"Tristan? I-Is that really you? Omigosh, I thought you were—"

"Dead? Yeah, I get that a lot. I really missed you, babe."

"OMG, I am literally getting goosebumps right now. There's nothing more beautiful than seeing two lovers reuniting. Don't you think so, Lucy?"

Lucy simply shrugged her shoulders. She remembered a time when Lori and Leni's inane questions about her favorite show would annoy her to no end. But after watching nearly half a season of Vampires of Melancholia with them, it was something she had gotten used to. Besides, she didn't entirely disagree with Lori's sentiments. Seeing the handsome vampire Tristan finally reveal himself to his long-lost girlfriend did cause something within her to stir.

"I-I just can't believe it," the woman murmured. "Y-you were gone for so long."

"I just had to figure some stuff out, Gwen," said Tristan, walking towards her. "Don't worry, I'm still me. The only difference is that now we can be together forever."

Gwen suddenly turned her back to Tristan, hugging herself and shivering. "I-it's not that easy, Tristan. I-I've been seeing someone else."

Lori and Leni gasped in horror. Lucy, however, didn't even flinch. Having watched the show from the beginning, she was familiar with this kind of storyline. Edwin and Griselda's on again/off again relationship was a cornerstone of the entire show. And now Tristan was sharing his uncle's pain.

"Babe, I-I don't understand," said Tristan. "How could you do this to me?"

"I didn't think you were coming back, Tristan," Gwen whimpered. "What we had was great, but I couldn't mourn you forever. I needed to move on."

"Well, I'm back now. Doesn't that count for something?"

Gwen bit her lip and trembled. "I-I don't know. Tristan, don't get me wrong. When we first met, I wasn't sure if you were my type, but you proved me wrong. You were a wonderful man."

"I still am. I'm just a vampire now," said Tristan. "But like I said, that's the only thing about me that's changed."

"See, that just makes this harder," said Gwen. "I don't know if I could love a vampire. I've heard such… harrowing stories."

"Babe, babe. Trust me. We're not as scary as you think we are," said Tristan, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"I-I want to believe you," Gwen murmured. "But Oswald is just so nice, and—"

"Oh, so his name is Oswald, huh?"

Gwen squeaked and blushed. "P-please don't hurt him, Tristan."

"Tristan would never do something so cruel!" Lori snapped. "What, just because he's a vampire now, you think that makes him some kind of monster?!"

"I thought vampires were monsters," Leni said quizzically.

"Only to those who fear them," said Lucy grimly.

Tristan sighed and massaged his temples. "Look, Gwen. You gotta help me out here. What exactly does this Oswald guy have that I don't?"

"Well, he's alive, for starters," Gwen replied. "And we share all the same interests."

"And? Is that it?"

Gwen squirmed a bit. "Tristan, c'mon. We've only been dating for, like, a couple of weeks. I don't know him that well yet."

"But you still think he's good enough to replace me."

"I thought you were dead!"

"Well, I came back! I thought you'd be happy to see me!"

"I-I am, I am!"

"Then how come you're dumping me for someone who's just a copy of you?"

Lucy shuddered. Something about Tristan's words caused an uneasiness to well up in the pit of her stomach.

"Tristan, i-it's not like that," Gwen said hoarsely.

"Then what is it like, huh? I thought we had something special Gwen," said Tristan, folding his arms.

"We do. I-I mean did. I-I mean…"

Lucy could feel her pulse quicken and Gwen struggled to explain herself. She found herself beginning to hyperventilate. Beneath her thick bangs, her eyes started to sting from the tears forming. She snagged a glance over at Lori and Leni. Right away, she could tell that the drama was affecting them, too.

"Don't you see how much he still loves you, Gwen?" Lori croaked, dabbing her eyes with a handkerchief. "How could you be so cold?"

"O-M-Gosh, I-I cannot even right now," said Leni with a sniffle. "Poor Tristan."

It took sheer force of will for Lucy to hold herself together. The longer the scene carried on, the more pressure built up within her.

"Just spit it out, Gwen. Do you like me, or this Oswald guy?" Tristan asked bluntly. "You can't have us both."

Lucy flinched, reacting to Tristan's words as though she had been punched in the stomach. Leni noticed this and raised an eyebrow.

"Um, are you okay, Lucy?" she asked.

"M'fine," Lucy rasped curtly.

On screen, Gwen didn't look like she was fairing much better. She chewed on her nails, and her eyes darted every which way.

"W-well, I-I guess… I mean, maybe… You… Oswald… I-I'm…"

"Ooh, the suspense is literally killing me," said Lori.

"Me, too," Leni concurred. "But, like, she's not gonna break Tristan's heart like that, is she?"

"Do you think she wants to?"

Lori and Leni turned their attention to Lucy. Her exclamation was no louder than her usual tone, but the intensity still managed to seep through in her voice. She stared back at her sisters, tears rolling down her now-red cheeks. Once she shook herself of the shock, she turned away and cast her gaze downward.

"I-I'm sorry," she croaked. "I-I didn't mean to…"

Leni's brow furrowed with worry. "Lucy, are you sure you're okay?"

Lucy didn't respond. She simply stood up. "I-I should go."

Without another word, she made her way upstairs. Lori and Leni looked on before looking at each other.

"I'll go talk to her," said Lori. "You just tell us what we missed."

Leni tilted her head. "You sure?"

Lori nodded. "Trust me. I think this is about more than just VoM."

After a pause, Leni shrugged her shoulders. "Okay. If you say so."

Lori gave Leni one last nod before making her way upstairs.

It didn't take Lori long to find where Lucy ran off to. Once she was upstairs, she saw that the door to the attic was open, and the ladder was down. With a sigh, she ventured up into the dark, dismal crawlspace. As always, the room was pitch black, with the only semblance of illumination coming from the moon shining through the window. Luckily, Lori could hear Lucy's telltale mumble echo through the darkness.

"Sigh~. Sigh~."

Lori followed the sound until she found Lucy curled up in the far corner of the attic. She slowly approached her.

"Hey, Lucy," she said softly.

Lucy perked up and turned to face Lori. Although Lori couldn't see her eyes, she could still envision them being all red and puffy behind the thick bangs.

"Wh-what're you doing up here?" Lucy murmured.

"Just thought I'd check up on you," said Lori, taking a seat next to Lucy. "That was a pretty intense scene, huh? I mean, it's not every day I see you get that emotional. Not even over VoM."

"Yeah," Lucy said blankly.

Lori furrowed her brow. "There's more to it, isn't there?"

Lucy didn't reply. She simply curled up into a smaller ball. Lori sighed and placed an arm around her.

"Look, I know you're a very private person, Lucy," she said. "But please, don't shut me out like this. Whatever's bugging you, I wanna help."

"Sigh," Lucy mumbled. "I don't know if you can help me, Lori. I don't think anyone can."

Lori had to roll her eyes. "You always say that, but I think we both know that's not true," she said. "C'mon, Luce. I promise, nothing will leave this attic."

Lucy thought for a moment before finally giving in.

"Sigh. Okay," she said reluctantly. "You're right. It's more than just Vampires of Melancholia. I'm usually used to this kind of storyline, but this was different."

"How so?"

"Gwen was being forced to choose between Tristan and Oswald, even though she obviously loves them both." Lucy bit her lip and trembled, her breathing becoming more erratic. "I-it reminded me of… me."

Lori tilted her head. "You? What do you mean by—?"

"And Rocky. And Silas."

Lori's eyes widened as she started piecing things together. Rocky and Silas were two of the only mortal beings that managed to stoke the fires within Lucy's non-existent heart. Even so, something seemed to be missing.

"So, you felt a connection with Gwen?" she asked.

Lucy nodded. "Yes. And it doesn't end there." She glanced over Lori's shoulder at the window. "When I first met Rocky, I didn't think he was my type. But he was just so cute that… I wanted to reach out to him. I even changed who I was just so that I'd impress him."

"Yeah, I remember that whole fiasco," said Lori. "But you two hit it off once you went back to being yourself, didn't you?"

"We did," said Lucy. "And I'm so glad he accepts me for who I am. But at the same time, I worry that I might scare him off again or say the wrong thing. He's regular and normal; I'm not. There's no getting around that."

"And you don't feel that way about Silas?"

Lucy shook her head. "Not at all. Silas is very much like me. We both like sitting in the cemetery and reflecting on the futility of life. We both like to sleep in coffins. I think he also likes Vampires of Melancholia."

Lori raised an eyebrow. "You 'think?'"

"Sigh," Lucy mumbled. "The truth is… I don't know Silas that well beyond him sharing my interests. We don't even go to the same school. The only time I see him is at the cemetery."

At that moment, everything seemed to click into place for Lori. "So, in this case, Rocky is like Tristan, and Silas is like Oswald."

Lucy nodded. Lori pulled Lucy in closer and rubbed her back.

"Oh, Lucy. No wonder you got so emotional," she cooed. "Have you been thinking about this for long?"

"Not as often as I should be," Lucy admitted. "I-it just hurts so much. I really like both of them, but…"

"You can't have them both at the same time," said Lori, finishing Lucy's thought.

"Exactly." Lucy sniffled and trembled. "And no matter who I choose, someone is going to get left heartbroken. I-I don't wanna hurt either of them like that. But then, what am I supposed to do? I-I feel like I'm slowly being ripped in two, and each tear hurts more than the last."

Lori frowned. "Well, love triangles are tricky like that, Lucy."

Lucy gave Lori a look. "How would you know? You've been with Bobby for as long as I can remember. You've never loved two boys at once."

Lori arched an eyebrow. "What're you talking about? Of course I have."

"Clyde doesn't count. We both know you don't see him the same way you see Bobby."

Lori flinched, unprepared for Lucy's retort. She opened her mouth to reply, but Lucy cut her off again.

"Hugh doesn't count, either."

Lori fell silent for a moment, reflecting on Lucy's words. Finally, she sighed.

"Okay, you're right. I don't know what that feels like," she confessed.

Lucy scoffed and turned away. "I told you you couldn't help me."

"Now hold on, Lucy. Just because I haven't experienced a love triangle myself doesn't mean I can't help you," said Lori. She smiled gently as she stroked Lucy's hair. "It certainly doesn't mean I'm going to leave you to deal with this on your own."

Lucy tilted her head. "The last time I had this problem, you told me to stay with my first love."

"Lucy, this is literally more important than choosing between vampires and werewolves," said Lori. She sheepishly brushed the back of her head. "And y'know, now that I'm thinking about it, maybe I was wrong to say that. I'm not sure if it's that simple anymore."

"Then how are you able to help me?"

Lori took a moment to think. Slowly, a small smile crossed her face.

"Because I can tell you this much," she said. "Lucy, it's okay for someone in your position to be attracted to more than one person at the same time. I mean, look at Lincoln. He has like, what, four girlfriends? There's Christina, Paige, that new girl Stella, and of course Ronnie Anne."

"Ronnie Anne is not my girlfriend!" hollered a familiar voice from downstairs.

Lori let out a muted chuckle and rolled her eyes. "Well, okay, three and a half. Still, do you think he knows who he likes more? Of course he doesn't. He's only eleven. And you're only eight."

"What does age have to do with it?" asked Lucy.

"Everything," said Lori, caressing Lucy's cheek. "Because no one's forcing you to make a decision right this second. You have plenty of time to figure things out. And yeah, it's not going to be easy. Maybe someone will end up being hurt. But just because you're not in love with someone doesn't mean you can't still be their friend."

All was quiet for a time as Lucy processed Lori's words. She then rested her head against Lori's side.

"I guess you're right," she said. "Thanks."

Lori smiled and ruffled Lucy's hair. "No problem. And hey, if you need any relationship advice, don't be afraid to ask me. I might not know everything, but I'll always do what I can."

"I'm glad," said Lucy, nuzzling against Lori's bosom. After a pause, she got up. "So, shall we rejoin Leni?"

"Only if you're up for it," said Lori.

Lucy nodded. "I think I'm okay now. I just need some time to think on my own."

Lori nodded in return. "Okay then."

She got up from her seat, and the two of them made their way back downstairs. As they walked, Lori gave Lucy a sly smirk.

"Just for the record, though, I hope Gwen picks Tristan," she said.

Lucy scoffed. "You're just saying that because we haven't seen Oswald yet."

"Oh, please. As if they could find anyone who could be as much of a hunk as Blake Bradley. Why would you choose anyone over someone like that?"

"So, you would choose Blake Bradley over Bobby?"

Lori blushed. "O-of course not! Do you really think I'm that shallow?!"

Lucy smirked. "I see now why love triangles are not your forte."

Lori let out a weary sigh. "Well, at least you're feeling better. But next time, just leave the comedy to Luan."