It shouldn't have been hard to hear Zane speak those words. That's why they were here, right? They were here because they were both meant to turn into vampires. If they didn't, then that would be a problem.
But Cora stared at her brother, the bloom of fear and sorrow spreading in her chest. She didn't want to believe it was true. For some reason her first reaction to this truth he shared with her was that she didn't want to lose him.
"Are you…" she licked her lips and kept the bottom one her mouth as she bit back that fear that was growing, "are you sure?"
"Yes," he grumbled, lying back down on the roof to gaze up at the sky.
Cora's gaze darted away from him to the rest of Gray Vale below. Her brother was truly going to belong here. Was that possible? And if he was so sure about it then why didn't she feel the same way?
"Let's go to the river," she whispered.
"What?" He jolted up next to her. "Are you serious?"
Cora was not the rebellious child. Sure, she had done some stupid stuff when they lived among the humans. She smoked and snuck out with her friends and drank at parties. But since they had been in Gray Vale, she was cautious about being among the vampires. She wore a hood and cloaked herself from view whenever they were out of the house, for Goddess' sake!
"Let's try it. I think tonight would be an appropriate time to try it. The alignment of the sun, the earth, and the moon… I just… maybe we should try it," she whispered again, tryin to psych herself up.
She didn't want her heart to stop, she truly didn't. But if it was going to stop anyway then she would rather it just happen than waiting around in fear like this. And if Zane was so sure that he was going to turn, then maybe it was only this crippling fear of hers that was holding her back.
"What about mom?" He asked. Their mother was practically in tears at the thought of Zane wandering around tonight.
"She doesn't have to know. As long as we make it back in one piece, then it won't be a problem," Cora shrugged.
"You don't think she is going to pop her head out of the sky light to check on us?"
"Not if we go right now and hurry back," she whispered, sliding down the roof to where it hung over the back yard.
"Are you serious?!" He hissed behind her. "Cora!"
She stared at the dark yard below that seemed much further than what she pictured in her mind. Why couldn't they have a pergola or veranda or some other addition back here that would make sneaking out that much easier?
"Why are you suddenly so eager to run off? It's dangerous," Zane growled in her ear.
"Like you said at dinner, I just want to get this vampire thing over with already. If you are going to change, then I am going to change. And why not make it happen tonight? We have been here for three years. It feels like an eternity," she whispered.
All of Cora's fear and uncertainty was coalescing into this sudden urge to just be done with it already. Zane's certainty gave her the motivation. As terrifying as cardiac arrest sounded, it would probably be followed by an immense sense of relief knowing that she was a vampire once and for all.
"We can do it in the morning," he said, grabbing her arm to keep her from jumping.
"I'm doing it tonight," she shot him a warning glare and tugged her arm free. "Look," she pointed into the distance. "There is no one out."
"You know as well as I do that vampires are not that easy to detect," he whispered back. "They could be hunting us right now."
"Is it truly hunting when we are sitting ducks already?" She scoffed and turned onto her stomach to let her feet dangle over the edge. "Besides… they face an eternity of torture, remember?"
Zane groaned and grabbed her arms. "Let me help lower you down."
Once Cora was down on the white grass below, Zane thudded softly next to her. Like a superhero, he landed with one leg kneeling and one hand on the ground, his other extended behind him in the air for balance.
"How do you do that?" She rolled her eyes.
She had slipped and fallen over, but here her brother was looking like he was part of some kind of elite rescue team off to save the world from the next impending threat. He shrugged and offered her a hand, pulling her up to stand next to him.
Their house was not far from the river. Queen Ambrosia of Gray Vale had decided to place them on the outskirts of the city. That way they weren't a constant temptation to the vampires who lived here.
But that also meant that they were close to the portal where they had entered Gray Vale from the human dimension. It was not highly trafficked since no one found it appealing to go walk amongst humans, but it was Cora's constant temptation. The vampires had been spared theirs while she was cursed with hers. She wanted to return to her regular life and exit this nightmare for good. If only it wouldn't place her mother in danger when she left…
The exit was so close and yet impossibly far. She would likely never leave Gray Vale again. Once she was a vampire, there was that eternal torture to worry about. And nothing was more terrifying than that.
"Now what?" Zane looked at her uneasily. They could still abandon this reckless plan and just go inside. They would be safe inside.
"Now…" she looked around again to make sure the area was clear of any obvious night walkers. "Now we go get a drink."