She is Fatal to Death (Standalone Story)

Chapter 11 (Magic Trick)

         Renata had no intention of lying to Diamond. She was Renata's closest confidant and vice versa, there was no way to keep this kind of information concealed from each other. "Diamond, I need you to listen to me. Do you trust me?"

          Diamond quirked up a brow of suspicion. But her answer was immediate and steadfast. "Of course I do."

          Renata cleared her throat and looked straight into Diamond's beguiling eyes, eyes Renata had gotten lost in many times, had watched fill with tears of joy or terror and everything between the two. They were eyes Renata would know anywhere at any time. They were the eyes of a person she trusted more than anyone else. "You know I wouldn't fuck with you, not about something like this."

          "Yes..."

          Renata was going to tell Diamond everything, but needed to be sure that this revelation about Rocio was just what it sounded like—she'd probably hunt down Keone after this and have him confirm. "And that's exactly what she said, that she was undying? And she had red eyes."

          Diamond was calmer, or at least farther from a state of fear at this point. Now, she was just confused and ready to not be confused. "Just tell me what is going on. Please."

          "Okay, I told you how I was meeting with someone to get answers." Diamond nodded along. "Well, I kind of did get them. A lot of information was dumped on me, Diamond. Shit that makes me wonder whether I'm sane. And even though I think I'm not quite processing this situation with Rocio, I can tell you who attacked me." Renata paused and willed Diamond to believe her. "A vampire. Well, they use 'undying'. But basically a vampire."

          Diamond swallowed and Renata was sure that her friend was seconds from a breakdown of any kind. "Vampire." The word echoed in the small space between them. It was a scary word, one that changed everything. Not that anything had been the same since Renata had been murdered.

          "Listen, I just learned about it hours ago. I know it sounds crazy, but it's true."

          "So, red eyes means..."

          "Yup."

          "That fucker who attacked you had red eyes..."

         Renata kept nodding along as Diamond pieced it altogether. "Undying." The term felt bitter in Renata's mouth.

          Diamond sat up straighter. Her eyes were alarmed once again as something else came to her mind. "Wait, who told you all of this? Who were you meeting with? Where are they now?" Finally, Renata wasn't certain of how much to share. Diamond noticed the hesitation. "Tell me the truth, Ren."

       "A little while after he killed me, something happened," Renata began to explain with a shaking mind. "He visited me again." Diamond had a sharp intake of breath. "In my dreams. I don't know how. I'm sure it's some kind of weird ass vampire magic trick. The point is, he visited me and told me that he would give me my space. I was so angry, I could barely register what he was saying. What I did remember was him telling me that he would give me a year. When that year was up, he would return."

         Diamond was trembling again, though with something far stronger than fear: unfiltered fury. "He did, didn't he? Tell me that's not who you met with. Who you ditched me for."