Emily: "What if he comes back? Do you think we should stay here tonight after all?"
Mary: "I'm sure we'll be fine. I think it's safer to stay here than to go back to my place anyway- my mom would throw a fit if she found out I wasn't really staying at your place after all."
Emily: "Yeah and I guess we can't really go back to my place since mom thinks I'm over at your house. Plus I think she has Matt or Mark or whoever with her tonight."
Mary: "Another one?"

Emily drew a deep and quivering breath, letting it out slowly into the emptiness of the house.

Emily: "Yeah, another one. I'm starting to feel… I dunno."
Mary: "Abandoned?"

Emily nodded, staring ahead and blinking back tears.

Emily: "I mean, with my dad- that was one thing. I hardly remember him as it is since he never seemed to want to have anything to do with me anyway. I guess he doesn't have to worry about me at all now that he's in jail."
Mary: "You never told me why he's there."
Emily: "The jerk ran out of gambling money and held up a stupid gas station. Honestly I have no idea what my mom ever saw in him in the first place."
Mary: "People get stupid when they fall in love. I think I'm going to avoid it, personally."

Emily: "I'm more afraid of ending up alone and forgotten."
Mary: "Well, I hate to break it to you, but you're never going to be alone or forgotten-you're stuck with me until one of us dies. And even then, if I go first, I'm haunting you."
Emily: "Promise?"
Mary: "Cross my heart and hope to… die. Or not."

Emily: "So… I got a letter from NC-CAD today."
Mary: "And…?"
Emily: "They accepted me."
Mary: "Em!! That's great! That means we're going to the same school!"

Emily: "I'm not sure it's quite sunk in yet. I didn't think I had the grades or the talent to get in a place like that."
Mary: "Your talent is insane, Em. It's totally off the radar it's so amazing."
Emily: "If you say so."
Mary: "I do say so. This is so exciting! Did you tell your mom?"

Emily: "Yeah, she seemed happy. Probably because she doesn't have to pay for it."
Mary: "Your grandparents?"
Emily: "Yep. They were really excited when I told them, especially since it's so close to them."

Mary: "This is like, the best news ever! I can't wait to have all night cram sessions together."
Emily: "Yeah, with cold pizza and insane amounts of Mountain Dew."
Mary: "And best of all, being hundreds of miles away from our parents- together."

Silence settled over them then, the only sounds coming from the occasional sound of the wind blowing through cracks or the whistle of a distant train. Together they enjoyed the absolute peace of the night and the ease at which they could remove the masks they wore and truly be themselves.

Emily shifted slightly, rearranging her blanket to cover where a draught had found its way to her lower back. Despite how small or insignificant she felt in her daily life, she knew that the friendship of the girl sitting next to her was enough to fill up the entire universe. Even if the vampire came back, she knew she wouldn't have to face him alone.