Chapter 4 : And so you listen to stories. Until you can't.

"Yeah LF, sorry I'm sick. I don't feel like I can come to work today." Laura said in an overplayed raspy voice, fake-coughing a little.

"It's okay Laura, I know you're not doing it on purpose" The redhead kindly answered through the phone. Laura felt more shameful than she already was. "We'll distribute your tasks. Is that okay for you ?"

"It's perfect, thank you LaFontaine."

"That's not a big deal anyway. With Carmilla still living, we don't have any other vampire to try anything on so, yeah, lots of research but not many places to be."

"Yeah, I know. Call me if you need help to read my handwriting."

"Laura your handwriting is so curvy and round that even a two year old could read it. Compared to Mattie's stylish handwriting and Danny's illegible scrawl? It's perfect."

"I guess mine is actually easier to read than Danny's. Who would have known that someone this tall could write so small."

"I know right ? But we're lucky 'cause JP writes like a typing machine. Ah, I have to go, my brains are ready to be dissected. Take care." they said before hanging out.

And Laura fell backward on her bed, dropping the phone on the sheets and clinging to her yellow pillow. What the... What was she doing ? Skipping work like a teenage girl skips school ? Jesus, so much for maturity.

But was it really childish after all ? Laura knew that she needed a break from the torture. She had started believing Carmilla, lately. I mean who wouldn't have ? The whole speech about cruelty was on point.

Laura sighed. Her stomach growled. "Shhh.", She said, "I'm not in the mood for cooking right know." But it seemed that Stomach didn't care at all. "I hate you." she exhaled, before rolling over and getting up from the bed.

The flat was flawless. A company accommodation for which she had been ecstatic at first, but hey, it's hard to feel at home when you don't have time to redecorate the whole thing. White walls, white dishes, white bathroom, the serious lack of pastel color always made Laura feel uneasy. Well at least she had a pink toothbrush and a yellow pillow.

She sighed as she dragged her feet down the hallway and stopped by the fridge. She looked inside and saw that it was as empty as ever. She sighed as she closed it, opening one of the closet instead randomly grabbing a box of cookies.

"That'll do." She said, as she opened the box and fetched two cookies in her mouth. "Yah. Fuff beffer"

Then she carried the cookie box out of the kitchen and crashed back on her bed, not even caring whether or not she'd put crumbs all over the place. This kind of thing wasn't really important anyway because Laura had a lot more to think about. Plus, if she accidentally rolled over the crumb and crushed it, causing a chocolate stain to appear over the sheet, it would be at least a good motivation to go and buy some pastel ones. Yeah, nobody wants to sleep in a bed that looks like someone had an accident in it.

"What is happening suddenly ? I've never taken so much risk." she complained, but the answer to this question was simple, and she knew it. She was confused. Or scared. Or maybe both at the same time.

Growing up, Laura had never doubted that she was a good person. She had chosen to do this particular job to be one. To save lives.

Save lives ? This was ridiculous.

She was just lying to herself and she knew it.

Doctors saved lives every day. Not scientist. Not the specific kind of scientist she was. Because this kind ? It was the revengeful kind. Carmilla was right about it. Laura knew she was just tricking herself into thinking she was a good person because she wanted to believe it. But she had chosen to kill instead of healing. Killing some creatures she knew nothing about, blindly thinking that their starved selves, with the grey skin and the black eyes, was their true appearances. That they were just monsters waiting for a moment to kill.

And were they, really ?

"So you're back, blonde one." Carmilla said. "I was worried, yesterday was your day."

"I was sick." Laura lied as she came closer to the glass wall separating them. The door was closed, there was no need to pretend, yet she didn't want to seem weak in front of the vampire. She pulled the liquid solution out of her pocket and put it on the floor, sitting next to it.

"What are you doing ? You're not IV injecting it to me ?" the vampire asked as she posed her sharp gaze on the tiny bottle. "Why ?"

"I still want to make the deal I asked for."

"You're tiring, Dimwit."

"Yeah Carm. I am. But you're always tired anyway and probably bored out of your mind."

"Good point. So, what historical story do you want to hear ?"

Laura blinked. "You agree ? Like... Like really ?"

"Gee, you're annoying. Of course I am. Which dumbass would say no to this easy way out ? I'm not a bloody masochist."

Laura's eyes opened wide in excitement and she smiled. Tons of questions were already rushing in her mind.

It soon appeared that Carmilla was good at telling stories. And so, every Wednesdays, as Laura entered the room, Carmilla asked for what the blonde wanted to hear about this time. And Carmilla told stories about the past. Things she had lived through and things she had missed. Switching between point of views as she always insisted on the fact that there were several sides to every story. And that she couldn't only tell her own, as she felt like this was cheating.

And so, Laura sat by the glass wall and listened to the stories. Asking questions when she needed answers. Yet, not pushing as far as asking for personal details. Nodding in agreement sometime, and sometime just getting lost in imagination. But there was also those moments where Laura stopped listening. Moments were her mind focused on details instead of stories. Witnessing every tiny change on Carmilla's expression and watching how the shadow of a smile sometime haunted her pale lips.

"Hi Carmilla" she greeted one day.

The vampire didn't answer.

"I almost have it !" had exclaimed Mattie the evening before. "I think I found why the leech is still alive !" and as thought Laura had been startled at first, she had felt like this wasn't a big deal in the end. Usually, LF was the one getting overexcited over false hopes and Laura had just ended being used to hear these. And so, it hadn't seemed like something serious.

Until she heard nothing but silence coming out of Carmilla's glass cell.

"Carmilla ?" she called. "Are you sleeping again, you lazy vamp ?" but remembering Mattie's words, Laura felt anxiety clenching her chest.

She came closer to the glass wall, searching for any sign of life with wide scared brown eyes. Scanning Carmilla's face in order to see if she seemed paler than usual.

"I gave her the mixture today. I can tell you that it definitely had more effect than the previous poison."

And there was no movement on the other side.

Laura started bouncing on glass, trying to wake Carmilla. Because she was probably just sleeping right ? Carmilla was always sleeping. Then she started screaming things, upset because of this stupid prank Carmilla was probably playing on her.

Until she realized that it was real. And she felt like someone had punched her in the guts.

Why are you doing this. She's a leech. She deserves this. A small voice in the back of her mind said, and Laura pushed it away with a smash on the glass. "Please don't be dead, please !" you're not even friends, she's not even human. You're being irrational again. The voice whispered, but Laura didn't care as she furiously pushed the 'blood supplies' button, watching it as if ran along the IV and caused no reaction at all. You should be happy. This vampire was confusing anyway. Laura ran toward the cell's door. Because she had to do something. She had to. Carmilla couldn't just be dead. Carmilla couldn't. You couldn't just rip the life out of someone like that right ?

Of course you can, idiot. You killed all those vampire yourself after all. Laura's shaking hand grabbed the door handle.

And as she opened it, something huge and dark pushed her out of the way.

And Laura passed out as her head smashed against the wall.

"I'm sorry" the cat whispered, as blood dripped from its mouth.

Hey... Sorry about the delay and thanks for all your nice reviews. Since the story is already finished and I'm very very busy I didn't find time (and motivation) to grammar check the whole thing. Anyway, enjoy :)