Victoria sat on the side with the rest of the diner behind her, placing only Alex and the wall behind him in her immediate view. She returned his smile. It was almost impossible for her not to. Looking away, she mimicked Alex and took one of the menus, unfolding in on the plastic-and-metal table in front of her. She started to look it over. She was in the middle of debating on whether she wanted to go healthy or disgusting, when he spoke, drawing her attention up.
She looked back to the menu as he finished his question. “It’s alright. They’re a lot of people in the classes, though. The work’s definitely going to keep me busy.” She gave an airy chuckle. Her face fell slightly as she thought to her dorm, of Cali. “I... don’t really care for my other roommate, though.” She sighed.

Alex nodded, sage-like. "I see. Well you're always welcome to come to mine for studying, I'm sure I can help you with some stuff." He smiled at her. "And hey, if you want a break from your roommates, I have a spare room that's available most of the time." He swept his eyes over the rest of the diner, briefly, before looking back at his menu and relaxing a little. She wasn't here.
He had a limited amount of time to convince Victoria to stay away from the college tomorrow night. He needed to make sure she did, but he couldn't explain the truth. That would be far too risky.

“I see.”
Victoria glanced up at the odd tone she caught in Alex’s voice before he continued. “With that super brain of yours,” she said to his first offer, “I’ve no doubt.” She looked back to the menu once more, and decided to go the “disgusting” route. A burger and fries sounded too good to pass up.
She looked back to Alex as he gave his second offer, and blinked in surprise. She opened her mouth to respond, but the waitress bounded up beside them.
“Sorry for the wait!” She pulled a pencil and pad of paper from the apron draped over her white blouse. “What can I start you off with to drink?”
“Root beer, please.” Victoria fidgeted with her menu.
“And for you, sir?” The waitress looked to Alex.

Alex looked up at the waitress, she was probably in her early 20s, not much older than him. She had her hair fashioned to fit in to the era, to compliment her pink skirt and white blouse. She was blonde, relatively pretty, and seemed to be eyeing him like a piece of candy she was told she couldn't have.
"Just a glass of water please." He told her as she fluttered her eyelashes at him, he tried to make it clear from his expression that he wasn't interested, but he wasn't sure she got the message.
As she wrote down their drinks he turned back to Victoria, still awaiting for an answer from his offer of a place to stay.

“I’ll be right back with those for you.”
The waitress’ flirtatious tone tempted Victoria to look up. She scowled, but caught herself and quickly banished the expression, mentally scolding herself for caring. If she was honest, Alex was rather handsome, and that kind of reaction seemed quite common. She almost sighed in relief as the waitress left.
She looked back to Alex, whose attention reminded her she still needed to answer. A break from her roommates. The last place she wanted to be was locked in her small bedroom with a supernatural living just outside.
“I would love that.” She gave a humorless chuckle. “It’s been less than a day, and I already want to get away from the dorms.” She laid her forehead on an arm against the table dramatically. “I’m doomed.”

Alex smiled, but there was a dread behind his eyes. She didn't know just how correct that last statement could be.
"Well, maybe you just need to be with someone familiar for a day or two, to settle in." He suggested. "Tonight probably isn't a good idea, but how about tomorrow night? You can stay at mine, we can study and maybe watch a movie or something?" He suggested. He knew exactly when he needed to get her away, but he still wasn't quite sure on the how. Hopefully this would work. He didn't want to have to kidnap her to keep her safe. And boy would that be difficult.
He cast his eyes around the diner again. He was being a little paranoid, he knew, but he couldn't be too careful at this point in time.

Settle in. Right, Victoria thought dismally. Doubt that’s possible. She sighed into her arm, then straightened and ran a hand through her hair to put a few strands back into place.
Victoria gave a small smile at his last question. “Yeah,” she answered after a moment. “Yeah, that sounds good.”
Her brows furrowed as she noticed him glance around the diner. Something in his eyes and expression made her feel uneasy.
“Is… something wrong?”


Though it had been years since Nyaira had come across it, she had easily followed Alex’s scent. The breeze had been on her side. Another entwined with his, the smell of a human.
She stared at the 50s diner, her painted lips curled up in disgust. Reluctantly, she stepped toward the restaurant’s windows and peered inside.
She scanned the tables and booths for Alex. Among the few foul humans dotting the seats, there in the far corner, she found him sitting with his back toward the wall, his companion’s face turned from Nyaria.
She pressed a thumb lightly to her lips, contemplating how best to approach him, when her phone rang from inside her purse with the familiar tone she had set for Luc’s most recent number.
With a quick glance at Alex, she turned from the diner and slipped into a deserted alleyway to take the call.

Alex shook his head and smiled. "No, nothing's wrong." He lied, casually. But there was something very wrong. She had been there, not inside the building, but close. There were certain supernaturals he could just feel the presence of. Like some sort of psychic alarm.
And if Nyaira was here, then that meant there would be trouble. Especially if Luc was with her. He knew what they were like, after all, he was one of them at one point.
He was ashamed of his past, but he did not hide from it. But now it looked like it was catching up with him.
He couldn't relax now, not properly, not with her so close. He was unsure whether to leave or not, but he didn't want to arouse suspicion from Victoria.
How to keep her safe, without her suspecting anything? He didn't know, but he would have to think of something...

Victoria stared at Alex suspiciously for a long moment. Though his voice displayed ease, his posture still looked tenser than usual.
“Riiiight.” Victoria folded her menu. “If there’s anything you want to talk about--”
“Here’re these for you!”
Victoria jumped in her seat when the waitress hastily placed her soda in front of her. The woman took extra caution in placing Alex’s water on the table, as if any drop spilt would cause the Atlantic Ocean to dry up.
“Are you ready to order?” The waitress pulled out her ticket pad from her apron once more.
Victoria couldn’t help but glance up at her. She raised an eyebrow at her persistence despite Alex’s usual lack of interest, then quickly looked back down.
“Swiss mushroom burger for me,” she said just loud enough to be heard.
The waitress glanced to Victoria and blinked as if she had forgotten the girl was there. She quickly wrote on her pad, then looked eagerly back to Alex.

Alex stared out of the window as he spoke, absently. "Just a burger for me thanks." As the waitress left, he snapped himself out of his fixation and turned to Victoria.
"No, I'm sorry. I just... I thought I saw someone familiar walk past, but I must have been mistaken." He smiled, relaxing back in his seat. He had learned how to successfully lie within the first century of his life, now it was like a walk in the park. Except Victoria knew him better than most humans ever had. She could see through some of his lies, and that was enough to both scare and interest him.
"This waitress is beginning to bug me." He admitted, casually. "Most of them give up after a few minutes of disinterest." He sighed.

Despite Alex's now casual tone and posture, Victoria was not quite satisfied with his answer. She was half tempted to lean forward and look out the window. “Who?” Instead, she pulled the wrapping off a straw and placed the plastic tube in her glass. “Your archenemy?”
She let the question drop when Alex changed the subject. If he wanted to tell her, he would. If not, that was his business.
Victoria shrugged nonchalantly. “Everyone has their moments of desperation.” She grinned. “I mean, it’s you or high-school boys.” She gestured toward the occupied booth with a backwards jerk of her head as a roar of laughter rose from the teenagers.
That the frequency women flirted with him seemed to annoy him as much as it did her tended to make her feel... relieved. But that still did not stop her from giving him the occasional hard time about it. After all, someone had to help keep the compliments from going to his head.

Alex sighed. "Or she could just not flirt at all." He suggested. He knew he was being a little harsh, but it was something that grew tiresome very quickly when one had an eternal life to live.
"Why can't she be more like you?" He asked. "You're much more relaxed than most girls. Much easier to get along with." He smiled at her, his most charming smile. He had to distract her from his slip-up and if this was the way to do it, then do it he must.
Of course it was also true. He found Victoria much easier to speak to, as she tended not to flirt with him, which was a bonus in his opinion.

Victoria cocked her head at Alex’s reaction. So, perhaps it annoyed him a tad bit more than it did her. Either he was in a bit of a mood, or whatever had bothered him still darkened his mind.
Unsure what to say, Victoria shrugged and busied her mouth with the root beer.
“Why can’t she be more like you?”
She nearly choked on her drink. She looked to him and blinked. Though she had thought the same thing about Alex on many occasions, she could not recall anyone saying that of her... or him directing such an expression at her, for that matter. She often got the impression that even her aunt and uncle wished that she was more like “normal” girls. Often, so did she.
“Thank you?” Victoria’s voice turned the statement into a question. She felt heat rising into her cheeks, so looked down at the soda, wishing its carbonation held the secret to a good response. With the all-knowing powers of root beer remaining dormant, she opted to change the subject. “My psychology class is tomorrow. We never did figure out if we have the same professor.”

Alex smiled. The topic had changed. It hadn't quite gone as he had planned, but when did it ever when Victoria was involved?
He glanced out of the window once more, affirming his deduction that his old friend had left, before returning to the conversation at hand.
"No. Indeed we didn't." He smiled at her. "If you're curious to check, I have Professor Walsh. She's probably one of the best around, to be fair, but she can be pretty rough when you first start." He shrugged. "Stay on her good side and you can learn a lot though."
He sipped from his drink before the waitress came back with their food. She seemed to finally have gotten the hint as she set the plates down without a sound before walking away.

“Walsh,” Victoria repeated, looking to the seat beside her and rummaging in her purse for her schedule. “Sounds familiar.” She found it shoved in a corner of her purse and pulled it out from the mess inside. I should clean this thing, she thought, zipping it up. She unfolded the schedule and flattened it on the table, trying to smooth out some of the wrinkles marring the paper.
Victoria instinctively shied back when the waitress silently placed their food in front of them. She could not help but steal a fleeting glance at the waitress and the rather disgruntled expression she wore, before looking back to her schedule.
Her face lit up when she found the two classes she had for the next day. “Professor Walsh!” She tapped the name printed on the paper. “I have her just before lunch. You?” She looked up at him, waiting hopefully for his answer.


With their fond farewells said, Nyaira hit the “End” box on her phone, then replaced it in her purse. She sighed, the simple sound heartbreakingly beautiful. Now, she had to worry about finding someone she knew nothing about before one of her recruits killed them first tomorrow night.
“Oy vey,” she sighed in an Italian accent. With a scowl, she sauntered to the opening of the alleyway, careful to keep the door to the diner in sight and remain hidden from any prying eyes. She stared at the diner for a moment, then decided she did not want to wait any longer.
As casually as she could, she went to the diner’s door. Forcing back her disgust, she entered the diner. She paused just inside, taking in the small, pathetic place. It stank of humans. Not that that came as a surprise in a place like this.
The teenage boys facing her nudged their buddies, their eyes glued to her, ogling.
Then, she looked to Alex in the booth nestled in the corner.
“Alex?” she called in a slight Southern accent, donning a flawless look of surprise. “Alexander Williams!” She let out a bubbling laugh that would make even the most heard-hearted man weak in the knees as she bounded toward the booth. “It’s been ages!” Without waiting for an invitation, she slipped into the booth beside him and placed a disbelieving arm on the table, every movement quick and lithe. She spared his companion, a human girl, scarcely a glance. “What are the chances of this?” She placed her other hand gently on his shoulder and gave another airy laugh.

Alex turned to Nyaira. He had sensed her presence, but he didn't expect this. This was very forward, though he didn't know why that surprised him. She wasn't exactly known for her subtlety.

"Ah, Nyaira. What a surprise to see you here." He made himself sound convincing but within himself he was more worried than anything else. He glanced at Victoria, worried she would see Nyaira for who she truly was. He could feel himself beginning to slightly panic. "What are you doing here?" He asked, trying to sound light and happy to see her, rather than panic-stricken.

He kept looking over at Victoria, watching for any signs of shock or worry.

Victoria startled back at the stunning woman now sitting across from her. The woman whom Alex clearly knew. Perhaps even the woman responsible for his earlier mood.
“I was just passin’ through town, and decided to stop for the night,” Nyaira all but purred. “I’d heard you lived in a town around here, but never thought I’d actually run into you!” She leaned slightly into him.
The smile on Nyaira’s face made Victoria wish she could slap it off. The look in her eyes, something between hunger and lust, made Victoria feel uneasy. The many glances Alex cast her and the false pleasantries just noticeable in his voice made it only worse.
Something was terribly wrong. She felt it, the way she always did when she saw a supernatural. Then, like a faint whisper, it came to her. Vampire. She had found the race one of the most difficult to see for what they truly were. They were, after all, already quite close to humans, but this one… she scarcely even tried to hide it. Victoria swallowed hard and slunk back in her seat, her breath caught in her lungs.
“What’re you doin’ ‘round these parts?” Nyaira asked. “And who’s your… friend?”
The way she said “friend” made a chill run down Victoria’s spine. She wanted to look away, but could not. She wanted to tell Alex they needed to leave, but words failed her.
Of all the supernaturals, she thought, even her mental voice small, why did it have to be a vampire?

Alex glared at Nyaira, dispensing with the pleasantries. He had been able to deal with it until the way she spoke about Victoria. Like she was hinting that Victoria was a pawn... or a snack.
"This is Victoria. We go to college together." He told her, his voice becoming colder by the second. "Now, I think it might be best if you left us to our meal." He told her, pointedly.
She was dangerous, and he had noticed Victoria's change of attitude. He needed to either get Nyaira out of here, or leave with Victoria as soon as possible. Of course he was more worried that Victoria would overly question why he socialised with vampires and begin to come to conclusions that may just make her realise who he really was.

“Victoria!” Nyaira cast a forced smile to her, apparently oblivious to the ice in Alex’s voice. “Such a lovely name!”
Victoria tried to smile back, but only managed a twitch of her lips. She hated hearing her name coming from that monster’s tongue. Finally, at the mention of their food, she broke her gaze from Nyaira, the burger and mound of fries all but forgotten a moment before. As she stared at the sesame seeds on the bun, a new thought occurred; Alex probably did not know what he was friends with. Most people never did until it was too late. She needed to find a way to tell him, but how, without sounding completely insane, or alerting Nyaira?
“Oh, of course!” Nyaira drawled, hanging her head back as if embarrassed. “Lunch! Oh, waitress!” she called to the woman, raising her hand and standing slightly from her seat to get her attention.
The waitress looked over from giving a receipt to the teenagers, who also turned and all but drooled at Nyaira.
“Could I get a menu?” Nyaira finished with a sweet, innocent smile Victoria did not buy for a second.
The waitress blinked dumbly at her a moment, then pointed to the stack of menus at the end of the table. “They’re at your table.”
“Oh, how silly of me!” Nyaira made a show of reaching across the table and taking a menu.

Alex reached over and moved the menus away from Nyaira.

"I don't think you heard me. Leave. Now." He growled. "Do you really think I'm happy to see you after everything you've done?" He glared at Nyaira with a dark look on his face. "If you don't leave, then we will."

He turned to Victoria and noted her look of concentration. He pulled out his phone and sent a text to her.
I know

He stared back at Nyaira, daring her to say anything else on the matter. Normally, he would never have let Victoria see him act with such emotion, but when it came to Nyaira, it was dangerous to be aloof, because she would take advantage of that.