Nightshade: A SimLit | Chapter 9: Here For You

"Elaine, what's gotten into you?" Garrett asked. "Did you really think you could beat a vampire?"

"No," Elaine admitted. "But you just don't seem to understand how big of a problem this is!"

He frowned. "There wouldn't be a problem if the two of you would just listen to reason..."

"No, there wouldn't be a problem if I just called some vampire hunters and got rid of them!" Elaine exclaimed. "They're not like us, Garrett."

"And that means they deserve to die?" her husband retorted. "Listen to yourself. Just because they're different than us doesn't mean--"

 "They want to kill us! You saw what she did to me!"

Garrett sighed. "You threatened to have her son murdered! If she'd said that to you about Amelia, what would you have done?"

 "...It's not the same. That's different," she said, trying to think of an excuse. "It's not like they have feelings..."

"How do you know?" Garrett asked. 

Elaine had no answer.

---

Amelia stood out on the balcony, as usual, waiting for Onyx. She closed her eyes as the cold breeze blew through her hair. 'Winter is coming soon,' she thought. 'It's pretty chilly out here. Maybe I should have put on a coat...'

Below her, she spotted her friend approaching the house and got a head start downstairs. She quietly made her way outside.

"Amelia!" Onyx exclaimed, racing over to her and giving her a big hug. Amelia was a bit surprised by his behavior; he wasn't usually so clingy. "Onyx?"

He let go of her, and she could by his red, puffy eyes that he had been crying. Although mostly hidden, a few bruises peeked from under his clothing. "Amelia, I'm so happy to see you--"

"Onyx," she interrupted, her tone of voice expressing concern. "Are you... hurt?"

Onyx nodded a little. "Vance and Dominic beat me up at school today..."

 "I'm so sorry. Are you okay? I should have been there to stop them..."

"It's not your fault... you would have been running late for class, anyway," Onyx frowned. "It's my fault. If I wasn't a vampire..."

"You can't help that," she said softly. "It's not your fault."

"But... all vampires are good for is biting people," he said, blinking back tears. "I don't want to be a vampire! I wish I could be someone else!"

Amelia placed her hands on his shoulders. "Onyx, I would never want you to be anyone else."

"...Really?" Onyx asked.

 "Don't let those stupid bullies get you down. I think you're perfect just the way you are, okay?" she smiled, and took his hands in her own. "Fangs and all."

"Amelia..." Onyx began, a smile spreading across his face. "Thank you."

An unfamiliar emotion sparked in Amelia's heart, and though she didn't know what it was, it felt good.

"Hey, the stars are really pretty tonight," she said softly, and sat down on the ground. Onyx sat beside her, and they looked up at the sky.

They sat there together, pointing out stars and constellations for quite a while.

"Hey... you know something, Amelia?" Onyx asked shyly.

"What?" she replied.

Onyx took her hand and smiled. "Out of all the stars in the sky... none of them shine as bright as you."