Anna was seated comfortably in her tall chair, legs swinging back and forth slightly. She was reviewing her biology homework before class when she saw the door swing open. A flash of red caught her eye, and knot formed in the pit of her stomach.
Carmine walked over to the seat beside her, a deliberately casual air about her. Anna carefully studied her friend's face, trying to decode the bland expression there. She crossed her fingers under the table, silently hoping against hope that Carmine hadn't decided to back out of the vampire hunt. Or worse – to stop being friends with Anna altogether.
Carmine set her backpack on the ground carefully. She turned slowly and looked at Anna, who gave a small, weak smile in return – after all, it had been Anna's idea to stalk Fredrick that night. If Carmine was upset, then Anna knew without a doubt it was her fault.
"How are you doing?" Anna asked gently.
"I'm ok." Carmine replied evenly.
She was a little pale, and she had bags under her eyes. But overall, she didn't seem too bad. She was certainly looking better than Anna would have imagined, especially considering the circumstances. Before Carmine could say anything else, Anna spoke up.
"Listen," she said. "I just wanted to let you know...If you don't want to do this anymore – you know..." Anna glanced around, making sure no one was near enough to hear before continuing on, her voice barely audible. "The whole vampire thing – you don't have to. I didn't realize it was going to be as bad as it was. I'm really sorry I dragged you into it."
"I know you didn't know what was going to happen – how could you?" Carmine sighed, looking resigned. Anna tried her best not to look guilty as Carmine continued, "But just because I don't like what happened doesn't mean I should ignore it. The fact that he's so brutal is actually more of a reason to help – not to quit. Besides, you guys are definitely going to need my help after this."
Anna smiled, appreciating what Carmine said and noticing the twinkle that was dull, but nevertheless still present in Carmine's eye.
***
Anna's day continued on much like any other. She ate lunch with Mia and Carmine, and was relieved to see that Carmine seemed to be in much better spirits than she had been earlier that morning.
The girls had talked, though somewhat cryptically, about what their next move would be. It was clear that they were going to have to act, and the sooner the better.
Anna had been slightly embarrassed to realize that she'd formed no plan whatsoever; she'd been too busy worrying about how Carmine was doing. She decided to devote the rest of her day to planning. But even with every spare moment being spent trying to come up with something, she didn't have much. She'd been relieved to get to math early; she could use those few uninterrupted minutes try to come up with some ideas before the end of the day.
Luke walked into the room and sat down behind Anna. She waved absentmindedly at him. As nice as it was to talk to him, she really couldn't be bothered today. Luke got out his books, waiting for Anna to give him a more friendly acknowledgement. When it became clear to him that this wouldn't be coming any time soon, he decided to start the conversation himself.
"So...me and a couple of friends were thinking about going to the movies this Friday..." he told Anna, shifting a little in his chair.
"That sounds nice." Anna told him in a friendly, if disinterested manner. She hadn't really been paying attention to him; she was much more preoccupied with her own problems than whatever Luke's weekend plans were. Luke smiled a little and leaned forward.
"Well..." he started again, "I was thinking...why don't you come too? You know, bring a couple of your friends, and we can all go together?"
"Really?" Anna asked, surprised. Maybe she should be paying more attention to what he was saying after all. She sighed inwardly. Well, there was still art class to come up with something.
"Sure." he replied, his confidence returning. "Remember Zev and Conner? I'm going with them, and Conner's older brother, Colin, is gonna be there too – he's giving us a ride. And if you wanted to bring any of your friends, you could."
"Alright. Sounds like fun." Anna told him happily.
It had been such a long time since she'd been to the movies; school had been keeping her pretty busy lately. And now with this business about Fredrick and Jacqueline – she didn't seem to have much free time at all. It'd be good – not just for her, but for Mia and Carmine too. They could really use a break from their scheming to actually have some fun for a change. And what better way was there to relax than to see a movie?
"What time?" she asked.
"Well, I'm not sure yet. We haven't actually decided what we're gonna see. I'll let you know as soon as I find out though." Anna nodded, and Luke continued smoothly. "You know, the theater's on the other side of town from where we live. Do you have a ride?"
Anna thought for a minute. She'd taken the bus across town once or twice, and it took almost an hour. It was annoying, but she could do it. When she mentioned the bus to Luke, he responded immediately.
"We can pick you up. You don't live that far from us – you're practically on the way."
"Thank you – that'd be very nice."
"Actually, why don't I get your number?" he said.
He leaned down and started rooting around through the front pocket of his backpack. Anna, however, just sat there confused. Was she supposed to have a number? For what? After several seconds of pondering and coming no closer to an answer, Anna finally broke down and asked.
"My number?" she mumbled.
"Yeah, you know, your phone number." he told her, finally pulling a small, black cell phone out of his bag.
Anna stared blankly as Luke started pressing what seemed to her like a dozen buttons in no particular order. After a minute, he stopped and stared at Anna expectantly. Anna could feel herself flush.
"I don't have one." she admitted. Now it was Luke's turn to be confused.
"Don't have what? A cell phone? That's fine," he reassured her. "Just give me your home number then."
"I don't have a house phone. I don't have a telephone – of any kind." Anna's face grew even redder.
"What!" Luke exclaimed in disbelief. He was louder than he'd meant to be, and several people nearby turned around to see what all the fuss was about. He lowered his voice again as he asked, "How could you not have a phone?"
Anna thought for a minute. It was quite simple really. Nobody called her – and not just because she didn't have a phone. She'd had a telephone once before – a nice, shiny black one with a rotary dial trimmed in gold-plating. But that had been decades ago, and nobody had ever called her on it. Instead, it had sat on the counter for months – unused, silently collecting dust. Once or twice she'd even thought about calling someone on it herself, just so she could feel that it did, in fact, have a function. But she never did; she had no one to call, and nothing to say even if she did.
After a while, the sight of her brand-new, never-before-used telephone sitting alone on the counter began to depress her. It only served as a persistent, nagging reminder that she had no one to talk to, no one who cared about her. So the next time she moved, the phone stayed packed away in a cardboard box where she wouldn't have to look at it. And it stayed there as she moved from city to city, all but forgotten. When she'd finally taken it out of the box years later, it was with regret. She'd sold it – like so much else – at the local antiques shop.
But even though Anna thought all of this, she didn't say any of it to Luke. Instead all she said was, "I don't know...I just never got around to it, I guess." She said it quietly, still somewhat embarrassed. Fortunately, Luke let it pass, nodding with gracious understanding.
"It's ok, don't worry about it." he told her, smoothly sliding his phone back into his backpack. Then, leaning forward, he grinned in that oddly reassuring way of his. "Why don't you just take down my number – you know, in case you ever need it. You could use a pay phone or something if you want."
"...Umm...yes – alright." she said after a minute of hesitation. So eloquent. Luke pretended he didn't notice anything odd in her behavior. Instead, he grinned wide.
"Great. Got a pen?"