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“Is it much further?” Shelby asked as they pushed their way past a million bushes and trees on this very steep path.
Apo shook her head. “We're almost there,” she promised.
Guilt sat wrapped around Apo's gut like a steel weight. How could she do this, to poor Shelby of all people. But she'd gotten this far, and the sun was setting, she was out of time and this was the only way she'd ever get to see Cherry again. She grit her teeth and continued to walk.
“And you say it's solid proof that vampires exist?” the oblivious girl asked excitedly.
“Very solid,” Apo said, licking her dry lips. She was being deliberately vague, but Shelby didn't seem to care one bit. They were just happy to be out here, finding new secrets and mysterious things to fangirl over.
Apo clenched her fists as she trudged along, her fingernails buried in her palms. She wasn't even lying, per se. She did have proof that vampires existed, after all. She just... was pretty sure Shelby didn't actually want to find out about them quite this personally.
She shook her head again, casting away her guilt for the millionth time. She had no choice!
“I really do think that there could be good vampires, you know?” Shelby rambled. “All we need to do is just talk to them, I'm sure they'd be perfectly nice to us!”
“I'm... not too sure about that,” Apo murmured.
Shelby glanced back at her, grinning. “I like to think positively!” they chirped. They went around a corner, and suddenly their destination came into view.
“Whoa, what's that?” Shelby gasped, looking fascinated.
“It's in there,” Apo urged. “One of those red beacons. And... Something else.”
Shelby skipped forward, with apparently zero sense of self preservation. “I'm so excited to see!”
They reached the entrance and headed down the stone steps together. Apo became increasingly nervous as they approached the beacon, looming ominously in the darkness. Why hadn't she brought a torch with her?
Shelby didn't go near the beacon, instead staying by the edge of the room as they looked around. Apo put her hand on the beacon's cold surface and concentrated, hoping to turn it back to the side of light. It was no use, though; it was still on cooldown.
“So, where is it?” Shelby wondered. “And what is it?”
Apo paced nervously. “Not here yet,” she said, mostly to herself. “What's taking them so long?”
“Them?” Shelby wondered.
The light at the entrance disappeared as someone stood blocking the path. Apo grimaced, turning to face the newcomer. As she'd suspected, it turned out to be Scott.
“Well, hello there, Apo. Have you brought...” He trailed off as he spotted Shelby in the corner. “You... What?! You brought Shelby?! Of all people!”
The other girl looked confused. “Brought me for what?” they asked suspiciously.
Apo swallowed, looking away. The guilt was back overwhelmingly now. “I'm sorry, Shelby. I had to, they made me...”
Scott had his face buried in one hand now. Shelby looked between him and Apo several times before bursting suddenly into laughter.
Laughter?
Apo stared at Shelby, first in disbelief, then increasingly with shame. They were laughing at her, laughing so hard that they had to sit down right on the stone floor. “What?” she snapped.
“You!” Shelby guffawed. “You thought! You tried! Geeze, Apo, were you really bringing me out here so Scott could turn me into a vampire??”
Scott groaned, shaking his head. “Really, Apo?”
Apo's face was burning now. “I feel bad enough about this as it is! What are you laughing at me for?”
The tall vampire finished descending the steps, coming up to Apo and clapping her on the shoulder. Apo flinched away, but Scott didn't seem to notice. “Well! You've at least proven you're trustworthy. If a bit naive.”
“Naive?” Apo demanded. “What...?”
Shelby tried to force herself to calm down. “Sorry! Sorry! It's just... Why do you think I've been telling you that vampires can be good?”
It finally hit Apo what she meant. “Shelby, you're a vampire, too?!” she cried in dismay.
“You really think I wouldn't turn my own roommate first thing?” Scott shook his head in amusement.
“But, but that doesn't make any sense! You've been perfectly normal, this whole time! You've never...! You're not...!”
“Not a monster?” Shelby filled in. She came over to Apo and gently placed one hand on her shoulder. “Apo, I've never touched human blood. Not a single time.”
Scott grinned, turning away. “Well I have, as you know. But yes, it's true, you *can* just live off of animals.”
“As you know?” Shelby gave the other vampire a frown. “Were you drinking her blood, Scott? Is that why she knows you're a vampire?”
The blue haired man shrugged his shoulders dramatically, arms up in the air. “Blame Owen,” he said lightly.
Apo was now staring hard at her feet. Her whole body was tense, waiting for an attack. There would be no getting out of this, was there? She was once again cornered by multiple vampires. She'd messed up.“So. What... What are you going to do with me now?”
“Hmmm,” Scott pondered this, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. “Well, you did fulfill your end of the bargain, even if you were wrong in your choice of who to bring.”
“And you did a good job of fooling me,” Shelby added. “I was only a little suspicious. I really wanted to see what your ‘proof’ was.”
Scott smirked at her. “I like you,” he said. “So I think I'll let you live. You can go back, live with the townsfolk. Tell nobody about us. And as long as you mind your own business, we'll leave you alone.”
“Unless, you know, you want to join us?” Shelby turned pleading eyes on Apo.
Apo shuddered. “No. No thanks. And you!” She whirled on Scott. “You've gotta stop attacking the townsfolk! I've got a duty to protect them, and-”
“A duty you were willing to toss to the side to save your own skin?” Scott taunted. “What did Shelby ever do to you?”
Apo ducked her head in shame. She didn't have anything she could say to that. It was true.
“Look, I forgive you,” Shelby informed her. “I've forgiven Scott too. I'm, frankly, loving being a vampire. You get to do so many cool things! And just knowing that it's all real!”
Scott stepped to the side to clear a path to the crypt entrance, gesturing his hands grandly towards it. “I'm letting you go,” he said smoothly. “But I make no promises about the other townsfolk. Take it or leave it.”
Apo considered her choices. “Okay. I'll go.” She walked to the stairs, trying to keep her steps as steady and sure as she could. When she got to the top, she peered back down into the darkness at Shelby. “I'll... see you back in town?”
“Of course!” Shelby said with a cute smile.
Apo nodded and left. The moment she was out of eyesight, she started to run, dashing back towards town as fast as she could. She felt like a fool.