The Vampires #2: Heroux and Odette

Chapter 4 (Odette): Your Lies

Copyright © 2024 by GroveltoHEA

***TW for body shaming situation***

From the diary of Odette Vautour, age 12

I saw Heroux at the Christmas party. I don't see him so much at our school any more so I was hoping I'd see him tonight. I did but it was kind of embarrassing. I had just picked up a plate with a piece of cake from the dessert table. It had white icing sprinkled with red and green sugar. My little sisters bumped into me, pushing the plate onto my chest. The icing and cake was all over the front of my dress. My sisters laughed and told me Maman had sent them to stop me from eating the cake because I was too fat. I handed the plate to a server and went in search of a bathroom but this big house was confusing and I couldn't find one. I passed Heroux talking to his friends and he saw my dress and asked if I needed to clean up. He walked me to a bathroom and pointed at a door. Then he told me he was sorry my pretty dress had cake all over it and he said merry Christmas. I couldn't believe it! He said my dress was pretty! And he wished me a merry Christmas! He made last Christmas good and now this one, too. When he was walking away, I couldn't stop myself. I called out merry Christmas to him, and I thanked him for being so nice. He waved his hand at me and said it was nothing. But it wasn't nothing to me. I got in trouble when we got home for ruining the dress, but I didn't even care. I can't wait until next Christmas now.

I could have ended the game less than an hour into it. But I was curious to see what strategies Heroux used as a chess player, and I was happy to be playing against a person again. I could watch his face as he considered the pieces on the board, contemplating which of the available moves he could make and what my likely counter moves would be. He was a careful player, but he also made some bold moves, especially toward the end when he knew he was in trouble.

At the beginning of the game, he'd chided me for making my moves so quickly.

"You must want to lose," he said. "You don't think about your moves before you make them."

I'd shrugged. "This is how I play."

"It's a good way to lose," he said.

It was about fifteen minutes into the game when he realized that my moves might have seemed to be random and ill-conceived...but they weren't.

And after three hours, I decided to put him out of his misery. He was the Alarie and he was a vampire. His emotions were always restrained and he wasn't going to give much away. But I could tell from the way his eyes were narrowed on the board with such extreme concentration that this vampire was frustrated.

And he was frustrated by me, someone he considered unworthy.

"Check," I pointed out to him unnecessarily because sometimes I was helpful like that.

His mouth tightened. He must have really wanted to ask me a question.

He moved a piece to protect his king, and I immediately made another move.

"Check," I said. "Again." 

I smiled big at him because beating him was entertaining me. His eyes met mine, then returned to the board. Five minutes later, he made his move. This was more fun than I'd ever had with another person in my life.

"Check."

Move.

"Check."

Move.

"Checkmate."

Again, his eyes flashed to mine, then he studied the board, sure I was wrong. I had to be wrong. I played like I was drunk, with no finesse, no long deliberations on my next move.