"You weren't worried that I might kill you?" Esther asked.
"I hoped you wouldn't." AnnMarie said. "And if you did, then... oh well."
-‐------------------------------‐-------------------------
Esther LaGrange never stays in one place too long...
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Esther spent the early morning hours talking to Adam, who was a bit nicer to her than he normally would have been. When the torrent of emotions that feeding on AnnMarie had unleashed on her finally started to subside, she told him goodbye and finally went to rest in bed beside AnnaMarie.
When she woke up from the thick nothingness, AnnaMarie was gone, apparently having woken up some time ago. Esther immediately left the room to search for her, and found her in the middle of carrying bags out to her car.
"Oh, you're awake." She said when she saw Esther. "Sorry, I wanted to wake you up but I didn't know how."
"It's fine." Esther said with a small frown. "What are you doing?"
"I'm packing up the car." She said. "I know it's already the afternoon, but I figured we could still make good time if we leave today."
"Are you sure you're ready to go?" Esther asked. "I figured after last night you… wouldn't feel too well."
"I was a little dizzy when I got up this morning, but I felt better after I ate something." She insisted.
Esther thought she still looked tired and pale, and that her movements seemed sluggish, but chose not to bother her about it for the time being. She was clearly insitant about leaving soon.
"Okay. If you're sure."
"Oh, what about you?" AnnMarie asked. "How are you feeling?"
Esther lifted up the edge of her shirt, showing AnnaMarie the large, pink gash that ran across her caramel skin.
"All better." She said. "For the most part, anyway. I told you I'd be fine."
AnnaMarie looked away, somewhat sadly.
"It's better to be safe than sorry. Does it still hurt?"
Esther pulled her shirt back down.
"It's pretty sore still, but it's nothing I can't manage." She said. "Are you sure you're rested enough to get there? The drive there is over seven hours."
"I'll be fine." AnnMarie said dismissively. "I've never been out of the state, so I'm sure my excitement will keep me up."
As she said this, she moved her light brown hair back behind her shoulder. Esther tried to surreptitiously get a glance at her neck, but found it was bandaged, so she couldn't see what sort of damage she'd done.
"Okay." Esther said. "If you start to feel unwell, just let me know."
It was quiet for the first couple of hours of the drive. They listened to the radio and Esther watched the trees pass by. After a while, AnnMarie turned the radio down and asked her something.
"Do you have any interesting stories about being a vampire?" She asked.
"Mm." Esther said thoughtfully. "I could tell you about when I met my friend Adam. He's a vampire as well."
