The wind howled through the shattered library window, carrying swirling gusts of snow into the mansion, which now felt more like a tomb than a home. Alice knew they couldn't stay. Rose was wounded, but her rage and hunger would drive her back and next time, she wouldn't play with her food.
"We have to leave. Now," Alice ordered, her voice cutting through Natalie's sobs.
Kara helped her friend to her feet. Natalie was shaking so hard her teeth chattered, her gaze distant, trapped somewhere in the nightmare she hadn't yet escaped.
"The car… the snow…" Natalie murmured.
"Leave it to me," Alice said.
They ran to the main entrance. Alice shoved the wardrobe blocking the door aside with a single, fluid motion, as if it were made of foam. When they opened the door, the white wall imposed itself immediately. The car was completely buried — an indistinguishable mound in the courtyard.
"Stay behind me," Alice instructed.
Kara watched, fascinated and terrified, as Alice charged into the snow. The vampire didn't use shovels. She used her bare hands and inhuman speed. Snow exploded into the air in violent sprays as Alice excavated the vehicle in seconds, clearing the windshield and tires with movements that blurred to the human eye.
She ripped the ice from the handle and opened the driver's door. "Get in! The heater will take time — stay close together!"
Kara pushed Natalie into the back seat and slid in beside her, wrapping her arms around her to share warmth. Alice took the wheel. The engine growled, fighting the cold, but it turned over. With skill that defied the road conditions, Alice maneuvered the car off the property, leaving behind the gothic mansion — and Rose's shadow.
The drive back was silent and tense. Alice kept her eyes fixed on the white road, checking the mirrors constantly, half-expecting to see her sister's silhouette in pursuit.
But the road remained empty.
"Where are we going?" Alice asked as the city lights appeared on the horizon. "The dorm isn't safe anymore. Rose knows where you live."
"My house," Kara said immediately. "My parents are in Florida. It's empty, it has an alarm, and it's in a busy neighborhood. Rose won't try anything with neighbors around… I hope."
Alice nodded and changed course.
Hours later, when they pulled into Kara's garage, the relief was physical. The suburban setting — with its white fences and porch lights — felt like another world compared to the isolation of the mountain.
They went inside. The air was warm and smelled of cleanliness and comfort. Kara locked the door, armed the alarm, and hurried to close the curtains.
Natalie collapsed onto the living room couch, still wrapped in her coat, staring into nothing.
"She was inside my head…" Natalie whispered, touching her neck where Rose had nearly bitten her. "I could hear her voice, Kara. She told me to come… and I did. I wanted to go. Why did I want to go?"
Alice approached, stopping at a respectful distance. "It's the glamour, Natalie. It's one of our defenses. Victims don't feel fear in the moment — they feel attraction. It's chemical. It wasn't your fault."
Natalie looked at her. The fear was still there, but now layered with profound exhaustion. "Are you like her?"
Alice lowered her gaze, the pain of the question clear on her face. "I'm the same species. But I'm not like her."
Kara returned with a thick blanket and wrapped Natalie in it, then handed her a mug of hot tea. "Drink, Nat. It'll help calm you."
Alice watched from the wall, vigilant. She looked at Kara, then at Natalie, who seemed like a lost child on a couch far too big for her.
"Kara…" Alice murmured, nodding toward the kitchen.
Kara joined her. "What is it?"
"She's in shock. We should call her family," Alice suggested quietly.
"She needs someone. Parents, siblings… someone who truly makes her feel safe. We… I… I'm the cause of all this."
Kara looked toward the living room, where Natalie held the mug with trembling hands. Her expression softened into deep melancholy.
"She doesn't have anyone, Alice," Kara said.
Alice frowned. "What do you mean?"
"Natalie's an orphan," Kara explained, her voice tight. "She lost her parents in a car accident during her senior year. She lives with a great-aunt who barely cares — just sends the tuition checks. Really… her family is us. Me, my parents… and she thought Rose could be too."
Something heavy settled in Alice's chest —something she hadn't felt in decades. She looked at the girl on the couch with new eyes. She no longer saw just Kara's loud, cheerful friend; she saw a loneliness she knew all too well. Natalie's vulnerability to Rose's manipulation now made a terrible, painful sense.
She was searching for connection.
For someone to choose her.
"I'm sorry…" Alice murmured. "I didn't know."
"Rose did," Kara said, a flash of anger in her voice. "She used it."
Alice nodded, hatred for her sister burning hotter. "Listen… Natalie can't stay here forever. Rose might come for her. The safest place for her right now is somewhere crowded."
"The dorm?" Kara asked.
"Yes." Alice checked the time. "I'll stand guard outside until dawn."
"When the sun rises, I'll take Natalie back to campus. Cameras, security, other students. Rose won't attack in daylight — not in a full building. And you… you stay here, locked in."
"You're going to stay outside? In the cold?" Kara protested.
"I don't feel the cold, remember?" Alice tried a half-smile, but it didn't quite hold. "It's my responsibility, Kara. I brought this into your lives."
Kara looked at her. She saw the exhaustion, the guilt, the lonely-soldier posture Alice adopted as punishment.
Without a word, Kara stepped closer. She rose onto her toes and gently cupped Alice's face in her warm hands.
Alice froze, startled by the touch.
Kara leaned in and pressed a soft, lingering kiss to Alice's pale cheek. It wasn't a kiss of passion, but one of gratitude and promise.
"Thank you for saving us," Kara whispered, brushing her nose against the vampire's cold skin. "And come back to me."
Alice closed her eyes, absorbing that warmth, storing it like a shield against the darkness waiting outside.
"Always," she replied.
As Kara returned to Natalie, Alice stepped onto the porch, taking her place like a vigilant gargoyle in the night — ready to face any demon that dared approach those two human lives.