Rue found herself thinking about Yuki regularly, which came as little surprise to her. She knew her weakness for cute, colourful things, and Yuki was the most adorably awkward blue jellybean she had ever seen. As she looked over to her on their karaoke bar date, her heart swelled with happiness which was only partly due to how much she was rocking their duet. The shower singing sessions were paying off, and Rue was in her element! Of course she serenaded Yuki, who sat there a bit awkwardly but full of fondness and admiration. They complemented each other well. Where Yuki was lacking in charisma, she was overflowing with a shy intellect that Rue wished to learn from. Yuki did not talk much at first, but as they got to know each other, she became more and more enthusiastic about sharing her inner thoughts and strong opinions about gaming that made Rue laugh. Yuki's eyes seemed full of promise, and as Rue saw the reflection of her own eyes in them, something clicked. She wanted to spend her life with this woman. But she was getting ahead of herself. They would have to get to know each other a bit more before that.
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They concluded a pleasant day together at the trusty Sandwich Shack. Rue had started succeeding in convincing Yuki to try out some more vegetarian cuisine, and tonight Yuki ordered a meatless meal out of her own free will. They had a great time, laughing about how Justin Delgato had gotten into some minor trouble at work and had to stay there tonight until late to rectify it. They talked about Candy, Yuki's sister, and how strong of a bond they had. Rue was invited to go visit her house soon and meet her, which she eagerly accepted. It sounded like they would get along well.
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Something at the back of Rue's mind bothered her throughout the night, though. For every time she laughed, she felt a tiny shiver down her spine. For every turn of her head, she felt the hairs on her neck standing erect, and her body felt ready to plunge into a sprint at any moment. She had found out his name from a waitress earlier that night. Although they were across the room from him, it seemed to Rue that he heard every word they exchanged.
"Him? That's Caleb Vatore. He's from Forgotten Hollow."
Strange that he would work here, a town away, instead of in his home town. Was he trying to run away from something there? Or was he searching, stalking, something here? She shook her head. How paranoid of her to muse so much. She felt embarrassed at her wild speculations, and yet she knew deep down that she was not far off. Was this
Caleb the thing of which she had been reading? It had become a part of her daily routine: tend her garden, make and sell flower arrangements, devour multiple chapters of her vampire tomes. She had begun subtly bringing up the subject of vampires in conversations with sims close to her, but the others discussed it as if talking about a nursery rhyme. Fiction and ghost stories to keep children from wondering around alone at night. That thing that had visited Rue many nights ago, had come to her. And she keenly felt like something was watching her whenever she turned a dark corner. She would not be eaten away by this voiceless fear - she would monitor it. She would stare the monster right in the mouth. Yes, she would approach Caleb and make small talk with him to see if he gave away any information that she could use. It would have to be subtle and require planning. The next time she came to the Sandwich Shack, it would be for answers.
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That night, Rue's mind wasn't the only thing creeping among shadowy places. Not too far away, in a usually peaceful corner of Windenburg, a door creaked open, coiling away at the cold touch of its trespasser. There were no screams. The sims sleeping in their homes next door would have no idea what was happening, and the owners of the broken-into home would have little recollection of the night. They would simply be puzzled at the strangely-shaped, tender bite marks on their necks.
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Edward did not approve of Zachary's activities. He felt it to be barbaric and inhumane to toy with humans, and as such had been feeding from different means for almost two centuries. He did not actively oppose his brother, since he believed that it was best to guide others' actions instead of forcing things upon them that they could end up resenting you for. Edward and Zachary had nothing but each other, so they clung to their bond. It had been difficult for the past 50 years, though, since Zachary's restlessness and desire to sow anarchy had been increasing exponentially. The curse of immortality includes boredom, and weighs even more heavily on troubled minds. Zachary was not yet ready to face his emotions over the past, and when Edward brought it up, he quickly made it clear that he had no wish to talk about it, so Edward left him to his methods.
Edward convinced him to put his clothes back on for a chess match in the night air. The brothers spent many hours playing an intricate game of logic and skill that they made look almost like a dance - they had, in fact, had a long time to develop these skills - in companionable silence, and when the first break of dawn threatened, Edward got ready to leave for work. The perk of being a doctor is that the work hours are suitable for avoiding sunlight. Also, Edward dedicated his existence to helping sims. If he was to live forever, he would do good with it.
As Edward left, Zachary stared out of the window and smirked. Tomorrow would be Spooky Day, and he planned on putting spook into the equation.
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EA Staff (Retired)
