.

This was a problem Autumn could never have imagined she would face, much less alone. She wasn’t a very sociable person to begin with, but still, she never imagine this was where she would end up.

The silent, empty apartment mocked her.

She didn’t have cable, but she did have internet: time to watch stupid videos online that required no investment or attention, while she downed rum until she couldn’t keep her eyes open.

In the kitchen, she grabbed a two-litre of Coke that was probably flat by now, and her bottle of rum, and a moment later she had her drink. Simplest drink in the world, which was why it was the only one she knew how to make.

She took a long sip, and after that, it all hurt just a little less.

Her phone vibrated, and she pulled it out to find another text from Piper.

I’m sorry for what I said. I didn’t mean to imply what I did. I trust that you, more than anyone I know, understand when someone is in trouble. I know you want to help your friend. I want to help you, however I can. Do you want to meet up tomorrow for lunch and finish the discussion?

Autumn considered, while she took another drink from her glass. She hadn’t expected to get this text, or any from Piper in the future, after what had happened.

Five years was a long time, indeed. Maybe she’d changed.

Autumn punched in her reply.

Okay but no girlfriend this time. Just us.

She looked at the glass in her hand and set it down on the counter. She knew she couldn’t do this alone. She was too self-destructive. She’d end up just locked in this apartment, dying alone otherwise. If she was going to save Holly, and Bonita and anyone else was under that woman’s control, she needed help.

So she’d go and have lunch with Piper and tell her the full story. Fangs and all.

A knock on the door interrupted her train of thought. One confused moment later, and she spotted the envelope with her rent money on the counter, now several days overdue.

“Shit.” She stuffed her phone away and grabbed the envelope. “Coming!”

She scrambled to the door and undid the deadbolt. She pulled open the door, excuses already spilling from her tongue.

“I’m so so sorry, I meant to get this to you, I’ve just been really busy and I-”

It was Summer.

“Sorry,” she said, her black-painted lips curling into an awkward but amused smile. “I didn’t meant to startle you.”

Autumn was frozen, like a deer in headlights.

Did she know? Had she figured out already? Had Autumn said something to Holly that had tipped her off?

This was it. She was dead. Either Summer was going to crush her throat with steel-bending strength, or drain her blood until she was a lifeless husk, or worse... reduce her to a mindless plaything, using her however she wanted for the rest of her life.

Autumn’s heart was pounding. She needed to do something. She couldn’t get past Summer to her car, what could she do? Slam the door in her face and run back inside. Maybe Summer couldn’t come in unless invited...

“Are you... all right?” Summer asked.

Autumn’s mind thought quickly. Play dumb until you have a chance: get your keys and make a break for your car as soon as she’s out of the way.

“Y-yeah,” Autumn managed. The drink! “I’ve had some rum, sorry. It’s almost bedtime.”

“Ah I see.” Summer let out a soft laugh, a musical sound that Autumn immediately wished she could hear more. “I suppose I should explain why I’m here.”

To kill me?

“Our mutual friend Holly mentioned earlier that you missed work and weren’t feeling well,” Summer explained, smiling beautifully. “She needed a ride home, and I offered to take her. While we were in the car, and I was setting up the route on my phone, she saw where I live and she pointed out that it happens to be right down the road from here. What a coincidence, right?”

Summer laughed again, and Autumn found herself doing the same. That was a weird coincidence.

“Not only do we both have season names, but we live right on the same street! What are the odds?”

Wait, what.

No, no, no, that wasn’t funny! Why was she laughing along with her? Holly had just given away her address. Summer not only knew where she lived, but she would be within walking distance of her, every day. This wasn’t funny, this wasn’t okay, why was she-

“Anyway, since I’d be passing by here anyway, Holly asked me if I could check in on you. She hadn’t heard from you all day, and she was worried.”

A moment passed before Autumn realised she was waiting for a response.

“I’m fine. Just a little tired. I’ve been taking it easy today. I pushed myself a little too hard last night and needed rest.”

“That’s good,” Summer said warmly. “It’s important that we take care of ourselves, yes?”

Autumn nodded without even thinking about it.

“I still need to go home and make dinner,” Summer said. “If you’d like to join me, you’re more than welcome. I love cooking for guests.”

Some part of Autumn wanted to agree, but her common sense screamed at her to say no. She could not let herself be alone with this woman. Least of all in her own damn house. She’d never get away.

That was bad. Yeah. Bad.

“I wish I could,” Autumn said. “But I’ve already eaten. And the rum and all. I’ll be going to bed soon.”

“Ah yes, of course,” Summer said with a polite smile. “Another time?”

“Sure.”

No! Why had she agreed to that?

Because it would be suspicious not to, she told herself. And anything that drew suspicion onto her would make her a quick target.

“I’ll get going then,” Summer said. “It was nice to see you.”

Autumn nodded.

Summer moved to step away, but stopped and turned back.

“Oh right. I wanted to mention, that almond milk latte you recommended me was delicious. The perfect start to my day! I might make a regular habit of coming by before a shift to grab one.”

A moment later, Summer was gone, and Autumn’s apartment door was closed and locked again. She was sitting on the floor, her back against it, trying to breathe and slow down her racing heart.

The rent envelope was on the floor. She’d dropped it right after opening the door and seeing Summer. Had she noticed?

How much longer would Summer have needed to charm her? To just talk about anything with her honey voice and that beautiful laugh and those deep brown eyes before Autumn stopped caring at all what she was? Before she was exposing her neck to Summer, outright begging to be her dinner?

Autumn reached for her chest and found her grandmother’s cross necklace. The steel against her skin was ice cold.